Kingdom Ready

Introduction

One of the events that is well known to students of the Bible is that of the “Babylonian captivity”. The basic points about that event are as follows: First, the Babylonian empire defeated Judah in the late 7th century BC – i.e., close to 601 BC. The majority of the Jewish people were eventually exiled to Babylon – and were kept in captivity there for a number of decades. After that, Babylon itself was conquered by Medeo-Persia; and the Persian king Cyrus subsequently allowed the Jews to return to Judah.

Introduction

Genesis chapter 10 contains an account of “the origin of the nations”. Basically, that chapter discusses the descendants of Noah’s three sons – Shem, Ham and Japheth. The account then goes on to describe the various nations wholesale nfl jerseys from china that those descendants founded, throughout the world.

As we know, everything that is written in Scripture is inspired by God, and is beneficial to us (see 2 Timothy 3:16). So, what types of important information can be gleaned, from the account of the lineage of Noah in Genesis 10? It appears to me that that lineage provides valuable information for (at least) three separate areas in Scripture, as described below.

Introduction newyorkjetsclub

One of the common idioms in Scripture is that of symbolic references. Basically, many of the items listed in Scripture are not literally true – instead, they are figurative references to other items in Scripture.

One very well-known example of such a symbolic reference occurs in 1 Corinthians 5:7 – in which Paul tells us that “Christ is our Passover lamb”. Similarly, in John 1:29, John the Baptist identifies Jesus as “the Lamb of God”.

Introduction

This year, the festival of Hanukkah begins on the evening of December 16, after sundown. The events surrounding Hanukkah are quite inspiring; as they describe believers being delivered from oppression. In addition to that, some of the traditions about that festival are incredibly prophetic – especially about Jesus.

As a result, it appears useful to provide some background information about Hanukkah – about its history, about the events that it commemorates, and about its prophetic ramifications.

A History of Invasions

During the centuries throughout history, the land of Israel has been conquered by many different empires. Here is a brief timeline of some (not all) of the powers that took over Israel over the years:

Introduction

One topic that Scripture mentions a great deal is the subject of: life in the next age. In essence, many passages in the Bible tell us that believers will live again, after Jesus returns. Not only that, but Scripture also tells us where believers will live, in the next age. Consider the following passages, which speak about that very subject:

Psalm 37:29 (ESV):

Introduction

One of the items that is mentioned again and again in Scripture, is the necessity for believers to “wait for the Lord”. That is, it is necessary for us to wait patiently for God to fulfill His plans for us – despite all of the difficulties and trials that we have to undergo. Of course, this requires us to have faith – i.e., trust – in God, that He has our best interests at heart – and that He will ultimately bring about our salvation.

Here is a small sample, of the virtual reality glasses many passages that exhort us to wait for the Lord:

Psalm 27:13-14 (ESV):

Introduction

Many of the events that took place in the Old Testament were “foreshadowings” – or “types” – of the events that would happen in Jesus’ life. In other words, the events in question “point” us to Jesus.

One rather obvious example of such a foreshadowing was God telling Abraham to sacrifice Issac. Abraham was told to sacrifice his beloved son – and Isaac was willing to be sacrificed. This definitely points to God allowing his beloved Son Jesus to be crucified – and Jesus willingly being crucified.

Introduction

A rather intriguing set of passages is contained in Revelation chapter 7. The first eight verses of that chapter refer to a very specific group of individuals. Those individuals are referred to as “servants of God” – and they are subsequently “sealed”  by an angel of God. Here are those eight verses:

Revelation 7:1-8 (ESV):

Introduction

One of the most famous individuals in the book of Genesis is Joseph – the first son of Jacob and Rachel. The account of Joseph’s life begins in Genesis chapter 37 – and that account continues all the way to the very end of Genesis, in chapter 50.

Of course, quite a bit of information is contained in chapters 37 through 50. However, here is an extremely brief summary of Joseph’s life:

1. Joseph is the “favorite son” of his father, Jacob.

2. In dreams, God reveals to Joseph that he will eventually obtain a position of authority over his brothers – despite the fact that ten of his brothers are older than him.