1. He speaks to the soul of men, thus revealing Himself the most distinctly. Rom.8:16; 1 Cor.2:10-12;
2. He reveals His omnipotence--unlimited power--in the visible creation, thus adequately proving that there must be a definite motive. Ps.8; Ps.139:3-18; Isa.40,26; Rom.l: 19-20;
3. He reveals himself in the history of mankind, in which He shows, that He leads the nations to the fulfilment of that which He has decreed eternally. xDaniel; Prov.8:15,16;.15:1-21; Isa.44:24; Isa.45:8; the Book of
The Bible particularly depicts the way in which God guides humanity and shows His Godliness through the precise fulfilment of prophecies made centuries before.
The Arabs: Gen.16: 10-12.
The Jews: Lev.26: 14-39; Deut.28: 15-68; Particularly verse 37; Jer.29:18,19;
The Jewish land: Lev.26:19.20; Isa.1:7; Isa.24:3-6; Jer.12:7-13;
Idumea or Edom: Isa.34:5-13; Jer.49:7-16; Ezek.35: 1-15; Obadiah;
Egypt: Ezek.29:1-16; Ezek.30:13.
Nineveh: Nahum 1: 1.2.8.10; Nahum 2,6-9; Nahum 3:13.19; Zeph.2:13-15;
Babylon: Isa 13:l9-22; Isa.14; 22,23; Isa.45:1-3; Jer.50 and particularly verses 2,13,26. Jer.51:31,37;
The Bible is the word of God, and contains what is necessary for salvation.It was written by people who were impelled to do so by the Holy Spirit.aIt is explicitly stated of the books of the 01d Covenant.2 Tim.3,16;
b We can testify the same of the four Gospels, as they describe the fulfilment of very many predictions in the 01d Covenant and also contain predictions which have already been fulfilled. We can therefore say of Him of whose life and words we read in the Gospels, that he possessed the Holy Spirit immeasurably.John 3:34;
c The Lord Jesus said, that He would send the Holy Spirit to His disciples to guide them into all the truth. What these servants have written we must therefore also accept as Godly truth.
| Prophecy: | Fulfilment | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gen.3:15. | Gal. 4: 4; John 3,17, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gen.18:18. | Gal.3,8,16; Matt.1:1; . | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gen.49:10 | Matt. 2:1; Luk.l:5; Luk.2:1; | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ex. 12:46 | John 19: 33,36; | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Num.24:17; | Rev. 22: 16; | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deut.18:15-18. | Acts 7: 37; | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 Sam 7: 12, 13. | Matt.1:1; Luk 1:32,33; | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Job 19,25,26. | 1 Thess. 4:16,17; 1 Cor.15:24,26; 1 Tim 3:16; | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ps 2:1 | Acts 4: 25-27 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ps.2,6,7,9. | Acts 13:33; Hebr.5:5; Rev.2:26,27; | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ps.8:3, Ps.118:26 | 9Matt. 21: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PS.16:10; | Acts.2:31; Acts 13:37; 1 Cor. 15:44; | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PS 22 and 69 | Matt. 27: 35, 46-48; John.19:36 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ech.
11:12,13
; |
Mat. 26:15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the Bible we read of God's eternal decree. It is His wish that all people will be saved.Tim.3, 15. 1 Tim. 2:4; Titus 2:11; Matt 11:28; John 3,14-17;John 5,39. John 7,38,39.
The first people wanted to free themselves from God and listened to the voice of the devil, who denied that God alone was good and holy.Adam and Eve succumbed as also the whole human generation, steeped in sin before God, under the might of the devil and of death.Rev.4; Gen.3:16; Rom.3:23; Rom.5:12.
Due to the fact that man sinned, he was separated from God. He was driven out of paradise, but not without consolation.Gen.3:15.
Clause 7
Notwithstanding sin, God is continually active, saving mankind, and for this purpose we always find a remnant as good seed.Isa.65:2,6,13; Gen.4:,4,26; Gen.5:21-24;
We find in the seventh generation from Adam --the sons of God and the children of men-- a limit both in godliness --Enoch--as well as in ungodliness Lamech.Jude 14; Gen.5:24; Gen.4:19-24;
God did not want mankind to perīsh entirely. He almost exterminated them wīth the great flood, but, in Noah and his family the good seed to survive; rescueing them in the ark constructed according to His directions.Gen.6; Gen.7; Gen 8.
After the great flood God save Noah His commandments. We find his three sons as ancestors. The youngest, Japheth, received an important promise.Gen 9.
The descendants of Noah sīnned again, so that God separated them by confounding their language. Some of them, however, preserved the knowledge of God more or less pure.Gen.11:11-32; Ps.76:3; Hebr.7:1-4;
From one of these descendants God chose Abram, with whom He made a covenant, the symbol of which was circumcision. Abram's name was also changed to Abraham --Abram means "mighty father" and Abraham "father of many". Gen.17:5;
Sarai means "one who is noble" and Sarah "the queen" He received the promise that in his seed all generations of the earth will be blessed.Gen. 12:1-3; Gen.13:14-l7; Gen.l7: 9-14;
A servant of Abraham sought a wife for his son Isaac. Decorated with ornaments Rebecca, the bride, was led to the bridegroom by the servant.Gen.24;
Through exceptiona1 guīdance why God, Abraham's descendants were brought to Egypt, where Jacob on his death-bed blessed his sons and in partīcular Judah.Gen 15:13-16; Genesis chapters 37-50, with the exception of chapter 38.
Clause 15
Moses, who was called by God, led
the children of Israel through the Red Sea, after the blood of
the Faschal-lamb had saved them from the destroying angel.Exodus, chapters 1 tot 14.
Clause 16
Moses led his people through the
desert feeding them with manna from haven and quenching their
thirst, with water from the rock.Num.32:13; Ex 16:4-36; John 4:6-14; Ex, 17:1-6;
John 6,31-58;1 Cor. 10:4.
Clause 17
In the desert on the mountain of
Horeb, God directed Moses how He desired to be served. He gave
Israel the Law and the services in the tabernac1e as an example
of that, which was to come. -Thus the Israel of the 01d
Testament, and the 0ld Covenant, are silhouettes of the spiritual
Israel and the New Covenant.Ex.
19; Ex.2O: l-l7. Ex-24: 9-18; Exodus chapters 25,26 and 27
particularly chapter 25,40 and chapter 26,3O; Gal.4: 24-29; Hebr.
9: 8,9; Hebr.10:1; Hehr.8:5; Col.2:16,l7;
easts and holy seasons in
the time of the Old Covenant all having their particular
significance:
Sabbath: Ex.20,8-11;
Ex. 23:12;
Sabbatical year: Ex.23:10,11; Deut. 15:1-6;
Jubilee year: Lev.25,8-19.
The feast of the new moon: Num.28:11-l5; Num 10:10; Ps. 81;
Passover or Easter: Ex.12,1-27;
Pentecost: the harvest festival or feast of the first-fruits: Ex.23,16; Num.28: 26-31.
The feast of Tabernacles: Lev.23: 33-44; Deut:16:13-15;
The Great Day of Atonement: Lev.16:1-34; Lev.23,23-32.
The feast of Purim: Esther 9:26-32;
Clause 18
God isolated the Levites to perform
His services, and from amongst them He called the house of Aaron
for the performance of the priestly services, speaking through
the mouth of the prophet Moses. Ex.28:1; Hebr.5:4;
Clause 19
Only the High Priest, once a year,
entered the Most Holy Place --within the veil Ex.26,33
to free the whole nation of sin. He wore a breastplate with twelve precious stones, on which the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were engraved, thus representing the whole nation before God. Lev.16; Ex.28:15-30.
Clause 20
Of the many offerings the principal
ones were the burnt offerings, which represented the venerable -honouring-
worship and total surrender to God., and the sin offering.
Sometimes the offering was burnt outside the camp.Lev.l:3-17; Lev.4:12; Lev.5:18,l9;
Lev.6:25-30; Lev.17:11; Lev.16:27; Hebr.13:11-13.
For no meat offering see: Lev.2.
Clause 21
In the lineage of Judah we find
Boaz, who married a woman of heathen origin named Ruth who became
the ancestress of David, of whom as concernīng the flesh Christ
came, according to the promise God made to David.The Book of Ruth; 2 Sam.7:12-16;
Matt.1:2-6; Rom.9:5.
Clause 22
The Kīngdm of Solomon was divided
into the Kingdom of the Ten tribes --Israel or Ephraim--,and the
Kingdom of Judah--Judah with Benjamin-- Both sinned. God. warned
them through prophets e.g. Eliah. The Kingdm of the Ten tribes
was destroyed by Sargon of Assyria -722 B.C - The nation
disappeared, but still it is written, that God would return them
to the land of their fathers.From 1 Kings 11; 2 Kings 25; Lev.26:40-46.
Clause 23
Judah was also punished and
Jerusalem conquered. The temple of Solomon was destroyed and the
people were removed as prisoners by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon 587
E.C.. According to God's promise the people of Judah would after
seventy years be permitted to return and rebuild Jerusalem and
the temple.2Jer.25:11,12;
Isa.44:28; 2 Chron.:36:2O-23; the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
Clause 24
After the period in exile the Jews
no longer worshipped any idols. We find amongst them different
sects such as the Pharisees and Sadducees. Phil.3:5,6; Luke 18:9-14; Matt.23:1-39;
Mark 7:3,4; Matt. 22:23-33; Acts 23,8.
Clause 25
After many wars Judah eventually
became subjrct to the Romans. The fulness of time was at hand,
the Shiloh appeared, to whom the sceptre proceeded. Isaiah had
prophesied, that a virgin would be His mother.Daniel had
predicted the time of the birth; Micah had named the birth-place.
Luke 2:1-7; Gen.49:lO;
Gal.4:5; Isa.7:14; Luke 1:26-33; Matt.l:18; Micah 5:2; Luke 2:4-7;
Daniel 9: 20-27.
Clause 26
Before the Shiloh came, God sent a
herald according to the prohecies of Isaiah and Malachi. In
thislherald, John the Baptist, the prophecy of Malachi was only
partially fulfilled, as the day of the birth of the Lord Jesus
was not the dreadful day, but the commencement of the pleasant
period of grace, in which God wanted to reconcile the world to
Himself. Malachi 4:5,6;
Isa.40:3; John 3:16; Rom.3: 24,25; 2 Cor.5:18,l9; 2 Cor.6:2.