No one likes a detour or delay in a
​journey.
​

Whenever we encounter a road under construction or traffic that halts our trek by half an hour, we may feel tempted to throw up our hands and say,


“Why now?

Why did this have to happen to me?’


Enter the Israelites,
​who had endured hundreds of years of slavery in Egypt.

When God freed them, through his servant Moses and via 10 plagues (Exodus 7-11) and a splitting sea (Exodus 14),

they must have thought that they’d arrive in the land of their dreams,

the Promised Land, in no time.

But sure enough, they hit snags along the way.

The journey takes too long,
and they turn to other idols and gods to
speed up the process (Exodus 32).

The proverbial straw breaks the camel’s back when they
reach the Promised Land and send spies to scout the area.

When the spies realize that the fortified city
and its people within are intimidating.

All but Caleb and Joshua, two of the spies,
try to dissuade the Israelites
from going into the new land (Numbers 32).

Because of their obstinance and disobedience and forgetfulness of
God’s promises,
​God delays their entry into the Promised Land by 40 years.

Aside from Caleb and Joshua, anyone over a certain age would not see the Promised Land, since their generation did not exercise a strong 
faith in God’s provision.

Although the 40 years in the desert may serve as a cautionary tale of sorts, can we learn anything from the Israelites as they wandered for four decades?

Indeed.
We’ll dive into some of the many lessons from the 40 years in the desert.

God Provides in Our Darkest Moments In the desert, the Israelites had run low on provisions (Numbers 11:5).

It gets to the point where the Israelites pine
after the “good ole days” of their slavery in Egypt,
where they didn’t have to worry about starvation.

They get so hungry that they think
hundreds of years doing hard slave labor in Egypt
sounds like paradise.

God, seeing their need for food,
provides them with a substance known as manna.

A heavenly bread of sorts that means “what is it?”

He also gives them protein via quail
and provides these bread and birds from heaven daily
until they enter the Promised Land.


God understood that the desert was

a temporary limbo for the Israelites.


They wouldn’t stay there forever but would enter the Promised Land decades later.
Nevertheless, he meets their needs, nonetheless.

From this, we can learn that God meets us in limbo.
We might be waiting on a job or living from paycheck to paycheck,

but God provides for us in the desert and in the Promised Land.

He doesn’t leave or forsake us in our greatest hour of need.

God's Plan Never "Seems to Align" with Ours
Nor does his timeline.

The Israelites may have thought that everything would be smooth sailing since they left their former lives from Egypt.

No longer would they have to operate under cruel taskmasters, and they had a bright future ahead.


But they expected it all to happen
so fast.
So easily.

They didn’t realize that sometimes getting to the Promised Land
takes time.

That God may have wanted them to learn some lessons
along the way about trusting him,
and that he fights for them
when they are surrounded by a great number of enemies
on their way to the Promised Land
(Exodus 17).

We can learn that God’s timeline and plan
often veer far away
from how we expect a situation to play out
or an outcome to fall in our favor.
Nevertheless, God’s plans always are best,
and we have to trust in him.

Especially when we need to rely on his provisions,
like the Israelites in the desert.

God Doesn’t Keep Us in the Desert Forever
Forty years sounds like a long time.
To the Israelites who were in their teens,
they didn’t reach the Promised Land
until they had turned 50 or 60 years old.

But even though God’s timeline may not align with ours,
​he doesn’t keep us in the desert forever.
Whether the “desert” we’re currently enduring is a trial or if we think of the “desert” as this world (a limbo until we reach the Promised Land of paradise) God doesn’t hold us in limbo forever.
​
We will reach the Promised Land since promised is in the title.
God doesn’t break covenants,
and he won’t keep us suspended in the desert for eternity.
Whether our trial lasts four years or 40,
​we will make it to the Promised Land.


​WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

Genesis 12:1–3
This is, of course, the seminal passage that describes God’s call of Abram and the basis for the Abrahamic Covenant. In this text we find three essential elements: land (v. 1: “…to the land that I will show you”), offspring (v. 2 “I will make you a great nation”), and blessing (vv. 2–3 “I will bless you… and you shall be a blessing”). As noted, the first element of this covenant is the land. Literal land. This is verified in the next text.

The Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional
and absolutely dependent upon God.
He is taking full responsibility for its fulfillment.

Genesis 15:18. In the previous verses of chapter 15 we observe God making a covenant with Himself to fulfill the covenant He made with Abram. Because of this distinction, we understand the Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional and absolutely dependent upon God. He is taking full responsibility for its fulfillment. Note verse 18 in which He tells Abram, “To your descendants I have given this land from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.” Without a doubt, the land is a literal land—a piece of real estate and not to be allegorized or spiritualized in any manner. As we fast forward hundreds of years (following Israel’s 400 years in Egypt and the ensuing Exodus), we observe Joshua as the leader of the Israelites and God’s very specific words to him as they are about to enter the Promised Land.
Joshua 1:3, 6–7. “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses… Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land-which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous…”
(NASB; Note: Numbers 33:50-34:34 describes the extent of the land and how it was to be apportioned).

The above texts give us our starting point and verify that God intended His Chosen People to have a land of their own to possess. While this is indisputable biblical truth, the question and controversy lies in their actual possessing (or not) of all the land God had indeed promised.


ISRAEL’S POSSESSION OF THE LAND

Joshua 11:23; 21:43–45. “So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lᴏʀᴅ had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Thus the land had rest from war… So the Lᴏʀᴅ gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. And the Lᴏʀᴅ gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the Lᴏʀᴅ gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good promises which the Lᴏʀᴅ had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.”

By all indications, a literal reading of the text would lead us to believe and understand that Israel had taken full possession of the land that God had promised in the Abrahamic Covenant. However, there are other texts which tell us otherwise in order to answer our opening questions. 
The following references are important to this discussion and need to be understood:

Joshua 13:1: “The Lᴏʀᴅ said to [Joshua], ‘You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land remains to be possessed.’” 
​
v. 13 “But the sons of Israel did not dispossess the Geshurites or the Maacathites.” 
15:63; 16:10: “Now as for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the sons of Judah could not drive them out. . . but they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer.” 
17:12 “But the sons of Manasseh could not take possession of these cities, because the Canannites persisted in living in that land.” 

Throughout these texts, it is also to be noted that on several occasions, it also reads that those Israel could not drive out “live among Israel until this day.” 


GOD’S PROMISE NEVER FAILS
​
Did they really possess ALL the land? The simple answer is: No. But does not Scripture then contradict itself, and did God not really fulfill His promise to Israel?


While they took the land and lived in it,
they never fully “dispossessed” the enemies from the land.

1. It is important to point out that the Israelites did indeed take the land God had promised and that God gave them the land (Josh. 11:23; 21:43–45). To take the land and have it given to them is to be differentiated from fully possessing the land. So while they took the land and lived in it, they never fully “dispossessed” the enemies from the land. To the writing of the book of Joshua, the enemies persisted until that time at least. 

2. The fact that Israel “possessed and lived in the land” does not negate the fact that they might possess still more of it.

3. At the very time Scripture records Israel’s possession of the land (Josh. 21), their enemies (living among them) posed no threat. They had been subdued by Israel even though they were not completely driven out. 
​
4. It wasn’t until the time of Solomon (not even David) that Israel’s borders came close to the parameters that God described in His Word. Israel’s borders extended to the border of Egypt (1 Kings 4:21) but not the river of Egypt mentioned in Genesis 15:18.


There are other distinctions that must be considered that help us understand the dilemma and controversy of Israel’s possession of the land. 


First, there is an additional text relating to the Abrahamic Covenant where God is once again speaking to Abraham. Genesis 17:7–8 reads, “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” “Everlasting” is the emphasis here, and without a doubt, Israel has NOT been in possession of the land in perpetuity. Throughout history, the Israelites have been exiled, taken captive, booted out (the Diaspora), and even to this day, the full extent of the land is NOT theirs. They have never been in full possession of all the land. 


So, what gives? What could God possibly have meant in His covenant with Abraham? Amos 9:11–15 gives us insight that helps unravel the controversy and lingering questions:


“In that day [the future Millennial Kingdom]… Behold, days are coming… I will restore the captivity of My people Israel… I will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land which I have given them,” says the Lᴏʀᴅ your God.” 


One day, at the end of the Tribulation, all of surviving Israel will “look on Me whom they have pierced.”

Israel’s history of rebellion, idolatry, unfaithfulness, and rejection of Jesus Christ as their true Messiah has kept them from fully realizing the Abrahamic Covenant and fully possessing the land. One day, at the end of the Tribulation, all of surviving Israel will “look on Me whom they have pierced” (Zech. 12:10). Israel’s repentance will be complete, and they will inhabit the future kingdom over which Christ will reign as their Messiah. Then and only then will Israel fully possess the land promised to them. God is faithful to His Word—to Israel and to us!


​
God’s Love for Israel  
​Hosea 11:1-12 

Richard Halverson, former chaplain of the United States Senate, once wrote, “There is nothing you can do to make God love you more, nor is there anything you can do to make God love you less! His love is Unconditional, Impartial, Everlasting, Infinite, and Perfect.”

This description aptly expresses God’s love for Israel.

God appears in this chapter as a loving Father
grieving over Israel, His rebellious son.
Israel’s rebellious attitude was inexplicable in view of all that God had done for the nation. God birthed Israel; and through the centuries, He nourished, instructed, and protected the nation. But Israel proved to be an ungrateful son who insulted God by acts of immorality, idolatry, and indifference. Like any wayward son, Israel needed chastening.

In His sovereign love, God corrected the prodigal nation in order to restore it to a loving relationship with Himself.

God’s Call 
God demonstrated His love for Israel from its inception as a nation. Hosea said, “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt” (v. 1). God is pictured as a tender, loving father who adopted Israel to be His son and entered into a covenant relationship with the nation.
His choice of Israel was an act of pure, sovereign grace,
not due to any merit within the nation (Dt. 7:6–8). He displayed His love by delivering Israel from 400 years of Egyptian bondage.

The prophets repeatedly used this deliverance as an illustration of God’s power on behalf of His people.

The phrase called my son out of Egypt also is applied typologically to Jesus Christ in Matthew 2:15. Israel, the covenant people, is the type; and Jesus the Messiah is the antitype. Both Israel and Jesus went to Egypt for protection-Israel because of a severe famine in Canaan during the days of Joseph; Jesus because of Herod’s threat to kill all children two years and under in Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Hosea’s statement is a historical reference to Israel’s physical redemption from Egypt. Matthew’s statement refers to Jesus the Redeemer who provides spiritual redemption from the bondage of sin and eternal death.

The nation responded to God’s love like a wayward son. To correct Israel’s waywardness, God sent prophet after prophet who pleaded with the nation to repent and return to the Lord.
Hosea said, “As they called them [the prophets sent by God], so they [Israel] went from them; they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to carved images” (v. 2). The more God called, the more Israel rejected Him and rebelled against His love. Turning a deaf ear to God’s prophets, the nation chose to practice idolatry instead.

God’s Care 
Like a loving father,
God had cared tenderly for the nation
during its journey through the wilderness:

I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms, but they knew not that I healed them. I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love; and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid food before them (vv. 3–4).

This statement of guiding and guarding Israel through the wilderness is tender and touching. The Lord took Israel by the arm to guide the nation over difficult obstacles, so it would not stumble and get hurt.
When Israel fell during times of testing,
God was there to heal its wounds.

God’s love and compassion for Israel is like that of a herdsman who cares for his heifer.
The herdsman repositions the yoke’s strap under the ox’s jaw, enabling the animal to eat its food with ease. With a handful of grain, the herdsman bends down and tenderly feeds his animal. God did not lead Israel like a dumb animal, with ropes and halters. He guided Israel with cords of tenderness, kindness, and love; compassionately and continually, he eased the nation’s strain and burden. For 40 long years, God graciously provided food and water for Israel during its wilderness wanderings.
Israel was more than willing to enjoy God’s generous gifts and gracious love. But like an ungrateful son, Israel took God for granted, disobeying His commands and disregarding His will.



God’s Chastening 

Although God is long-suffering, His patience has limits.

As any good father should,
He had to correct wayward Israel
for its ingratitude and rebellion. Hosea said, “He (Israel) shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return” (v. 5). Egypt is a symbol for the new type of exile Israel would face in Assyria.

With the collapse and capture of Israel’s political leadership, the king of Assyria would control the nation’s government. Thus Israel would have no king (cf. 10:3, 7, 15). Because the Israelites refused to repent, their bondage at the hands of Assyria would be far more severe and last longer than their time of slavery in Egypt.

Judgment hovered over Israel like the legendary sword of Damocles
and, in God’s time, would strike the nation:

And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches [i.e., villages], and devour them [i.e., demolish the bars and bolts of their gates], because of their own counsels (v. 6).

The sword would whirl around as it swept the land, devouring Israel’s cities, villages, and defenses.

Destruction would come on Israel
because it went to Canaanite deities,
such as Baal,
for deliverance from Assyria,
rather than going to the Lord.

Another reason for Israel’s destruction was its continual backsliding. God said, “And my people are bent [hung up on] to backsliding from me; though they [God’s prophets] called them to the Most High, none at all would exalt him” (v. 7). No one in Israel heeded the prophet’s message because sin had lured the nation into such deep moral apathy that its ears were dull of hearing.
​

God’s Compassion 
The Law of Moses required that every rebellious son who would not obey his father or heed his reprimand be put to death (Dt. 21:18–21). Israel was such a son. He flaunted God’s love, took for granted God’s mercy and compassion, ignored the many warnings of judgment, and deserved to be annihilated. But

God’s great love for His covenant people
would not allow Him to abandon Israel.

God expresses His lament and deep love for Israel in four rhetorical questions:
How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver [surrender] thee, Israel? How shall I make thee as Admah? How shall I set thee as Zeboiim? Mine heart is turned within me; my compassions are kindled together (v. 8).

Admah and Zeboiim were two cities that were annihilated with Sodom and Gomorrah when God rained fire and brimstone on them (Dt. 29:22–23). Though Israel deserved the judgment of Admah and Zeboiim,
God’s heart revolted within Him at such a thought.
Instead, He turned from His fierce anger
to show Israel mercy and compassion.

God has an eternal relationship with Israel.
He chose her, called her, cared for her, and chastens her when necessary; but it is not His divine purpose to destroy her:

Thus saith the LORD, If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD (Jer. 31:37).
God will never annihilate Israel because of the promises He made in the Abrahamic Covenant.

Although Israel will be severely punished for her sin, God always tempers His justice with divine compassion and will not obliterate the nation: “I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim; for I am God, and not man, the Holy One in the midst of thee, and I will not enter into the city” (v. 9). Nor will God return to destroy Israel as He did during the Assyrian invasion. On the contrary, He tempers His chastening with compassion and covenant love,
in hopes that His punishment
will result in Israel’s restoration and redemption.

Keep in mind that God’s judgment on Israel, His son, is both punitive and remedial.

Everything that befell Israel was intended to chasten the prodigal nation back to God.

No man can question God’s actions because the Lord is “God, and not man, the Holy One in the midst of [Israel].”

God always does what is just and right,
whether we understand it or not.

In the future, the people of Israel will return swiftly to their land from all over the world to experience God’s blessing in the Millennial Kingdom.

Abruptly, the subject switches to a future time when God will summon Israel back to the land for the Kingdom blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant.

Hosea used a number of metaphors to express Israel’s return: “They shall walk after the LORD; he shall roar like a lion; when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west” (v. 10). In the past, God destroyed Israel like a roaring lion (5:14); in the future, He will call Israel back to its land with His roar.

During the return, “they shall tremble like a bird out of Egypt, and like a dove out of the land of Assyria, and I will place them in their houses, saith the LORD” (v. 11). No longer will Israel be like a “silly dove” (7:11), flittering around in confusion, but will be like a dove flying home, trembling with excitement, as it returns in haste to its nest. In the future, the people of Israel will return swiftly to their land from all over the world to experience God’s blessing in the Millennial Kingdom.

This promise is affirmed by the words, “saith the LORD.”
Chapter 11 ends with God representing Himself as a man enveloped by Israel’s sin. “Ephraim encompasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit,

but Judah yet ruleth with God,
and is faithful with the saints” (v. 12).

Hosea had exposed Israel’s unfaithfulness and hypocrisy through lies and deceit. The nation had pretended to worship Jehovah while practicing idolatry. Although the King James Version contrasts the faithlessness and insincerity of Israel to the faithfulness of Judah, Jewish Scriptures render the last verse differently. They show Judah as defiant also. The Hebrew word rud, translated “ruleth” (v. 12) means “to wander restlessly” or “to be unruly” against God. Judah, despite all her privileges (Temple, priesthood, covenant promises), was like a restless, unruly animal that cast off all restraints and wandered away from its master--just like Israel. Most commentators accept this interpretation, which seems to be the teaching of verse 12.

On the other hand, God faithfully keeps His covenant promises of redemption and restoration to “the saints” in both Israel and Judah. Likewise, God will bring redemption and restoration to a generation of Jewish people who will come to Him in repentance. In the Kingdom Age, Israel’s sorrow will turn to joy as the once-wayward son experiences spiritual renewal through God’s loving compassion.
​

Isaiah’s ministry spanned fifty years as he prophesied and addressed the sins of the people during the reign of four different kings. As a messenger of God’s covenant, one of Isaiah’s primary roles was to remind the people what God expected of them. The book has a coherent structure, which can be divided into two parts, but written by one author. The first half, chapters 1-39, focuses on God’s judgment of His people, while the second half, chapters 40-66, focuses on the salvation of God’s people. Another key difference is the first half deals more with the Assyrian crisis while the second half deals with the Babylonian crisis and resulting exile. Despite these calamities, an overarching theme throughout the book of Isaiah is God’s special relationship with the nation of Israel and the unfortunate need of judgment and exile to bring about the future restoration of God’s people.


GOD’S JUDGMENT AND SALVATION OF HIS PEOPLE
​
Michael Wilkins explains, “The people of Israel understood that God was using them as a people to fulfill the prophecies of Isaiah; however, the problem was Israel, as a nation, had failed in its mission and as a result had become a blind and deaf servant”[1] (Isaiah 42:18-25). God can use anyone and anything to accomplish His plan and during the first part of Isaiah, He uses the Assyrian army to confront the people’s sinfulness and bring about judgment and salvation. “Assyria was the rod of Yahweh’s anger and the staff in their hands was His fury” (Isaiah 10:5). In the second half of Isaiah, it would be the Babylon Empire that the Lord would use to pronounce judgment on Israel, but even before the exile took place in 586 B.C., the Lord planned to use Cyrus, the Persian king to allow the people to return home. As J. J. M. Roberts asserts, “Israel’s current predicament was due to the sins of her people (Isaiah 42:24-25). Their plight was well deserved, their coming salvation was due simply to Yahweh’s graciousness, and the appropriate response was to return to Yahweh in trust and confidence”[2] (Isaiah 43:22-44:2). Ultimately, the hope and salvation of Israel would only come through their suffering, judgment, and exile.


RESTORATION AND TRANSFORMATION OF THE CITY OF JERUSALEM

Barry Webb explains, “The transformation of Zion is both the literary link and formal key that helps us understand the message of Isaiah.”[3]In chapter one, Zion, the unfaithful prostitute is reduced, but in chapter two, Zion, Yahweh’s bride is exalted and taken back, following the divorce/exile. This dichotomy is a powerful reminder of God’s grace and the comparison being made is how old Jerusalem was equated with God’s judgment while the New Jerusalem was going to be a place of God’s blessing and a place where God establishes His kingdom forever. Roberts explains, “Isaiah’s transformation of the royal ideology and the Zion tradition became the wellspring from which the later messianic expectations and the hopes for a New Jerusalem [and] the conception of a heavenly Jerusalem and a transhistorical view of salvation that includes even the ultimate victory over death [arose].”[4]



After the purge, John Watts shows, “The important thing about Zion is her reputation as Yahweh’s dwelling. It is Yahweh’s house, the temple, which stands out, because He is present and active there.”[5] This is reminiscent of Isaiah’s vision again, as the glory of the Lord filled the temple. His holiness is overwhelming, as the seraphim are depicted covering their face and feet, calling out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3). Watts adds, “Yahweh’s presence in the temple lifts its importance to supremacy and this has nothing to do with Israel or Judah, their kings or leaders. Purely because Yahweh is there, Zion attracts the other nations.”[6] Then the imagery of beating swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks is profound. Here, Geoffrey Grogan explains, “The issues that set nations against one another do not disappear automatically but are settled by the supreme Judge, whose decisions are accepted. Thus there is no uneasy calm but peace based on righteousness.”[7]

​
The coming kingdom of God and the future restoration of Israel are dominant themes. Gary Yates states, “God is going to bring the people back to their homeland; there is going to be the restoration of the Davidic Dynasty, through the Messiah; the temple will be rebuilt; and as the nations see how God blesses Israel, they will come to the Promise Land to worship God.”[8] Sin still had consequences, so as the children of Israel return home from the Babylonian exile, they find themselves impoverished and living under foreign oppression. It is here, Yates asserts, “If the return from exile is all there is, then Isaiah’s prophecies and promises are a disappointment at best and they are an outright failure at worst.”[9] Ultimately, the full restoration will not occur until they have fully returned to the Lord (Isaiah 56:1-7). The new heavens and new earth referenced in Isaiah 65 and the New Testament, (Hebrews 12:22-24) says the blessings and presence of God are being enjoyed now, but in the future there will come a time where God completely reverses the effects of the fall. This means death, violence, and wickedness will be replaced with life, love, and harmony and Isaiah recognized, as he looked to the future kingdom, some of these promises and blessings are being enjoyed now, but some are still yet to come.

​
LORD AS KING AND HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL

Roberts states, “If there is any one concept central to the whole book of Isaiah, it is the vision of Yahweh as the Holy One of Israel [and] Isaiah’s vision… left a lasting impression on the prophet’s ministry.”[10] Isaiah’s vision in chapter six is profound as the glory of the Lord filled the temple and this encounter would shape his entire ministry and message. Isaiah desperately wanted the nation of Israel to have a similar experience and encounter, so that they too would find themselves undone by their sinful lives.
Unfortunately, Israel had to learn the hard way, despite God’s sincere desire to enter into a relationship with His people. Instead of pouring out blessings, as a result of righteous behavior, the Lord would use the exile to purge all the unholy traits from the people. God is the one the people should have put their trust in exclusively, but the people, instead, chose to rely on political and military alliances for protection. The main issue throughout Isaiah was Israel’s failure to deal with its own spiritual apostasy and no alliance made with any other nation could protect them from the Lord’s wrath. The holiness of the Lord demanded a proper response from His children, but as Roberts explains, “If Israel refused to look to Yahweh, to trust in the quiet waters of Shiloah, God would send the raging waters of Assyria against them to reveal the vanity of their trust in human power”[11] (Isaiah 8:5-8).



LORD OVER ALL NATIONS

Roberts further illustrates how, “Before Yahweh would fight for Zion; He would fight against her (Isaiah 31:4-5). Jerusalem would be humbled and humiliated, but in the hour of her desperation, when Yahweh had cleansed her in the fiery judgment, God would intervene to save her from her arrogant enemies (Isaiah 31:4-5). Then Jerusalem would be exalted and glorified.”[12] While God used Assyria and Babylon as tools to purge Judah and Israel of sin, the very nations used by God would face judgment themselves because they failed to recognize Yahweh as Lord over all. When reading Isaiah 45, part of which focused on the fact that God is the one who “Forms light and creates darkness, the one who makes peace and creates calamity. I am the One who does these things.” This portion of Scripture is amazing, especially considering most people do not normally think that God has anything to do with the darkness. In fact, most people define darkness as the absence of light, so Isaiah is making a profound assertion here that God declares that He is even in the dark chaos of the world, and for this reason, followers can have peace, even in the darkness, because He is Lord over all. John Oswalt explains, “What Isaiah asserts is that God, as creator, is ultimately responsible for everything in nature, from light to dark, and for everything in history, from good fortune to misfortune. No other beings or forces are responsible for anything.”[13] Even in darkness and chaos, God is with every true follower, and the darkness will eventually give way to the light of day. “For the light has shone already into the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it” (John 1:5).


​
FUTURE MESSIAH AND SUFFERING SERVANT
​
Instead of leading the people of other nations to Yahweh, the people of Israel often did the exact opposite by worshipping the false gods of other nations. In the midst of this apostasy, Isaiah promises that God would provide a solution to the problem, which was the raising up of an individual Servant who would restore the national servant, the nation of Israel. Richard Averbeck explains, “The Lord’s concern for the nations, not just Israel, is declared in the larger context in Isaiah 49:6-7; 56:6-7 and now the same sacrificial redemption and restoration applies to them as well.”[14] This means the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 brought redemption and restoration, as Averbeck says, “To the Jew first, but also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Roberts further explains, “The plan of salvation, centered in the vicarious death of Jesus Christ is dependent on [Second] Isaiah’s portrayal of the Suffering Servant, and the NT emphasis on the receptions of that salvation through faith picks up and continues the Isaianic demand for faith.”[15]

In light of the entire canon of Scripture, God still has a plan for the nation of Israel and while they were spiritually blind to the Suffering Servant’s arrival, Isaiah 61:1-3 indicates the first coming of Jesus began the restoration of Israel and the second coming will finish it. Jesus quoted these words in Luke 4:18-19 and as He read to the people in the synagogue, He stopped in the middle of 61:2 after the words, “The time of the Lord’s favor has come.” Rolling up the scroll, He said, “The Scripture you have just heard has been fulfilled this very day!” (Luke 4:21). While the world is now under God’s favor; His wrath is yet to come.[16] Robert Hughes and J. Carl Laney explain how Isaiah 61:1, “Revealed that the Messiah, who ministered salvation at His first coming, will also minister comfort for redeemed Israel at His second coming.”[17] By His death and resurrection, Jesus instituted and inaugurated a new phase of God’s kingdom, some of which is now, and some of which is still to come, when Christ returns.

While this student does not agree with Roger’s conclusion on the matter of multiple authors of Isaiah, nonetheless, Rogers does offer considerable insight on the overarching themes in the book that bears his name. Upon reading Isaiah, there is no denying the special relationship God had and still has with His children, but while they were supposed to be a light and witness for God, they fell victim to greed and apostasy. God wanted the best for them, yet the nations of Judah and Israel chose to find their own versions of “God’s best” outside of God’s will.

​As a parent punishes a child, Yahweh too is forced to pronounce judgment before He is able to provide salvation. This salvation ultimately finds its initial fulfillment in the arrival of the Suffering Servant, the Messiah, but even then, as Isaiah prophesied, “He would be despised and rejected by man” (Isaiah 53:3). The words written by the eighth century prophet are just as relevant today and much can be applied to nations, like America, by heeding what was revealed in the woe oracles against foreign nations. These declarations can directly be traced back to the Abrahamic Covenant, which God made with man and are unconditional promises by God. Christ is coming back, a future kingdom will be established forever, and the Lord will rule over all, as every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Isaiah 45:23; Philippians 2:10). In addition to Isaiah having multiple dominant themes, it also is the only Old Testament book to predict the virgin birth of Christ (7:14), the ministry of John the Baptist (40:3-5), and contains one the Old Testament’s clearest statements on the Trinity (48:16). Next to Deuteronomy, Isaiah presents the most detailed information on the person and work of God and also the Messiah’s role as both sacrificial lamb and ruling lion. Christ was obedient and empowered by the Father and He will return one day as the anointed one of the Lord and victorious warrior (63:1-6). 

“This is the day the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it” (Psalm 118:24)… This is the Lord’s Day… This is Easter Sunday… This is Resurrection Day… This is a glorious day… Every Sunday we gather in celebration of the truths that it is finished—Jesus has paid it all, and that He is risen—and because He lives so will we… And all of this hinges on what happened on this weekend all those years ago… Don Carson has said that, “The entire Bible pivots on one weekend in Jerusalem two thousand years ago.” And if that’s true of the Bible how much more so of our lives?
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Friends, the gospel is the most important message in existence… It defines our lives as Christians and it’s where true life is found… And at the heart of the gospel is this weekend… On this weekend, roughly 2,000 years ago Christ was crucified; and then on the third day, on the Sunday after His death, up from the grave He rose… He got up from the grave, He defeated death, He defeated sin, and He satisfied God’s wrath for His people… But over 700 years before the cross of Christ, Isaiah laid out what happened perfectly… Jesus Himself said in Luke 22:37, “For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” There He was speaking of Isaiah 53; and in Isaiah 53 we find an amazing picture of the gospel… Charles Spurgeon called this chapter, “the Bible in miniature, the Gospel at its essence…” And so, today we’re going to look at this gospel message, we’re going to look at Good Friday and Easter through the lens of Isaiah 53… And given the critical nature of the gospel, regardless of how familiar you may think you are with this message, you would do well to give it your upmost attention this morning… Because again, if the Bible pivots on this, how much more so our lives? So let’s dive in…


Isaiah 53- Our text begins in verse 1 with the questions, “Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Well the answer to the first question seems to be no one, and the answer to the second question is first Israel and then the world… Isaiah says, “Who has believed what he has heard from us?…” Us being the prophets of Israel; those who faithfully proclaimed God’s Word… And then he speaks of the arm of the Lord. And what’s typically meant by the arm of the Lord in God’s Word is the power of God in action… And in this context the power of God in action is Jesus, the Suffering Servant Himself… And we can see this as the text shifts from speaking of the arm of the Lord to speaking of a person…

In verse 2 we read, “For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.” So, notice that the arm of the Lord is now referred to as a He. And in light of the whole of Scripture this makes sense… The gospel is the good news about the person and work of Jesus Christ; who He is and what He has done and will do… And in Romans 1:16 we’re told that the gospel, “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Or we could say to Israel and to the world… And that’s exactly what we’re being told here… The power of God in action, the power of God for salvation is revealed in a person, in a servant, in the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, in Jesus…

In Isaiah 52:13, just before this we’re told that the one Isaiah 53 speaks of is indeed a servant. God’s Word says, “Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.” And we refer to Isaiah 53 as the Suffering Servant passage, because it tells us how this Servant of God suffered for the sins of man; it tells us how Jesus conquered through death… Now, outside of the grace of God no one believes this message… Even Israel who saw Jesus face to face didn’t see Him for who He was; that’s in part because they weren’t looking for a suffering servant, but a conquering hero; but also, Isaiah says, they didn’t see Jesus rightly because, “he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.”

Jesus looked like an average Palestinian Jew… He didn’t look special or attractive… He didn’t have blond hair and blue eyes… And He certainly didn’t look like what they were looking for in a King… So in verse 3 Isaiah tells us, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” But, Jesus was and is the King of the universe. “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16). He is the, “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16)… We owe Him our allegiance. We were created for Him… We owe Him our esteem… To esteem is to regard highly or favorably, with proper respect and admiration… But Isaiah says that we despised Him and esteemed Him not… We were created to delight in Him and esteem Him, but in our sin we despise Him and esteem Him not… This was true of Israel and the world by and large… And that’s because it’s true of everyone in their sin…

In the flesh we are unable to see the beauty and majesty of Jesus… His beauty can only be seen by faith… In verse 2 it says that after coming to this world Jesus grew up before God… He was always before God’s eyes; but the eyes of man never rightly looked upon Him, at least not without a work of grace… Jesus has always been in perfect communion with God the Father and God the Spirit… Our triune God is holy, perfect, and good, and has always existed in perfect joy in and of Himself. And even after Jesus left heaven and came to earth to save sinners, before going to the cross God always looked upon Him in love and joy… But He was despised and rejected by men… He was not rightly esteemed… And this is the heart of what sin is: rejecting God, not esteeming Him rightly; and regardless of what we think, if we don’t esteem God rightly we despise Him because we belittle Him and seek to put ourselves in His place…

This is what mankind has been doing since Adam and Eve, but this is especially what happened when Jesus came to earth… In verse 4 we read, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.” In other words, He took on our sorrows and sufferings, yet the world thought He was being punished by God for His disobedience… The Jewish leaders accused Him of sinning against God and had Him sentenced to death. And notice that Isaiah says, “we esteemed him stricken…” In other words he’s including himself with those who would have Jesus crucified… He did that 700 years before it happened… And understand, we should write ourselves into that as well, even 2,000 years after it happened… Sure we’d like to think that we would do better, but we wouldn’t… As that old hymn asks, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” Friends, we were there, because we are no different than they in our flesh… We would have shouted crucify Him because we would have thought Him guilty… And as we watched Him suffer we would’ve thought He was getting what He deserved for His sin… Oh, but it wasn’t His sin that He suffered and died for, but ours…

In verse 5 we read, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” They esteem Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted; they thought He was being punished by God for His sin, and we would’ve too… But, in actuality, God in the flesh was being punished for our sin… It was our griefs, our sorrows, our transgressions, our iniquities… And notice the language here; again, this was written 700 years before the cross, yet God’s Word says, “he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows . . . . he was pierced . . . . he was crushed…” This is what is known as prophetic perfects… In other words, God has said it, so it is as good as done… That’s why the Bible speaks of Jesus as the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world… In other words, God’s plan before He created the world was to save the world through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The gospel is not plan B… There are no plan Bs with God… The cross was the plan before creation, so Isaiah can say with confidence that Jesus will be pierced, crushed, chastised, and wounded for our salvation… He can write as if it was already done, because it was already as good as done… And as we look back at the cross, we look back knowing that all of this did indeed happen, that it is finished… God made good on His Word, as He always does…

Jesus was pierced for our transgressions by three nails and one spear… His chastisement brought us peace… The idea behind chastisement here is corporal punishment… And that’s what happened… Jesus was tried, He was flogged and beaten, and then He was crucified… It was corporal punishment inflicted upon Him as though He had committed a crime… But it wasn’t He who committed the crime, but us… So He took our punishment… He was wounded for us… He had a crown of thorns beaten into His head, His beard ripped from His face… Pierced, chastised, wounded… Oh but worst of all, He was crushed for our iniquities… In verse 10 Isaiah elaborates on this a bit, saying, “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief…” Jesus wasn’t crushed by the beatings, by the nails, by the cross, or by the spear; He was crushed by the wrath of almighty God…

Verse 6 helps us understand this; it says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” This is the Old Testament language of atonement and of sacrificial lambs… And that’s exactly what Jesus is… He’s the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, because it was laid on Him… “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—everyone—to his own way…” And basically what that means is what Romans 3:23 says: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We have turned to our own way instead of God’s way… We have sought to live for ourselves instead of God’s glory… We have despised Him and esteemed Him not…

As I said earlier, we were created to delight in Jesus and esteem Him, but in our sin we despise Him and esteem Him not, we turn to our own way… And why do we do that? Because we think we know better than God… We think our way is better than God’s way… That’s essentially what sin is, and that’s always what sin promises. Our sin tells us that there is more joy to be had in sin, there is more pleasure to be found in doing things our way, in going after the desires of our flesh, than there is to be found in Christ… Sin says, “Just come with me… Go here, do this, look at that, try this… Follow me into the darkness, for there’s joy in the night…” And indeed there may be some pleasure in the night… But there is always sorrow in the morning… But with God, in following Jesus, as Psalm 30:5 tells us, sorrow may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning… Our way leads to destruction, God’s way leads to eternal life… Our way leads to ruin, following Jesus who is the life, the truth, and the way leads to eternal joy…

From what may seem like the smallest sin, to the greatest—every sin is an offense against the infinitely perfect, just, good God of the universe… Every sin offends His infinite glory… Therefore every sin is an infinite offense, and deserves infinite wrath, infinite punishment… But God laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21)… And when He took on our sin, He took on the punishment for our sin: the infinite righteous wrath of God, in all of its fury… We have committed a crime against God; and the punishment for that crime is infinite wrath… But Jesus took that wrath on Himself, and it crushed Him… It was the Lord who crushed Him… As bad as the cross and all that sinful man did to Him was, it does not compare to the wrath and fury of almighty God that was poured out upon Him…

And it was God’s will that this happen… It was the will of the Lord to crush Him this way… Peter says the same thing when he’s preaching to the Jews in Acts 2:23. He says, “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God (the will of God), you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” Jesus was delivered up, He was crucified, and He was crushed according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God… This was God’s plan A, and there is no plan B… And though it was the hands of lawless men that crucified and killed Him, it was God, it was God’s wrath that crushed Him.

In verse 7 and 8 we read, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?” Isaiah is saying that Jesus went to the cross willingly, and on that cross He was cut off and stricken for the transgression of the people of God… Now, those who were doing this didn’t realize what all was happening; that’s why Jesus prays, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34)…

As they hung Him there on that cross He was cut off from God and soon cut of from life. As it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” . . . . But that was the point. In hanging on the tree, on the cross, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13)… He was cut off and cursed… For the first time ever, He was cut off from God’s loving presence and He was under God’s wrath… He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And then with the fury of a hundred billion Niagara Falls, God’s wrath poured out upon Him until it was completely satisfied.

Because Jesus is God the Son, because He is the infinite God of the universe in the flesh, He was able to satisfy God’s infinite wrath in a few hours on the cross… He took the cup of God’s wrath and drank it down to the dregs, and proclaimed, “It is finished…” Imagine a man standing at the bottom of Niagara Falls, under all its force and water pressure, and yet not only be able to take it, but to drink it until there was no water left… That’s essentially what Jesus did with God’s wrath… It was a spiritual reality that wasn’t visible to those around Him, but it was far more intense and real than the nails holding Him to the cross… And He suffered under it until it was satisfied…

In verse 11 we’re told that, “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.” Jesus is God… He had knowledge of all that was going to happen… It wasn’t forced upon Him… No one take’s His life; He Himself says, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:18). “[F]or the joy that was set before him [He] endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2)… You see it wasn’t nails, or even our sin that held Jesus to the cross, but love… His love for the Father and His love for His people… He was a willing and joyful Savior… And He was the only suitable Savior…

Verse 9 says, after He died, “they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.” He had done nothing wrong, and He said nothing wrong. He was perfect in Word and deed. He had total moral purity… He was the perfect man… And that made Him a suitable sacrifice for the sins of man… As the perfect man He could stand in the place of men as our representative… As verse 10 says, his soul could make an offering for guilt… And notice that legal language… The language of guilt, the language of chastisement, the language of transgression… And these are between us and God… In our sin we are guilty before God, we deserve the wrath of God, we have transgressed against God… Understand then, that the cross of Christ first and foremost saves us from God… But, it had to be the perfect sacrifice to save us from God… It had to be the perfect man, and the perfect God… The perfect man being a suitable substitute, and the perfect God being a sufficient sacrifice; and that’s who Jesus is… He’s 100% man and 100% God…

A few weeks ago my family and I went to the zoo… At one point we stopped to buy a drink, and while we were in line I noticed this little girl—maybe 2 or 3 years old—come up and snatch a bag of popcorn… Her mother quickly got it from her and took it back, so it was no big deal; but it could have been… For instance, let’s say I’m in line and a young boy—about 10 years old or so—tries to buy popcorn, but when he goes to pay for it he realizes that he’s a dollar short. Now, I could offer him a dollar and cover the cost no problem. The clerk would take the money, and the boy would take the popcorn. All parties would be happy with the transaction… That’s suitable.. It’s no problem… But let’s say it went down different, and this time he just does what that little girl did, but he keeps running. He takes the popcorn and takes off… The clerk goes after him screaming, “Thief!” But when he gets around the corner this boy runs into a police officer. Now I could offer to pay for the popcorn completely, but that might not get him off the hook. At this point he’s done something both morally and legally wrong; he’s broken the law. And so a few bucks for popcorn isn’t going to cover his offense. The officer and the clerk do not have to accept my money, they don’t have to set this boy free, because it’s about more than a debt, it’s also about justice…

Well friends, that’s how it is with us… Our offense against God is both moral and legal; and it’s an infinite offense… So, it couldn’t just be anyone who paid the price for our sin… Just because someone tries to pay the price for our sin doesn’t mean that they did… Just because someone sets out to satisfy the wrath of God due His people, doesn’t mean they did… But we know for sure that Christ did indeed pay the price, that He is indeed the perfect sacrifice, that He did indeed satisfy the wrath of God… That He was both a suitable and sufficient Savior… How do we know this? Well look at the rest of our text…

In the rest of verse 10 it says, “he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.” And then in verse 12 it says, “Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” Did you catch all of that? Jesus poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors… He was nailed to our cross and hung there in our place beside two thieves… And there He poured Himself out to the death as God poured out His wrath until it was satisfied… That’s when Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” But He didn’t cry out, “I am finished…” It is finished, not Jesus… Jesus’s days are prolonged, He shall see His offspring, the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand… God’s Word says, “Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong…” Do you see what He’s saying there? That’s the language of a victor, of a conquering hero enjoying the spoils of His victory…

Verse 12 says He died with the transgressors, but it follows that with the word “yet”… Yet He bore the sin of many… In other words, what happened at the cross was what theologians call penal substitutionary atonement: the guiltless dies to save the guilty… In our place condemned He hung on our cross taking the wrath due us until it was completely satisfied… And we know that it was indeed satisfied because it says after dying He’s now a victor, and He makes intercession for sinners… This is priestly language… The author of Hebrews refers to this when he says, “The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he (Jesus) holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:23-25)…

So do you see? Do you see how we know that Jesus did indeed satisfy the wrath of God for all who will turn from their sin and trust in Him? Because He is alive! He’s a victor! He’s a conqueror! He was a suitable, successful sacrifice… Jesus wrote a check with His life and death… He signed that check by taking on God’s wrath on the cross… And we can see that the check cleared because on the Sunday after Good Friday Jesus got up from the grave! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!!! His blood was the payment and His life was the cost… And because He is the perfect God man there was sufficient funds in the bank to cover the check He wrote on the cross…

​He paid it all! As we sing, “Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free; for God the just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me…” And we know He’s satisfied because Jesus is alive! We know His death was not in vain because death could not hold Him! The resurrection was God declaring to the world that Jesus did not die in vain and that He is indeed the Son of God, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, and the conquering Lion of Judah! And now He always lives to make intercession for His people… As we read earlier, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:33-34)… Jesus is alive!!!

Rising He justified, freely forever, all who will turn from their sin and trust in Him… Remember, verse 6 told us that all we like sheep have gone astray; every one of us has turned to His own way… In our flesh we have despised Jesus and esteemed Him not… That’s the great sin that is behind all of our sin… So to turn from our sin means that we turn from our way to God’s way… And God’s design for our lives is to delight in Jesus, not despise Him; and to die to ourselves and esteem Him… We owe Him our esteem… Again, to esteem is to regard highly or favorably, with proper respect and admiration… In other words, it’s to magnify, to glorify… That’s why we exist: to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever; and Jesus is God… He proved Himself to be the true Son of God when He got up from the grave!!!
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So how do we esteem Jesus? We trust that it is finished! That Jesus did everything necessary to save us from our sin, to save us from death, to save us from God and His righteous wrath… Peter elaborates on this in 1 Peter 2:24-25 saying, “[Jesus] himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” By His wounds we are healed… Healed from what? From the disease of sin, that’s what… Jesus’ death frees us from slavery to sin. His victory over sin gives us victory over sin…

​On the cross He purchased the redemption of all who will turn from their sin, trust Him, and follow Him… By His grace He gives those for whom He died eyes to see His beauty, so that we might see and know that He is the way, that He is better than anything this world could offer us or take away from us… And in that moment, we are healed… But, because He conquered the grave when He rose from the dead, we will be healed from sin and all of its effects, including death… We will have eternal resurrection life with Jesus… Because He lives so will we… If, we return to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls… If we esteem Him… Jesus has already paid it all… The check has cleared, for He is risen… What we must decide is whether we will go our own way, or His…

Our way is foolishness… Sin never makes good on its promises, but God always does… And I hope you’ve caught what God has been doing in His Word this morning, what He’s been doing in speaking of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection and the promises attached to them… He’s been wooing you… Sinclair Ferguson points this out, saying, “When we think of Christ dying on the cross we are shown the lengths to which God’s love goes in order to win us back to himself. We would almost think that God loved us more than he loves his Son! We cannot measure such love by any other standard. He is saying to us: I love you this much. The cross is the heart of the gospel. It makes the gospel good news: Christ died for us. He has stood in our place before God’s judgment seat. He has borne our sins. God has done something on the cross which we could never do for ourselves. But God does something to us as well as for us through the cross. He persuades us that he love us.” And if we are persuaded of that, we will love Him. And if we love Him we will trust Him, we will follow Him, we will esteem Him… He is the risen Lord, and He deserves nothing less…
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How does the story of Noah
point us toward
​
​Jesus and Grace?
​

​Noah was an obedient servant of God amidst a sinful world.

​He is most well-known for building an ark that preserved himself and his family, as well as representatives of every land animal, from a great flood that God unleashed in judgment upon the earth. 

The name Noah means “rest.” It derives from the Hebrew נוח (nuah), to rest. The name could also mean "comfort." It may seem ironic because the story of Noah involves neither of these things. After all, God floods the earth, and that doesn't seem like a whole lot of rest or comfort for its inhabitants. But perhaps this name can remind us of the feeling that Noah's family likely felt when at last the Flood waters receded and that God comforted them with a rainbow, reminding them that he would never flood the entire earth again. What does the rainbow represent? It represents God's promise to save and deliver us- the arc delivering noah to safety is a -foreshadow- of our deliverance in Jesus Christ, God's ultimate promise for mankind. 

When God saw how wicked and corrupt man had become, He regretted creating them and decided to destroy all of mankind (Genesis 6:7). However, God gave Noah favor because he saw that he was righteous (Genesis 6:8). God commanded Noah to build an ark to house and preserve his family, as well as every male and female species of land animal, from His punishment of a flood on the earth (Genesis 6:14-21).

The rain fell and the floodwaters rose around the ark for 40 days, however, Noah and the other inhabitants "remained safe" (Genesis 7:17-18).

Noah’s family consisted of eight people: Noah, his wife, three sons, and their wives. As they were the only human survivors of the flood, they became the founders of a new and second lineage of mankind that brought about our salvation in Jesus Christ.

The events leading up to the flood can be seen as a forerunner for the second coming of Jesus
​(Matthew 24:37-39).

Some lessons we can learn is that God can provide a way out to salvation. People on earth had a chance to repent and go with Noah onto the ark, but they refused. We also see lessons of God's faithfulness in this passage. He does not leave Noah's family out in the floodwaters. Instead, the waters eventually recede and they find land again.

​Archaeologists tell us that every great civilization in history had a story of a cataclysmic flood.

​But depend on Christ, who confirmed the story by saying,

​ “As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:37).

​
What characterized the days of Noah?

Apostasy.
Anarchy.
​Ungodly philosophy.

​ “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).

The days of Noah have returned to us.

The wickedness reached such a level that “the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.’ 

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:6-8;)

In these dangerous days, we have the
​
​ grace of God.


​
GRACE PROVIDES A SAVIOR

Noah needed to be saved, so God told him, “Make yourself an ark” (Genesis 6:14a).

That ark pictures Jesus Christ. (Read 1 Peter 3:18-20.)

“Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch” (Genesis 6:14). Gopherwood is cypress, which will not rot, and “pitch” is tar. Interestingly, this is not the usual word for pitch—this word is translated in the rest of the Bible as atonement. The water was God’s judgment, and not one drop could come through.

​Christ is the atonement for our sin, and in Him, no judgment can get to you.

The Ark’s Sufficiency“And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits” (Genesis 6:15). The ark was 3 million cubic feet.

There was room on that ark, and there is room at the cross.

Notice that God does not say the ark has a prow or stern. Archaeologists tell us these are the dimensions of a coffin. The ancients built their coffins out of cypress because it would not decay. Why is the ark a giant coffin? Because when Noah came into that ark, it pictured the way we are buried with Christ in baptism. (See Romans 6:4.)

“You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side” (Genesis 6:16a). This is the door that God sealed, and nobody could open it. (See Genesis 7:16.)

​But Noah could open the window and look up. God was saying, “From now on, you are to be Heavenly minded.”

We are sealed into Christ by the Holy Spirit.
We look into Heaven through Jesus Christ.

And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them” (Genesis 6:21). God took care of all of their needs. When you come to Jesus, you have shelter and substance. Jesus not only saves but also satisfies. The word of God is our bread and spiritual food. 

Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat” (Genesis 8:4). You might blow past this. But when the ark arrived, having been steered by God (because it also had no helm!), it was the seventh month in the Jewish calendar—April.
This is the time of Passover, when Jesus came out of the grave, having taken the floodwaters of God’s wrath upon the cross!

​


GRACE PROVIDES SALVATION
​

Why do we have a Savior?

​So we can be saved!

How? “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

​For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10; emphasis added).

If you keep three prepositions in mind, you will never get confused about the relationship of faith and good works. You are saved…

1. by grace,
2. through faith,
3. for good works.

The ark shows that salvation is by grace.
​
"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD…. ‘I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you’” (Genesis 6:8,18). God only has one plan of salvation, and that is by grace.

Grace means that God saves us apart from any effort of our own.
​
“Then the LORD said to Noah, ‘Come into the ark, you and all your household’” (Genesis 7:1a).

Noah had to take that step through faith. (See Hebrews 11:7.)

Noah was saved for good works. “So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth’” (Genesis 9:1).

We do not do good works in order to be saved; we do them because we have been saved.

​

GRACE PROVIDES SECURITY

God did not say, “Noah, go into the ark.” He said, “Come”—meaning God was in the ark.

In Christ, you are as safe as you can possibly be. About those who believe in Christ, the Bible says, “you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13b). Not only did God shut the water out; God shut Noah in. Could Noah have lost his salvation? God shut the door! Noah may have fallen down inside that ark, but he couldn’t fall out of it.

Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28). If you are saved by works, you will have to be kept by works.

​But we are saved by grace, and kept by grace.

The first time, God destroyed the world by water.
​The second time, it will be by fire. 

“…The world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men…The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:6b-7,9).

Now here is the question: “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat” (2 Peter 3:11-12)?
​
​Isaac answered and said to Esau, "Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?" Esau said to his father, "Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father." And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: "Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven on high. By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; but when you grow restless you shall break his yoke from your neck." ~ Genesis 27:37-40
Read related articles about the life of Jacob and Esau:
Rebekah sends Jacob to Mesopotamia to avoid Esau's intention to kill him. In his travel, the Lord visits Jacob in a dream known as Jacob's Ladder.
In Mesopotamia, Jacob meets Haran and his daughter Rachel. Read the Bible Story of Jacob and Rachel.

Consider today’s world...


Advances in technology and industry have never been greater.
What was once science fiction is now everyday reality. Material prosperity abounds for millions of people across the Western world. But what about the half of mankind—billions!—who have little or nothing? And what about mankind’s rapid decline in values, morals and CHARACTER—once believed to be the most vital underpinnings of any society?

Is the "human race" equipped, and are its leaders collectively willing,
to solve the greatest challenges of civilization--

or must a greater unseen power intervene?

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Your Kingdom come!” The next thing He instructed was directly related: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” A loving God must SOON send His Kingdom to END man’s failed experiment or there will be no world to receive it!

Jesus Christ’s Return—His “Second Coming”—is central to Christianity.
Billions are waiting for it.

Scoffers deny it.
​
But those who know anything of
God’s Word know Jesus is returning.
​Every indicator suggests His Coming
cannot be far away.

The Bible speaks extensively about how Jesus will establish the Kingdom of God, sometimes called the Kingdom of Heaven.

Few things could be more important.

​Jesus Himself plainly described how God’s Kingdom will begin—all the biblical proof throughout the Old and New Testaments of how the Kingdom of God will first arrive.

God’s Kingdom will bring His marvelous way of life to those living in it, which will one day include the whole world. But not at first…


How many comings of Jesus does the Bible describe?
Contrasting verses hold the surprising answer. The prophet Haggai wrote of Jesus’ Return, “Thus says the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the Desire of all nations [long understood to be Jesus Christ] shall come…” (2:6-7). Christian masses do desire it, with greater reason every day to hope for it more than the day before because of worldwide character breakdown!

The book of Revelation
speaks of a very different reaction to Jesus’ appearance:
“The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our LORD, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever…the nations were angry, and Your wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged…and [You] should destroy them which destroy the earth” (11:15, 18). A picture of angry nations is incompatible with Haggai.

These passages cannot refer to the same time!

Consider I Corinthians 15:25, which shows something entirely different, saying Christ “must reign, till He has put all enemies under His feet.” 
You will see plain passages showing Christ first comes and establishes

​God’s Kingdom on Earth, using servants that are here. 


The establishment of the Kingdom of God is our focus.
No true Christian doubts that Christ is coming. But how He will come--when He is coming (under what conditions)--where He will arrive--why He must come—and how He will ultimately set up His Kingdom?


Mustard Seed Kingdom-  
We know Jesus spoke often in parables. In Matthew 13 alone, He presented seven—most very short. Each illustrates aspects of the Kingdom, collectively painting a full picture. The place to start is verse 31: “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becomes a tree, so the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof” (vs. 31-32).

​The mustard seeds Jesus’ audience was familiar with were extremely small—very hard to see. This is why He called them the “least [meaning small in size] of all seeds.”

God’s Kingdom is akin to microscopic when it arrives!

No one focuses on this. It eventually grows into a WORLD GOVERNMENT, becoming the “greatest among herbs”—a “tree”—but it does not start that way. This parable is rarely mentioned.


So there could be no doubt of the Kingdom’s small beginning, the next parable confirms this: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened” (vs. 33). The Greek word “hid” is egkrupto, meaning concealed in. Think of the modern equivalent--encrypted. Jesus says—literally--

He is bringing an ENCRYPTED KINGDOM.
It is initially hidden but it expands because leaven always spreads.

Jesus underscores this in a third parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man has found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field” (vs. 44). “Hid” here comes from krupto, meaning “to conceal by covering.”
Christ’s message is again made clear:
God’s Kingdom starts tiny, hidden—and covered.
One must go and find it!

Yet another parable confirms this: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls” (vs. 45). Rare and precious, naturally occurring pearls are hard to find. “Who, when he had found one pearl of great price [it was hidden and he had to look for it], went and sold all that he had, and bought it” (vs. 45-46). Besides reinforcing the mustard seed and leaven parables, the hid treasure and pearl parables also add focus to the value of entering the Kingdom.

Before looking at the three remaining parables of Matthew 13, realize that every kingdom on Earth today has four necessary components: (1) Land, property or territory—however large or small. There must be clear boundaries establishing the size of the kingdom. (2) A ruler or king leading the government. (3) People—subjects—living within the territory governed. And (4) a system of laws and rules with a basic structure of government.

Despite its size, when the mustard seed Kingdom arrives, it does have all four elements. When Christ repeatedly spoke of the Kingdom being “tiny” and “hidden,” He was referring to the numbers of subjects—which would grow dramatically in the second and third “measures of meal.” Christ’s power and the territory He will govern will be anything but tiny.

It is a literal Kingdom. 


Three More Parables-

A fifth parable shows expansion of God’s Kingdom from a small beginning, as well as something else no one seems to notice: “

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea…” (vs. 47). The net starts out empty. Over time it fills with fish of “every kind”—people from all nations. But not all “fish” belong: “When it was full, they drew to shore, sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world [or age, when Christ moves to Jerusalem]: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just[note this!], and shall cast them into the furnace [or oven] of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (vs. 48-50).

Matt 13- Verse 43 calls the harvest the time when the righteous in the Father’s Kingdom “shine forth as the sun.” The Greek means “become resplendent.” Other passages make clear it is at this point many more saints, people who qualified for rule in God’s Kingdom, join Christ and the Father in Jerusalem where He will superimpose His Kingdom over all nations. It will have by then sprouted into the large mustard tree that started from the smallest seed.

The very first parable in Matthew 13 brings yet another perspective, showing those who ultimately succeed in the Kingdom.
Jesus spoke of a sower that cast seed,
with some falling on good ground,
some on stony ground, some where thorns could choke it,
and some falling by the wayside.

As with the wheat and tares, Jesus went on to interpret it for us: “Hear you [or understand] therefore the parable of the sower. When any one hears the word of the kingdom, and understands it not, then comes the wicked one [Satan], and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that hears the word [of the Kingdom], and…with joy receives it; yet has he not root in himself, but endures for a while: for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word [many do not want to hear of the Kingdom], by and by he is offended” (vs. 18-21).

Notice also that
tribulation and persecution
are associated with subjects in the Kingdom!
Yet the rewards will be awesome. 


Here is the last category: “He that received seed into the good ground is he that hears the word [of the Kingdom], and understands it; which also bears fruit, and brings forth, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirty” (vs. 23). This is the only category of hearer who survives—and these thrive.

God has His Church and this is where
He reveals His truth.
​
The “Little Flock” 
Jesus used a fascinating term to describe a group that would be the
early administrators in His tiny Kingdom.
Like the Kingdom itself, this group will not be large to start.

In Luke 12, Jesus instructed His servants to “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (vs. 32). “Little” is mikrosin the Greek.
It is a micro-flock that takes a tiny Kingdom--
how logical and easy to understand!

Another parable in Luke 19 describes a nobleman (Christ) who went to a far country (heaven) to “get for himself a kingdom” (vs. 12).
This parable carries an extraordinary message for every true Christian.

It describes a judgment, a reckoning, that comes immediately to a group of “servants” upon Christ’s arrival bringing His small Kingdom.
Notice: “…when He was returned [from heaven], having received the kingdom, then He commanded these servants to be called unto Him, to whom He had given the money, that He might know how much every man had gained by trading” (vs. 15).
Some servants had passed God’s test, others failed it.

Reading the whole account reveals that those who succeed are placed over cities on Earth (not yet the entire Earth) in the initial phase of the Kingdom.

God has been working with people all over the world,
preparing them for leadership positions
in the initial phase of the Kingdom.

Only after a reckoning of past performance before Christ’s judgment seat (Rom. 14:10; II Cor. 5:10) will these specially called and trained servants be permitted to rule.

Matthew 25 contains a related account, in which some are told, “Well done, you good and faithful servant: you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter you into the joy of your lord” (vs. 21). The “joy of the Lord” involves what is the
first phase of salvation
as well as receiving a part in governing what will be a fast growing Kingdom—a role with the purpose of helping others enter the Kingdom
during its first short phase,
so that they also can qualify to rule at a point a little later.

Anyone desiring to come into and under the Kingdom will have opportunity.

Christ as King Jesus Christ, as King of the mustard seed Kingdom, also Himself starts “small” in how He manifests Himself in the phase leading up to His rule.
The account of Christ’s ascension to heaven holds an eye-opening clue. The apostles asked the question: “LORD, will You at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). After His answer it adds, “While they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel” (vs. 9-10). These two men, actually angels, asked, “…Why stand you gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus [a man, not a Spirit Being in glorified form], which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven” (vs. 11).

The phrase “this same” in reference to Jesus is an all-important KEY.
The angels were emphasizing that Jesus would return in the identical human form He had when He ascended.

It is not surprising then that Christ is so often called “the Son of Man.”

This is because He intends to continue (initially) His first-century form when He returns. 

The prophet Jeremiah described Christ in His expanding Kingdom by an unusual name, while also calling Him its King: “Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
In His days [at a point, but not right away]
Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely:
and this is His name whereby He shall be called,
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (23:5-6).
The Hebrew for “Branch” is sprout.

Like mustard seeds, sprouts are also tiny to begin.
This “sprout” depiction is completely incompatible with an all-powerful Jesus Christ returning in glorified form.

Ten chapters later Jeremiah adds more,
confirming something crucial about sprouts:
“I [will] cause the Branch [sprout] of righteousness to grow up unto David; and He shall execute judgment and righteousness…” (33:15).

The Hebrew “grow up” is simply the verb form of sprout. God is saying, literally, He will cause the sprout to sprout.
Ponder the enormity of what we are being told.

Jesus’ role will grow from small to large.

Both accounts in Jeremiah tie the “Branch” to King David.
Notice another prophecy about Christ from the angel Gabriel to Mary: “He [Christ] shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the LORD God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:32-33).
At His mustard seed coming—actually His revealing in Luke 17:30—Christ sits on King David’s throne before later assuming His own throne in Jerusalem (when David comes up to receive the vacated throne Jesus had just occupied).
From “His Place”Powerfully confirming Jeremiah, Zechariah 6 also pictures growth toward worldwide rule. This verse is perhaps the most plain of those speaking about Christ as a Branch: “Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the MAN [again, not a Spirit Being in glorified form] whose name is the Branch [sprout]; and He shall grow up[sprout] out of His place [where He resided away from Jerusalem], and He shall build the temple of the LORD: even He shall build the temple of the LORD; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne [at a later time]; and He shall be a priest upon His throne…” (vs. 12-13). This last part obviously involves Christ ruling in glory from a physical temple.

Zechariah 6:12 pictures Christ growing out of an undisclosed location—“His place”—to build two temples.

The first half of the verse describes building the spiritual Temple, which we will see is the Church. This fits perfectly with Malachi 3:1, which describes Christ returning to Earth to His Temple.

Notice: “Behold, I will send My messenger,
and he shall prepare the way before Me:
and the LORD, whom you seek,
shall suddenly come to His temple,
even the Messenger of the covenant,
whom you delight in:
behold, He shall come, says the LORD of hosts.”


This cannot be a physical temple in Jerusalem because none exists there today. The Jews do not even occupy the Temple Mount!
Notice that Malachi says Christ coming to His Temple
means to a people who seek and desire Him.

The apostle Paul defined this Temple as the Church: “Know you not that you [the Church—God’s people] are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
If any man defiles the temple of God, him shall God destroy;
for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (I Cor. 3:16-17). (Also see I Corinthians 6:19-20.) Here’s how the apostle Peter describes true Christians: “You also, as lively [meaning living] stones,
are built up a spiritual house, [a] holy priesthood,
to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (I Pet. 2:5).

It is living-stones (human beings) that collectively form the spiritual “temple of God.”


Where the Kingdom Begins:
The almost universally believed destination of Christ’s Return is Jerusalem.
But is this what God’s Word says?
Christ will of course ultimately rule from there—countless scriptures show this—but is this where His tiny mustard seed Kingdom begins? Does His first-century coming provide a clue?

Notice Mary lived in “a city of Galilee, named Nazareth” (Luke 1:26). This is where Jesus was conceived and where He later grew up—well north of Jerusalem!
Far from a prominent city, Nazareth was scoffed at as a kind of dead-end backwater by Jerusalemites.
After Jesus called Peter,
He then called Philip who reported to Nathaniel that

they had found Christ.

Not convinced, Nathaniel asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).

Clearly Christ’s first-century coming was to an unexpected place.

His arrival shocked and confused the masses: “Others said, this is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?” (7:41).
Both Nazareth and Galilee were looked down on by the elites of Jesus’ day.

Christ started His ministry 
away from Jerusalem—a pattern we will see holds.
Certain passages prove Christ relocates to Zion,
and these provide clues about which nation He will come to.
A prophecy for our time—found in Numbers 24. The prophet Balaam foretold, “In the latter days…there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre [Ruler] shall rise out of Israel [not Judah]…Out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remains of the city [this is Jerusalem]” (vs. 14, 17, 19).

Called the “Star” here, other passages describe Christ as the “Sun of Righteousness” (Mal. 4:2), “Day Star” (II Pet. 1:19) and the “Bright and Morning Star” (Rev. 22:16). He brings His dominion—His rule!--
to Jerusalem and
Judah from a different modern nation of Jacob (Israel).

This cannot merely be referencing Christ’s birth lineage because He was born of Judah, and in Judea. In fact, the very first reference to “the Jews” in the Bible shows them at war with Israel (II Kgs. 16:1-6)!

The modern Mideast nation called Israel is in fact Judah,
with the democratic, English-speaking nations of the West identified as the descendants of the rest of the tribes of ancient Israel. Jesus Christ first comes to one of these countries, Not Judah.

Genesis 49 further clarifies to which of the remaining 11 tribes Christ initially comes. Notice verses 22-24, all of which describe Joseph: “Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence [Joseph!] is the shepherd, the stone of Israel).” Jesus Christ, indisputably the “Shepherd” and “Stone of Israel,” is foretold to return to, and be stationed in, Joseph—not Judah. 

A Coming City
We saw earlier that a Kingdom contains four elements—land, a king, subjects and law. Of course, the territory would also contain a structure from which to rule. Does Christ build all of this upon arrival—or does He bring it with Him?

The same disciples who asked about Christ’s Return in Acts 1 would have heard Him explain the following from John 14:
“Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house [Greek: residence or abode] are many mansions [Greek: residences]: if it were not so, I would have told you…” (vs. 1-2).
Christ is telling us to believe whatever He is about to say—no matter how unbelievable it may seem!

Continuing, “…I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you,
 I WILL COME AGAIN,
and receive you unto Myself;
that where I am, there you may be also”
(vs. 2-3).
This is Jesus Christ coming from heaven
to His people,
not the other way around.

The Greek word translated “place” is topos, from which comes the word topography. The word can also be translated “a spot or locality.” Christ spoke of bringing this already prepared place.

Revelation 22 pictures a coming city. Christ’s Return is the context: “Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be [this is an element of the reckoning or judgment described earlier].

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”

Next is a very distinct description of the city’s setting: “For without are dogs [false prophets and ministers], and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie” (vs. 12-15).

This passage is also connected to Christ being the offspring [Branch] of King David’s lineage: “I Jesus have sent My angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the Bright and Morning Star” (vs. 16).

This “city” cannot be “New Jerusalem,” established at the outset of Christ’s later 1,000-year rule. All who oppose God—every person on Earth who took the Mark of the Beast—will be executed before the arrival of that city. So the above categories of people could not be “without”—meaning outside it. Just think of the devil being bound at this time. This makes impossible that there could be even one sorcerer anywhere on Earth. The same with false prophets and idolaters. Also, since the devil is the “father of murder and lies” (John 8:44), there will be no murder and love of lying.

All through Revelation 21 and chapter 22 verse 5, John records Christ’s message about the awesome New Jerusalem that will come to Earth at the start of Christ’s later Millennial reign.
At the very end of Revelation 22, God does briefly reference again
New Jerusalem, calling it the “holy city.” 

“Marvelous Work and Wonder
”Prior to the mustard seed Kingdom, vast numbers will come to know these Bible truths in what God, through the prophet Habakkuk, calls a “marvelous Work.”

​Notice: “Behold you among the [nations], and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days, which you will not believe, though it be told you” (1:5). In Scripture, a “Work” represents God’s servants’ teaching and warning all who will listen.
Will you believe advance report of this Work?

The prophet Isaiah powerfully underscores what Habakkuk foretold: “Behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder [a miracle]: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid” (29:14).

Paul also cited Habakkuk in the book of Acts, altering it slightly: “Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets [Habakkuk]; Behold, you despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which you shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you” (13:40-41).

This means we should expect a gigantic, Earth-rattling Work
to precede the Kingdom of God—one so far-reaching it will
stagger the mind—one that cannot be
fully comprehended until it’s seen--
that upon hearing of it most won’t believe it! 

The Antichrist
Many are surprised to learn that the Bible calls Satan “the god of this world” (II Cor. 4:4),
who has through history “deceived the nations” (Rev. 20:3).
In Matthew 4, the devil claimed ownership of “all the kingdoms of the world” (vs. 8)—a fact Christ did not dispute.



Satan seeks to counterfeit everything.

Look what immediately follows the “marvelous work and wonder” and precedes the Kingdom of God.
Paul records, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first,
and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition” (vs. 3). The apostle John called this man the “antichrist” (I John 2:18).

The same passage goes on to show the source—and extent—of his power: “…whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (II Thes. 2:9). He brings the FULL POWER of the devil to bear—something akin to what Job experienced, but that the world collectively has never even begun to imagine!

This man will tower over the world at his coming. He claims to be God: “…He as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (vs. 4). This man’s reach (and many verses show that there are two other men who work alongside and under him) extends beyond Christianity—he “opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped” (vs. 4)—every religion on Earth!

The first phase of God’s Kingdom will begin the day this man’s reign ends. Returning to II Thessalonians, “…the LORD shall consume [him] with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy [him] with the brightness of His coming” (2:8).

Christ first comes to His people—His Temple.
The Kingdom of Israel is initially led by a little flock under Christ. He will at first hide His presence by being sprout-like.

The Kingdom will grow in number of subjects before Christ transfers a ready-to-be greatly expanded WORLD GOVERNMENT to Jerusalem. From there He will rule all nations with a larger group of saints coming from His by then much larger flock.

If you are surprised, even shocked, at the simple truths within Jesus’ parables, He designed them to confuse those He was not calling. Here’s what Jesus said: “Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive: for this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed…” (Matt. 13:13-15). The masses choose to close their eyes to the truth of the Bible. Parables keep them from understanding what they don’t want to hear.

Matthew added, “All these things spoke Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spoke He not unto them…saying, I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world” (13:34-35).
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Jesus’ plain words— are now revealed and understood in our time.

God has been waiting for thousands of years to establish His Kingdom on an Earth that desperately needs it.

You’ve heard word of the Kingdom before it comes.

There is great advantage in this!
Christ is today preparing a
specially chosen
​in advance of its arrival to rule under Him.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ built His Church—the true Church—the onlyone He built. Will you take hold of life-changing TRUTH?
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Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17–18). This important statement of our Lord gives us insight into His mission and the character of God’s Word.


​https://www.biblestudytools.com/matthew/?amp
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Jesus’ declaration that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, not to abolish them, obviously contains two statements in one. There is something Jesus did and something He did not do. At the same time, Jesus emphasized the eternal nature of the Word of God.

Jesus goes out of His way to promote the authority of the Law of God. He did not come to abolish the Law, regardless of what the Pharisees accused Him of. In fact, Jesus continues His statement with a commendation for those who teach the Law accurately and hold it in reverence: “Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19).

Note the qualities that Jesus attributes to the Word of God, referenced as “the Law and the Prophets”: 1) The Word is everlasting; it will outlast the natural world. 2) The Word was written with intent; it was meant to be fulfilled. 3) The Word possesses plenary authority; even the smallest letter of it is established. 4) The Word is faithful and trustworthy; “everything” it says will be accomplished. No one hearing Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount could doubt His commitment to the Scriptures.

Consider what Jesus did not do in His ministry. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says that He did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. In other words, Jesus’ purpose was not to abrogate the Word, dissolve it, or render it invalid. The Prophets will be fulfilled; the Law will continue to accomplish the purpose for which it was given (see Isaiah 55:10–11).

Next, consider what Jesus did do. Jesus says that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. In other words, Jesus’ purpose was to establish the Word, to embody it, and to fully accomplish all that was written. “Christ is the culmination of the law” (Romans 10:4). The predictions of the Prophets concerning the Messiah would be realized in Jesus; the holy standard of the Law would be perfectly upheld by Christ, the strict requirements personally obeyed, and the ceremonial observances finally and fully satisfied.

Jesus Christ fulfilled the Prophets in that, in His first coming alone, He fulfilled hundreds of prophecies concerning Himself (e.g., Matthew 1:22; 13:35; John 19:36; Luke 24:44). Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law in at least two ways: as a teacher and as a doer. He taught people to obey the Law (Matthew 22:35–40; Mark 1:44), and He obeyed the Law Himself (John 8:46; 1 Peter 2:22). In living a perfect life, Jesus fulfilled the moral laws; in His sacrificial death, Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial laws. Christ came not to destroy the old religious system but to build upon it; He came to finish the Old Covenant and establish the New.

Jesus came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them. In fact, the ceremonies, sacrifices, and other elements of the Old Covenant were “only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves” (Hebrews 10:1). The tabernacle and temple were “holy places made with hands,” but they were never meant to be permanent; they were but “copies of the true things” (Hebrews 9:24, ESV). The Law had a built-in expiration date, being filled as it was with “external regulations applying until the time of the new order” (Hebrews 9:10).

In His fulfillment of the Law and Prophets, Jesus obtained our eternal salvation. No more were priests required to offer sacrifices and enter the holy place (Hebrews 10:8–14). Jesus has done that for us, once and for all. By grace through faith, we are made right with God: “He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14).

There are some who argue that, since Jesus did not “abolish” the Law, then the Law is still in effect—and still binding on New Testament Christians. But Paul is clear that the believer in Christ is no longer under the Law: “We were held in custody under the Law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the Law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian” (Galatians 3:23–25, BSB). We are not under the Mosaic Law but under “the law of Christ” (see Galatians 6:2).

If the Law is still binding on us today, then it has not yet accomplished its purpose—it has not yet been fulfilled. If the Law, as a legal system, is still binding on us today, then Jesus was wrong in claiming to fulfill it and His sacrifice on the cross was insufficient to save. Thank God, Jesus fulfilled the whole Law and now grants us His righteousness as a free gift. “Know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:16).

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Matthew 10:6 Parallel Verses;

Matthew 10:6, NIV: Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.

Matthew 10:6, ESV: but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Matthew 10:6, KJV: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Matthew 10:6, NASB: but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Matthew 10:6, NLT: but only to the people of Israel--God's lost sheep.

Matthew 10:6, CSB: Instead, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.



​What does Matthew 10:6 mean?

Jesus has begun giving instructions about what He wants His twelve hand-picked apostles to do when He sends them out on their own (Matthew 10:1–4). He began by defining where they should not go: to any Gentile areas or Samaritan towns (Matthew 10:5). Instead, Jesus now says, He is sending His representatives to the "lost sheep of Israel." 

At the end of the previous chapter, Matthew described Jesus as feeling compassion for the people as He looked out over the crowds. Jesus saw that they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Those are the "lost sheep" Jesus is sending His disciples to reach with the good news of the Messiah and the kingdom of heaven. 

In saying this, Jesus was directing the good news to all the people of Israel, not just some. God's plan was that the good news of Jesus would first be preached to Israel and then later to the rest of the nations (Romans 1:16). 
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Context Summary
Matthew 10:5–15 contains Jesus' instructions for His twelve apostles, for their missionary trip to the towns of Galilee, in northern Israel. Their mission will be to preach His message that the kingdom of heaven is near, while also healing people and casting out demons. The apostles must not take with them extra money or clothes. Instead, they will stay with those who are worthy in each town they visit. If nobody in a town believes their message, the disciples are to shake the dust of that town from their feet. Jesus will follow these instructions with a series of warnings and encouragements.


Chapter Summary
Jesus gives His authority over disease, demons, and even death to His twelve hand-picked apostles. He gives them instructions in preparation both for a short-term trip to the towns of Galilee and their ministry after He has left the earth. First, they will preach His message of the kingdom in Israelite towns as they heal and cast out demons to demonstrate His power. Later, they will suffer great persecution as they represent Him before both Jews and Gentiles. They should not be afraid, though, and trust their Father to be with them and to reward them.

Summary of the Gospel of Matthew_ this summary of the Gospel of Matthew provides information about the title, author(s), date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the Gospel of Matthew.

Although the first Gospel is anonymous, the early church fathers were unanimous in holding that Matthew, one of the 12 apostles, was its author. However, the results of modern critical studies -- in particular those that stress Matthew's alleged dependence on Mark for a substantial part of his Gospel -- have caused some Biblical scholars to abandon Matthean authorship. Why, they ask, would Matthew, an eyewitness to the events of our Lord's life, depend so heavily on Mark's account? The best answer seems to be that he agreed with it and wanted to show that the apostolic testimony to Christ was not divided.

Matthew, whose name means "gift of the Lord," was a tax collector who left his work to follow Jesus (9:9-13). In Mark and Luke he is called by his other name, Levi.

Date and Place of Writing_ Some have argued on the basis of its Jewish characteristics that Matthew's Gospel was written in the early church period, possibly the early part of a.d. 50, when the church was largely Jewish and the gospel was preached to Jews only (Ac 11:19). However, those who have concluded that both Matthew and Luke drew extensively from Mark's Gospel date it later -- after the Gospel of Mark had been in circulation for a period of time. See essay and chart, p. 1943. Accordingly, some feel that Matthew would have been written in the late 50s or in the 60s. Others, who assume that Mark was written between 65 and 70, place Matthew in the 70s or even later. However, there is insufficient evidence to be dogmatic about either view.

The Jewish nature of Matthew's Gospel may suggest that it was written in the Holy Land, though many think it may have originated in Syrian Antioch.
RecipientsSince his Gospel was written in Greek, Matthew's readers were obviously Greek-speaking. They also seem to have been Jews. Many elements point to Jewish readership: Matthew's concern with fulfillment of the OT (he has more quotations from and allusions to the OT than any other NT author); his tracing of Jesus' descent from Abraham (1:1-17); his lack of explanation of Jewish customs (especially in contrast to Mark); his use of Jewish terminology (e.g., "kingdom of heaven," where "heaven" reveals the Jewish reverential reluctance to use the name of God; see note on 3:2); his emphasis on Jesus' role as "Son of David" (1:1; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30-31; 21:9,15; 22:41-45). This does not mean, however, that Matthew restricts his Gospel to Jews. He records the coming of the Magi (non-Jews) to worship the infant Jesus (2:1-12), as well as Jesus' statement that the "field is the world" (13:38). He also gives a full statement of the Great Commission (28:18-20). These passages show that, although Matthew's Gospel is Jewish, it has a universal outlook.

Purpose_ Mathew's main purpose is to prove to his Jewish readers that Jesus is their Messiah. He does this primarily by showing how Jesus in his life and ministry fulfilled the OT Scriptures. Although all the Gospel writers quote the OT, Matthew includes nine proof texts unique to his Gospel (1:22-23; 2:15; 2:17-18; 2:23; 4:14-16; 8:17; 12:17-21; 13:35; 27:9-10) to drive home his basic theme: Jesus is the fulfillment of the OT predictions of the Messiah. Matthew even finds the history of God's people in the OT recapitulated in some aspects of Jesus' life (see, e.g., his quotation of Hos 11:1 in 2:15). To accomplish his purpose Matthew also emphasizes Jesus' Davidic lineage (see Recipients, p. 1945).

StructureThe way the material is arranged reveals an artistic touch. The whole Gospel is woven around five great discourses: (1) chs. 5-7; (2) ch. 10; (3) ch. 13; (4) ch. 18;(5) chs.24-25. That this is deliberate is clear from the refrain that concludes each discourse: "When Jesus had finished saying these things," or similar words (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). The narrative sections, in each case, appropriately lead up to the discourses. The Gospel has a fitting prologue (chs. 1-2) and a challenging epilogue (28:16-20).
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The fivefold division may suggest that Matthew has modeled his book on the structure of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the OT). He may also be presenting the gospel as a new Torah and Jesus as a new and greater Moses.
Outline

• The Birth and Early Years of Jesus (chs. 1-2) 
  • His Genealogy (1:1-17)
  • His Birth (1:18 -- 2:12)
  • His Sojourn in Egypt (2:13-23)
• The Beginnings of Jesus' Ministry (3:1 -- 4:11) 
  • His Forerunner (3:1-12)
  • His Baptism (3:13-17)
  • His Temptation (4:1-11)
• Jesus' Ministry in Galilee (4:12 -- 14:12) 
  • The Beginning of the Galilean Campaign (4:12-25)
  • The Sermon on the Mount (chs. 5-7)
  • A Collection of Miracles (chs. 8-9)
  • The Commissioning of the 12 Apostles (ch. 10)
  • Ministry throughout Galilee (chs. 11-12)
  • The Parables of the Kingdom (ch. 13)
  • Herod's Reaction to Jesus' Ministry (14:1-12)
• Jesus' Withdrawals from Galilee (14:13 -- 17:20) 
  • To the Eastern Shore of the Sea of Galilee (14:13 -- 15:20)
  • To Phoenicia (15:21-28)
  • To the Decapolis (15:29 -- 16:12)
  • To Caesarea Philippi (16:13 -- 17:20)
• Jesus' Last Ministry in Galilee (17:22 -- 18:35) 
  • Prediction of Jesus' Death (17:22-23)
  • Temple Tax (17:24-27)
  • Discourse on Life in the Kingdom (ch. 18)
• Jesus' Ministry in Judea and Perea (chs. 19-20) 
  • Teaching concerning Divorce (19:1-12)
  • Teaching concerning Little Children (19:13-15)
  • The Rich Young Man (19:16-30)
  • The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (20:1-16)
  • Prediction of Jesus' Death (20:17-19)
  • A Mother's Request (20:20-28)
  • Restoration of Sight at Jericho (20:29-34)
• Passion Week (chs. 21-27) 
  • The Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as King (21:1-11)
  • The Cleansing of the Temple (21:12-17)
  • The Last Controversies with the Jewish Leaders (21:18 -- 23:39)
  • The Olivet Discourse (chs. 24-25)
  • The Anointing of Jesus' Feet (26:1-13)
  • The Arrest, Trials and Death of Jesus (26:14 -- 27:66)
• The Resurrection (ch. 28) 
  • The Earthquake and the Angel's Announcement (28:1-7)
  • Jesus' Encounter with the Women (28:8-10)
  • The Guards' Report and the Jewish Elders' Bribe (28:11-15)
  • The Great Commission (28:16-2)

One of the most fascinating and significant prophecies recorded in the bible is Daniel’s seventy weeks vision. The Jews had been in exile and Daniel understood from Jeremiah’s prophecy that God would bring them back to the Promised Land after seventy years. As Daniel was deep in prayer, the angel, Gabriel, appeared to him. God had sent Gabriel to give Daniel understanding concerning Israel’s destiny beyond those seventy years in exile. It concerned Israel’s future until the end.

Essentially, God has decreed 70 weeks of years, meaning 490 years (70 times 7) for Israel and the city of Jerusalem before the end will come. Bear in mind that these are lunar years (360 days a year) and not solar years (365.25 days a year), which we are more accustomed to. During these 70 weeks of years, God will deal with Israel’s sin and rebellion against His covenant, and He will turn the nation back to Him. At the same time, all the prophecies pertaining to Israel and the present world will be completely fulfilled.


At the Beginning & End of the First 69 Weeks

Daniel 9:25-26 (NASB) - "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.

The countdown would begin on the day when the decree to rebuild the broken walls of Jerusalem was issued. This event happened 93 years later after Daniel was given the vision. A Persian king, Artaxerxes Longimanus, issued the decree for the Jews to rebuild the broken walls and their beloved city. Based on the date given in Nehemiah 2:1 (the month of Nisan on the twentieth year of Artaxerxes’ reign and assuming it falls on the first day of Nisan in the Jewish calendar),the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, United Kingdom, computed the date to be 14 March 445 B.C.

According to the prophecy, the 70 weeks of years are divided into 3 periods of 7 weeks, 62 weeks and the final 1 week.

At the end of 7 and 62 weeks, which is essentially 69 weeks, “the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing.” 69 weeks of years equal to 483 years(69 x 7) or 173,880 days (69 x 7 x 360). Using 14 March 445 B.C. as the start date, the date for the end of the 69 weeks of years works out to be 6 April A.D. 32.

Fascinatingly, this was the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and presented Himself to the Jews as their Messiah. However, the political and religious Jewish leaders rejected Jesus as the prophecy has indicated -- “the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing.” They executed Him on a cross. They cut Him down and cut Him off.

Barely 40 years later, “the people of the prince who is to come,” that is, the Roman armies under the command of Titus Vespasianus destroyed the temple and Jerusalem. The formidable Roman military force literally came in like a flood. As Jesus had also prophesied, “not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down” (Matthew 24:2). During the next few decades, the Romans continued to put down guerrilla attempts by small Jewish rebel groups until they banished all the Jews from the land.


The Church Age

After 69 weeks of years, the prophetic clock for Israel stopped ticking. The final one week of Daniel’s 70 weeks was suspended indefinitely. In a sense and prophetically speaking, Israel disappeared from the scene and the church emerged and took centre-stage since then until today. This period is known as the church age. It is also known as the time of the Gentiles. We are living in the church age.

The church is a mystery (Ephesians 5:32). The entity of the church was unknown to the Old Testament saints. No rabbis or scholars anticipated the emergence of the church. 


The Final One Week

Daniel 9:27 (NASB) - "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."

The church age straddles between verse 26 and verse 27. It will come to an end when God decides to rapture the church. On that day, our Lord Jesus will appear in the sky. There will be an element of surprise to it. it will be sudden and unexpected. Suddenly all the faithful Christians will be snatched up by Jesus and caught up to be with Him, and then brought to heaven (I Corinthians 15:51-53; 1 Thessalonians 4;15-17).

When this happens, the last one week (7 years) of Daniel’s 70 weeks of years will kick in. The prophetic clock for Israel, which has stopped for more than 2,000 years, will start ticking again. This is the 7-year tribulation period, which we read in the book of Revelation when God unleashes His wrath and judgement on the inhabitants of the earth.

God will finish His dealing with Israel in this last 7 years and then the end will come. It will be a terrible time of severe judgement for Israel. There will be wars and catastrophic disasters in Israel. This is the consequence of their rejection of Jesus as their Messiah some 2,000 years ago.

Besides the rapture, another political event will also mark the beginning of the final one week of Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy. The Anti-Christ will make a covenant with Israel and her enemies guaranteeing her peace and security. However, he will break the covenant and turn against Israel at the 3.5-year mark (“in the middle of the weeks”). He will also set up something sacrilegious, described as “the abomination of desolation” by Jesus (Matthew 24:15)in the rebuilt Jewish temple.

The good news is that finally all the remnants of Israel will be saved (Zechariah 12;10, 13:8-9; Romans 11:26).

At the end of 7 years of Tribulation, Christ Jesus will return to the earth with the armies of heaven, which includes the church (Revelation 19:7-8, 14). He will fight and utterly defeat the Anti-Christ (the beast) and the kings of the earth and all their armies that are gathered to fight Him and Israel (Revelation 19:19-21).

Notice that the church is not present during the 7-year Tribulation period. It is God’s appointed time to deal with Israel and the city of Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the church, which has been raptured 7 years earlier, will return to the earth with Christ Jesus. The church will return as the Bride of Christ (Revelation 19:7-8, 14, 17-18).


God’s Sovereignty

This amazing prophecy of Daniel’s 70 weeks points to the existence as well as the sovereignty of God over human affairs. God is in absolute control over the world and everything that is happening. He has sovereignly decreed the times for both Israel and the church, and the Jews and the Gentiles. He alone determines how this present age will end. Jesus is the Lord of history and the future.

Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ!


Pastors Leslie & Adeline Chua


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Rabbi Eliezer: The Elijah of legend did not lose any of his ability to afflict the comfortable. The case of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Simon ben Yohai is illustrative. Once, when walking on a beach, he came upon a hideously ugly man—the prophet in disguise. The man greeted him courteously, "Peace be with thee, Rabbi." Instead of returning the greeting, the rabbi could not resist an insult, "How ugly you are! Is there anyone as ugly as you in your town?" Elijah responded with, "I don't know. Perhaps you should tell the Master Architect how ugly is this, His construction." The rabbi realized his wrong and asked for pardon. But Elijah would not give it until the entire city had asked for forgiveness for the rabbi and the rabbi had promised to mend his ways.[90]


Elijah was a mighty prophet during a turbulent time in Israel’s history. The nation had turned away from the Lord to worship Baal, and King Ahab had formed an alliance with Sidon by marrying their princess, Jezebel. Elijah was sent to show Israel the evil of their ways and encourage them to return to the Lord. Learn more about his ministry in this latest installment of our Biblical Figures series.

Elijah shown in stained glass in the Great Upper ChurchElijah and the WidowElijah is first mentioned in 1 Kings 17, where he proclaimed a drought as penalty for the evil deeds of the kings of Israel. During this time, ravens brought him food, and he lived by a seasonal river until it dried up. The Lord then told him to visit a widow in Zarephath for food and water. Once he arrived, her jar of flour and jug of oil did not run dry. While he was staying there, her son fell ill and died. Elijah pleaded with the Lord and stretched himself on top of the child three times, restoring him to life.

The True GodElijah then presented himself to King Ahab, telling him to summon the prophets of Baal and Asherah on Mount Carmel, along with all the people of Israel. He confronted the people and told them that if they prepared a sacrifice and called on Baal, he would prepare a sacrifice and call on the Lord. Whichever caught fire would then demonstrate who was the true God. The worshippers of Baal prepared their sacrifice and called upon him from morning until noon, with no answer.

Then Elijah rebuilt the altar of the Lord, prepared the sacrifice, and poured four jugs of water on it. He called upon the Lord, and the Lord answered him:
The Lord’s fire came down and devoured the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dust, and lapped up the water in the trench. Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said, “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!” 

— 1 Kings 18:38-39

Elijah Fears for His Life: after this, the prophets of Baal were seized and killed. When King Ahab told his wife Jezebel what Elijah had done, she vowed to kill him. Elijah was terrified and fled into the desert, where he prayed for the Lord to take his life, then fell asleep under a broom tree. A messenger from the Lord came to him twice, urging him to eat and drink. After doing so, he journeyed 40 days in the wilderness to Mt. Horeb, where he hid in a cave. The voice of the Lord came to him and commanded him to stand out on the mountain.

A violent wind came by, followed by an earthquake, then a fire. But the Lord was not in any of them; instead, He spoke to Elijah in a quiet voice:

When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, Why are you here, Elijah? He replied, “I have been most zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, but the Israelites have forsaken your covenant. They have destroyed your altars and murdered your prophets by the sword. I alone remain, and they seek to take my life.” The Lord said to him: Go back! Take the desert road to Damascus. When you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king of Aram. You shall also anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king of Israel, and Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah, as prophet to succeed you. Anyone who escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill. Anyone who escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. But I will spare seven thousand in Israel—every knee that has not bent to Baal, every mouth that has not kissed him. — 1 Kings 19:13-18

After receiving these instructions, Elijah returned to civilization and recruited Elisha to minister with him.

Elijah and AhaziahSoon after, King Ahab died and was succeeded by his son, Ahaziah. After Ahaziah suffered an injury, he sought the assistance of the god of Ekron to see whether he would recover. Elijah confronted him for rejecting the Lord, which made him angry. In his rage, Ahaziah then sent a captain with fifty men to kill Elijah:

The prophet was seated on a hilltop when he found him. He said, “Man of God, the king commands you, ‘Come down.’” Elijah answered the captain, “Well, if I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.  — 2 Kings 1:9-10

This happened a second time; the king sent fifty men, and they were again struck down with fire. A third commander came, and he begged Elijah to spare the lives of him and his men. The Lord told Elijah not to be afraid of them, so he went down with them to the king. He told the king that because he turned away from the Lord, he would die. True to Elijah’s warning, the king was struck down by the Lord.

Elijah is Taken Up

Elijah being taken into heaven is depicted in the lower portion of the Ascension Chapel of the Great Upper ChurchWhen Elijah and Elisha traveled from Bethel to Jericho, Elijah tried to leave Elisha, but Elisha would not let him. The other prophets of the cities asked him repeatedly whether he knew that Elijah would leave him, and Elisha responded that he did. After they crossed the Jordan, Elijah asked Elisha if there was anything that he could do before he was taken up into heaven. Elisha asked to be given a double portion of his spirit, and Elijah said that was a difficult request, but that it would come to pass if he was able to see him taken up. Then a fiery chariot and horses came between them, and Elisha saw a whirlwind take Elijah to heaven.

What We Can Learn from ElijahEven in the face of adversity and discouragement, Elijah remained faithful. Throughout the Bible, he is held up as an example of godliness and might. Not only is he mentioned later in the Old Testament, but also in all four gospels and two epistles. He even appears at the transfiguration with Jesus, and when Jesus began his ministry, some thought that He was Elijah returned to earth.

The story of Elijah can be a comfort and an encouragement to us. Being a strong person of God does not mean that we will never feel discouraged, but rather, it means looking to God when faced with adversity. Elijah felt alone, and didn’t understand God’s plan, but he still searched God out. In return, he constantly saw God’s power displayed in his weakness: when He brought the widow’s son back from the dead, when He triumphed on Mt. Carmel, and when He rained down fire from heaven upon the king’s men.  For his faithfulness, Elijah was one of the few individuals in the Bible to be taken into heaven.

Elijah in the BasilicaElijah is depicted in multiple areas of the Basilica, including the east buttress of the south entrance, a lunette window in the west apse of the Crypt Church, a window in the west transept of the Great Upper Church, and in the Ascension Chapel of the Upper Church.

Elijah (/ɪˈlaɪdʒə/ il-EYE-jə; Hebrew: אֵלִיָּהוּ‎, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My God is Yahweh[10]/YHWH";[11][12] 

Greek form: Elias[a] /ɪˈlaɪəs/ il-EYE-əs) was, according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible, a prophet and a miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel[13]during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BCE). In 1 Kings 18, Elijah defended the worship of the Hebrew God over that of the Canaanite deity Baal. God also performed many miracles through Elijah, including resurrection, bringing fire down from the sky, and entering heaven alive "by fire".[14] He is also portrayed as leading a school of prophets known as "the sons of the prophets".[15] Following his ascension, Elisha, his disciple and most devoted assistant, took over his role as leader of this school. The Book of Malachi prophesies Elijah's return "before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD",[16] making him a harbinger of the Messiah and of the eschaton in various faiths that revere the Hebrew Bible. References to Elijah appear in Sirach, the New Testament, the Mishnah and Talmud, the Quran, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and Baháʼí writings.
Elijah

Prophet Elijah detailed in the Madonna and Child with Saints by Andrea di Bonaiuto

• Prophet
• Father of Carmelites

Bornc. 900 BCE
possibly Tishbe
Diedc. 849 BCE[1]
near Jericho


Feast July 20

In Judaism, Elijah's name is invoked at the weekly Havdalah rite that marks the end of Shabbat, and Elijah is invoked in other Jewish customs, among them the Passover Seder and the brit milah (ritual circumcision). He appears in numerous stories and references in the Haggadah and rabbinic literature, including the Babylonian Talmud. According to the Hebrew Bible, Elijah will return during the End of Times.[17]

The Christian New Testament notes that some people thought that Jesus was, in some sense, Elijah,[18] but it also makes clear that John the Baptist is "the Elijah" who was promised to come in Malachi 3:1; 4:5.[19] According to accounts in all three of the Synoptic Gospels, Elijah appeared with Moses during the Transfiguration of Jesus.



Map of Israel as it was in the 9th century BCE. 
​

Blue is the Kingdom of Israel. Golden yellow is the Kingdom of Judah.[22]According to the Bible, by the 9th century BCE, the Kingdom of Israel, once united under Solomon, divided into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah (which retained the historical capital of Jerusalem along with its Temple). Omri, King of Israel, continued policies dating from the reign of Jeroboam, contrary to religious law, that were intended to reorient religious focus away from Jerusalem: encouraging the building of local temple altars for sacrifices, appointing priests from outside the family of the Levites, and allowing or encouraging temples dedicated to Baal, an important deity in ancient Canaanite religion.[23][24] Omri achieved domestic security with a marriage alliance between his son Ahab and princess Jezebel, a worshipper of Baal and the daughter of the king of Sidon in Phoenicia.[b] These solutions brought security and economic prosperity to Israel for a time,[27] but did not bring peace with the Israelite prophets, who advocated a strict deuteronomic interpretation of the religious law.

Under Ahab's kingship tensions exacerbated. Ahab built a temple for Baal, and his wife Jezebel brought a large entourage of priests and prophets of Baal and Asherah into the country. In this context Elijah is introduced in 1 Kings 17:1 as Elijah "the Tishbite". He warns Ahab that there will be years of catastrophic drought so severe that not even dewwill form, because Ahab and his queen stand at the end of a line of kings of Israel who are said to have "done evil in the sight of the Lord".

Books of KingsEditNo background for the person of Elijah is given except for his brief characterization as a Tishbite. His name in Hebrew means "My God is Yahweh", and may be a title applied to him because of his challenge to worship of Baal.[28][29][30][31][32]

As told in the Hebrew Bible, Elijah's challenge is bold and direct. Baal was the Canaanite god responsible for rain, thunder, lightning, and dew. Elijah thus, when he initially announces the drought, not only challenges Baal on behalf of God himself, but he also challenges Jezebel, her priests, Ahab and the people of Israel.[33]

Elijah in the wilderness, by Washington Allston
Widow of Zarephath

Main article: Raising of the son of the widow of ZarephathAfter Elijah's confrontation with Ahab, God tells him to flee out of Israel, to a hiding place by the brook Chorath, east of the Jordan, where he will be fed by ravens.[34][22] When the brook dries up, God sends him to a widow living in the town of Zarephath in Phoenicia.

When Elijah finds her and asks to be fed, she says that she does not have sufficient food to keep her and her own son alive. Elijah tells her that God will not allow her supply of flour or oil to run out, saying, "Do not be afraid ... For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth."[35] She feeds him the last of their food, and Elijah's promise miraculously comes true.

Elijah reviving the Son of the Widow of Zarephath by Louis HersentSome time later the widow's son dies and the widow cries, "You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to cause the death of my son!"[36] Elijah prays that God might restore her son so that the trustworthiness of God's word might be demonstrated, and "[God] listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and he revived."[37] This is the first instance of raising the dead recorded in Scripture. The widow cried, "the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth."[38]

After more than three years of drought and famine, God tells Elijah to return to Ahab and announce the end of the drought. While on his way, Elijah meets Obadiah, the head of Ahab's household, who had hidden a hundred Jewish prophets from Jezebel's violent purge. Obadiah fears that when he reports to Ahab about Elijah's whereabouts, Elijah would disappear, provoking Ahab to execute him. Elijah reassures Obadiah and sends him to Ahab.

Challenge to Baal

Elijah's offering is consumed by fire from heaven in a stained glass window at St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Charleston, South Carolina.When Ahab confronts Elijah, he denounces him as being the "troubler of Israel" but Elijah retorts that Ahab himself is the one who troubled Israel by allowing the worship of false gods.

At Elijah's instruction, Ahab summons the people of Israel, 450 prophets of Baal, and 400 prophets of Asherah to Mount Carmel. Elijah then berates the people for their acquiescence in Baal worship: "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him."[39]

Elijah proposes a direct test of the powers of Baal and Yahweh: he and Baal's prophets will each take one of two bulls, prepare it for sacrifice and lay it on wood, but put no fire to it. The prophets of Baal choose and prepare a bull accordingly. Elijah then invites them to pray for fire to light the sacrifice. They pray from morning to noon without success. Elijah ridicules their efforts. "At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, 'Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.'"[40] They respond by shouting louder and slashing themselves with swords and spears. They continue praying until evening without success.

Elijah then repairs Yahweh's altar with twelve stones, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Elijah digs a trench around it and prepares the other bull for sacrifice as before. He then orders that the sacrifice and altar be drenched with water from "four large jars" poured three times, filling also the trench.[41] He asks Yahweh to accept the sacrifice. Fire falls from the sky, consuming the sacrifice, the stones of the altar itself, the earth and the water in the trench as well. When the people see this, they declare, "The LORD—he is God; the LORD—he is God."[42] Elijah then orders them to seize the prophets of Baal, which they do, and Elijah kills them. Then the rains begin, signaling the end of the famine.

Mount HorebEditJezebel, enraged that Elijah had killed Baal's prophets, threatens to kill Elijah.[43] Elijah flees to Beersheba in Judah, continues alone into the wilderness, and finally sits down under a shrub, praying for death. He falls asleep under the tree; the angel of the Lord touches him and tells him to wake up and eat. When he awakens he finds bread and a jar of water. He eats, drinks, and goes back to sleep. The angel comes a second time and tells him to eat and drink because he has a long journey ahead of him.

Elijah travels for forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb,[44] where Moses had received the Ten Commandments. Elijah is the only person described in the Bible as returning to Horeb, after Moses and his generation had left Horeb several centuries before. He seeks shelter in a cave. Elijah is told to "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."[45] There is a powerful wind, an earthquake and fire, but Yahweh is not in any of them. Then a gentle whisper comes to Elijah. Yahweh sends him out again, this time to Damascus to anoint Hazael as king of Aram, Jehu as king of Israel, and Elisha as his replacement.

Widow of Zarephath
​
Main article: Raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath

After Elijah's confrontation with Ahab, God tells him to flee out of Israel, to a hiding place by the brook Chorath, east of the Jordan, where he will be fed by ravens.[34][22] When the brook dries up, God sends him to a widow living in the town of Zarephath in Phoenicia.

When Elijah finds her and asks to be fed, she says that she does not have sufficient food to keep her and her own son alive. Elijah tells her that God will not allow her supply of flour or oil to run out, saying, "Do not be afraid ... For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth."[35] She feeds him the last of their food, and Elijah's promise miraculously comes true.

Elijah reviving the Son of the Widow of Zarephath by Louis HersentSome time later the widow's son dies and the widow cries, "You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to cause the death of my son!"[36] Elijah prays that God might restore her son so that the trustworthiness of God's word might be demonstrated, and "[God] listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and he revived."[37] This is the first instance of raising the dead recorded in Scripture. The widow cried, "the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth."[38]

After more than three years of drought and famine, God tells Elijah to return to Ahab and announce the end of the drought. While on his way, Elijah meets Obadiah, the head of Ahab's household, who had hidden a hundred Jewish prophets from Jezebel's violent purge. Obadiah fears that when he reports to Ahab about Elijah's whereabouts, Elijah would disappear, provoking Ahab to execute him. Elijah reassures Obadiah and sends him to Ahab.

Challenge to Baal

Elijah's offering is consumed by fire from heaven in a stained glass window at St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Charleston, South Carolina.When Ahab confronts Elijah, he denounces him as being the "troubler of Israel" but Elijah retorts that Ahab himself is the one who troubled Israel by allowing the worship of false gods.

At Elijah's instruction, Ahab summons the people of Israel, 450 prophets of Baal, and 400 prophets of Asherah to Mount Carmel. Elijah then berates the people for their acquiescence in Baal worship: "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him."[39]

Elijah proposes a direct test of the powers of Baal and Yahweh: he and Baal's prophets will each take one of two bulls, prepare it for sacrifice and lay it on wood, but put no fire to it. The prophets of Baal choose and prepare a bull accordingly. Elijah then invites them to pray for fire to light the sacrifice. They pray from morning to noon without success. Elijah ridicules their efforts. "At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, 'Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.'"[40] They respond by shouting louder and slashing themselves with swords and spears. They continue praying until evening without success.

Elijah then repairs Yahweh's altar with twelve stones, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Elijah digs a trench around it and prepares the other bull for sacrifice as before. He then orders that the sacrifice and altar be drenched with water from "four large jars" poured three times, filling also the trench.[41] He asks Yahweh to accept the sacrifice. Fire falls from the sky, consuming the sacrifice, the stones of the altar itself, the earth and the water in the trench as well. When the people see this, they declare, "The LORD—he is God; the LORD—he is God."[42] Elijah then orders them to seize the prophets of Baal, which they do, and Elijah kills them. Then the rains begin, signaling the end of the famine.

Mount HorebEditJezebel, enraged that Elijah had killed Baal's prophets, threatens to kill Elijah.[43] Elijah flees to Beersheba in Judah, continues alone into the wilderness, and finally sits down under a shrub, praying for death. He falls asleep under the tree; the angel of the Lord touches him and tells him to wake up and eat. When he awakens he finds bread and a jar of water. He eats, drinks, and goes back to sleep. The angel comes a second time and tells him to eat and drink because he has a long journey ahead of him.

Elijah travels for forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb,[44] where Moses had received the Ten Commandments. Elijah is the only person described in the Bible as returning to Horeb, after Moses and his generation had left Horeb several centuries before. He seeks shelter in a cave. Elijah is told to "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."[45] There is a powerful wind, an earthquake and fire, but Yahweh is not in any of them. Then a gentle whisper comes to Elijah. Yahweh sends him out again, this time to Damascus to anoint Hazael as king of Aram, Jehu as king of Israel, and Elisha as his replacement.

Vineyard of Naboth

Elijah encounters Ahab again in 1 Kings 21, after Ahab has acquired possession of a vineyard by murder. Ahab desires to have the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel. He offers a better vineyard or a fair price for the land. But Naboth tells Ahab that God has told him not to part with the land. Ahab accepts this answer with sullen bad grace. Jezebel, however, plots a method for acquiring the land. She sends letters, in Ahab's name, to the elders and nobles who lived near Naboth. They are to arrange a feast and invite Naboth. At the feast, false charges of cursing God and Ahab are to be made against him. The plot is carried out and Naboth is stoned to death. When word comes that Naboth is dead, Jezebel tells Ahab to take possession of the vineyard.

God again speaks to Elijah and sends him to confront Ahab with a question and a prophecy: "Have you killed, and also taken possession?" and, "In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood."[46] Ahab begins the confrontation by calling Elijah his enemy. Elijah responds by throwing the charge back at him, telling him that he has made himself the enemy of God by his own actions. Elijah tells Ahab that his entire kingdom will reject his authority; that Jezebel will be eaten by dogs within Jezreel; and that his family will be consumed by dogs as well (if they die in a city) or by birds (if they die in the country). When Ahab hears this he repents to such a degree that God relents in punishing Ahab but will punish Jezebel and their son: Ahaziah.

Ahaziah

Elijah destroying the messengers of Ahaziah (illustration by Gustave Doré from the 1866 La Sainte Bible)Elijah's story continues now from Ahab to an encounter with Ahaziah (2 Kings 1). The scene opens with Ahaziah seriously injured in a fall. He sends to the priests of Baalzebub in Ekron, outside the kingdom of Israel, to know if he will recover. Elijah intercepts his messengers and sends them back to Ahaziah with a message "Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?"[44][47] Ahaziah asks the messengers to describe the person who gave them this message. They tell him he was a hairy man with a leather belt around his waist and he instantly recognizes the description as Elijah the Tishbite.

Ahaziah sends out three groups of soldiers to arrest Elijah. The first two are destroyed by fire which Elijah calls down from heaven. The leader of the third group asks for mercy for himself and his men. Elijah agrees to accompany this third group to Ahaziah, where he gives his prophecy in person. Ahaziah dies without recovering from his injuries in accordance with Elijah's word.[48]

Departure

Elijah's chariot in the whirlwind. Fresco, Anagni Cathedral, c. 1250According to 2 Kings 2:3–9, Elisha (Eliseus) and "the sons of the prophets" knew beforehand that Elijah would one day be assumed into heaven. Elisha asked Elijah to "let a double portion" of Elijah's "spirit" be upon him. Elijah agreed, with the condition that Elisha would see him be "taken".

Elijah, in company with Elisha, approaches the Jordan. He rolls up his mantle and strikes the water.[49]The water immediately divides and Elijah and Elisha cross on dry land. Suddenly, a chariot of fire and horses of fire appear[44] and Elijah is lifted up in a whirlwind. As Elijah is lifted up, his mantle falls to the ground and Elisha picks it up.

Books of Chronicles: Books of Chronicles

Elijah is mentioned once more in 2 Chronicles 21:12, which will be his final mention in the Hebrew Bible. A letter is sent under the prophet's name to Jehoram of Judah. It tells him that he has led the people of Judah astray in the same way that Israel was led astray. The prophet ends the letter with a prediction of a painful death.

This letter is a puzzle to readers for several reasons. First, it concerns a king of the southern kingdom, while Elijah concerned himself with the kingdom of Israel. Second, the message begins with "Thus says YHVH, God of your father David..." rather than the more usual "...in the name of YHVH the God of Israel." Also, this letter seems to come after Elijah's ascension into the whirlwind.[citation needed]

Michael Wilcock, formerly of Trinity College, Bristol, suggests a number of possible reasons for this letter, among them that it may be an example of a better known prophet's name being substituted for that of a lesser known prophet.[50] John Van Seters, however, rejects the letter as having any connection with the Elijah tradition.[51] However, Wilcock argues that Elijah's letter "does address a very 'northern' situation in the southern kingdom", and thus is authentic.[52]

In MalachiEditWhile the final mention of Elijah in the Hebrew Bible is in the Book of Chronicles, the Christian Bible’s reordering places the Book of Malachi (which prophecies a messiah) as the final book of the Old Testament, before the New Testament gospels.[53] Thus, Elijah's final Old Testament appearance is in the Book of Malachi, where it is written, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction."[54]

Historicity

Scholars generally agree that a prophet named Elijah existed in the Kingdom of Israel during the reigns of Kings Ahab and Ahaziah.[55] In the opinion of some, however, the biblical presentation of the prophet cannot be taken as historical documentation of his activity. The biblical texts present his career through the eyes of popular legend and subsequent theological reflection, which consider him a personality of heroic proportions. In this process his actions and relations to the people and the King became stereotyped, and the presentation of his behavior paradigmatic.[56]

In the Aggadah, Talmud, and extra-canonical books
​
Jewish legends about Elijah abound in the aggadah, which is found throughout various collections of rabbinic literature, including the Babylonian Talmud. This varied literature does not merely discuss his life, but has created a new history of him, which, beginning with his death—or "translation"—ends only with the close of the history of the human race. The volume of references to Elijah in Jewish Tradition stands in marked contrast to that in the Canon. As in the case of most figures of Jewish legend, so in the case of Elijah, the biblical account became the basis of later legend. Elijah the precursor of the Messiah, Elijah zealous in the cause of God, Elijah the helper in distress: these are the three leading notes struck by the Aggadah, endeavoring to complete the biblical picture with the Elijah legends. His career is extensive, colorful, and varied. He has appeared the world over in the guise of a beggar and scholar.
From the time of Malachi, who says of Elijah that God will send him before "the great and dreadful day",[57] down to the later stories of the Chasidic rabbis, reverence and love, expectation and hope, were always connected in the Jewish consciousness with Elijah.

OriginEditThree different theories regarding Elijah's origin are presented in the Aggadah literature: (1) he belonged to the tribe of Gad,[58] (2) he was a Benjamite from Jerusalem, identical with the Elijah mentioned in 1 Chronicles 8:27, and (3) he was a priest.

Many Christian Church fathers also[59] have stated that Elijah was a priest. Some rabbis have speculated that he should be identified with Phinehas.[60]
According to later Kabbalistic literature, Elijah was really an angel in human form,[44] so that he had neither parents nor offspring.[61]

The Midrash Rabbah Exodus 4:2 states "Elijah should have revived his parents as he had revived the son of the Zarephathite" indicating he surely had parents.

The Talmud states "Said he [Rabbah] to him (Elijah): Art thou not a priest: why then dost thou stand in a cemetery?"[62]


Zeal for God

The statue of Elijah at the Saint Elias Cathedral, Aleppo, SyriaA midrash[which?] tells that they even abolished the sign of the covenant, and the prophet had to appear as Israel's accuser before God.[63][clarification needed]

In the same cave where God once appeared to Moses and revealed Himself as gracious and merciful, Elijah was summoned to appear before God. By this summons he perceived that he should have appealed to God's mercy, instead of becoming Israel's accuser. The prophet, however, remained relentless in his zeal and severity, so that God commanded him to appoint his successor.[64]

The vision in which God revealed Himself to Elijah gave him at the same time a picture of the destinies of man, who has to pass through "four worlds." This world was shown to the prophet by God through symbolism: in the form of the wind, since the world disappears as the wind; storm is the day of death, before which man trembles; fire is the judgment in Gehenna; and the stillness is the last day.[65]

Three years after this vision, Elijah was "translated."[66] Concerning the place to which Elijah was transferred, opinions differ among Jews and Christians, but the old view was that Elijah was received among the heavenly inhabitants, where he records the deeds of men.[67]

But as early as the middle of the 2nd century, when the notion of translation to heaven underwent divergent possible interpretations by Christian theologians, the assertion was made that Elijah never entered into heaven proper.[68] In later literature paradise is generally designated as the abode of Elijah,[69] but since the location of paradise is itself uncertain, the last two statements may be identical.

EcclesiasticusEditAt the appointed time, it is written, you are destined to calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and to restore the tribes of Jacob.

— A line in the Wisdom of Jesus ben Sira describing Elijah's mission (Ecclesiasticus 48:10).In the Wisdom of Jesus ben Sira,[70] his tasks are altered to:

1. herald the eschaton,
2. calm God's fury,
3. restore familial peace, and
4. restore the 12 tribes.

In Judaism

Elijah's chair

"Chair of Elijah" used during the brit milah (circumcision) ceremony. The Hebrewinscription reads "This is the chair of Elijah, remembered for Good."At Jewish circumcision ceremonies, a chair is set aside for the use of the prophet Elijah. Elijah is said to be a witness at all circumcisions when the sign of the covenant is placed upon the body of the child. This custom stems from the incident at Mount Horeb:[71] Elijah had arrived at Mount Horeb after the demonstration of God's presence and power on Mount Carmel.[72] God asks Elijah to explain his arrival, and Elijah replies: "I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away".[73] According to Rabbinic tradition, Elijah's words were patently untrue,[74] and since Elijah accused Israel of failing to uphold the covenant, God would require Elijah to be present at every covenant of circumcision.[75][76]

Elijah's cupEditSee also: Passover SederIn the Talmudic literature, Elijah would visit rabbis to help solve particularly difficult legal problems. Malachi had cited Elijah as the harbinger of the eschaton. Thus, when confronted with reconciling impossibly conflicting laws or rituals, the rabbis would set aside any decision "until Elijah comes".[77]

One such decision was whether the Passover Seder required four or five cups of wine. Each serving of wine corresponds to one of the "four expressions of redemption" in the Book of Exodus:

I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an out-stretched arm and with great acts of judgment, and I will take you for my people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians."[78]

The next verse, "And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord."[79] was not fulfilled until the generation following the Passover story, and the rabbis could not decide whether this verse counted as part of the Passover celebration (thus deserving of another serving of wine). Thus, a cup was left for the arrival of Elijah.

In practice the fifth cup has come to be seen as a celebration of future redemption. Today, a place is reserved at the seder table and a cup of wine is placed there for Elijah. During the seder, the door of the house is opened and Elijah is invited in. Traditionally, the cup is viewed as Elijah's and is used for no other purpose.[80][81]

HavdalahEditSee also: HavdalahHavdalah is the ceremony that concludes the Sabbath Day (Saturday evening in Jewish tradition). As part of the concluding hymn, an appeal is made to God that Elijah will come during the following week. "Elijah the Prophet, Elijah the Tishbite, Elijah from Gilead. Let him come quickly, in our day with the messiah, the son of David."[80]



​New Testament

A Northern Russian icon from ca. 1290 showing the ascent of Elijah toward heaven

In the New Testament, Jesus would say for those who believed, John the Baptist was Elijah, who would come before the "great and terrible day" as predicted by Malachi.

Some English translations of the New Testament use Elias, a Greek form of the name. In the King James Version, "Elias" appears only in the texts translated from Greek.

John the BaptistEditJohn the Baptist preached a message of repentance and baptism. He predicted the day of judgment using imagery similar to that of Malachi. He also preached that the Messiah was coming. All of this was done in a style that immediately recalled the image of Elijah to his audience. He wore a coat of camel's hair secured with a leather girdle.[94] He also frequently preached in wilderness areas near the Jordan River.

In the Gospel of John, when John the Baptist was asked by a delegation of priests (present tense) "Art thou Elias", he replied "I am not".[95] Matthew 11:14 and Matthew 17:10–13 however, make it clear that John was the spiritual successor to Elijah. In the Nativity of St. John the Baptist in Luke, Gabriel appears to Zechariah, John's father, and told him that John "will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God," and that he will go forth "in the spirit and power of Elijah."[96]

Elijah appeared at the Transfiguration of Jesus.

TransfigurationEditElijah makes an appearance in the New Testament during an incident known as the Transfiguration.[97]

At the summit of an unnamed mount, Jesus' face begins to shine. The disciples who are with Him hear the voice of God announce that Jesus is "My beloved Son." The disciples also see Moses and Elijah appear and talk with Jesus. This apparently relates to how both Elijah and Moses, the latter according to tradition but not the Bible, both were translated to heaven instead of dying. Peter is so struck by the experience that he asks Jesus if they should build three "tabernacles": one for Elijah, one for Jesus and one for Moses.

There is agreement among some Christian theologians that Elijah appears to hand over the responsibility of the prophets to Jesus as the woman by the well said to Jesus "I perceive thou art a prophet."[98] Moses also likewise came to hand over the responsibility of the law for the divinely announced Son of God.[99][100]

Other references: Elijah is mentioned four more times in the New Testament: in Luke, Romans, Hebrews, and James. In Luke 4:24–27, Jesus uses Elijah as an example of rejected prophets. Jesus says, "No prophet is accepted in his own country," and then mentions Elijah, saying that there were many widows in Israel, but Elijah was sent to one in Phoenicia. In Romans 11:1–6, Paul cites Elijah as an example of God's never forsaking his people (the Israelites). Hebrews 11:35 ("Women received their dead raised to life again...") refers to both Elijah raising the son of the widow of Zarephath and Elisha raising the son of the woman of Shunem, citing both Elijah and Elisha as Old Testament examples of faith.[101][102][103] In James 5:16–18, James says, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much," and then cites Elijah's prayers which started and ended the famine in Israel as examples.


​In Jewish folklore: the volume of references to Elijah in folklore stands in marked contrast to that in the canon. Elijah's miraculous transferral to heaven led to speculation as to his true identity. Louis Ginzberg equates him with Phinehas the grandson of Aaron.[82][83] Because of Phinehas' zealousness for God, he and his descendants were promised, "a covenant of lasting priesthood."[84] Therefore, Elijah is a priest as well as a prophet. Elijah is also equated with the Archangel Sandalphon,[85] whose four wing beats will carry him to any part of the earth. When forced to choose between death and dishonor, Rabbi Kahana chose to leap to his death. Before he could strike the ground, Elijah/Sandalphon had appeared to catch him.[86] Yet another name for Elijah is "Angel of the Covenant"[87]

God asked Moses to lead his people out of slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land. Moses was at first reluctant, thinking that the Israelites would not believe he had heard the word of God. God then gave Moses special powers and inspired by this, Moses returned to Egypt and demanded freedom for his people.

God had big plans and a big purpose for Moses- But WHY was Moses sent to the wilderness? What is the SYMBOLISM of this narrative?

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The Purpose of the Wilderness in the Lives of God’s People:

If you are at a wilderness place in your life, you may find it to be more puzzle than purpose. You might be overwhelmed and confused. You might find yourself questioning God’s wisdom—or maybe even your own.

I want you to think for a moment about being in the center of God’s will. What does that mean?  What would it look like?  Would it be a time of happiness and fulfillment? Is there ever a time that the center of God’s will might be a place of discouragement and difficulty? What about the children of Israel? God called Moses to bring them out of Egypt and into the center of His will.  The center of His will for them would eventually be Canaan, but for a time, the center of God’s will was a great and terrible wilderness.

Has God’s will for you included a period of time in the wilderness? Time in the wilderness means facing wilderness struggles, and wilderness hardships, and wilderness questions.  It can be a place of problems, and at the same time, a place of purpose.  The wilderness is a puzzle from our perspective, but from God’s perspective, it is His perfect plan for our lives.  

We have said enough about wilderness questions. What can we know for sure about the purpose of the wilderness in the lives of God’s people?

The Wilderness is a Place of Separation
God carried them into the wilderness so that they could be apart from the influences of Egypt.  The uncertainties of the wilderness create a need for God and a dependence upon God.  God lets you do without, so you can come to know Him as your provider. God lets you be lonely, so that you can come to know Him as your friend.  God lets you be frightened and worried, so that you can come to know Him as your peace. God lets you be weak, so that you can know His strength.

In the wilderness, God reveals Himself.  In the darkness of the wilderness, He is your light.  In the confusing maze of the wilderness, you learn to let Him be your guide. In the wilderness, He separates you from the influences of the world, as well as the things and people that you have learned to depend on, so that you will learn to depend on Him. God will be faithful to you in whatever wilderness you are facing, just as He was to the people He led out of Egypt. 

The Wilderness is a Place of Preparation.
Looking back on those years in the wilderness, this is what God said to His people as they came to the Promised Land.  5“I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot. 6“You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or strong drink, in order that you might know that I am the LORD your God.  Deuteronomy 29:5-6

What has been your God appointed wilderness?  Are you there right now?  What do you suppose God is trying to teach you? Are you learning the lessons that God wants you to learn?

When God takes you to the wilderness, He withholds that which you have come to depend on other than Him.  Maybe you came to depend on your job to provide.  God removes the job for a time, so that you will learn to depend on Him.  Maybe you came to depend on your own strength or stamina.  Then God brings weakness into your life, so that you will learn that your strength is in Him.  You see it as deprivation.  God sees it as preparation.  
“You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD. 4“Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. 5“Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. 6“Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.  Deuteronomy 8:2-6
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The Wilderness is a Place of Revelation.
In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of the mountain. Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and howI bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.  Exodus 19:2-6

When the center of God’s will is the wilderness, what is God’s purpose? Did you see why God brought them to the wilderness? He brought them into the wilderness to bring them to Himself.Why do you suppose that God brings you to Himself?

I read again today about Jesus calling the disciples.  He called unto Him the twelve.  And why did He call them?  Did He call them to Him to give them an assignment? Yes?  But the preparation for that assignment came out of being with Him.  He called the twelve to Himself, that they might be with Him and that He might send them forth to preach. Mark 3:14
Part of the preparation for what God wants you to do will grow out of the revelation of Himself that He gives you.  For most of us, the only place we can be readied to receive that revelation is in some wilderness, where God separates us from what we have learned to lean on, in order that He can show us that we need to lean on Him alone.

Where are you right now? Do you find yourself in the midst of some God-Appointed wilderness struggling to know God’s will and God’s way?  Do you feel alone there?  Do you feel abandoned there?  I know how you feel.  I have been to the wilderness.  I have lived in the wilderness.  I felt alone. I felt discouraged.  But I came to understand that the wilderness was the place of God’s presence.

If you are in the wilderness, you might be angry at God.  You may have considered abandoning God.  In your discouragement, the wilderness can even become a place of sin.  Where is God then?  How will God respond to you when you have proved to yourself that you are not worthy of His love.
Sometimes God takes us to the wilderness not only to show us Himself—but to show us ourselves.  The truth about who we are and how we trust God surfaces in the wilderness.  There, we are proved to be worse sinners than we knew ourselves to be.  How does God respond then?

Consider this passage from Nehemiah. “You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that are good.  You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses.  In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock; you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand to give them. “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands. They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them,  even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies. “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take.  You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.  For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen. Nehemiah 9:13-21

The first few chapters of Exodus are a build up where we see Moses prepared for an impossible task: liberating the Hebrew slaves after 400 years in Egypt. He, of course, does not feel prepared at all. How could he? How could anyone? But he was. On the one hand, he was a fugitive on the run, encumbered with an embarrassing stutter. On the other, he had grown up in the royal palace. It’s true that the king he’d grown up with had died and another was in his stead (Ex 2:23), so a personal connection with the hard-hearted Pharaoh may not have been there, but still Moses, by God’s design, was part and parcel of Egyptian high society. He knew the lingo and the etiquette of Egyptian nobility and his way around the royal household. Like Esther, Moses was secretly Jewish, yet ended up providentially living in the palace of the king, for such a time as this.
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Moses was sent by God on one heck of a mission. His job—at least the first part of it—was to demand the immediate release of about a million Israelites from cruel bondage. To insist that Pharaoh should allow the Hebrew slaves, his free workforce, to just leave.

It seems like Moses didn’t feel like he had that authority though. With his brother Aaron at his side for emotional support, Moses ventured back to the place he grew up to face the tyrannical ruler, Pharaoh, no doubt with some trepidation:

Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” (Exodus 5:1)

But that wasn’t quite the message God had told him to say, was it? Moses and Aaron appear to be asking for a temporary excursion for the Hebrew slaves. A short trip, a picnic in the Egyptian outback. God was demanding total release.

“Come,” said God to Moses. “I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
(Exodus 3:10-12)
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God’s plan was to bring them completely out of Egypt in a very real and permanent manner—there would be no going back. And that they would meet Him over at Mount Sinai in the land of Midian, where He’d appeared in the burning bush. There He would establish His covenant with the whole house of Israel and make them a holy people with a holy calling. Then He would lead them on to the Promised Land. But Moses tries to soften the blow and paints it as a one-off religious event out in the desert. It was no such thing. It was a categorical extraction. An exodus.

Fortunately, God was prepared for this, and knowing that it wouldn’t matter how nicely they asked Pharaoh would never agree, had a few tricks up His sleeve. With each plague, or blow, as it is in Hebrew, God’s demand intensified: “Let my people go!”  which in Hebrew means, "Send the people of Israel into their Destiny."

This throws interesting light on what was actually happening in the Exodus. God was killing multiple birds with one stone. He had waited for the sin of the Amorites to reach its full measure (Genesis 15:16) before executing justice on them and giving the land to the tribes of Israel. He rescued His covenant people from their living hell, and thew the Egyptians into the sea just as they had thrown countless Hebrew babies into the Nile. He was fulfilling His promises to the patriarchs to bring their descendants back to the Land of Promise, and establishing a faith community that would carry His word and His light to the whole world.
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They were not just being taken out of Egypt, they were being SENT out, with a mission: to be a light to the Gentiles.

God often does both-and rather than either-or. He operates on multiple levels all the time. We often have no idea how many facets there are to God’s actions and decisions, and can foolishly interpret them to be all about us… our own life, family, community or nation. But God has a very wide-angle lens. His ways are perfect and nothing is ever wasted in His economy. God brought deliverance and blessing to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in fulfillment of His promises to them. They would receive their inheritance from His hand, along with blessings of spiritual nourishment, revelation, and life, which they were to pass on to all the nations of the world.

The command to “Let my people go” forced Pharaoh to send Israel out of slavery and into their global calling, into their destiny.
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In a similar manner, we have been delivered from slavery and death by the blood of the sacrificial lamb, and brought through the waters of baptism. But God’s rescue mission wasn’t so we could sit around and eat cake—we are also sent into the world with a calling and a destiny! Whenever we thank God for His amazing salvation, His perfect plans, and the future He has prepared for us, let’s ask Him again: What is my part in Your plans and purposes? What are You sending me to do?
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Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
(Isaiah 6:8)
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Why do you suppose God takes you into the wilderness to show you yourself so that you can see what a sinner you are? God takes you to the wilderness and shows you what a sinner you are so that He can show you what a Savior He is! In spite of the rebellion of His people, He remained faithful.  He still gave them water for their thirst.  He still gave them their daily bread.  He still guided them on their journey.  He never left them.  
God will be faithful to you in whatever wilderness you are facing, just as He was to the people He led out of Egypt. “In the wilderness … you saw how the LORD God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place. Deuteronomy 1:31 
Do you suppose God might also be carrying you? I am sure you have asked God some of the same questions that I ask from time to time.  “God, am I a castaway?  Can you still use me?”  “Do you still want me?  Do you still love me?”


"The very words I write were born in one of those moments in my life. I will never forget the day I was in my office working on this message. I was preparing it for me, because I keenly felt everything I have shared with you. I had allowed a deadline to pass that seemed to me to be critical to my future. I let it pass because I had no word from God. God was silent. As a result of His silence, I saw my future slip away. My despair grew deeper by the day. It reached a zenith on a Wednesday in December of 2006. I was preparing this message for my church, but I was really describing what was going on in my own life. God must have been watching as I paced around in my office that day. I was a desperately discouraged man. As I typed away at this message on my computer, the phone rang. Within an hour of that phone call, all my questions were answered. My future seemed to be restored. I had been called by God to the assignment I thought I had missed.' When that day started, I was convinced I missed God completely.  I was lost in the wilderness.  I felt abandoned and forgotten, and I felt I deserved to be.  But that day, I met God in the wilderness, and it altered the direction of my life.  Six months later, I shared the same message with my church on a Sunday night. The next day, I would be stepping through the door God had opened. This is what I said in closing: “Tomorrow I set foot on the road that God called me to travel. It may not lead out of the wilderness—but I am convinced that it will lead me to Him.” That is, after all, the purpose of the wilderness in the lives of God’s people. He brings us into some great and terrible wilderness, so that He might bring us to Himself." (-Story by Eddie Eshtaigi)