| In our last Bible study we
hit a few of the high points of the Tabernacle,
its layout and its furnishings, all of which have
some very strong significance, even for us today.
By the way, you and I have the benefit of hind
sight, looking back there from this side of
Calvary. The Children of Israel, who followed
Moses out of Egypt did NOT have the advantage you
and I have. They lived in a completely different
time .... the time referred to as our
schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ ... a time
of types and shadows of better things to come ...
Galatians 3:24-25
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring
us unto Christ, that we might be justified by
faith. But after that faith is come, we are no
longer under a schoolmaster.
Hebrews 11:32-40
And what shall I more say? for the time would
fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of
Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and
Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith
subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained
promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched
the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the
sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed
valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of
the aliens. Women received their dead raised to
life again: and others were tortured, not
accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a
better resurrection: And others had trial of
cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of
bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they
were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with
the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and
goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered
in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and
caves of the earth. And these all, having
obtained a good report through faith, received
not the promise: God having provided some better
thing for us, that they without us should not be
made perfect.
It is my opinion
that you and I have it a whole lot better than
the footprint followers of Jesus Christ, and the
Original New Testament Church leaders, did ...
especially those of us in the United States. **IF**
a person doesn’t feel like they can live a
life of dedication to God here in the US, I
don’t understand how it is they believe they
would be able to live a dedicated life for God
any where else on this planet. Furthermore, it is
my opinion that those who do live a dedicated
life to God, and leave this world with that good
report, will have done so because their
relationship with God was the most important
thing in their life.
At any rate, in a
previous Bible study I used the Scriptural
reference of Numbers 9:1, and said that the Law
was given on Mount Sinai in the first month of
the second year the Children of Israel came out
of Egypt. However, I obviously got some things
cross threaded, and was off by several months ...
Exodus 19:1-6
In the third month, when the children of Israel
were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the
same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.
For they were departed from Rephidim, and were
come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in
the wilderness; and there Israel camped before
the mount. And Moses went up unto God, and the
LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying,
Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and
tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I
did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on
eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now
therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and
keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar
treasure unto me above all people: for all the
earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom
of priests, and an holy nation. These are the
words which thou shalt speak unto the children of
Israel. **** This is some special insight into
God’s desire to be with His People. Also,
jumping ahead about another 1500 years, Peter re-affirms
God’s desire in the New Testament ...
1 Peter 2:9-11
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people;
that ye should shew forth the praises of him who
hath called you out of darkness into his
marvellous light: Which in time past were not a
people, but are now the people of God: which had
not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and
pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war
against the soul;
Having said all
of this and, now, getting back to our over-view
of the Bible ...
2598 AC the
Children of Israel’s Exodus from Egypt ...
40 years in the wilderness ... 2638 AC entrance
into the Promised Land - Canaan (2 ½ Tribes
inheritance on "this side" of Jordan) Num.
34:15
An unbelieving
and rebellious generation died off in the
wilderness ... except for two of the men (Joshua
and Caleb) who were among those sent to spy out
the land, who believed God’s promise
regarding the Land of Promise. Caleb was 40 years
old when they were sent to spy out the land, and
85 years old on his return ... when he asked for
his mountain. Joshua 14:6-12 And, Joshua
was actually the one who took Moses’ place,
and led the Children of Israel into the Land of
Canaan. Joshua died at age 110. Judges 2:10
After Joshua died
the Children of Israel did evil in the sight of
the Lord, and went after the strange gods of the
land, which provoked the anger of the Lord. Judges
2:7-14 During this time, there were many ups
and downs ... battles won and lost. At one time,
the people thought of God as their King. And,
priests and judges ruled over Israel, and handled
disputes. But, the time came when they desired a
King, to be like other nations
Saul was
Israel’s first King ... David (Saul’s
son in law) was next ... And, Solomon (David’s
second son by Bathsheba) was their third King.
1 Kings 6:1
And it came to pass in the four hundred and
eightieth year after the children of Israel were
come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year
of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif,
which is the second month, that he began to build
the house of the LORD.
2598 AC Left
Egypt
480
years later, construction begins on
Solomon’s Temple (the 1st of 2 temples in
Jerusalem) begins
3078 AC ...
when construction begin. This is also the 4th
year of Solomon’s Reign
Therefore,
Solomon began his 40 year reign in the year 3074
"AC" ... AFTER CREATION
2 Chronicles 9:30-31And
Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel
forty years. And Solomon slept with his fathers,
and he was buried in the city of David his father:
and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.
3074 AC
beginning of Solomon’s reign + 40 year reign
= 3114 AC Solomon dies. Reign ends. Kingdom
divides ... Judah and Israel ... Rehoboam King of
Judah (2 tribes) Capitol in Jerusalem ...
Jeroboam King of Israel (10 tribes) Capitol in
Samaria
1 Kings 14:20
And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and
twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab
his son reigned in his stead. 3115-3136 AC
1 Kings 14:21
And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah.
Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he
began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years
in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose
out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name
there. And his mother's name was Naamah an
Ammonitess. 3115-3131 AC
Now, I am going
to shift gears AND incorporate the use of the
approximate BC (BEFORE CHRIST) time line,
beginning with Solomon’s reign, and the AD (ANNO
DOMINI ...Latin for "in the year of our Lord")
time line, beginning with the birth of the
Incarnate Christ at Bethlehem. By the way,
through His anointed prophets, God ALWAYS warned
His people BEFORE impending punishment, bondage
and destruction ... which, by the way, they
brought on themselves by reason of their own
rebellion, idolatry and transgressions.
965 "BC"
(about 3000 years ago) - Solomon became king, and
started construction of the First Temple in the 4th
year of his reign (about 961 BC) .... He
reigned for about 40 years.
about 926 BC -
The nation of Israel SPLITS ... When
assigning portions of land as an inheritance in
the Land of Canaan, the tribe of Levi wasn’t
given an inheritance of land. Instead, they were
the ministers and care takers of the Tabernacle.
That was their inheritance. However, there was
still 12 tribes because Joseph’s two sons,
Ephraim and Manasseh ... born in Egypt ... each
made up one Tribe. Therefore, the 12 tribes which
made up the Kingdom of Israel ... BEFORE the
split ... was as follows: Reuben, Simeon, Judah,
Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali,
Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin. Shortly after the
reign and death of Solomon, Israel split into two
kingdoms. The southern kingdom was made up of the
two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Their king was
Rehoboam. And, it included the Temple, with the
city of Jerusalem as its capitol. The northern
kingdom was made up of the remaining ten tribes,
and was ruled by Jeroboam, with Samaria as its
capitol. The northern kingdom was known as Israel.
The southern and northern kingdoms often fought
and warred back and forth between against each
other.
870-845 BC (about
2900 years ago) ... During this time, the
prophets Elijah and Elisha ministered in the
northern kingdom ... the Kingdom of Israel. Joel
ministered in the southern kingdom, Judah,
sometime between here and about 750 BC. And, it
is thought Obadiah ministered some time between
here and about 586 BC ... before the destruction
of Solomon’s Temple.
785-725 BC (about
2800 years ago) ... During this time, the
prophets Amos and Hosea ministered in the Kingdom
of Israel. Isaiah and Micah ministered in the
Kingdom of Judah. Isaiah, a MAJOR Old Testament
prophet, was known as "The Messianic Prophet".
In eleven Chapters of the Book of Isaiah (Chapters
41, 43, 44, 47, 48, 49, 53, 54, 59, 60, and 63)
"THE" Messiah, which was to come, is
identified as being none other than Jehovah/God,
Himself ... NOT one of three "persons"
of Jehovah/God, NOR one of the Angels of God, but
Jehovah/God, Himself.
721 BC -
Samaria falls. The Assyrians conquer the northern
kingdom of Israel ... The Assyrian Empire
conquers the northern kingdom of Israel in about
721 BC. History loses track of these 10 tribes,
and they vanish into obscurity. Some have said
there may be some historical data somewhere which
suggests they eventually migrated up into what is
now Ireland and the United Kingdom ... where some
of our roots are. But, as far as I know, that
cannot be ascertained with certainty.
612-607 BC -
Babylon conquers, and destroys Nineveh ... Jonah
and Nahum prophesied concerning Nineveh in about
785 BC and 630 BC, respectively. Habakkuk and
Zephaniah minister some time between about 639
and 606 BC.
605 BC (about
2600 years ago) - Babylon exercises its power
over Judah ... The Babylonian Empire, under
the reign of king Nebuchadnezzar, take many of
the Jews captive to Babylon. During this time,
Daniel and Jeremiah minister.
598 BC -
Babylon attacks Judah ... Babylon attacks
Judah and takes more Jews as captives to Babylon.
The prophet, Ezekiel, is one of the captives. He
explains that God allowed Babylon to punish Judah
because they had been unfaithful.
587 BC -
Babylon destroys Jerusalem AND Solomon’s
Temple ... Babylon attacks Judah again. This
time, the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and the
Temple that Solomon built. More Jews are taken as
captives to Babylon.
586 BC to 573
BC - Babylon king Nebuchadnezzar attacks Tyre
mainland ... Babylon begins a 13-year siege
of the mainland of the Phoenician city of Tyre.
539 BC (about
2500 years ago) - Fall of Babylon. Cyrus the
Great, Persia, conquers Babylon ... After the
death of Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian Empire
began to lose power. It was conquered in about
539 BC by Cyrus the Great, the king of the Medo-Persian
Empire. Shortly there after, Cyrus allows some of
the Jews to leave Babylon and return to Judah,
and begin work to rebuild the Temple, which had
been destroyed by the Babylonians. Upon its
completion and dedication, and for the first time
in about 70 years, Temple worship resumes.
Prophets Haggai and Zechariah minister during
this time.
538 BC The
edict of Cyrus. A remnant returns to Jerusalem to
rebuild the Temple in about 536 BC
476 BC (about
2400 years ago) Queen Esther saves her people ...
the Jews ... from extinction.
450-400 BC
During this time the prophets Ezra, Nehemiah and
Malachi minister.
400 BC up to
the birth of Christ was a period of silence of
about 400 years. No prophets in the land.
333 BC (about
2300 years ago) - Greeks begin rule over land of
Israel ... The Greeks, under the leadership
of Alexander the Great, defeat Persian armies in
Macedonia in 333 BC. This marks the end of the
Persian Empire; the Grecian Empire expands.
331 BC -
Alexander conquers Tyre (Phoenician Empire) ... Alexander
wars against the island fortress of the
Phoenician city of Tyre. He takes rubble from the
mainland of Tyre and builds a walkway to the
island. Alexander's forces then conquer the
island fortress, bringing an end to the
Phoenician Empire.
175 BC (about
2200 years ago) - Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanes
torments the Jews ... Greek ruler Antiochus
Epiphanes rules Syria from about 175 BC to about
164 BC. He reigns over Judah and tries to destroy
the Jewish religion and copies of the Torah (the
first five books of the modern Bible). He also
defiles the Temple.
166 BC to 63
BC (about 2200 years ago) - Jews have
independence ... Maccabean revolt opens way
for Jewish independence in Jerusalem and the
surrounding area. The revolt is led by Mattathias
and his five sons, Judas (Maccabeus), Jonathan,
Simon, John and Eleazar. The era of independence
lasts about 100 years.
63 BC (about
2100 years ago) - Romans take over land of Israel
... After the death of Alexander the Great,
his empire was divided up among four generals.
This weakens the empire. Meanwhile, the Roman
Empire is becoming increasingly powerful. The
Roman general named Pompey takes control of
Jerusalem.
about 3 OR 4
BC (about 2000 years ago) - Jesus is born in
Bethlehem ... Jesus is born in the town of
Bethlehem. The Apostle Matthew later points out
that Jesus' birth in Bethlehem fulfilled a
prophecy delivered by the prophet Micah, about
700 years beforehand. (see Micah 5:2). AND, Jesus
fulfilled many other OT prophecies, as recorded
in the gospels.
about 27 AD (about
2000 years ago) - Jesus begins His ministry ... Jesus
begins His ministry at about age 30.
about 30 AD -
Jesus is crucified ... Jesus is betrayed and
falsely accused on a Thursday night. He is sent
before Pontius Pilate, then the Chief Priest, and
back to Pilate, and then crucified the very next
day (Friday). His body lay in a sealed tomb from
Friday afternoon through the next day (Saturday -
the Great Jewish Sabbath celebrating the Passover).
And, on the third day, early in the morning (Sunday,
the First Day of the Week) He rose from the dead,
and was seen of His Disciples for 40 days.
Afterward, He instructed them to wait at
Jerusalem until they were "endued with power
from on high", and ascended back up into
Heaven. (Luke 24:44-53). The disciples
immediately entered into the upper room at
Jerusalem and tarried and prayed in one mind and
one accord. On the 10th day (Sunday, the First
Day of the Week ... the 50th Day from Passover
... the Day of Pentecost) 120 received power from
on high. (Acts Chapters 1 AND 2) AND, God’s
New Testament Church Plan of Salvation was very
specifically stated by Peter under the
inspiration and anointing of the Holy Ghost at
the conclusion of his very first Spirit-filled,
Spirit-anointed message, in Acts 2:38. It was in
direct response to a question posed to him and
the rest of the apostles as a result of the heart-felt
conviction of the sinners who were responsible
for the crucifixion. They asked, " ... what
shall we do?". Then Peter said unto them,
Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,
and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
For the promise is unto you, and to your children,
and to all that are afar off, even as many as the
Lord our God shall call. (Acts 2:38-39) Although,
many are being told lots of things,
Salvation’s Plan has NOT changed in the
least!
I plan for our
next study (Part Four) to conclude our evaluation
of The "Spiritual" Aspect of Life ... A
JOURNEY AND A LOVE STORY SPANNING 6,000 YEARS.
Afterward, I hope we will all have a greater love,
greater burden, greater vision, greater
commitment, greater appreciation, greater
determination, and a greater appreciation for the
Word of God and the things of God which we have
covered thus far. God bless!
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