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!

23 Dec (Revelation 13)

Revelation 13

v.1 I know when I first read this book, the imagery was confusing and seemed like a science-fiction novel! However, this is God's Word, and He did say we would be blessed if we understand this book! Rev 1:3

We need to understand the Old Testament in order to understand this book. All throughout the Bible, the sea is a type of the peoples...most often referring to Gentiles. So this "beast" is a man who comes from the Gentiles and is what we call the Anti-Christ.

Remember to tell your kids that Anti-Christ not only means against Christ, but it also means in place of Christ. In other words, the Anti-Christ will try to emulate Christ, and deceive many.

Why does John call this man a beast? Because he is more than just a man...he is the devil incarnate...like Jesus is God incarnate.

10 Horns = 10 Kings Rev 17:12
7 Heads = 7 Kingdoms Rev 17:9-10

There have been 7 great empires that have been Israel's enemy over history:

Sameria (Nimrod/Tower of Babel/Nineveh)
Egypt
Assyria
Babylon (modern day Iraq)
Medo-Persian (modern day Iran)
Greece
Rome (Two parts to Roman Empire = East and West)

v.2 This description is the same as in Dan 7:3-8 but in reverse. I had a teacher remind me that John is writing this from the point of view of eternity, so the events are reversed since he is looking back on history, where Daniel was looking forward.

v.4 Many times, Satan tries to copy God, in order to fool people. Satan has his own unholy trinity:

God the Father vs. Satan (Satan wishes to be like the Most High) Isaiah 14:14
Christ Jesus vs. Anti-Christ (emulate Christ and deceive many who don't know Christ)
Holy Spirit vs. False Prophet (The HS tells us to worship Jesus; the FP will do the same with AC)

v.5 The Anti-Christ will be a great orator, but since the believers will be already raptured, the unsuspecting unbelievers will think that he is speaking wisdom. To our ears, he will be speaking blasphemy and gibberish, but to the world, he will have the answers to heaven on earth.

v.8 Is your name written in the Book of Life? If you have allowed Jesus to be your Savior AND Lord, then it is! Satan will make war with God, His chosen people (Israel), the Church (already in heaven).

v.11 This is the False Prophet...who "looks" like a lamb, but speaks like Satan. He comes from the earth, so we see the typology of people who worship Satan here...he will be a religious leader who tells everyone to listen to the Anti-Christ who is a political leader.

v.12 The AC will be wounded...but not die. We see some more detail of this in Zech 11:17

v.14 The earth dwellers are unbelievers in Christ...they will be fooled because they don't know the Bible and don't have a personal relationship with Christ. Also, because they chose wickedness, the blasphemies that the AC speaks, will be music to their ears!

v.15 The people must decide...follow God and be killed, or follow Satan and be doomed to hell.

v.16 The right hand and the forehead jumped out at me...this is Satan emulating God again. In Exodus 13:9 God commanded Israel to have His Word on their foreheads and right hands. They would have Scripture in leather pockets that they tied around their wrists and foreheads when they worshiped.

v.17 With computers, online banking, and eventually a world economy and leader, all money transactions will have to have the number of the Beast in them to purchase and sell goods. If one refuses to have that number, they will starve.

19 Dec (Revelation 9)

Revelation 9

(v.1) Is this star Satan? It sure seems like it, since he unleashes the demons who make war with mankind. Demons or Satan can't kill us, but they can tempt and lead us to desire sin and evil so much, that one day, we will seek death than endure the torment we are under.

(v.5) Your kids might find it interesting, that five months is the time that the rain and flooding lasted in the Flood of Noah. Again, the end times will mirror events in the Old Testament! God has already called His Church, so He is speaking to the Jews...they missed the signs the first time, but they will finally get it the second time!

(v.9) Scholars believe that John was seeing modern-day war helicopters, that have fangs painted on them, and inflict much damage. If we think about it, John had no concept of airplanes or helicopters, so these things were metal, but looked like locusts and birds to him.

(v.15) One third of the earth's population (approximately 1 billion people) were killed in the opening of the seals Rev 6:8, and now another billion will die from this! Like Jesus said many times, the end days will be like no other in history! Aren't you grateful that we have His Word to know Him, and to give our lives to Him now?!?

(v.20) This is one of the saddest parts in the Bible to me...even after all this death and destruction, people's hearts are so hard that they won't accept God's offer of forgiveness.

8 Nov (2 Cor 9-13)

2 Corinthians 9

(v.7) Tithing is not easy for us...it goes against our nature to give to someone else than keep for ourselves. This is what Jesus taught us...to put others' needs before our own. Tithing is not that big a deal, if you really think about it. All the money we have came from God's grace. To give at least 10% back to Him via our church or some godly ministry, is nothing.

God wants us to do this so we have a heart for giving, and we switch the focus off of us, and towards others. God wants us to be cheerful givers!

2 Corinthians 10

(v.3) I try to teach my kids that when we face troubles, to look behind the person or situation, and find who is orchestrating the trouble. Satan is our enemy, and he is always trying to trip up those of us who are following God. Satan doesn't want fruitful Christians...he wants ineffective and lukewarm Christians. He uses other people to bring us down, so pray and ask God to fight our battles.

2 Corinthians 11

(v.13) Jesus warned the disciples many times to be careful not to be lead astray. Cults and false religions have added to God's Word in the Bible. If you belong to a church that was started by one man, then ask yourself, "What if he was wrong?" The Bible is written by the Holy Spirit, but through over 40 people, to show that Christianity is not based on man's opinion, but God's Word.

Ever since Satan lost the war at the cross, he battles God daily by trying to have people veer away from God's Word, and following the word of men. Satan infiltrated the Church to break it up...he's been pretty successful, unfortunately. That is why my family reads the Bible and studies it, for other books are only supplementary, and not to replace the Bible.

2 Corinthians 12

(v.2) Scholars believe, and I believe, that one of the times that Paul was beaten and left for dead, that he actually did die. He was taken to the third heaven.

1st heaven ~ the earth's atmosphere

2nd heaven ~ outer space

3rd heaven ~ the dwelling place of God

Paul saw and heard things that were too wonderful to try to explain or describe...that is what heaven is like. We will be in awe for eternity at what God has planned for us!

(v.10) When we are weak, we are strong in Christ. Only when we know that we need Christ, and He can work in our lives, are we strong. When we don't get to that point, we think we can solve our problems and live abundantly without God.

2 Corinthians 13

(v.5) Ask yourself if you hate what God hates, and love what God loves. Do you hate sin? Do you hate evil? Do you long to help the weak and helpless? If you don't answer yes to these things, then pray and ask God to work in your life. Only when we are walking with God can He use us.

6 Sep (Luke 10)

The Gospels: The Good Samaritan and Servanthood

Luke 10

(v.2) Jesus sent out seventy disciples two-by-two Ecc 4:9 to reach the lost. Jesus tells them:

The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few...

There is so much to do for the LORD, but we all only do a little. I teach my kids that I am guilty of this, and it's my prayer that we all try to love and serve others in the name of Jesus more!

(v.3) We must always remember that while we are in the world, we are amongst evil. We need to pray and be equipped in the Word in order to fend off the wiles of the devil. Eph 6:13

Also, remember that Jesus commanded us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Matt 10:16

(v.18) This could be when Satan and his fallen angels were kicked out of heaven for good!

(v.24) We are even more blessed today, since we have the Bible, and the prophecies from the prophets that are coming to life right in front of our eyes daily!

(v.33) The Good Samaritan parable is self-explanatory, but I also like to point out that the good person in this parable is a Gentile...quite shocking to the disciples and the Jews who heard it! The Church needs to act in this manner today!

(v.39) We will read more of Mary and Martha in the next post, for they are the sisters of Lazarus, who Jesus raised from the dead in John 11 & Luke 16

Martha can be easily seen as the selfish one in this event, but let's remember that she was a believer, and she was gladly serving the LORD. She was frustrated that her sister wouldn't do the same. This is an important lesson for us...we can get too tied up in serving that we forget the true reason we serve...Jesus! Mary was doing the best thing...listening to Jesus when He is speaking!

13 Aug (Matt 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13)

The Gospels: Satan Tempts Jesus

Luke 4

(v.1) We see that Jesus was led by the Spirit...He was subservient to the Father and the Spirit while on earth...just as we are supposed to be. Jesus showed us how to live...not a life with no problems, but a life that has meaning and purpose.

(v.4) When we are faced with temptation, Jesus shows us the way to overcome temptation...the Word of God! If we know verses in the Bible that speak about particular temptations, and if when faced with those temptations, we recite them out loud or in our heads, we are far less likely to fall to temptation.

(v.6) This is an important teaching moment for our kids...notice that Jesus doesn't refute Satan's claim to be in charge of all the kingdoms of the earth. When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them dominion and authority over all the creation. But when they sinned, they lost that authority...it was relinquished to Satan. The devil is the god of this world...he has immense power over the world.

BUT...God is the LORD over all creation, so He allows Satan to work in the world, and God uses the evil in the world to work for good. Rom 8:28

(v.12) When we are His, we are under His protection and guidance. However, we are not to live recklessly and put ourselves in situations that put God's love and protection to the test. We need to let Him put us in situations...for He is in charge of those situations, and puts us in them to refine and strengthen us!

(v.34) Skeptics often say that Jesus never said He was God...well, there are many instances where He did say that, but we also have verses like this that show us that even the demons knew who He is!

(v.38) For my Catholic friends...this is a verse that we all need to think about and understand. Peter was married...we know this because of this verse, for he had a mother-in-law. Now, if Peter is the first pope, then why did the Roman Catholic Church demand that popes be celibate?

Also, there is much evidence that Peter was not the first pope...for he wasn't even in charge of the early Church! In Acts 15, at the Council of Jerusalem, James is the leader! James is the half brother of Jesus, and came to faith after the Resurrection. James was anointed to be the pastor/leader of the Church in Jerusalem...not Peter. James gave the orders...not Peter.

With all that in mind, my wife grew up Catholic, and was saved by her faith in Jesus, not in Mary or the pope. For those of you Catholic friends who read this blog...all I ask is that you compare the teachings of the RCC to the teachings in the Bible, and come to your own conclusions. The Bible is inspired by God and His Spirit...any church is run by men...fallen and imperfect.

3 Aug (Esther 6)

Esther 6

(v.3) God is not mentioned in this whole book, but I don't believe it was a coincidence that the king couldn't sleep the night before the banquet, and discovered that Mordecai the Jew helped him! God was at work here, and set the stage for things to come!

(v.10) This could be a scene from a movie! Haman thinks the king is about to honor him, and he speaks of lavish clothing, a parade and cheers to honor the king's anointed. Wouldn't we all love to have see Haman's face when the king said Mordecai the Jew...all of Haman's pride was deflated in one moment.

Here is a key point for our kids...it's at moments like these that define us. If Haman had repented and realized that he was filled with unjust hate, his life would have been blessed. After all, Mordecai helped the king with no intentions of notoriety or fame...just to do the right thing. But Haman's heart was hard, and he was being moved by Satan. His shock turned to rage, and ultimately, his destruction.

(v.13) Again, God is not mentioned here, but even Haman's servants and wife know that God has placed Mordecai in this position, and there is no fighting God! Unfortunately, Haman doesn't heed their advice, and brings on his own doom.

19 Jul (Job 1-2)

Job 1

The book of Job is believed to be the oldest book of the Bible, and scholars think that Job lived at the time of Abraham. One reason for this, is that this book doesn't mention the Law given to Moses, or any mention of the Levitical priesthood. This is significant, since Job was a priest, but before the tribe of Levi.

(v.6) I make certain that my kids know what sons of God means in the Hebrew Scriptures...it means angels. Angels were directly created by God...they weren't procreated like all of us after Adam and Eve. For that matter, Adam and Eve were direct creations of God...they were not birthed.

(v.7) It's important to discuss this with our kids...Satan seems to have access to God in heaven, but debate is still ongoing as to whether this is before the Fall of Adam, or after. It seems likely that this is after the Fall, since Satan is already accusing Job, and working to make him profane God's name.

One other thing to stress to our kids, is that Satan can't act unless God allows it. Does this mean that God causes trials in our lives? No, He doesn't...but He allows them to build our character. James 1:2 & Rom 5:3-4

(v.11) I firmly believe that when we are at our most vulnerable, is when we are victorious. When we're on top, we get a sense of power and invincibility. Satan made this point with Job...he was walking with God because he was so blessed. Satan believed that even the most faithful man would reject God if his life turned to hell.

Sadly, this has happened to so many people...they take God for granted while things are going well, but when disaster comes, they feel that God abandoned them. Whether we're doing well, or when we're having hard times, God is always with us. Heb 13:5

(v.21) Just as when David worshipped God after his son died, Job has the right perspective on things. God is in control, and this life is short. What matters is what we do with it while we have it. Both David and Job knew that they would see their family members again in heaven.

Job 2

(v.4) When our flesh is ailing, we are not in a good mood! It's so easy for us to act unrighteous when we hurt. Satan knew this, and he was betting that Job would profane God when he was in pain. Again, Job shows us that all is vanity, except for our relationship with God. Ecc 1:2

(v.9) Job's wife is typical of many people we know...fair-weather believers. When things are good, God is praised, but when things go bad, God is cursed. I make a point to my kids, that they should always be thankful for what they have, instead of focusing on what they don't have. Phil 4:6

(v.11) Job's three friends start out so well, but as we will see, they seek to find out why these things happened, and use man's wisdom to find the answers. They come to support their friend, which is good, but even if they had good intentions, their blaming of Job was both unbiblical and counter-productive.

(v.13) When someone you know has just experienced a great tragedy, there are no words to comfort them. What's important, is to be there for them. To grieve with them. Ecc 3:4

2 Jul (Ezekiel 26-30)

Ezekiel 26

Tyre is what we know today as Lebanon. Tyre was glad to see Judah fall, and God took note of that. He predicted that Tyre would not only fall, but they would end up like the top of a rock that people would throw fishing nets off of.

If we look at history, Nebby destroyed the mainland towns and cities, but most of the people took their riches and went to the island a mile off the coast of Tyre. Later, during Alexander the Great's time with the Greeks, they threw all the large stones from the destroyed buildings, and made a walkway to the island!

God's Word is amazing and with incredible detail...we just have to study it and learn it.

Ezekiel 27

We see the wealth and pride of Tyre, and God brought them down because of it.

Ezekiel 28

(v.2) When I read this, I make my kids remember that God says to speak to the Prince of Tyre. This will be important later in the chapter.

(v.8) As we shall see, this man is symbolic of the Antichrist, and will be thrown into the Pit with Satan, his fallen angels, and all unbelievers.

(v.11) Now take notice that God is speaking to the King of Tyre...the person behind the Prince, who is orchestrating his evil deeds. This King of Tyre is Satan.

(v.12) Lucifer was a cherub...the top angels were cherubim, and Michael and Gabriel are cherubs as well. It seems that Lucifer was the top cherub, since he was perfect in beauty and the seal of perfection.

God made Lucifer to be perfect and wonderful, yet Lucifer's pride and jealousy of man's relationship with God made him want to be worshiped.

(v.13) This is how we know that this King was really Satan...he was in Eden with Adam and Eve.

Some scholars believe that Lucifer's main duty was to lead worship of God, since the Word says that his timbrels and pipes were skillful in his hands. I personally believe that Satan works through music just as God does. God made songs a part of His worship, and Satan uses worship to influence our youth to worship him.

(v.14) Here we see that Lucifer was probably the head cherub...the anointed cherub who covers...which means he was in charge of all other cherubs and angels.

(v.15) Lucifer is not God, since God created him. He was created to be perfect, but Lucifer's pride made him want to be like God.

(v.16) As we saw earlier with the Prince of Tyre, the King of Tyre will be thrown into the pit with him.

(v.17) I take notice of the fact that God cast Lucifer to the ground. This is linked to Gen 3:14 where after Satan tricked Adam and Eve to sin, God cursed Satan to be on his belly...like a serpent.

(v.19) Satan should be respected and feared by all, but he is not almighty like God. We who are God's children know that the One who created Satan will conquer Satan on our behalf. Rom 8:31

Ezekiel 29

God continues to predict that fate of the nations that persecuted Israel with gladness.

Ezekiel 30

(v.3) What is hard for us to understand unless we grasp the whole Bible, is that God is predicting doom to the nations that hate Israel, but their fate isn't always for the present...it's in the future. We can see that this prophecy is for the last days, since God speaks of that day...which means the Day of the LORD.

(v.24) God predicts that Nebby and Babylon will conquer Egypt, who will be helpless before Nebby.

31 May (Isaiah 11-14)

Isaiah 11

(v.1) This is one of many Messianic verses in the book of Isaiah. Messianic refers to the Messiah, which means Savior in Hebrew, and Christ means the same in Greek.

(v.2) We see seven characteristics to the Holy Spirit here, and if we look forward to Rev 1:4 we can make the connection. The number seven in Hebrew culture means completion, and the Holy Spirit is complete!

Rest ~ Jesus said He would give us rest in heaven Matt 11:28

Wisdom ~ Jesus said that the Spirit would give us God's wisdom John 14:26

Understanding ~ The Spirit sanctifies us, and has us grow closer to God 1 Cor 14:15

Counsel ~ The Spirit guides us with His counsel Psalm 16:7

Might ~ The Spirit gives us God's power and might John 14:16

Knowledge ~ Reading His Word gives us knowledge of God Prov 2:5

Fear ~ This means awe and respect, and if we have that of God, we are His Prov 9:10

(v.10) King David's father was Jesse, and Jesus was a direct descendant of David. God wrote this from the beginning, to provide a Kingly line to eventually rule the earth.

Isaiah 12

(v.3) Jesus said He was the Living Water that gives us salvation, and removes thirst. John 7:37-38

In John 4 Jesus shows the Samaritan woman at the well who He really is...like her, we need to recognize that and praise Him in public. Time is running out!

Isaiah 13

(v.9) Isaiah is given wisdom as the the Day of the LORD, where Jesus will return and bring judgement and wrath upon evil and unbelievers. Make sure you're His, and let the Spirit work in you, so you can witness to others.

(v.19) In the last days, the place where outright rejection of God started, the Tower of Babel, will be the symbol of rejection again. God will strike down Babylon once and for all, and no one shall dwell there again. This hasn't happened yet, and many scholars believe that Iraq is preparing for the world to focus on them in the near future. In fact, there are rumors that the United Nations may be moved from New York to Iraq...right where Babylon is!

Here are some links that go into this in more detail:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/13/world/africa/13iht-babylon.html?_r=1

http://www.thepropheticyears.com/reasons/babylon.htm

Isaiah 14

This chapter is key to understanding Lucifer, the devil or Satan, and how his pride made him rebel against God:

(v.12) Lucifer was a cherub, one of the elite angels. We know of only two others that are named...Michael and Gabriel. Lucifer seems to have been in charge of all the heavenly host...the angels, and he may have also been in charge of worship in heaven. Eze 28:14

This is why Lucifer was called the son of the morning for he was beautiful and perfect in all his ways. When we read Eze 28:13 we know that this is referring to Lucifer, since he is the only one mentioned with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden except for God.

In Eze 28:15 we see the great tragedy...he was beautiful and perfect, but his pride and desire to be like God led him to sin. I believe that Lucifer became jealous of Adam and God's fellowship, and he wanted to be worshipped like God was with Adam.

If your kids are old enough, it's important to teach them early who Satan is, and why he acts the way he does. Satan and hell are real, and in order for us to understand spiritual things, we need to know the spiritual war that is going on for our souls. Eph 6

Jan 24 (Exodus 9-11)

Exodus 9

The fifth, sixth and seventh plagues fall upon the people of Egypt, but not upon the people of Israel. This is an example of what God does for those who follow Him...He protects them from His wrath upon man. God allows disasters and trials in our lives, but He doesn't instigate them. As we read in Job, God ALLOWS Satan to torment us, but only to a point. God wants us to grow and rely upon Him, and trials are usually the best and only way to break us down and have us rely upon Him.

I tell this story to my kids about this concept:

There was this man, who only prayed when life was hard on him...but when he prayed, he prayed fervently. After many trials and years of tragedies, the man finally asked God the question, "I pray so hard to you, and yet, there so many tragedies in my life...why?" And God replied back, "Only when you're in trouble do you talk with me. I love you and want to have fellowship with you, so you leave me no other choice!"

Exodus 10

The eighth and ninth plagues befall Egypt, and Pharaoh does a very interesting thing...he confesses his sins to God. Some people think that if we just say the sinner's prayer (that we're sinners and need a Savior), then we're automatically saved. It's like there is some magic phrase or chant that allows us salvation.

It's not that easy, and it can't be that easy! We can't say or do anything to earn our salvation. Only God Himself can do that for us, and many years after Moses, God Himself became flesh and died in our stead. If one says the sinner's prayer, and their heart is true, then God will justify us before Him, and we are saved. However, if this happens and the Holy Spirit enters our lives, then there HAS TO BE a change in us. We don't do good works to get saved, we do good works BECAUSE we are saved!!!

This is what separates born-again Christianity from all other faiths...even denominational faiths that require works prayers to mortals, reliance upon men and indulgences to assure salvation.

Exodus 11

The tenth plague will do the trick, and Pharaoh will ultimately allow the Jews to leave Egypt. One thing to note about all ten plagues...they represent 10 of many gods that the Egyptians worshipped. God was showing the Egyptians that He is the true God, and their fake gods were being schooled by the Master!!!

God warns Pharaoh that all the firstborn children and livestock will die, which is also a prophecy that He will Himself offer His Firstborn Son. Jesus is our Passover Lamb who takes away the sins of the world as John the Baptist proclaimed in (John 1:29, 36).

Jan 23 (Exodus 8)

Exodus 8

Moses and Aaron plead with Pharaoh to let their people go to the desert to worship God, but as we'll see many times in this event, Pharaoh won't ablige until the death of his firstborn son. There is some great typology going on here:

~ Egypt is a type of the world...of the flesh and bondage to sin

~ Moses is like Christ, taking His people away from sin and into peace

~ Pharaoh is like Satan...fighting God and trying to compromise

~ The Red Sea is a type of water baptism

~ The Promised Land is a type for heaven

NOTE: The Promised Land has been compared to heaven, and the time of believers on earth. Good scholars on both opinions are valid. The important thing to teach our kids, is that God provided the way of salvation...all we need to do is believe and obey.

(v.19) The magicians don't say that another god did this like theirs (Satan), but they give credit where credit is due...they tell Pharaoh that God brought the lice forth. Again, Satan can imitate God very well up to a point, so we must be careful to know our Bible and His warnings (Lk 21:8, 1 Cor 6:9, Gal 6:7 and James 1:16) so we aren't led astray by the enemy.

Jan 22 (Exodus 6-7)

Exodus 6

Much of this chapter is God assuring Moses that He will be with him and guide him. We as believers need to remember this as well. We experience trials and tragedies all the time, whether they are our own, or someone we love is going through them. God never promised us bliss in this life...He only offered us peace. This peace is an inner peace of knowing how the story ends and where we'll be for eternity! This is our testing ground...to have the Holy Spirit sanctify us and allow us to serve and love others in the name of Jesus.

Here are some parallels that God promised Israel that goes along with what He promised all believers:

~ He will rescue us from bondage and slavery (to sin)

~ He will redeem us (through Jesus)

~ He will call us His own people (saints)

~ He will be our God (our Lord and Savior)

~ As a heritage, He will bring us to His peace (Heaven)

Exodus 7

(v.1) In a direct contrast to what Satan will do with his Anti-Christ and False Prophet in the book of Revelation, God is making Moses to be the direct representative of God and Aaron his prophet. I like to point out to my kids that Satan tries to mirror and imiatate what God does. In the last days, he will trick many people because they don't know their Scripture. If we only know some of the Bible, and can be led astray by things that are "like" what God said, then Satan has us where he wants us.

(v.11) We see an example of Satan copying God, but having the magicians make their sticks turn into snakes. To Pharaoh, this proved that Moses and Aaron were not who they said they were, but Pharaoh failed to take notice that Aaron's snake swallowed up all the magician's snakes! Satan can copy God, but not entirely!

It's important to know the Torah and the whole Old Testament, in order to see how Jesus fulfilled the Law and sayings of the Prophets. Also, in order to understand the last book, Revelation, we need to see all the things that were established in the OT come to completion in the Day of the Lord!

Jan 2 (Genesis 3-5)

Genesis 3

(v.1) Satan uses doubt to make us trip in our walks with God. If we doubt what we've read or heard from God, then we are more open to fall to temptation. If we know the Word of God, then we know what God says about any temptation or trial that comes our way.

Note: It might be fun to ask your kids where they think Adam was when this conversation between Satan and Eve was going on. Either he was there the whole time, and didn't say anything, or he came at the end, and ate the fruit like Eve did. This also may be a good time to discuss peer pressure, since Adam didn't have to eat the fruit, but he did. Gen 3:6

(v.2) Notice that Eve added to what God told Adam...God never said not to touch the fruit, only not to eat it. When we veer off the Word of God, and make it "fit" into our lives, we are destined for hardships. The Word is timeless, and we need to fit our lives into accord with Him and His Word!

(v.3) Satan then adds pride into the mix...touching on the temptation of being like a god.

(v.7) After the both ate of the fruit, they realized they were naked. As I mentioned in the previous post, this might be the moment that Adam and Eve lost dimensions that they enjoyed when they were walking with God. Scholars and scientists believe that there are 10 dimensions, but we only experience four on this earth.

Note: It might be useful to mention that after Jesus was resurrected, Mary and the disciples didn't recognize Him at first...why is that? When the disciples were in the upper room, scared and wondering what to do, Jesus suddenly appeared...I believe the Bible leads us to believe that the Lord was no longer restricted by only four dimensions, and could appear and disappear at His discretion.

(v.8) Was God the Father walking in the Garden? I believe this is the first account of Jesus on earth in the Old Testament. There are other allusions to this in Joshua Joshua 5:15, and Melchizedek Gen 14, the discussion with Samson's parents Judges 13 and others.

(vv.9-11) Did God really not know where Adam and Eve were hiding from Him? Was the Creator of the universe unable to see Adam and Eve peeking through some bushes at Him? I have been able to get my kids to laugh at this picture, by demonstrating how ridiculous they must have looked! Also, I think it's important to stress the probable tone of the Lord's voice when He said "Where are you?" I believe He said it in a soft, and solemn way...in a way that one asks a question if your heart is broken.

(vv.12-13) Here is another chance to get the kids laughing, by showing them the both Adam and Eve refused to own up to their mistakes...they pointed the blame at others. This is funny, but it's extremely useful to show our kids that they need to take responsibility for their mistakes, and learn from them.

(vv.14-15) The struggle for all of time starts here...Satan against God. Please note that God mentions the "seed" of the woman...this is a direct prophecy to the Immaculate Birth of the world's Messiah...Jesus!!!

(v.22) Here is another reference to the Holy Trinity..."Us"

(v.24) God made sure that Adam and Eve would not be forever in their sinful state...He had a way to redeem them (and us) in His Son!

Genesis 4

The account of Cain and Abel is important when we look at things from God's perspective. Cain may have been sincere in his offering, but God saw pride in his offering...we can picture Cain saying to God, "Look what I made for you" when Abel brought the firstborn calf that God created. Of course, we see further evidence of pride by Cain's reaction to God, and by his murder of his brother.

Genesis 5

This chapter is excluded from the Kid's Bible we read, mainly because it has the listing of sons from Adam to Noah. There are a lot of "begats" and numbering of years, but God has this there for a reason. A great Bible teacher that I have learned a lot from, Chuck Missler, has shown me the significance of this chapter...hidden in this chapter is something special.

In Hebrew, the names of people usually mean something...much like the way American Indians name their kids. If we look at the ten names of Adam to Noah, we see that God is foretelling something. I have put in parenthesis the Hebrew meaning of each of the names:

Adam (Man)
Seth (Appointed)
Enosh (Mortal)
Kenan (Sorrow)
Mahalalel (The Blessed God)
Jared (Shall Come Down)
Enoch (Teaching)
Methuselah (His Death Shall Bring)
Lamech (Despairing)
Noah (Comfor/Rest)

If we put these names together in a sentence (in order, without mixing them up), it says the following:

"Man is appointed mortal sorrow, (but) the blessed God shall come down teaching, (and) His death shall bring the despairing, comfort and rest."

Do you think all ten of these Jewish families planned on describing the Messiah by naming their sons? I don't think so either...God had them do this to show us that He had planned for a Messiah since before He created the universe! What a wonderful God we serve!!!