MasterTruth

Learn From Reuben

I’m approaching the end of my study of the book of Genesis, just starting chapter 49. I found something that is a pretty significant “ways of God.” I see it plainly in Genesis, and it will apply again to each of us when we soon stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

First, a word of background. In Genesis 35, God appeared to Jacob and reiterated His promise to him for the second time that his name would no more be called Jacob, but Israel (35:10, first mentioned in 32:28). God said, “a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins.” When does this nation start? You might argue when the last of Jacob’s 12 sons was born, which also happened in Genesis 35. Remember Benjamin’s birth? Hard to forget. His mother Rachel died while giving birth to him.

After these significant events, Jacob continues his journey, and then this verse pops up. And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: (Gen 35:22)

When I originally read that verse, I stopped and looked at it two or three times. It seems like Reuben’s great transgression is just casually mentioned like “Reuben had breakfast,” and then the passage moves on. At the time, I asked myself in my notes, “I wonder if this comes back up again later.” I mean, that was a pretty serious life detail to just fly by.

Sure enough. In Gen. 49:1 we read, And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. It was common for the Bible Patriarchs before they died to give prophetic messages to their offspring. (see Gen 27 for Isaac’s last messages.) It’s when birthrights and blessings were parsed out or solidified. Jacob states plainly that what he’s going to say about each of his sons will befall them in “the last days.” Not the near future, but the far future.

Reuben was his firstborn. Normally the birthright goes to the firstborn. That means Jacob’s possessions and authority would have customarily gone to Reuben. Did that happen? Jacob addresses Reuben first. Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. (Gen. 49:3-4) And that’s it. Jacob moves on to the next son.

What do we learn from this? First, I will remind us that we are in the book of Genesis, written to and about the Israelites. It is not written to the church. However, it is written for the benefit of the church to observe the ways of God. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. (1 Cor 10:11) So we are going to draw some personal applications and comparisons from this.

That sin caused Reuben to lose his birthright. His inheritance was diminished. Reuben was not disowned. He was still one of the 12 tribes of Israel with a land grant. He “was in.” But he had no end-time blessing. He became inconsequential when he had the opportunity to have the blessings of the firstborn. He was actually a disappointment to his father.

We are New Testament believers. When we are saved by the blood of the lamb, we are saved from the penalty of sin. Jesus took that on himself. We will not lose our salvation (son-ship) when we sin after we’ve been born again.

But here’s a word for all those who get saved for a fire escape from hell and then do nothing for the glory of the kingdom of God. When you die and face the Lord, your works are going to be tried by fire. If you live a messed-up life spiritually, you will have a diminished inheritance in the future Kingdom. Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.  If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1 Cor. 3:13-15) Reuben is an Old Testament illustration of what this looks like.

Yes, you will still sin. But if you live a self-serving life with a pattern of unconfessed sin, you are not pleasing to the Lord. It will come back to bite you in the end.

Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. (Col. 3:24-25)

This life is not all there is. You still have eternity in front of you. Do not be a disappointment to God, because it’s going to affect your future.

R&J Shee

How to Tidy Up Your Devotional Life

If you were trapped on a desert island and could only have one book with you (besides the Bible), what would that be? I don’t have to think twice about that. I’ve said for decades that I would choose The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Have you heard of it? It’s a book of cross references for each verse in the Bible. Your Bible might have cross references down the center of each page, or off to the side, but those are nothing compared to the vast number of cross references you’ll find in The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK for short).

What I like most about it is that you can be intrigued with a verse and want to know more about whatever concept it is talking about, and you’ll find a treasure trove of cross references that will expand the idea (not just the word, but the idea) of your study verse. In minutes, you gain a broad whole-Bible scope of  your verse. When I learned about this decades ago, it was a game changer for my personal Bible studies.

But before you go on Amazon to buy this 188-page book of fine print, I have some super news. It comes free on many Bible computer and smartphone apps.

Here’s what I want to encourage you to do. No doubt, you have a Bible app on your smartphone. Start clicking around to see if it has the TSK on it. Maybe you will need to Google the name of your app and ask if it has The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on it. If it doesn’t, delete it and get a different one. Or at least add another one to your phone. I recommend the Blue Letter Bible app. It has the TSK, and it’s easy to use.

Now, for your computer. I’m going to hope that some of you out there are not averse to studying the Bible on your computer and even writing your Bible study notes on your computer, perhaps in a Microsoft Word file. More on that in a second.

There are several free computer Bible programs with the TSK. The one I’m liking the most right now (I have three Bible programs on my computer) is e-Sword. Click on this link to look into that. You can also find tutorials on how to use it. I promise, if you take the time to download or install these things, you will be equipped to study the Bible like a pastor does. If you have the Blue Letter Bible on your phone and you learn how to do the TSK searches, you can do a mini Bible study while you are sitting there in “waiting” or downtime situations.

Back to using the computer to do your Bible study/devotions. Some time ago I quit using a Bible study journal to write my Bible study notes. Instead, at the beginning of the year, I start a new Microsoft Word document and write all my Bible study notes for the year in that document. My document for this year is called “Devotions Journal 2023.” Here at the end of November, I’m up to 245 pages. The two things I love most about doing it this way are A) it’s “searchable” so when I rethink something, I can search where I studied that. B) I can copy and paste verses from my Bible program and then write my comments, musings, insights and cross references next to it. My computer document is so big because much of it is copied verses.

I’d like to challenge you to consider the things I’ve shared here and see if any of it could help you get your personal Bible study life in order. Start now so that when the calendar year turns over, you can begin it with a plan. Let’s all start early with a New Year’s resolution for how 2024 is going to be different than 2023. I promise, you will see Jesus better if you’re looking into His Word better.    

R&J Shee

The Meaning Behind the Silver Cup

Does anyone else find it odd that in Genesis 44, Joseph uses a silver cup as the object of a charade to agitate his brothers? We just got used to him sending his brothers back to their father with food and with their money mysteriously restored to their “suitcase” sacks. We talked about the food and money in the last blog post. The whole story is frustrating and nonsensical from a historical perspective. But not from the doctrinal viewpoint. We already saw:

• The Israelites are going through the tribulation.
• Their brother Joseph, type of Jesus as savior, provides food for them for free, which He will also do in the tribulation. Hence, he returns their money to them. God pays for what He orders. Notice throughout, the brothers don’t recognize him, just like the Jews have not recognized Jesus for who He was/is.

So now in Genesis 44, the brothers are back in Egypt for more food, and once again, Joseph tells his steward to return each brothers’ money to his sack. (That unnamed steward who is carrying out Joseph’s desires pictures the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t ask questions. He does what He is told.)

Then here comes Joseph’s seemingly random request. “And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, and his corn money…” (44:2) This cup comes up four times in this chapter. What is that all about?

If you know your types and some cross references, you can probably figure this out. It paints a moving picture.

The first thing we could reasonably conclude is that Joseph is trying to establish guilt. As Israel is guilty of the death of Christ (1 Thes 2:15-16) so are Joseph’s brothers guilty of the apparent death of Joseph. The ordeals depicted in the last few chapters have deeply touched their hearts, prompting them to reflect on their wrongful treatment of Joseph. (42:21-22)

Knowing that, was it necessary to hide his cup in Benjamin’s sack in order to later challenge his brothers—again?

Oh wait. There’s a personal cup in the New Testament associated with Jesus.

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. (Matt. 26:39)

Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? (John 18:11)

Who was responsible for Christ having to drink this cup of wrath? Ultimately God, but by the hands of his own kindred who rejected him. Hold on to that thought.

Look at this cup in Genesis 44. It’s Joseph’s cup, and it’s silver. If I had a silver cup at home, it would be there for decoration. But this was Joseph’s drinking cup. (44:5)

Silver represents the price of redemption. (Zech 11:12-13, Matt 26:15, Matt 27:9) Let’s roll this around in our minds. Thinking of Christ on a human level, whom Joseph pictures, it’s a cup of suffering. On a divine level, it’s a cup of redemption. It’s a silver cup. During the tribulation, the Jews will recognize both aspects of this cup... Christ’s suffering (that they were responsible for) and Christ’s redemption (that they will come to realize and experience). In our Gen 44 story, this was not a random object placed in Benjamin’s sack. It’s a part of the tapestry God weaves throughout the Old Testament to reveal the nuances of the glory of Jesus Christ.

R&J Shee

Tangible Love in the Tribulation

I’m starting to see the depths of something I’ve known vaguely. That is, the truths we read about in the New Testament have corresponding stories in the Old Testament that add color and depth to the NT teaching.

Let’s see if I can be clear with an example I’m seeing currently. First, let’s review some of what we’ve covered so far with Joseph in Genesis:

• Joseph is a type of Christ as Savior. His brothers are literally his brothers, the children of Israel/Jacob.
• In Genesis 42 and 43, Israel is in tribulation prophetically. Israel is in distress, in famine, and their only salvation is to go to Joseph (the Jesus type) for food in Egypt (type of the world). Please read the blogs below for that background.
• Joseph’s own kin don’t recognize him for who he is, just like Israel didn’t when Jesus came the first time. Clear into the tribulation they don’t recognize him.

Now in our story in Gen. 43, all of Joseph’s brothers are in his presence. Benjamin has just joined the other 10. They are bowing to Joseph (twice in chapter 43), but it’s not the homage that Joseph dreamed of years earlier. (For more on why not, read this blog post.)

Now, let me share the three verses from Gen. 43 that shine a spotlight on a New Testament verse.

And he (Joseph) lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread. (Gen. 43:29-31) Here are some background points to highlight:

• This love for Benjamin in particular makes more sense when you realize that Benjamin is Jospeh’s full brother. They share the same mother (Rachel). The other brothers are half-brothers.
• Joseph was so moved with compassion for Benjamin that he had to run out of the room and weep. He came back and fed them all.

Now that we have that, let’s look at this passage again next to the NT passage that this story illustrates.

(Gen. 43:29-31) And he (Joseph) lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.

(1 John 3:17) But whoso hath this world's good, (Joseph/Jesus) and seeth his brother have need, (Benjamin—whom Joseph is most linked to) and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

You see how this Old Testament passage distinctly pictures the 1 John verse?

• Joseph had this world’s goods. He was in charge of the food supply during the famine.
• He saw his brother (full-brother Benjamin in particular) in need and focused his compassion on him.
• Look at the depth of that compassion shown by his weeping.
• He also demonstrated his compassion by “Setting on bread.”
• If you look at the next verse in Gen 43:34, Joseph gave Benjamin 5 times as much food as the other brothers.

Closing thought: While our Genesis passage depicts the tribulation, did you know that in the New Testament 1 John also has tribulation significance? It is among the transition books out of the church age into the tribulation period. Richmond has written a commentary on 1 John. Click here to see the explanation of this. When folks get saved in the tribulation (and some will), they will have distinctive needs. Remember that unless they eventually receive the mark of the beast, they won’t be able to buy or sell. How are non-compliant believers going to eat unless someone provides for them? Genuine love and compassion for fellow believers will be vitally important in the tribulation. It’s why tangible love is such a theme in 1 John. You can see this at a glance from the word cloud shown here. Love is a significant focus of 1 John. And with that understanding, let’s close out with our 1 John verse again. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? (1 John 3:17) Love=feeding in Gen 43 and 1 John 3.

R&J Shee

Joseph, Reveal Yourself Already!

I confess. I’ve never liked Genesis 42. It’s always puzzled and frustrated me as to why Joseph in his Egyptian leadership position didn’t make himself known to his brothers right away when they came to buy food. Why did he talk so harshly to them? Why did he put on a charade of anger and doubt in front of them about their motives? And if that wasn’t enough, when he sent the brothers back to their father Jacob to retrieve Benjamin, why did he secretly put the money that they used to pay for the food back into their bags? We read how all of this freaked out his brothers.

But I also confess, previously I’ve always looked at this story merely historically, imagining if I was in that situation—and getting distressed. This time through, I’m looking at it doctrinally, or prophetically. My lens focuses on the fact that He tells the end (Revelation) from the beginning (Genesis) and that “history repeats itself.” So, what end-times events do I see? Follow with me.

Joseph, we have already determined, is a type of Jesus as Savior. His brothers, the tribes of Israel, don’t recognize him, just like they didn’t when Jesus came literally to earth to be the Savior. Rather, they delivered him up to be crucified. You know, in this account in Genesis 42, Joseph is dead in their estimation. But he’s really alive and right there. Just like in the tribulation, Jesus is dead in their estimation. But He’s really alive.

Genesis 42 shows Israel in the tribulation. Distress seems to be the pall over this chapter. You feel it when you read it. There’s famine in the land, like in the tribulation (42:5). There is so much uncertainty (seen in Joseph putting them all in prison for three days, releasing them, but making one remain while they are made to go back and get Benjamin—42:16-19.) They confess that they are distressed (42:21). In it all, they start to feel guilt for what they did to Joseph, type of Christ (42:21). This is what needed to happen here, because that’s what WILL happen in the tribulation.

So, there’s that. Now, why did Joseph secretly place each brother’s money back in their sacks when they went back to their father after buying food? The food they had purchased ended up costing them nothing.

It seems off. Off for a reason. This is the first instance (in type) of Jesus taking care of the Israelites in their wandering. He provided for them, just like God provided manna for the Israelites when they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years—later in Exodus. These two true Bible accounts point to how God will miraculously provide food for the Israelites in the second half of the tribulation.

If this is the first time you’ve heard that He will do that, consider a few things:

• During the tribulation, folks will have to take the mark of the beast in order to buy and sell. The Jews who flee from the antichrist at mid-tribulation will not be able to buy food. How are they going to get food unless God supplies?
• Those who help provide for the wanderers in the tribulation will receive a reward. Remember the promise to those who offer a cup of cold water? (See Mark 9:41)
• But here’s the main passage on providing for Israel during the tribulation: Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things. Micah 7:14-15
• The famed 23rd Psalm is a Tribulation Psalm. It should make sense now in a prophetic way when David says in verse 5, Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.

I think the key to why Joseph toyed with his brothers the way he did in Genesis 42 has everything to do with the following verses: And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them… Gen. 42:8-9a. The two dreams were that the brothers would bow down to him someday, and he, as a type of Christ, was massaging their hearts to eventually get real worship out of them. For more on that, see the blog post just below this one, or click here.

God is awesome, and nothing that happens in the Bible is mere historical drama. You will always find His secrets if you have eyes to see.

R&J Shee

When Was Joseph’s Dream Fulfilled?

Joseph had two intriguing dreams that meant the same thing in Gen. 37:5-10. The interpretation was that his family would bow down before him and make obeisance to him someday.

But what Joseph didn’t know was that his wicked brothers, who threw him in a pit from where he was snatched and sold as a slave into Egypt, would actually bow down to him three times.

I wonder which of those three times Joseph dreamed about. The first time? All three times? Let’s see if we can decide.

First, remember that Joseph is a type of Jesus as savior. His brothers are “his own” who received him not. (John 1:11) That’s the “hologram” picture we are working with. Let’s see what kind of bowing went on in these three instances.

First time: Gen. 42:6-7. Joseph is the governor of the land (Egypt, the world) where the brothers go to find food during the famine. Joseph is in control of the food supply. When they see him, the brothers bow down to him and tell him they need food. OK. That’s good. Thing is, there are only 10 of the brothers. Benjamin stays back with Jacob. Also, they don’t know it’s Joseph. They don’t recognize him. So essentially, they are bowing before a stranger because they want food. Is this the kind of bowing Joseph dreamed of back there in Genesis 37? Likely not.

Second time: Gen. 43:26. The brothers had to go back and get Benjamin per Joseph’s request. So, this time all 11 brothers return to him and bow down. They have brought him a present of a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds (43:11). This is looking better. But they still don’t recognize him. This is still all about doing what they have to in order to get food. He’s not committing his identity to them. Is this bowing session the one in Joseph’s dreams? The next bowing is just two verses later.

Third time: Gen 43:28. Joseph asks if their father is well. Yes, he is. And they bow again. But they still don’t know who he is. Joseph loves them for sure. They are family. He’s crying. But he’s still not revealing his identity to his brothers.

Perhaps an instance from Christ’s life will shed some light on this. Now when he (Jesus) was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many (of the Jews) believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. (John 2:23-25)

The motives of Joseph’s brothers’ bowing to him weren’t quite right. Something was missing.

I think I know which instance of his brothers’ bowing fulfilled Joseph’s dreams. I’ve been holding back. There was a fourth time they bowed, and it reads entirely differently than the three previous times.

Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers. He calls for his father Jacob to join them. He comes, and in time Jacob passes away, and the brothers are now terrified thinking Joseph is going to finally take revenge on them for what they did to him. Here’s the final passage in the last chapter of Genesis: And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we (his brothers) pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?  But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them. Gen. 50:16-21

Finally! This bowing was not just lip service. Doctrinally, when Christ returns, Israel will humbly and sincerely bow before Him. They will finally recognize the one whom they pierced. They will grieve for their wickedness and will confess and repent. (See Zech. 12:10, Psa. 22:16-17, Rev. 1:7)

Inspirationally, check yourself. Make sure you are not one of the ones who doesn’t really know Jesus. Don’t be one who just looks for miracles, bowing to him because He’s the one in charge of meeting physical and emotional needs. Your bigger need is for forgiveness for your offences toward Him. Fall down before Him in repentance, confessing He is everything, and you just want to be His servant in exchange for forgiveness. If you do that today, write the date in the front of your Bible. It’s the day of your salvation.

R&J Shee

Where Can We Find Bread?

Going through Genesis, and particularly the life of Joseph, we are stopping at the places where the Bible comes alive when you consider that Joseph is a type of Christ as Savior of the World and Egypt is a type of the world. Through that lens, you see such a clear witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in one verse: And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. (Gen 41:55)

Only Joseph could give bread to these famished people of Egypt/the world. It pictures this: And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. (John 6:35)

What if folks back in Genesis 41 said, “I don’t want to go to Joseph. He’s not one of us. I’ll just trust my god Osiris, the god of fertility, agriculture and the afterlife.”

Not everyone is going to submit to the truth. We don’t hear what happened to the “unbelievers” in Joseph’s story. We can imagine they died of hunger. But we do know more about those who refused Jesus as the bread of life from our passage in John. Look. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? (John 6:41-42)

I guess first you have to get good and hungry before you will give up your stubborn arguments and go to the one who has/is bread.

That preaches, doesn’t it? Now a word to all you Bible students/teachers. Here’s a truth that will carry you far. It’s our graphic for this post. God’s truths are presented at least twice in the Bible because He has bound Himself to the principle that In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established (2 Cor. 13:1)

We are in Genesis 41. Remember that Joseph was asked to interpret Pharoah’s two dreams, which he pointed out meant the same thing. Here was Joseph’s explanation: And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. (Gen 41:32)

All through the Old Testament, truth is established by “two or three witnesses.” This carries over into the New Testament, as we’ve already seen in 2 Cor. 13:1. But here’s another example from the lips of Jesus. Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. (Matt 18:15-16)

Let’s circle back and conclude our lesson from our beginning Gen 41:55 verse: And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. This is just one of many Old Testament verses/stories that typifies the Gospel of Jesus Christ—establishing Christ’s claim in the mouth of two or three witnesses. It’s another angle of our previous point that God declares the end from the beginning. Keep treasure hunting! Jesus is the treasure. The whole Bible is the treasure map.

R&J Shee

PS. If you’d like to study further this Bible concept of establishing a matter by two or three witnesses, look up Num. 35:30, Deut. 17:6, 19:15, 1 Kings 21:10, 13, Matt. 26:60-61, John 8:17-18, Heb. 10:28-29, 1 John 5:7-8.

Why the Wait?

In the past when I’ve read the story in Gen. 40 of Joseph interpreting the butler’s dream in prison (40:14), I’ve always marveled at the butler’s selfishness. After Joseph interpreted his dream that he would be released and go back to serving Pharoah, Joseph asked the butler to remember him before Pharoah. He wanted out of prison. And then we read this in the last verse of the chapter: Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him. (Gen 40:23) Ugh. How much longer did Joseph have to languish in prison? The answer is in the first verse of the next chapter. And it came to pass at the end of two full years… (Gen. 41:1) Here’s a good question. After God gave Joseph such influence and favor to interpret the butler’s dream, why did God keep Joseph “on the shelf” in prison for two more years?

You know God. There must be a reason. I think we find the answer later in chapter 41, and it’s only significant in the context of how Joseph pictures Jesus. After this two-year wait, Joseph is finally standing in front of Pharoah interpreting his dream. The result is that Pharoah is duly impressed and sets Joseph in charge of Egypt’s food-gathering and -distributing affairs. Thus, Joseph began his official public ministry. Here’s the verse: And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. (Gen. 41:46)

Oh wait. Wasn’t Jesus 30 years old when He was officially recognized and began His public ministry for God? Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age. (Luke 3:21-23a)

Doctrinally, this fits under the category of God declaring the end from the beginning. We rehearse here one more time that Joseph is a type of Jesus as Savior of the World. By the time we get to Christ’s earthly ministry, we’ve already seen it play out in type in the Old Testament.

The other thing we see in this story is that God has timing all worked out according to the good pleasure of His will, meaning timing is never random. Joseph waited two years in prison after interpreting the butler’s dream because God was waiting for “the fulness of times” to unfold His plan like a flower.

A third thing we see is that God likes to work by numbers. Here, it was 30. If you like to follow these things, I’ll point to three and seven as God’s “signature” numbers.

Three: God is a trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit; 3 heavens; Time is past, present and future; Water manifests as water, steam and ice; Earth is land, air and sea; We are made up of body, soul and spirit; Music is melody, harmony and rhythm, etc.

Seven: God created the earth in 7 days (including a day of rest); There will be 7 years of tribulation; There are 7 Jewish feasts; Noah brought clean animals aboard the ark by 7s; There are 7 church periods through the church age, etc.

A final thing to take away from Joseph’s two-year wait to get his life going is that God is in control, and He has His reasons for His maximum glory. Joseph never knew the answer to his "why" question. Remember, life is all about Him and His sovereign will and timing and not about our comfort and happiness. We will make it triumphantly through anything we have to wait through if we start each day by saying, “Yes, Lord.”

R&J Shee

An Interesting Juxtaposition

In the story of Moses receiving the 10 commandments, there is such a stark difference between God’s ideal that He shared with Moses on the mountain top and Israel’s reality in the desert at the bottom of the mountain.

Moses is living this close-to-God experience where he’s receiving the ten commandments and a dossier of those God has skilled and prepared to build the tabernacle where God will dwell with man.

God breaks the sweet conversation to report on the evil that Israel is doing at the bottom of the mountain.

Moses intercedes and tells God not to give up on the nation. It would be bad for God’s very reputation. It’s all in Exodus 31 and 32. But I’ll tell you one thing for sure. Israel has not changed from how it acted that day in chapter 32. And what’s at the heart of this? Idolatry.

Their history with idolatry goes back to Genesis 31:34. Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not. Rachel was Jacob’s beloved wife. The nation of Israel began with Jacob, who was renamed Israel, and his wife Rachel the idolater.

Back to our story. Here is the scene as Moses and Joshua come down from the mountain to face what God already saw: And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear. And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. (Exodus 32:17-19)

I’ll repeat the contrast. God has stated His ideal for how to live in the kingdom of Israel with brand new rules and instructions, and Israel is bent on idolatry. You have singing, dancing and idol worship.

Does this sound familiar? On the morning of October 7, 2023, in the desert of Re’im in Israel, folks were dancing and singing to psychedelic trance music under a statue of Buddha. This was the last day of the annual God-prescribed Feast of Tabernacles established as a regular memorial of Israel dwelling securely in tabernacles in the wilderness when they left Egypt. (See Leviticus 23:39-44)

Israel is bent on idolatry, and it’s a sin God does not tolerate. The Old Testament is filled with examples. Here’s just one: And the LORD spake by his servants the prophets, saying,  Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. (2 Kings 21:10-12)

What kind of evil would God bring on Israel? Just a verse later: And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies; Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day. (2 Kings 21:14-15)

Just two points in closing. 1) God uses neighbor enemies to judge Israel. He did back then, he does it now and He will do it in the Tribulation. All the while, Israel—God’s chosen nation—remains unrepentant. 2) But God is not done with Israel yet. The church does not replace Israel. God merely set them aside for a time while He opens His door of grace to the Gentiles to receive His grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. (Romans 11:11-12)

At Christ’s second coming, He will perform a national salvation for Israel and write His laws in their heart. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:31-33)

In the meantime, pray for the peace of Jerusalem. (Psalm 122:6) They have a lot more to go through, including the tribulation, before they receive their ultimate salvation. They are still the apple of God’s eye. (Zechariah 2:8)

R&J Shee

Isn't it Odd?

Remember Joseph’s two dreams? His brothers were already jealous of him for being Jacob’s favorite son. Now he dreamed two dreams, that being interpreted, meant that his family would someday bow down to him. While Joseph’s brothers lost their minds, Jacob had an interesting response. By interesting, I mean something in there is a little “off.” See if you detect it. Here are the verses:

And he (Joseph) told it to his father (Jacob), and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying. (Genesis 37:10-11)

By observed, Jacob protected or guarded his son’s words in his heart. But not without first rebuking him and clarifying what Joseph just implied. Look closely: Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? Um, who was Joseph’s mother? Rachel. She died back there in Genesis 35:19 while giving birth to Benjamin. What sense did it make to include her in the interpretation? But indeed, she was included, if you read the second dream in verse 9… and behold the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. You can conclude that in this dream his father represented the sun, his mother the moon and his 11 brothers the 11 stars. Again, how odd that his dead mother would be included in that dream.

Let’s skip to the end of the story. We find that the brothers did bow down to Joseph four times. The first time in 42:6, it was 10 of his brothers. In 43:26, 28 and 50:18, it was his 11 brothers. His father Jacob came later and never did bow down to him. Let’s ask the hard question. What are we to make of this incomplete prophetic dream? I mean, we knew his mother wasn’t going to bow down to him. It was too late for her.

But no, in a future prophetic sense, it’s not too late. Joseph is a type of Jesus as Savior of the world. History repeats itself, and God declares the end from the beginning. We got a partial fulfillment of Joseph’s dream in Genesis 42, 43 and 50. The complete fulfillment will happen in the future—when Jacob and Rachel also bow before Jesus. Jacob pictures Israel. They haven’t bowed before Jesus yet. And what about Rachel? She was an unsavory character. She was an idolater, thief (Gen 31:32); liar (Gen 31:35); and sat on images (Gen 31:34). Compare that last point with Rev. 17:3 to see what she's a type of.) In the end, Jacob and Rachel types will give glory to Jesus, just like everyone else.

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. (Revelation 5:13)

R&J Shee

Joseph Echoes the End From the Beginning

I’m exploring Genesis this year with one powerful lens in my magnifying glass: That God “declares the end from the beginning.” If that’s the case, we can expect to find reflections of Christ's life and end-time events woven into the Genesis narratives. That is indeed the case. Richmond has been teaching a class called Jacob’s Journey showing clearly from Genesis what you can expect to happen in the future as it unfolds before our eyes. In eight weeks, he’s been following Jacob/Israel from Gen 28-35. (If you’d like to hear this class, he suggests coming up with a total of 8 individuals ready to learn, and he will teach it to your group.)

I am now moving along to the next major historic and prophetic character, Joseph. He is quite easy to see as a type of Christ. I have three pages of single-spaced parallels between Joseph and Jesus. But one event in Joseph’s life stands out to me right now as a super example of how God orchestrated events in Joseph’s life to foreshadow Christ’s life in the world, and it’s in the details I’ve previously missed.

Joseph is off to a roaring start in Gen 37 when he is proclaimed to be his father’s beloved son. (Look at this with me through prophetic lenses.) His brothers hate him (vs 5&8). Not only does his father love him the most, Joseph dreams a couple dreams about his brothers eventually bowing down to him. (Are you starting to see Jesus yet?) His father sends Joseph to find his brothers, and of course, “they receive him not.” They throw him into a pit.

We will slow the story down as we approach the detail I’d never observed before. The brothers first want to kill him (vs 20). Brother Reuben suggests that they not kill him. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again. (Genesis 37:22) The other brothers want to kill Joseph. Reuben tells them to just throw him in a pit. Why? Because in his heart, he intends for there to be no blood shed and to deliver Joseph back to “his father again.”

Stop. Think about that a little more deeply in the larger context.

• Joseph came to his brothers from his father (do note it says “his father” and not “their father.” They all had the same father. But this passage points to “his” father. Exact wording matters).
• God’s greater purpose that unfolds in the coming chapters is that instead of going back to his father right away, Joseph’s destiny was to go down to Egypt. If you don’t know any other typology in the Bible, do know that Egypt is a type of the world.
• Had Reuben carried out his desire to deliver Joseph to his father again right away, their salvation from the later famine wouldn’t have happened. Prophetically, Jesus had to go down to the world for a designated time to accomplish our salvation. It involved shedding his blood and then going back to His father.
• Here’s the New Testament parallel to Christ: Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. (John 13:1)
• Reuben’s good intentions to not shed Joseph’s blood and to deliver him back to his father before he ever had a chance to go down to the world reminds me of Peter’s rebuke to Jesus’s claim that He must die and rise again in Mark 8:31-33. Jesus responded Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. God’s sovereign plan trumps man’s good intentions.

You know, many characters in the Bible picture Jesus in hologram fashion. What I like to figure out is what aspect of Christ they picture. Moses=Jesus as prophet (Deut. 18:18). David=Jesus as king (Jer. 23:5-6 and Luke 1:32-33). How about Joseph? I think he pictures Jesus as sinless savior, and maybe even more specifically, the sinless savior of Israel. (Their national salvation is still to come, Jer. 31:33.) Do you realize that Joseph was one of only a few Bible characters in whom no sin is ever recorded? There is a reason for that. He, of course, was a sinner like everyone else, but he was put in the Bible to picture a sinless savior who came to his own, and his own received him not. He accomplished his mission in Egypt/the world, and his Jewish brothers ultimately bowed down to him. God designed for Bible history to repeat itself.

I’m just at the beginning of Joseph’s life. Study it along with me beginning with Genesis 37. Look for the treasures of Christ as you go.

R&J Shee

When is the Rapture Happening?

Anyone watching what’s going on in this world (not just in the U.S., but in the whole world) knows that these are not normal times. Much of life is bordering on apocalyptic. But before it actually gets apocalyptic, the rapture must happen first.

To understand how close we are to the rapture, just look at the tribulation and work backward. You’ll find yourself right where we are, bordering the pre-tribulation rapture that then kicks off the tribulation. It will be like a zero-entry pool. You know the kind that starts with getting your toes wet, and as you walk further in, you go deeper. Well, we are standing at the edge of the toe-dipping part. Look at the unfolding of the seal judgments in Rev. 6. It’s an overview of the tribulation. Here’s the order of things once the tribulation kicks off:

• The antichrist enters (first seal, Rev. 6:1-2, white horse. He rides out as a conqueror)
• War (second seal, Rev. 6:3-4, red horse. Peace is gone and people are killing each other)
• Famine (third seal, Rev. 6:5-6, black horse, he has scales. Weighing food)
• Population reduction by various means (fourth seal, Rev. 6:7-8, pale horse, ¼ of the population dies from a combination of war, famine, plagues and wild beasts)
• Tribulation believers are murdered (fifth seal, Rev. 6:9-11)
• Geological/cosmic doom (sixth seal, Rev. 6:12-17, earthquake, sun turns black, moon turns red, stars fall)

Now just look back at that list. Can you not see any/all of this breaking out at any time? We already see the spirit of antichrist working in global leaders. For all we know, they have a non-elected world leader picked out who could step out on the world stage any time (after the rapture). This cabal of current global antichrists who support THE antichrist would desire nothing more than to stand behind a one-world leader coaxing out another world war, famine, population reduction, killing those who turn to Christ in the tribulation and cheering on the signs in the sun, moon and stars (that will probably be folded into the climate change narrative).

But there’s so much more for earth-dwellers to fear in the tribulation. We know there will be a one-world financial system, and everyone will be surveilled, and only one religion will be allowed (and demanded). We know all that from these verses:

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (Rev. 13:16-17)

Rev. 13 goes on further about an image of the beast everyone is required to worship. Only in the past year have we seen what that might be like. Imagine (it’s not hard) artificial intelligence putting out an image digitally on your cell phone, maybe even setting an alert and an edict to worship that… with surveillance activated and consequences if you don’t. Will it work exactly like that? Maybe and maybe not, but we can see how all that has been written is possible through technology, surveilled and forced compliance, and weaponization against non-conformists. (Haven’t we already had a test of global conformity to an edict?)

But to our point, we are transitioning right now into that beast system. After the rapture, with a flip of the switch, a lot of global edicts masterminded by Satan and the antichrist can be implemented. It won’t be implemented until the restrainer (the Holy Spirit—who lives in us) is gone at the rapture. Remember, God has not appointed us to wrath, I Thes 5:9.  But you hear the engines. The systems for a one world government, monetary system and religion are being built, tested and tweaked as we speak.

Now, when is the rapture? Pretty soon, we would say. Get your life in order. Be doing what you would want to be found doing when the trumpet sounds and you go up. Quit doing what you don’t want to be found doing when He comes back. Clean up your life and start making it count for the kingdom of God. Use your talents for the Lord. Share the gospel. Disciple other believers. Study your Bible with an attitude of “forgive me” and “yes Lord, whatever you say.”

R&J Shee

Bible Allegory Concept Explained

What if the stories and events of the Old Testament are not only historically and accurately true but are also allegorical to New Testament truth and are prophetic? If you believe this to be true, I have a few secrets to share with you:

• You are among the 1% of believers who ever considered this and grasped it by faith.
• Others will think you are crazy. They may mock, shun and criticize you.
• Your Bible study life will never be the same, and you will draw closer to the Lord in your understanding and fall more in love with Him than you ever imagined.

In literature, an allegory is a fictional story parlayed to represent moral or spiritual truths. The famous books “Pilgrim’s Progress” and “Hinds' Feet on High Places” are examples. But your awesome God, the Author of life, designed actual Biblical history to also represent the future outlined in the New Testament. All the way through Revelation.

You probably have been unknowingly exposed to this Biblical phenomenon but didn’t think of it in terms of true allegory tied to New Testament doctrine. I’ll give two quick ones here:

• Abraham offering Isaac was true history that was also prophetic of New Testament truth. Sacrificing animals, with the shedding of their blood, was God’s Old Testament method of atoning for sin. He instituted it as true allegory for the New Testament washing away of sins. He used Abraham’s intended sacrifice of his beloved son Isaac to picture that. The story is in Genesis 22. Read this: And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. (Gen 22:8) Fast forward to the day John the Baptist announced Christ’s entrance: The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
• Moses making a serpent of brass and putting it on a pole in Numbers 21 was odd, as was the instruction for all who had been bitten by the fiery serpent to look up at the brass serpent on the pole to be healed. God designed that incident as a true allegory of what would happen later in the New Testament. Satan bit us all with sin, and the only antivenom was Jesus becoming sin for us. Jesus explained this Himself when He said: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:14-15)

Though the whole Old Testament is filled with historically true allegories representing New Testament doctrine, the word allegory is only used once in the Bible. To explain it, I’m going to give you a new word to think about. Proxy. Characters in the Old Testament were proxies or stand-ins for New Testament truths. They were real people and real events that also serve as proxies.

One more that you can look up on your own for homework is the doctrine Paul outlines in Gal. 4:41-31. I’ll get you started right here with the beginning of this passage: Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar…  (Gal. 4:21-24)

Finish reading the passage (Gal 4:21-31) and then think back to the Old Testament story of Sarah and Hagar having children. When you read of Sarah demanding that Abraham go into her handmaid Hagar and make a baby, you scratch your head. A) How odd of Sarah. B) Much odder for Abraham to blindly obey his wife and do it. That’s the way you think of the true historical story. You’ve probably heard plenty of sermons rehearsing the events. But don’t forget God and His goal with Old Testament history. He is sovereign over events, and they happened for a New Testament doctrine reason.

So, here’s a way to look at Old Testament stories. See them as designed by God as true allegories for New Testament doctrine or Bible prophesy of end times. It’s the way we study the Bible around our house.

And to close, if God didn’t intend for true Old Testament stories to picture New Testament doctrine or prophesies, how else would you explain these verses? Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure (Isa. 46:9-10)

R&J Shee

What's in a Name?

Through the carefully chosen words of the Bible, Gods sovereignty shows in many ways beyond the actual historical accounts we read in its pages. His sovereignty shows in His use of numbers. (If we’ve never discussed the number 7 before, remind us sometime to do that.) His sovereignty also shows in the meaning of names given to people that they actually live out.

In Genesis 27, both Rebekah and her son Jacob live out the meaning of their names. Rebekah means ensnarer. What does that mean? To trap or gain power over someone by dishonest or underhanded means. This is the chapter where she seeks to steal the patriarchal blessing from her firstborn twin Esau and secure it for her second born twin Jacob—whose name means supplanter. To supplant means to supersede and replace.

In Genesis 27 Rebekah uses underhanded means to get her blind aged husband Isaac to bless the second born with a dish of savory meat. While Isaac sends Esau out to hunt the venison so he can eat it and give Esau the official blessing, Rebekah goes to the fridge and pulls out some meat and cooks it up. She gives it to Jacob to take into his father. She dresses Jacob up in Esau’s shirt, putting animal skin on his hands and neck, so when Isaac smells and feels him, he’ll think it is Esau.

It works, and Isaac gives the official blessing to Jacob. Rebekah has gained power for her favorite son using dishonest, underhanded means—just like the meaning of her name. And Jacob supplants or supersedes to replace Esau in the patriarchal succession—just like his name.

While we like to look at true accounts like this from a prophetic standpoint in this blog, this time the purpose of pointing out this duo is to underscore God’s sovereignty demonstrated by their names. Meditate on this with us:

• Rebekah and Jacob received their names at birth—before any scheme crossed anyone’s mind.
• It appears that God had them named as He did for such a time as this account. Their names certainly highlight the story.
• The deception Rebekah and Jacob used to get the blessing was anything but godly. Yet God used it to fulfill what He had told Rebekah when the twins were in her womb. Remember? She had prayed and asked what all the activity was in her womb while she was pregnant, and the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. (Gen. 25:23)
• God foreknew and predetermined what He was going to do with Jacob, making our story jaw-dropping. You’d think God would use a cleaned-up method to get to His purposes. But He didn’t. Studying your Bible, you will see many examples of unsavory methods to get to God’s ultimate plan. That includes calling Judas as one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, who betrayed Him. And Jesus died. God was in control of that.
• O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Rom 11:33)

Before we close, just one more sovereign thing. God later changed Jacob’s name to Israel. The meaning of his name went from supplanter to God prevails. Wow. He still prevails in the nation of Israel, and let’s DO look at this prophetically. In the end, God prevails with the nation of Israel and with His kingdom established in the New Jerusalem.

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem (means “double peace”), coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Rev. 21:2)

The world is sure going to appreciate peace after what comes upon it during the tribulation. If you know Jesus as your savior, your peace has already started!

R&J Shee

The Nature of the Competing Thrones

Where there’s a king, there’s a throne. It’s always been that way. The king has a special seat from where he rules and decrees. So it’s no surprise that the book of 1 Kings uses the word throne 29 times in its 22 chapters.

Is that significant? Not as significant as the book of the Bible that uses the word throne more times than 1 Kings. Revelation also has 22 chapters where we find the word throne 31 times. You’ve heard and probably repeated yourself the phrase, “I read the back of the book and we win!” But when you know the theme of the Bible, Jesus Christ ultimately ruling and reigning on the throne, that phrase is forever changed: “I read the back of the book and HE wins!”

Back to that throne. What will that look like when Jesus reigns on the throne? And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness. (Isa 16:5)

Just to underscore the nature of His rule, how about this: Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy. (Prov. 20:28) Jesus will rule according to His nature. For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds. (Psalm 108:4)

You probably never saw His ruling nature this way before. Mercy and truth.

Thank the Lord for His mercy. But the other side of this coin is truth. Take His truth with His mercy. If He was just mercy, it would be a bit squishy. We might think we could get away with murder because He is mercy. His mercy is tied to His truth. Look at it this way:

Mercy by itself: You’re OK. Everyone’s OK. Anything you believe is OK. Bless your little heart. You can choose your own way to God.

Mercy and truth: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16-18)

We experience His mercy. We know His truth. Jesus on the throne ruling in mercy and truth with righteousness is a glorious prospect. That’s the light at the end of the tunnel.

But first there’s the tunnel. We’re in the transition period leading to the fake world leader who will come first and whom Christ will overthrow.

The spirit of antichrist is already at work in the world, and it looks nothing like mercy, truth or righteousness. The antichrist is powered by Satan, and we know he is a liar, deceiver and murderer.  

There’s a global movement in progress gunning for a one-world godless government that Satan and his minions will control. Here are three of their showcase ruling points.

• Depopulation. The spirit of antichrist is working through non-elected global elites who aim to reduce the population in the name of their religion—climate change. The obliterated Georgia Guidestones’ first point was to maintain the population at 500 million. Oops. We’re at 8 billion. Some folks have to go. Watch your back. Satan is a murderer.
• Gender confusion. Satan’s nature shows in full rainbow colors here. His evil deceiving spirit is moving through the public school system and backed by the mainstream media. So many wicked influences are converging to confuse impressionable children. God is not the author of confusion.
• Lawlessness rules. That’s because Satan loves and promotes wickedness. It’s who he is. In some places, thievery up to a certain limit is not prosecutable, making it essentially legal. It’s why retailers, restaurants, businesses and people are moving out of California and other wicked hot spots. Satan is a thief.

Just these three examples show you what the devil’s inevitable (but temporal) throne looks like. But we aren’t surprised. Before any of us were born, the wicked one said I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isa. 14:14) Only he’s nothing like the Most High. The roaring lion rules in hatred, deception, murder, lying and wickedness. We won’t see all of it, because we will soon be raptured out of here.

But we’ve read the back of the book, and the righteous Lion of Judah wins! He will rule forever in mercy, truth and righteousness. We will all bow in humbleness, gratitude and reverence.

In the meantime, we need to get as close to His mercy, truth and righteousness as possible. Have your daily time in the Bible. The truth you hold in your hands is the same truth He will rule with on His throne. Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. Ps. 119:160

R&J Shee

Treasures in Abraham and Isaac

Without a doubt, Genesis 22 is one of the most amazing stories in the book of Genesis historically. The whole chapter is the movie we see in our minds of how God asks Abraham to offer Isaac, the promised seed, on the alter. Abraham, full of faith, commences to obey. Remember?

And he (God) said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. (Gen. 22:2)

Abraham and Isaac travel three days to a God-specified mountain in Moriah, which is likely what we know as Golgotha in the New Testament. (This is starting to look a little prophetic, isn’t it?)

Abraham lays the wood on Isaac who begins to wonder where the sacrifice animal is. Abraham makes his famous statement: My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. (22:8) We can’t help but think forward to the capital L Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. (John 1:29) Abraham proceeds to raise his knife to plunge it into Isaac as the offering, per God. (22:10)

And he (God) said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. (Genesis 22:12) It turns out that the actual Lamb of God would come around 1,900 years later.

God was so pleased that Abraham, not seeing the end result, obeyed Him. And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:  That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;  And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (Genesis 22:16-18)

Do you notice that each of the three statements from God in our story share a five-word phrase in common? thy son, thine only son. (Gen. 22:2, 10, 16) We already saw that this historic account is also prophetic. Who else had a son, an only son, offered up as a sacrifice? How about this: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

That’s tidy. We have linked the Old Testament and New Testament. But oops, there’s one problem. Isaac wasn’t Abraham’s only son. Remember that baby he made with Sarah’s handmaid Hagar—Ishmael? Oh him. A Bible critic would ding God and the Bible for the “error” in calling Isaac Abraham’s only son. Three times. In one chapter.

Here’s a Bible-study lesson. Take a faith-based approach to the Word of God. Trust His Word in the same way that Abraham trusted God. When you find something you can’t explain like what I’ve pointed out, rather than doubt and condemn, realize that God is smarter than you and there is a hidden treasure under that oddity.

Think about it. God also had another son. Here’s the verse: Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. (Luke 3:38) So, you could say that Jesus was the second son of God. What’s the significance of that? Look at the blog post just under this one for that answer.

One last point. After Abraham proves his faith by offering Isaac, God finishes His sevenfold promise of land and a “seed.” Abraham’s faith and act sealed the covenant. (Reminder, God visited Abraham seven times to outline His covenant. See Genesis chapters 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 21 and 22) After this seventh and final visit, Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. (Genesis 22:19) Beersheba means “well of the sevenfold oath.” This is where Abraham settled. That is the bow on this historic and prophetic story. Never forget. God declares the end from the beginning (Isa. 46:10) What do you want to bet that this well of the sevenfold oath is significant in the future of Israel? I’ll bet there will be a conflict there just before or after the rapture. (Study Gen 21 to learn more about Beersheba.)

R&J Shee

See the Ways of God

Remember when God told Abraham to leave his kin and go to a land that He would show him? Notice that he and Sarah obeyed for awhile, then took a detour to Egypt to avoid a famine. Let’s march right past Abraham’s huge judgment lapse in making Sarah identify him as her brother rather than her husband, thus allowing Pharoah to steal her for a short time.

When they finally left Egypt and got back on track, Sarah emerged, not with a new handbag, but with a new handmaid. And if Abraham erred greatly in allowing Pharoah to steal Sarah, Sarah had her own severe lapse in judgment a little later. She ordered Abraham to help God in fulfilling His promise of a “seed” by having Abraham “go into” her handmaid and make a baby.

We all know that first baby of Abraham’s via Sarah’s handmaid was not the promised seed. It was the second baby, Isaac, through whom the promised seed of Jesus and the nation of Israel would be born.

We have two major points to make here. Both involve “the ways of God.”

Abraham’s blind obedience to Sarah’s suggestion of making a baby by her handmaid Hagar was part of God’s sovereign plan. God intended to use it as an instructional allegory story in the New Testament. How do I know this? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants. (Gal. 4:22-24a)

Also note, God unveils His “promised seed” plan to Abraham in seven visits, each time giving him a little more information about this land and people covenant. In the first three accounts, nowhere does God tell Abraham the promised seed will be from his union with Sarah. After three visits from the Lord that yielded no child, they both could have assumed there could feasibly be another way to make that baby, seeing that Sarah was barren. It was only after Ishmael was born by Sarah’s handmaid that God revealed the promised seed would be Sarah’s yet-unconceived baby. Oh! Why didn’t He make that clear sooner? Because He intended for it to work out how it did.

“I believe everything happens for a reason” is such a common philosophy these days. Even unsaved people say that. If only they knew the God who orchestrates the purpose for the way things happen.

The other lesson to draw from these two opposing children of Abraham’s is that one of God’s repeated ways is to oversee that the first-born son is the “wrong” one to accomplish God’s purpose. And this is in a culture where the first-born son is the most highly regarded. But with God, the second son turns out to be the preferred. Examples, you ask?

• Cain and Abel (Gen. 4:1-16): Cain was born first to Adam and Eve. He offered the wrong sacrifice. Abel, the second son, offered an acceptable sacrifice to God. Cain became angry and jealous and murdered Abel.
• Ishmael and Isaac (Gen. 17:18-21, Gen. 21:1-21): Isaac was the second son of Abraham. He was born to his wife Sarah, while Ishmael, the first son, was born to Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid. Isaac was the promised heir per God’s covenant promise.
• Jacob and Esau (Gen. 25:19-34, Gen. 27): Jacob was the second son of Isaac and Rebekah. She loved him more than her firstborn, so she connived to get Jacob the first-born blessing and birthright in place of first-born Esau. This led to a long-lasting conflict between the two brothers.
• Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen. 48:13-20): Ephraim was the second-born son of Joseph. Come time for Jacob to bless the sons of Joseph, he placed his hand of blessing on Ephraim rather than first-born son Manasseh. This led to the tribe of Ephraim becoming more prominent in Israel’s history.

Why is this a signature move of God? Because this is a flashing arrow pointing us to the fact that the first son of God (Adam, see Luke 3:38) was not the prominent son. He introduced us ALL to sin. The right Son of God is Jesus. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit... For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Cor. 15:45&52) God does all things after the counsel of His own will. Jesus was the second Son of God on earth, and through Him, now WE have the power to become the sons of God! (John 1:12) It's a huge deal to God.

R&J Shee

The Seed of Progressive Revelation

One of the beauties of the Bible is that through the 66 books, God chose to progressively reveal His plan for the ages. It’s aptly called progressive revelation. One ancient theologian described it, “What at first is only obscurely intimated is gradually unfolded in subsequent parts of the sacred volume, until the truth is revealed in its fulness.”

One brush stroke sweeps across the whole canvas of the Bible as the main theme: God’s kingdom with Jesus Christ ruling and reigning. The brush is first set on the canvas of time with this Genesis verse: And I will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman (Israel), and between thy seed (antichrist) and her seed (Jesus & Israel); it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Gen 3:15) Get some popcorn and read the Bible. It’s about a seed.

But you know, if you just read that Genesis verse and nothing else, you have no idea who the seed and the woman are. You might just read over it as interesting history and move on looking for your verse to get you through the day.

I point this out for several reasons related to “how to study the Bible.”

First, God said the beginning and the end tie together: Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. (Isa 46:10) From that verse, we see that our heavenly Creator is not only the creative author of the scriptures we study, but He also sovereignly rules over the situations and events they describe. If you want to get to know God better, get to know the scriptures. If God’s glory is unfathomable, so is His word, including the history it describes and the method He uses to communicate it. He chose progressive revelation.

Second, if you are a “find my verse for today” kind of Bible reader, you have a “milk” approach to the Word. God says, Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. (Isa. 28:9-10) In other words, only when you compare scripture with scripture will you discover each passage is more than just history. You dig to discover how this place in Genesis relates to Jesus before He was even born, and to His second coming, which is still to come. When you do that, you are enjoying the meat of the word. Some people have never tasted this meat before, and they don’t realize there is more than milk. Meat is delicious!

We have a little micro example of progressive revelation in Genesis with the covenant God makes with Abraham. He doesn’t give the full story to Abraham all at once. He unfolds it in seven visits. That is certainly tidy. Seven is the number of completion. We can call these seven installments of God’s plan to Abraham progressive revelation. The messages from God spanned 25 years between the first and sixth visit, and then ever how many years old Isaac was when God asked Abraham to sacrifice him.

1.     Gen. 12:1-3	God calls Abram to leave his country and family and promises to bless him and make him a great nation.
2.     Gen. 13:14-16	After Abram fully obeys and he and nephew Lot part ways, God reiterates His promise to give Abram’s seed the land of Canaan.
3.     Gen. 15:4-16	God makes a covenant with Abram, promising him countless seed in number and defines the boundaries of the land they would inherit.
4.     Gen. 17:1-22	God establishes a new seed covenant with Abram, changing his name to Abraham and introduces the practice of circumcision as a sign of the covenant. God also changes Sarai’s name to Sarah and promises she will bear a son.
5.     Gen. 18:1-33	The Lord, with three angels, reaffirms His promise that Sarah will bear a son and tells Abraham about His plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
6.     Gen. 21:12-13	God instructs Abraham to listen to Sarah and send Hagar and Ishmael away, promising that in Isaac his seed would be called, but also promises that Ishmael will become a great nation.
7.     Gen. 22:15-18	God tests Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac. After Abraham demonstrates his obedience, God reaffirms His seed covenant and blessings.

Throughout the Bible, beginning to end, there’s a tussle between Satan’s seed and the seed promised to Abraham that would ultimately bruise Satan’s head. The seed is Jesus, but it’s also as numerous as the stars of heaven and is Israel. The seed is dual. You see the brilliance of God?

God sweeps that paintbrush through the Bible until we get the last reference to that seed in what completes this hue of the picture of progressive revelation: And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Rev. 12:17) The dragon ultimately ends up in the lake of fire.

That’s just a limited view of the brush sweep over the whole Bible. There are many more truths that have their beginning, or first mention, in Genesis that play out through the Bible. The Old and New Testaments intricately weave together in a picture of progressive revelation.

In closing, if you tend not to read the Old Testament, ask God for a hunger for it. Ask Him to open your eyes to learn more about Him. He will show you.

R&J Shee

Watching for the Fulness of Times

For all you Bible study students, we are going to dive into the deep end, starting with the third time God told Abraham His grand plan for him and for the nation that would come out of him. As we look,  Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. (Isa. 46:9-10) God is in control, and He’s ruling the affairs of man, nations, kingdoms, past present and future. Prophesy is Him declaring (foretelling) the end from the beginning.

God had a kingdom plan that was related to Abraham that He unfolded to him in seven installments. Abraham couldn’t have handled it all at once. But also, God used His signature number seven. In God’s first mention of His kingdom prophesy to Abraham, all God said (in Gen 12:1-3) was that Abraham was to leave his land, and God would make him a great nation. Today, let’s jump to God’s third explanation after Abraham finally asked some questions when God spoke of his future: And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs (Egypt), and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve (Egypt), will I judge: and afterward shall they (Israel) come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again (the promised land): for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. (Gen. 15:13-16)

God is eager to reveal His plan. Here are some notes about what He just told Abraham before Abraham even had a child:

• The nation that would spring from his loins would be slaves in Egypt for 400 years.
• God would do that because He planned to judge the Egyptians (All those plagues were God’s judgement on wicked Egypt).
• God would allow the Israelites to escape to the promised land after gathering all the “great substance” from the Egyptians. (Ex 12:35-36)
• Israel’s return to the promised land would actually involve two judgments. Not just the Egyptians, but also the Amorites in the promised land of Canaan.
• Implied, it would take 400 years for the iniquity of the Amorites in Israel’s promised land to be full.

What is the iniquity of the Amorites that had to be full first?

The fact that God even said that reveals how He thinks differently than we do, because He’s the supreme, sovereign God. When the Amorites, who were Canaanite giants (see Amos 2:9-10), would become as wicked as they could be, deserving of judgment, God would send in the Israelites to clear out the land as God’s hand of judgment on the wicked. This situation would alternately present itself as His hand of mercy on the Israelites as He fulfilled His promise of giving Abraham’s seed the promised land.

This answers the question, “Why did God order the Israelites to kill people when they entered the promised land?” or “How can a loving God legitimize war?” It was because those people’s wickedness was full. Israel was God’s hand of judgment on them. Never forget that our loving God is also a just, righteous and holy God who judges sin.

By the way, what were the abominations of the Amorites that became so full and deserved such judgment? I challenge you to read Lev. 18. You will be astounded. Read the whole chapter. It’s pretty much about one genre of sin. I will just point out 2 verses of warning for the conquering Israelites: Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) Lev. 18:26-27.

I’ll conclude where we started. God declares the end from the beginning. Not only did God reveal to Abraham the certain future of Israel before there even was an Israel. He revealed the end of the Bible from the beginning, here in Genesis. God’s redeemed will leave the world (of which Egypt is a type) when the fullness of wickedness is complete. Believers in this church age will be raptured out. And then will come the tribulation followed by Christ’s second coming—but not before the iniquity that is worth the eternal wrath of God is full.

Here's a verse you might never see the same way again:

Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him. (Eph 1:9-10) Perhaps you’ve thought the “fulness of times” would come when “the last person who will get saved gets saved.” But don’t forget that God sees the fulness of times from multiple angles. I propose it’s also when the world gets so wicked, God finally calls it.

Final thought. What will be the clue that the iniquity of the world is about full? For one possibility, read Lev. 18. It’s your homework.

R&J Shee

Abraham's Big Blunder Didn't Stop God's Plan for His Life

As we move through human history in Genesis, we come to God’s course-altering promise to Abraham in chapter 12. Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing (Gen. 12:1-2).

What a grand way to start the chapter. But in the 18 verses that follow, we go from A) God’s amazing call and promise to Abraham to B) Abraham ending up in the promised land and building alters to God to (C) Abraham moving away from the promised land into Egypt because of a famine to D) Abraham assuming Pharoah will “want” his wife, and to spare his own skin, he makes a plan to allow Pharoah to peacefully take her from him. “So long, sweetie.”

How quickly he spirals into absurdity!

But my purpose here is not to drag Abraham through the mud. I want to point out a few things:

While Abraham was in charge of directing the affairs of their married life as the man of the household through whom God directs, Sarah was in charge of her responses. God doesn’t share her response or attitude here in Genesis. We like to imagine what our response would be. But we DO get her attitude in 1 Pet 3:1-6. She handled it like a champ, becoming one of our great role models.

But here’s the “rest of the story” from Gen. 12. It doesn’t end with Sarah becoming part of Pharoah’s haram. It ends with a “but God” moment. Read Gen. 12:17-20. God plagued Pharoah’s household because he took Sarah. Pharoah got to the bottom of it and discovered that Sarah was actually Abraham’s wife. The situation knocked some sense into Pharoah and he gave her back unharmed and sent them away after rebuking Abraham for allowing this situation to happen in the first place.

Here are the things I see from this chapter:

• No matter what the situation, God is in control. He can change bad circumstances around.
• When the husband makes seriously stupid choices, the wife’s correct response is to repeat these 2 verses: The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. (Ps. 118:6&8) And then, actually trust the Lord! It takes practice, but there’s victory to be had.
• God had a plan for Abraham and Sarah’s life. He already stated it earlier in the chapter. God will see to it that His plans and purposes are fulfilled. Nothing can stop it. Not even the forks in the road where we take the “wrong” turn.
• God can use unsaved people to help steer our lives into God’s paths. They don’t realize they are tools in God’s hands.

You probably already know all this, but look at it from a different perspective in the poem below.

Jody