An Understanding Of The Old Testament

By David J. Stewart
March 2014 | Updated May 2015

Revelation 17:10, “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.”

       There are various ways to introduce students to the Old Testament, but my preference is to use Revelation 17:10 as my text verse, which to me helps the student grasp a prophetic BIG PICTURE. I'm going to get to this in a moment, and I know it will warm your heart and help you see the Bible in a new light if you've never learned this before. I teach this truth in my article on THE 8 KINGS OF REVELATION. Truly, we are living in the End Times of the Last Days!

The following Bible study will cover numerous topics, but when you're done with this webpage, you will be blown away if you've never heard this stuff before. My goal is to give you an overall BIG PICTURE view of the Bible, and particularly, the fascinating Old Testament. This brief study is not meant to be exhaustive, but rather, to give you a BIG PICTURE in view of the New World Order as it's relates to the Old Testament.

The Bible contains approximately 30% prophecy, whereas the Muslim Koran contains NONE! It's been interestingly said that the Old Testament is the New Testament CONCEALED, and the New Testament is the Old Testament REVEALED. I like that. A helpful way to remember how many books are in the Bible is to count the number of letters in OLD(3) TESTAMENT(9) = 39 Old Testament books. And then count and multiply the number of letters in NEW(3) TESTAMENT(9). 3 times 9 = 27 books in the New Testament. It helps me remember.

Romans 10:17 says FAITH COMETH BY HEARING, AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD. If you want to learn the Bible, I recommend listening to it regularly on DVD by Alexander Scourby.

PROPHETIC VIEW

Revelation 17:10-11, “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.”

I love teaching the prophetic view of the entire Bible and I think Revelation 17:10-11 is the perfect Scripture passage to begin a Bible study. The “kings” here are NOT referring to the Seven Hills of Rome—a popular incorrect teaching of the past century that the endtimes World Government will rise from the ashes of the fallen Roman empire. There will not be a revived Roman empire! This idea caught on and became popular with Bible scholars and authors, mainly because of the demonic Roman Catholic Church. Many Christians suspected for centuries that the pope is the Antichrist. I believe that the Pope will be the False Prophet (i.e., the second beast) of Revelation 13:11-15.

The “kings” here are in fact the KINGDOMS of men, as evidenced by Nebuchadnezzar's prophetic IMAGE in Daniel chapter 2, but Revelation 17:10 goes farther back in history, from the very beginning of the civilization of mankind, starting with Egypt. So the “FIVE” KINGS WHICH ARE FALLEN (past history) in Revelation 17:10-12 are; namely and in timely order: EGYPT, ASSYRIA, BABYLON, MEDO-PERSIA and GREECE. The 6th kingdom, THE ONE THAT IS, was the ROMAN EMPIRE, symbolized by the IRON LEGS in Nebuchadnezzar's IMAGE. The 7th KINGDOM will be WORLD GOVERNMENT, aka, the NEW WORLD ORDER which is now almost in full-swing. The Bible says that out of the 7th kingdom, but of the 7th kingdom, will come the 8th king, which is THE ANTICHRIST.

Note: Rome was brutal, symbolized by the IRON LEGS of Nebuchadnezzar's image in Daniel chapter 2. I was reading Bill O'Reilly's fascinating book today titled, KILLING JESUS, co-authored by Martin Dugard. The book goes into detail in chapter two about the Roman military general and emperor, Julius Caesar, who was a ruthless monster. On page 35 I learned how Julius Caesar and his greatly feared army of legionaries mercilessly slaughtered 430,000 innocent people of a German tribe, mostly women, children, toddlers, old men and teenagers. Although the legionaries had wives and children of their own, they were trained and disciplined to do as told or be killed themselves.

In fact, just to give you an idea how ruthless Rome was, on page 39 the book talks about a rebel named Spartacus, who led 7,000 slaves in a revolt in 71 B.C., who were all captured, and then crucified in a 240-mile line of crosses that stretched almost all the way from Naples to Rome. On page 29 the book says that Julius Caesar gave each of his soldiers their own personal slave from the captives taken from the ranks of the Gauls they had just defeated in battle. The soldiers loved Julius Caesar and were extremely loyal to him. Page 39 mentions that Julius Caesar was so adulterous with women in Gaul, Spain and Britain that his men made fun of him, singing songs about “our bald whoremonger.” Rome was cruel and murdered millions of people!

So there have been 6 major world powers (kings) so far throughout history (both secular and Biblical): EGYPT, ASSYRIA, BABYLON, MEDO-PERSIA, GREECE and ROME. Rome fell apart in the 5th century A.D. and there has been no world power since, only super powers like Russia, China and the United States. The next kingdom will be the NEW WORLD ORDER, from which the Antichrist (or 8th king) will arise. And finally, as prophesied in Daniel 2, the final event will be THE STONE CUT FROM THE MOUNTAIN WITHOUT HANDS, which is Jesus Christ, Who will smash the kingdoms of this earth, abolishing them and establishing His own literal reign as King over the earth during the 1,000 year MILLENNIUM. What a glorious day that will be!!!

I made a quick chart below (I didn't list every book in the Bible) to help you see what I'm trying to teach you. As you can see, the different books of the Bible fall into different historical time periods. I'll discuss this more later and show you a drawing I made many years ago to help learn this. Note that all of the New Testament books were written during the Roman Empire (represented by the legs of iron on Nebuchadnezzar's image). By learning which secular power ruled the world at the time of the various books of the Bible, it really helps the Bible student grasp what was going on at the time in the world . . .

EGYPT ASSYRIA BABYLON MEDO-PERSIA GREECE ROME
Exodus Jonah Jeremiah Daniel None Matthew
Leviticus Amos Ezekiel Ezra   Mark
Numbers Micah Lamentations Nehemiah   Luke
Deuteronomy Hosea Habakkuk Esther   John
Joshua Isaiah Zephaniah Malachi   Revelation

What I have just taught you is the prophetic BIG PICTURE that is the basis upon which the entire Bible can be taught, prophetically and historically. It starts to make sense when you know that Moses and the Hebrews lived at a time in history when EGYPT was a world power. The prophet ISAIAH lived and was sent by God to preach repentance to the northern 10 tribes of Israel (the capitol city was called Samaria) during the time when ASSYRIA was the World Power. Israel rebelled against God and refused to repent, so God gave them into the hands of the Assyrians in 722 BC. Northern Israel was gone!

Then BABYLON (Iraq today) conquered Assyria, whose final king was Nabopolassar. BABYLON (the head of GOLD in Nebuchadnezzar's image in Daniel 2) became the greatest of all history's kingdoms, and has yet to be rivaled even today. God sent the weeping prophet, Jeremiah, to call southern Israel to repentance but she refused. So God gave Judah into the hands of the Babylonians and Israel fell completely in 586 BC. The city of Jerusalem was burned to the ground. Many Jews were raped, tortured and killed. God's people were now slaves in Babylon! Jerusalem was taken in three separate invasions, spanning years apart. In the first two invasions, Daniel and Ezekiel were taken into captivity. Jeremiah was left with the poor to watch Jerusalem burn in ashes after the final invasion in 586 BC, and he wrote the book of Lamentations.

Then Medo-Persia (Persia is today the country of Iran) conquered Babylon, overthrowing Nebuchadnezzar's proud son, Belshazzar. Daniel, as an elderly man, was thrown into the lion's den during the reign of king Darius of Medo-Persia. Also, Esther was in Babylon when the Medo-Persian king, Ahasuerus, chose her to wife. So you see how knowing which nation ruled the world at the particular writing of the different books of the Bible makes the Bible more interesting and easier to learn. It is exciting to know that we are now living in the end times, beholding the 7th kingdom develop before our very eyes, preparing the masses to receive the coming of the Antichrist. Albeit, as Christians we are looking for the glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who must return to remove the Church from the world before the Antichrist can be revealed (Titus 2:13; 2nd Thessalonians 2:4-12).

The New World Order will be World Government, and BILLIONS of people will be killed during the 7 year Tribulation period, but the Antichrist's kingdom will not compare to Babylon's glory. The Antichrist rises up out of the feet and toes of IRON and CLAY.

Do you know why secret societies worship the ancient religions of Egypt and Babylon today? It's because Satan has been wanting to achieve World Government since the tower and city of Babel. God stopped that plan until these end times, to prevent the world from destroying itself as it did in Genesis chapter 6 (Genesis 11:7-9). This is what the unfinished The Great Pyramid of the New World Order (NWO) signifies, that is, the unfinished work at Babel. Check out the new creepy One World Trade Center Tower. The picture to the left is the reverse side of a regular U.S. dollar bill. The capstone above the pyramid base is the reign of the Antichrist, and the All Seeing Eye is Lucifer, the angel of light.

Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) explains all this in his classic 1970, incredibly insightful MP3 sermon, Why The United States Will Be Destroyed And The Antichrist Must Come Soon. Check out these subtle, cleverly hidden, occult images that were put in this NWO music video by Toby Keith and Jimmy Buffet, titled 'TOO DRUNK TO KARAOKE'. Talk about creepy! These music, film and entertainment industry producers are very serious about the god they serve, Lucifer! You'll likely NEVER hear any Bible teacher give you the eye-opening truths that I'm giving you, because very few Christians are aware of these things. That's why I am sharing these truths with you, so you can understand and teach others as well. But if you really want to understand the Bible, then you need to understand how the world today relates to Biblical prophecy.

THE TRUTH is much more clearer to see in modern times, as today we have an incredible insight into the details of a New World Order as plotted by Adam Weishaupt in 1775, of which the very founding of the United States has been rooted. The U.S. has been a Masonic plot from the very beginning as a vehicle by which to bring about World Government. Our first U.S. President George Washington was a devout Freemason, as were at least nine signers of the Declaration Of Independence. American history is surprisingly full of high ranking Freemasons.

As Christians we must realize that our first and foremost loyalty is to God and not men . . .

Even if the initiators of the Revolution had been Christians, the fact remains that the Revolutionary War and the nation's government were structured by the tenets of Freemasonry, not God's Word. It was an unholy alliance at best. Scripture tells us that God has made one nation of all: the Church. It is the Church that is our "Christian nation," not the social and political institutions of the world.

We can thank our heavenly Father that we enjoy the freedoms that this republic grants us. But as citizens of Heaven, our allegiance is first to our brethren in foreign countries. Otherwise, we may find ourselves killing true Christians for political causes. We must be vigilant to the dangers of becoming embroiled in political and social causes in the name of Christ. Else we will find ourselves unequally yoked, storing up for ourselves wood, hay, and stubble for the day of judgment.

SOURCE: American Masonic History - What Are America's True Roots?

Boy that's good stuff! It's ok to be patriotic, but our first allegiance must be to fellow Christian believers, regardless of their nationality, heritage or race. Galatians 3:29 teaches that in Christ (that is, if you are a born-again believer) we are all ONE. Zionist Jews today claim special treatment, privileges and favor from God, but the Bible plainly teaches that there is neither Jew nor Gentile in Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” The insane notion that someone who is a biological Jew automatically qualifies them for blessings from God and special favor from Gentiles is utterly unbiblical rubbish. In fact, it is the sin of idolatry.

Freemasonry's official logo is a carpenter's square and compass, embodied with a “G” which has sexual connotations (the compass and G SPOT symbolize the female's private area), as does the Washington Monument (which is symbolic of the male Phallus, taken directly from ancient pagan Egypt and Babylon where these occult symbols originated). You won't hear the things I am teaching you in your average Bible study or church class on prophecy, because 99% of Christians are woefully ignorant on this topic. I'm not smarter than anybody else, but I do have a burning desire to search out, learn and proclaim THE TRUTH, and so I see things that most people overlook.

All my websites really are is simply concentrated truth. There's truth here and there on the internet, but you'll get pure truth here in abundance. I've simply been collecting truth since 2002, from anywhere I find it, and I share it with you through my internet ministries. The truth about the New World Order is on the internet if you want it. I've learned to think objectively toward everything I hear from the lying newsmedia or read in a New York Times Bestseller (controlled media). The process to finding the truth usually requires first sorting through all the lies, which is why Satan has manufactured so many false religions, false Bible versions, false doctrines, false religions, false Christs and false prophets. Everything about the New World Order (NWO) is a lie! The Bible calls these “LYING WONDERS” in 2nd Thessalonians 2:9. The fraudulent 911 World Trade Center attacks were a “LYING WONDER.” The fraudulent alleged Sandy Hook Shootings were a “LYING WONDER.” The powers of Satan are relentlessly at work in this evil world.

By the way, the New World Order means just that, a restructured order of government. The NWO will be a Godless Global Totalitarian Communist Police State! Jack boot thugs are becoming the norm in America when you dial 911. The tyranny is just getting started. The perpetrators behind the NWO want civil war in the United States. They want bloodshed in our neighborhoods! They want chaos and a social breakdown of order, because it will give them a pretext to establish a police state and bring in foreign troops to police Americans.

Everything happening today started in Genesis. Adam's sin opened the floodgate of sin, and sin entered into the world, with sin came death upon all men (Romans 5:12). Satan is still lying and deceiving people, just like he did Eve in Genesis 3:5. The New World Order is simply the continuation of what Satan started in Genesis 11:1-9 at Babel. And Jesus is the precious Lamb of God, symbolized by Abel's blood sacrifice in Genesis 4:4. Hebrews 12:24, “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”

2nd Corinthians 4:4 teaches that Satan is the god of this evil word and blinds people's minds to the truth of the light of the gospel. And let me say, you can learn all kinds of facts and details about the Bible, and yet not understand anything about the truth. 1st Corinthians 2:14 teaches that only a born-again Christian can understand the truths of God's Word, because the Holy Spirit lives within the believer's human body (1st Corinthians 3:16-17). I love the Holy Spirit! (1st John 4:4). The Holy Spirit is GOD WITH US, the Godhead living in every Christian!!!
 

HISTORICAL VIEW

Babylon A World Empire

I enjoy learning about world powers as they relate to the Old Testament. During the time of the major prophets of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel, Babylon had risen to become a greatly feared and powerful world empire. Every Bible student should do an in-depth study of Nebuchadnezzar's three invasions of Jerusalem, the Jew's 70 years of captivity and why Jerusalem ended up in this spiritual dire condition. Sin always undermines any nation! Read how wicked Jerusalem had become, committing gross immorality and claiming that they were doing God's will . . .

Jeremiah 7:8-11, “Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.”

Some things never change. Abortionists today claim that God gives “a choice” to kill or not to kill. Homosexuals claim that God made them “that way.” Beyonce claim that God has “given her permission” to dress sexy and strip in public.

Notice in Jeremiah 7:11 that they had turned God's house into a den of thieves, which continued into Jesus' day and is still the story today thousands of years later. Christianity has been turned into a lucrative business around the world, which is psuedo-Christianity, that is, false Christianity.

Nebuchadnezzar II reigned from 605 BC to 562 BC. In Jeremiah 25:11 the Lord pronounced judgment upon Jerusalem, “And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.” How many Jews returned from exile to Jerusalem? Ezra 2:1-64 says the whole company numbered 42,360 (besides their 7,337 male and female slaves). Isn't that interesting... slaves owning slaves! They also brought out of exile with them 200 male and female singers. It's interesting that the Bible mentions singers, no doubt to encourage them in their captivity. They also had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

I love how the Bible provides so much details that give us such a wonderful big picture of people's lives in ancient times, which Romans 15:4 teaches was all put there by God for our edification. Romans 15:4, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” Amen, the Scriptures give us HOPE, that as we see how God worked in the lives of other saints, even amidst the most difficult and trying of situations, in the end it all worked out for good and happiness in eternity's perspective.

God has given us a helpful, wonderful, accurate and precious historical view of many saints lives, including their horrible sins (Samson, David, Solomon, Moses, Rahab, Lot), bad decisions (Jacob, Achan, Jonah, Jeremiah), fears (Abraham, Sarah), anger (Moses, Jonah, Miriam), dysfunctional families (Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Esau, Samson, David) and so forth. I love the Old Testament. I encourage you to get Alexander Scourby's DVD (or many other formats which are available, including MP3) to hear him read the Bible. It really helps me walk with God. You can listen to Alexander Scourby freely here online.
 

Israel Failed To Keep The Sabbath Day For 490 Years

Most Bible students do not know why God sent the Israelites into 70 YEARS OF CAPTIVITY. The reason why is because the Jews had not kept the Sabbath Day as commanded under Mosaic law. For each seven years that Israel failed to keep the Sabbath Day, God sent them into captivity for one year. So for 490 years Israel didn't keep the Sabbath Day (490 divided by 7 equals 70 years of punishment). 2nd Chronicles 36:20-21, “And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.”

God Chastises (Disciplines For Our Growth) His Children, But There Is No Condemnation (Damnation to Hell)

A life's lesson for us today is that we can either obey God today or face harsh judgment tomorrow (Romans 14:10-12; Ecclesiastes 12:14, Hebrews 9:27; Hebrews 10:31; Matthew 12:36; James 4:12). Just because we are saved doesn't mean that there's no consequences for sinning. Concerning the price of sin, Christ paid our sin debt. He took our penalty. Albeit, the consequences of the act of sin still bring the chastisement of God. Although we are never in danger of eternal damnation (condemnation to punishment) as Christians who've been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, we are still susceptible and held accountable by God for our very words, thoughts and behavior.

1st Corinthians 11:31-32, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened [disciplined for our own good] of the Lord, that we should not be condemned [damned to punishment in the Lake of Fire forever] with the world.” Hebrews 12:6-8 teaches that God chastises and scourges His children. Please see 1st Thessalonians 4:6, Romans 12:19, Romans 14:10-12 and 2nd Corinthians 5:9-11.
 

Why Three Separate Invasions By Nebuchadnezzar Of Jerusalem?

Babylon conquered Jerusalem in three separate invasions separate by several years each. Why three invasions? The dates of these invasions is 605 BC, 597 BC and 586 BC. There are some interesting facts that most people don't know. Did you know that Nebuchadnezzar laid siege against Jerusalem for 18 months in 589 BC, finally overthrowing the city and burning it during 587-586 BC? King Nebuchadnezzar II was the oldest son of king Nabopolassar and his successor in Babylon as king. Nebuchadnezzar began to reign in 605 BC. From the start the king of Egypt refused to pay tax tribute to Babylon, so Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Neco in 605 BC, then attacked Egypt in 601 BC and lost . . .

In 605 BC Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon defeated Pharaoh Neco at the Battle of Carchemish, and subsequently invaded Judah. To avoid the destruction of Jerusalem, King Jehoiakim of Jerusalem, in his third year, changed allegiances from Egypt to Babylon. He paid tribute from the treasury in Jerusalem, some temple artifacts, and some of the royal family and nobility as hostages. In 601 BC, during the fourth year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar unsuccessfully attempted to invade Egypt and was repulsed with heavy losses. This failure led to numerous rebellions among the states of the Levant which owed allegiance to Babylon, including Judah, where king Jehoiakim stopped paying tribute to Nebuchadnezzar and took a pro-Egyptian position.

Nebuchadnezzar soon dealt with these rebellions. According to the Nebuchadnezzar Chronicle, he laid siege to Jerusalem, which eventually fell on 2 Adar (March 16) 597 BC.

SOURCE: Siege of Jerusalem (597 BC) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In 597 BC king Nebuchadnezzar removed Judah's king Jehoiakim because he stopped paying tribute taxes, and instead Nebuchadnezzar made Zedekiah, Jehoaikim's younger brother, king (who was only 21 years old at the time). When Zedekiah saw that Egypt was rebelling against Babylon, he sided with Egypt as an ally and made enemies quickly with Nebuchadnezzar when he stopped paying tribute taxes to Babylon.

Israel first became a nation under king Saul. Then David became king, Then Solomon. When Solomon died, the kingdom was divided, which God had foretold to Solomon because of his wickedness. I always remember that it was Rehoboam (Solomon's son who remained with the two tribes in Judah) by using this easy-to-remember saying that goes . . .

JEROBOAM JOURNEYED

REHOBOAM REMAINED!

Jeroboam journeyed north with the 10 TRIBES. The tribes of Levi (the priestly tribe) and Benjamin, remained in Jerusalem. The capital city of Northern Israel became Samaria. The capital city of the south was Judah. At times there was even civil war between northern and southern Israel, and thousands of Jews were killed by each other.

The northern city of Samaria went into gross immorality. God sent the prophet Isaiah to warn the ten tribes of coming judgment and to preach repentance toward God. They didn't listen, so God gave the northern tribes of Israel into the hands of Assyria. Samaria was conquered and taken into captivity in 722 B.C. The Jewish women were brutally and repeatedly gang raped, their homes destroyed, and their children dismembered before their eyes in horror. Isaiah 13:16, “Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.” After the battle finished, the king of Assyria later repopulated northern Israel by sending back captives from amongst the different nations whom he had taken prisoner in conquest. Idolatry flourished in Samaria and God sent lions to eat the people. So the king of Assyria sent Jewish priests back to Israel to teach them how to worship God, but they never got it right and idolatry still flourished in the land. They became known as the Samaritans, indicated by the Samaritan woman talking with Jesus in John 4:24. This is why Jesus told the Samaritan woman that they didn't know what they worshipped.

A century after Isaiah, the contemporary major prophets of Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel all preached during the reign of Babylon as a world power. Since the time of Isaiah, Babylon has conquered Assyria and the world and is now a world power. Jeremiah preaches repentance to the southern two tribes in Jerusalem and Judah, but they toss him into a miry pit of clay and leave him for dead. God gives Jerusalem over to the Babylonians. King Zedekiah's 70 sons are killed by the sword before his face, and then Zedekiah's eyes are put out of his head, likely by a soldier forcing his THUMBS back into his skull and destroying his eyes. This brutality method was common in the Roman empire. Zedekiah had several opportunities to surrender peaceably to king Nebuchadnezzar and God promised him that everything would go well if he did, but Zedekiah was blinded by hubris and power, bringing destruction upon his house.

The Jews went into captivity for 70 long years. Daniel was taken into captivity during the first invasion (605 B.C.) with all the wealthy-class, intelligent and beautiful youth and women. These were taken directly into the king's palace for his personal benefit. The beautiful Jewish wives now became the wives, by force, of Babylonian men. Ezekiel was taken into captivity during the second siege in 597 B.C. with the Middle-class people. They were brought to Babylon, along the river.

During the 18 month final siege which began in 589 B.C., by the time it was all finished and Jerusalem fell in 586 B.C., the entire city was burned to the ground with fire, the women and little girls were brutally gang raped by soldiers. Families were tortured, and pregnant women disemboweled if pregnant, husbands and brothers were tortured, raped by homosexuals and brutality murdered. No mercy was shown. Neither old, nor children, nor women, were spared. Only the poor were spared. Lamentations 5:11, “They ravished the women in Zion, and the maids in the cities of Judah.”
 

The 12 Minor Prophets

Pastor J. Vernon McGeeI love the 12 minor prophets in the Old Testament; namely, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah, and Malachi. Here are three contemporary (meaning they all lived during the same time period) minor prophets who all preached during the reign of Assyria as a world power. Here's my homemade chronology chart which helps me learn how the books and prophets of the Bible relate to each other. I find it helpful.

These MP3 audio Bible sermons are given by one of my favorite Bible scholars, Pastor J. Vernon McGee (1904-1988). Here are 10 of the minor prophets listed in order by date (I listed Jonah and Nahum separately to the right since they go together). For the following MP3 Bible studies, make sure that your Windows Media Player (or which ever media player you use is not set to SHUFFLE, otherwise they won't play in chronological order from chapter 1, verse 1) . . .

Joel (840 BC), Jonah (780 BC), Amos (765 BC), Hosea (765-723 BC), Micah (747-704 BC),

Zephaniah (628 BC), Nahum (628 BC), Habakkuk (607 BC), Obadiah (585 BC),

Haggai (520 BC), Zechariah (520-518 BC), Malachi (425 BC)

By Dr. J. Vernon McGee © Thru the Bible Radio Network, www.ttb.org

God sent the prophet Jonah to preach to Nineveh (the capital of Assyrian Empire). The entire city repented and God spared them judgment. But 150-years later Nineveh had forgotten about God and gone back into wickedness, so God sends the prophet Nahum! Since the Assyrians already had the light but rejected it, God didn't send Nahum to warn them. Jesus said if the light that be in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:23). Like America who has received the truth, they rejected it!!!

God is good! (Psalm 107:1-2)

PRACTICAL VIEW

The Major Theme Of The Bible From Genesis Through Revelation Is The Blood Of Jesus Christ!

The practical view of the Old Testament is simply it's purpose for being written. The Bible student must wisely distinguish between God's law verses the Old Testament itself. The Old Testament is based upon and centered around God's law, that is, His commandments. The heart matter of the Old Testament is the LAW; whereas the heart matter of the New Testament is THE CROSS. Galatians 3:24-25 says, “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. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

Someone wisely summed up the Old Testament by saying, “GOD MADE IT ALL! WE MESSED IT UP! CHRIST FIXED IT ALL!” Amen! The Old Testament law was given by God as a MEASURING STICK, by which when compared we see our SINNERSHIP and hopeless condition because of personal sins, and then the law POINTS US to Jesus Christ, the MESSIAH, to be redeemed by faith through His precious blood sprinkled on the heavenly Mercy Seat. No one ever got saved who didn't realize that he is a sinner.

Everything in the Old Testament was leading up to the coming of the Messiah, the perfect LAMB OF GOD Who sacrificed Himself on the cross for the sins of humanity, ascending up into Heaven with His liquid shed blood to SPRINKLE upon the Mercy Seat in the heavenly Holy Place in the presence of the Father to redeem man from sin, death and the Lake of Fire.

It's Not The Shedding Of Jesus' Blood That Saves, But The 'SPRINKLING' Of That Shed Blood

There are TWO TESTAMENTS (or wills). The Bible teaches that a person's will does not go into effect until that person dies. Hebrews 9:16-18, “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.”

The PASSOVER LAMB Became The LAMB OF GOD!

The following passage of Scripture is so eye-opening and precious, teaching us that the BLOOD of Jesus Christ through His death, brought REDEMPTION for all the Old Testament saints. All of the Old Testament sacrifices would have been in vain if Christ, the literal fulfillment of what each Old Testament sacrificed animal symbolized, hadn't been sacrificed Himself on the cross. If Christ had not died upon THE CROSS and sprinkled His literal blood on the Mercy Seat in Heaven, all humanity would have gone to Hell . . .

Hebrews 9:14-18, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.”

As you just read, BOTH Old and New Testaments absolutely required BLOOD to be effective. Hebrews 9:22 tells us that WITHOUT THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD THERE IS NO REMISSION OF SINS!!! The prophesied PASSOVER LAMB of the Old Testament became the sacrificed LAMB OF GOD in the New Testament. The Old Covenant lays the foundation for the coming Messiah Who sacrifices Himself on the cross for the sins of the whole world in the New Testament (1st John 2:2). BOTH testaments reveal a holy, merciful and righteous God Who condemns sin, but greatly desires for all people to repent and believe the gospel to be saved (Mark 1:15). 2nd Peter 3:9 says God is, “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

There has always been only ONE plan of salvation, which is evidenced by Acts 10:43, “To him [Jesus Christ] give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” The Old Testament prophets all preached the gospel. Concerning the unsaved Hebrews in the Wilderness we read in Hebrews 4:2, “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” Many of the Hebrews in the Wilderness of Zin perished and went to Hell because of the sin of unbelief, which is the only sin that can keep anyone out of Heaven. If you believe (receive) the gospel as full payment for your sins, no sin(s) can keep you out of Heaven.

From the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), to the saints whose robes are washed in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14), the Bible proclaims the necessity, importance and preciousness of the BLOOD OF JESUS!!! Beware of the bloodless theology of our modern times. Liberal John MacArthur teaches that Jesus' blood soaked into the ground at Calvary and stayed there; whereas the Word of God teaches that the Lord ascended with His liquid blood to appear in the presence of the Father in the Holy Place (Hebrews 9:12), sprinkling His literal blood upon the heavenly Mercy Seat to appease the wrath of God against mankind for our sins (Hebrews 9:22-24). Redemption was finished at the Mercy Seat when the blood was SPRINKLED on it!!!

It's Not The Shedding Of Jesus' Blood That Saves, But The 'SPRINKLING' Of That Shed Blood

The PRACTICAL VIEW of the Old Testament is that the law of God is our schoolmaster to point us to Christ (Galatians 3:24-26), Who is the end of the law to them that believe the gospel. The Old Testament law serves the purpose of being a MEASURING STICK by with which men can compare themselves and fall short every time. Once proven to any particular person that they CANNOT measure up to God's holy law, then the law does them a great service by freely pointing them to the Lord Jesus Christ Who can save them.

God makes us an incredible offer in Romans 4:5 in the New Testament. Romans 4:5-6, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.” In the Old Covenant you had to live 100% perfect, but failed utterly each time. Thank God for the Day Of Passover each year, and the blood sacrifices which symbolize the coming Messiah in the New Testament, who would take away the sins of the world as the LAMB OF GOD!!!


CHRONOLOGICAL VIEW

This hand-drawn chart that I made years ago shows the timeline of all Old Testament books . . .

The Chronology Of The Old Testament
(You are welcome to share this chart on the internet, it's not copyrighted. I drew it and you can freely use it.)

The chart clearly reveals that many Old Testament books happened at the SAME TIME and overlap in chronology. This is very helpful to know. For example: Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Daniel were all contemporary prophets living at the same time, and perhaps knew each other. Job also took place during the time of Genesis. Adam and Job might have known each other. The Law of God had not yet been given, as evidenced by it's absence in the book of Job. Clearly, Job lived before Moses and the law.

Also, notice all the incredible amount of Old Testament books that occur during the history of 2nd Chronicles. The next time you read the book of Chronicles, remember that it covers everything from king Solomon's reign all the way through Israel going into Babylonian captivity. Studying this helpful chart will greatly help you understand the timing (chronology) of the different books of the Old Testament. You are welcome and encouraged to share this chart and everything else on my websites with others.

So in this brief study you have learned that there have been SIX world power throughout history, which parallel Biblical times; thus, making the Bible much more interesting and fascinating to research. The SEVENTH king will be the now forming NEW WORLD ORDER, from which the EIGHTH king (or Antichrist) will arise to world power. I believe it will be very soon. Here's a very interesting and helpful chart which shows OLD TESTAMENT VERSES SECULAR HISTORY TIMELINE.

One of the many proofs that the Bible is indeed God's inspired Word is the fact that the entire Bible parallels secular history, being an accurate (and in many ways exclusive) historical record itself of the Hebrew people and the nation of Israel, the apple of God's eye. God owns Israel, not the Jews. God owns the land of Palestine, not the Jews nor the Arabs. Biblically, Israel is the center of the world. God gave us the law, the prophets and Christ Himself through Israel.

Yet, the Jews crucified their Messiah, and hate His guts today like no other people on the planet (and I believe there are Jews who love Jesus more than others too). Don't make the common mistake of walking away from the Old Testament thinking that Jews are special, better than Gentiles or guaranteed eternal life. Quite the contrary, Jesus said there is NEITHER Jew nor Gentile in Christ; but rather, we are all ONE in Christ (Galatians 3:26-29). No unsaved Jew will ever enter the Promised Land when Christ returns at the Second Coming, and no born-again Gentile will miss out on the Promised Land when Christ shall literally reign, in righteousness from the throne of David in Jerusalem, over the whole earth during the Millennium. What a glorious time that will be for all true Christians. So don't mistake the nation of Israel (the apple of God's eye, Zechariah 14:) verses the unbelieving Jews who murdered their own Messiah, and many still do today in their wicked hearts. Jesus is precious to them who believe (1st Peter 2:7).
 

Final Remarks

In closing, there is so much more I could say about the Old Testament, but I want you to focus on what I have given you. I do want to teach you a wonderful truth though, and that is, always LOOK FOR JESUS in the Scriptures, for that is the very purpose of searching them (John 5:39) and in all prophecy (Revelation 19:10).

I hope that you will remember three truths concerning the Old Testament:

  1. OLD TESTAMENT - If you don't remember anything else, remember that the purpose of the Old Testament itself is to give us HOPE as Christians, from studying the lives of the saints who went before us, their struggles, sorrows, challenges, sins, backslidings, faith in the Messiah, and peaceful end to those who feared and trusted upon the Messiah (Lord). Romans 15:4, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”
  2. GOD'S LAW - And then remember that the Old Testament is based upon God's law, the purpose of which is to be used as a measuring stick to show man his SINNERSHIP and utter inability to save himself by self-righteous works (Romans 3:19-20). According to Galatians 3:24-26, the law of God POINTS US, as a schoolmaster, to Christ Who is the END OF THE LAW (or the intended function or destination of the law), so that by faith in Jesus Christ we will obtain the imputed righteousness of God in Him. This is why Lordship Salvation is public enemy #1, because it robs Christ of the salvation that only He can give! Romans 4:5 teaches that a person's FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, which means that a person can hang onto their sinful bad habits and still be saved if they want to be saved by faith in Christ. Dr. Curtis Hutson has it right!
  3. THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB - And then thirdly, remember that it was the mercy seat which overlaid the Ark Of The Covenant in which the law of God was contained in the holy place of the tabernacle. Once a year the tabernacle highpriest killed a lamb (a male, spotless and without blemish), and then took that lamb's shed blood into the holy place to sprinkle that innocent blood upon the mercy seat in between the two cherubims, in the presence of the glory of God the Father. Hence, without the application of the literal, liquid, blood of the lamb, the sins of the people could not be atoned (covered) for. Ah, but the blood of Jesus once and for all washed away forever the sins of mankind, making eternal life freely available for anyone who wants it. The heart of the Bible from Abel's blood sacrifice in Genesis to the saints in Revelation whose robes are washed as white as snow by the blood of the Lamb, the major theme throughout the Word of God is the literal BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, THE SINLESS LAMB OF GOD, OUR PASSOVER LAMB!!! Amen and amen! END

The King James Bible Defended

Jesus' Literal, Physical, Precious, Blood Saves!

“Nobody can love God who doesn't love sinners!”
(a quote by Dr. Jack Hyles classic MP3 sermon, “The Happiest Man” (happiest is the man who will not impute sin to others!)

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