Bible Prophecy Update

Bible Studies, Chuck Smith

Posted on January 31st, 2012

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Bible Study: Hebrews 10

Now we have made mention how that there seems to be a bridge between each chapter, as he sort of carries the thought from the previous chapter through to the next chapter. In the ninth chapter, he is talking about the heavenly sanctuary.

In verse twenty-three, “It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; (So the tabernacle was only the pattern, the model, of heaven. It should be purified with the various sacrifices.) but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy place that is made with hands, (He didn’t enter into the temple here in the holy place of the temple, because that is only a figure of the true. It’s only a model of the true. But Jesus entered into heaven itself.) which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, (Of which this is a model.) now to appear in the presence of God for us: (Our great High Priest! He didn’t enter into the Holy of Holies with, you know, behind the veil, but He entered into Heaven itself to appear in the presence of God for us!) Nor yet that He should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others (Various sacrifices); For then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. (Annually the high priest would offer the sin, the offering for the sin of the nation, year by year, on Yom Kippur.) And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many (God laid on Him the iniquities of us all.); and unto them that look for Him (soon and very soon), shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
Daily Devotional

Posted on January 31st, 2012

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Devotional: January 31

Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following. . . .Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” (John 21:20-21)
The first thing you do after God speaks to you is critical. Jesus was telling Peter what type of ministry he would have and what type of death he would suffer (vv. 18â€”19). It was a sacred moment in Peter’s life, as his Lord pulled back the curtain to his future. His was not to be an easy life but a life ordained and blessed by his Lord and Master.
Bible Studies, Chuck Smith

Posted on January 30th, 2012

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Bible Study: Hebrews 9

As the writer is going to be making an interesting comparison between the approach to God, through the old covenant as he contrasts it with the approach to God through the New Covenant. And how that this New Covenant that God has established is superior in its approach to God.

Now as we said, there seems to be sort of a tie between the chapters. In the eighth chapter, he began to talk about this Covenant that God promised to make with the house of Israel, in which He would put the laws in their minds and write them in their hearts. He will be to them a God. They will be His people. They will not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall know Me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that He saith, A new covenant, He hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

So now continuing the subject of the New Covenant, in contrast with the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant was the law and it was by the sacrifices and all that man had his access to God. The New Covenant, of course, is through Jesus Christ, and the access that we have to God, through Jesus Christ.

Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. There were the various sacrifices, the divine service. There was the offering of the incense on a daily basis, the daily sacrifices. You can read those in the Books of Exodus and Leviticus.

2For there was a tabernacle made; The tabernacle was actually forty-five feet long, fifteen wide and fifteen feet tall. It was made of boards of Acacia wood that were overlaid with gold. They had silver sockets in them. They had these staves that they would put through the silver sockets, sockets that would hold the boards up in place. The tabernacle was portable because the children of Israel were moving through the wilderness. They could dismantle it and then again, put it back up. It was so constructed that it could be moved from place to place when God signified that the time had come to move on.
Daily Devotional

Posted on January 30th, 2012

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Devotional: January 30

Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. (Acts 26:19)
God does everything for a reason. God met Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus road for a purpose (Acts 9:1â€”9). Saul had planned to persecute Christians, but his encounter with Christ changed him forever. God did more in that encounter than save Saul from his sin. God began to reveal His will for Paul’s life. God’s assignment for Paul was clear: “He is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:15â€”16).
Bible Studies, Chuck Smith

Posted on January 29th, 2012

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Bible Study: Hebrews 8

Now it is interesting that in the Book of Hebrews, in the chapter divisions, they seem to make interesting divisions in that they didn’t, as so often, make a division with sort of a paragraph or a complete kind of thought. But in the Book of Hebrews, we find the chapter divisions are interesting in that each chapter is tied inextricably with the previous chapter. It’s as though the chapter divisions didn’t come with subjects but there was a carry over from the subject that they had been discussing in the previous chapter.

And of course in chapter seven, the discussion is on Jesus, our Great High Priest, a Priest after the order of Melchisedec and the contrast of the priesthood of Jesus with the Levitical priesthood, showing the superiority of the priesthood of Jesus Christ.

And so chapter eight begins with the same thought of Jesus, our great High Priest. But we need to go back a few verses in chapter seven to sort of get up to speed in chapter eight.

So verse twenty-four of chapter seven, “But this man, (Jesus) because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an High Priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this He did once, when He offered up Himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, (That is, God swore, Thou art a priest forever, after the order of Melchisedec. He took the oath.) which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.”
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Posted on January 29th, 2012

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Devotional: January 29

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.” (Exodus 19:10-11)
Meeting with God requires preparation. God is awesome and perfectly holy. Barging into His presence unprepared is an affront. When the children of Israel were to meet with Him, God commanded them first to take two full days to prepare. Once the people were ready, however, God spoke to them with thunder and lightning, with fire and smoke and the sound of loud trumpets (Exod. 19:16â€”25). It was through this encounter that God revealed such marvelous truths as the Ten Commandments, establishing the standard by which God expected His people to live.
John MacDuff, Memories of Patmos

Posted on January 28th, 2012

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John MacDuff, Memories of Patmos

3. The Accessories of the Vision

We pass from the Vision of the Lord Jesus, to a brief consideration of its accompaniments or accessories. These are threefold—The seven Golden Candlesticks: the Stars He holds in His right Hand: and the Keys of Hell (Hades) and of Death.

THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICKS. This is the first of the many golden emblems we shall meet with in this Book. It unquestionably denotes the Church of Christ. The purest and rarest of the precious metals is taken to symbolize that, whose preciousness can best be estimated by the price paid for its redemption—”Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it.” The figure takes us at once back in thought, to the sacred furniture of a now waning, or rather, abrogated dispensation—to the one candlestick, with its branches or lamps, in the Tabernacle of the wilderness and the Holy place of the Temple—reminding us also of the similar beautiful and suggestive vision of the Prophet Zechariah, when he saw the candlestick “all of gold,” with its seven lamps fed from the upper bowl (or reservoir) of olive oil.
Frank Morison, Resurrection/Easter, Who Moved The Stone

Posted on January 28th, 2012

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Frank Morison, Who Moved The Stone

13. The Witness of the Great Stone

I suppose that no one can read through the earliest account of the Resurrection as it is given in the Gospel of Mark without being arrested by the extraordinary significance of what we are told about the golal or great stone that, according to the evidence, was placed against the entrance to the grave.

We are all familiar with the kind of shock a person experiences when he suddenly encounters something for which he is not looking, something which, like the footprint on the sand in Crusoe’s stow, sends the mind swiftly back in search of an explanation. Such an experience, I think, awaits everyone who comes fresh to the story as it is told in Mark, because, contrary to expectation and without searching for it, we are driven by the logic of the facts to investigate another story, told in another Gospel, the story of the guards.
Bible Studies, Chuck Smith

Posted on January 28th, 2012

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Bible Study: Hebrews 7

As we have noted there is a tie between each chapter. The one leads into the next. And in verse twenty of chapter six, he is speaking about the hope that we have in Jesus as an anchor for our soul, who has entered within the veil, the heavenly, whether the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made a high priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.

Back in Genesis fourteen, we read that as Abraham was returning from the victory over the five kings, that had taken his nephew, Lot as a hostage, he had conquered over the five kings, chasing them all of the way to the gates of Damascus. He had defeated them and taken much spoil. And as he came back the king of Sodom met him to show his appreciation. But then in Genesis 4:18, and Melchisedec, the king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine and he was the priest of the most High God. And he blessed him and said, blessed be the God of Abraham, or blessed be Abraham of the most high God, possessor of the heaven and the earth. And blessed be the most high God, which has delivered your enemies into your hands. And Abraham gave him tithes of all that he gained.

Then in Psalm 110:4, the Lord has sworn and will not repent. Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.

In the twentieth verse of the sixth chapter, he quotes this Psalm declaring that Jesus was made a high priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.

Now that is all that we have in the Old Testament concerning this interesting priest, Melchisedec.

The Jewish rabbis believe that there four ways of interpreting a Scripture. The first was called the Peshach. And that is the plain meaning of the Scripture. The second was called the Remas, which was the implied meaning within the Scripture. The third was called the Dereus, which was the understanding that you came after much study and consideration. And the fourth was to interpret the passage was as an allegory, as a metaphor to find the hidden meaning in the passage.
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Posted on January 28th, 2012

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Devotional: January 28

So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. (Ezekiel 22:30)
God looks for those whose hearts are prepared to_be intercessors before Him. Intercessors have hearts in tune with God’s heart. They are so acutely aware of what is at stake, for their land, that they will stay before God as long as necessary in order to obtain God’s answer. That is why you do not volunteer to be an intercessor. God enlists you.
Bible Studies, Chuck Smith

Posted on January 27th, 2012

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Bible Study: Hebrews 6

Now each of these chapters are inter-related. And chapter six is just a continuation of chapter five. You do understand that when the Book of Hebrews was written, the writer did not divide it into chapters and verses. That was done years later by men, who thought to make it easier to reference certain passages. So they divided the Bible into chapters and verses so that we could memorize particular thoughts and ideas that we have in the particular verses. And so many times the thought is sort of broken up by chapter divisions.

Now we’re used to in reading a book, to say well, I’m going to finish this chapter. And we sort of, you know, put it down and think, well, the chapter is complete and usually a thought is pretty much completed in the chapter. The new chapter will usually introduce a new area.

Well, not so, in the chapter distinctions in the Bible. And thus, we’ll go back and we’ll read the last part of chapter five, which will then bring us right on into chapter six.

Beginning with verse eleven of chapter five, the writer says as he is talking about Jesus the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, he says we have many things to say that are hard to be uttered, seeing that ye are dull of hearing. That is, many things to say about Melchizedek. When we get to chapter seven, he’ll begin to say these many things about Melchizedek.

For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. You haven’t grown up. You are still children.

For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongs to them that are of fully mature, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

So it’s sort of a rebuke. He would like to talk to them about things that they’re not really ready to receive because even though they’ve been in it long enough where they should be able to take the meat, they still need just to be given milk.
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Posted on January 27th, 2012

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Devotional: January 27

Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. (Heb 5:8-9)
There is a positive aspect to suffering. We all endure suffering to some degree, but the good news is that through it we can become like Jesus. Are you willing to pay whatever price is necessary in order to become like Christ? There are some things that God can build into your life only through suffering. Even Jesus, the sinless Son of God, was complete only after He had endured the suffering His Father had set before Him. Once He had suffered, He was the complete, mature, and perfect Savior through whom an entire world could find salvation.
Bible Studies, Chuck Smith

Posted on January 26th, 2012

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Bible Study: Hebrews 5

All right, let’s go to Hebrews, chapter five. Now in the fourth chapter, at the end of the chapter, he is speaking of Jesus being our High Priest. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that has passed into heaven, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not a High Priest which cannot be touched with a feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we might obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.

The religion of Judaism is rich in tradition and in culture. Many of those who were following the tradition and seeking to obey the law, came to a faith and a knowledge in Jesus Christ. But some of them were gradually being drawn back, because of the deep roots of tradition into the temple worship again. They were turning back to Judaism, turning back to the law because of the richness of tradition, it had that kind of an appeal.

And so in the second chapter the author said, let’s take the more earnest heed to the things, which we have heard, lest we should drift away from them, because some of them were drifting away from the truth in Jesus.

One of the things that brought great comfort and assurance was the fact that you could bring a sacrifice to the priests for your sin offering. You could lay your hand on the head of the animal and you could confess on it your sin. The priest in turn would slay it and take the blood, put it in a basin and put in on the mercy seat. The sacrifice would be burned in the fire. And it was a very moving experience and a very dramatic kind of an experience because you realize, that animal is suffering and dying for my sin! But as the result of it taking my sin and dying in my place, I can now fellowship with God. And so it was the High Priest that took the offering before the Lord, the sin offering, to help restore your fellowship with God. And it was a very moving experience and a very dramatic experience and very powerful.
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Posted on January 26th, 2012

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Devotional: January 26

Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear. (Heb 5:7)
The life of Jesus provides the model for our prayer lives. God is seeking to mold us into the image of His Son (Col. 1:27â€”28). If we are to act like Christ, our prayer lives must be conformed to His. Many Christians are unwilling to pay the price that Jesus paid when it comes to interceding with God. Jesus’ prayers came with vehement cries and tears and, “because of His godly fear,” He was heard by the Father.
Bible Studies, Chuck Smith

Posted on January 25th, 2012

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Bible Study: Hebrews 4

Let’s turn now in our Bibles to Hebrews, chapter four. In the third chapter, and I’m so convinced that Paul is the author of Hebrews, that I’m going to attribute it to him, whether he is or not. It is so typical Pauline in the writing and in the style, that I think that just about every commentary I’ve ever read does acknowledge that Paul is, no doubt, the author of the Book of Hebrews. I try to say, well the author of the Book, but I think that it’s pretty obviously Paul. So if I slip up and say, Paul said. Then you’ll understand that that’s because I believe that Paul was the author, but in reality, the Holy Spirit is obviously the author of the Book, but the Holy Spirit uses human instruments and in this case, I believe it was Paul.

But in the third chapter, he introduces the subject of the rest that God has for His people. And bringing up the rest that God has for His people, there is first of all that rest in the work of the Holy Spirit and that life of victory that we can experience victory and power over sin through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

And in that he uses the example of the children of Israel, who failed to enter into the rest of the Promised Land. They spent their lives roaming in the wilderness. They never did obtain the full promises of God, the glorious land that God desired that they should enjoy.

And thus, that is used as an example for us that because of their unbelief they weren’t able to obtain all that God had for them and all that God wanted for them. And the warning is to us that there are promises of God that people have not laid hold of! Unbelief can keep us also from the full blessings of God, that land of promise, that land of blessing.
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Posted on January 25th, 2012

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Devotional: January 25

And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” (John 6:65)
Throughout Jesus’ ministry on earth, He never seemed intimidated by the crowds. Instead, He looked into the multitudes and focused on those whom His Father was sending to Him. Jesus knew that because of sin, no one naturally seeks after God. Sinful man’s inclination is to hide from God, rather than to come to Him (Gen. 3:8; Ps. 14:1â€”3). Therefore, whenever Jesus saw that the Father was drawing a person to Himself, Jesus immediately began relating to that person.
Bible Studies, Chuck Smith

Posted on January 24th, 2012

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Bible Study: Hebrews 3

Shall we turn now in our Bibles to Hebrews, chapter three, as we continue our journey through the Bible.

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, Writing to the Hebrews, to the Jews who had received Jesus Christ as their Lord and their Messiah, those who had come recognize Jesus as Messiah.

Holy brethren, partakers of this heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Calling their attention, their careful attention, to Christ Jesus, Who was, first of all the Apostle. The word apostle, literally means, one who is sent. And Jesus was sent by God to this world. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son. God, Jesus said, did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Throughout the Book of John, over and over again, Jesus asserts that He was sent by God. Thus, an apostle, sent by God to the earth.

But He also is the High Priest of our profession. Now, in the previous chapter, he began to introduce the subject the subject of the High Priesthood of Jesus Christ for the believers. In verse seventeen of chapter two, wherefore in all things, it behooved Him to made like unto His brethren that He might be a merciful and a faithful High Priest in all of the things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
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Posted on January 24th, 2012

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Devotional: January 24

They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day. (John 1:38b-39)
There comes a time for each of us when merely talking about the Christian pilgrimage is not sufficient. We must actually set out on the journey! We can spend many hours debating and discussing issues related to the Christian life, but this means little if we never actually step out and follow Christ!
For generations, the coming of the Messiah had been pondered and predicted by the nation of Israel. Perhaps no topic garnered more discussion among Jews than the nature and work of the Messiah. Andrew had listened to John the Baptist and had heard of the coming Messiah. Now, suddenly, he was face to face with the One he had yearned to see! Andrew’s mind was filled with questions he longed to ask. Instead of entering into a theological dialogue with Andrew, however, Jesus turned and began to walk. Andrew’s questions would not be answered by discussion alone, but by walking with Him.
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