An audio lesson.
Zeal for the temple of God consumed the subject of Psalm 69. And is there such a thing as “the acceptable time” to come to God?
Psalm 69, Of David and the Christ, Part 3 of 5
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Category Archives: Nature of Bible Prophecy
Psalm 69, Of David and the Christ, Part 2 of 5
An audio lesson.
Our subject was an alien “to my mother’s children.” Even Jesus brother’s did not believe in Him. It is a subject that also touches you and me.
Knowing Changes Behavior, 4 of 5
If you know that judgment is coming, and believe it, it will clearly change your ethics and behavior.
An audio lesson.
Revelation is a series of parallel visions that give us an overview of our age, and the big players during our age. Revealing the Christian Age is available from your bookseller.
Knowing Changes Behavior, 3 of 5
Examples of Lot in Sodom knowing that the city would soon fall, dramatically changed his behavior. Or again, take David knowing that he would receive the kingship of Israel, and how this dramatically affected his ethics.
Notice that many first century Jews lost their souls because they didn’t believe prophecy!
An audio lesson.
And remember: you don’t have to understand everything, to be enough to save your life.
The basics of how Bible prophecy works is discussed in detail in Prophecy Principles. Available from you bookseller. See the tabs about the books and the author for more information.
Time in Prophecy
An audio lesson.
Another look at a subject which unnecessarily befuddles so many people in studying prophecy: the use of time in prophecy.
However, no matter how you look at it, our views of the future do affect our actions in the present!
Micah and the Christ, 2 of 4
An audio lesson.
Micah talks about good things which are coming, both the coming the gospel, the good news of salvation to all the nations of the earth, AND the ending of all wars.
Then goes on to show how prophecy typically relates the immediate subject under discussion related to ultimate destinies of all things. This is something which throws many people off, but it should not. Also, once understood, it makes the reading of many other prophecies both more readable and more understandable.
Also we begin to address in this lesson the fact that there are prophecies in Scripture of the gospel coming, and of heaven and hell, and also there are still UNFULFILLED prophecies about the Jews as a nation. And no! We are not talking about the so-called “millennium,” but rather of things which are still happen in history before the end of this universe.
Jewish Chronicles deals with how the Jews came to where they are today in history, and where all these things are leading.
Identifying Symbolism and Themes in Scripture
An audio lesson.
A basic lesson on identifying themes and types in Scripture/
Listen to this audio lesson here, or click on the Audio Player to download as an MP3 file.
Prophecy, Knowing Changes Behavior, 9 of 15, The First Coming of Jesus
If you believed the prophecies of the first coming of Jesus, it would and did change your behavior. The prophecies told that certain things would happen, but did not tell when these things would happen.
Moreover many of the prophecies were given in such a form that, if you didn’t look carefully at the prophecies, and think them through, or if you didn’t carefully compare them with the rest of Scripture, you would never get it. Further it seems that God knew that some of the prophecies would not be understood before the fact.
For instance, Jesus resurrection is implied, but not stated,
in both Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53
For instance, Jesus death is clearly described in Psa 22:14-15, etc. So His death and suffering should have been understood. But the resurrection? After describing His death, there is a cry for help in Psa 22:21. Then it describes this crucified Savior as declaring God’s name in the assembly in Psa 22:22, 25, and it says God answered in pray in Psa 22:24! But how? Didn’t He just die in verses 14-15? So some sort of release from death is described, but not clearly.
Similarly, Isaiah 53 it describes the judicial murder of the Savior in Isa 53:4-8. In verse 8 He is clearly “cut off out of the land of the living,” and in verse 9 He was “with a rich man in his death.” Then after describing His death it says,
“… he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Yahweh shall prosper in his hand.”
Isa 53:10
But how? Didn’t He just die? So an escape from death one way or another is clearly implied. Similarly Jesus told his disciples of His coming suffering and resurrection, but it went clear over their heads, much as current prophecies may go over your head and mine! The closest to catching some of this was by Jesus enemies. The chief priest and scribes told Pilate,
“63 … “Sir, we remember what that deceiver said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 Command therefore that the tomb be made secure”
Mtt 27:63-64
So what was the intended function of these prophecies which it seems were deliberately obscure? It seems they were intended to authenticate Jesus life, after the fact! After the fact, all of this would have been clear.
Still much of it was very clear.
There were many passages like,
“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.”
Isa 35:5
It didn’t take a PhD in biblical studies for the crowds to see the point of Jesus healing people. So many saw and understood that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ of God!
Key Point: you don’t have to understand EVERYTHING,
to get enough to save your life!
Many things are told from multiple points of view, so if you don’t get it one way, you may get it another way. Few got it all. Many got enough to save their souls.
Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901
Prophecy, Knowing Changes Behavior, 5 of 15, The Thief
For the common thief to survey the situation, to “case” the property and its occupants and how they act, and when they come and go, and the nature of their dispositions, is a common thing. In some places they say there are more break-ins during the day than at night. Why? Everyone one is at work or at school during the day. Seeing and understanding that, the thief shows up as a delivery person, a meter reader, a moving crew. Sometimes the family has posted on line their upcoming overseas trip, and the bad guys feel safe showing up in a moving van in broad daylight, to kick in the door and empty perhaps empty a house. Anticipation of what the situation will really be, alters behavior … and often alters final results
We are receiving an astonishing view of things
which we otherwise would never
think of actually happening.
Many are taken back by what the apostle John says in 1John 5.
“He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who doesn’t believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.”
1Jn 5:10
I mean, who would call God a liar?
Further, part of that testimony God gives about His Son, concerns what God says He will yet do through the son. Sadly, we as men often hear what God says we should do or what will happen, and … then …. say to ourselves … I am not sure whether I believe that or not!
God makes provision to tell us astonishing things
which WILL BE, which we cannot
otherwise know!
“But as it is written,
“Things which an eye didn’t see, and an ear didn’t hear,
Which didn’t enter into the heart of man,
These God has prepared for those who love him.” ”
1Cor 2:9
Well no man may have heard or seen or imagined these things, however Paul goes on to tell us, that God has told us about these things!
“But to us, God revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.”
1Cor 2:10
Wow! Paul goes on to say that no man can know what is in a man’s mind unless that man tells us what he is thinking. Similarly, Paul says that no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God reveals them, 1Cor 2:11. So what are we given in Scripture and the prophetic word? We are being given in these things gifts of staggering value.
“But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God.”
1Cor 2:12
This inside knowledge can give us tremendous advantages.
And we want to say, prophecy is of no consequence?
What we know, or what we think we know about what will happen, almost always changes behavior one way or another. Believing what God says in prophecy does matter! It is an ethical matter.
Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901
Prophecy, Knowing Changes Behavior, 4 of 15, The Weather
It commonly true that whatever our expectations are of the future, will have a tendency to alter our behavior. An everyday example is the weather. If we think it might snow today, we will probably dress differently. Most of us will not be wearing Bermuda shorts or tank tops. It might mean we will take a coat along, and maybe a hat and some gloves.
On the other hand, if we are expecting 90 degree Fahrenheit temperatures today, coats and insulated pants will not probably come to mind, and few or none will make a point to drag them along wherever we are going. Expectations of what we think will happen commonly changes behavior.
Prophecy is INTENDED to change behavior.
It should never be considered as anything less than something intended to change expectations and thus behavior, so that we maybe better prepared for those things which are to come.
Micah chapter one has a dramatic description of
the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
“2 Hear, you peoples, all of you.
Listen, O earth, and all that is therein:
And let the Lord Yahweh be witness against you,
The Lord from his holy temple.
3 For, behold, Yahweh comes forth out of his place,
And will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.
4 The mountains melt under him,
And the valleys split apart,
Like wax before the fire,
Like waters that are poured down a steep place.”
Mic 1:2-4
Listen O earth it says. God is coming from His Holy temple to tread on the mountains of the earth, and the mountains and valley’s will melt like wax. God is coming to witness against us it says. But then comes the next verse, relating all of this to the sins of Jerusalem and Samaria in the 8th century BC.
“All this is for the disobedience of Jacob,
And for the sins of the house of Israel.
What is the disobedience of Jacob?
Isn’t it Samaria?
And what are the high places of Judah?
Aren’t they Jerusalem?”
Mic 1:5
Ho! Ho! Ho! says the scoffing scholar.
What does this have to do with Judah and Israel of the 8th century BC? They would say this is merely metaphorical language expressing the Yahweh’s displeasure at their sins, and it symbolic of the desolations which will come down on them for their wrongs in the 8th century BC, so many would say.
Still, IF God was indeed personally coming from heaven to face men with their sins, and cause the mountains to melt, and MAKE MEN TO FACE THEIR SINS …?
That SHOULD change behavior!
Would it not?
And the men of Judah and Samaria WILL BE THERE
on that day, as will you and me!
Judah and Samaria’s sins did produce evil results in their days, as our sins also do today, and tomorrow and the next day. We will ALL be there somewhere on great and terrible day of the Lord, when the days of this present amnesty is over.
Further that should, and it is meant to, alter our behavior, our ethics.
Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901