Putting It All Together

Would you believe me if I told you that I am often surprised with the posts that God calls me to write? Take for example, the last four weeks. If you read the posts regarding Psalm 37, then you will remember that we discussed three separate topics. The first is that there are pledges from God in Psalm 37, as well as promises to the righteous and unrighteous, and the outcome of the righteous and unrighteous. When I first sat down to discuss Psalm 37, I believed that it was going to be a one and done post. However, I had to take a piece of my own advice and look at the section of scripture as a whole in order to see the full picture. Last week, we saw the importance of looking at the meaning of words. Evil and Wicked both seem to be the same word with the same meaning, however, if you look at the original Hebrew meaning of the words you find that their descriptions are regarding two types of people. What surprised me over the last four weeks, is that I did not realized that I was writing a mini series on how to go deeper into your Bible study.

Often when we listen to a pastor or do our personal Bible studies, we tend to look at a snippet of scripture and miss a deeper meaning then if we look at the whole. When we don’t look at the meaning behind the words the author chose, we miss another layer of study entirely. Today I hope to show you what happens when you take these two concepts and put them together through an example I recently had.

I am currently going through a study from a Biblical culturalist; and before we get into the topic today, I do want to make a note that this study does not replace my personal Bible study and I hope for you that you do not allow posts written here or other Bible studies to replace your time in the word of God. These books can be tools to help your study but should not and cannot replace spending time at the feet of God with the words that He has written.

With that point made, allow me to show you what I learned when it comes to placing the meaning of words and the context of the scripture together.

The Biblical culturalist that I am studying, is someone who has great depth of knowledge when it comes to Jewish customs and their language. In her study, she makes a point to bring up Malachi 4:2, “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and frolic like calves from the stall.” She then goes on to say that the Hebrew word for “wings” here is the word “kanaph” which means the wing of a bird or the edge of clothing. She likens this to the prayer shawls that are being worn even today that has knots along the edge to represent the commandments in the Torah. The corner of the prayer shawl is called “kanafayim” which is derived from “kanaph”.

If you are like me, you may be wondering where she was going with this dive into the meaning of the words in Malachi 4:2. In which case, the author of this study, brings us to Matthew 9:20-22. “Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” 22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.” The word “edge” in this passage also means fringe or tassel. The Biblical culturalist then makes the point that the description found in Malachi 4:2 allowed for the woman to know that Jesus was the Messiah, the woman in scripture states that she only needs to touch the edge of His robe, the “wing”, and she will be healed. Thus another way to prove that Jesus was and is the Son of God.

However, while this is interesting and I do believe that the Biblical culturalist is correct in this assumption, it does not take into account the study tool we learned from Psalm 37; and that is to study the context of the verse in its entirety. Please go back to Malachi, but this time look at the chapter in its entirety.

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the Lord of armies, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branches. 2 But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and frolic like calves from the stall. 3 And you will crush the wicked underfoot, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I am preparing,” says the Lord of armies. 4 “Remember the Law of Moses My servant, the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. 5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with complete destruction.”

Malachi 4:1-5

Right off, we see that this chapter of scripture is depicting a day in the future, a day when every evildoer will be no more. A simple look at the news will show that this has not come to pass and will not until the events described in Revelation 20:11-15 take place. Verse two acts as a sign to recognize the Messiah as already discussed, but verse three also describes events that have not taken place yet. Verse four serves as a reminder for the Law of Moses which is designed to point us to our need of a savior, Jesus Christ. Which is then the point that verses five and six make.

I hope this allowed you to see, dear reader, the importance of not just looking at a snippet of scripture. When this occurs, so much more will be missed! We need to remember to look at the concept of the passage, as well as the meanings behind the words. When we do this, our studies will go deeper and so will our knowledge of God!

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Eschatology 101 Part Nine

Today we continue our series on Eschatology, if this is your first time joining us I would encourage you to read the previous posts to keep up with what we have been doing. Today we are reviewing only one verse in our Daniel chapter 9 review.

Daniel 9:25 “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.”

As a recap, last week we introduced the Law of Accomplishment which is our foundation for understanding God’s interaction with Israel from Daniel to the end. This is key if we are to understand God’s word accurately.

The Law of Accomplishment which states, “God has given 490 special years for the nation of Israel and Jerusalem to finish transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy.”

How is this law to be utilized when studying any topic known to man? The Law of Accomplishment is designed by God Himself to create a measure for comparison of all human events and their interpretation of those events leading to the millennium reign of Christ Jesus in Jerusalem.

Verse 25 is a continuation of the prophetic timeline being issued. God is giving Daniel understanding that there is an exact date from the decree to when the Messiah will come and be presented as King of Israel. In fact, this day is so precise that many have come to think that it is added text after Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry. However, archeological evidence and scholarly research quickly refutes such claims.

I will not labor the point, but would point you to the works of Chuck Missler if you are interested in the date precision. However, in God’s Word we can see that Jesus comes on the exact date! God the Father refuses to allow them to recognize Jesus Christ as King until the proper day. That day is described in Daniel 9:25 and reported happening in the following verses.

Matthew 21:1-11 “When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. 3 “If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ‘BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.’” 6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. 8 Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. 9 The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!” 10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”

And

Mark 11:1-10 “As they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples, 2 and said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. 3 “If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ you say, ‘The Lord has need of it’; and immediately he will send it back here.” 4 They went away and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street; and they untied it. 5 Some of the bystanders were saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 They spoke to them just as Jesus had told them, and they gave them permission. 7 They brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it; and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their coats in the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. 9 Those who went in front and those who followed were shouting: “Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!”

And

Luke 19:28-44 “After He had said these things, He was going on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. 31 “If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their coats on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As He was going, they were spreading their coats on the road. 37 As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, 38 shouting: “BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” 40 But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” 41 When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. 43 “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, 44 and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

And

John 12:12-19 “On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel.” 14 Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, 15 “FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY’S COLT.” 16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him. 17 So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. 18 For this reason also the people went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.”

In all four Gospels this moment is talked about. That means each of the authors believed their selected audience needed to know about this event, but expected them to understand the historical precedence predicted centuries before. They expected the believer to know their scripture and connect the dots. For Israel at that moment, this was their time to recognize the King! Messiah! God! Their visitation was at hand and they missed it. Daniel had been told that at a specific time the Temple would be rebuilt and the King would come, and we know it happened to the very day it was told!

Daniel 9:25 “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.”

Before anyone throws rocks at the Jews of the day, let us just look at our own lives and see how many times God has visited us and we ignored Him? How many times had God called to us and we just kept going through our day? We continuously scroll on the phone instead of examining His word. We instead focus on arguing with others about what is truth and fail to stay personally focused on the Truth who is Jesus Christ. We have turned Him into a “Hashtag”, “copilot” and other popular sayings instead of what truly matters. Simply put, we fail to see the King in our personal lives daily.

Unfortunately, you and I might not have been there two thousand years ago, but we are just as guilty. Luckily, Jesus Christ is faithful and just to forgive us of our trespasses. We just need to accept Him and that He is enough for us. We need to allow the King to be our King right now.

Now why is this important for us in Eschatology? It has already happened to the day! Exactly as God said it would. Thus, we can’t take the next week’s topic into consideration until we realize just how important it is.

We are about to enter a time omitted in scripture by verbiage, but identified through deliberate omittance to reveal a plan of grace for you and I today!

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

A look back into our Basics Course. Read it HERE!

Same Meaning?

Has it ever struck you how confusing the spoken and written word is? Our American readers might have a better understanding of this. After all, if I give you the word “date” you would be wondering if I mean a specific day, a way to show age, the agreed upon time and day for people to meet, or even the fruit. You would have to look at the context of the rest of the sentence in order to determine the meaning behind the word. Words can have multiple meanings; not only that, but two words that appear to have the same meaning can in fact mean two separate things.

Take this passage in Proverbs 12:12 for example,

“12 The wicked person desires the plunder of evil people, But the root of the righteous yields fruit.”

This verse comes from a section of scripture that compares the actions of the righteous to the actions of the wicked, so at first nothing seems out of the ordinary. But on closer inspection, there are two words here that you would believe are synonyms of the same definition. Wicked and Evil. For many, these two words would be used to describe something terribly bad, that is beyond repair or remorse. However, when you look back at the original meaning of these words, you will find that there is more to it.

The Hebrew word for Wicked (H7563) is defined as morally wrong, concretely an (actively) bad person, condemned, guilty, ungodly, wicked man that did wrong.

The Hebrew word for Evil (H7451) is defined as bad or evil, adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, displease.

With these two definitions in our minds, we can read Proverbs 12:12 as “The morally wrong, actively bad person desires the plunder of bad, displeased people, but the root of righteous yields fruit”. From this, we can see that those who are actively practicing unrighteousness as described in 1 John 3:7-8 are different from those who are on their own bad or displeased people. The difference is the wicked are those who understand that they are evil, but instead of turning to Christ and walking away from evil, instead continue to practice it. Those who are evil are those who have not come to know a saving faith in Jesus Christ and therefore cannot be apart of His righteousness.

Why is this important? When you take the time to look at the root of a word, especially words that would appear to have the same meaning, you grow more in the knowledge of the scriptures and of God. For those who wish to be able to do this on their own, I recommend getting a Strong’s Concordance. This book allows you to look at the words and be able to take them back to the original Hebrew or Greek. If you cannot find a physical copy, there is an app that you can download onto your phone or tablet.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Eschatology 101 Part Eight

When we last talked about Daniel, we discussed much of what he had accomplished in his life. Nevertheless, his greatest accomplishment was writing down what he was told. Daniel was a Perfect Prophet. Let’s quickly review what the label means.

  The term is defined as “A person identified, called, and used by Yahweh to reveal errorless information otherwise not known by the messenger and the targeted audience.” The world has many prophets, however only God has Perfect Prophets. Daniel being a Perfect Prophet brought to light many things, however it could be argued that his greatest documentation from the Lord God is chapter nine of the book of Daniel. In this book, we see the outline of God’s intended interaction with the people of Israel and the rescuing of mankind from their sins and from Satan himself.

Daniel 9:24-27  “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. 25 “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26 “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

This is the outline of human history up until Revelation 19:20-21 “And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.”

However, today we are only going to talk about the beginning aspect. “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city.”

You will find that there are many cults and false religious groups that have distorted and taken this out of context. Many groups claim to be the targeted audience, attempting to steal what God has given the Jewish people. Some claim this has been accomplished, not recognizing the details described here and the harmony brought fourth by other scripture declaring a proper interpretation of the verse.

The event takes place with Daniel in prayer and study. Daniel 9:20-22 “Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. 22 He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding.”

Daniel is supposed to know what Israel is going to go through. Daniel is supposed to have understanding of what God intends to do with the chosen people. They have been given seventy weeks, which is 490 years. This means that there is 490 years that God has intended for something special. When God declares “for your people and your holy city” He means it. Thus all eschatology must be somehow intrinsically interwoven through the eyes of Israel. This is paramount for us to understand and is why we have our next law in eschatology.

The Law of Accomplishment which states, “God has given 490 special years for the nation of Israel and Jerusalem to finish transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy.”

How is this law to be utilized when studying any topic known to man? The Law of Accomplishment is designed by God Himself to create a measure for comparison of all human events and their interpretation of those events leading to the millennium reign of Christ Jesus in Jerusalem.

This means that we now have a solid foundation for studying God’s Word when trying to decipher what He has declared openly and rather unapologetically to the world. Those who claim to be Biblical scholars and/or teachers who do not recognize this law are rather elementary in their understanding and should be avoided. You wouldn’t want a pilot who did not believe in the law of gravity flying your airplane would you? Of course not, so why do we want Bible teachers teaching us who do not understand the basic laws of eschatology? We don’t.

Next week we will continue to work through and progress forward in our understanding of what Gabriel revealed by the Lord God to Daniel. But for now, remember that eschatology is a reward for all men, written through the clarity that Israel is the correct prescription to see what God intends to do.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

What doctor can bring the spirit to life? Find our HERE!

Promises to Believers Part Three

Over the last two weeks, we have been looking at Psalm 37. Oftentimes, the book of Psalms is split up by people who wish to pick and choose verses that suit their ideals. As with the rest of scripture, this is done to their detriment; and we have seen how when we look at the Psalms as a whole, we see more of God’s word. Our first look into Psalm 37, we saw that God has four pledges for the believers. Second, we saw promises to both the righteous and the wicked. This week will be the conclusion into Psalm 37 which shows the outcome for those who are righteous and for those who are wicked.

23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord, And He delights in his way. 24 When he falls, he will not be hurled down, Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand. 25 I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging for bread. 26 All day long he is gracious and lends, And his descendants are a blessing. 27 Turn from evil and do good, So that you will dwell forever. 28 For the Lord loves justice And does not abandon His godly ones; They are protected forever, But the descendants of the wicked will be eliminated. 29 The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever. 30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, And his tongue speaks justice. 31 The Law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip. 32 The wicked spies upon the righteous And seeks to kill him. 33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand Or let him be condemned when he is judged. 34 Wait for the Lord and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are eliminated, you will see it. 35 I have seen a wicked, violent person Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. 36 Then he passed away, and behold, he was no more; I searched for him, but he could not be found. 37 Observe the blameless person, and look at the upright; For the person of peace will have a future. 38 But wrongdoers will altogether be destroyed; The future of the wicked will be eliminated. 39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of trouble. 40 The Lord helps them and rescues them; He rescues them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him.

Psalm 37:23-40

The first section of verse that I want to look at are verses 23-26. In these verses we notice that God is in control of our steps (verse 23), when man those who follow Him fall they will not be lost (verse 24), and that the righteous will not be forsaken. All of these are further promises to the righteous, those who have recognized their need for Jesus Christ. As believers, we can take strength and encouragement from these verses because we see that God is always with us, when we fail to follow Him, He will not forsake us. We may get ourselves into troublesome situations, but God is always the answer out and is there to provide us a way to deal with our temptations.

In our next set of verses, we see that God is advising us to depart from evil (verse 27). When we abide in Christ, we do not abide or practice anything that is unrighteousness. We are continually seeking to do His will which is why born again believers will live on eternally. However, those who practice unrighteousness, who do not place themselves under the authority of Christ, will find themselves eternally cut off (verse 28). We also see in verse 28, the fact that those who follow Jesus Christ will inherit the land and their inheritance will be eternal. This is actually the third time in Psalm 37 that we see this. The first is in verse 9 “For evildoers will be eliminated, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.” And the second time is in verse 18 “The Lord knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will be forever.” And we will see it again in verse 34, “34 Wait for the Lord and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are eliminated, you will see it.” This repeated concept is meant to encourage believers today and in the future who feel as if the wicked are getting away with their deeds. It is a constant reminder from God that He knows what is going on and our reward is coming and will be eternal. There is an eternal promise of land for all saints, Jews and Gentiles found in Revelation chapter 21-22.

Verses 33-40 are also a repeating concept found throughout Psalm 37. In these verses we see that the wicked spies on the righteous with a desire to kill them, but the answer to this concept is the same. The Lord will not leave us to be victims to the wicked. Our reward is eternal, it is why in verses 35-36 we see that the righteous spread’s themselves out in their native soil, this fallen world, but there is a day when they will all be cut off and no matter how hard you look you will not be able to find them. This is talking about the future reign of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem as described in Revelation 21-22. The wicked has their time on this earth, but the righteous will have an eternal peace because we take refuge in Jesus Christ! We must be careful not to add the Church into the promises described to Israel, but we need to recognize that some promises are directed at not only the Jews but all those who are saved no matter the time. Psalm 37 has unique characteristics of God revealing promises that have a future plan for Israel, yet also us who are of the Church. God is so good, His word can encourage in a timeless manner for each age of human history, promising for the ultimate prize found only in Jesus Christ.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Eschatology 101 Part Seven

Welcome back to our Eschatology 101 series. It has been a few weeks since we had worked on this series, and I thought I would do an overview of why we need to study eschatology. As believers in Christ we need to recognize the BIG PICTURE that God has set forth. This should be important to us because God has made it important. There are believers out there who say things like, “I am a pantribulationalist, it will all pan out in the end.” What a shame! God takes each part of His word seriously; so why don’t we. Jesus is the one who states, Matthew 5:18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

The smallest details are important and God rewards those who seek the hard to find details out. Proverbs 25:2 “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” This is why the book of Revelation is the only book of the Bible that a blessing is given to those who read it. Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

But did you know the book of Revelation is not only the only book of the Bible that gives a blessing to those who read it, but also the only book of the Bible that gives a blessing to those who “heed” His word? Check out Revelation 1:3 again and see, “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

It isn’t just reading and hearing God’s word, but taking it seriously. The word “heed” in the Greek is, “tereo” which means “to watch for, guard it, keep it, protect it and observe it in our lives.” In short, eschatology is important to God! So important that He gives blessings to those who are willing to read and take seriously His word. So as we continue our study into eschatology, remember that God has identified His word as important; thus we should as well. This includes God’s prophetic declarations of the future.

Hold until relieved our Blessed Hope is coming

JT  

Re-Post Friday

A look back into our Basics Course. Read it HERE!

Promises to Believers Part Two

Last week we began a discussion into Psalm 37. In it we saw four pledges that the Lord makes to believers; He calls us to trust in Him and do good, find our delight in the Lord and He will give us our heart desires, commit our ways to the Lord and He will bring forth righteousness, and finally rest in Him and wait patiently. However, this was only part of Psalm 37 and in order to fully understand, we need to look at it in its entirety. This week, we will be looking at the next section of Psalm 37 to see what God promises both the righteous and the wicked.

12 The wicked plots against the righteous, And gnashes at him with his teeth. 13 The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. 14 The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To take down the afflicted and the needy, To kill off those who are upright in conduct. 15 Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken. 16 Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken, But the Lord sustains the righteous. 18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will be forever. 19 They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And in the days of famine they will have plenty. 20 But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish—like smoke they vanish away. 21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives. 22 For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be eliminated.

Psalm 37:12-22

The first thing that we notice is that the wicked are plotting against the righteous, there is no doubt that we see this occurring today. The world does not recognize Christ and His authority at this present time, and so they plot against Him and His followers. And yet what does the Lord do? He laughs at them; God is in control of everything, there is nothing that occurs that He does not allow. While the wicked in the world plot against those who follow Christ, their only reward is to be permanently separated from God. “17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives. 19 Such are the ways of everyone who makes unjust gain; It takes away the life of its possessors.” Proverbs 1:17-19.

In the second half of Psalm 37:17, we see the the author changing directions from how the Lord will deal with the wicked, to the rewards of the righteous. We see that the Lord will sustain those who follow Him, this does not mean that the Christian life is an easy one. Instead we can find our strength not in ourselves, but in God. Just as God knows the days of the wicked, He knows them for the righteous as well. The difference is that the wicked’s days will come to an end, while the righteous will have their inheritance forever.

So the next time you are faced with someone who is plotting against the Lord, remember that God sees them. They will receive their punishment. On the other hand, while we will still face troubles, followers of Christ will have a reward that will never end! Next week we will finish looking at the rest of Psalm 37 to see what other promises God has for the righteous and wicked.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Salvation 2024 Sanctification

We are one full week into 2024; and before we get into the swing of the our previous series on Eschatology 101, I thought I would take a moment to discuss with our readers some prayer requests for Mill House Ministries. Please pray that 2024 is a year that we can reach more people for Christ, that we can proclaim His word to more, and encourage more to keep their eyes solely on Jesus Christ. We want this year to be a year of encouragement and steadfastness with keeping God the primary foundation in our posts. We want you to be encouraged to keep the faith and fight the good fight! We want to not be a primary Bible source, but a companion in your daily walk. This is why Mill House Ministries is excited for 2024, and why we will continue to post weekly.

I want to leave you with this thought from Colossians 3:12-17 “Therefore, as [the] elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also [must do.] 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Let us allow 2024 to be the year that we strive for something better in our lives, where we give ourselves totally over to Jesus Christ; to have His workmanship that only He can do. For some this is salvation, for others this is sanctification as discussed in Colossians 3:12-17 and we strive to grow in what Christ has called us. I pray 2024 is a salvation year for you who are not saved and a sanctification year for those who are already saved. We all have something to work on, no matter if it is the beginning of the year or halfway through; but let today be the day we decide to walk closer the the Lord. As stated earlier, please pray for Mill House Ministries so that we can be part of your journey in following the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming

JL

Re-Post Friday

What separates mankind from the animal kingdom? Find our HERE!

Promises to Believers

The book of Psalms is often taken for granted, this book of 150 chapters is often only used in snippets. Many will look at a few verses, but avoid the majority of the book, which is to their detriment. The book of Psalms is filled with verses discussing Jesus, the end times, knowledge for present day believers, and even promises. As part of my own personal Bible study, I read a Psalm a day. In doing this, I am finding out more and more about our God. Today, I want to share with you one of the new things that I have found.

“Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. 7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. 9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. 10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. 11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.”

Psalm 37:1-11

We see right off that God is telling us not to worry or be envious of those who are not following His commandments. While it might appear now that they are getting everything they want, in the end those who are not found in the book of life as described in Revelation 20:11-15 will wither and fade. Their reward is here on earth, for the believer we have greater things coming!

However, throughout the rest of this section of Psalm 37, we can see that God makes a pledge to those who follow Him. The first pledge is in verse three. “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.” There is a duality in this pledge, first to the people of Israel about their promised land but also to those saved throughout human history with what Christ has made for us. This first pledge is a reminder to the promise God gave to mankind in Genesis 1:26-28; “Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” We are called to have dominion over this earth, not to worship the created but to dwell and grow in faithfulness the things that God has given us.

Our second pledge is in verse four, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” When we seek to put God’s will and desire for our life above our own, we quickly see that our desires align with what God wants. God is a good Father, He wants to give us good things. “11 Now which one of you fathers will his son ask for a fish, and instead of a fish, he will give him a snake? 12 Or he will even ask for an egg, and his father will give him a scorpion? 13 So if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” Luke 11:11-13. It is only through our own sinful nature that seeks to rebel against God that we find ourselves in situations that cause us to be tempted.

Our next pledge is in verse five, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” To commit your way to something means that you are following it without hesitation or reservation. When we place this kind of commitment and desire to follow the Lord, our trust in Him grows. This also allows for us to be able to see how God is able to act upon His will for us.

Finally, we see the last pledge in verses seven and eight. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.” Be still or rest before the Lord. This is a hard concept when we feel as if the enemy is not receiving any punishment. It can be all too easy to give into anger and wish to take matters into our own hands, this type of anger does no good and as we see in verse eight only leads to evil. This pledge is a reminder to allow God to punish those who plan and enact evil. “20 for a man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness of God.” Now this is not the same thing as righteous anger; we are called to love the things God loves and hate the things that God hates, this is righteous anger. What verses seven and eight are discussing is the anger we feel when we believe that someone is not receiving what they deserve. We forget that God is aware of everything that occurs and He is the One who ultimately deals out the punishment. It is why verse seven tells us to be still before the Lord and wait for Him.

Now that we have seen the four pledges found in Psalm 37; I do want to point out one more thing, and that is the culmination of these pledges. This can be found in verse nine. “For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. 10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. 11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.” We see again that God will deal with those who reject Him, this is a pledge to those who are not born-again believers who have placed their faith in the works of Jesus Christ. But then it continues and we see that God has one last message for those who belong to Him, the wicked will eventually be no more but those who trust, delight, commit, and rest in the Lord will inherit the land.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

New Year, Same God

Happy New Year from Mill House Ministries!

  Undoubtedly many people are starting their New Year’s resolutions. New years are always a great reminder of the old transitioning to the new. Change can be great, however there are something’s that shouldn’t change, and we can be thankful that they do not. God does not change, Malachi 3:6 “For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” This is incredible news because man is not capable of staying true to what God has called us to, thus we need a savior who is willing to be with us in our ups and downs, in our days of failure and moments of triumphs. We need a God who does not change because this means His promises are assured. Romans 8:38-39 “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This is why Israel and the Jewish people are still the chosen people of God, this is why the Church is made up of people from all nations and tribes to be Kings and Priests to God, and this is why the only way to Heaven is through Jesus Christ. So as you review 2023 and plan for 2024, take a moment and thank God that He does not change, and that He is the God of all people through the ages no matter if its 2023, 2024, or any other year.

  So this is one unchanging reason to celebrate during this new year!

Happy New Year!

JL

Re-Post Friday

Understanding the importance of our Basics Course! Read it HERE!

Serving Resolutely

We now come to the time of year where many of us are looking toward the future. Many of us are making plans and making goals we wish to succeed in the year to come. While the practice of New Year’s resolutions are not necessarily a bad thing, often times they become more “me-centric”. If you were to look up what the common New Year’s resolutions are, you would find that they are often to eat healthier, quit bad habits, a more balanced work/life ratio, and to learn something new. Again, none of these are bad in and of themselves. However, our goals for the year to come should not stop with ourselves.

“45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Mark 10:45

We have here a calling for Christians who wish to be more Christlike. Jesus came to earth as a mere baby, something that is so dependent upon the service of others. Then as He grew older, Jesus did not complete His ministry to serve Himself. He did it to serve God the Father and in His ministry He served mankind. Think of the feeding of the 5,000, the numerous cases of Jesus healing others, washing the disciples feet, teaching others about the kingdom of God. All of these acts of service took place before the ultimate act of service with dying on the cross for us, His servent heart is why we can be reconciled to God.

Mark 10:45 is not the only place this mentality to serve others can be seen.

“13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.”

Galatians 5:13

“10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God.”

1 Peter 4:10-11

3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

Philippians 2:3-5

We are called to be like Christ, and in doing so that means that we are called to serve others. So this year, I hope that you take the time to consider how you might be able to serve others. That could mean leading a Bible study, helping in your church, running a food drive, paying for groceries for a family that is struggling, or simply allowing God to lead you to where He needs you to serve. May 2024 be the year that we serve others more than we serve ourselves.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A Merry Christmas for the Future

Merry Christmas from Mill House Ministries!

Many people have written about the first Christmas and how Jesus being born of a virgin came to earth to rescue us from our sins. But what about the future Christmas? For the sake of the discussion let us call it, “Second Christmas”. This Christmas has not happened, but will happen one day. I want to talk about a day when followers of Jesus Christ from all of human history will be able to be with Jesus and celebrate in memorial what He did with His humble birth.

Second Christmas will happen the first year of the thousand-year reign of Jesus in Jerusalem.

Revelation 20:1-6 “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. 4 Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” 

This thousand-year reign in the scholarly world has been called the “Millennium Reign”. For those who doubt it will happen, I would encourage you to follow our study on Eschatology 101.  

Second Christmas will happen the first year after Satan is imprisoned. This year, Jesus will reign a very real and physical reign in Jerusalem. A perfect government from a perfect King and God. But what happens to Christmas? As you all know, there is undoubtedly traditions in Christmas today that have no Biblical basis and do not point to Christ. However, I think there is still room for Christmas. The Feast of Dedication (Hannukah) was a feast which celebrated what God did for the Jewish people. We know from the New Testament that Jesus celebrated the festival.  

John 10:22-23 “At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; 23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon.”

This points to God in His sovereignty has created the free will in man to find new Biblical ways to celebrate what God has done in their life. Hannukah is a celebration of lights, ironically it ends right before Christmas which is the ultimate celebration of light coming to man.

John 1:4-5 “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

Just look at what the three wise men brought Jesus. No one told them to bring those specific gifts and yet they came and worshiped Him with the free will provided by God.

Matthew 2:11 “After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

It is clear that God has given us the freedom to worship Him!

There are arguments that Christmas is even celebrated on the wrong day, and that could very well be the case. However, I will let the Lord Jesus identify the day of His official arrival in the manger. Nevertheless, Christmas being the resounding end of the Hanukkah season exclaims the light of the world has arrived to man. In the thousand years, we will have the light of man once again living physically with us. Christ will once again have rescued the world. This time instead of sin on the individual level, God will rescue in a very different way.

Only a few months later, Jesus Christ and us, will celebrate together the actions He has done. We will celebrate the light of the world coming down and living with man once again. Dare I say, the Christmas we celebrate now is only a shadow of the amazing Christmas we will celebrate in the future. But what does that mean for us today? Well take a moment and reflect on Christmas and recognize how it points to a future with Christ. Just look at the following two carols and see how they are pointing not to the present Christmas, but to the Second Christmas.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let Earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing

Joy to the Earth, the Savior reigns
Let all their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy

He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love (and wonders of His love)
And wonders of His love (and wonders of His love)
And wonders, wonders of His love

Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let Earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And Heaven and nature sing (and Heaven and nature sing)
And Heaven and nature sing (and Heaven and nature sing)
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing

Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let Earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And Heaven and nature sing (and Heaven and nature sing)
And Heaven and nature sing (and Heaven and nature sing)
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing

And the second carol: 

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory o'er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Adonai, Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

  So while we can have a Merry Christmas today, let us not forget of the coming Christmas and how merry and bright it will be. So from all of us at Mill House Ministries we want to wish you all a very happy and special Merry Christmas. Let us celebrate what God has done and has promised to do.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

JL

Re-Post Friday

Do you have fear? Join us HERE!

The Weary Rejoice

It is hard to believe that Christmas is just a couple days away. Many of us are filled with the excitement of the season, seeing the lights, spending time with loved ones, and generally there is just a sense of cheer in the air. However, this time is also full of bustling and trying to remember if we have everything we need for dinner, last minute gifts, ensuring travel plans go as smooth as possible. For some, this Christmas is the first year with a new spouse or child; while for others it is the first without certain loved ones. While this time is full of cheer, it is also a season of weariness.

This year, the song that is most often in my head is “ O Holy Night” and I am sure that you have heard it played a hundred times already. However, there is one specific line that stands out to me. “A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;” It seems difficult to fathom that the weary are rejoicing. These two concepts are the exact opposite so how do they manage to work together?

For a born again believer, the idea of rejoicing is simple. We have a great delight during this time because our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born. His birth was the beginning steps to God’s plan to bring redemption to sinful man. We rejoice because we know that through His miraculous birth, His perfect life, and His resurrection after death we are reconciled to God the Father! There is no better reason than to rejoice for this! “9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 And so the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:9-11. We rejoice because we know that God has always had a plan for salvation and this time of year is when we get to celebrate it.

But rejoicing is only part of the concept. How do those who are weary, who are burdened, who are facing challenges this time of year fit in? This is an area that believers and non-believers alike can struggle in, but the answer is the same for both. “28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30. For those who are feeling tired and worn out this Christmas, they can find comfort in the same way as those who are rejoicing. The answer is Jesus Christ, He is after all the real reason for the season. Anyone who finds themselves feeling weary can find rest and rejoice if they simply accept and lean on Jesus Christ. He gives us our rest, not just physical rest but rest in our souls. While our challenges may still be present, we no longer need to do it on our own.

So this season, I hope that you are able to find the reason to rejoice. I hope that you are not burdened and instead find rest in Jesus Christ. For the born again believers this means to cast our problems onto Him. Jesus is more than capable to handle whatever is going on. For the non-believer this means to accept Jesus’s free gift of salvation, recognize that you cannot earn salvation. When you do this, That burden in your soul will be lifted because you will belong to God’s family. Jesus’s burden is light, it is not like the burdens of this world that seek to drag you down. Jesus loves you and wants a relationship with you, all you need to do is accept Him.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Eschatology 101 Part Six

In our sixth post in Eschatology 101, we now come to a critical juncture that many who attempt to understand Bible prophecy fail to recognize. Those who fail to understand are susceptible to false doctrine and even be pulled into cults such as Mormonism, Jehovah Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventist, and other non-Christian groups. To understand this, we need to remember our previous lessons and the terms described. If you have not been following along to our series on Eschatology, please go to our previous posts.

  When people ask what the future holds, in part they are asking the wrong question. What they really mean to ask is, “Why what is happening is happening, and what is this going to get worse or better?” Commonly known as a “Double Barrel Question.” Two questions in one sentence, that emphasize what subconsciously all humans ask. No matter the religion, upbringing, culture, sex, and age; these thoughts will eventually come across. The world would give their answers, Proverbs 9:14-18 “She sits at the doorway of her house, On a seat by the high places of the city, 15 Calling to those who pass by, Who are making their paths straight: 16 “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,” And to him who lacks understanding she says, 17 “Stolen water is sweet; And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” 18 But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.” Yet, those in God’s Word have the knowledge before them, and the capability to understand when we take His Word seriously, Proverbs 3:1-8 “My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.”

We know that Satan is doomed, and this entire saga of events has been an orchestrated rescue plan of God calling to humanity to come to Him. Yet, God has given the blueprints for us, in fact there was a politician, historian, philosopher, scholar, theologian, and dutiful praying man who put on view the humanistic events culminating to their final outcome. His name was Daniel from the tribe of Judah. Based on his education in today’s standards he would have been called a doctor in each of the previous listed categories. The events of his life can be found in the book of Daniel; however, today I want to briefly bring to light one term that is foundational for us to understand. To my own limits a simpler term has not come to mind, thus for simplicity this term is identified as a Perfect Prophet.

The term is defined as “A person identified, called, and used by Yahweh to reveal errorless information otherwise not known by the messenger and the targeted audience.”   

  Daniel is a perfect prophet. Three times we see him in his career identified as such.

Daniel 2:24 “Therefore, Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and spoke to him as follows: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon! Take me into the king’s presence, and I will declare the interpretation to the king.”

Daniel 4:19 “Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies!”

Daniel 5:17 “Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Keep your gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him.”

  We know that God cannot change, this is described in Isaiah’s Law of God Eternality. Thus, when a Perfect Prophet announces what God has intended for humanity to know, we should take notice. Before we get into more regarding Daniel, we needed to understand what a Perfect Prophet is. In 2024, we will pick up our second half of this discussion regarding what God has declared to the world through Daniel. God has made a commitment He is going to act upon. There is a timeline that has been put into motion that God must now fulfill.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL