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Five Important Old Testament Promises

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Jul 292010

The Light Came On

I remember this so clearly from my Old Testament History and Geography class taught by the late Phil Roberts. I aced the class because I had such solid Bible teaching growing up in Mount Olive, AL. But my freshman year of college was the first time I realized the whole Old Testament was one big story – imagine that! I had known this to a certain extent, but my mind had never fully wrapped around the story. I walked away from that class more excited about the Bible than I had ever been – because it was all making sense.

I want to share with you the five main Scriptures we picked up along the course of the semester. Obviously, Phil Roberts did his job well because I still remember these references with no trouble at all.

1. God’s covenant with Eve – a descendant of hers would strike Satan a death blow.

Genesis 3:15 - “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

2. God’s covenant with Abraham – in him all nations would be blessed.

Genesis 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;
2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;
3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

3. God’s covenant with Israel – a temporary solution to sin.

Exodus 24:7-8
7 Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!”
8 So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

God's Promises

4. God’s covenant with David - a descendant of his would sit on the throne forever.

2 Samuel 7:12-16
12 “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men,
15 but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
16 “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”‘”

5. God’s promise of a new covenant – one which would grant FULL remission of sin.

Jeremiah 31:31-34
31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.
33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
34 “They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Those are good verses to have memorized (at least memorize their locations in your Bible).

What are your favorite OT prophecies?

God bless,
Nathan

Jesus in the Old Testament

Jesus, Law of Moses, bible reading, bible study, prophecy, scripture 2 Responses »

Jul 292010

“The Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ.” – Galatians 3:24

Searching the Scriptures

The Old Testament is full of references to Jesus. Jesus reprimanded the Pharisees, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me“ (John 5:39); and then “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (John 5:46-47). As Jesus was about to leave this earth, He spoke with His disciples:

Luke 24:44-47
44 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day,
47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Don’t you know those writings are still available to us today? We, too, can read everything that was written about our Lord in the Old Testament. In fact, we SHOULD spend time studying to understand those prophecies.

A great study drill when you read the Old Testament is to ask yourself this question: “Where is Jesus in this text?” Take, for instance, the book of Judges. Where is Jesus in the text? In some places we see glimpses of the coming Lord’s kingdom. In some cases we see direct prophecies related to Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection. In some places, the Scriptures are quite specific (i.e. Psalm 22 & Isaiah 53). In other cases, we understand pictures like the Passover Lamb and the Temple to be shadows of the reality to come.

The Old Testament is a masterpiece like no other. God wrote down His plan in great detail! He revealed Himself, His character, and His intent for men of all nations to have opportunity to believe in His Son, Jesus, and to obtain salvation. We need to spend time finding Jesus in the pages of the Old Testament. “Increase our faith, Lord!”

Comments? Questions?

God bless,
Nathan

Stephen: Reflecting Christ

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Feb 082010

In His Image

Stephen’s story is in Acts 6:8-7:60. His is a theme which recurs throughout the Bible – a man of the Lord speaks with boldness and ungodly men led by Satan’s forces reject God’s word and kill them messenger. Why should we think times have changed? The human heart works on these two extremes: it either accepts or rejects the truth.

The Jews “were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which [Stephen] was speaking” (Acts 6:10). The truth was too much for them. They hadn’t the knowledge or wisdom to debate Stephen. So they did what any sensible enemy of God would do: they brought false witnesses against Stephen to accuse him of speaking against Moses and God. Before Jesus was crucified they brought false witnesses against Him and accused Him of exactly the same things. Stephen endured exactly what his Master had endured.

Then Stephen preached to these men about Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and Solomon. These are men the Jews revered, yet Stephen pointed out that, REALLY, the Jews had rejected the word of the Lord during all their glorious history. Jacob’s sons sold Joseph into Egypt. The Israelites disowned Moses when he first tried to unite his brethren saying, “Who made you a ruler and a judge?” (Acts 7:35). Moses had prophesied concerning Jesus Christ: “God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren” (Acts 7:37). Stephen said their fathers had been “unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt” (Acts 7:39). They rejected God by making that golden calf.

Stephen finished his sermon with a finger pointed in the Jews’ faces: “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did” (Acts 7:51).

Jesus had said the same thing: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling” (Matthew 23:37). It’s almost as if Jesus was prophesying of Stephen’s death, for the Jews, with malice in their hearts, dragged Stephen out of the city and began to stone him.

In the throws of death, with men spitting hatred all around him, Stephen said two things which mirror our Savior:

1. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Jesus said from the cross, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 24:46).

2. Lord, do not hold this sin against them. Jesus said from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 24:34).

Stephen, from the boldness of his life to the manner of his death, reflected his Lord, Jesus. He was like Christ. This is the greatest epitaph which can ever be written. On your tombstone, could it be written, “Reflected Christ”?

God bless,
Nathan

Repentance and the Second Coming of Christ (Acts 3:19-26)

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Jan 062010

Christ is Coming Again!

Yesterday I promised you my understanding of Acts 3:19-21. Peter told those Jews to repent and return, and then he listed two “so that” clauses:

(1) “So that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”

(2) “And that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.”

The FIRST reason for repentance listed above happens as a person repents and returns to the Lord. He is saved NOW. The times of refreshing come from the Lord NOW.

The SECOND reason for repentance listed above appears to be in the future. God will send Jesus again at some point. He’s in heaven right now, and will remain in heaven until the time is right for His return.

But when will He return? I think that’s EXACTLY Peter’s point. We don’t know! You better repent now, enjoy God’s forgiveness now, be refreshed in your spirits now, because Jesus is coming back and He follows an unknown time schedule. Peter continued in the next couple of verses (Acts 3:22-26) to explain what happens to a person who does not heed the prophecies of Moses (who spoke of Christ’s coming): “It will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people” (Acts 3:23).

So, in my opinion, I don’t think Peter is saying that Jesus cannot come again unless we repent…but that we should repent so that we will be ready for His return.

Again, the language of this verse is a bit difficult to grasp, so if any of you have other understandings, please feel free to toss them into the mix. A brother commented on the last post giving the possibility that it’s not talking about the second coming of Christ at all but perhaps the coming of Christ into our hearts. Perhaps. It’s up to YOU to study it for yourself Isn’t that fun?

God bless,
Nathan

Time Stamp for This Prophecy (Mark 13)

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Oct 212009

When?

Have you done any thinking about WHEN this prophecy of Christ would take place? Let’s look at the text for some clues.

1. The gospel must first be preached to all nations (Mark 13:10). This was the apostle’s special job. They were commissioned by Jesus in Acts 1 to go first to Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria, and then to the remotest part of the earth (Acts 1:8). They need not worry about the fulfillment of this prophecy until their work was accomplished.

2. When you see the Abomination of Desolation standing where it should not be (Mark 13:14). This could be anything, right? This comes from a prophecy in Daniel 9:27. Thankfully, we have Luke 21:20, which clears it up a bit: “when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near.” They had asked for a sign, hadn’t they? Here it was. When they saw the abomination of desolation (an army) standing where it should not be (surrounding Jerusalem) they would know all these things were about to take place. Jesus was warning them beforehand so they could flee from the destruction and save their own lives.

3. This generation will not pass away until all these things take place (Mark 13:30). Some have taken the word “generation” and applied it to the Jewish nation (i.e. the Jews would not completely perish until all these things take place). Others have made “generation” to mean “sinful generation.” Both of those interpretations would allow for the prophecies of Jesus in this chapter to take place at any time in history – possibly even applying it to THE Judgment Day. But I take what Jesus said at face value. I believe He was talking to the generation of people who were living at the time. Some of those listening to Jesus speak would see these terrible events happen.

So, what terrible even fits these clues?

God bless,
Nathan

Understand the Question (Mark 13:1-4)

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Oct 202009

Herod's Temple

As examine this “little apocalypse,” the revelation given by Jesus while He was on the earth, we must understand the question He answered.

THE SETTING
Notice they were “coming out of the temple” when one of His disciples commented about the beautiful buildings (Mark 13:1). The disciple was looking at the temple and the surrounding buildings. They must have been beautiful, majestic. King Herod had finished rebuilding the temple not too long before, so it probably looked clean and in good repair.

THE PROPHECY
Jesus answered the disciple’s comment with the shocking statement: “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down” (Mark 13:2). In the context, He was clearly speaking of the temple.

THE QUESTION
Per custom, Jesus and His disciples retired to the Mount of Olives, which was just on the other side of the Kidron Valley to the east of Jerusalem. From there, they could look across the valley and see the temple. Four apostles, two sets of brothers, Peter and Andrew, James and John, questioned Jesus privately about this matter. They wanted to know, “When will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” (Mark 13:4). Much to do has been made about whether this is one question or two separate questions. If you read Matthew’s account in Matthew 24:3, it reads, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” It does sound like multiple questions. But I’m not convinced. I think they are simply asking the same question from several different angles.

When will these things happen? What things? In context, it’s the raising of the temple.

Matthew’s Account: What will be the sign of Your coming? Mark’s Account: What will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled? What things will be fulfilled? I believe they still refer to Jesus’ prophecy about the destruction of the temple. The “sign of Your coming” indicates they understand this to be a judgment upon the Jewish people.

Matthew’s Account: What will be the sign…of the end of the age? Jesus’ coming and the end of the age are coupled together. Jesus would come in judgment against the Jews. It would be the end of the age for the Jewish nation (the last days!) when their place of worship and capital city would be destroyed.

So, are His disciples asking about the end of the world or judgment day? I don’t think so. I don’t think that thought was in their heads at the time. They simply wanted to know when the temple would be destroyed and what signs would precede this catastrophe.

God bless,
Nathan

The Little Apocalypse (Mark 13)

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Oct 192009

Blood in the Sky

First, I encourage you to read Mark 13 in preparation for our discussion over the next couple of days. This is not an easy chapter. It is sometimes called the “little apocalypse” because it is full of apocalyptic language. The word “apocalypse” simply means “revelation.” The book of Revelation is also called the Apocalypse (the big apocalypse).

Jesus used the language of the Old Testament prophets in describing some great tribulation and judgment. After you read the chapter, I’d love to hear your thoughts on what you think Jesus was talking about. This was something that Jews would have picked up on because they were well-studied in the Old Testament. If you have a good background in the Old Testament, you probably recognize some of the language Jesus used here.

Mark 13 (along with its parallels in Matthew 24 and Luke 17:22-37 and Luke21:10-36) has been, and still is, a source of great controversy in the religious world. Some believe Jesus was talking about the end of the world. Some discover premillennial concepts, believing Jesus is talking about a great tribulation which will happen just before the Jesus returns to earth to reign for a 1000 years (the millennium). Some believe Jesus is talking about a great judgment to come on the Jewish nation. Some believe this judgment is past; some believe it is still coming.

Two questions:

1. Can you find any clues in the text which would indicate WHEN this judgment would take place?

2. Do you think Jesus was talking about a SINGLE judgment, or more than one?

God bless,
Nathan

Five Important Old Testament Promises

Jesus in the Old Testament

Stephen: Reflecting Christ

Repentance and the Second Coming of Christ (Acts 3:19-26)

Time Stamp for This Prophecy (Mark 13)

Understand the Question (Mark 13:1-4)

The Little Apocalypse (Mark 13)

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