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Nehemiah’s Example: Contending for the Faith in a Compromised World

via Manuel Alejandro Leon | Pixabay

Nehemiah was vital to the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity had ended. He gained permission from Artaxerxes to go to Judah (Nehemiah 2:5-6) to lead the people. Through several challenges Nehemiah led the people as they repaired the wall of Jerusalem and completed the project in just 52 days (Nehemiah 6:15).

Nehemiah gathered the people together to register them by their genealogies (Nehemiah 7:5-73), and served as their governor (Nehemiah 10:1). He, along with Ezra sought to lead the people in the ways of God as given in the law of Moses (Nehemiah 8:1-8).

After things were settled in Jerusalem, Nehemiah went back to Artaxerxes in Babylon for a time (Nehemiah 13:6). Upon his return, there were some problems that required his attention.

Predictions of the End of the World

end
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Predictions of the end of the world are not new. In fact, in the 1st century,  some  boldly affirmed that the Lord had already returned (2 Timothy 2:17-18). Some in today’s religious world still hold to this doctrine (Preterism), teaching that everything the Bible says about the end has already happened. So, is this heaven or is it hell?

The Bible reveals that the end could come at any time; there are no Bible prophecies which remain undone, save the return of Christ for the judgment of all souls, then comes eternity. Writing to the Thessalonians, Paul armed them with the mind that the Lord could return at any time (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 5:1-6). Paul did not teach them (nor did any other Bible writer) about a rapture, tribulation and millennial reign as is commonly taught today. The Bible says the Lord will return, but we do not and cannot know when He will return. There are no signs (Matthew 24:43-44; 25:13; 2 Peter 3:10).

The Golden Calf: Israel’s Great Sin at Mount Sinai

golden calf
via Menno de Jong | Pixabay

Three months after leaving Egypt, the Hebrews came to Mount Sinai,  where God would give His law to them. He spoke to all the people from the top of Mount Sinai, revealing His covenant with Israel. Then, He called Moses to come up Sinai, so He might give him the tablets of stone on which the law would be written (Exodus 24:12). The next several chapters reveal details of the law of Moses.

Moses would be with the Lord on the top of Sinai for 40 days. No sooner had God finished revealing & recording His law (Exodus 31:18) than trouble began in the camp. The Lord commanded Moses,

Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ (Exodus 32:7-8)

I See Four Men in the Fire: Finding God’s Presence

fire
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Nebuchadnezzar, king of  Babylon, had a huge gold statue of himself.  Throughout the land, a proclamation was made, that all people should fall down and worship the image when they heard the symphony of music – under threat of being cast into a furnace of fire. The warning was given,

…whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:6)

And so it was, when the horn, flute, harp and lyre sounded, the people would bow down and worship the statue of Nebuchadnezzar, all but a few of the Jews who had been set in authority by the king. Three men were accused of not giving the king honour, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (Daniel 3:12). They would not bow to the golden image, nor would they serve the Babylonian gods.

Obadiah: A Small Book with a Big Warning

Obadiah
via Markus Kammermann | Pixabay

Obadiah is the shortest Old Testament book, and was written about  five centuries before the coming of Jesus Christ. It reveals God’s anger with Edom, foretells the destruction of Edom, and the coming of God’s kingdom.

Background of Obadiah

The nation Edom were descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob. Friction between the brothers and their respective nations began from the womb (Genesis 25:22-26). As Esau had little regard for that which ha value (his birthright, Genesis 25:29-34; Hebrews 12:16), so his offspring lacked moral and spiritual focus.

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