Bible Study Fellowship: You're Invited!Did you know that YHWH (YEHOVAH, YAHWEH), the
God of the universe and Father of Ye'shua the Messiah, has set appointments with mankind and given his
people the schedule for those appointments?
He has, and he keeps his appointments! And one thing is for sure: he
didn't give his people that schedule so he'd have a backup copy in case
the original went missing! He gave it to us so we could know when those
appointments are and
KEEP THEM,
and that's exactly what he expects us to do.
There are very important reasons for those appointments. They're for our
own good, and the consequences if we don't keep them are not pleasant.
That's not an opinion, that's a fact. Just ask Ye'shua (Jesus), who is the
Living Word!
...If thou hadst known, even thou, at least
in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they
are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, when
thine enemies shall cast up a bank about thee, and compass thee round, and
keep thee in on every side, and shall dash thee to the ground, and thy
children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon
another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
(Luke
19:42-44)
Ye'shua's prophecy, addressed to the inhabitants of Jerusalem as he
mourned over that city while entering it for the Passover feast, indicated
that they would see their city and even their children destroyed because
they didn't know the time of their visitation. Ye'shua's very presence
among men was an instance of YHWH keeping one of those appointments, and
because His people didn't know Him when He came and ignored the signs that
were all around them, they suffered the destruction of their nation,
deprivation, death and captivity.
Should that be surprising to us? Should it have been surprising to
them? I think not.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou
hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no
priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also
forget thy children. (Hosea
4:6)
But how are we to keep his appointments if we don't know exactly when
they are? After all, everyone knows that he didn't give us precise
dates... Or did He?
Now when Jesus was born
in
Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came
wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born
King of the Jews? for we have seen his star
in the east, and are come to worship him.
(Matthew
2:1-2)
The wise men got it. They weren't even from the land of Israel, but
they got it. They understood where they should be looking and what they
should be looking for, and they got it!
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall
do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise
shall understand. (Daniel
12:10)
Wise men indeed! Could these have been Babylonian descendants of the royal
astrologers Daniel instructed in ancient Babylon? It seems likely! Where
else would wise men from the east have gotten such knowledge? Could one of
the wives of King Belshazzar, son of Nebuchadnezzar, have given us the
answer many hundreds of years before the question ever arose?
There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy
gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom,
like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king
Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of
the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;
(Dan
5:11)
She's speaking about the prophet Daniel :-)
Did you know that the
sun, moon and stars do more than just give light upon the earth and
mark months, seasons and years? Daniel did. The wise men from the East
did. We should too, if we believe what God has said in his own word.
They're beacons: signals of YHWH's appointments as they approach. The
cosmos is an immeasurably vast alarm clock!
The heavens declare the glory of God; and
the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech,
and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor
language, where their voice is not heard. (Psalm
19:1-3)
From the
creation of the heavens and the earth to mankind's ultimate destiny,
the Word of God illuminates the paths of life and righteousness for those
who seek to know Him and desire to please Him.
But without faith it is impossible to please him: ...
Please join us in fellowship and diligent study of God's word, in the name
of Ye'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ), and the earnest expectation of
reward from the maker of all that is, the Living God, whose face we seek!
... for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he
is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews
11:6)
We'll be getting much deeper into this topic soon, and this is just one of
the many topics we'll explore together as we study what YHWH has
spoken to us through his servants over the millennia. Be sure to check out
the
scriptural studies and essays already published in the writings
section at this site, and be sure to check back often for more!
Peace. Blessings. Much love in Christ
Aok4way :-)
