Tag: peter

The Beginning of the End – A Burden of the Prophets – 4

Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”

Remember the predictions of the holy prophets

Previously: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

Think back beyond your years and perhaps you may recall an event just two generations past in the days of your grandfather. But who can understand the times a hundred generations before us, even the lives of those living when Christ was born.

Even before Christ the impatience of man questioned the patience of the Lord. Early Prophets like Amos had been long forgotten by the time some promises had been fulfilled by the birth of a Messiah.

Just as now the unexplored landscape of our new world would have been completely unimaginable to Columbus, men in the days of the first century did not remember Moses or David or the Prophets with any contemporary context of understanding. Yet in each generation before Christ men and women of those days could hardly imagine the promise of the Messiah to come.

Each century between the Prophets and Christ would have seemed unmeasurable with the century’s beginning unfamiliar to the generations of its completion. Think about each hundred years of history as if today you looked back upon the just ending World War I [November 11, 1918], then multiply our forgetfulness of the promise by 21 centuries since the manger of Bethlehem.

Promise of a Messiah a long time away

How far away could you imagine the promise of hope spoken by a Prophet of the LORD in each of these centuries, so many generations ‘Before Christ?’

A thousand years, ten centuries, uncountable generations from the success of Solomon to the hope of a Savior.

Challenge: Scroll slowly through the centuries between David and the Son of David, the promised Messiah.


Table below shows time of the prophets & kings or northern & southern Israel.
* Date estimates by Roger Harned http://talkofJesus.co				Source: TOW

Period / Century	Northern Kings – Israel (Samaria)	Northern Prophets Israel Sararia	Southern Kings – Judah (Judea)	Southern Prophets Judah
United kingdom under Saul, David, Solomon, c. 1030 – 931

10th c. B.C.
Divided kingdom	Jeroboam (931-910)		Rehoboam (931-913)
	Nadab (910-909)		Abijah (913)
	Baasha (909-886)		Asa (911-870)
9th c. B.C.
	Elah (886)
	Zimri (885)
	Omri (885-874)
	Ahab (874-853)	Elijah	Jehoshaphat (873-848)
	Jehoram (852-841)		Jehoram (853-841)
	Jehu (841-814)	Elisha	Queen Athaliah (841-835)	Obadiah
	Jehoahaz (814-798)		Joash (835-796)
8th c. B.C.
	Jehoash (798-782)		Amaziah (796-767)
	Jeroboam II (793-753)	Amos
	Zechariah (753-752)	Jonah		Isaiah (760-700)
	Shallum (752)
	Menahem 752-742)
	Pekahiah (742-740)	Hosea (c. 792-740 B.C.)	Uzziah (790-740)	Joel
	Pekah (752-732)		Jotham (750-731)
Israel ruled by other nations	Hoshea (732-722)		Ahaz (735-715)	Nahum
			Hezekiah (715-686)	Micah
7th c. B.C.
			Manasseh (695-642)
			Amon (642-640)
			Josiah (640-609)	Jeremiah
				Zephaniah
			Jehoahaz (609)	Huldah
			Jehoiakim (609-597)	Nahum
6th c. B.C.				Habakkuk
Judah ruled by other nations – Babylonian exile (597 – 538 BC)			Jehoiachin (597)
			Zedekiah (597-586)	Ezekiel
Persian Period (539-322 BC)			Zerubbabel, governor {538-520 BC)	Daniel
Post-exilic prophets				Haggai
5th c. B.C.			Darius I (521-486), king of Persia	Zechariah (520-???)
			Nehemiah, governor (445-425)	Malachi
4th c B.C.			Artaxerxes II, king of Persia (404-358 BC)
Hellenistic Period (332-141 BC)	Alexander the Great Macedonian Greek empire 356 – 323 BC
	Ptolemaic (Egyptian) Seleucid rule in Jerusalem
	Seleucos I (Persian) 321-215
3rd c. B.C.	Antiochos III inherited in 223 BCE
2nd c. B.C.
1st c. B.C.			Herod the Great, Roman appointed king of Judea 37–4 BC	John the Baptist c. 5 BC – AD30
* Period summary source

Prophets Predicted Christ

How long did you consider the generations between the time of David, 3000 years ago and the thousand years until the birth of the Messiah?

The LORD saved and redeemed a people who in every generation believed that God had forgotten them.

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old..

Luke 1:68-70 ESV

A short list of Prophecies: Promises of many generations

Joel 1:

15 Alas for the day!
For the day of the Lord is near,
and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.

19 To you, O Lord, I call.
For fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness,
and flame has burned
all the trees of the field.

Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
29 Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

Joel lived about eight centuries before fulfillment of his prophecies.

Micah 1:

2 Hear, you peoples, all of you;
pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it,
and let the Lord God be a witness against you,
the Lord from his holy temple.

Speaking of ‘Peace’

Micah 3:
5 Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets
who lead my people astray,
who cry “Peace”
when they have something to eat,
but declare war against him
who puts nothing into their mouths.

Micah 4:

(Some may recognize this scripture forgotten from the charter of the United Nations at a time Israel was reborn as a nation in 1947.)

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

3 He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore;

4 but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,
and no one shall make them afraid,
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

The Place of Birth of the Messiah

Micah 5:

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
5 And he shall be their peace.

Micah’s promise of the birth of Christ would not be fulfilled for about 700 years.

Zephaniah 3:

16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion;
let not your hands grow weak.
17 The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah is the great-great grandson of Judah’s King Hezekiah from the time Micah prophesied. He prophesied during the time of a successful and good King Josiah ( 640 to 609 BC). Zephaniah saw in the day of the Lord the destruction of his country, his neighbors, and eventually the whole earth. Source.

Malachi 1:

2 “I have loved you,” says the Lord…

Should this not be sufficient for worship of the Lord our God?

Over the centuries and generations Israel repeatedly has turned from the Lord, rejecting God’s love. Yet the Lord is merciful and promises a Messiah, the Savior of the faithful.

The Messenger of the Lord

Malachi 2:

17 You have wearied the Lord with your words.

But you say, “How have we wearied him?”

By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”

Are we so different, even in these last days? Has Christ not promised an eternal redemption for our sin? Yet we remain impatient with mortal life.

Malachi was a late messenger among the Prophets, one after whom a great silence from the Lord would follow until another messenger of the Messiah would appear to announce the onslaught of these last days.

Malachi 3:

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

The Book of Remembrance

¹⁶Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name.

¹⁷“They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. ¹⁸Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

Malachi likely delivered his message many years after the Israelites rebuilt the temple in 515 BC. The prophet’s concerns mirror those of Nehemiah’s, suggesting that Malachi prophesied to the people while Nehemiah left the city for several years, beginning in 432 BC. Source.

Generations of silence without prophecy, then the LORD sends a messenger to the wilderness and a Messiah to a manger in Bethlehem.

Judgment and mercy will be in His right hand. He will be a Savior of the Remnant and Hope to the Nations.

A messenger will announce the Son of David, the Promised One…

In the LORD’s time… the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the Nations; predicted by the Prophets, proclaimed by angels, born in a manger, worshiped by shepherds and kings: Jesus, Son of God, Son of man!

December 24, 2017

Banquet of the King in the House of Wisdom – 2

“Lord, Lord”

You are about to sit in the presence of the King. Yet with the hearing of the wisdom of the King comes responsibility.

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?’ – Luke 6:46

LUKE 6:49

“But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”

Can you sit before the King and heed His words of wisdom?

The Way of Wisdom

Proverbs 9:

Wisdom has built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars…

She has also furnished her table.

⁶Forsake foolishness and live,
And go in the way of understanding.

⁷“He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,
And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
⁸Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
⁹Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

¹⁰“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Account for your actions

Do you answer the tweets of a fool? Would you correct this scoffer?

Does the world recognize a wicked one without you answering a fool?

Contentious words provoke angry response,

While silence speaks softly to those who hear.

A fool speaks loudly and carries no stick.

The wise one withholds comment from deaf ears..

What basis have you to judge another? Are you so infallible or have you never transgressed righteousness?

Learn from the Lord and ask forgiveness for your errors. Fear the LORD! Then you will begin to have wisdom.

Wisdom of the King

Earthly kings and leaders have appointed times, yet often they fail. Even Solomon forgot wisdom in his later days. The king’s banquet may become an event of singular honor or delectable cuisine, but wise words nourish the guest of the king’s table.

Hear just a few morsels of wisdom from King Solomon. My reflections follow, as I invite your consideration.

Savor wisdom’s words on the pallet of your understanding.

Feast upon wisdom’s flavor before digesting a proverb as common fast-food.

Proverbs 10:

6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

I am a sinful man; therefore I will keep silence before the King.

I recall the actions of so many wicked men and wayward women. We abhor their violence, yet the Lord will judge.

9 He who walks with integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will become known.

he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity – Proverbs 2:7

Integrity – completeness, fullness, innocence, simplicity.

Acting in the Lord’s will, considering my imminent action as simply evil or good. Choosing good before exercising evil in thought, word or misdeed.

And perversion? We have forgotten it’s meaning in an onslaught of common evil. Perversion twists the truth of righteousness with corruption of the pure and defiance against God. Consider the lives of an evil one:

The way of peace they do not know,
and there is no justice in their paths;
they have made their roads crooked;
no one who treads on them knows peace. – Isaiah 59:8

Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity
than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool. – Proverbs 19:1

12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all sins.

How we continually hear the news of the world; taunting words of hatred from the lips of arrogant men and unbound women.

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. – 1 Peter 4:8

More than everything, soft words of love and the mirror of time will turn harsh words of hatred into regret.

More wisdom from Proverbs 10:

14 Wise people store up knowledge,

But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.

17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life,
But he who refuses correction goes astray.

18 Whoever hides hatred has lying lips,
And whoever spreads slander is a fool.

19 In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
But he who restrains his lips is wise.

20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
The heart of the wicked is worth little.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools die for lack of wisdom.

The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom,
and humility comes before honor. – Proverbs 15:33

Don’t think of Proverbs as only a few pithy sayings by Solomon and other ancient Kings.

Think of Proverbs as personal advice from the King of kings; then consider your own words and actions.

Will you be invited to the banquet of the King?

To be continued…

October 7, 2017
Times of Difficulty – 5

Godlessness in the Last Days

2 Timothy 3:

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos richest man in the world with a net worth of $90.6 billion

Many lovers of money worldwide, with the richest residing in the US, France, Spain, Mexico, China and Hong Kong.

Proud and arrogant men and women rule companies and financial interests more powerful than countries.

We sense the extreme poverty of so many without knowing the truth of many billionaires like Carlos Slim Helú who dominates more than a country just devastated by yet another earthquake.

Borderless prisons of poverty abuse the starving and obliterate opposition.

Difficulty in these last days

How many rulers of this temporary darkness are without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit and more?

Evil rulers of countries and military forces threaten apocalypse, condone persecution and order elimination of those who oppose them. Is the Lord God their God?

Hardly a mention of evil in these trying times. Yet one word describes all – godlessness.

Meanwhile international headline news conglomerates skew our focus toward consumption, power and fleeting fame.

Signs of the End of the Age

Enlightened ones speculate with futily about global warming and disasters of ‘mother nature.’

Earth did not create us, aliens did not plant us and apes did not conceive our ancestors. Yet idolatry abounds in these times of difficulty.

When hurricane approaches or disaster strikes do any dare mention ‘acts of God?’

Matthew 24:

Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.

6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.

11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.

12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

No One Knows That Day and Hour

In two millennia since the beginning of these last days, in recent centuries of these last hours, in passing minutes of threatening signs:

Has your love grown cold? Will you endure to the end?

Is your gospel of the kingdom of Christ Jesus a testimony of truth, an anchor of belief and hope of love?

37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man…

Hurricane Irma makes landfall in Florida, wreaking destruction

44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

2 Peter 3:

… scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say,

“Where is the promise of his coming? …”

5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.

7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Remember 9/11
2,996 deaths

¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man…

September 11, 2017