Oops of the Day

Bethlehem was a little village, just as the Christmas carol says (calling Bethlehem a little town).

Micah 5:2   –  I Chronicles 11:17-18  –  II Chronicles 11:5-10  –  Ezra 2:21  –  Matthew 2:6  –  II Chronicles 11:5-10

Fact of the Day 

No! 

c. 1000 BC – I Chronicles 11:17-18 says the well in Bethlehem was just inside the gate into Bethlehem.  Why would there be a gate if it had no walls?  

c. 900 BC – II Chronicles 11:5-10 says King Rehoboam, son of Solomon, fortified Bethlehem, meaning he turned it into a military fortress with watchtowers, etc.

c. 700 BC – Micah 5:2 says the Bethlehem had few leaders in the Tribe of Judah. 

c. 450 BC – Ezra 2:21 says that, when the Israelites returned from Babylon, there were only 123 men from Bethlehem compared to nearly 3000 from other towns. 

c. 50 AD – Matthew 2:6 updated what Micah has said, explaining that now Bethlehem was NOT the least among the tribe of Judah.  

Oops of the Day

Jonah did not want to save the people of Nineveh in Assyria because they tortured the enemy they captured, even by skinning them alive, in order to scare their captives into not rebelling.

Jonah 3

Fact of the Day 

No!  That practice had ended  a century earlier when the Assyrians began emptying their cities and giving new cities to some of their people.  Then, after capturing the enemy, they brought them to local cities where they did not know the language or customs and did not know exactly where they were.  This, then, kept their captives from rebelling.

Further, by the time Jonah arrived at Nineveh, they had a new king – ASHURDAN II WHO WAS ONLY 14 YEARS OLD and, even after grown, he was considered a “weak king” who gave in to the enemy too much.

 

 

Surprise of the Day

530 years before Jesus’s birth, the exact years Messiah would be born, begin his ministry, and die were predicted.

Daniel 9:24-27  –  Numbers 4:47  –  Ezra 1:1-2; 4:4-7  –  Haggai 1:1,14  –  Haggai 2:1  –   Ezra 6:13-15  –  Ezra 7:7-10  –  Nehamiah 3:16-32  –  Zechariah 6:11-13  –  Zechariah 6:11-13

Fact of the Day 

King Cyrus II – 550-530 BC – His 1st year (550 BC), he said BUILD THE TEMPLE (II Chronicles 36:22-23)

(King Cambyses II – 530-522 BC A different DARIUS, HIS COUSIN rules)

King Darius I:  522-486 BC In his 2nd year 520 BC, he said “RE-SUME rebuilding the Temple AND              START rebuilding  JERUSALEM  (Daniel 9:25)

Priests began public service at age 30 (Numbers 4:47)

PROPHECY FULFILLED

 520 BC Darius ordered Jerusalem rebuilt

  –30 years of age when Priests begin public ministry (Jesus’s age when he began his ministry)

-490 BC = 70 “wks” (after temple repairing resumed and  Jerusalem rebuilt) (The year Jesus began his public ministry)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BUT

493 BC = 62 “wks” x 7  +  49 “wks” 

 -3  1/2  years = the middle of one week, one 7 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

490 BC    (Jesus began his public ministry)

460 years (490 years – 30 years of age) The year Jesus was born

Oops of the Day

Satan declared he was God.

Ezekiel 28:1-10

Fact of the Day 

No! The passage in Ezekiel refers to a MAN.  Satan is never called a man.  Also, this person DIES. Satan never dies.  Nearly all kings in ancient times declared they were God or a god including the Pharaohs of Egypt, the Kings of Assyria, the Kings of Babylon, the Kings of Persia, the Kings of Greece, and the Roman Caesars. 

• Aram-Sin          2255–2119 BC        Mesopotamia/Babylonia
• Shulgi                2037–2028 BC        Mesopotamia/Babylonia
• Amar-Sin          2046–2037 BC        Mesopotamia/Babylonia
• Shu-Sin             2037–2028 BC        Mesopotamia/Babylonia
• Empedocles       490–430 BC           Italy
• Pharnavaz           326–234 BC          Iberia
• Antiochus IV    215–164 BC           Greece
• Antiochus I         6 BC-38 BC          Persia
• Pharaohs           3150–30 BC            Egypt
• Naram-Sin       2255–2119 BC        Mesopotamia/Babylonia
• Emperors           221 BC–1911        China
• Alexander        356 BC-323 BC       Greece

Oops of the Day

Satan was thrown down from heaven for all time.

Isaiah 14:12b  –  Job 1:6-7  –  Zechariah 32:1-3  –  Luke 10:17  –  Revelation 12:9-11

Fact of the Day 

No!  Satan periodically goes to heaven. See Job. See Zechariah. Check out where Jesus was watching (present tense) Satan fall from heaven as the 72 were preaching. Finally, look at Revelation where Satan was thrown down to earth. When?  At the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb.”

Oops of the Day

Satan’s name was Lucifer.

Isaiah 14:12a – Revelation 22:16

Fact of the Day 

No!  “Morning star” is a translation of the Hebrew word “lucifer”.  Further, “morning star” is a translation of the Greek word “Venus”.  Making “morning star” into a proper name is  like saying the name of goodbye is Veedkolu. It’s just a Telugu translation of goodbye.

• If the name of morning star is Lucifer,
• then the Bible said Jesus was Satan
• when he was called the morning star in Revelation.

The word “lucifer” was just a noun. But in 382 AD, Catholic Bishop Jerome was hired by the pope to translate the Bible into Latin. Jerome capitalized the noun and turned it into a proper name for Satan.

• Tertullian (AD 160-225) never called Satan Lucifer & never said he fell.
• Augustine of Hippo (354-430) never called Satan Lucifer and never said he fell.
• John Calvin wrote that using Isaiah 14:12 re. Satan arose from ignorance.
• Martin Luther wrote that it was a gross error to claim Isaiah 14:12 refers to Satan.

There were Catholic Bishops named Lucifer:

• Lucifer of Siena was made a Catholic bishop in 306.
• Lucifer of Cagliari was made a Catholic bishop in 370. 

 

Surprise of the Day

Was Jesus Prince or King?

Isaiah 9:6-7 – Daniel 8:25

John 18:36  –  I Timothy 6:13-15  –  Revelation 1:5&6  –  Revelation 17:14  – Revelation 19:13 & 16

Fact of the Day 

Jesus was both. 

*In the Old Testament the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) was predicted as the Crown Prince, the Prince designated to be the King some day.

*In the New Testament the Messiah (Jesus the Christ), now descended to earth, was, at last, crowned the King.

Surprise of the Day

SONG OF SOLOMON 

*

Fact of the Day 

I have written a beautiful paraphrase of the Song of Solomon with each chapter or part of a chapter being a love letter from the bride, Ecclesia, or the groom, Jesus Christ.  Do you recall all the times in that little book of the Bible the bride goes out looking for her groom? 

Five hundred footnotes connect this beautiful song to the church, the Bride of Christ.  The book ends with her looking again for her lover.  He sends word to her:  “I AM COMING QUICKLY.”

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Surprise of the Day

Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes in his old age, a broken man.

Ecclesiastes 12

Fact of the Day 

Solomon began to lose his way when he began marrying pagan women. But eventually, he realized all was vanity except centering one’s life around God.  By the time he “came to his senses” he described his broken physical condition by then.   

• v. 2 – blindness 
• v. 3 – dizziness 
• v. 4 – missing teeth
• v. 4 – deafness
• v. 5 – easily startled
• v. 5 – deafness