February 6th One Year Bible Readings

Exodus 23:14-25:40 ~ Matthew 24:29-51 ~ Psalm 30:1-12 ~ Proverbs 7:24-27
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Old Testament - Today in Exodus chapter 23 we read about the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Final Harvest (also known as Festival of Booths or Ingathering or Tabernacles).  Commentary on Exodus chapter 24, entitled "The Magnificent Meal on Mt. Sinai" is at bible.org at this link.  This old covenant meal was a foreshadowing of Jesus' new covenant Last Supper with his disciples just before his death and resurrection. In chapter 24 Moses is called up on the mountain for forty days and forty nights - similarly Jesus spent forty days and forty nights in the desert after his baptism and before beginning his public ministry. Below is a wonderful image by C.F. Vos of Moses receiving the Law from God on Mount Sinai:

In Exodus chapter 25 we read about the Offerings for the Tabernacle, the plans for the ark, the table and the lampstand.  Below is a replica of the Ark of the Covenant:

Below is a replica of the table described in today's readings where the Bread of Presence is kept - (image below courtesy of BiblePlaces.com)

And several examples of the Tabernacle Lampstand described in today's readings are below:

New Testament - Jesus' teaching in Matthew chapter 24 verse 36 has always stood out to me - particularly when my friends today want to dive into conversations about "if" the end is near: "However, no one knows the day or the hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows." No one knows the day or the hour - only God.  Good for us to keep in mind. We're not God. :)   For more commentary on "The Textual Problem Of oujdeV oJ uiJov" In Matthew 24:36" at bible.org click on this link.  No, I don't think oujdeV oJ uiJov is a typo.  :)  Can someone tell me - is this the original Greek?  I think so.

Verse 35 is an amazing reminder that Jesus' words in the Bible will outlast every single material thing around us today: "Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever."   Do you believe that Jesus' words will remain forever?  Commentary on Matthew 24:40-41 called "Taken for Salvation or Judgment?" is online at bible.org at this link.

Psalms - Today in Psalm 30 verses 4 through 5 we read: “Sing to the Lord; you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” How does this verse speak to you? Do you believe that God’s anger can last only a moment, but his favor last a lifetime? If you are weeping now in some area of your life, do you believe that God can bring rejoicing to you? Will you pray to God to grant you favor in this life and in life everlasting? Will you pray to God to heal any situation that you are weeping over today, and to bring you rejoicing tomorrow? Do you look forward to this rejoicing that will allow you to sing to the Lord as a saint and to praise his holy name?

Proverbs - Proverbs chapter 7 verse 25 reminds us once again of the importance of guarding our hearts, the very wellspring of our lives: "Don't let your hearts stray away..."  Is there anything in your life that is causing your heart to stray away from God's Truth?  Will you not allow you heart to go down that dangerous path?  Will you return your heart's allegiance wholly to your Maker and Provider?  Will you allow your heart to be chained to God alone, and not to any temptations or sins?

Worship God:  Matthew 24:35 reminded me of the amazing MercyMe song "Word of God Speak."  Here's a video of some great images and Scripture verses set to this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JK_6osCH74

Have you heard God's voice?  Click here for the Word of God!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." Matthew 24:35 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that you would read and study God's Word each and every day knowing that it is eternal.

Comments from You and Questions of the Day:  In today and yesterday's readings in Matthew chapter 24 we read about the end times.  Do you do much study of the end times?  What are some books or resources or websites you could point others to, to study more about the end times?  I have to admit, I don't think about the end times very much.  I know they will come, but I guess I feel like focusing on the end times too much might distract me from doing other ministry here and now.  How often do you think about the end times? Do you think there should be a balance of time and study when it comes to reflecting on the end times versus being active in ministry in our world today?  Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings?  Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

God bless,
Mike

Comments

[Ramona]

I already know that we are in the last days and so I don’t spend energy trying to figure out if I’m post, pre or whatever “rapture.” I have heard too many unproductive arguments and verbal fighting over which is which and who is right. It doesn’t matter to me because my salvation is not based on which one I believe in and I avoid like the plague conversations that focus on this subject. We are saved by faith, not by fear. So frightening people into the kingdom ain’t going to work. Maybe what will work are those who do hear folks talking about this topic and then they go on a search for the Truth. Of course along the way while looking for Truth, they will find Jesus who is Truth.

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Exodus 23:14-25:40

So often, when I read God’s Word I have to be reminded that the Bible confirms itself, each book explains and confirms all other books. As I read verses twenty through twenty-three, of the twenty-third chapter, the words of David’s Twenty-third Psalm flooded my thoughts,

Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep and guard you on the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared…. When My Angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I reject them and blot them out, (Exodus 23:20-23 AMP)

God promised back then and still promises to day to set a table in the wilderness, in the presence of our enemies. Wow! To be a people in the world but not of the world (John 15;17) means that we live in the midst of those who don’t like us, our enemies (Matthew 12:30). God deals with His enemies, which are our enemies, by placing us in the midst of the enemies. So I put forth some rhetorical questions, who battles God’s enemies, God or us? Does our presence in the midst cause God to send “Hornets” before us to drive out His enemies, or do we wrest power and control away by political force, whichever way we believe that may manifests itself? In other words, can we legislate righteous behavior?

Grace and peace,
Ramona

[Raeann]

8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
I must admit that I first read about the end times even before I read the Bible from cover to cover a few years ago in the FICTION series Left Behind.

[John Culp]

As for "The End Time" and various eschatological theories about how everything will work out, I firmly believe that no human being has figured it all out accurately. Isaiah 55:8-9 says:

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.

9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."

In my opinion it is hubris for anyone to claim they have it all figured out, and the self-proclaimed "experts" in prophecy who assert that they know it all will be humbled. We will all be amazed to see how perfectly it does fulfill prophecy, but will only see it all retrospectively. Jesus' message to us is plain. The signs tell us that the time is drawing near, but nobody except the Father (and I believe the Son as well now, since His resurrection and ascension to rule in Heaven) knows the time. Therefore, we need to be doing our best to carry out His will so He'll find us doing that when He does return.

Revelation is a fascinating book to study, but the key point is found in Rev. 19:6:

"Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns."

That is all that we need to know about "The End Times." God is in charge. He will work everything out according to His will.

[Debi Pate]

I try never to think about the end times...except to pray that if I'm alive when it happens, I have the blessing of holding true to my faith, and not being deceived by all the false teachings that will arise! After all, if "not even the Son knows the day or the hour, only the Fsther knows" then I really could use my prayer time better!
God Bless
Debi

[Sam]

As time goes on, I have have made it a priority to study Bible prophecy some for a few reasons:

1)I desire to know the times and seasons (not the day or hour).

2) It is called the blessed hope and I don't want to be ignorant - as Paul said.

3) Revelation is the THE book that promises a blessing to it's reader.

4) The entire Bible is a book of prophecy if you study it.

5) Much much more time is dedicated in scripture to the second coming than to the first.

6)I want to BE READY!

[birdie cutair]

yes, that's supposed to be Greek. it just doesn't come out very well when you are trying to print with our basic computer fonts. Basically it means "nor (neither) the Son."

[Karla Anderson]

The passage in Psalms today read from The Message is so beautiful.

[Janet]

Interesting-
Ex 32:28 balancing out Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added [unto them] about three thousand souls.
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Fascinated while observing the Lord's detail-
The commentary for Ex 25:17 reads "Blood from the sacrifices stood between God and the broken law of God."
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Awe struck with Sabbath being viewed as SALVATION...looking ahead Ex 31: 12-16 reads
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.
“‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people. For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant.
Substitute SALVATION for Sabbath and God's Plan of Redemption jumps off the page! To GOD be the Glory!
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In agreement with John A. end time discussions cause disharmony. In fact supporting the way Pastor preaches it (literal interpretation), works for me. BUT : ) we are closer each minute to the end time and like Sam posted commanded to be alert!
Mt 24:42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming
Praying, always

[Mary]

Pretrib Rapture Trivia

Who's the "Protector of the Principality of Pretribulatia"?
Edward Irving? John Darby? C. I. Scofield? Tim LaHaye? Someone else?
Media figure Joe Ortiz knows the answer. It's in his "End Times Passover" blog. The one dated Dec. 29, 2009.
If you're Calvinist, you're predestined to see his blog. If you're Arminian, you can choose to see it.
If you find out you already knew the answer before seeing Joe's blog, you have a chance to win the grand prize which includes:
Sixty pounds of plaster for each family member.
An umbrella stand made from a stuffed python.
And 3000 yards of used dental floss.
Whew. What you miss if you're not computer savvy!

[John A.]

Matthew 24:30

"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory."

I was questioned once by a non-believer if I thought Christ was coming back on a cloud. He laughed and said it was physically impossible.

My response was: Are you telling me it is impossible for God/Jesus to come back on a cloud? Well, I believe Jesus is God. The man just stared at me and walked away.
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Matt 24:36
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

I beleive when Jesus was on earth that he totally submitted to the Father (an example for us). Jesus was led by the Spirit, miracles were permitted (by the Father)to be done through Him by the Holy Spirit. No words were spoken that the Father did not give Jesus. All glory was for the Father, not for Jesus.

If I am correct, then certainly in the servant role - Jesus would not know the time or the hour. I certainly believe in Jesus' glorified status after the Ressurection that He knows. But this verse plays in nicely with the Jewish wedding ceremony.

Remember that in Revelation there is to be a wedding between the Bride of Christ (church/believers) and Jesus. There is a format to be followed in the Hebrew engagement/marital process.

(11) Bridegroom comes for his Bride.

"The time of the bridegroom's return is related to the bridal chamber's construction. When the preparations on the bridal chamber were completed then it would be the proper time. But the groom's father would be the one to give permission. It was a common expression or saying, a Jewish idiom, that a man would say when his friends asked him when his marriage would be. He would reply, "of that day or hour no man knows, but my father only."

So Jesus' statement dovetails nicely into the time the Bridegroom returns for His bride according to Jewish tradition.

For all 18 steps and how it relates to Christ and the Body of Christ with OT and NT references - the link is below:
http://www.linkjesus.com/weddingstudy.htm

Personally - I found it a fascinating Bible study :)

[John A.]

Exodus 23:21b
"...Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him." NIV

One of the reasons I believe Jesus was leading the Hebrew Tribes through the Exodus. (Just my conjecture).

Coomentators often say when one sees "the angel of the Lord" it is Christ in the OT. It does not say that here, but what I see is:
- only God can forgive and he shares His glory with no one. So if the angel has that ability to forgive and not forgive the angel must be God.
- If God's name is "I am" and it is in the midst (within) the angel. The angel must be God.
- Tangentially, Jesus name is Yeshua translated Jehova is Salvation. Jehova is in the midst of Jesus' future Hebrew name.
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Typology of the Tabernacle

Each item represented something and foreshadows Christ.

Tabernacle
Old Testament

The Lord commanded that the tabernacle to be built so that he could "dwell among" the people (Exodus 25:8, 29:45-46).

New Testament

God dwells within Christ (Colossians 2:9), whose body is a temple of God (John 2:19-20).

In Christ, God became flesh and dwells, or, more literally, "tabernacles," among us (John 1:14).

The Spirit of the Father and the Son dwells within each follower of Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:19) and among the followers of Jesus (2 Corinthians 6:16), who together comprise his body (Ephesians 4:12) in whom his Spirit dwells. He will also dwell with his people forever (Revelation 21:3).

The Ark
The ark of the covenant (25:10-22)

Old Testament

The Lord was enthroned between the cherubim, just above the ark (1 Samuel 4:4, 2 Samuel 6:2). Thus, the ark symbolized God's reign on earth.

New Testament

Christ spoke much of "the kingdom of God," and he himself is the king (Matthew 21:5, John 18:36, Revelation 19:16).

Believers in Christ are enthroned with Christ (Ephesians 2:6) and will reign with him forever (Revelation 22:5).

The Table
The table of the bread of presence (25:23-30)

Old Testament

The bread was to be in the presence of the Lord, or before his face, continually (25:30).

New Testament

Christ is the bread of life (John 6:35) who himself is in the presence of the Father continually (Hebrews 7:25, 9:24).

Those who partake of the bread of life, Jesus, experience eternal life, and will be eternally in the presence of God (John 6:35-40).

The lamp stand (25:31-40)

Old Testament

The lamp stand provided for illumination.

New Testament

Christ is "the light of the world" (John 9:5) and "the true light that, coming into the world, enlightens every man" (John 1:9).

Jesus calls his followers "the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14) who should "shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

Copied from link here:
http://www.pbc.org/files/messages/10447/exo025.html

Another link you might want to explore:
http://www.bible-history.com/tabernacle/TAB4Overview.htm