Week 47

Well, I'm still behind in reading and busier than ever with work. Sorry, but again I have no material to post.

However, if you would like to read some good stuff, check out http://bible-prophecy-today.blogspot.com/ for some current, biblical, sociological, and prophetic views of today's world and news.

Have a happy Thanksgiving, keep reading, and keep looking up!

Week 46

Not only have I fallen behind in reading, but I'm even late in posting this note to say that there's no post for this week.

We are all dealing with extremely busy lives of late. Many of us who had plenty of spare time when we began this, struggle for any spare time at all. We have just over 4 weeks until we reach the end of the reading schedule. So if you are still reading through the bible (whether current or behind) and you still check this blog, please post a simple reply to this note. This will help me to determine whether to keep this blog operating or not.

Keep reading - and keep looking up!

Week 45

I managed to get caught up with reading this week. But still haven't had time to study, so again, no post this week from me.

Week 44

I'm sorry to say that I have no post this week either. In fact, I have fallen behind in reading from last week. I hope to catch up and post soon (I actually see vacation time in my near future!)

Until then, keep reading and post if you care.

Week 43

Sorry. I have no posting again this week due to time contraints.

There is so much that can be discussed on the teachings and miracles of Jesus that we are reading.

Week 42

In week 40, I mentioned that many unbelievers argue that Jesus never claimed to be God. I then showed one of my favorite passages that absolutely showed that Jesus did indeed make that claim and did so in a very straightfoward manner.

We read several more of Jesus' claims of divinity this week, and again one is another of my favorites. This one was a little more subtle that could easily be missed by a Gentile mind, but one that would be obvious to a Jew, particularly of that period.

Let's look back in Exodus at the interaction between Moses and God who appeared to him from within the burning bush:

Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"

God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:13-14)

This is the God that led the Israelites out of the Egyptian captivity by bringing the plagues upon Egypt; the God that led them by day as a cloud and by night as a pillar of fire; the God that divided the Red Sea for the Israelites to walk across on dry land and let the waters fall back upon the Egyptian army; the God that authored the revered Law and wrote the 'Ten Commandments' on stone tablets with His finger; the God that provided manna and meat and water in the wilderness; the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob; and the God of king David; the God that established the Feast of Passover to commemorate the Israelites being freed from Egypt that foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus.

God even identified Himself as such:
...as God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exo 3:6, 3:15-16, 4:5, 6:3, 6:8, 33:1; Lev 26:42, Num 32:11; Deu 1:8, 34:4)

...having led the Israelites out of Egypt (Exo 12:17, 13:14, 20:2, 23:15, 29:46; Lev 11:45, 25:38, 25:42, 25:55, 26:13; Num 15:41; Deu 5:6; Jos 24:6; Jdg 2:1, 6:8; 1 Sam 10:18; 2 Sam 7:6; 1 Ki 8:16; 1 Ch 17:5; 2 Ch 6:5; Psa 8:10; Jer 7:22, 11:4; Eze 20:6, 20:9; Amo 2:10, 3:1; Mic 6:4; Heb 8:9)

Of these two examples, there are still more instances of God identifying Himself in these ways, and still even more of men identifying God in these ways. There was no doubt in the Jewish mind who God was. This God, I AM, was the living God who spoke directly with Abraham and with Moses.

Now the passage we read this week:
Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."

"You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"

"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. (John 8:56-59)

The self-identification "I am" was a direct reference to the self-identification given to Moses, and the Jews immediately recognized it. Jesus was telling them that the same "I AM" who spoke to Moses from the burning bush was the same "I AM" speaking to them from the temple steps. In anger and belief that Jesus had blasphemed, they sought to kill him by stoning.

Plainly, Jesus made the claim to be God. As I pointed out in week 40, it was on these understood claims that the Jewish leaders hung their case for having Jesus cruficied. There was no question in their day that Jesus claimed to be God. There shouldn't be any question about it today.

Week 41

I didn't have time to do much reflection or study this week, but there is something that has caught my attention every time I've read through these passages.

In Luke 9:49, we read:
"Master," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us."

This was a rare person, who early in Jesus' ministry, saw the truth of Jesus' divine identity and purpose of coming to live among men and through his faith in Jesus had the power of casting out demons.

--

The second thing was the demoniac in Gadarenes. We've previously read where Jesus healed people and told them not to tell anyone. Many times the people spread the word of their healing by Jesus. In effect this somewhat hindered Jesus' ministry because people then began to throng to him. This time, the man was told to go proclaim his release from the demon possession. Why? The people had already told Jesus to leave their land out of fear. They feared Jesus for casting out the demons more than they feared the man who had been possessed by the demons.

Just as that man had been sent out to witness of God's salvation in Jesus' 'absence', so we too are commanded to spread His gospel.

Anyway, those are just two of the people I want to meet when I get to heaven, and we don't even know their names.