The Old Testament Part 2

Many TV viewers are fascinated by what they see on the history Channel. Here they can get a big picture view of past events.

Events like those that shaped the nation of Israel. The Old Testament is many things, prophecy, history, law and wisdom literature, such as Psalms and Proverbs today will continue our jet plane flyover of the Old Testament and will focus on the time when Israel was taken into captivity it's Temple destroyed from Chicago.

This is The Moody Church. Our weekly service of worship and teaching with pastor Erwin Blitzer on this broadcast. We continue a four-part overview of the entire Bible in a series that traces the drama of redemption. Later Erwin Blitzer will resume his look at the Old Testament. Pastor Blitzer comes now to open today's service. When you join me as we pray together and then we shall sing join all the glorious name's. Let us bow together. Father, we set these moments aside is very special moments coming into your presence with deep gratitude and joy. Asking the old Lord that you will help us to worship you accept late and we pray in the name of Jesus.

Amen. One drama of redemption planned before the foundations of the earth by Almighty God and the chief character deleting the role of all this drama of the ages is Jesus in Genesis Jesus is the seed that will bruise the serpent's head and he's the Rand and Abrahams altar in Exodus. He is the Passover lamb in Leviticus. He's our great high priest in numbers.

He's the pillar of fire by night in Deuteronomy. He is the prophet like Moses, who is to come in. Joshua is the captain of the armies of the Lord in Judges, he is the angel of the Lord who raised up judges in Ruth, he is our kinsman redeemer in first and second Samuel, he's our trusted prophet and in Kings and Chronicles. He's our reigning King in Ezra. He is our faithful scribe in Nehemiah is the rebuilder of everything that is broken is the Mordechai again. Joe is my team are in Psalms, he is my shepherd and I shall not Proverbs in the song of Solomon. Use our beautiful bride.

He's the suffering servant in Jeremiah and Lamentations. It is Jesus in Ezekiel is the wonderful ending the fourth is my love is for Joel.

He baptizes with the Holy Spirit. Amos Burton in overtime.

You might say, Jonah, he is the God of patience and compassion in my messenger with beautiful inmate home. He is the avenger in her back. He is the watchman that is ever praying for revival is the Lord mighty to save the restore of our lost heritage in Zechariah, he is the fountain. David and Malachi is the sign of righteousness. Matthew is the Messiah, King of the Jews in Mark servant in Luke is the son of man, and in John you are the Christ of the son of God who is coming into the world.

He is the shining light that appears to Saul on the road to Damascus in Romans is are justified in first Corinthians. Our resurrection in second Corinthians are sitting there in Galatians, he redeems us from the law agency are unsearchable riches in Philippians he supply our every need and Colossians is the fullness of the Godhead bodily in first and second Thessalonians is ours coming King in first and second Timothy is the mediator between God and man in his arm. Philemon is a friend or brother. Hebrews are coming and in Revelation your eyes charge are long ago it many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these days you spoken to us by his son and heir of all things also created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprints of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us all without wavering for. Let us consider one another, not as is the habit of some, urging one another all the more you see the day. The Bible is a very remarkable book simple because we believe it's promises and there are those favorite passages that we love to read, but it's also very complex. If you have a Bible before you notice the table of contents you can turn to that table of contents right now.

The first five books of the Old Testament are the books of the law, then you have historical books you have wisdom literature, such as Psalms and Proverbs and Ecclesiastes and then as you continue, you have all of the profits and you must keep in mind that these profits and these books are not all chronological. They are not in chronological order. Now the Bible has a remarkable unity fact I'm going to be stressing that in the next message on this series to show you that these 66 books written by 40 different authors provide a unity that in many respects is breathtaking but at the same time if we don't understand its chronology. We don't know where all the books fit and that's why we prepared a charge for you and I want you to take the chart right now and open it because this gives you the historical timeline of the Bible. It is indeed the drama of redemption. And if you're watching this today online. I need to tell you that I've been told that there is an online version and electronic version of this chart on our website. As you look at this chart you can see that there are some books that move the history forward. They are by and large the read books and then there are those that support the story your those who go on at the very same time concurrently. For example, first and second Kings first and second Chronicles cover essentially the same history, but from a different point of view. What I'd encourage you to do is to read the Bible through five chapters a day, so that if you miss a day or two you'll be caught up because actually four chapters a day.

You could read the Bible through, and some of you might like to first of all just read the historical narrative as you trace its journey and then later on, and read it. Supporting material, but it is so important for you to read it last time I spoke to you about the fact that I believe that there are parts of the Bible you should skim, and I suggested that unless you want to camp on the book of Leviticus and understand it well.

Skim the book of Leviticus. This past week I read the first 10 chapters of numbers with all of those lists of people who were going back and all of the things that they talk and that I have to confess I scanned most of it. Always looking for things that the Holy Spirit might reveal to me you simple isn't all the Bible so rich off course. It's rich if you stop to study the book of Leviticus, you could be there all year and be blessed. But you're not gonna read the whole Bible through, if you stop and you think about or you analyze every single chapter. Remember the difference between seeing Washington DC by car and seeing it by playing.

Now the word of God is going to change you. That's why were all reading at together. It's going to change you because word of God converts us. It says in the book of James by his own will he begat us by the word of truth, the word of God and the spirit of God, combined together to give us the life of God the Word of God cleanses us now here clean through the word which I have spoken unto you the word of God grows us as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye might grow thereby. Now this is been my experience in its experience of others. If you neglect the Bible you will not miss it in your life, you'll be able to go on without reading it day after day come to church on Sunday, learn something about it will be there on the shelf and you will not miss it if you begin to read it. If you begin to meditate on it and to study it and Inc. about it, you will discover soon that you camped live without it you miss it.

Something will be missing you see, the more we read it, the more we love it and we must love God's word.

Well, today it's going to continue the same serious. We began last time. And if you didn't get. If you were here last time. I suggest you get the CD listen to it with a chart that you have before you and the then you'll be able to see these books in context because today we are going to jump up basically almost to two thirds of the chart and I'm going to tell you about the nation Israel, which was in captivity but I do need to just recap briefly. Remember the story of redemption is that God said to the serpent that there will be the seed of the woman that will crush the serpent's head. The whole story of the Old Testament is the outworking of that promise. We know that it comes through Abraham.

After Abraham there comes a course Joseph who goes into the land of Egypt, Israel is in the land of Egypt, and then they come out and then they come back into the land under Joshua and they want to King and the first king that they want is Saul and he turns out to be a disappointment. David is especially loved by God and because of that love God, says David. The seed is going to come through you, I'm going to give you a son who is going to reign over your throne forever. That's fulfilled in Jesus.

After David comes Solomon and Solomon is noted for his great temple.

This is the first Temple. In Israel's history marvelous structure, lots of gold because Solomon loved the grandeur and great this and Solomon dies and he gives the kingdom to one of his sons by the name of Rehoboam.

Rehoboam increases taxes rather than decreases them so 10 of the tribes revolt so you have the kingdom split and you have the northern kingdom with its capital in Samaria and you have the southern kingdom with its capital in Jerusalem. Now this gets very confusing folks because the northern kingdom is referred to now as Israel.

You say will isn't Israel, the entire land don't we speak of Israel today.

Yes, that's true, but in those days it was Israel and then you have Judah because it's the larger tribe in the South and it is through Judah you see that Jesus Christ is going to come. So that's why the profits will prophesy either to Israel or to Judah. Most of them were to Judah. The only profits that prophesied up north were actually Hosea and Amos all the others prophesied to the southern kingdom, but there is so much idolatry because they don't want to go to Jerusalem to worship and so God sends the Assyrians in 722 and the Assyrians take all the northern 10 tribes captive and we never hear from them again. They are interspersed among the nations. They are known as the 10 lost tribes.

The southern kingdom continues for another hundred and 32 years and they fall into idolatry to Jeremiah spends 40 years, saying judgment is coming judgment is coming there false prophets that say oh it's wonderful God is going to bless you. He's gonna make you healthy. You don't have to deal with your sin and suddenly you have the destruction of the Temple 350 years after it was built.

Solomon's temple is destroyed because the Babylonians come to Jerusalem and that the southern kingdom of Judah is taken into captivity, into Babylon.

What an experience they have that that's where the book of Daniel takes place. Daniel is a marvelous example of how we have to live in a culture that is hostile to us because the Jews now find themselves living in a culture that is not disposed to their own viewpoint in their own religious rituals, and so that's where they are in captivity and then after they are there. God decides of course to bring them back. He brings them back right away when Solomon's Temple was destroyed.

Josiah took the arch and he hid it in Solomon's house the ark was never seen again.

That is the ark of the covenant that box were God said he would dwell upon it. Where did the art go to rabbis said that they sought in this is I believe a credible story in one of the caverns under the temple area in Jerusalem is almost certainly not in Ethiopia. Like all of the television specials seem to imply and want to believe Solomon's temple is destroyed. That's the first Temple. The Jews are in Babel and 70 years God brings them back because he predicted that it would be 70 years.

Babylon is off the map because Persia conquers Babylon Cyrus the King raises up and he allows the Jews to go back to their land and they return in three different waves coming now back to their homeland. 70 years later. First of all you have Zerubbabel he comes and he builds his temple. Now this is the only passage I would like you to turn to.

And that is to the book of Ezra to the book of Ezra because Ezra is on hand when the second return takes place. But he writes the book that has his own name and he tells us about the earlier experience of Zerubbabel and the temple. It says in chapter 3 verse 10 of the book of Ezra and when the builders laid the foundations of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with symbols to praise the Lord according to the directions of David, king of Israel, and they sang responsibly praising and giving thanks to the Lord for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel, and all the people shouted with a great shout.

When they praise the Lord because the foundation of the Lord was laid but many of the priests and Levites heads of fathers house is old man who had seen the first house wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid though many shouted aloud for joy so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the peoples weeping for the people shouted with a great shout and the sound was heard far away where the old people weeping over there remembering that Solomon's Temple was so much greater in Zerubbabel's temple. The foundation was so small in comparison to Saul that well might they weep. Interestingly, the three profits and this is shown on your chart.

It's all here on your chart. The three prophets were prophesying during this time are Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, if you read Zachariah chapter 3 he recounts this incident because he is there and he's thinking about the disappointment of the people and he says not by might nor by power but by my Spirit, says the Lord. And then it do not despise the day of small things and so the prophet Zechariah encourages Zerubbabel and those who are weeping because they remember Solomon's great temple.

So we have them that you first return which is the rebuilding of the temple. The second return are some laws that were instituted by Ezekiel. Some reforms I keep saying Ezekiel, of course, I mean Ezra Ezra brings on some reforms and then the third wave is when the temple is finished, but the wall has not been built, and Nehemiah comes back and he builds the wall and Nehemiah is famous for crying up to the Lord of heaven. He brings 1/3 group of people back from Babylon, which is now Persia and he allows them to come back to the city and they against much opposition they build a wall around the temple that Zerubbabel had built and in the book of Nehemiah. Ezra continues to do his teaching.

He was a scribe. He was a priest before God, and interestingly, it says that as he taught them there was an interpreter present. Why did they need an interpreter. Well, you see, after 70 years in Babel and they'd lost all the Hebrew they knew at least the children did know how to speak Hebrew they learned Aramaic which is a related language and so now they needed interpretation so that they would understand what was being said and so the Old Testament closes it closes with a little temple in Jerusalem, with a wall built around it and with Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi being the last prophets and the Jews. Now, a remnant are back a few of them are back in the land living in Jerusalem, fighting off their enemies, and you can see, according to the chart. Now we have the inter-test a mental. The intertest a mental.

It is of course the period between the Testaments and is known as the 400 silent years because during those years. God didn't speak. There were no profits. The Jews simply existed decade after decade on and on they went. Now those of you who were raised with a Catholic background you know that the Catholic Bible has more books than the Protestant Bible, and you may have wondered why that is. Many of the books which we as Protestants called the apocryphal arose during this period of the 400 silent years. For example, first and second Maccabees the time of the Maccabees, the time when Antiochus epiphanies also marches into Jerusalem and antagonizes the Jews and has a salve put on the altar. All that took place during this period of time. Now we think that the Apocrypha might have some good historical value, but we do not accept the Scripture because the Apocrypha was never part of the Old Testament. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, apart from a few chapters in Daniel which are in Aramaic and in the Apocrypha is in Greek, and there are other reasons as well. As to why we don't accept it. But keep in mind that the Bible that Jesus quoted when he was here on earth as he quoted the Old Testament that Bible had the very same content as our Old Testament today. The books were in a different order, but the content was the same so the Apocrypha was never accepted by Jesus or the apostles are quoted from Scripture, but now the 400 years are over you member Esau member Jacob and Esau. They were twins and when they were in the womb of their mother God says two nations are in your womb and the older is going to serve the younger. And then you think of Esau growing up. Of course, and having antagonism with his twin brother Jacob, and later on, Esau goes in one direction and Jacob goes in another Esau and his descendents become known as Edomites and they live in what today is called Petro that some of us have had the opportunity of visiting and what you have in history all throughout the Old Testament is antagonism toward the Jews, and especially toward the seed of the woman I have no doubt that Satan often thought to himself I wonder who is going to bear the Messiah and so he would try to work his wonders, so that he would prevent the purpose of God from being accomplished.

As a matter fact there were times in the Old Testament when it seemed as if the line that God had chosen was almost wiped out. But God always kept a remnant in that line kept progressing throughout history until we get to Jesus, but was always attacked and that the Edomites of course were part of that who antagonized Israel. Israel wanted to go past them. The Edomites didn't let them.

The Amalekites are descendents of the Edomites and these Amalekites attacked Israel, and God says I will have war with Amalek, one generation to another generation will one day in the land that we today call Israel.

There was a king who was in Edomites and he was a descendent of Edom and his name was Herod the great and Herod the great was a madman but one of the things that he did is to continue to attack the seed of the woman did name when he hears that Jesus is born in Bethlehem. He says to the wise men come and tell me about it because I want to worship them to, and thereon to him and they don't do that and he becomes angry and he kills all of the boys in Bethlehem who were two years of age and under hoping to kill Jesus.

So matter fact, Herod the great, even killed his own family members. He was a very evil king, but one of the things about Herod is that he really love to Bill and he wanted to build the Jews the temple you said no. We have a temple in Zerubbabel we have Zerubbabel's temple is okay. I want build your temple all simply renovate Zerubbabel's temple actually he rebuilt it all the matter fact the tearing down of the old one in the building of the new one happen simultaneously and it was a huge glorious temple factory trained a thousand priests as Masons to work on it to make sure that the Jews were satisfied, he himself indicated that he was converting to Judaism so is doing them a huge favor and also to try to give himself a great position in history, and so Herod's Temple was built today when you go to Israel Bill talk about the first Temple.

They mean Solomon and then they'll talk about the second Temple. In the second Temple period is basically Herod's Temple you sell what about Zerubbabel's temple, by and large in history. It didn't play a big part and because it was absorbed into the great Herod's Temple, Zerubbabel's Temple is not spoken about but Herod's Temple is all right now. Let's do the math. He begins at about 20 years before Jesus is born building this massive structure. Jesus comes on the scene. The building is not yet finished my view, the inner part was, but the outer part was still being built on an Jesus is sitting on the opposite side of the Mount of olives and is looking at Jerusalem. He says to the disciples look at the stones that are here and in Herod's glorious temple. They were everywhere.

He says not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be human down while Jesus said that this Temple will be destroyed because the Jews did not know the day of their visitation. It's finally finished in about 64 A.D. and a few years later in 70 A.D. this glorious temple that was built by Herod, which supposedly housed worship the temple into which Jesus was brought as a child when his parents took him to Jerusalem.

This glorious temple was taken down the stone by stone. It is said that when the Romans came and Titus came and conquered the city that they believe that there was gold in the stones and so it was totally and come lately dismantled in accordance with the words of the prophecy of Jesus the temple was gone. Today you can go to Jerusalem, and there are no artifacts of Herod's Temple, except for a retaining wall that was left in that retaining wall is known as the Wailing Wall was an outer wall to hold in the temple area and the mounds of dirt that were taken into the area to build the temple. That's all that was left whenever you go to Rome please please go to the Roman forum because there in the form you can see the arch of Titus, which commemorates the victory of the Romans over Israel and on the arch.

There is a condo La Habra made a replica of a condo La Habra that was taken from the temple area of Jerusalem and brought to Rome. Now if you were to go to the temple area today.

What would you see today you would see what is known as the dome of the rock.

The dome of the rock which was built in them. The latter part of the 600 so we could say the seventh century. This is a Muslim shrine, and when you're at the Mount of olives and you're looking toward the temple area. You can see the wall course on the other side of the wall is the dome of the rock and before you is the Kidron Valley and the best place to see it really is from the garden of Gethsemane, which is then your opportunity to see Jerusalem, but today there's this Muslim shrine, and when you're at the shrine you notice many different to what shall we say inscriptions from the Quran and one of those inscriptions says and heaps basically a curse on Christians who believe the Trinity is saying that there could not possibly be the son of God. God could not have a son. What happens when you go inside the dome of the rock inside the dome of the rock. As you might expect you find a rock. This rock is the top of the mountain. I've been in the dome of the rock many times and what you can see is people who had come in the chiseled pieces from the rock but it's the top of the mountain and years ago when I was studying in Israel.

More than 40 years ago I wrote a paper on Herod's Temple and also on the dome of the rock and according to my studies.

This rock is probably the place where you had the burnt offering Holter so you can understand that this is a very historical site is a site that is very holy to the Jews because it is here that the temple stood. It is a shrine built by the Muslims condemning Christianity and it is a holy place to them. And no wonder so much of the history of the world has taken place and still will take place on this particular piece of real estate. Let's look at that rock again and let's think now the Bible says in second Chronicles chapter 3 verse one that Solomon built his temple on Mount Moriah on the very hill where David had purchased from around of the Jebusite where he might worship the Lord.

So Solomon builds his temple on Mount Moriah. That's interesting.

Where do we find Mount Moriah again in the Scripture. Well, we actually find it earlier. Remember way back in Genesis chapter 22 God says Abraham I want you to take your son and I want you to offer Isaac on Mount Moriah so as far as we know it was on top of this mountain. This hill, this is where Abraham came disabled. I don't see the mountain well you have to remember that were talking about many years before Christ 1800 years before Christ. This area was filled in, so that the temple could be built. So when you look at that rock you realize it has a tremendous unbelievable history, perhaps right there is where Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac. So let me say again is holy to the Jews or temple was here it's holy to the Muslims because they built a shrine here. It is not a mosque. It is a shrine.

The dome of the rock. What about the Christians well Christianity is spoken against in the dome of the rock and if you go less than half a mile, maybe 1/3 of a mile.

You get to the very spot in Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was himself crucified so the spot also is holy to Christians. Is it any wonder that peace is very elusive in the Middle East while I brought you right up to the time of Jesus because this next message in the series is going to pick up with the New Testament, but where does this leave us what's the take home. Why should our lives be changed forever because we know this history. Couple of reasons. First of all number one. Notice that God disciplines his people. God disciplines his people, you know, I read the story of the Old Testament. I just can't get over it. As I explained last time the Israelites were always falling into sin they had this love of idolatry and God was constantly warning them, and constantly punishing them.

I think of those two beautiful temples.

I think of the temple of Solomon. Yes, it did exist for 350 years, the glorious temple, God comes along and says, you know, because of your rebellion in your sin. The Babylonians were going to destroy it. I think of Herod's Temple. What a wonderful tourist attraction. It would've been today and that there is no doubt it could easily have stood the test of time 2000 years. Other buildings have come close to that. But Jesus is saying because of your disobedience and because you didn't accept me as Messiah you're going to be destroyed and so the Romans, and Titus comes in. He says, surely God was on our side or we could not have done this said Titus as he destroys the city and the temple.

Isn't it amazing how God apparently is willing to do anything when people continue to sin our nation of the United States is under judgment, no question about it. Longer story, but judgment has come to us and so we have to ask ourselves how do we live in a society that clearly is abandoning God and facing the consequences. But you know he disciplines individual believers to the Bible says in the book of Hebrews that those whom the Lord loves he chastens Andy's scourges every son that he received as a matter fact it says that if you are not disciplined you're not a child of God.

No Christian can leave God and to live in sin without God's discipline and chastisement.

Maybe it will be mental torment.

Maybe it'll be guilt. Maybe it will be consequences. But in some way or another, God disciplines his people.

If there's a lesson to be learned from all of this is God really genuinely hates sin. That's the first lesson God disciplines us. Secondly, God restores us, God restores us.

Isn't it interesting the 10 tribes go off into Assyria. There never heard from again obliterated to history. They intermarry and they're gone, but God made a promise.

God promised Abraham that he threw his seed through his seed, he would find that the promise of Jesus the promise of Redeemer would come about and then that promise can be traced through the pages of the Bible. It comes through Judah, and God fulfills his promise, but he fulfills it only to a remnant Old Testament is filled with uses of that word remnant. What does the word remnant mean well, if you look it up in the dictionary. It's is a small part or fragment. It also says that it is a piece of cloth frequently that is left over, and on the used piece of cloth maybe have gone into a store intending to purchase some cloth and that they so you know we don't really have that but we have this remnant over here know God often works just through a remnant. He works through a few there are some religions in the world that say that the truth of our religion is proved by our military conquests. Jesus says something very different from that. He says to his people, fear not, little flock, it is God's intention to give you the kingdom. God often works through small churches. Sometimes small ways, always a remnant, never, never an entire nation. Always the righteous within that nation, and God restores us to say that God also redeems us, but also redeems us in the end, as we shall learn next time Jesus comes in fulfills all the prophecies of the Old Testament, he turns out to be the seed of the woman that he does indeed crush the head of the serpent the serpent's head is there in the dust. And Jesus comes and proves who he really is and he comes in he does die on the cross and he does die for sinners such as you and me to reconcile us to God and to bridge the gap between our sin and God's holiness so that we can belong to God forever your sale. Pastor Lutzer, how can I belong to the remnant. I'll tell you how what you do is admit your sinfulness.

Admit your need. Trust Christ as your Savior.

Recognize that it is your sin that is separated you from God and come in humility and repentance, and even in the Old Testament God's grace and mercy was clearly seen for those who came with repentance and faith and he is there for us as well. Thank you so much for being with me in this very very quick survey of hundreds of years of history at the end of the day. Remember it is the drama of God's redemption that is always triumphant God will always win always, would you join as we pray.

Father, we ask that you will help us as we contemplate studying your word reading your word. Help us to put it together. Help us Lord to understand its context.

But most of all, give us hearts that are willing to receive it. Willing to listen willing to respond and for those who may be here today who need to be restored to those who need to be redeemed. We ask that you will do that. Thank you so much for the coming of Jesus and the fulfillment of your purpose and promise. And now, before I close this prayer if you need to pray if you need to talk to God. You do right now, hear our prayer, Lord God, we pray in Jesus name, amen on today's Moody Church. Our Pastor Lutzer spoke on the Old Testament part two the second 24 messages in a series on the drama of redemption next week. Our trip through the entire Bible continues as we begin our look at the New Testament the drama of redemption series helps us make sense of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

We'd like to put this four-part series in your hands on either CD or DVD is our way of saying thanks for your gift of any amount Moody Church. Our just call us at 1-800-215-5001. Ask about the drama of redemption. When you call 1-800-215-5001 or you can write to us at Moody Church media 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 also you can go online.

moodyoffer.com that's moody offer all one word.com join us next week for another Moody Church. Our with pastor Erwin Blitzer in the congregation of historic Moody Church in Chicago.

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