JESUS SAVES
COMMENTARIES
Welcome to our biblical commentaries page! Attached below are some verse-by-verse commentary notes for different books of the bible that will hopefully help you gain more knowledge and understanding of God's word. Once again please test these commentary notes with our Heavenly Father's word to make sure they are in line with the truth. God bless!
COMMENTARY NOTES ON THE BOOK OF PHILEMON
PHILEMON (Biblestudy Part 1 & 2)
Read Philemon vs 1-25
CONTEXT: written around the same time as Colossians in around AD 60-62 during Paul's first imprisonment in Rome!!! (Read Colossians 1:1 and 4:9-18- Both Colossians letter and Philemon sent by Paul and Timothy. Onesimus, EPAPHRAS, and archippus mentioned in both letters!! Paul mentioned as a prisoner in both!) It is believed that Philemon might have been an elder in the church at Colosse (Philemon 1:2- the church that meets in your home). Philemon was a slave owner who became a Christian as a result of Paul's preaching.
PURPOSE OF LETTER: Paul writes this letter interceding on behalf of a runaway slave named Onesimus who left Philemon as a non-believer but came to know Jesus while running away and met Paul and was of great help to Paul as a believer (Colossians 4:9- Onesimus is the one bringing the Colossians letter. Colossians 4:17- archippus is also mentioned and vs 18 Paul mentioned in chains!!)
Key Notes:- slaves during this time period who ran away could be punished with execution or at the very least brutally punished.- the book of Philemon indirectly deals with the Christian view point on slavery.
Q1. HOW DOES PAUL INTRODUCE HIMSELF?
Vs 1- when Paul says he is a prisoner of Christ Jesus, it reminds us that he is in chains for a purpose (vs 13- Paul is in chains for the gospel, Ephesians 4:1, Philippians 1:12-14, Acts 16:22-25)
Notice that even though in the natural, Paul was a prisoner of man, He did not define himself by his natural situation? Do we see our circumstances as the opportunity Jesus has given us to preach His gospel to the lost? (Whether we are in hospital, or prison or school or uni, wherever Jesus has put us is always for the reason of shining His light and sharing His gospel!!) When Paul could have so easily focussed on his circumstance of being in prison, he instead realised it was Jesus' plan for him to be there to shine the light of Jesus. Therefore he didn't see himself as a prisoner of man but rather a prisoner of Christ Jesus, there for Jesus' purpose and plan alone!! Acts 16:25- what if the reason Paul and Silas had to be put in jail was so that the jailer and his family could be saved!! SOMETIMES WHEN YOU PRAY, JESUS WILL NOT ALWAYS TAKE YOU OUT OF THE CIRCUMSTANCE, BUT HE MIGHT INSTEAD CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE!! Paul was not always delivered out of prison straight away, but Jesus changed his perspective and he realised that the prison was a harvest field!! (Philippians 1:12-14)
Q2. HOW DOES PAUL GREET THE BELIEVERS HERE?
vs 1-2 Paul gives an introduction which reminds us of different aspects of our Christian walk (identity and calling)!!
-The way he addresses Philemon as a FELLOW-WORKER reminds us that we have a harvest field Jesus has called us to work in!! (Matthew 9:37-38)
- the way he addresses Apphia as a SISTER (and Timothy as brother) reminds us that we have a family we belong to in Jesus!! (1 Timothy 5:1-2)
- the way he addresses Archippus as a FELLOW-SOLDIER reminds us we are in a spiritual battle against the enemy!! (2 Timothy 2:3-4, Ephesians 6:11-18, Mark 9:17-29)
Q. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A GOOD SOLDIER OF CHRIST BASED ON 2 TIMOTHY 2:3-4?
(To Expect and endure hardship and persecution, to not be ignorant of the spiritual battle like civilians are. To have a Willingness to please and obey our commanding officer Jesus!)
Do we identify ourselves by these terms (harvest workers soldier of Christ, family) as Christians? (Philippians 2:25)
Vs 2- the 'CHURCH’ that meets in your home. This reminds us that the church is not the building but rather the people of God gathering together!! (Romans 16:5, Colossians 4:15, 1 Corinthians 16:19) Therefore “church” happens whenever and wherever the believers in Jesus gather together to worship Him and encourage each other from His word!
Vs 3- 'grace and peace from God' reminds us as Christians of what we already have access to in Jesus (Hebrews 4:16)!! Grace to not only have been saved, but to live a godly life pleasing to Jesus (Titus 2:11), and to use the spiritual gifts to build up the church (Romans 12:6). Grace to work hard and labour in the faith (1 Corinthians 15:10). Peace from our Heavenly Father to get through the turmoil of this life!! (Philippians 4:6-7, John 16:33) This was a common greeting used by Paul in his letters.
vs 4- look for the reason to be thankful in your circumstance! Paul was in prison at this time, and yet when he had every reason to be complaining to Jesus about His circumstance, notice he was looking for reasons to be thankful to Jesus instead, by focusing on what Jesus was doing in Philemon! LOOK FOR THE REASONS TO BE THANKFUL TO JESUS!
Vs 5- Philemon was commended for his outward showing faith (James 2:14) and love for ALL the saints. Not just some. Do we love ALL our brothers and sisters in Christ no matter what church they go to? Unity in the faith!!! Is our faith in Jesus outward showing?
vs 6- this verse might be interpreted a few ways possibly. Firstly it might mean that the more we fellowship together as Christians and share our faith with one another, the more deeper an understanding we will gain of the good things we have in Christ!! (This can come from hearing what God has taught others from the word of God hence gaining a deeper understanding of the word, or it may come from the testimonies that are shared etc.) Romans 1:11-12
Secondly, it may more likely mean that Paul is praying that the sharing of our faith become more effective/powerful by understanding the good things we have in us in Christ!! The more we understand the good things we have access to in Jesus (like the spiritual gifts and more knowledge of His promises for us) the more effective we will be in sharing or faith with others and building and encouraging them up in their faith!! (Romans 1:11-12, Hebrews 3:13, Hebrews 10:25)
Vs 7- Philemon refreshed the hearts of the saints!! The word 'refresh' could mean to 'give rest to the soul/heart' or to help restore/recover/recollect spiritual strength!! Are we helping to refresh one another in Jesus? (1 Corinthians 16:18, 2 Corinthians 7:13, Proverbs 11:25?)
(Bible study Part 2)
IT IS NOW IN VERSES 8-21 THAT PAUL WRITES TO INTERCEDE ON BEHALF OF PHILEMON'S SLAVE ONESIMUS.
Q1. ON WHAT BASIS DOES PAUL APPEAL TO PHILEMON FOR ONESIMUS?
Vs 8-9 here Paul appeals to Philemon for his slave Onesimus on the basis of love not from Christian obligation. Is my motivation for helping my brothers and sisters in Christ, out of obligation as a Christian or out of love for them in you Jesus (vs 14)? Holy Spirit, please give me a desire to serve out of love for others!!!! (2 Corinthians 5:14)
So the next question that comes is what do I do when I am lacking the right motivation to help someone? Does this mean I don't help them because I have the wrong motive? Answer: still help them but tell the truth to the Lord and ask Him to change your motivation!!
vs 9- Paul by this stage was an old man, but notice he still faithfully served Jesus in his old age!!! Psalm 92:14- they will still bear fruit in old age!!
vs 10- notice Paul considers Onesimus his son in the faith!! This reminds us that as Christians, we are part of a family in Jesus!!
Q2. WHAT DOES THE NAME ONESIMUS MEAN?
vs 10-11 Paul appeals for his son in the faith, Onesimus!!! Notice that in Christ, Paul and Onesimus become family in the faith!!! The name Onesimus means "useful" and yet in verse 11 Paul says that formerly he was "useless" to Philemon (ie. As a non Christian). This tells us that Onesimus was not living up to his name or potential in the past. But once he became a Christian, Jesus called out the potential in him!!! He became useful to both Paul and Philemon!!! Paul would know a thing or two about potential. For each of us are like a 'Saul' waiting for Jesus to call the 'Paul' out of us (Acts 13:9)!!
Each of us are like a Jacob waiting for Jesus to call the Israel out of us!!! (Genesis 32:28)
Do we see the potential that Jesus sees in each one of us? Joseph was renamed Barnabas by the Apostles (Acts 4:36) and he lived up to that name by encouraging other Christians (Acts 11:23-26) and choosing to see the best in people like Paul!! Am I living up to the potential that Jesus sees in me, of whom Jesus has called me to be? (Practically think about the Christian name that you have been given!! What does your name mean? Are you living up to that name?) Or am I instead choosing to live by the labels others put on me? (Jacob 'deceiver' was named by his parents, and that's the life he used to live until he met God and wrestled with Him- Genesis 32:28)
vs 15- notice God's provident plan at work!!! What Onesimus initially meant for wrong, God turned around and meant for good!! (Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:28) WILL WE SEE GOD'S GREATER PURPOSE IN EVERY SITUATION?
Q3. WHAT IS GOD'S VIEW ON SLAVERY?
Vs 16- Paul here gives us a glimpse of the Christian perspective on slavery. Notice he encourages Philemon to no longer see or treat Onesimus as a slave, but rather as a brother in Christ now that he has been saved by Jesus!! It is passages like this which show us slavery is not part of God's plan! (1 Timothy 1:10, 1 Corinthians 7:21-23) Notice Paul chose to deal with slavery by seeking to change the perception of people/slave owners towards their slaves, rather than necessarily trying to abolish the slavery laws?
Q4. HOW DOES THE LETTER OF PHILEMON POINT TO JESUS?
vs 18- it is always so amazing to see how we can see Christ in every book of the bible. Paul here in vs 18 intercedes on behalf of Onesimus and tells Philemon that if Onesimus has done anything wrong and owes Philemon anything, to forgive him and charge it to his account (Paul's). Now think of this situation from the perspective that Philemon represents God, Onesimus represents us, and Paul represents Jesus!!
We, like Onesimus were and are God's property since He created us!! (just like Onesimus was the property of Philemon, being his slave).
We (like Onesimus) did wrong against our master (God), turning away from Him (just like Onesimus ran away from Philemon and possibly stole from him) Jesus (like Paul in this situation) interceded on our behalf to God and paid our debt that we owed God so that all our wrongs and what we owed God was charged to Jesus on our behalf!! As a result, God now welcomes us home (just like it is assumed Philemon welcomes Onesimus back now as a brother in Christ)!! Woohoo!! Praise you Jesus!!
vs 21- do we go the extra mile (Matthew 5:41) for our brothers and sisters in Christ and all people? Paul was confident that Philemon would do more than he asked for in this situation!!
vs 22- prepare a guest room for me (Paul). Do we make room for others to do this Christian journey with us? Do we practice hospitality like Philemon did? (Romans 12:13)
vs 24- one of the brothers in Christ mentioned here is Mark (the one who wrote the gospel of Mark)! (Acts 15:37-38, 2 Timothy 4:11, Colossians 4:10) Paul shows Philemon from his own example with Mark, of the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation in the faith!! LEAD BY EXAMPLE!
WHO WAS EPAPHRAS? WHAT DOES HIS LIFE TEACH US?
vs 23- (cross reference with possibly Philippians 2:25, Colossians 1:7, Colossians 4:12, Philemon 1:23)
WHO WAS DEMAS? WHAT DOES HIS LIFE TEACH US?
vs 24 one of the people who sends their greeting happens to be Demas. At this stage he is a fellow-worker in the Harvest. But soon we will find out in 2 Timothy 4:10 that because Demas loved the world (1 John 2:15-18), he appears to have left the faith and ministry. Which makes the clear point: it's not about how we start the race but how we finish it!! (Hebrews 12:1-4, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, 2 Timothy 4:7-8)
Will we end the race well in Jesus?
COMMENTARY NOTES ON THE TRINITY BIBLESTUDY
BIBLESTUDY ON THE TRINITY!
Q. WHAT IS THE TRINITARIAN BELIEF? (What is the doctrine of the trinity?)
The doctrine of the Trinity says that there is ONE GOD who eternally exists as THREE DISTINCT PERSONS — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe there is only one God (Eg. Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 43:10-12, 44:6, 45:6) but that He exists in 3 persons that are both one and the same and yet distinct at the same time. (Eg. Genesis 1:1- Elohim (the Hebrew word for God) is in plural form with vs 3 Holy Spirit and John 1:1 Jesus at the beginning, Genesis 1:26, Isaiah 6:8). The Trinitarian doctrine believes that God is THREE-IN-ONE. (Not three separate Gods!!)
Q. IS THE WORD ‘TRINITY’ IN THE BIBLE?
Firstly, it is true that some say that the word trinity is not in the bible. The term 'trinity' is a man-made word to describe a biblical concept, just like the word 'bible' is a man made word used to describe the fullness of the word of God!!!!
Q. IS THE TRINITY CONCEPT POSSIBLE BASED ON SCRIPTURE?
(1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 4:12, Matthew 10:28, James 2:26, John 1:14, 1 Corinthians 12:3, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Isaiah 61:1, Luke 4:1,18, Psalm 11:5, Hebrews 10:38)
THE TRINITY SIMPLIFIED
1Thessalonians 5:23 shows us we are made up of a SPIRIT, a SOUL and a BODY!! Does that make us three people? No. We are one person, but we simultaneously exist in 3 forms.
We know that the SPIRIT is separate from the SOUL because Hebrews 4:12 says the word of God penetrates to divide even spirit and soul. We know the SPIRIT is separate from the BODY because James 2:26 says the body without the spirit is dead and in Acts 7:59 Stephen's spirit separated from his body!! We also know the SOUL is separate from the BODY since our saviour Jesus says in Matthew 10:28- do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul!!
So then if we ourselves are triune beings, and if Genesis 1:26-27 says that God created us in His image, is it too far-fetched to believe that God is triune in nature?
Just like we have a body, so too John 1:14 says the word became flesh and made His dwelling among us!! JESUS IS GOD IN THE FLESH (Colossians 2:9).
Just like we have a spirit, so too THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE SPIRIT OF GOD (1 Corinthians 2:9-16, Isaiah 61:1 with Luke 4:1,18, 1 Corinthians 12:3)
Just like we have a soul, God our Father is referred to as being like a Soul (Psalm 11:5, Hebrews 10:38, Matthew 12:18)
Q. WHERE IS THE TRINITY SHOWN IN THE BIBLE? (Matthew 28:19/Isaiah 42:8, Matthew 3:16-17 at Jesus’ baptism, 1 Peter 1:2, Revelation 1:4-5, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Acts 16:6-10, Ephesians 3:14-17, John 16:5-7)
Q. WHERE DOES THE BIBLE EQUATE JESUS WITH GOD THE FATHER, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT WITH JESUS AND GOD THE FATHER?
In John 8:58, Jesus directly calls Himself 'I AM'. This is the name God gave to Moses back at the burning bush in Exodus 3:14!
Colossians 2:9, John 20:28, John 1:1-3,14, Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6, Titus 2:13, Philippians 2:9 also state that Jesus is God in the flesh!! In John 1:1-2 the bible says that Jesus was God and was with God!
Compare Isaiah 42:8 with John 17:1-5. Compare Hebrews 1:8-9 with Psalm 45:6-7. What is the conclusion that must come from these verses?
The Holy Spirit is equated with God the Father in Acts 5:3-4 and Acts 16:6-10 and Psalm 139:7 equates God’s presence with the Holy Spirit.
In Judges 13:25,14:6, and Judges 16:20 THE HOLY SPIRIT IS EQUATED WITH GOD! (See Isaiah 6:8-10, Acts 28:25-27)
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS EQUATED WITH JESUS in Acts 16:6-10, Ephesians 3:16-17, 1 Peter 1:11-12, 2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
Q. WHERE IS THE HOLY SPIRIT REFERRED TO AS A PERSON? The Holy Spirit is referred to as a person by Jesus in John 16:5-13. He has a will in 1 Corinthians 12:11. He can be grieved in Ephesians 4:30. He has a mind in Romans 8:27. The Holy Spirit can speak (Acts 13:1-2, Hebrews 3:7)
Q. WHERE DOES THE BIBLE DISTINGUISH BETWEEN GOD THE FATHER, JESUS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT?
In Matthew 28:19-20 the disciples were commanded to baptise in the name of The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!!! (Isaiah 42:8)
In Luke 3:21-23 At Jesus' baptism, God the Father speaks, and The Holy Spirit descends on Jesus the Son!!
2 Corinthians 13:14- 'May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of The Holy Spirit be with you all.'
Galatians 1:1,3 distinguishes between God the Father and Jesus Christ!!
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 mentions the same SPIRIT, same LORD and same GOD!!
(See also Ephesians 4:4-6, 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, John 16:13-15, 1 Peter 1:2, Ephesians 1:17, John 14:16-23)
Q. WHEN WE GO TO HEAVEN, WILL WE BE ABLE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN JESUS, THE HOLY SPIRIT AND GOD THE FATHER?
(Revelation 4:5,8-11, Revelation 5:5-7,9-14, Daniel 7:13-14, Psalm 110:1, Acts 7:55, Revelation 3:21)
COMMENTARY NOTES ON THE BOOK OF JONAH 1
JONAH 1 Context: The book of Jonah appears to have been set anytime between 790-745 BC (during the reign of Jeroboam 2- an evil king in Israel, when Jonah prophecied- 2 Kings 14:25) and written possibly as late as 613 BC (just before Assyria taken over by the Babylonians.
Jonah Son of Amittai was a prophet To the northern kingdom of Israel and was from Gath Hepher- 2 Kings 14:25-27.
THE BIGGER PICTURE OF THE BOOK OF JONAH:
Chapter 1- God calls Jonah to preach repentance to Nineveh. Jonah runs away from the Lord. God brings a storm to discipline Jonah, and he is thrown into the sea and swallowed by a fish.
Chapter 2- Jonah seems to repent from inside the fish!!
Chapter 3- God calls Jonah again to preach repentance to Nineveh! He is the God of second chances!! This time Jonah is able to preach from personal experience! Nineveh repents!
Chapter 4- Jonah is still unhappy with God and vents his displeasure to God! God gently corrects Jonah and shows how much He cares for even the gentiles!!
THEMES:The book of Jonah will show us that God came for the Gentiles too!! In the book of Jonah we will see 2 groups of Gentiles who repent and are open to God's rebuke/correction contrasted with the behaviour of Jonah a supposed believer who acts the opposite!! (Compare Luke 15- the prodigal son and the older brothers attitude)
Jonah as a prophet was questionable as shown not only by his attitude in this book, but also by the fact that his prophecy to king Jeroboam in 2 Kings 14:25 was reversed by God as spoken through the prophet Amos in Amos 6:13-14. Despite this, God used Jonah to preach to Nineveh to possibly show us that God uses broken and imperfect vessels to achieve His purposes! If God can use Jonah despite his weaknesses and disobedience, He can certainly use you!!
READ JONAH CHAPTER 1:
In vs 1 it says the word of the Lord came to Jonah!! (Ezekiel 6:1-2, 7:1-2). IN WHAT WAYS DOES THE WORD OF THE LORD COME TO YOU?
Q1. WHAT DID GOD ASK JONAH TO DO?
Q2. WHAT WAS JONAH’S RESPONSE TO GOD’S REQUEST TO PREACH TO NINEVEH? Why might he have responded this way?
Nineveh was (or would soon be) the capital of Assyria, the superpower at that time and enemy of Israel! Soon after the time of Jonah, Assyria would be the nation that sends the northern kingdom of Israel into exile! (In 722-21 BC) (2 Kings 17:6, 19:36)
Jonah may have been upset that God was wanting to show mercy on his enemy. But rather than venting to God (Jonah 4:1-2), notice Jonah instead tried to give God the silent treatment and run away from His presence (vs 3)? As a result, Jonah disobeyed God's command!!
Q. WHAT ARE YOUR REASONS/EXCUSES FOR DISOBEYING GOD? Often it could be because we don't like or agree with what God is asking us to do!! (Eg. Women preaching over men, or remarriage after divorce) It was also because Jonah lacked compassion for his enemy!
Q. HOW DO YOU RESPOND WHEN GOD ASKS YOU TO DO SOMETHING YOU DON’T LIKE TO DO?
a) Do we have God's same heart towards our enemies? (Matthew 5:44, Naaman servant- 2 Kings 5) DON'T SHOW FAVOURITISM TO WHOM WE PREACH TO!
b) How do we deal with the situation where God does something we don't like? Do we share with Him our frustrations, or do we give Him the silent treatment instead? BE HONEST AND OPEN WITH YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER! Don't avoid conflict (vs 3) instead deal/face it (Jonah 4:1-2)!
vs 2- God called Jonah to do what he didn't want to do!! God may do the same with us!!
vs 2- we can't hide our wickedness from God!! (Hebrews 4:13, Genesis 18:21)
vs 3- it is interesting that the very place (Joppa) where God is showing Jonah that His mercy is also for the Gentiles, is the same place from which He shows Peter the apostle that the gospel is for the Gentiles also!! (Acts 10:5)
vs 3- paying the fare! Running from God will cost you something!! Notice in Jonah 2:10 the Lord gave Jonah a free ride to Nineveh!!
vs 3- fleeing to Tarshish. This was in the opposite direction! But Jonah forgot Psalm 139:7-10, that he cannot flee from God's presence!!

vs 4,12- Sometimes the reason we have storms raging in our life is because of our own fault/disobedience (we have a Jonah inside of us). Ie. we are being disobedient to God in an aspect of our life! GOD DISCIPLINES THOSE HE LOVES! (Hebrews 12:6) Notice it was God who sent the storm!! He is the one in control of the weather!! He has the power to send the storm and calm the storm (Mark 4:39-41- at other times, the storms come to test our faith and to glorify God!)
When the boat crew prayed to God, God didn't answer because in His holiness They already knew they had to throw Jonah overboard!! Get rid of that sin/disobedience or disobedient friend! Just like Joshua 7- the sin of Achan!!
vs 7- casting lots (Proverbs 16:33, Acts 1:26, 1 Samuel 14:41)
vs 8-9 It is interesting to note that when Jonah was asked WHAT DO YOU DO? His response was “Worship the God of heaven.” DO WE DEFINE OURSELVES BY OUR JOB OR WHO WE SERVE?
vs 9-16 God can even use our stuff-ups for His glory!! It was because of Jonah's mistake that God was able to bring salvation to the gentile sailors!!
vs 12- God disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6) vs 12- While it seems that Jonah's request was noble, notice that he would rather die than do the will of God at this stage? Why didn't Jonah ask them to turn the boat around instead? LEARN FROM JONAH'S MISTAKE AND ATTITUDE!
vs 12- at least Jonah was willing to accept responsibility for his actions!! This goes one step further than Adam in Genesis 3:12 who passed the blame onto Eve!!
vs 15-16 the sailors moved from fearing the storm to fearing God!! Just like the disciples did in Mark 4:35-41! DON'T FEAR THE SITUATION, INSTEAD REVERENCE THE GOD WHO IS IN CONTROL OF YOUR SITUATION!
vs 17- God's provision doesn't always look the way we think it will. (When you fall into the ocean, the last thing you would want God to send to save you would be to be swallowed by a fish! You would want Him to send a boat!!) The word provided here is the word 'manah' which is used 3 times in the book of Jonah. It is also used in Jonah 4:7-8. God provided the fish to swallow Jonah, God provided the worm to eat the vine, and God provided the east wind!!
vs 17- HOW DOES JONAH POINT TO JESUS? (Matthew 12:39-41) Jesus tells us that just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for 3 days and 3 nights, so also He would be in the heart of the earth for 3 days and nights during His death and resurrection!! If God could use Jonah despite his weakness to be a sign, this reminds us that God uses the broken for His greater purpose!!
COMMENTARY NOTES ON THE BOOK OF JONAH 2
JONAH 2 (Ministering from personal experience) THE NATURE OF PRAYER!
CONTEXT: At the end of chapter 1, Jonah had just been swallowed by the great fish that God had provided, where he will spend 3 days and 3 nights in the dark smelly pit of this fish!! Chapter 2 now records the PRAYER of Jonah while in the fish during those 3 days and nights!!!
STRUCTURE OF JONAH’S PRAYER:
vs 2-6 Jonah contrasts the distress of being disciplined by God when he was thrown into the ocean to die, with the comfort and hope that God still hears his cries for help and saves!
vs 6- Jonah recognises God’s deliverance and salvation!
vs 7-9 God’s discipline brings Jonah back to seeking God and thanking Him!! (Psalm 119:67, 71)
THE PRAYER OF JONAH! (The struggle within Jonah!) (Notice that not once does Jonah admit he had sinned against God or ask God for forgiveness!!)
vs 1-2 from inside the fish Jonah prayed to God in his distress!!
Q. WHAT IS OUR RESPONSE WHEN WE ARE IN DISTRESS!! (vs 7) (See James 5:13, Psalm 120:1) Do we cry out to God in our distress or run away from Him and try to handle the situation on our own like Jonah did in Jonah 1:3?
WHAT IS PRAYER?
Q. BASED ON VS 1-2, WHAT IS PRAYER?
vs 1- notice that prayer is simply speaking to God!! ‘Jonah PRAYED... he SAID...’. Jonah prayed from inside the fish, and how did he pray? He spoke.... (Luke 11:2, Jonah 4:2, 1 Samuel 2:1, Deuteronomy 9:26)
Prayer- “palal”- to intercede or make supplication to the Lord. This word is a verb!! Therefore prayer is action/actively speaking to God!!
WHERE CAN WE PRAY TO GOD?
vs 1- Jonah prayed from INSIDE THE FISH! Notice this shows us we can pray to God from ANYWHERE!! If He could hear Jonah from inside a fish under the sea, He can hear our prayers from anywhere (Matthew 6:6- we can pray from the quiet of our room! In Matthew 26:39- Jesus prayed from a garden!!
In Acts 21:5 Paul and the other christians prayed on the beach!!)
In Mark 6:46, Jesus prayed on a mountainside!
In John 4:21-24, Jesus mentioned that a time would come when worship of God would no longer be determined by a place, but rather in spirit and in truth!!
vs 2- Jonah becomes a prophecy about Jesus! From the depths of ‘Sheol’ (hades according to Psalm 16:10 and Acts 2:27) Jonah called for help while in the fish 3 days and 3 nights!! Like wise in Matthew 12:39-41 Jesus will be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth/hades?)
DOES GOD HEAR OUR PRAYERS!
vs 2- it’s amazing that even in Jonah’s disobedience (because he was God’s servant), God chose to hear his prayer!! Father, you are so merciful!! If God answered Jonah’s prayer, how much more the righteous! (1 Peter 3:12, Psalm 34:17, 2 Chronicles 7:13-15) We are Righteous in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)!!
WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY?
vs 2- learn to PRAY GOD’S WORD and in accordance with God’s word!! Notice Jonah quotes the psalms in his prayer? ‘In my distress I called to the LORD and He answered me.’ (Psalm 120:1, 18:6)
vs 3- quoted from Psalm 42:7
vs 6b- from Psalm 30:3, 103:4(This is like in Daniel 9:2-19. Daniel understood from the scriptures in Jeremiah that Israel’s exile was only meant to last 70 years, so he prays to God for mercy- that He would bring them back to Jerusalem!!)
vs 3- Jonah also recognised God’s sovereignty over man’s actions!! It was the sailors who threw Jonah overboard in Jonah 1:12-15, yet Jonah recognised that it was ultimately God who hurled him into the deep of the seas (Genesis 45:5, Job 1:12,20-21)! GOD IS SOVEREIGN OVER MAN’S ACTIONS! (Eg. Acts 2:23, 4:27-28) GOD CAN USE MAN’S ACTIONS FOR HIS BIGGER PURPOSE!!
vs 4- the real pain wasn’t being drowned in the sea but being banished from God’s sight!
vs 7- notice it was only when Jonah’s life was in danger that he remembered the Lord! All this time Jonah was ignoring God and only when he was in danger did he seek the Lord!! DO WE ONLY SEEK JESUS WHEN WE ARE IN TROUBLE? (Judges 2:16-19- this was the cycle Israel went through in the book of judges! On the flip side, Luke 8:13 mentions people who will follow Jesus when everything is going well, but turn away from God in the tough times!!)
But vs 7 also reveals to us that God’s discipline worked from vs 3-4!! It caused Jonah to seek God!! God disciplines us also to draw us back to Him when we stray away!! (Hebrews 12:6-11)
vs 7- If Jonah’s prayer could reach God in heaven from inside a fish, then our prayers can reach God from wherever we are!!
vs 8- Jonah realised that the only reason he was shown mercy and saved from death is because he was praying to the one true God!! Those who serve idols, in their moment of distress will miss out on God’s mercy to save them because they are praying to a false God and not the true one!! (Compare Jonah 1:14-15 and the sailors crying out to the one true God and receiving mercy in their storm!)
THANKSGIVING IN PRAYER:
vs 9- notice when Jonah’s Song of thanksgiving came? Not after he was rescued out of the fish, but while he was still smack bang in the middle of the fish!! (Daniel 6:10, Philippians 4:6-7, John 11:41, John 6:11) LEARN TO GIVE THANKS TO JESUS WHILE STILL IN THE TRIAL!
vs 9- Jonah recognises to a certain extent that God alone chooses who should be saved and who shouldn’t, not Himself!! Jonah also declares this from PERSONAL EXPERIENCE!! He has experienced God’s salvation from death personally!!
Two things you might notice from Jonah’s prayer in the fish is:
1. Not once does Jonah recognise his fault and ask God for forgiveness!
2. The selfishness of his prayer! The word ‘I’ is used something like 10 times in this prayer, while the Lord is mentioned something like half as many times!! Jonah’s prayer was focussed more on himself than on God!!
COMMENTARY NOTES ON THE BOOK OF JONAH 3
READ JONAH 3 (THE GOD OF SECOND CHANCES)
CONTEXT: Chapter 2 ended with Jonah experiencing and declaring that salvation comes from the Lord!! He was now in a position to preach to Nineveh from personal experience!
Q1. WHAT IS COMFORTING ABOUT THE FIRST VERSE OF CHAPTER 3?
Jonah 3:1 says that the word of the Lord came to Jonah A SECOND TIME! It is comforting to know that despite Jonah’s disobedience and stuff up in chapter 1, our Heavenly Father is the GOD OF SECOND CHANCES!!
1. When Moses killed the Egyptian in Exodus 2:11-15, God gave Him a second chance 40 years later to rescue Israel from the hands of Pharoah (Exodus 3:10).
2. God gave Samson a second chance to defeat the Philistines after his disobedience (Judges 16:28)!!
3. In Matthew 26:69-75 and John 21:15-19 Jesus gave Peter a second chance after he had denied Him! (Mark 16:7)
4. In Luke 15:11-24, the parable of the prodigal son, the father was waiting there with open arms to give the repentant son a second chance!!
5. In Genesis 27:18-19, the first time Isaac had asked who it was, Jacob had lied and said he was Esau. But now in Genesis 32:27, the Lord asks Jacob again “what is your name?” Giving Jacob a second chance to now answer honestly!! God then changed Jacob’s name to Israel!!!
HAS THERE BEEN A TIME WHEN YOU DISOBEYED OR DIDN’T FULFIL WHAT JESUS ASKED YOU TO DO? Is it comforting knowing that God is willing to give you a second chance? Can you recall a time when God gave you a second chance to obey Him? How patient is our Heavenly Father with us!! If God is willing to give us a second chance, DO WE IN TURN GIVE OTHERS A SECOND CHANCE WHO HURT US?
vs 2- NOTICE that Jonah was told to preach only the MESSAGE GOD GAVE HIM? He wasn’t to preach his own message or what he wanted, nor was he to preach what would tickle the ears of the Ninevites! Thus in vs 4 it seems JONAH ONLY PREACHED WHAT GOD TOLD HIM TO? As a result, in vs 4, Jonah was willing to go up to the capital city of the enemy who had conquered a lot of the world and tell them boldly that they were going to be judged by God in 40 days! Do we preach only what God tells us to? Or are we guilty of watering down God’s word or preaching what we want to? (2 Timothy 4:3-4, John 12:49-50, 1 Kings 22:14, 2 Chronicles 18:13, 1 Peter 4:11) DO WE HOLD TO AND PREACH THE FULL TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD? (Acts 20:27)
Q. WHAT WAS JONAH’S RESPONSE TO GOD’S REQUEST THIS TIME?
vs 3- Jonah has now learnt his lesson and goes to preach from personal experience! DO WE LEARN FROM OUR PAST MISTAKES? (Contrast Jonah 1:3) DON’T MAKE GOD HAVE TO ASK YOU TWICE! (Jesus, please let us be people whom you only have to ask once to do something- and we will be obedient the first time!)
Q2. WHAT DID JONAH PREACH?
vs 4- Jonah doesn’t mention anything about repentance, turning from sin etc. he simply mentioned the coming judgement and that was enough for Nineveh to repent!! This reminds us there is no set formula for saving someone. (Contrast Acts 2 where Peter gives a whole sermon for the people to get convicted by The Holy Spirit and repent! In John 4, the Samaritan woman just shared her testimony and it brought the whole town out to meet Jesus!) IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO BE OBEDIENT TO WHAT GOD TELLS YOU TO SAY THAN TO TRY AND CONVINCE A PERSON (TO BE SAVED) BY YOUR OWN FANCY WORDS!
Q3. HOW DID NINEVEH RESPOND? (vs 5-8)
1.vs 5- they BELIEVED the word of God!
2.vs 5- They FASTED (to humble themselves before God and mourn over their sin) They fasted and mourned over their sin and repented! (Humbled themselves) From the greatest in Nineveh to the least, they all repented- irrespective of persons! Despite Nineveh being a very important city (vs 3), they were all humble enough to repent!! HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD?
3.vs 8- they called URGENTLY on God to relent- seeking God for His mercy and compassion.
4.vs 8- They had a willingness to give up their evil ways!!
(Believed, fasted and mourned, humbled themselves, called on God to repent, gave up evil ways!! (Note similarities to 2 Chronicles 7:14)
vs 9- note that Nineveh did not presume on God’s compassion but were hoping God would relent and show them compassion. It is only by God’s mercy that we are saved, not by us forcing His hand through repentance!! Thus we cannot boast in being saved, because it is all by God’s mercy and grace!! (Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5)
vs 9- also shows us that when God warns a nation or person, it seems to be within the context of giving them the chance to repent and be saved!! (Jeremiah 18:7-8, Genesis 18-19 Lot was Sodom and Gomorrah’s preacher! Genesis 6, Noah was the worlds preacher at that time- 2 Peter 2:5)
Q4. WHAT WAS GOD’S RESPONSE TO NINEVEH’S REPENTANCE? (vs 10)
Our Heavenly Father had compassion and relented (vs 10)!! This shows us that God’s plan of salvation was for the Gentiles all along also! This is the second group of Gentiles to be saved in this book! (See Jonah 1:16)
Contrasting this with Genesis 18:20, 19:6 we see that Lot was the one warning Sodom and Gomorrah, and yet they didn’t listen and so God brought judgement on them!! We also see that God has compassion on whom He chooses to have compassion (Romans 9).
Q. WHAT DOES THIS REVEAL ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF GOD?
He is gracious and compassionate! Slow to anger, abounding in love (Jonah 4:2, Psalm 103:8) 2 Peter 3:9- God is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance!!
God not only gave Jonah a second chance, He now also gave Nineveh a second chance!! He truly is the God of second chances!! Praise you Heavenly Father!
COMMENTARY NOTES ON THE BOOK OF JONAH 4
READ JONAH 4 (THE TALE OF TWO ATTITUDES!)
CONTEXT: In the previous chapter, Jonah was happy for God to give him a second chance, but was upset that God was willing to give Nineveh a second chance! BEWARE OF THE HYPOCRITICAL ATTITUDE! (2 Samuel 12:5-16)
What is interesting to note is that It is believed that Jonah wrote the book of Jonah. If it was us, most of us, writing our story would have stopped at chapter 3 with the success of our ministry, but what is amazing to note is that Jonah was willing to write chapter 4 and be honest about his wrong attitude and struggle to love his enemy!! ARE WE WILLING TO BE HONEST AND OPEN ABOUT OUR STRUGGLES?
Q1. WHAT WAS JONAH’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS NINEVEH BEING SAVED AND WHY MIGHT HE HAVE HAD THIS ATTITUDE? (vs 1-3)
(Note the similarity to Luke 15:25-28 and the religious older brother/Pharisees (vs 2) in the parable of the prodigal son?)
vs 1- it seems that Jonah was displeased that God showed mercy on the Ninevites- Israel’s enemy!! It is strange that Jonah would be angry that his preaching was a success!! Obviously Jonah wanted God to bring judgement on Israel instead of mercy! (James 2:13) DO WE DESIRE MERCY OR JUDGEMENT OVER OUR ENEMIES?
Yet, we see in Matthew 5:43-47 and Luke 6:35-36 that our saviour Jesus calls us to LOVE OUR ENEMIES and pray for those who persecute us, to do good to them and lend to them without expecting in return (Romans 12:17-21)!! Jesus calls us to forgive our enemies as well (Luke 6:37) which He Himself demonstrated on the cross! (Luke 23:34)
So the question is: ARE WE GOING TO BE LIKE JESUS OR JONAH?
(When someone harms or hurts you, do you desire God to bring judgement on them or mercy to save them?) Do you get angry when God shows mercy on or blesses someone you don’t like?
Q. WHO IS YOUR NINEVEH? (Who is that person that you struggle to forgive or share the gospel with?)
Q. In vs 1 it says that Jonah was angry. WHAT DID JONAH DO IN HIS ANGER? (vs 2)
He vented in prayer to God this time instead of running away and giving God the silent treatment!!! (Compare this to Jonah 1:3!)
Do we run away from the Lord and give Him the silent treatment (see Genesis 3:6-10), or do we vent out to Him our frustrations and struggles instead?
What is amazing to notice is that God allowed Jonah to vent and didn’t destroy him!! He then gently rebuked Jonah!! GOD OUR FATHER WOULD RATHER US VENT OUT TO HIM THAN GIVE HIM THE SILENT TREATMENT because we were created for relationship with Him!!
Q2. WHAT WAS GOD’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS NINEVEH? (Psalm 103:8-13, Exodus 34:6, 1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9)
Notice vs 2 says that Jonah knew God’s character and yet refused to reflect His character in his own life towards the Ninevites? (For some Christians, the initial problem is not knowing God’s Heart and character towards people- to be able to reflect His character to others. But for others, the problem is not in regards to knowing about God’s character, but rather not willing to reflect His character to others and imitate Him (Ephesians 5:1)!)
Jonah knew God to be gracious and compassionate because he had experienced it himself in chapter 1-2 and would have probably known Psalm 103:8 that David had written and Exodus 34:6 that Moses had written! Yet he didn’t want God to extend this grace and compassion on the enemy! WHAT A DOUBLE STANDARD!
Q. DO WE IMITATE GOD'S CHARACTER? (Gracious, compassionate, slow to anger (James 1:19), abounding in love)
GRACIOUS- to show favour to. (Genesis 33:5)
COMPASSIONATE- show mercy to. (Exodus 33:19)
SLOW TO ANGER- longsuffering (James 1:19)
ABOUNDING IN LOVE- ‘checed’- kindness, goodness, faithfulness! (Genesis 24:12)
Q. Do we have a revelation that God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love? Do we in turn reflect His character towards others since we are called to be imitators of God? (Ephesians 5:1) SOMETIMES WE ARE MORE QUICK TO JUDGE PEOPLE THAN GOD IS! Don’t be a hypocrite!
vs 3- Jonah was wanting to die? Why might he have acted this way? We are not sure why but vs 9 suggests it was because Jonah was angry!! Possibly angry that God was wanting to show mercy on the enemy? Jonah seems self-focussed here rather than worrying about Nineveh!! It seems Jonah would rather die, than see his enemy saved!! Is this our attitude? In 1 Kings 19:1-4 Elijah was wanting to die because he was afraid and also disheartened that his ministry for the Lord had seemed to have failed!!
vs 4- ‘Have you any right to be angry?’ By God asking this question, He reminds us that He is the only one in a position to judge! He is the only one who has a right to be angry or to show mercy! (Romans 9:13-18)
vs 6- THE LORD IS COMPASSIONATE! Even when Jonah was angry with God for no reason, God still showed compassion on Him and PROVIDED a vine to shade him!!
vs 6- the danger of double standards! Jonah was happy God showed compassion on Him by providing a vine to shade him, yet angry with God for doing the same for Nineveh!!
Q. WHAT DID GOD PROVIDE FOR JONAH? (What was its purpose?)
vs 6-8 in these verses, 3 times it mentions God PROVIDING for Jonah!
The word for provide is ‘manah’. The same God who provided the fish in Jonah 1:17 and the vine to shade and protect Jonah is the same one who now provided a worm to take away that shade and a scorching east wind!! But it was to teach Jonah a lesson!! GOD’S PROVISION HAD A PURPOSE!
Sometimes God will not provide what we want, but rather what He knows we need in order to teach us a lesson! GOD’S PROVISION DOESN’T ALWAYS LOOK THE WAY WE THINK IT WILL!! Of the 4 times the word provide is used, 2 times it is used for the protection of Jonah, and the other 2 times to teach Jonah a lesson! GOD’S PROVISION HAS DIFFERENT PURPOSES! Sometimes God will provide you with a trial to test/strengthen your faith!! Sometimes God will take away your wealth (provide you with poverty) to teach you to trust in Him for your provision!! (Eg. God twice took my parents wealth away in an instant to remind them not to put their trust in worldly possessions but only in Him!)
Q. WHAT WAS THE LESSON GOD WANTED JONAH TO LEARN?
vs 10-11 the lesson God wanted Jonah to learn!! If Jonah was concerned about a vine that he did not even create (a plant, not even a person) and was here for only one day, how much more should God be concerned for 120,000 Ninevites whom He created!!
vs 10- also shows us that Jonah cared more about PLANTS than PEOPLE!! How many are more worried about saving the rain forests, than caring about the people of this world? MAKE SURE OUR PRIORITIES ARE RIGHT!!
vs 11- reveals to us that Our Heavenly Father is concerned about and wanting to show mercy on all people!!(Jeremiah 18:7) In Genesis 18:32 God was willing to even spare Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of 10 righteous people- if they could be found!!
Q. Is our attitude like Our Heavenly Father’s or like Jonah’s?
We are not told whether Jonah repented or not. There is no vs 12. The question that is left for us to ponder is ‘what does your vs 12 look like?’
WILL WE REPENT AND LEARN FROM JONAH’S MISTAKE?
MATTHEW 24: WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF JESUS’ SECOND COMING AND THE END OF THE AGE? (PART 1)
In this passage in Matthew 24, Jesus is talking to His Jewish disciples. The church is not mentioned here, as the church was only born in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost! So the rapture of the church most probably is not mentioned here in this chapter!
We also see that the 3 questions the disciples asked Jesus here were: (vs 3)
1.When will the temple be destroyed?
2.When will Your second coming be?
3.When will the end of the age be?
Jesus will answer in this passage that His second coming and the end of the age would come at the same time!
Q. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO STUDY? In 2 Thessalonians 2:5 Paul who had only been with the Thessalonians for around 3 weeks to a couple of months at most (Acts 17:1-5), told them he had shared with them about the end times and coming of the anti-christ!! This means that In the space of 3 weeks to a couple of months, he thought it important enough to share about the end times!! Some of us have been part of our churches for 10 years and still haven’t been taught about the end times!!
The first part of this chapter appears to be split into 3 sections!
1.BIRTH PAINS (vs 4-14)
2.THE GREAT TRIBULATION (vs 15-28)
3.THE COMING OF JESUS AFTER THE GREAT TRIBULATION (vs 29-34)
CONTEXT: In vs 1-2 the disciples were marvelling at how beautiful the temple was (See Mark 13:1, Luke 21:5). Jesus goes on to tell them not one stone will be left upon another!! This was literally fulfilled in AD 70 when Rome came and destroyed Jerusalem!!
Jesus here reminds us not to put our trust in earthly possessions and the things of this world because they can be taken away in an instant!!!
In vs 1-2, Jesus also reveals here to us spiritually, what happens when He departs from the temple- it will be destroyed!! Likewise in the new covenant, our bodies are the temple in which Jesus lives by His Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19). If Jesus is not in us, then our temple will one day be destroyed also!! When Jesus is not residing in the temple, it will eventually be destroyed!! IS JESUS RESIDING IN YOUR TEMPLE THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT? (Ephesians 3:16-17)
vs 1- Notice also that the disciples were focussing on how the outside of the temple looked? The disciples were judging the temple based on its OUTWARD APPEARANCE rather than by the corruption that was happening inside of it (Eg. Matthew 21:12-13)! This was just like how Samuel judged Eliab by his outward appearance rather than the heart on the inside, which the Lord looks at (1 Samuel 16:7)!
Spiritually speaking since our bodies are the temple in which God dwells (1 Corinthians 6:18, 3:16) this reminds us that even though man looks at the OUTWARD APPEARANCE, God sees the heart!! (1 Samuel 16:7) DON’T JUDGE BY OUTWARD APPEARANCES!! (John 7:24)
vs 2- Jesus said that not one stone would be left upon another in the temple. This was fulfilled in AD70 when Rome came and destroyed Jerusalem!! Why is this important? Because this shows us Jesus was TRUE TO HIS WORD!! This means that the prophetic words Jesus is about to say in the rest of this passage, we can also trust will come to pass!!
WE CAN TRUST JESUS AT HIS WORD!!
vs 3- the DISCIPLES now asked Jesus privately what will be the sign of His coming and the end of the AGE? We see from Matthew 12:32 that there is THIS AGE and the AGE TO COME. According to Luke 18:30, the age to come is ETERNAL LIFE! (See also Ephesians 1:21, Luke 20:34-35)
The word “age” is the Greek word “aion” which can mean “world”, but can also refer to a “period of time”.
According to Matthew 13:39, there will be an END TO THIS AGE! (See Matthew 28:20, 1 Corinthians 10:11, Hebrews 9:26, Daniel 12:13)
Luke 20:34-35 the age to come is associated with the resurrection from the dead and there will be no more death-Hebrews 6:5. Luke 18:30- it will be eternal life!!
Galatians 1:4- This present age is evil,
(Ephesians 1:21, 2:7, Hebrews 6:5, Hebrews 9:26)
Therefore, based on these passages, there seems to be 2 ages. This present age/world and the age to come, which is eternity!!
AUDIENCE:
vs 3- reveals to us that the audience He is now speaking to about the end times were His disciples and therefore JEWISH CHRISTIANS!!
READ MATTHEW 24:3-14
THE 10 SIGNS THAT JESUS’ SECOND COMING IS NEAR!
BIRTHPAINS: (signs 1-7)
1.vs 4-5, 11, 23-26 DECEPTION: firstly Jesus said there will be many false prophets claiming to come in His name and claiming to be Jesus, who will deceive many people!!! BUT, how we can know this is false is because in vs 30, Jesus said the next time the world will see Him is coming on the clouds with power and glory!!
So we won’t see Him here on the earth before that!! WATCH OUT FOR FALSE PROPHETS AND CHRISTS! (2 Timothy 4:3-4, 2 Peter 2, Matthew 7:15-16, 1 John 4:1-3, 2:18-23)
2.vs 6-7 you will hear of WARS and RUMOURS of WARS!! Nations rising against nations!! Jesus reminds us that there will be increased wars in the end times rather than world peace!! INCREASED WARS, NO WORLD PEACE. (Daniel 9:26, Revelation 6:2-4)
Q. IS THERE ANY POINT IN PRAYING TO JESUS FOR WORLD PEACE? (Learn to pray according to the will of God)
3.vs 7 NATURAL DISASTERS (CREATION GROANING)! Jesus said there will be increased famines, pestilences and earthquakes (Luke 21:11)!! In other words, there will be an increase in the frequency of natural disasters in the end times!!
Romans 8:19-23 says that creation groans with eager expectation waiting for the sons of God to be revealed!! (See also Revelation 6:5-6)
In vs 8 Jesus said these are the BEGINNING OF BIRTH PAINS. Birth pains get more and more frequent and painful the closer it gets to child birth. Likewise we can assume these things Jesus mentions may become more frequent and painful as the end nears!!
4.vs 9- INCREASED PERSECUTION FOR GOD’S PEOPLE! Jesus warned that his disciples will be persecuted and handed over to be put to death and hated by all nations because of Him!! (John 15:18) EXPECT PERSECUTION FOR STANDING UP FOR JESUS! (2 Timothy 1:8, 3:12, Philippians 1:29, 3:10, 1 Peter 4:12-16, Matthew 5:10-12, Revelation 2:10,13)
5.vs 10- MANY WILL TURN AWAY FROM THE FAITH! It seems this persecution will weed out those who aren’t true believers in Jesus!! Many will apostasise from their faith in Jesus! (1 John 2:19) A FALLING AWAY IN THE FAITH! (1 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Timothy 3:1-5) This falling away could be what the apostle Paul was talking about in 2 Thessalonians 2:3.
This word “fall away” is “skandalizo” in the Greek can also mean to be OFFENDED (See Matthew 13:57, Matthew 15:12)! This reminds us that it can be because of offence that many will turn from the faith in the last days and is why it is so important that we learn to deal with offence by The Holy Spirit in us and to reconcile whatever grievances we might have against one another!! (Colossians 3:12-13)
6.vs 10,12 THERE WILL BE AN INCREASE IN WICKEDNESS AND HATRED RATHER THAN LOVE! Jesus said the love of most will grow cold in the end times!! The word “love” here is the word “agape” and can refer to God’s unconditional love. (See John 5:42)
It is important to note that it is “GOD’S LOVE” in people that will grow cold, not necessarily the world’s standard of love! This is confirmed in 2 Timothy 3:2-4 where we are told by Paul, that in the last days, people will be LOVERS OF THEMSELVES, LOVERS OF MONEY, WITHOUT LOVE, NOT LOVERS OF THE GOOD and LOVERS OF PLEASURE RATHER THAN LOVERS OF GOD! The cause of this is because of the increase in wickedness in the world!! This happened before In Noah’s time where the world got to the point where it only thought and did evil against God! Notice at that time, it warranted God’s judgement against the whole world!! (Genesis 6:5-7) Looks like history will repeat itself once again!! (Genesis 6:5-7, 15:16, 18:20-22, Revelation 18:4-10)
vs 13- we are exhorted by Jesus, that as Christian’s (followers of Him) we must STAND FIRM TO THE END in order to be saved! This reminds us that one of the fruits of a genuinely saved Christian is PERSEVERANCE IN THE FAITH! (See Luke 8:15, Hebrews 10:36, Hebrews 12:1, 2 Timothy 4:7-8)
7.vs 14 THE GOSPEL WILL BE PREACHED TO THE WHOLE WORLD!! It is amazing how with social media and technology these days, the gospel is able to reach many parts of the world it previously couldn’t!! It’s amazing how in Australia, the bible series was televised on national tv for the whole nation to have the chance to hear the gospel of Jesus!! God is at work to make sure the whole world hears the wonderful news of His Son Jesus!! And how will the whole world know? Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:19-20 and Mark 16:15 that we are to go out and preach the gospel to the world until the end of the age!! We are the means He wants to use to get His gospel of salvation out there!!
HOW ARE YOU SPREADING THE GOSPEL? Whom have you shared the gospel with this week? (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15, Romans 10:13-17)
Notice also that the persecutions, famines, earthquakes, fallings away in the faith, hatred and false prophets WILL NOT STOP THE TRUE GOSPEL GOING FORWARD!!
START OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD! (Read Daniel 9:24-27, 12:1-13)
8.vs 15 THE COMING OF THE ANTI-CHRIST AND SETTING UP THE ABOMINATION THAT CAUSES DESOLATION IN THE TEMPLE!
Daniel 9:27,11:31,12:11, Revelation 13:4-6 and 2 Thessalonians 2:4 seem to confirm that this is referring to the anti-christ!! The fact that he sets himself up in God’s temple proclaiming himself to be God, shows us that the temple in Jerusalem might have to be rebuilt for that to happen!! (Notice Matthew 24:16 says when the anti-christ does this that all in JUDEA should flee to the mountains. This means the temple must be in Jerusalem!!)
Stay tuned to see if this needs to happen or not? We are not sure whether the church will be around to see this or not?
vs 15-21 notice also that it is only once the Antichrist sets himself up in God’s temple as the ‘abomination that causes desolation’ that then the GREAT TRIBULATION (vs 21) starts!! This could therefore then be referring to the second 3 and a half year period (Daniel 9:27, 12:11)
9.vs 21 THE GREAT TRIBULATION! Jesus talks about the great tribulation that will come upon the whole world in the end times. This seems to be a 3 and a 1/2 year period that Daniel talks about in Daniel 9:27. (Daniel 12:1-11, Revelation 3:10)
vs 22- “ELECT” here could refer to the tribulation saints who will be saved!! Or it could be referring to the Jewish Christians who will be saved during the tribulation period (Romans 11:28), or both!
The word elect means chosen by God for salvation!! (1 Peter 1:2, Revelation 17:14, Romans 8:33, Revelation 6:9-11 the fifth seal revealed those who would be slain during the tribulation period- Revelation 7:13-14)
vs 25- see I have told you AHEAD OF TIME! Since Jesus’ prediction about the temple came true back in vs 2, we can now believe that what Jesus says here in vs 25 will also come true!!
vs 28- where there is a carcass, there the vultures WILL gather! This phrase could be a figure of speech from Jesus referring to the inevitability of His coming- just like when there is a carcass in the desert, it is inevitable that the vultures will gather there!! This phrase could also be referring to the inevitability of the judgement Jesus will bring on the ungodly when He comes!
AFTER THE TRIBULATION: (Revelation 6:12- the sixth seal now opened)
10.vs 29 THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON ALSO AND THE STARS WILL FALL FROM THE SKY (could be asteroids-shooting stars). But notice this will only happen AFTER THE TRIBULATION has occurred and before the DAY OF THE LORD!! (Revelation 6:12, Acts 2:20)
THE DAY OF THE LORD!
vs 30-31 It is only at this time when the heavenly bodies are shaken that Jesus will come on the clouds to gather His elect (possibly referring to the tribulation saints rather than the church here?)
(Revelation 7:1-14- when John was asked who were those standing before the throne (According to Matthew 25:31, Jesus throne could now be here on earth at that time?) dressed in white, the elder said it was those who had come out of the tribulation!! Why didn’t the elder say it was all disciples of Jesus since 1 Thessalonians 4 teaches us that at the rapture the dead in Christ will rise first, then those who are alive. Therefore all believers will be with Jesus at that time!)
vs 30- notice here that all the nations will mourn at the coming of Jesus!! (Revelation 6:15-17)
vs 34- This GENERATION will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
This could be referring to the generation that sees all these signs mentioned in Matthew 24! (Eg. Matthew 24:15 says “When YOU SEE” standing in the holy place… then let the READER understand! Matthew 24:33 uses a similar phrase where Jesus says “when YOU SEE” all these things...
So the same generation who would see the abomination that causes desolation in vs 15 would be the same generation that would see all the fulfilment of these signs (vs 34))
THIS PASSAGE IS REFERRING TO THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS TO THE EARTH. Note this could be a separate event to the rapture of the church mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4!!
The day of the Lord as mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:2 appears to be associated with the day of Judgement (1 Thessalonians 5:2-4, 2 Peter 3:10-12). This could be why in 2 Thessalonians 2 the church was worried they had missed the rapture and had to go through the day of judgement coming upon the whole world which starts off with the tribulation period!!
MAY WE BE READY FOR THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS!!!
GOD BLESS!
THE BOOK OF HAGGAI: REPENT AND REBUILD! (Help to build God’s house and He will build yours!)
CONTEXT: Haggai was a POST EXILIC prophet who prophesied around August/September 520BC (about 18 years after the 1st exiles returned home)! In 538BC, 70 years after Israel was in exile, King Cyrus issued the decree to allow Israel back to the promised land!! 2 years later in 536BC, construction of the temple began under Zerubabbel (Ezra 3:7-11). After 2 years of construction, due to opposition from the surrounding nations, in 534BC the building of the temple stopped due to (PANICK/FEAR) from that persecution and discouragement from the surrounding nations/enemy (Ezra 4:1-5)!
According to Ezra 5:1-2, God sent Haggai and Zechariah after 14 years of neglect to prophetically encourage the Israelites to finish rebuilding the temple which was started but had stopped! This is a reminder of the danger of STARTING SOMETHING BUT NOT FINISHING IT!
Due to Haggai and Zechariah’s encouragement, the temple was completed about 4 years after they first started prophesying (Ezra 6:14-15) in around 516BC! This reminds us of how powerful PROPHETIC ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE LORD can be to help us complete what the Lord has called us to do!! All 4 prophetic words the Lord spoke through Haggai were within the space of a 3 month period! (Haggai 1:1, Haggai 2:1, 2:10, 2:20)
The prophecy of Haggai is a call to REPENT AND REBUILD the temple!!
Chapter 1: WHAT DID THE WORD OF GOD AND PROPHECY THROUGH HAGGAI DO FOR ISRAEL?
vs 1-3 notice the word of God brought exhortation and correction to what the people of Israel were doing wrong. It realigned their actions!!! (vs 12)
PROPHECY CAN INCLUDE EXHORTATION!
vs 2- We see the people of Israel being guilty of PROCRASTINATION, COMPLACENCY AND APATHY due to the persecution and discouragement from the surrounding nations (Ezra 4:1-5)! The people were saying “the time has not yet come for the Lord’s house to be built.” But it had been 18 years since their return from exile and work on the temple had been idle for 14 of those years!! DO NOT DELAY IN OBEYING THE LORD!!
vs 3-4 The people of Israel were BUILDING THEIR OWN HOMES and yet left THE HOUSE OF GOD UNFINISHED AND A RUIN! In doing so they were PRIORITISING their own homes above the House of God!! How often do we do the same? (Matthew 6:33) LEARN TO PRIORITISE THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HOUSE OF GOD ABOVE OUR OWN NEEDS! This was opposite to the desire King David had in 2 Samuel 7:2! And in 1 Kings 6:1,14, 7:1, we see that King Solomon built the temple of God BEFORE he built his palace!! GET YOUR PRIORITIES RIGHT!
How often do we put our families and personal life ahead of the priorities of God and the House of God!!
vs 5- The Lord asks the people of Israel to “consider your ways”. This literally can mean to “put your heart/soul on the road”. Consider what road/direction your heart is taking!!
vs 6,10-11 As a consequence, the Israelites were not experiencing God’s blessing and were never satisfied!! Their harvests produced very little and it was as if their wages were put in purses with holes in it! (See Deuteronomy 11:13-17)
When your priorities are wrong, nothing ever satisfies!!
vs 5,7- the exhortation our Lord says it that we should “GIVE CAREFUL THOUGHT TO YOUR WAYS”. We should constantly be self reflecting as to whether we are doing what is right in the Lord’s eyes!! (2 Corinthians 13:5)
vs 7- Here, God’s purpose required PHYSICAL WORK!! Sometimes His purpose requires simply prayer, but at other times it requires us to physically do work for His Kingdom!! (In 2 Timothy 4:5, Paul asks Timothy to "do the work" of an evangelist!)
vs 8- Building God’s house BRINGS HONOUR TO HIM!! One of the ways we can honour the Lord is by helping to build His house!! Under the new covenant, it is the people of God who are God’s temple/house (Ephesians 2:19-22) that we are to help build up!! (Ephesians 4:11-16)
vs 9- the main principle we learn here is if we help BUILD GOD’S HOUSE, HE WILL BUILD YOURS! (In 1 Chronicles 17:1-14, when King David just had a desire to build God a house, God promised to build his house and give him a lineage that would bring the Messiah!!)
vs 12- RESPONSE TO THE LORD’S EXHORTATION: we see the people of Israel OBEYED THE VOICE OF THE LORD and they FEARED/REVERENCED THE LORD!! When you fear the Lord, you will obey Him!!
It was both the LEADERSHIP and the people!! The leaders led by example!!
GOD’S RESPONSE TO ISRAEL’S WILLING OBEDIENCE!
vs 13- the word of God brought encouragement and courage to Israel to let them know God is with them (Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5) and not to fear (Haggai 2:5). This was to overcome the discouragement and fear of the enemy that had caused them to procrastinate and stop work on rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem 14 years beforehand!! God’s encouragement to us is that He promises to BE WITH US as we carry out His plans and purposes in life!!
vs 14- the word of God and prophecy of Haggai stirred up the spirits of Israel into action to finish the rebuilding of God's temple!! The people of Israel didn’t need to build God’s house in their own strength, it was the Lord who STIRRED UP THEIR SPIRITS to do the work!! (Philippians 2:13, Hebrews 13:20-21) THE LORD WILL HELP YOU TO DO HIS WILL!
vs 15- As a result, the rebuilding of the temple began on the 24th day in September 520BC!
Notice in these verses, the power of the word of God to stir courage, encouragement to rebuild and do what the Lord has called us to do!!
Speaking God's word over one another can help stop procrastination and fear and can help us prioritise God’s purposes above our own, when it comes to doing God's will!!
Hearing and obeying the word of God can allow God to stir our spirits and our faith into action!!
HAGGAI CHAPTER 2: THE GLORY OF THE SECOND TEMPLE!
vs 1- Haggai’s second prophecy came around October 520BC, not quite a month after the Israelites started to rebuild the temple (Haggai 1:14-15)!
vs 3- Israel at this time would not only be struggling with fear and discouragement from the persecution of the enemy, but also disheartenment from the fact that the current temple did not compare in appearance to the temple Solomon built for the Lord!! (Ezra 3:12-13)
BEWARE THE DANGER OF COMPARISON! So often we can be tempted to compare the “good old days” and how ministry and church was done, with the present day and as a result get disheartened by what God is supposedly doing or not doing! This is usually never beneficial!! It is also a reminder that “not being able to do a job as well as someone else” shouldn’t stop us from doing that job for the Lord!!
vs 3- The Israelites determined the GLORY of the temple based on its OUTWARD APPEARANCE (Mark 13:1, Matthew 24:1), and as a result would have been disheartened to complete a temple that would not have looked as good as Solomon’s temple! So often man judges glory based on the OUTWARD APPEARANCE, BUT GOD SEES DIFFERENTLY (1 Samuel 16:7)!!
Haggai reminds the people that the glory of God’s house is not based on the outward appearance but rather God filling it with His glory/presence! (vs 7, 2 Chronicles 5:13-6:2)
vs 4-9 SUMMARY: The word of God through Haggai encouraged Israel to STRENGTH (vs 4), and to WORK (a call to be strong while working-vs 4), because God is with them-vs 4 (HIS PRESENCE overcomes fear), through His Spirit being among them (vs 5). God also encouraged them that the GLORY OF THE NEW TEMPLE WOULD BE GREATER-vs 9 (even though it may not look like it) than the former temple (this overcomes disheartenment), and that God would provide the resources PROVISION (vs 8), to get the temple rebuilt (this would also help overcome procrastination).
vs 5- THE LORD IS FAITHFUL TO HIS COVENANTS!! What He covenanted with Israel when He brought them out of Egypt (Exodus 19:5, Exodus 34:10) He would remain faithful to, if they obeyed!
vs 5- God in His mercy allowed The Holy Spirit to remain among the Israelites to help them!! (Isaiah 63:11-14)
vs 6-7 though a time would come when the nations would shake around them (in judgement- Isaiah 13:13), God will give Israel peace!! (vs 9). Even though the things around us may shake and there will be trials, Jesus promises His peace in us to help us get through!! (John 16:33)
This is one of the only verses in the prophecy of Haggai that is quoted in the New Testament (Hebrews 12:26-29) and reveals to us that God will one day remove the temporal kingdoms of the world that can be shaken (created things) so that we can receive His UNSHAKEABLE KINGDOM!! (Daniel 2:34-35,44-45)
vs 7- God also promised that the nations would come to God’s house!! This could be a reference to the gentiles coming to worship God at His temple in Jerusalem! (Isaiah 2:2-4, Revelation 21:22-27)
vs 7- The DESIRED OF ALL NATIONS could also be a reference to the Messiah (Jesus) and His coming to the temple!!! This was fulfilled in Matthew 21:12! Jesus coming to the temple indeed filled the temple with God’s glory!!
vs 7- 'I will fill “this house” with glory'. In this context God would be referring to His rebuilt temple!! Glory in the Hebrew can also mean- abundance, honour, riches, splendour!!
In 2 Chronicles 5:14 we see the Shekinah glory of God first fill the temple Solomon built for the LORD!! Then in Ezekiel 10:18, because of Israel’s sin, the glory of God LEFT THE TEMPLE!! But once again, in God’s mercy He promises that His glory will once again fill His temple!! (Ezekiel 43:2-4)
House in the Hebrew also means- household, temple, family etc.
And in 1 Corinthians 3:16 our bodies are the temple in which God dwells by the Holy Spirit!! So this promise can be for us aswell!! Through THE HOLY SPIRIT IN US, we see the fulfilment of God’s glory filling His temple once again!!
PROVISION FOR HIS PURPOSE!
vs 8- the Lord reminds Israel that He has the PROVISION to do this!! God is our provider also!! All the silver and gold is His!! (When the temple at that time would have been lacking in being adorned with the silver and gold that Solomon’s temple would have had).
Psalm 50:10- He owns the cattle on a thousand hills!!
Deuteronomy 8:18- He gives us the ability to produce wealth!!
1 Corinthians 10:26- the earth is the Lord's and everything in it!! (Psalm 24:1)
vs 8- the Lord will give us PROTECTION as well, since He is the Lord of Hosts= the Lord of the heavenly angel armies!! This would have been especially comforting for the Israelite people who had experienced opposition from the surrounding nations!!
vs 9- the Lord will also give us PEACE! Both peace with God (Romans 5:1- restored relationship with our Heavenly Father and His wrath no longer against us) and peace from God in our hearts (Philippians 4:6-7, John 14:27), and then eventually peace on earth (Luke 2:14)!
vs 9- God promised that the GLORY OF THE PRESENT HOUSE WOULD BE GREATER THAN THE FORMER!! This is because the MESSIAH JESUS HIMSELF, THE LORD OF GLORY came to this temple!! (See also 2 Corinthians 4:6)
vs 4-9 GOD PROMISES HIS PRESENCE, PROVISION, PROTECTION AND PEACE FOR HIS PURPOSE!
CLEAN AND UNCLEAN (vs 10-14)
This is now the THIRD PROPHETIC WORD that had come to Haggai in December 520BC, and this time it was directed at the priests!
vs 10-14 Just like food that is not CONSECRATED and people and food that become DEFILED under the old covenant, so were the people of Israel at that time. Whatever they offered to the Lord was defiled (Malachi 1:6-14) because they were defiled through not obeying God in rebuilding the temple! STOP OFFERING DEFILED SACRIFICES!! OFFER GOD THE BEST! (Romans 12:2)
vs 11-13 Another point that Haggai makes is that HOLINESS was not contagious, while IMPURITY was!!
vs 14- Thus, because the people were acting in a defiled and unholy way by not rebuilding the temple, everything they offered and whatever else they did was defiled as well!!
vs 15-17 As a result God withheld blessing from Israel!!
vs 17- Despite this DISCIPLINE FROM GOD, Israel still did not turn to the Lord!! LEARN TO HEED GOD’S DISCIPLINE!
vs 17-19 when you help build the Lord's house, He will build your house and bring blessing!!
vs 20-22 The Lord now gave a word of encouragement for Zerubbabel that in light of the opposition from the surrounding nations, it is God who OVERTURNS THRONES and SHATTERS FOREIGN KINGDOMS and OVERTHROWS ARMIES!
God would protect them as they rebuilt His temple!!
vs 23- The SIGNET RING was a token of ROYAL AUTHORITY (Jeremiah 22:24)!! God had chosen Zerubabbel to carry that royal authority even though he was not “recognised” as King of Israel!! He was a descendant of Jesus on both Mary (Luke 3:27) and Joseph’s side (Matthew 1:12) and was descended from Jechoniah (the last legitimate King of Israel)! This royal authority would be ultimately fulfilled by JESUS THE MESSIAH since the term “MY SERVANT” was used as a messianic title of King David’s rightful heir (eg. Ezekiel 34:23-24, 37:24).
Q1. HAS THERE EVER BEEN SOMETHING YOU HAVE STARTED FOR THE LORD BUT NOT FINISHED (Haggai 1:2-4)? (How can we learn to finish what we start)
Q2. HAVE YOU EVER LET PANICK (FEAR), PROCRASTINATION OR WRONG PRIORITIES STOP YOU FROM FULFILLING GOD’S PURPOSE? (Haggai 1:1-4, 2:20-22, Ezra 4:1-5)
Q3. IN WHAT WAYS CAN YOU HELP TO BUILD GOD’S HOUSE/CHURCH UNDER THE NEW COVENANT? (Haggai 1:8-9)
Q4. ON WHAT BASIS DO YOU DETERMINE HOW GOOD THE HOUSE OF GOD (CHURCH) IS? (Is it based on the outward appearance of how it looks and how well the congregation is dressed? Or on the Lord's presence and peace being manifest there? Haggai 2:1-9)
WHEN YOU HELP BUILD THE LORD’S HOUSE, HE WILL BUILD YOUR HOME AND YOUR LIFE!