14 Oct (Acts 7-8)

Acts 7

Steven, a common man of the Church, was filled with the Spirit, and gave a detailed and inspiring recount of the Old Testament! This should be something all Christians should be able to do. In order to understand WHY Jesus came, we need to know the Old Testament first.

(v.51) Steven sounds like John the Baptist and Jesus, where he confronts the hypocrisy and hard hearts of the Pharisees. When we witness, we need to know our audience. Love conquers all, but there are times when we need to confront non-believers with their selfish pride. This will either make them recoil and push you away, or God's Word will pierce their heart, and they will repent. It's not our job to save people, it's our job to share the Good News of Jesus, and let the Holy Spirit do the rest!

(v.54) In this case, the Pharisees were hard of heart, and not walking with God. Therefore, they lashed out at Steven, and he became the first martyr of the Church.

(v.56) What a day that will be for all of us, when we see Jesus at the right hand of the Father in heaven!!!

(v.60) In the end, Steven showed love, and called on God to forgive them of their sins. This was like Jesus on the cross, and we need to have the same attitude and heart. We may fight evil here on earth, but ultimately, all people are God's children, and we should wish for them to be saved.

Acts 8

(v.1) Saul of Tarsus (later to be known as Paul the Apostle) was a high-ranking Pharisee who managed the stoning of Steven.

One thing I point out to my kids, is that once Satan lost at the cross, he shifted his work from trying to prevent the Messiah from redeeming mankind to God, to trying to keep as many people from salvation as possible. Satan is still doing that today.

At first, Satan tried to scare and persecute the Church to give up. But what we see here is that the more Satan had the Jews, then the Romans, then the Roman Catholic Church, and then Islam persecute the Church, the more it grew!

Satan is wise, though, and once he saw this, he took another tactic...infiltrate the Church and make it and it's people ineffective for God's work. That is what we are dealing with today in most churches...they are dead.

(v.20) Like Simon here, many churches and "preachers" today use wealth and prosperity as a sign of salvation. They don't talk about sin and the need for a Savior, they focus on living a wealthy life here on earth. This is dangerous!

Jesus said He would give us His rest when we accepted His gift of salvation. Exodus 33:14 & Matt 11:29 However, Jesus didn't promise us a life of prosperity and wealth in this life if we are His...He promised us rest and joy. Those come from the knowledge of His Word, that we are saved and will be with Him in heaven for eternity. In the meantime, we are to endure hardships and work to love and serve others while on this earth.

Do you see the difference?

(v.27) Why was this Ethiopian eunuch in Jerusalem at that time? Many Bible scholars believe the Ark of the Covenant is in Ethiopia today, and it's their duty, when the Messiah returns, to present the Ark to Jesus...for He is to sit on the Mercy Seat (the lid of the Ark) as His throne to rule for the Millennium. For more on this, check out this website for some interesting info:

http://www.baseinstitute.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=68

It is my belief, that this eunuch was sent to present the Ark, but they didn't know that the Messiah had to die first...then come back as the Conquering King. That is why Philip was spirited to the eunuch to show him Isaiah 53 which details the Suffering Servant and the reason for Jesus to die on the cross.

I believe, one great day, the Ethiopians will present the Ark to Jesus, and we'll be praising God the whole time!

This is one of those subjects that brings up much debate, so please look into this yourself, and see what God speaks to you. Acts 17:11

(v.37) This is why infant baptism is ineffective...the baby doesn't know what is going on. It takes a mind and a heart that knows what baptism proclaims...the death of our old life to sin, and the resurrection of our new life to salvation. That is why my kids have come to wish to be baptized about the ages of 7 or 8, when they understand what it means, and they believe with all their heart.

15 June (Zephaniah)

Zephaniah was a descendant of King Hezekiah, and wrote about the impending doom of the Southern Kingdom (Judah and Jerusalem). He influenced a young king, named Josiah, and the country walked with God during that time. But after Josiah, the people went back to their sinful ways, and Zephaniah tries to warn them.

Zephaniah 1

(v.5) We all know people who claim to be Christians, and yet live in the world and strive to attain worldly prizes. It's ok to strive to do your best, but we must not focus on this life and what it offers us, for the next life, the one with God, is what we should be seeking.

(v.7) For those people who think they can verbally claim they are followers of Christ, but don't live for Him, they will be surprised and terrified when the LORD returns! Rev 7:5-8 The Day of the LORD will be terrible for those that rejected Him. It's like the turkey looking forward to Thanksgiving!

(v.12) God doesn't want bystanders...He wants us to participate in this life. He wants us to love and serve others, and especially to lead them to Him.

Zephaniah 2

(v.3) God will protect and seal those who love and serve Him when He comes back in that Day of the LORD. That day will be great joy for believers, but great calamity for unbelievers.

(v.9) These are the very places today that plague Israel...don't think that God isn't watching and keeping score!

Zephaniah 3

(v.8) No one will escape God's wrath who have rejected Him. All the earth will burn, and God will make a new heaven and earth after the ones we have today. Rev 21:1

(v.10) This is an interesting verse...many scholars believe that the Ark of the Covenant was taken to Ethiopia for safekeeping, and when the LORD returns, it will be brought to Him by the keepers of the Ark in Ethiopia. I believe that is why the Ethiopian Eunuch came to Jerusalem in Acts 8...to see if it was the time for the Ark to go back.

I strongly recommend you check out this site to learn more:

http://www.baseinstitute.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=68

1 June (Isaiah 15-20)

Isaiah 15

(v.2) In Hebrew culture at that time, a man displayed his maturity by letting his hair be long, and have a flowing beard. When they had a family member die, they would shave their heads and beards to let everyone know that they are in a mourning time. They would let their hair grow during the mourning time...usually for a number of months, then shave it again to let everyone know that they're done mourning.

I joke with my kids that today, when we see bald men, it doesn't mean they're mourning, unless they're mourning the loss of their hair!

Isaiah 16

(v.5) Jesus is a descendant of David, and as God told Mary when she was pregnant, that her Son would sit on the throne of David. When Jesus was on the earth, there was no throne of David, for it had been destroyed by the Babylonians and Romans. Jesus will rule and reign for 1,000 years in the new Temple, most likely sitting on the Mercy Seat that covers the Ark of the Covenant.

There will be a terrible time in the world that history has never come close to. Imagine that, with the world wars and major calamities that have happened throughout history, nothing will come close to the events describing the Great Tribulation.

Jesus will stop it, and establish peace, justice and mercy on all the people...Hallelujah!

Isaiah 17

(v.1) This is a key verse...Damascus is the oldest city to be still with the same name. With what is going on in the Middle East, we see Syria helping Iran and Israel's neighbors with arms and missles. I believe that one day soon, Damascus will be wiped out for her work against Israel, and like the Scripture says, it will be a ruinous heap. This may happen from a nuclear blast, or since there are scores of ammo storehouses, it may just be a powder keg waiting to erupt.

(v.7) When all is said and done, we all will face God. Those of us who have believed and followed Christ, will have judgement, but only to burn away our unholiness. We will be rewarded on the Bema Seat of Christ, which is like the Olympic medal stand. We may have nothing left but our faith after it goes through the fire, but our faith is what will get us through to salvation and heaven.

For those that rejected God, or didn't take Him seriously, they will face the Father in the Great White Throne of Judgement, and they will be speechless. They will have their lives displayed, and they will have nothing to show for what they did for Christ's sake. We need to keep trying to plant seeds so the Spirit can bring the lost to God.

Isaiah 18

Ethiopia has a big role to play in the end times. Many scholars believe that they currently hold the Ark of the Covenant, and it's their job to present it to Jesus when He returns.

If we look at Acts 8 we see that God has Philip go to the desert to speak to an Ethiopian man. This man is a eunuch, and has an entourage with him. The man is reading Isaiah 53 which is the best Scripture describing the Messiah other than the Gospels. He doesn't understand, though, and Philip explains to him that the Messiah had to first die for our sins, then He will come back as the King.

It is believed that this Eunuch heard what Jesus was doing in Galilee and the area, and he thought that it was time to present the Ark to God. The link below is a good read to know more of what I think is the best possibility of where the Ark is today, and what it's purpose will be in the last days.

http://www.baseinstitute.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=68

Isaiah 19

(v.6) Isaiah predicted this thousands of years before it happened...in Egypt, they erected the Aswan Dam with the idea that it would prevent the Nile from flooding the area. It accomplished that, but it also didn't allow for the salt in the water to go to the sea, and it seeped into the farmlands and ruined the crops.

This is a verse that the environmentalists and Christians can agree on!

(v.12) If we look at all other "holy" books of different faiths, we can easily see that their predictions have been false. Only the Bible has been 100% accurate so far, so why would we doubt that it won't be absolutely accurate for the end times? We have not "outgrown" the Bible, since God thought of everything before He created the universe!

Be careful of following man's wisdom or predictions...search the Scriptures yourself Acts 17:11 and know what God says...not what man says...including me!

Isaiah 20

My kids get a kick out of this chapter, for the Egyptians and Ethiopians are shamed by having to expose their buttocks! I'm kind of silly, so I act it out for them, and they laugh! It may seem silly for God to have this in His Scriptures, but it's all there for a reason. We can't escape God.

Apr 10 (1 Kings 8-10)

1st Kings 8

(v.9) The ark is a wonderful item to remember and worship God, since in Moses' time, it had the two tablets of the Law, a golden bowl with manna in it from he Wilderness wanderings, and Aaron's staff that had buds grow on it. By this time, only the tablets of the Law were in the ark, so we don't know exactly what happened to the bowl and staff. It is suspected that when the Philistines took the ark from Israel 1 Sam 4 they valued the staff and golden bowl.

Personally, I agree with Chuck Smith in his commentary, that it would be awesome to see the original tablets with God's writing on it!

(v.17) David had a heart for God, and we see that by what God said about David in 2 Chr 6:8 and by what Solomon reminded the people about his father. As we know, God determined that David had been His warrior, so his son must be the one to build His Temple.

(v.27) God commanded the Temple to be built, but not because God needed the Temple to reside on earth. God is greater than the whole universe He created, but He determined that the Temple would be a place for the people to associate and worship Him.

1st Kings 9

(v.3) God has His eyes and heart in places that have His beloved gathered. This is true of the Temple, His Church, and in each of us individually. As long as we are worshipping Him and reading His Word...He is there to bless us and teach us!

(v.4) I point out to my kids that God speaks of David as upright and having integrity...these are key to our lives. David sinned badly quite a few times, but the whole time, God knew David's heart. We sin and will sin the rest of our lives, but if we have a heart for God, He will continue to bless us and guide us.

1st Kings 10

The Queen of Sheba is an interesting woman, and there is more to know about her than what is stated in the Bible. We know that Solomon and the Queen of Sheba met, since Jesus tells about it in Matt 12:42 and Luke 11:31.

The Ethiopians claim that Sheba was from there, and that when she visited Solomon to hear his wisdom, they made a child. The Ethiopians claim that they have a line from Solomon, and some scholars believe them to be truthful. Also, the Ethiopians claim to have the Ark of the Covenant in their possession today. I refer to the Base Institute site for more info.

http://www.baseinstitute.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=68

Solomon was blessed far beyond anything we can imagine today. I think it's because God so loved the nation of Israel, and because Solomon asked for wisdom in his heart. Unfortunately, we'll see that blessings can be taken away if we veer away from God, as Solomon did.