Tag: archeology

The Four Gospels Part III

Matthew 5-10, Mark 5-10, Luke 5-10, John 5-10

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In the third part of The Four Gospels, we will start with Christ’s greatest sermon, The Sermon On The Mount or The Beatitudes, continuing into the next chapters to read about Christ’s miracles, parables, and teachings ending in chapters ten.

Matthew 5-10: The Beatitudes, Raising the Ruler’s Daughter, Blind Man Healed, Demoniac Boy, The Rich Young Ruler.

Mark 5-10: Demoniac of Gadarenes, Raising the Ruler’s Daughter, Death of John The Baptist, Jesus Walks on Water, The Beatitudes, Blind Man Healed, Demoniac Boy, The Rich Young Ruler.

Luke 5-10: The Leper Healed, Jesus Lord of the Sabbath, The Beatitudes, The Servant Healed, Tribute to John The Baptist, Jesus Forgives, Jesus’ Family, Raising the Ruler’s Daughter, The Mission of the Twelve, The Mission of the Seventy.

John 5-10: The Son & the Father, Feeding the Five Thousand, Jesus The Bread of Life, Jesus Teaches In The Temple, The Woman Caught in Adultery, Jesus The Light of the World, The Blind Man Healed, Jesus The Good Shepherd.

Film: Jesus of Nazareth

Videos: The Sermon On The Mount, Confrontation in Galilee, Women of Mission, The Rich Young Ruler,

Books: God’s Not Dead, Man, Myth, Messiah, The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes: Biblical Studies and Ethics for Real Life

Articles:The Beatitudes are Essential and Relevant Today,

Web:  Jesus: Philosopher & Apologist,

Festival

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The Book of Haggai

The prophet Haggai lived during the time of the Reconstruction of the Second Temple and Jerusalem in the second year of King Darius of the Medes & Persians around 520 BC. God comes to Haggai to tell him to relay a message to Zerubbabel the Governor and Joshua the High Priest saying, “Israel has spent their time building nice houses for themselves but haven’t even started construction on the Temple! Consider your ways! Because of this, you will not prosper!” After hearing this everyone in Israel was afraid! Until God sent another message to the people to calm their fears saying, “I AM with you!” So on the twenty-fourth day of June, the people along with the Governor and the High Priest started construction on the Temple. God sends another message to the Governor, the High Priest, and the people, asking, “Who among them remembers the First Temple in it’s former glory? How is that temple compared to the temple now? Fear not for I AM with you! For in a little while the Desire of Ages will come to fill this temple with His glory!” Read on.

Videos: A Call To Sanctification, First Things First,

Books: Haggai & The Return of YHWH, The Message of Ezra & Haggai , Darius The Mede.

Articles: Haggai 2: 7 The Desire of the Nations, Book Outline, Darius I

Art: Prophet Haggai Mosaic

 

God Is My Secret

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The Book of Zephaniah

Zephaniah was a Cushite, or a Black Jew and the great grandson of King Hezekiah. He is the ninth of the Minor Prophets and mostly prophesied about Judgment Day. He lived during the reign of Josiah about 641 BC and was a contemporary of Jeremiah. Zephaniah prophesied that God would bring judgment on all nations including Israel:

“I have cut off nations,
Their fortresses are devastated;
I have made their streets desolate,
With none passing by.
Their cities are destroyed;
There is no one, no inhabitant.”
Zephaniah 3:6
“Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth,
Who have upheld His justice.
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
It may be that you will be hidden
In the day of the Lord’s anger.”

Zephaniah 2:3

“The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:16
Video: The Day of the Lord,
Books: Zephaniah: A Commentary
Articles: Zephaniah Chart,
Art: The Judgment, Second Coming, Greek Icon, Michelangelo’s The Judgment

The Comforter

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The Book of Nahum

The prophet Nahum’s three chapter book is a prophetic vision of judgment upon Nineveh and the ending of the Assyrian Empire. In Deuteronomy 32: 35 God says, “To me belongs vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.“ In the first chapter of Nahum, he quotes a passage of scripture, Exodus 34:6-7, “The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.“ Two Bible books before Nahum, the prophet Jonah is sent to Nineveh and is successful in bringing the people and their king to repentance so the city was spared! But by the time of Nahum they had reverted back to their idol worship forgetting the God of Israel! God used Israel and blessed them amazingly with supernatural incidents to awaken the surrounding nations into a realization that, “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them. But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” Psalm 115: 3-9. Nahum receives a vision of judgment and then describes the events that will and have taken place paralleled with The Judgment.

“The destruction of the great Assyrian cities was so complete that, within two generations of the empire’s fall, no one knew where the cities had been.”

Joshua J. Mark, Assyria, Ancient History Encyclopedia

Videos: Nahum, Bible Project,

Books: Nineveh, The Great City, Deliverance From Assyria,

Articles: Elkoshite, Nahum Outline, Destruction of Nineveh By ISIS, National Geographic

Who Is Like God?

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The Book of Micah

Once again, we see that God sent another prophet to Israel just before the Babylonian Captivity to warn them of what was coming. Micah is a contemporary of Isaiah, Amos and Hosea, ministering from about 737 BC to 696 BC. He lives in a town in southern Judah called Moresheth. God brings him a message for the people of the coming judgments on the nation and surrounding nation which caused Israel to sin due to it’s evil influences. God gives prophecies of judgment against Samaria and Jerusalem. The kings of Judah and Israel were both doing what was evil in God’s sight, and the people were corrupt with idolatry and greed, even the prophets of God were corrupted by greed taking bribes! Once the prophesies are fulfilled, then the remnant will be restored in a new Jerusalem. Micah also prophesies of the coming of the Messiah ( Micah 5:2) and that through the messiah the Gentiles will be saved.These prophesies of judgment took place later and are also a warning of the final judgement that will come to the whole world. After the judgement, will come a new kingdom that will never be ended. The book of Micah ends with the pardoning grace for the sinner.

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly, To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8
Video: Messianic Prophecies, What is the main thing?,
Articles: Messianic Prophecies, 70 Week Prophecy,
Books: Twelve Prophets,

Salvation Comes From God

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The Book of Jonah

The prophet Jonah lived during in the 8th century in the Northern Kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam II, a contemporary of Amos. Jonah lives in the town of Joppa or Jaffa, a port city in Israel. There isn’t much backdrop to Jonah’s life and any information on his other endeavors as a prophet, just a sudden step into the story. God comes to Jonah telling him to go up to the Assyrian capital city of Nineveh, to tell the people the the God of Israel is going to destroy the city because they have committed wickedness! Out of fear and cowardice, Jonah disobeys God and tries to escape “The God of Heaven,” by paying for passage on a ship headed to the city of Tarshish! The ship gets underway and Jonah goes into the bottom of the ship to sleet! Suddenly a huge storm hits and the ship gets tossed about, so the men on the ship start praying to their gods for help, but get to reply. Then the ship’s captain finds Jonah asleep and wakes him up, telling him whats going on. Jonah tells them  “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” The people of the Near East knew about the Israel and remembered the Exodus! So these men were frightened! Jonah tells them to throw him overboard to die! They try rowing to land, but get nowhere. So they prayed the Yahweh to forgive them of any offense and to not hold them accountable for Jonah’s death. So they threw him overboard, and the moment they did this the storm stopped. They were so afraid that they made sacrifices to Yahweh!

Meanwhile Jonah sinks down into the sea until God sends a whale to swallow him where stays inside the belly of the whale for three days! Here Jonah has time to contemplate, and reflect on his bad choices and repents of his disobedience. So the whale regurgitates Jonah up and onto the shore. Taking up his mission, Jonah travels three days to Ninevah where he gives the message God tells him to proclaim. Read what happened next!

Video: The Book of Jonah, Jonah: Stuck In Reverse, Assyrians: Masters of War, 3D of City of Ninevah

Books: The Sign of Jonah, The Minor Prophets,

Articles: James Bartley, Modern Jonah,

Art: Medieval Manuscript, Modern Print,

The Shortest Book

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The Book of Obadiah is the shortest book in the Bible, in the Old Testament or Torah. There is some debate about when this book was written, because the book contains a prophecy of judgement against Edom and it’s inhabitants who were the descendants of Esau the son of Isaac and the brother of Jacob (Israel). Obadiah means, “Servant of the Lord.”Some scholars date the book to the time of the Babylonian Captivity (597 B.C.), because the Edomites joined Nebuchadnezzar II in sacking and looting Jerusalem. We find in verse 10 that because of the “violence that was done to your brother Jacob, shame will cover you and you will be cut off.” Making a point that Israel were blood relatives that they betrayed, including allies! The other option, would be another prophet who was a steward to King Ahab. This Obadiah was a contemporary with Elijah and Elisha, and was responsible for hiding 100 prophets from the evil Queen Jezabel in a cave and feeding them using his own money! Most seem to think that the time of Nebuchadnezzar is the most likely option!

The Kingdom of Edom or Idumea was located in what is now southeastern Jordan and spread as far as the Negav Dessert and Sinai. Other than the Bible, Edom is recorded in a list of the Egyptian pharaoh Seti I in 1215 BC, and in the chronicle of a campaign by Ramses III (r. 1186–1155 BC).

Videos: Obadiah, Petra: Lost City of Stone,

Audio: Arabs, Israelites & Inspiration

Articles: Petra & The Bible, Bible Commentary,

Books: The Book of Obadiah,

The Shepherd & Prophet

The Book of Amos

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Amos was another prophet who lived before the Babylonian Captivity, in the time of Jeroboam of Israel and Uzziah of Judah, two years before a major earthquake took place. Amos is a breeder of sheep and a fig farmer, and was not part of the school of the prophets, used to the study of scripture. He lives in Tekoa, a town near Bethlehem and the Dead Sea. The Lord comes to Amos, a simple sheepherder or husbandman, to tell him what will come to pass, what judgements He will send against the ancient cities and cultures of the Near East. God pronounces judgements against Damascus, Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ammon, Edom, Tyre, Moab, Judah and Israel. God also tells Israel that again, they have sinned, by worshiping idols, made offerings and sacrifices to God but neglected the poor and needy, and even sold people into slavery for money even though God delivered them from slavery out of Egypt! Amos prophesies God’s judgments against Judah and Israel, as well as the surrounding nations! That they will fall and never rise again! But once again God has Amos tell the people  to come to Him and repent of their sins because they broke the covenant relationship with God and they refused to listen to His prophets who brought truth! Like the prophet Joel, Amos’ last prophecy concerns the Day of the Lord and what will take place then. Also, Amos is also given a vision of locusts that come to devour everything! Amos is given other visions as well, The Summer Fruit, The Fire and The Plumbline.

Video: What’s the Story of Amos About? , Lord of All Nations,

Web: Seek The Lord and Live, Israel: The Vine, Fig & Olive Trees, Outline: Amos

Books: The Theology of the Book of Amos, Amos – The Prophet & His Oracles 

Art: The Hague, Amos Painting,

Yahweh Is God!

The Book of Joel

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The prophet Joel lived in Judah during the time before the destruction of the First Temple and the Babylonian Exile. His short book, three chapters long, starts with a description of what will happen to Israel when Babylon attacks and destroys Jerusalem. Joel uses locusts as a symbol for Babylon and how the locusts swarm, crawl, and consume the land and the people, God’s Vine and Fig Tree. Joel tells the people to lament, and feel farrow for our sins and repent that we may receive God’s forgiveness.

Then in the third chapter, God gives Joel a prophecy concerning the coming of the ‘Day of the Lord,’ in which there will be earthquakes, sun and moon are darkened, and God appears with the host of heaven in a blaze of glory! Great and terrible! God calls for everyone to repent of sin and come to him and receive His grace! This prophecy was given for two time periods, one where God fulfilled a portion of the prophecy by restoring the Temple and rebuilding Jerusalem, which then allowed the Messiah to come to fulfill the prophecy of Daniel. The second, is the final ‘Day of the Lord,’ which is the Judgement.

Another prophecy is given also, this was the Holy Spirit, which Joel calls the ‘out pouring of the Spirit, the former and the latter rain.’ This indicated two periods in which the Holy Spirit with be given to God’s people, the first came on the Day of Pentecost!

Video & Audio: The Holy Spirit in the Last Days, Receiving the Holy Spirit,

Articles: Outline of Joel, Yahweh Is God, The Latter Rain in Practical Terms, Sabbath-Sunday?

Books: The Book of Joel: A Prophet Between Calamity and Hope

Web: The Chart of the Week,

Art: Michelangelo, Louvre,

God Saves

The Book of Hosea

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The Book of Hosea was originally written during the time of Israel’s division, between the house of David in Judah and Jeroboam in the North with they called Samaria. God uses marriage as a metaphor for the relationship between Israel and God. During this time, starting with Solomon to his son Rehoboam, idolatry, especially Baal worship, had infected Israel and spread through out the whole kingdom, that God brought judgments against the House of David and split the kingdom in two, the other half going to Jeroboam. But Jeroboam, who started out good, turned south fast in that he had two golden calfs created for the people of the north instead of allowing them to go to the Temple. So God comes to Hosea and tells him to marry a whore as an example of how God is married to Israel who was a maiden but became a whore by worshipping idols! Hosea’s audience is mainly the Northern Kingdom. God has Hosea tell Israel to turn back to God. That God should divorce Israel, but instead he would go after Israel to bring them back into covenant! God’s love, mercy, and commitment to us is stronger then our sin! So God will keep fighting to save us, even from ourselves! With such a God, we should come back into covenant with God.

Video: The Prophet Marries a Prostitute, Bible Project: Hosea, Amazing Love,

Audio: Hosea & Gomer: Forgiving the Unfaithful

Books: Prophets & Kings: Assyrian Captivity, Bible Commentary: Hosea, Grace Abounding,

Articles: Hosea: Historical Context,