Surprise of the Day

Was Job in the Bible royalty?

Job 1:1  –  Genesis 10:23  –  Genesis 36:28  –  I Chronicles 1:17, 44, 45  –  Genesis 3:1-4 and34  

Fact Of the Day

• Job lived in the land of Uz.  The land was named after Uz, a son or grandson of Shem (son of Noah). 
• He was also called Jobab, Duke or Chief of Edom, one step below emperor by title, but an equal to the emperor by relationship.  
• Edom means red and was founded by red-haired Esau, brother of Jacob, son of Isaac, and grandson of Abraham. It is in today’s southern Jordan among Red cliffs of Sier.

Surprise of the Day

Even today after 2500 years, the Jews celebrate a holiday feast dedicated to a former slave girl turned Queen

Book of Esther

Fact Of the Day

Jewish Esther arrived in Babylon as a little slave girl. A while later, Xerxes, king of Persia conquered Babylon, Egypt and many other smaller kingdoms. When he marched to conquer Greece, he had such a temper that, when a storm stopped his army’s advance, he ordered the sea beaten with 300 lashes.
So, when Queen Esther asked King Xerxes to spare her people from extinction, she had to admit she was a former Jewish slave. With all that against her, Xerxes honored her wish and saved the hated Jews.

Oops of the Day

Persian King Artaxerxes was Son of Xerxes and Esther

Nehemiah chapters 1 and 2;   Esther chapters 1 and 2

Fact Of the Day

No!  

1 – DANIEL was born in Jerusalem around 610 BC and, as a prince, was exiled with the royal family to Babylon in 594 at age around 16

2 – King XyaXARES [notice the spelling) of Media was Darius I the Mede’s grandfather.

KING DARIUS I (THE MEDE), reigned 522-486 BC using the Law of the Medes and Persians.  In 520 BC when Daniel had the vision recorded in Daniel 9,  he was abut 90 years old.

3 – ESTHER married KING XERXES who reigned 486-464 BC.

Her son, King Artaxerxes I reigned 464-423 BC

Her grandson was Darius II (not Darius the Mede) reigned 424-404 BC,

DANIEL WOULD HAVE BEEN 186 YEARS OLD IN DARIUS II’s 1^ST YEAR,

Surprise of the Day

Persian King Artaxerxes was Son of Xerxes and Esther

Nehemiah chapters 1 and 2;   Esther chapters 1 and 2

Fact Of the Day

S-Nehemiah served as cup bearer to King Artaxerxes, son of King Xerxes.  Since Esther married Xerxes (aka Ahasuerus), Artaxerxes would have been her son.  He became king After Xerxes died. Artaxerxes did everything possible to insure the safety of the Israelites and to have whatever they needed to rebuild Jerusalem.

Surprise of the Day

A Temple Inside a Deserted City

Ezra 6:14-15;  Nehemiah 1:1-3

  Fact Of the Day

S-The temple had been completed in 516 BC. Jerusalem still had not been rebuilt in 445, 71 years later.S-The temple had been completed in 516 BC. Jerusalem still had not been rebuilt in 445, 71 years later.

Surprise of the Day

Ezra 6:14-15;  Nehemiah 1:1-3

  Fact Of the Day

S-The temple had been completed in 516 BC. Jerusalem still had not been rebuilt in 445, 71 years later.

Oops of the Day

God never authorized use of musical instruments to worship him. 

I Chronicles 25:1;  II Chronicles 29:25-30;  II Chronicles 30:21;   II Chronicles 34:12-13;   Nehemiah 12:27-28, 36;  Ephesians 5:19

Fact Of the Day

No! God told Gad David’s seer and Nathan the prophet, to have choirs and a small orchestra in temple worship. But only certain instruments were authorized: Lyres, harps and cymbals. Further, they were to only be played by Levites and had to be played  all day every day during sacrifices at the temple. And the Levites had to be paid enough to live on.  All this was in Old Testament worship.

In Christians worship all Christians (not just Levites) are told to pluck the strings of one instrument – our heart. How beautiful.

 

Oops of the Day

After Jerusalem was destroyed, the people immediately rebuilt the temple and then the city walls.

Ezra 6:14-15 and Nehemiah 1:1-3

Fact Of the Day

No! After the destruction of the temple and city of Jerusalem, the Jews were taken to Babylon as captives.  They stayed 70 years.  Then, he temple was rebuilt in 516 BC.   Jerusalem still had not been rebuilt in 445, BC. 71 years later.

 

Oops of the Day

The ten tribes that made up the Northern Kingdom called Israel were all captured and taken to Assyria forever.  They became known as the “Lost Tribes of Israel”.

II Kings 17:21-23 and II Chronicles 30:1,6, 10-11

Fact Of the Day

No! When King Hezekiah of the Southern Kingdom restored the Passover decades after the Assyrian invasion, he sent couriers to Ephraim, Manasseh, Zebulun, and Asher – all part of the former northern kingdom – to invite them to the Passover in Jerusalem also.

 

Oops of the Day

God was mean to not protect the northern kingdom of Israel and southern kingdom of Judah from being taken captives to Assyria and Babylon.

Leviticus 18:28;   II Kings 16:3;   II Kings 17:7-20;    II Chronicles 30

Fact Of the Day

No! God had warned the Jews that, just as the people in their Promised land “were vomited out” because of their sins, the land would vomit out the Jews if they ever sinned the same way.  It happened.  Both were warned by prophets, but sinned anyway. (II Kings 17:12).

“They made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah [pornographic fertility] pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal/Molach. ¹⁷ They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do evil.”  Even at the end, King Ahaz, King of Judah, offered his sons as sacrifices to the god Moloch as did others. This was legalized child killing.  Further, the pornographic asherah poles and worship involving temple priest & priestess prostitutions to the fertility goddess created legalized pornography and prostitution.