How the Bible is Organized

Not my catchiest Title.

Until I read this blog post 

"The 7 Sections of the Bible: A Sign of God's Inspiration"

By Michael J. Kruger

I did not realize,How the Bible was Organized

and how that organization is just simply

Perfect.

 To read it yourself, please Click Here

Historically, The Old Testament

Is split into three parts:

The Law

The Prophets

The Writings

Three is an important number in the Bible

It relates to Divine Perfection

Such as the Trinity

(To read more on the significance of "3" Click Here)

The New Testament can be split into 4 Sections:

The Gospels

Acts & General Epistles
Paul's Epistles

Revelation

Four refers to His Creation.

Combined, OT + NT creates a 7-Fold Structure

Seven is a number of Spiritual Perfection

The Divine (3)+ His Creations (4) = Perfection (7)

To Read More on Numbers and Meanings from the Bible Click Here

The Promises of the Resurrection

Upon His Death and Resurrection

God proved 3 very important things to all of mankind:

1.  God is Real and Jesus IS God

2.  God loves us and wants us with Him

3.  We are eternal

Jesus performed many miracles that are well documented in the Bible

and elsewhere in ancient historical documents.

But many said this was sorcery and trickery.

But how can a Dead Man perform tricks or magic?

Only if that Dead Man is God.

So when Jesus  Resurrected it proved

 Jesus IS God

So if He is God,

why did he allow himself to be crucified?

The worst, most painful death known to mankind.

Because He loves us and wants us to be with Him.

We have to be punished for our sins

The punishment for Sin is death

and Death is eternal separation from God.

God loves us and wants us to be with Him.

So he took our punishment upon himself.

But God's promises do not end there.

Through His Resurrection He not only proved who He Is

But showed us that like Him  we will be Resurrected.

For us who believe there is NO DEATH

We are Eternal

It is Darkest before the Dawn..........

“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.” Matthew 27:45.

The light of this world was snuffed out as the spirit of Christ our Lord left His broken and forsaken body.  At noon the world went dark as night and did not brighten again for 3 hours.


As predicted by the Prophets Amos and Joel:

This miraculous darkness appears to fulfill a prophecy of Amos: “On that day, says the Lord God, I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight” (Amos 8:9). Also, the prophet Joel foretells the miracle: “And I will work wonders in the heavens and on the earth…the sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, at the coming of the day of the Lord, the great and terrible day” (Joel 3:3-4).


Solar eclipse?

.

Eclipses do not last three hours.  Nor do they happen with the full moon of Passover......


And it is not just the Bible that records this historical miracle!  ((click Here to see other records)



And the curtain that separates the Holiest of the Holies, the center of the Temple where God resides,

Is torn---Top Down..........

Why is that significant?  If torn by man it would've been from bottom up.  

This is another miracle of the crucifixion.  Not only does the spirit of Jesus leave the body, but the spirit of God leaves the Temple.   No longer is God only accessible by high priests.  He is now accessible to all.   We do not need priests as intercessors.  We can connect directly to God ourselves.   And God no longer needs a physical temple in which to reside


He now resides in each of us.   We are His Temple.  

And if this darkness did not terrify the people of the time, the Earth shook.  

And shook violently.

Rocks broke apart, Tombs were opened.   (Matthew 27:52)


And zombies roamed the streets.........


well, sortof........ok, not even close.........

The bodies of the saints (jews faithful to God) were resurrected and were seen in the streets of Jerusalem by many.

This miracle confirms for us that we who live in Christ, and our Jewish brothers and sisters faithful to God shall also be resurrected!

And many, many MANY people believed that day.  

They who mocked, scoffed and scorned Jesus of Nazareth now knew He truly was the Messiah.!!

Can you imagine the stories they shared with their children?  With their grandchildren?  All that they witnessed that day?

It is my opinion and theory that sadly by the 3rd & 4th generations this was quickly becoming folklore of the old.  And over 2000 years later we are once again mocking, scoffing and scorning those who believe.


We are again in dark hours



But remain faithful, because these dark hours will one day give way to a glorious dawn............

For more info, please visit these sites;

The Shock and Awe of Good Friday
Three Hour Darkness
7 miracles-of good friday

Look at Passover in a New Light

Re-Post from 2014

****

I don't know why, but I have been reading alot about the first Passover recently.  It is one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament.  I will recap it here, and I know at least one of you is Jewish so I would LOVE you to share your thoughts on this.

As a matter of fact, it would be interesting to see how the version I read in the Bible compares with what Jews are taught from the Torah.  They should be the same, but what do I know, I've never read the Torah!

So here it goes.  A recap of the 1st Passover:

Pharaoh has repeatedly refused to release the Hebrews from slavery despite the amazing displays of God's powers through Moses.  So God gave instructions to his people prior to the final "plague".

The Hebrews were to prepare a feast.  But the bread was to be made without yeast  (unleavened bread).  As a matter of fact, they were instructed to clean all the yeast from their homes 10 days prior to the event.

They were also told to prepare a lamb for a special meal.  The lamb must be chosen 4 days before it was to be killed.  It must be chosen carefully, it must be perfect in every way, and in the prime of it's life.

On the day it is to be slain, it is to be slain late in the afternoon.   The blood of this lamb was to be placed on the tops and sides of the doorposts of every Hebrew home.  (The Angel of Death would "Pass-Over" homes marked with this sign)

The lamb was to be attached to a forked piece of wood with metal and cooked over a fire.  None of its bones are allowed to be broken.   The Hebrews were to eat it dressed as if ready to leave at once.  It is also to be eaten with bitter herbs.

Last night I read that these instructions are prophesy of the Messiah.   See, Jesus entered Jerusalem and chosen by the people as the King of Jews 4 days before His death.   Jesus is the lamb, He was perfect in every way, being free of sin.  He was in the prime of his life. Jesus we know was crucified, on a "forked" piece of wood and attached by metal stakes.  His bones were not broken, he died late in the afternoon.   Jesus's blood was shed onto the cross and because of this, we are forgiven our sins and in a way the Angel of Death passes over us, because death was conquered such that we do not die, but will live in Heaven with God forever.

The bitter  herbs represent the pain that Jesus suffered on the cross and the bitterness of sin.  The Hebrews had to eat this meal dressed ready to leave.  This symbolizes our readiness to leave behind our life of sin.

This is the interpretation by Steven Copland in "Time for Truth".   I thought it was very interesting as I love reading about prophecy!

A Prophecy Fullfilled

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! 

See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle 

and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.  Zechariah 9:9:

Written over 500 years before the before the birth of Christ, the Prophet Zechariah spoke of the coming Messiah and that he would arrive to Jerusalem riding on a young donkey.

The Hebrews were looking for a Messiah, a King that would save them and free them from the oppression of the Romans.   Many expected him to arrive, on a stallion, sword drawn, fearless and ready to destroy the oppressors.

But Jesus was not about saving them from their oppressors.   The Hebrews thought he would establish an Earthly Kingdom, He was there to save them for eternity.    Jesus humbles himself and arrives not on a war horse, but a donkey's foal, a symbol of peace and thus fulfilling the prophecy.

As he enters Jerusalem he is greeted and cheered by His followers.  There are many (one of the reasons the Pharisees were so angered by  Him)    

In these days it was customary to lay down garments on the ground of the path of one deserving of the highest honor.  Palm branches were a symbol of triumph and victory, and the crowds waved them and laid them on the ground as well, calling "Hosanna!  Hosanna", and expression of adoration.

Here is a Prayer I would like to Share from
ExploreFaith.org

Gracious God, 


The energy and emotion of a parade can generate joy. 

Yet the joy of your  parade into Jerusalem turned so quickly to 

pain signaling the sacrifice of your own self.  


Let this day remind me that while emotions can be fickle, 

your faithfulness and love remain true.  


May I see in the giving of your life 

the power to give myself for others simply for love. 


When life’s struggle sears my soul 

or sacrifice strips me of hope, 

strengthen me with your spirit that strode into Jerusalem


To face death 

Even as palm branches were strewn before your path

And the crowd cried 


“Hosanna in the highest.”