Archives for September 2024

OVERVIEW:

God’s judgment of Judah (Zephaniah 1:1–2:3); God’s judgment of the Gentile nations (Zephaniah 2:4–3:7); God’s restoration of His people (Zephaniah 3:8–20); A call to build (Haggai 1:1–15); A promise of glory (Haggai 2:1–9); A problem of defilement (Haggai 2:10–19); A promise to a servant (Haggai 2:20–23).

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

Zephaniah is one of the strongest preachers in the entire Bible. Verse 1 merely introduces him, providing us his background and placement in history, and in verse 2, he’s already going for the jugular! “I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord.” (1:2) Zephaniah’s message is a message of judgment. There are only 53 verses in the entire book, and there are at least 20 references to “the Day of the Lord”! (See how many you can find — i.e. “the day of the Lord”, “that day”, “the day”, “same day”, “at that time”, etc.)

The “day of the Lord” is a two-edged sword. On one side, it is a horrendous day. For evildoers, Zephaniah says, “That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness.” (1:15) Zephaniah adds that it is a day when the earth’s mightiest men shall “cry bitterly” (1:14), and the earth’s wealthiest men will see the futility and worthlessness of their “silver” and “gold” to “deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath.” (1:18)

On the other side of “the day of the Lord” sword, it is a glorious day! For the Lord’s faithful, Zephaniah exhorts, “Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel: be glad and rejoice with all the heart.” (3:14) In 3:17, Zephaniah adds, “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”

This two-edged sword describing “the day of the Lord” can also be seen in Paul’s words to the Thessalonians in 2^nd Thessalonians 1:7–10: “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.” Note that while those who “know not God” are the recipients of His vengeance and punishment, on that very same day, for those of us who have “believed”, we will joyfully and passionately make certain that our Lord is both “glorified” and “admired”!

Though the book of Zephaniah is built around “the day of the Lord”, another key word in the book is the word “remnant”. In fact, the theme of the book is actually “the salvation of Israel’s remnant”. Interestingly the name Zephaniah means “Jehovah hides” or “Jehovah protects/treasures”. That is exactly what God will do with Israel’s believing remnant during the outpouring of His incredible wrath in “the day of the Lord”. (Revelation 12:13–17)

A brief breakdown of the book is as follows:

In 1:1–2:3, Zephaniah reveals God’s judgment of Judah. Notice in 1:4–6, that Judah, like Laodicea, had three kinds of sinners:

1. Those who have totally forsaken God and worship idols;
2. Those who worship (or think they worship) both God and idols;
3. Those who at one time followed the Lord, but have totally and openly forsaken Him and want nothing to do with Him.

In 2:4–3:7, Zephaniah reveals God’s judgment of the Gentile nations. After describing His judgment upon them, God makes an appeal to His own people (3:1–7), saying in effect, “If I will judge the heathen nations for their sins, how much more will I judge this sin of the nation that I separated out of all the nations of the world to be holy unto Me?”

In 3:8–20, Zephaniah reveals God’s restoration of His people. The book of Zephaniah ends with the incredible promise that God will one day punish the Gentiles, and regather and restore Israel and Judah to Himself and to their land. Notice that 3:8 is most definitely describing the Battle of Armageddon, when the Lord Jesus Christ will return out of heaven to rescue Israel from the Gentile nations who will gather against her when He comes on the great “day of the Lord” to establish His millennial kingdom. (Revelation 19:11–12: Zephaniah 3:8, 15)

The Lord’s closing message to Israel through Zephaniah is that, “At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.” (3:20) That promise has yet to be fulfilled, but certainly will be in the very near future!

HAGGAI

Today’s reading also includes the two chapters that comprise the book of Haggai (the second shortest book of the Old Testament). In order to understand the ministry of the last three prophets (Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi), we must understand that they prophesied after the exile in 520 B.C., and thus, their books are referred to as post-exile books. Here’s a simple way to get the setting of these books in your mind: In 536 B.C., Ezra led approximately 50,000 Jews back into their land after the Babylonian captivity. Under Ezra’s leadership, they rebuilt the altar, reinstated the sacrifices, and in 535 B.C., laid the foundation for the rebuilding of the temple. Because of the incredible opposition they faced, the work on the temple ceased. It was through four godly men that the work finally continued and was ultimately brought to completion: Zerubbabel, the governor; Joshua, the high priest; and Haggai and Zechariah, the prophets. When Haggai begins his prophecy (1:1), recognize that the date is September 1, 520 B.C. It has been 16 years since the construction on the temple began, but rather than walls covering the foundation, it was covered with weeds. Interestingly, though God’s house lay desolate, they had found the time and money to make sure that their own houses were completed! Haggai’s message to Zerubbabel and Joshua, the two leaders of the nation, was: “The people have made a priority out of their own houses and careers, and it is high time priority is given to the Lord’s house and His cause!”

The book of Haggai breaks down into four sections. Each section is actually a “sermon” Haggai preached, and each one is prefaced by the date in which it was delivered. (1:1; 2:1; 2:10; 2:20) In each “sermon”, Haggai points out a specific sin that keeps God’s people from fulfilling His will and accomplishing His work.

1. Making self a priority instead of the Lord. (1:1–15 c.f. 2^nd Timothy 3:1–2)
2. Looking back instead of looking ahead. (2:1–9 c.f. Philippians 3:13–14)
3. Failing to be cleansed of sin. (2:10–19 c.f. 2^nd Corinthians 7:1)
4. Unbelief. (2:20–23 c.f. Hebrews 3:12–4:2)

We would do well to ask ourselves today: “What work has God called me to accomplish that I haven’t finished? (See 1^st Corinthians 15:58)

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As THE KING OF ISRAEL, EVEN THE LORD — Zephaniah 3:15 (John 1:49)

OVERVIEW:

Nahum, whose name means “comforter”, comforts God’s people by unveiling God’s plan to take vengeance on the wickedness of the nation of Assyria, beginning with the capitol city of Nineveh. (Nahum 1–3); Habakkuk’s difficult questions for God (Habakkuk 1–2); Habakkuk’s praise to God for answering his questions. (Habakkuk 3)

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As we have already learned, the vast majority of the Old Testament is written to and by Israelites, the chosen people of God. When we discover any book of the Old Testament written to a nation other than Israel, we must recognize that we have discovered something significant in the plan and revelation of God. There are only three prophets (out of 16) who prophesy to Gentile nations: Obadiah prophesied to the people of Edom; and Jonah and Nahum prophesied to Nineveh, the capitol city of Assyria. Just what do Edom and Nineveh have in common? Both were Gentile nations, who worshipped false gods, and were used by Satan to persecute the nation of Israel. Do note that God doesn’t take either of these offenses lightly! (1:14; 3:19) To add insult to injury, just 150 years earlier, God proved to Nineveh that He is “good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon [Him]” (Psalm 86:5) when He sent Jonah to warn them of coming judgment. (Jonah 3) As we saw, the Ninevites heeded the words of Jonah, and as a result of their repentance, revival had broken out in Nineveh! Apparently, the Ninevites failed to “make disciples”, because as we come into the book of Nahum, God is once again ready to pour out His wrath upon them! (1:2–6) Nahum describes how the city of Nineveh would be destroyed by “an overrunning flood” (1:8) and how the “gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved” (2:6), while enemy invaders would ravage and spoil the fortressed city (3:1–7), until an “utter end [was made] of the place.” (1:8–9)

As we might expect, 18 years after Nahum’s prophecy, Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, unsuccessfully besieged Nineveh for three years until the Tigris River suddenly overflowed its banks, washing a hole in the city wall and the Babylonian army rushed into the city, murdering the people and pillaging their goods. So complete was the destruction (1:9), that Alexander the Great marched over the former city without recognizing any evidences of a previous civilization! In fact, its existence was so annihilated, archaeologists didn’t even begin excavating the city until 1845 A.D.

The moral of the story is this: God is longsuffering but He isn’t a door mat! When you worship false gods (recognize that our modern day false gods are things like wealth, self, sex, etc.) and/or mess with God’s people, God will make a complete and utter end of you! (2^nd Thessalonians 1:7–9) Those who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, however, will be safe in the day of judgment. (1:7)

Also in Nahum, God addresses a man and a woman whose full identities are revealed in greater detail in the book of Revelation: the antichrist (1:11) and “Mystery Babylon… the Mother of Harlots…” (3:4–19 c.f. Revelation 17 and 18) Nineveh and her king are types of these end time characters.

Habakkuk

If the moral of Nahum’s message is that “God is not a door mat,” then the moral of Habakkuk’s message is, “God sure seems to be a door mat!” Nahum is the prophet of God’s WRATH realized; Habakkuk is the prophet of God’s PATIENCE realized. As the book opens, Habakkuk is struggling with two of the most common questions of life:

1. “Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?” (1:2)
2. “If God is good and all powerful, why does He allow evil and suffering in the world?”

The very first verse of the book describes Habakkuk as an indignant prophet pinned under the unbearable burden of life’s injustices. This man of God has suppressed his frustration and confusion until he can no longer take it. Habakkuk unleashes his pent-up indignation, puts God on trial, and asks Him why the wicked are allowed to evade judgment and prosper. God leads Habakkuk up a specific path that ends on the mountain peak of the only possible answer: God knows what He’s doing, so relax! (3:17–19) The path is as follows: it begins with a “burden” (1:1); the burden is transformed into a “vision” (2:1–4); the vision becomes a “prayer” (3:1); and it ends with “rejoicing” and confidence. (3:18–19) If we examine our past, we will see that all of our wrestling matches with God have followed this same path, and what we thought at the beginning was an obstacle, was actually a stairway leading us high above the nagging questions, circumstances, and issues of life. Let our feet, indeed, be as hinds’ feet. (3:19)

Historically, Habakkuk predicts the Babylonian captivity. (1:5–11) Prophetically, chapter 3 describes events surrounding the return of Jesus Christ.

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As THE stronghold of the faithful in the day of trouble — Nahum 1:7 (John 16:33)

As THE Holy One — Habakkuk 3:3 (Mark 1:24; Acts 2:27; 3:14; 13:35)

As THE coming Savior of Israel – Habakkuk 3:4–6,18 (Acts 13:23)

OVERVIEW:

Micah prophesies of God’s wrath (chapter 1); God’s attitude toward oppression (chapter 2); God’s judgment on Israel’s leaders (chapter 3); the restoration of Israel (chapter 4); Christ foretold (chapter 5); the Lord’s controversy (chapter 6); the eventual restoration of Israel (chapter 7).

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

Micah, whose name means, “who is like Jehovah”, was a country boy from the foothills of Judah. He prophesied to the nation of Israel for a 25-year period between 735–710 B.C. His ministry spanned the reigns of Jotham (750–731 B.C.), Ahaz (731–715 B.C.), and Hezekiah (715–686 B.C.). Most of his prophecy is directed toward Judah (the southern kingdom) since the northern tribes of Israel were about to fall to Samaria. He was a contemporary of Hosea and Isaiah.

God opens the book by foretelling His judgment against Judah and Israel, specifically naming the capital cities of each: Jerusalem, the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah, and Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. (1:1) You’ve just gotta love Micah’s heart for the Lord, and His people, as his message to the people literally brings him to tears, and mourning! (1:8–9) This prophecy is partially fulfilled when Israel is taken captive by Samaria in 722 B.C. and Judah is taken captive by Babylon in 605 B.C. However, when taken literally, the verbiage points to a future time when Israel (as a nation) will once again be judged. There is no doubt that the reference in 1:3 to the “Lord coming forth out of His place to tread upon the high places of the earth” refers to the coming tribulation, which, of course, culminates with “the Day of the Lord”, the second coming of Christ.

In chapter 1, God addresses through Micah, one of Israel’s key sins against God, namely, the sin of idolatry. In chapter 2, God singles out another of Israel’s key sins: the sin of injustice. He specifically speaks to those who devise ways to oppress their neighbor. (2:2) Recognize that God makes it clear throughout the Bible that He will repay those who oppress the less fortunate, especially the fatherless and widows! (Jeremiah 7:5–7; 23:3–5; Ezekiel 22:7; Zechariah 7:10–12; Malachi 3:5) God also makes clear that one of His key priorities, and one of the key priorities of His children, is showing compassion on the fatherless and widows, by “visiting” them “in their affliction”. (James 1:27; Isaiah 1:17; Exodus 22:22; Deuteronomy 10:17–18; 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:19–21; 26:12–13; Psalm 68:5; 146:9) Oh, may we share our Lord’s heart of compassion by looking for those around us who are oppressed, and may we seek opportunities to minister to the affliction of the fatherless and widows in our church, in our community, and in our world! When we truly understand the heart of God, we will be compelled to minister to widows and single moms, young people whose fathers have died or abandoned them, and those who have been oppressed by others. Real ministry means really sacrificing to meet the needs of others!

Micah 2:10 warns Israel to prepare for their coming captivity and warns them against prophets who were telling them that the captivity wasn’t coming. (2:11) Micah tells the people that the prophets who were telling them the positive things they wanted to hear, regardless of how ridiculous their prophecies were, were the prophets they were actually choosing to follow! (2:11) Mark it down, the popularity of a preacher in no way indicates the accuracy of a preacher! The Bible proves over, and over again, that people tend to blindly follow preachers who scratch them where they itch! God tells us in 2^nd Timothy 4:2–4 that this will be especially characteristic of people living in our time! We must be very discerning!

In chapter 3, God warns the leaders of Israel that they will be held accountable for how they abused His people in failing to care for them, protect them, and lead them. Just as the antichrist will proclaim peace before the tribulation (Daniel 8:25), the leaders of Israel were proclaiming peace before the coming captivity (3:5). God promises His judgment upon them. (3:5–7) Do note, that God’s judgment always begins at His house, and with His leaders! (1^st Peter 4:17)

In chapter 4, Micah prophesies of the coming millennium. This chapter parallels Ezekiel’s prophecy in Ezekiel 44–48. Micah provides a beautiful description of life during Christ’s millennial reign, in 4:1, as Micah describes the Lord’s people “flowing” into Christ’s glorious presence! It is a time when the Lord will rule and reign in His kingdom over all the nations of the earth (4:7); and nations will finally be at peace with other nations. (4:3–5) In this present time, world leaders keep working tenaciously to bring peace on earth apart from Christ. There will never be peace on this earth, however, apart from Christ! Be sure to note that this principle also applies to our own personal walk as well. Every individual on this planet wants their hearts, minds, and lives to be shrouded in peace. Few, however, want Christ! Apart from Christ ruling and reigning in the kingdom that we call our life, we will never experience any lasting peace! Daily, let us surrender every aspect of our lives to the Lordship of Christ, and allow His kingdom, in all of its power and glory, to be established in us, and discover His glorious peace!

Micah chapter 5 contains one of the most well-known prophecies concerning Christ, the very city of His birth! (5:2 — “Bethlehem”) Micah also reveals the magnificence of Christ’s kingdom, as it is established on the earth, via His second coming. (5:4) Note also that “the Assyrian” in this chapter is a specific reference to the coming antichrist. (5:5–6)

Micah chapter 6 contains, as it were, a trial. The Lord is presenting His legal case (“controversy” — 6:2) against His people. He calls on nature to serve as the jury (6:1), and Micah to act as His prosecuting attorney. He reminds Israel of His goodness to them, even in the leaders He had provided for them. (6:3–5) He specifically references Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. From a mere practical and devotional standpoint, what is awesome about this reference to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam is that all three of them were by no means perfect! In fact, Aaron and Miriam are most often remembered by their failures (the golden calf and questioning Moses’ authority) than they are anything else! Yet, God holds all three of them up in this passage as His chosen leaders and reminds Israel that they are actually a sign of His goodness. Let that be an encouragement to all of us who have failed as a leader or have failed in properly following God’s set leader(s).

What God was desiring as the outcome of His “trial,” was for Israel to rise above mere religious ceremony, and experience a genuine relationship with Him! (6:8) He wanted them to walk “WITH HIM”! He wanted them to do what was right, but show mercy to those who didn’t! Even though we live in a different dispensation, Micah 6:8 provides a pretty simple, and yet, comprehensive overview of how God intends for His people to live their lives: “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” Perhaps we could express it this way: God wants us to:

1. Walk humbly with Him.
2. Do what’s right.
3. Be merciful to others.

Micah ends his book prophesying about the eventual restoration of Israel. (7:12–20) That is certainly an incredible reality for the nation of Israel, and yet, from a devotional and inspirational standpoint, it is also an incredible and blessed reminder to us that God delights in mercy (7:18); He has compassion on us (7:19a); He pardons our iniquity (7:19b); and He has cast all of our sins into the deepest sea (7:19c)!

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As the RULER IN ISRAEL WHO WAS BORN IN BETHLEHEM — Micah 5:2 (Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem as the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give to Him the throne of His father David — Luke 1:32–33; 2:4–6.)

OVERVIEW:

Jonah’s call and rebellion (chapter 1); Jonah’s chastening and repentance (chapter 2); Jonah’s second call and obedience (chapter 3); Jonah’s rebellion and rebuking (chapter 4).

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

There is perhaps no prophetic book of the Old Testament more important than the little book of Jonah. It is this book that prophesies and teaches us about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus Himself said, “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas (Jonah): For AS Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; SO shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:39–40) It is for that reason, as you can well imagine, that the book of Jonah has been more “SPOKEN AGAINST” (see Luke 2:34!) than any other Old Testament book.

The attacks come in many different forms. One of the most popular attacks from the unsaved world is that the events in this book are actually just fiction. That’s why the devil has handed down several similar stories in mythology: Andromeda, Orion, and not the least of which, Hercules, who was supposedly in the belly of a sea creature for three days and three nights! The devil always has a counterfeit, and he would love for the events in the book of Jonah to be viewed as fiction right along with all of his fictitious stories in mythology. Obviously, the devil’s attack isn’t against Jonah and his being spit out on dry land after three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; his attack is against Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection! Remember, Jesus said, “AS was Jonah, SO was the Son of Man!” (Matthew 12:39–40) If Jonah was fictitious, so was Christ’s death, burial and resurrection! We could put it another way: if the book of Jonah is a LIE, then Jesus was a LIAR!

Another key attack on the book of Jonah is the attack that comes from “scholars” in the “saved” world. They believe that the events all happened; they just don’t believe that Jonah was dead in the belly of that “great fish” (Jonah’s words in Jonah 1:17) or “whale” (Jesus’ word in Matthew 12:40). Again, the point is, “AS was Jonah, SO was Jesus!” If Jonah didn’t actually die and resurrect from the belly of the whale, then Jesus didn’t actually die (enter the “swoon theory”) and resurrect from the heart (belly) of the earth!

Jesus was the one that said that Jonah was going to be the only sign given of the resurrection! (Matthew 12:39) It doesn’t matter that we can’t figure it out physiologically, scientifically, practically, or any other way. If Jesus said Jonah was a picture of the resurrection, then Jonah had to die, and that’s where we resign ourselves to Romans 3:4: “Let God be true, but every man a liar.”

Interestingly enough, the book of Jonah begins, “Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying…” (1:1a) The name Jonah means “the dove”, and the name Amittai means “truth” or “truth telling”. A dove is a biblical type of the Holy Spirit (see Matthew 3:16), and truth is specifically defined in Scripture as Jesus (John 14:6), and as the Word of God! (John 17:17) We could say, therefore, that the book of Jonah is the book written by the Spirit of God (2^nd Peter 1:21) to give us the truth about Jesus; and we’ll leave it at that!

Historically, Jonah was a prominent prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam (793– 753 B.C.), with the specific events described in this book taking place around 760 B.C. The real purpose of his ministry, as revealed in these four chapters, is to preach to Gentiles, who DO respond to his message with repentance, making it the record of the greatest revival in the history of mankind! Note that Nineveh was a city of almost a million people (120,000 preschoolers alone – verse 4:11) and thus, the continued reference to it being a “great city!” (1:2; 2:2; 3:3; 4:11) Note also, that every single person in the city responded to the call to repent! Wow! (3:5)

From a doctrinal or prophetic standpoint, Jonah is a type of the 144,000 in the Tribulation Period who preach to Gentiles when the world experiences the greatest revival in the history of mankind! (Revelation 7:4–9) Note the following things that may prove helpful in understanding both the importance of the book of Jonah and its placement in the canon of Scripture, and that can, hopefully, help us to see the big picture:

As we read this incredible book today, we would do well to ask ourselves: “Do I care more about myself than I do God’s will or the lost? To what is my life more consumed than it is the lost people on this planet?”

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As the ONE WHO WOULD DIE, BE BURIED, AND RISE FROM THE DEAD AFTER THREE DAYS — Jonah 1:7–2:10 (Matthew 12:39–41)

OVERVIEW:

The five visions symbolizing the approaching judgment: the plague of locusts, the devouring fire, the plumbline (Amos 7), the basket of summer fruit (Amos 8), the altar (Amos 9); the abasement of Edom’s pride (Obadiah 1:1–4); the destruction of Edom (Obadiah 1:5–16); the restoration of Israel and Judah, and the extinction of Edom (Obadiah 1:17–21).

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As we left off in yesterday’s reading, Amos had just concluded the third of three sermons God anointed him to preach to provide the bewildered people of Israel the reason God’s judgment was about to come upon them. They were bewildered because they seemingly had so many “spiritual” things in place. They observed the feast days, they made sacrifices and gave their offerings, they sang songs to the Lord. (5:21–25) Like so many people and churches today, they could point to all of these outward expressions of so-called “worship”, but God, as always, wasn’t looking at the outward appearance, He was looking at their hearts! (1^st Samuel 16:7; 2^nd Corinthians 5:12) Though they had all the correct OUTWARD ACTIONS, their problem was their corrupt INWARD ATTITUDES (hearts). “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!”

As we move into chapters 7–9 today, Amos continues his prophecy against the nation of Israel. He challenges those who have developed a false sense of security (6:1 — “them that are at ease in Zion”), and trust in everything but God (6:1 — “the mountain of Samaria.” i.e. their money, their homes, their ivory beds, etc.) to beware of impending judgment. God gives Amos three visions in chapter 7 to serve as illustrations of His judgment.

The first vision Amos sees is that of locusts (“grasshoppers”) coming and stripping the land of all its vegetation. (7:1) Amos intercedes on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord stays the plague of locusts. (7:2–3) Oh, may we never underestimate the power of intercessory prayer! God responded in Amos’ day, Elijah’s day (James 4:16–17), and He will respond in our day as well! Is there someone for whom God would have you intercede today?

The second vision Amos receives is almost the same as the first, but rather than locusts destroying the land, this time he sees it being destroyed by fire after a severe draught. (7:4) Once again, Amos intercedes on Israel’s behalf, and God chooses to deliver the land. (7:5–6)

The third vision is that of a plumbline. (7:7–9) Amos sees the Lord holding a plumbline and standing by a wall that was perfectly plumb. The point is, that God was inspecting Israel to see if they were “out of line”, as we might say, or to see if Israel “measured up”. We would all do well to consider that if God held the “plumbline” of His perfect word next to our life today, how would we “measure up”? Is there any area of our life that is “out of line”?

Notice in this vision, Amos offers no intercession and God offers no retraction of His plan to judge them. Notice also in the remainder of chapter 7, that Amaziah, who was the “state priest”, as it were, tells Amos “where to go” (namely, Judah — 7:12) and to do his little prophesying there! Amos tells him (if I might paraphrase), “Listen pal, I was minding my own business tending sheep and picking fruit when God called me to prophesy on His behalf, and there ain’t anybody, including you, that’s gonna get me to stop! And while I’m at it, I just happen to have a prophecy for you! Your wife is going to become a ‘streetwalker’ and your entire family is going to die by the sword because of your sin and compromise!” (7:14–17) Wow! Go Amos!

In chapter 8, God gives Amos a fourth vision. This time Amos sees “a basket of summer fruit.” (8:1–3) Israel, like summer fruit, has ripened for judgment, and the end was near. Amos spends the remainder of chapter 8 identifying the sins for which the judgment was coming.

In chapter 9, Amos receives the fifth and final vision. He sees the Lord Himself standing at the altar. (9:1–10) The message is the inescapability of God’s judgment. Regardless of where they go, God says He will find them.

The book of Amos doesn’t end on a negative note, however! In 9:11–5, God promises the future restoration of Israel which will unfold “in that day.” What day? The “day of the Lord” — the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Obadiah

Obadiah, whose name means “servant of the Lord”, prophesied in the time period between 587 B.C. and 580 B.C. As with every prophetic book of the Old Testament, the theme is the second coming of Christ or “the day of the Lord”. This book is unique in that it is the only book of the Bible written against a particular nation of people, the Edomites. Though we typically think of the Old Testament books addressing the Jews (Israel), this book is actually written to address Gentiles.

The Edomites are the descendants of Esau, and are a group of people who have consistently caused Israel problems. In 1^st Chronicles 18:14 they become servants to Israel, but later revolt in 2^nd Chronicles 21:8–10, only to continue to cause Israel problems. After that, they become a part of an alliance with Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar that led to Israel’s downfall. The cold hard facts are, God hates the Edomites! Why? Because He said, “I’ll bless them who bless thee, and curse them that curse thee!” (Genesis 12:3) The Edomite nation cursed Israel, and thus, God’s cursing upon them.

This little book, of only 21 verses, provides great insight into Romans 9:13, where a lot of good people have lost their necks! God says, “…Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated.” Some (Calvinists; Hyper-Calvinists) read that and somehow immediately conclude that God chooses who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. If we go back to Genesis 25, however, God specifically said that there were two NATIONS in Rebekah’s womb. This is about NATIONS, not INDIVIDUALS! The descendants of Esau, the Edomite nation, hated Israel, and because of it God hated them!

Don’t miss realizing that the Edomites are still in existence in the Middle East; we just know them by different names today. Their game plan, however, is still the same as it ever was: do anything and everything possible to cause Israel grief! Notice also, that Psalm 83:4–6 lists the Edomites with the 10 confederated nations of the antichrist. (Psalm 83) That will certainly provide us great insight into understanding current events in the Middle East!

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As the PLUMBLINE — Amos 7:7–8 (The Lord Jesus Christ alone is the perfect standard, and He alone is qualified to walk in the midst of His people, measuring good and evil, and true and false — Revelation 2–3.)

OVERVIEW:

God’s judgment upon eight nations (chapters 1–2); the guilt and punishment of Israel (chapters 3–6).

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

One of the most beautiful things about the book of Amos was the man God chose to use to write it. Amos was just a common, ordinary guy of average intelligence. Hallelujah! He didn’t come from a well-to-do or noble family, so you’ll notice that no family pedigree is listed in the introduction. (i.e. Amos, the son of…) When God called Amos, he made his living as a “herdman” (1:1 — i.e. sheep-breeder), and as a mere “gatherer of sycamore fruit”. (7:14) In 7:14, Amos is trying to communicate that he understood that there was really nothing special about him that would have caused God to have seen fit to choose to use him. Yet, praise be to the Lord, God was able to use this common, ordinary, and very average man in a very uncommon, extraordinary, and above average way!

One thing we learn from the record of history, is that God is always a champion for the common man! Speaking of the time of Jesus’ ministry, Mark said in Mark 12:37, “And the COMMON PEOPLE heard him gladly”! It was the nobility and intelligencia that had such a hard time believing and following Jesus, that spent their time contesting and contending with Him, and ultimately, putting Him to death! God has always taken great pleasure “[choosing] the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are”! (1^st Corinthians 1:27–28) He even says in 1^st Corinthians 1:26: “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” May we be sure not to take this principle further than God does! Notice that He DOESN’T say “Not ANY wise, mighty and noble are called.” He simply says, “Not MANY wise, mighty and noble are called.” There are “SOME”, there just aren’t “MANY”! Oh, may we recognize today, that the same uncommon, extraordinary, above average thing God was able to do with Amos, is the same exact thing He wants to be able do with common, ordinary, average folks like me and you! This little tirade may not help us to understand the book of Amos, but it will certainly help us to understand how incredibly God wants to use each of us! Praise the Lord!

Now, concerning understanding the book of Amos; as verse 1 indicates, Amos prophesied during the days when Uzziah was king in Judah, and Jeroboam was king in Israel. That would mean he was a contemporary of Hosea, and places his prophetic ministry somewhere between the years of 783 to 753 B.C. During this time historically, the physical aspects of the northern kingdom were going extremely well. Businesses flourished, the economy was good, and the government was stable. The spiritual climate, however, was something totally different. The entire kingdom was full and running over with idolatry, greed, injustice, immorality, pride, and hypocrisy.

In the first two chapters, Amos pronounces judgment on eight nations, saying that God will attack them as a “roaring lion” (1:2; 3:8) and a “consuming fire”. Notice the repetition:

• “But I will send a fire…” (1:4)
• “But I will send a fire…” (1:7)
• “But I will send a fire…” (1:10)
• “But I will send a fire…” (1:12)
• “But I will kindle a fire…” (1:14)

The eight nations are Damascus of Syria (1:3), Gaza (1:6), Tyrus (1:9), Edom (1:11), Ammon (1:13), Moab (2:1), Judah (2:4), and Israel (2:6). Notice also the repetition of the phrase, “For three transgressions, and for four.” (1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6) Very simply, three plus four equals seven, the number of completion. The point is, God had “reached the top” (completion), as it were, with the transgressions of these nations, and was about to execute His complete judgment upon them!

In 2:6–16, notice that Amos identifies the specific sins that had prompted God’s promise of judgment upon Israel: bribery, greed, adultery, immorality, selfishness, ungratefulness, drunkenness (even forcing the Nazarites to drink! — 2:12), and rejecting God’s word. Sounds like a perfect description of the spiritual climate in our day!

In chapters 3–6, Amos delivers three sermons to identify God’s purposes in this judgment. Each sermon begins the same way, “Hear this word.” (3:1; 4:1; 5:1) In the sermon Amos preaches in 3:1–15, he tells the people the reason for God’s judgment upon Israel. In his sermon in 4:1–13, Amos lists all the things God had already sought to do to get Israel to repent, and yet, to no avail. (Note the fierceness of Amos’ preaching in 4:12 — “…prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.”!)

In chapter 5:1–6:14, Amos preaches a message of lamentation (5:1), as he laments Israel’s fallen condition. In 5:3, he informs them that, unless there is a national repentance, 90% of Israel will die! Amos tells the people to seek the Lord (5:4, 6, 8, 14) and not just religious activity! (i.e. “But seek not Bethel…” — 5:4) Note that all three messages have a tremendous devotional application to us, and a tremendous doctrinal application for Israel in the future.

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE — Amos 5:8 (Hebrews 1:2–3; Revelation 4:11)

OVERVIEW:

The plague of locusts; Joel’s call to repentance; the great day of the Lord; the Holy Spirit; the restoration of Israel; the judgment of the nations.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As we embark into the three chapters of the book of Joel, the book begins by saying, “The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.” The name Joel means “Jehovah is God”; and the name Pethuel means “the sincerity of God” or “godly simplicity.” A simple breakdown of the book of Joel is as follows:

• Chapter 1: The Day of the Lord.
• Chapter 2: The Day of the Lord.
• Chapter 3: The Day of the Lord.

Please exert great mental energy in seeking to keep that outline straight. 😊

The book actually begins with a question: “Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?” (1:2b) The inferred answer, of course, is “no.” The “days” Joel is about to describe are so devastating that no one had ever seen anything quite like it. This is much like Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:21 concerning the days of the great tribulation: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

Joel’s prophecy concerning those days is a message God wanted to be handed down generationally through the families. (1:3) The 1^st generation (1:2b) was to tell it to their children, the 2^nd generation (1:3a), who were to tell it to their children, the 3^rd generation (1:3b) who were then to tell it to their children, the 4^th generation (1:3c). It is just another biblical reminder that whether we want them to or not, our lives are going to impact the next four generations, whether it be negatively, as in Exodus 20:5 and 34:7, or whether it be positively, as in Psalm 78:4–7. The good news is, we get to choose which it will be!

Verse 4 of chapter 1 describes how there are certain things that seek to “worm” their way into our lives, as it were, and slowly but surely, “eat” away the important things of life. What the “palmerworm” doesn’t eat, the “locust” will. What the “locust” doesn’t eat, the “cankerworm” will, and what the “cankerworm” doesn’t eat, the “caterpillar” will. God’s message is that it’s time we “wake up” (1:5), and “sober up” (1:5), so we can recognize the things we’re allowing to “consume” the important things in our lives, before it’s too late, and before the lives of the next four generations are not completely “devoured” by our adversary! (1^st Peter” 5:8)

Notice, even if we’ve been “sleeping” on our watch (1^st Thessalonians 5:6), or have allowed ourselves to become “drunk” spiritually (1^st Thessalonians 5:7), the good news is, if we’ll obey Joel 1:5, and both “wake up” and “sober up”, God can and will “restore to us the years that the locusts hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar and the palmerworm…” (2:25) Hallelujah! Obviously, this is simply the devotional application of these verses as they apply to us. Historically, or from the standpoint of the historical application, Joel is preaching these truths to the people of Judah. He reminds them of what they had seen take place in their land by the destruction of a recent plague of locusts. That judgment, however, would pale in comparison to the judgment that was about to be unleashed by an invading army from the north (the Assyrians). Their only hope was through repentance.

But even the historical application doesn’t address the real purpose of Joel’s prophecy. Remember, the doctrinal application, as already mentioned, has to do with the days of the great tribulation (“those days” — 2:29; 3:1), just prior to and leading up to “the day of the Lord” (i.e. “that day” — 1:15; 2:1, 2, 11; 3:14, 18). Joel is prophesying about the judgment of God that will be taking place during the Tribulation Period as a northern confederacy converges upon the nation of Israel just prior to her restoration; in that day when the nation will finally repent and the Lord Jesus Christ will establish His millennial kingdom.

Seeing these three layers of application (the historical, prophetic and devotional) will help to keep us “between the white lines” as we seek to navigate through this book because, there is a lot of false teaching/doctrine that is propagated out of this little book of the Bible! Most of it surrounds chapter 2, because Peter quotes Joel’s prophecy in Acts 2 when he was preaching on the day of Pentecost. Peter basically says, “THIS” (the events taking place at Pentecost in Acts 2) “was THAT” (the events Joel was prophesying in Joel 2)!

Because of a failure to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2^nd Timothy 2:15), both in Joel 2 and Acts 2, these two chapters have been used to give credence to the modern tongues movement. The modern tongues movement (1901 – present), however, actually has nothing whatsoever to do with anything prophesied in Joel 2 or that was supposedly “fulfilled” in Acts 2 — and everything to do with some crazy stuff that was taking place at the Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas in 1901, and out on the west coast in Los Angeles, California at the Azusa Street Mission in 1906! There are a few key things we need to make sure that we are taking note of in these two extremely misunderstood and controversial chapters:

• Note in Acts 2, Peter is very careful NOT to say that the speaking in tongues on the day of Pentecost was the “FULFILLMENT” of the things Joel prophesied! Just that Joel had “SPOKEN” of it.
• Note also, that on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, the Spirit was NOT poured out “upon all flesh” as was prophesied in Joel 2:28.
• Note that in Joel’s prophecy, he DOESN’T mention anything about “tongues” anywhere in the entire chapter!
• Note that none of the “wonders” that Joel DOES mention in Joel 2:20 took place on the day of Pentecost.

Yes, had the nation of Israel exercised a national repentance on the day of Pentecost, even up to Stephen’s audience with, and message to the ruling counsel of Israel in Acts 7, what took place at Pentecost could have become the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy! Because of Israel’s refusal to repent, however, Joel’s prophecy was put on hold, and will not pick up again until the Tribulation Period.

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As the ONE WHO SAID, “I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT UPON ALL FLESH” — Joel 2:28 (Zechariah 12:10; Isaiah 54:13; Ezekiel 39:29)

OVERVIEW:

Israel’s sin rebuked (chapter 7); Israel’s judgment foretold (chapters 8–10); Israel’s restoration promised (chapters 11-14).

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

In yesterday’s reading, just as God had predicted, Hosea’s wife, Gomer, deserted her faithful husband for other “lovers” and, as we discussed, a very painful and graphic illustration of Israel’s unfaithfulness to her husband, God Himself. In chapter 3, Gomer even ends up on the slave block, and God commands Hosea to go “redeem” her (or “buy her back”) and restore her as his wife. To that, all we can say is, “What a guy!” Yet, remember, Hosea is simply a picture of God and His love for Israel, and His plan to restore her as His wife. To that, all we can say is, “What a God!”

The people of Israel all knew who Hosea was, and knew all that his wife had done. They, no doubt, pointed the finger at her and her many sins. Little did they realize, however, that they were pointing the finger at themselves!

In chapter 4, Hosea begins to help them to understand their own sin (4:1–2), and their own unfaithfulness and spiritual adultery against their husband! Hosea likens them to several graphic pictures:

1. “A morning cloud” (6:4) — as in, here one minute and gone the next.
2. “A cake not turned” (7:8) — what we might call today “half-baked” (i.e. Their spirituality was only superficial, not into the core of their being.)
3. “Gray hairs” (7:9) — gradually losing their strength, but unaware of the change.
4. “A silly dove” (7:11) — as in, extremely fickle; here, there, and everywhere.
5. “A deceitful bow” (7:16) — looking like it has everything it needs to fulfill its purpose, but can’t hit the target.

Before simply moving on past the above illustrations, we may want to look back to see how many of them our Lord might use to describe our relationship with Him! It is amazing how “the more things change; the more things stay the same!”

As we move into chapter 8, Hosea understood that it would not be long before the Assyrians would come to take Israel into captivity. He likens God’s judgment to the circling of an eagle (8:1), the devastation of a whirlwind (8:7), and the burning of a fire (8:16). Numerous times, in our 365 Days of Pursuit, we have mentioned the Galatians 6:7–8 principle, that we “reap” according to what we’ve “sown”. Don’t miss, however, that we always reap MORE than we have sown! A farmer sows a few seeds that multiply into a huge harvest. Israel sowed the wind, yet reaped a whirlwind! (8:7; 10:13) Once again, we may need to stop to consider whether there is anything we’re presently sowing in our lives that we’re not wanting to reap, much less, reap in abundance! Let us learn from Israel’s mistakes, remembering that 1^st Corinthians 10:6 and 11 admonish us to do just that!

Chapter 9 walks us back into some key places of sinfulness in Israel’s past. Hosea references the “deep corruption” at Gibeah (9:9), the “shame” and “abominations” at Baalpeor (9:10), and the “wickedness” at Gilgal (9:15). This chapter teaches us that a life of sin leaves a trail. In time, the trail itself tells the story of how we ended up where we did.

But, praise the Lord, the book of Hosea doesn’t end on a negative note! Just as Hosea never lost his love or his heart for his wife, in spite of all of her unfaithfulness, God did not lose His love or His heart for Israel in spite of her unfaithfulness! Just as Hosea bought his wife back out of slavery to be restored in their relationship, God begins to point to the time when He would redeem Israel out of their slavery and be restored in His relationship with them.

God shows His heart for Israel in chapter 11, as He reminds them of how He loved them from the very beginning of their relationship, when He called them out of Egypt. He also reminds them of how from the very beginning of His marriage to them, they were “bent on backsliding”. (11:7) How incredibly sad, that God “drew them with cords…and bands of love” (11:4), but they saw His cords and bands as restrictive, and wanted to be free of Him.

In chapter 14, God cries out to His wife to return to Him. (14:1) He says of Israel, “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.” (14:4) He points to a time when the nation will be as a beautiful lily, a fruitful olive tree, and flourish as a vine. (14:5–9) As we have repeatedly seen in the prophets, this is pointing to the time of the Second Coming of Christ when our Lord Jesus Christ establishes His millennial kingdom.

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

In ISRAEL, as the SON WHO WAS CALLED OUT OF EGYPT — Hosea 11:1 (Matthew 2:14–15)

OVERVIEW:

Israel compared to an unfaithful wife (chapter 1); God seeks reconciliation with Israel (chapter 2); Hosea’s reconciliation with his wife (chapter 3); God’s controversy with his people (chapters 4-6).

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

We now move into the section of the Old Testament referred to as the Minor Prophets. As has been previously mentioned, they are “minor,” not in terms of the content of their message, but simply in terms of their length. The books of the Bible written by these next 12 prophets were simply shorter than the writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.

Also keep in mind, that a prophet was someone God called to take His side against nations and peoples. (Deuteronomy 18:22, “…a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord…”) There is, without a doubt, no prophet who had more of an opportunity to actually “speak in the name of the Lord” than Hosea, as God asked this prophet to do the unthinkable! “And the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms…” (Hosea 1:2) Hosea was actually told to marry a wife that God knew would break his heart by her unfaithfulness!

Why would God do such a thing? For two reasons:

First, because it was a graphic ILLUSTRATION. Hosea, whose name means “Jehovah”, or “God is salvation” (much like “Joshua” in the Old Testament, and “Jesus” in the New Testament), is to take a wife of whoredoms because she depicts the unfaithfulness of Israel to her “husband”, the “God of her salvation”. (Ezekiel 16:8–15)

Secondly, faithful Hosea is to take an unfaithful wife because it is a graphic REALIZATION. God wanted Hosea to preach to unfaithful Israel, feeling in his heart, what God felt in His. Perhaps the only way Hosea could really preach “in the name of the Lord”, with both the Lord’s passion and compassion, was living through the hurt in his relationship with his own lover, Gomer, that God felt with His lover, Israel.

Are you experiencing hurt in any area of your life right now? It may reveal something very interesting and significant if you were to take the time to write down the circumstances of what happened to hurt you, and how it has made you feel. Many times, God allows the events and circumstances of our lives to unfold as they do, not only because they fit perfectly into His sovereign design and plan for our lives, but to allow us, like Hosea, to feel in our hearts what He feels in His! When we actually put the situation that has hurt us into words, we discover that what we are going through and how it has made us feel, is actually a perfect description of what God goes through and feels and has gone through and felt! The New Testament terminology for this principle is “…the fellowship of His sufferings…” (Philippians 3:10) Do recall, that it is through this unique type of “fellowship” that actually leads to “death” to ourselves, through which we truly come to “know Him, and the power of His resurrection”!

It seems, however, that most Christians never connect the dots between the pain they’re experiencing, and what our Lord experienced. (i.e. “His sufferings.”) Missing this connection, it becomes very easy to begin to use our circumstances to justify a vengeful, angry or bitter spirit, rather than allow our circumstances to move us into a whole new dimension of “fellowship” with our Lord! God has always longed for, and looked for, people “after His own heart” (1^st Samuel 13:14); people who know Him, love Him, and manifest His power! Sadly, when He orchestrates/allows the events and circumstances of our lives to conform us into that kind of people, we tend to forget the principle of Philippians 3:10, and miss the fact that God, through the circumstances of our lives, is actually answering the prayer of our hearts to know Him, love Him, and be like Him! (Romans 8:28–29)

Before we actually get into the “guts” of Hosea’s book, don’t’ miss the fact that Gomer is also a very graphic and extremely sad picture of us! When we “love the world” (1^st John 2:15), or seek to rationalize or justify our “friendship with the world” (James 4:4), our “husband” (2^nd Corinthians 11:2), the God of our salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ, views it, and even calls it, “adultery” (James 4:4)!

As we move into chapter 1, note also the lesson God wanted to “preach” to Israel through Hosea’s three children:

• God named his first child “Jezreel,” meaning “God sows” or “God scatters” — depicting the fact that God was about to scatter the nation of Israel.
• His second child, God named “Loruhamah,” meaning “no mercy” or “unpitied” — pointing to the fact that God would no longer extend His mercy to Israel, but that she (Israel) would be taken into captivity.
• The third child, God named “Loammi,” meaning “not my people” — teaching Israel that He no longer recognized them as His children. It may have even been that Loammi was not actually Hosea’s child, but a child born of Gomer’s whoredoms.

Realize, that it would be difficult to ever get very far away from your calling if you had to give your children names that depicted God’s vantage point of the very people to which you were called to minister! It would be like God asking those of us called to “preach” to this generation (Romans 10:14), to name our children “Laodicea” — meaning “the rights of the people,” and “Lukewarm” — depicting the state of His church and the lives of His people, and “Selfish” — depicting the real love of His people, “lovers of their own selves”! (2^nd Timothy 3:2) Can you even imagine?

Note, however, in Hosea 2:1, that the Lord points to a time when the “Lo” — meaning “no” or “not” or “without” would be removed, and Israel would once again be “Ammi” — meaning “my people”, and “Ruhamah” — meaning “having obtained mercy”! Note, also, that “in that day”, “Jezreel” will no longer mean “God scatters”, but “God sows”! God says in 2:23, “And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.” Hallelujah! This, of course, will be during the Great Tribulation, culminating with the Second Coming of Christ and the establishment of His millennial kingdom.

More will be said concerning the chapters in today’s reading in tomorrow’s “Highlights and Insights”.

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

Through HOSEA’S LOVE FOR HIS UNWORTHY, SINFUL WIFE — Hosea 3:1–5 (Romans 5:8; 8:32; 2^nd Peter 1:3)

OVERVIEW:

Daniel’s prayer answered by God’s messenger who was detained for 21 days by the prince of the kingdom of Persia; prophecy of the kingdoms from the time of Daniel to the antichrist; the Great Tribulation.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

The first half of Daniel’s book centers around the prophet’s personal historic adventures. The second half focuses on his prophetic visions. God’s people, the Jews, a major political and military force among the Gentiles since the days of Joshua, now find themselves under Gentile domination. But, take note, that even world powers do not rise and fall without the consent of almighty God! In a remarkable collection of prophecies, Daniel sets forth both the near and distant future of God’s chosen people; a future filled with purifying judgment and blessing.

Chapter 10 gives us a graphic view of the other half of reality above our heads that we can’t see with our physical eyes, but is just as real as everything we do see in the other half! In 2^nd Corinthians 4:18, Paul distinguishes between these two realities, saying that the things we can see with our physical eyes are part of the TEMPORAL realm, and the things we can’t see with our physical eyes are part of the ETERNAL realm. It is in this unseen realm above our heads, as we learn from Daniel 10, where much of our spiritual warfare actually takes place. What the angel declares to Daniel that he had been warring against, for that 21-day period in which Daniel had been seeking the Lord, was one of the key “principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, or spiritual wickedness in high places” that Paul talked about in Ephesians 6:12, that was specifically set above and against the nation of Persia. (10:13, 20) Evidently, these demonic spiritual forces are highly regimented and intricately networked to carry out their warfare against God’s purposes and people around the entire globe. It is also this realm to which Elisha prayed that his servant would have his eyes opened to see in 2^nd Kings 6:15–17. As we consider the warfare that was above Daniel’s head during this 21-day period, one can only wonder what might have happened had Daniel not prayed, and/or, had he not fasted and prayed! How many answers to prayer have we forfeited because of our lack of faithfulness and importunity? Let’s allow God to open our eyes!

The history of the Greek Empire is detailed further for us in chapter 11. This is truly one of the most remarkable prophecies in the entire Bible! In perfect sequence, Daniel chronicled in advance…

• The coming of Alexander the Great.
• The division of his empire into four parts.
• The conflicts between Syria and Egypt.
• Israel’s miseries as the pawn between these two rival powers. (Called the “king of the north and the king of the south.”)
• The dark days of the tyrant, Antiochus Epiphanes. (A picture of the coming antichrist.)
• The intervention of Rome in the affairs of Palestine.

Daniel then goes on to speak of the last days and of the coming of the actual antichrist of whom Antiochus Epiphanes was merely a type. We are told two interesting things regarding the antichrist in chapter 11. Verse 20 reveals that he will be a “raiser of taxes,” and many believe that verse 37 suggests that he may also possibly be a homosexual; the prophecy stating, “neither shall he regard…the desire of women.” It is difficult to determine with absolute certainty. He may well be! But, if he is a homosexual, this would appear to be the only mention of it in Scripture.

Another thing to at least consider is the fact that the verse specifically says that he will not regard the “desire ‘OF’ women”, not the “desire ‘FOR’ women.” Certainly, the words “of” and “for” are sometimes used interchangeably in normal conversation, but a key cross reference we pick up from the verbiage in Daniel 11:37 is in Luke 1:28, when the angel Gabriel appears to Mary to inform her that she would be the earthly vessel to bring forth the Messiah, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Gabriel begins his salutation to her by referring to her as “thou that art highly favoured among women”. When Elisabeth learns of the Christ-child in Mary’s womb, she refers to her, with the filling of the Spirit, saying, “Blessed art thou among women.” (Luke 1:42) It would appear that it was the “desire” of every Jewish maiden, that she would be the one chosen to give birth to the Messiah. So, it may be that Daniel 11:37 is simply a prophecy referring to the fact that the antichrist will have no regard for the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who was “the desire of women.” Again, it is difficult to say with absolute certainty.

In chapter 12, Daniel writes prophetically concerning the Great Tribulation — even Daniel himself doesn’t understand the meaning of what he’s writing! (12:8) As he asks God to help him to understand, God tells Daniel in verse 9 that the words he was writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, would be “closed up and sealed till the time of the end” (which just happens to be the very time in which we are now living!) In other words, we have the ability to understand the prophecies in the book of Daniel, even more than the human author of the book himself!

Regarding the “time of the end,” we are told in Daniel 12:4 that “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” This is an amazing prophecy considering the modes of transportation (automobiles, trains, airplanes, space shuttles, etc.) and the accessibility of information (computers, cell phones, the internet, etc.) available to us today, as opposed to what was available in Daniel’s time (or even 150 years ago!) We are truly living in “the time of the end!” (12:9) Let that reality cause us to purify ourselves as we await our Lord’s coming (1^st John 3:3), and cause there to be a passionate urgency in our souls to get the gospel to the lost while we still have time! (Romans 1:16; Matthew 28:19–20)

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As THE ONE WHO LIVES FOREVER — Daniel 12:7 (John 8:58; Revelation 1:8; 4:8)