Why So Much Prophecy?
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: (Isaiah 46:9-10) These are two of the heaviest verses in the Bible.
REMEMBER THE FORMER THINGS OF OLD. The readers are to recall: (1) all the past history of fulfilled prophecies, as well as (2) miraculous deliverances such as that from Egypt, and (3) providential blessings Israel has experienced. All of these are ample evidences that He alone is God.” (MacArthur)
“THE REBELS, PEOPLE OF BABYLON (cf. Isaiah 46:12), were to remember that God is the only God; He is unique (Isaiah 46:9; cf. Isaaiah 43:11; Isaiah 44:6; Isaiah 45:5-6, Isaiah 45:14, Isaiah 45:18, Isaiah 45:21-22). Proofs of God’s uniqueness include His knowledge and control of the future (cf. Isaiah 45:21) and His abililty to bring Cyrus from the east (cf. Isaiah 41:2) like a quick bird of prey to accomplish His plans.” (Bible Knowledge Commentary)
I HAVE BEEN IN HE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SEVERAL TIMES (Pictured today). Google says: The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with more than 167 million items on approximately 838 miles of bookshelves. I like to go into the older, ornate building and just wander around. (I don’t know how they did 838 miles of bookshelves in the three buildings. I’m wondering if that is a typo.) There is only one book in this library that accurately predicts the future of the world: The Bible. Predicting the future is a big deal and it has been a big deal for thousands of years.
FINDING A BOOK OR A BRAIN that can predict the future has been a problem for a long time. In the 2nd year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (620 B.C.), he had dreams that troubled him. In Daniel 2, after one such night of dreams, he called in all his “magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans,” (his wise men) to extract from them what he had dreamed (without telling them) and the meaning of it. They were charlatans and quacks, but the king kept them on the government payroll, in case they might say something useful from time to time.
IN THIS SITUATION, HE REQUIRED OF THEM TO TELL HIM what he had dreamed! If they could tell him the dream, he might believe their interpretation of the dream and reward them handsomely. If they could not tell him the dream, they would be cut in pieces and their houses turned into a dung hill. They panicked! Their answer shows what the best of royal advisors thought about human ability to deal with hidden dreams and their inability to predict the future.
THE CHALDEANS ANSWERED BEFORE THE KING AND SAID, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. (Daniel 2:10-11)
DANIEL WAS ONE OF HE OFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THIS ELITE TEAM of advisors to the king, although, he apparently was not present with them when the king first confronted the group. Daniel’s head was on the block with all the others. He called in his inner-circle three for a prayer meeting. God gave Daniel the dream and its interpretation. It was the same God who gave the dream to Nebuchadnezzar, so it was no problem. The execution of the team had been temporarily delayed. Daniel was rushed in and given audience with the king.
DANIEL ANSWERED IN THE PRESENCE OF THE KING, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; (Daniel 2:27-28)
DANIEL THEN TOLD THE KING EXACTLY WHAT HE HAD DREAMED and what it meant. The conclusion of the story was: Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. (Daniel 2:34-35)
THIS STONE IS NONE OTHER THAN THE KING OF KINGS, the resurrected Jesus Christ who will return to earth to establish His kingdom and to subdue all the kingdoms of the earth. Do your children know about this? It’s your duty and your privilege to open your Bible and teach them…to teach them thoroughly!
WE HAVE COME FROM HAGGAI AND ZECHARAIAH who claimed that the Word of the Lord came unto them. Here, Daniel is added to that list in a dramatic way. That is, the drama of the King’s Court is given to show exactly how the Lord’s Word was given and proven to be from God. The Bible is moral authority and not merely a set of platitudes and suggestions.
JESUS EXPLAINED WHY THE WORLD DIDN'T LIKE HIM: The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. (John 7:7) …the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. (John 8:29)
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT WE FIND THESE WORDS: And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. (2Chronicles 15:1-2)
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, WE FIND THESE WORDS: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1John 2:15) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (2Corinthians 6:17-18)
DO YOUR CHILDREN KNOW THESE THINGS? We should do the things God wants us to do and avoid doing the things He does NOT want us to do. And….this is NOT legalism.
WE HAVE LOST OUR BIBLE IN AMERICA. Our new generation of teens and young adults have not understood that the Bible comes packaged with the authority of Heaven all over it. The Bible is the one book of moral authority. The proof of this is that predicting the future is woven through its pages. There is no other book in school curriculums or the Library of Congress that can claim such and therefore no other book can claim the ultimate moral authority as does our Bible.
THE BIBLE IS STILL HE WORLD'S BEST-SELLING BOOK. It is also, perhaps, the least read of the many books of the world. Strange. It is the textbook of the Christian churches of America and yet it is kept in a closet while the writings of men come to the forefront to give us new definitions and new directions of life.
MODERN PASTORS ARE NOTORIOUS FOR AVOIDING THE BIBLE and preaching good-sounding things; feel good sermons. The Bible is the book God calls men to preach. I think the King James Bible is the most accurate. Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2Timothy 4:2-4)
OUR SUPREME COURT dares to step in front of the Old Book and assert itself, dressed in its black robes of authority. We have arrived. We have lost our Bible in America. We have lost our North Star and our compass, and our ship is adrift with no reliable guidance. The Bible talks a lot about hireling shepherds and false prophets. We are there. Too many churches are preaching a no-Word, soft gospel. Preach the Word!
PARENTS: What do your children know about the Bible claims and proofs of prophecy? You are to be commended for feeding and clothing your children. But your duty includes teaching the claims of the Bible to be the Word of God, Ω
Read Through the Bible in a Year
JANUARY 28, 2019 - MONDAY
A.M. Exodus 16-18 P.M. Matthew 19:16-30
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
Good Verses to Memorize:
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2Timothy 4:2-4)
Song for Today:
Sing About Heaven (2:27) (Black Male Quartet)
https://www.facebook.com/Stevebabadesiree/videos/1650262118417320/
This takes a while to upload on Facebook but is worth it.
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: (Isaiah 46:9-10) These are two of the heaviest verses in the Bible.
REMEMBER THE FORMER THINGS OF OLD. The readers are to recall: (1) all the past history of fulfilled prophecies, as well as (2) miraculous deliverances such as that from Egypt, and (3) providential blessings Israel has experienced. All of these are ample evidences that He alone is God.” (MacArthur)
“THE REBELS, PEOPLE OF BABYLON (cf. Isaiah 46:12), were to remember that God is the only God; He is unique (Isaiah 46:9; cf. Isaaiah 43:11; Isaiah 44:6; Isaiah 45:5-6, Isaiah 45:14, Isaiah 45:18, Isaiah 45:21-22). Proofs of God’s uniqueness include His knowledge and control of the future (cf. Isaiah 45:21) and His abililty to bring Cyrus from the east (cf. Isaiah 41:2) like a quick bird of prey to accomplish His plans.” (Bible Knowledge Commentary)
I HAVE BEEN IN HE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SEVERAL TIMES (Pictured today). Google says: The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with more than 167 million items on approximately 838 miles of bookshelves. I like to go into the older, ornate building and just wander around. (I don’t know how they did 838 miles of bookshelves in the three buildings. I’m wondering if that is a typo.) There is only one book in this library that accurately predicts the future of the world: The Bible. Predicting the future is a big deal and it has been a big deal for thousands of years.
FINDING A BOOK OR A BRAIN that can predict the future has been a problem for a long time. In the 2nd year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (620 B.C.), he had dreams that troubled him. In Daniel 2, after one such night of dreams, he called in all his “magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans,” (his wise men) to extract from them what he had dreamed (without telling them) and the meaning of it. They were charlatans and quacks, but the king kept them on the government payroll, in case they might say something useful from time to time.
IN THIS SITUATION, HE REQUIRED OF THEM TO TELL HIM what he had dreamed! If they could tell him the dream, he might believe their interpretation of the dream and reward them handsomely. If they could not tell him the dream, they would be cut in pieces and their houses turned into a dung hill. They panicked! Their answer shows what the best of royal advisors thought about human ability to deal with hidden dreams and their inability to predict the future.
THE CHALDEANS ANSWERED BEFORE THE KING AND SAID, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. (Daniel 2:10-11)
DANIEL WAS ONE OF HE OFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THIS ELITE TEAM of advisors to the king, although, he apparently was not present with them when the king first confronted the group. Daniel’s head was on the block with all the others. He called in his inner-circle three for a prayer meeting. God gave Daniel the dream and its interpretation. It was the same God who gave the dream to Nebuchadnezzar, so it was no problem. The execution of the team had been temporarily delayed. Daniel was rushed in and given audience with the king.
DANIEL ANSWERED IN THE PRESENCE OF THE KING, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; (Daniel 2:27-28)
DANIEL THEN TOLD THE KING EXACTLY WHAT HE HAD DREAMED and what it meant. The conclusion of the story was: Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. (Daniel 2:34-35)
THIS STONE IS NONE OTHER THAN THE KING OF KINGS, the resurrected Jesus Christ who will return to earth to establish His kingdom and to subdue all the kingdoms of the earth. Do your children know about this? It’s your duty and your privilege to open your Bible and teach them…to teach them thoroughly!
WE HAVE COME FROM HAGGAI AND ZECHARAIAH who claimed that the Word of the Lord came unto them. Here, Daniel is added to that list in a dramatic way. That is, the drama of the King’s Court is given to show exactly how the Lord’s Word was given and proven to be from God. The Bible is moral authority and not merely a set of platitudes and suggestions.
JESUS EXPLAINED WHY THE WORLD DIDN'T LIKE HIM: The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. (John 7:7) …the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. (John 8:29)
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT WE FIND THESE WORDS: And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. (2Chronicles 15:1-2)
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, WE FIND THESE WORDS: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1John 2:15) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (2Corinthians 6:17-18)
DO YOUR CHILDREN KNOW THESE THINGS? We should do the things God wants us to do and avoid doing the things He does NOT want us to do. And….this is NOT legalism.
WE HAVE LOST OUR BIBLE IN AMERICA. Our new generation of teens and young adults have not understood that the Bible comes packaged with the authority of Heaven all over it. The Bible is the one book of moral authority. The proof of this is that predicting the future is woven through its pages. There is no other book in school curriculums or the Library of Congress that can claim such and therefore no other book can claim the ultimate moral authority as does our Bible.
THE BIBLE IS STILL HE WORLD'S BEST-SELLING BOOK. It is also, perhaps, the least read of the many books of the world. Strange. It is the textbook of the Christian churches of America and yet it is kept in a closet while the writings of men come to the forefront to give us new definitions and new directions of life.
MODERN PASTORS ARE NOTORIOUS FOR AVOIDING THE BIBLE and preaching good-sounding things; feel good sermons. The Bible is the book God calls men to preach. I think the King James Bible is the most accurate. Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2Timothy 4:2-4)
OUR SUPREME COURT dares to step in front of the Old Book and assert itself, dressed in its black robes of authority. We have arrived. We have lost our Bible in America. We have lost our North Star and our compass, and our ship is adrift with no reliable guidance. The Bible talks a lot about hireling shepherds and false prophets. We are there. Too many churches are preaching a no-Word, soft gospel. Preach the Word!
PARENTS: What do your children know about the Bible claims and proofs of prophecy? You are to be commended for feeding and clothing your children. But your duty includes teaching the claims of the Bible to be the Word of God, Ω
Read Through the Bible in a Year
JANUARY 28, 2019 - MONDAY
A.M. Exodus 16-18 P.M. Matthew 19:16-30
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
Good Verses to Memorize:
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2Timothy 4:2-4)
Song for Today:
Sing About Heaven (2:27) (Black Male Quartet)
https://www.facebook.com/Stevebabadesiree/videos/1650262118417320/
This takes a while to upload on Facebook but is worth it.
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