It is interesting to see how the Bible in the Old Testament was able to see ahead to the coming Kingdoms. The book of Daniel is heavy in the forecasting of what was to come. Daniel lived during the Babylonian Empire and its most powerful king, Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuch. dreamed about a statue made of 4 different materials (Daniel 2). Daniel, with God's help, was able to interpret the dream, saying that the 4 parts represented the present kingdom of Babylon, and those to follow, Medo-Persians, Greeks, and Romans. Only with God's help could anyone discuss the future world kingdoms.
It should be mentioned here that the Bible is quite informative regarding the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Roman Empires. The Greek Empire falls during a 400 year period that lies between the OT and the NT. And it is noteworthy that the Bible is so accurate regarding world history. The dates, people and places recorded in the Bible fit perfectly with other written history as well as archaeological discoveries.
While the Greek Empire is not covered in real time in the Bible, it is clearly pre-described. As already said, it is done so in chapter 2. But it is predicted even more clearly in chapter 11. "Also in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him. And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece. Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven...." The king referenced we know to be Alexander the Great. After his reign, history tells us that the kingdom was divided into 4 parts, exactly as God tells us through his Word, the Bible.
The more we study it, the more we realize that the Bible is accurate, truthful, and powerful. What we have to do is learn it and live by it. Thanks for reading! See you next week.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Jacob's Ladder
I am doing some remodeling in my foyer and have to climb a high ladder to reach a high ceiling area. Being so high, I am reminded of Jacob's dream in Genesis 28. Take the time to read this chapter; it is quite interesting.
"Jacob came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set." He put a stone by his head, slept, and dreamed of a ladder set up to reach heaven. "The angels of God were ascending and descending on it." The Lord speaks to Jacob in a dream, "I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac..." Later He says, "I am with you and will keep you wherever you go........Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.' "
This is a great story for a lot of reasons , but here are a few: While God isn't talking to us directly in today's times, He is involved directly in our lives, and He does care. Another thought is that He always wants us to know that "I am the Lord..." And Jacob says, "..the Lord is in this place and I did not know it." This is us; the Lord is at hand always and we do not know it. We must recognize that He is always with us, always on our side, always ready to carry us through every trial.
In all of this, the only requirement of us is that we have faith in Him (which means that we will do as He asks); note Hebrews 11:1-6. We must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Thus we must be seeking Him.
That is it for this week. Thanks for reading....and come back!
"Jacob came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set." He put a stone by his head, slept, and dreamed of a ladder set up to reach heaven. "The angels of God were ascending and descending on it." The Lord speaks to Jacob in a dream, "I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac..." Later He says, "I am with you and will keep you wherever you go........Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.' "
This is a great story for a lot of reasons , but here are a few: While God isn't talking to us directly in today's times, He is involved directly in our lives, and He does care. Another thought is that He always wants us to know that "I am the Lord..." And Jacob says, "..the Lord is in this place and I did not know it." This is us; the Lord is at hand always and we do not know it. We must recognize that He is always with us, always on our side, always ready to carry us through every trial.
In all of this, the only requirement of us is that we have faith in Him (which means that we will do as He asks); note Hebrews 11:1-6. We must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Thus we must be seeking Him.
That is it for this week. Thanks for reading....and come back!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
"Me" people
We are all, to some extent, "me" people. We see through our own eyes, hear with our own ears, think with the only brain we have to access. We have our own opinions, and generally believe that we are right. All of this seems only natural. And we want to serve God in the way that seems good to us, worship in the "church of our choice" and with a church that meets our needs, listening to preaching that we like. That is why there are hundreds of denominations instead of us all just being Christians and doing it His way, as it was in the earliest days of the church.
But there is a benefit in focusing differently. It really isn't about "me." The Bible asks (demands?) a different focus. I like the passage in Hebrews 12:1,2, "...let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith...." Our focus should be on Him, not on me.
The application of this principle is that when we need to know how we are to live, we can read that in the New Testament. What should the church be like, look like, be organized like; what should the church be doing, be spending money on? It seems that we only need to see what the Lord has given us as a pattern in His Bible.
And this principle carries into our relationship with others. Note Philippians 2:3, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than ourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
The Lord recognizes that we will naturally look out for ourselves. But He asks us to refocus; to be concerned as well for others. And in our relationship to Him, we are to do it His way, not ours.
Thanks for reading! Come back next week.
But there is a benefit in focusing differently. It really isn't about "me." The Bible asks (demands?) a different focus. I like the passage in Hebrews 12:1,2, "...let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith...." Our focus should be on Him, not on me.
The application of this principle is that when we need to know how we are to live, we can read that in the New Testament. What should the church be like, look like, be organized like; what should the church be doing, be spending money on? It seems that we only need to see what the Lord has given us as a pattern in His Bible.
And this principle carries into our relationship with others. Note Philippians 2:3, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than ourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
The Lord recognizes that we will naturally look out for ourselves. But He asks us to refocus; to be concerned as well for others. And in our relationship to Him, we are to do it His way, not ours.
Thanks for reading! Come back next week.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Forever
One of the most powerful words in the Bible is "forever." What God offers us is lasting, everlasting, durable, permanent, forever. Nothing in this life can offer us that; but God sees and endures far beyond this life.
The term "forever" concludes several of my favorite passages in the Bible:
The Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 ends with "Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever..."
Ephesians 3 ends with "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.."
The 23rd Psalm ends with "And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!"
And the end of the book of Jude, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.."
We could go on and on with passages that emphasize that God's promises are forever. But we need to live our lives here remembering the "forever" promises of God.
Thanks for reading. See you next week. May God bless you.
The term "forever" concludes several of my favorite passages in the Bible:
The Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 ends with "Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever..."
Ephesians 3 ends with "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.."
The 23rd Psalm ends with "And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!"
And the end of the book of Jude, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.."
We could go on and on with passages that emphasize that God's promises are forever. But we need to live our lives here remembering the "forever" promises of God.
Thanks for reading. See you next week. May God bless you.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Avoiding Sin
Avoiding Sin is a really hard subject. Certainly for me it is because I have my struggles; but we all do. Paul, in writing Romans, discussed this challenge in the latter part of chapter 7. He says in verse 15, "For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do." And in verse 20 he says it is "sin that dwells in me." We all have that to wrestle with; but fortunately the Bible gives us some solutions, and it challenges us to overcome.
I especially like the last words of the book of Jude. It says, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen." Note the first part of this quote, "..to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling.." How is He going to do that? I have found that He will intervene if we want Him to, if we ask Him to. But He will not override our will; if we are absolutely determined to sin, He will let us.
Many times, however, I have asked for Him to deliver me from sin, especially when I saw a particular problem coming. And it worked; the problem just went away. I truly believe He gets directly involved in our lives.....if we let Him.
And the final solution to be mentioned here is that we need to solicit His help through prayer. Jude 20 says, "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying...." When we see a problem coming, we should pray for deliverance.
Thanks for reading! Maybe you could pass this blog address on to a friend; let's spread the word.
I especially like the last words of the book of Jude. It says, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen." Note the first part of this quote, "..to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling.." How is He going to do that? I have found that He will intervene if we want Him to, if we ask Him to. But He will not override our will; if we are absolutely determined to sin, He will let us.
Many times, however, I have asked for Him to deliver me from sin, especially when I saw a particular problem coming. And it worked; the problem just went away. I truly believe He gets directly involved in our lives.....if we let Him.
And the final solution to be mentioned here is that we need to solicit His help through prayer. Jude 20 says, "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying...." When we see a problem coming, we should pray for deliverance.
Thanks for reading! Maybe you could pass this blog address on to a friend; let's spread the word.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
