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October 30, 2020 1:00 am
The Old Testament is many things: prophecy, history, law, and wisdom literature. Let’s continue our jet-plane flyover of the Old Testament, and we’ll focus on the time period when Israel was taken into captivity with their temple destroyed.
Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)One race is looking to Jesus from the Old Testament is many things, prophecy, law, wisdom literature, today we continue our plane fly over the Old Testament will focus on the time. When Israel was taken into captivity Temple destroyed the Moody Church in Chicago make cross looser was the captivity of Israel, judgment from God. Yes, David really was a judgment from God.
We need to think carefully about that judgment in my new book entitled pandemics, plagues and natural disasters. What is God saying to us. I have an entire chapter on whether or not natural disasters or judgments and how we should interpret them for a gift of any amount. This book can be yours and I need to tell you that today's the last day that we are making this offer. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 and that we go to the Scriptures where we discuss the captivity God's judgment on Israel and what that should mean for us.
The Bible is a very remarkable book simple because we believe it's promises and there 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 chart 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 to.
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 when 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 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 are going back and all of the things that they took 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 plane. 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 can't 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 series that 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 then you'll be able to see these books in context because today we are going to jump 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 a 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 rain 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 tests 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 visit 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 prophets 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 are 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 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 them after they are there. God decides of course to bring them back. He brings them back. By the way, 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 the ark 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 Babel and 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 them 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 Solomon that well might they weep.
Interestingly, the three profits and this is shown on your chart. It's all here on your chart for three prophets were prophesying during this time our Aggie eyes, Zechariah, and 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 says 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 Babel and 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 Zachariah 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. 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 to 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 it, is 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 is 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 it 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 was interesting to discuss this history and to understand God's larger purposes. Just yesterday I received an email from a friend who said that he was witnessing on a street. He was talking about COBIT in the need to get right with God and he said that one of the things that happened was person after person said if there is a God, why doesn't he just remove this if you been asked that is one of the many questions I answer in the book entitled pandemics, plagues and natural disasters. What is God saying to us, how would you answer a person who has that kind of attitude. I believe very deeply that this book is not only going to be informative, but it's going to be comforting because it will stimulate us to faith to go on believing and to explain why it is not necessary for God to deliver us in order to prove his love. All of these kinds of issues are dealt with and today is our last day when we are making this resource available pandemics, plagues and natural disasters for a gift of any amount.
This book can be yours.
Would love to send it to you.
Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 now because this is the last day I'm going to be giving you that contact information. Again, remember it's pandemics plagues and natural disasters.
What is God saying to us.
Thank you in advance for helping us go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 it's time again for you to ask Pastor look certain question you may have about the Bible or the Christian life. Pastor look certain we have a question today from a listener. Is it safe to study the Bible for yourself.
Janine contacted us asking this our son feels that there are many different and wrong interpretations of the Scriptures. He says we shouldn't read or study the Bible on our own, but only corporately as a body. When we gather together is this right. Not quite. I believe it is very important to read and studied the Bible on your own when Martin Luther translated the Bible into German. He used the modern dialect that was used in those days and he says that the scrub woman who reads the Scripture has a better chance of understanding it, than those who approach it with a great deal of tradition now. My point is simply this, your son does have some truth in what he says if we think to ourselves that we can develop our own theology through our own Bible study almost surely we will go astray. The history of the Christian church is filled with examples like that so we needed the corporate teaching. We need the Bible teachers. We need pastors and those who are equipped to be able to interpret the Scriptures properly. We need that to give us the guidelines, but at the same time there is no substitute for meditating on the word of God day and night, and that can only happen if you read the Bible. I ended by reminding you that the book of Revelation. God says that he will especially bless those who read it and obey it in the book was read in those days someone stood up and read it to the congregation.
People didn't read. They all didn't have manuscripts even if they could read. So let us read read read studies study, but within the guidelines of those who have been gifted to teach us. Thank you Janine for your question and thank you Pastor Luther for your answer.
If you'd like to hear your question answered. You can just go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor lutes or or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us run into when 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 the nation Israel had one reason for being bring forth the Messiah who would first die as a sacrifice for sin and later be raised to return one day as King over all the years Satan saw this as an existential threat.
Next time I'm running to win the obstacles he tried to place in the path of the coming Savior. Thanks for listening, Mrs. Dave running to win is sponsored by the Moody church