Posts Tagged ‘Jonah’

You Are Here

Posted: March 1, 2011 in Bible
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hey since you’re here, why not check out the “Current Teaching” tab on my homepage?

You’ll find dozens of audio lessons that will walk you through the prophetic books of the Old Testament.

I recommend using these lessons as an audio commentary any time you’re reading Bible prophecy.

Each lesson provides you with vital background information on the historical, political and religious environment that each of the prophets is addressing & will help you identify the key themes at the heart of each prophetic book.

Think you already know it all?

You may be SURPRISED by what you DISCOVER when you LEARN how to UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF BIBLE PROPHECY.

So check it out!

It’s only a click away & it’s FREE!

Nahum (part 2: Matter and Antimatter)

Posted: October 7, 2010 in Bible, Christianity, prophecy
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

If you think of Jonah’s prophecy as matter; you can think of Nahum’s prophecy as antimatter.

You may recall that God called Jonah to preach a message of grace & forgiveness to Nineveh (the capital city of Assyria). Jonah was reluctant because He feared the Ninevites would repent and be spared from judgment. They did…and they were.

Sorry, Jonah.

God then used Assyria as His instrument of judgment in the nation of Israel, but this brutal oppressor went beyond the limits of propriety in its cruelty.

One hundred twenty years after Jonah, God called Nahum to preach a message of judgment to Nineveh. Nahum was burdened by the heaviness of God’s wrath and each chapter of his prophecy advances the certainty and inevitability of the awesome judgment of God. Anyone who has to preach a message of God’s destruction to the wicked feels the dark cloud of negativism in their words.

Sorry, Nahum.

Nineveh, then, is symbolic of all nations and power structures–including the United States. We must constantly remind ourselves that the Lord rules over all nations of the earth and brings judgment upon those who violate His standards of righteousness, mercy and justice. The sobering reality of divine vengeance should guide our conduct–whether as nations or as individuals.

The LORD is good,
a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him,
but with an overwhelming flood
he will make an end of Nineveh ;
he will pursue his foes into darkness.
Nahum 1:7-8 (NIV)

Do you think God still judges nations? Join the conversation here.

Minor Prophets vs. Major Prophets

Posted: August 19, 2010 in Bible, prophecy
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Up until this point we’ve been looking at the “minor” prophets from the Assyrian Crisis (Jonah, Amos, Hosea & Micah). Next week we’ll cover our first “major” prophet and the final prophet from this era in history: Isaiah.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

The difference between “minor” and “major” prophets is quantity NOT quality. The minor prophets are NOT inferior nor are their messages less important. They are simply shorter books (i.e., With 14 chapters to his name, Hosea wrote the longest book among the minor prophets; Isaiah, by contrast, is 66 chapters long).

Is a long prophecy better than a short prophecy?
Hint: Most prophetic books are really collections of multiple prophecies preached over the lifetime of each prophet.

Don’t ignore the minor prophets. The minor prophets are just as important, just as inspired, just as relevant, and just as helpful as the major prophets. Many people (including preachers) neglect these books because they mistakenly think they aren’t important.

Short on time?
Hint: You can easily read entire books from the minor prophets in a single sitting.

Don’t be intimidated by the major prophets. Some people steer clear of the major prophets because of their length. Read the major prophets the same way you eat an elephant: one bite at a time. What’s your hurry, anyways?

Bored easily?
Hint: Most prophets give the names of the kings who reigned during their ministry. Use a tool like biblegateway.com to search for other passages about those kings & their historical settings.

I cannot tell it all. Because of the length of the major prophets, I will have to summarize large blocks of material (like skipping a rock across the surface of the water). Do yourself a favor and dive into the deep end — read them for yourself!

Looking forward to my post about your favorite verse?
Hint: I’m going to intentionally skip the popular passages. Ha! ;)

The Crash Course

Posted: August 2, 2010 in Bible, Christ, Christianity, church, culture, prophecy
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

If you’re just joining me (or if you missed anything) here’s a crash course on this series so far:

  • The rise & fall of nations follows a predictable pattern. (Think Again)
  • The Old Testament writing prophets have a message relevant to us today. (Rediscovering the Prophets)
  • You need to understand the cultural, historical and spiritual contexts of the prophets to fully appreciate their messages. (Context)
  • I’m not trying to write a Bible commentary; I’m just going to hit the highlights of each OT prophet. (Disclaimer)
  • The Old Testament [writing] prophets lived during three specific times in Israel’s history: (1) The Assyrian Crisis, (2) The Babylonian Crisis, and (3) The Rebuilding Crisis. (The Triple Whammy)
  • Israel was divided into two kingdoms after the reign of Solomon: Judah (the southern kingdom) & Israel (the northern kingdom). Both were morally & spiritually corrupt. God sent the prophets to preach repentance & proclaim judgment if they refused to return to covenant faithfulness. (God Doesn’t Wink at Sin)
  • Assyria was the global superpower God allowed to discipline Israel (the northern kingdom). Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Micah and Isaiah were prophets during the time of the Assyrian crisis. (The Calm Before the Storm)
  • God sent a stubborn prophet to preach repentance to Israel’s enemies in Assyria. God is gracious and offers salvation to all who turn to Him in faith. (Jonah: Bigger Than a Whale)
  • The Lord always takes notice of those who are devoted to Him. Amos was a”nobody” that God made a “somebody.” (Amos (part 1: Devotion))
  • We must never allow our allegiance to the flag to be confused with our devotion to Jesus Christ. They are not the same. They are not equal. (Amos (part 2: Patriotism))
  • When people reach the point where they simply refuse to turn from their wickedness, God allows them to suffer the consequences of their rebellion. (Amos (part 3: Judgment))
  • The challenge for believers in a culture that has rejected God and His Word is to remain faithful to the Lord when hell breaks loose all around us. (Amos (part 4: Hope))
  • It was unanimous, you asked me to take my time & break down each of the prophets rather than rush through them. (I’m Torn)
  • The prophetic message is never popular among the masses. Their words are only received by the godly remnant. (Talk to the Hand?) (UPDATE: As expected, my blog traffic has dropped drastically since starting this series on June 28th. CHECK IT OUT: April: 3,907 views; May: 4,120 views; June: 3,520; July: 1,445 views. To God be the glory! I must be doing something right!)
  • God gave Israel everything she needed; He continually showed her grace despite her adultery; He begged her to remain faithful; He wept over her indiscretions and loved her though she was unlovable. (Hosea (part 1: Prostitution))
  • Even God’s discipline is an act of LOVE, designed to bring people back into the blessings of the covenant relationship. (Hosea (part 2: Love | Hate)
  • The ancient rabbis found their full doctrine of repentance in the book of Hosea. (Hosea (part 3: Repentance))
  • God, the faithful lover, promised He would one day renew His love for His people with even greater zeal and commitment than before. That promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. (Hosea (part 4: Renewal))
  • My posts about the Scriptures are not the equivalent of the actual Scriptures. You need to read them for yourself! (No Cheating!)

 

Well…there you have it. You are now officially caught up!

Are you still with me??

I double-dog-dare-you to forward this post to a friend.

UP NEXT: Micah.

Older Entries