Heavenly Drama pt. 4

Revelation 21:1–7 NASB95

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” 5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. 7 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

Overview

Creation

Promise of a coming seed

Noah

Cleansing of all sin

Abraham

Choosing of a people to bring forth that seed

Jacob/Joseph

Saving that chosen bloodline from death

Moses

Redeeming the nation from its bondage in slavery

Israel become His people and He becomes their God

Season 6 - Joshua The Image of Coming King

Moses dies and leadership is transferred to Joshua

One of the two who reported good tiding when they spied the land of Canaan

Joshua and the people of Israel cross the Jordan river on dry ground.

With the leadership of Joshua and God’s divine providence, Israel conquers 6 different nations

Hittites

Amorites

Canaanites

Perizzites

Hivites

Jebusites

From these 6 nations, total of 31 kings were slain

Joshua 12:9-24

Joshua 12:9–24 NASB95

9 the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one; 10 the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; 11 the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; 12 the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; 13 the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one; 14 the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; 15 the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; 16 the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one; 17 the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; 18 the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one; 19 the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one; 20 the king of Shimron-meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one; 21 the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one; 22 the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one; 23 the king of Dor in the heights of Dor, one; the king of Goiim in Gilgal, one; 24 the king of Tirzah, one: in all, thirty-one kings.

Joshua is a prophetic image of Jesus in His second coming.

Many people look at the stories of Joshua and his conquest and call it immoral and that Bible sanctions mass genocide. This is grossly wrong.

Status of Canaanite nations

In the land of Canaan, the nations practice polytheism.

The 3 major gods they worshipped were Molech, Baal, and Asherah

Molech was the ruling deity who required child sacrifice

Baal was the god of wealth

Asherah was god of sex

Mass child sacrifice, immorality, bestiality, incest, things that were abominable to God were common.

God commands Joshua and the Israelites to completely destroy sin and cleanse the land that they were to inherit.

So that God can dwell there.

Joshua dies at the age of 110

Season 7 - Time of Judges and the first King of Israel

After Joshua charged the people of Israel to remain faithful to Jehovah and dies, came the season of Judges.

These judges are not the kind of judges we think about. They were not sitting on a chair and carrying out rulings like in the modern western world.

These were fairly common folks who carried out works of justice in Israel when their peace was disturbed.

People who were called upon by the nation when their peace was threatened by surrounding nations like the Philistines.

People such as Samson, Gideon, and Deborah are considered judges.