But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages Where we begin.

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But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages

Where we begin

What is God up to?

What is the Bible all about?

The political landscape

• For thousands of years, the Jewish people were primarily subject to foreign rule (Egyptian, Syrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, etc.), with only brief periods of independence.

• Romans ruled the Mediterranean area known as Palestine (modern day Israel), where Jesus was born and lived

Why God?

• If the Hebrews were God’s chosen people…why do we find most of their history under the rule of gentiles?

Lands of the BibleLands of the BibleContinents & Land Masses

INDEX© EBibleTeacher.com

Southern EuropeSouthern Europe

Middle EastMiddle East

Asia MinorAsia Minor

Northern AfricaNorthern Africa

Mediterranean Mediterranean SeaSea

Continents & Land Masses

RomeRomeMacedoniaMacedonia

Babylonian Babylonian EmpireEmpire

Canaan Canaan & Israel& Israel

EgyptEgypt

Medo Medo PersianPersianMediterraneanMediterranean

Important Ancient LandsImportant Ancient Lands

GreeceGreece7 Churches 7 Churches

of Asiaof Asia

Lands of the BibleLands of the BibleImportant Ancient Lands

Tower of Babel

Tower of BabelTower of BabelTower of BabelTower of Babel

MediterraneanMediterraneanIsraelIsrael(Future)(Future)

EgyptEgypt

TowerTowerofof

BabelBabel

Abraham’s Journey

Abraham’s JourneysAbraham’s JourneysAbraham’s JourneysAbraham’s Journeys

MediterraneanMediterranean

EgyptEgypt

Haran & Haran & Ur of the Ur of the

ChaldeansChaldeans(Iraq)(Iraq)

CanaanCanaan

Abraham in Canaan

CanaanCanaan

SodomSodom

Abraham’s Abraham’s pasturespastures

Lot’s Lot’s pasturespastures

HebronHebron

Jews on Mission

• 2000 BC Abraham in promised land

• Then There is a famine in the land that impacts his descendants…off to Egypt

EgyptEgypt

NileNile

Nile DeltaNile Delta

Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea

SinaiSinai

CanaanCanaan

Joseph’s Journey to EgyptJoseph’s Journey to Egypt

Joseph sold Joseph sold to caravanto caravan

Potiphar Potiphar & Pharaoh& Pharaoh

Joseph’s Journey to Egypt

God rescued Israel from Egypt for his glory

• Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works . . . but rebelled by the Sea, at the Red Sea. Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power. (Psalm 106:7-8)

“Let My People Go”

• Exodus between 1600 and 1400 BC

• God reveals His power to Egypt and His love to the Jews.

God raised Pharaoh up to show his power and glorify his name:

• For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Romans 9:17)

EgyptEgypt

NileNile DeltaDelta

Great SeaGreat Sea(Mediterranean)(Mediterranean)

Red SeaRed Sea

CanaanCanaan

Mt. SinaiMt. Sinai

TraditionalTraditionalRoute of Route of

the Exodusthe Exodus

NASA Photo© EBibleTeacher.com

SinaiSinaiPeninsulaPeninsula

Jew on Come and See

• 1000 BC the Kingdom of David and then the building of the first Temple.

Solomon’s Solomon’s IsraelIsrael

Phoenicia

IsraelIsraelJerusalemJerusalem

Solomon’s Solomon’s IsraelIsrael

ShechemShechemMediterranean

Mediterranean

Philistia

Solomon’s Israel

The Glory days

• Wisdom counsels

• The Law is written

• God’s presence is in the Temple

• Coverts in Africa and other lands

God called Israel for his glory:

• You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified (Isaiah 49:3).

• I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory. (Jeremiah 13:11)

But there comes bad Kings

• A bad King is one who….

• Worships pagan god’s and idols

• By their actions bring bad attention upon God.

Ezekiel 36:22–23

• 22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.

Phoenicia

Philistia

IsraelIsraelAmmonAmmon

MoabMoabJudahJudah

JerusalemJerusalem

Divided Divided KingdomKingdom

EdomEdom

SyriaSyria

SamariaSamariaMediterranean

Mediterranean

Divided Divided KingdomKingdom

Divided Kingdom of Israel

824 BC824 BC

640 BC640 BC

Assyrian EmpireAssyrian EmpireJudahJudah

Assyrian EmpireAssyrian Empire

EgyptEgypt

Assyrian Empire

“You are really messing up…so go”

• Off to Babylon 600 BC

JudahJudahBabylonian Babylonian

EmpireEmpire

MedianMedianEmpireEmpire(Medes)(Medes)MediterraneanMediterranean

Babylonian EmpireBabylonian Empire

EgyptEgypt

Babylonian Empire

Persian Empire

Persian EmpirePersian Empire

PersianPersianEmpireEmpireJudahJudah

EgyptEgypt

Let my people go

• God reveals His power to Babylon

• God reveals His love to the Jews

God restored Israel from exile for the glory of his name:

• Thus says the Lord God, It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, butfor the sake of my holy name.. . . And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name. . . . And the nations will know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 36:22-23; cf. v. 32)

Glory Days

• The Temple is rebuilt 500 to 450 BC

• Again worship of God is as prescribed by God.

Alexander the Great

JudahJudah

Alexander The GreatAlexander The Great

The Empire of AlexanderThe Empire of Alexander

IndiaIndia

EgyptEgypt

Glory days

• 200 BC– The Maccabees (Hasmoneans) revolt against

the Hellenistic Empire led by Judah Maccabee, resulting in victory and installation of the Hanukkah holiday.

• 150 BC– Hasmonean dynasty establishes

The Roman Empire spread from Great Britain to The Roman Empire spread from Great Britain to Israel and included Spain and Asia Minor.Israel and included Spain and Asia Minor.

Roman Empire

Roman Roman EmpireEmpire

RomeRome

JudahJudah

BritainBritainBritainBritain

The Childhood of Jesus

NazarethNazareth

EgyptEgypt

JerusalemJerusalem

BethlehemBethlehem

Sea of GalileeSea of Galilee

Dead SeaDead Sea

Mediterranean

Jesus’ Childhood IsraelJesus’ Childhood Israel

Childhood of Jesus

2000 years BC

• God has revealed Himself

• His love for His people.

• His power before to the world’s people.

• His moral law revealed and by doing so revealing to the people of the world their need for a savior.

Did it work? Some evidence

• The wise men…Magi were from Persia and knew of Daniel’s prophecy concerning a coming “King.”

• The Eunuch that Phillip baptized…From Ethiopia, worshiped the God of the Hebrews and was reading the prophet Isaiah.

• Beta Israel in Africa are descendants of Jews.

This is where we enter the story

• The life of Christ.

• 70 AD Herod’s temple is destroyed and the Hebrews scattered without a nation.

• Almost 2000 years pass and then in 1948…Jews home again.

Converts to God

• 2000 BC a single family

• 1000 BC a single nation

• 1 AD less than 1% of the world worshiped the one true God.

• 2000 AD. 33% of the world worships the one true God and His son Jesus.

Followers of God

• 2000 years before Jesus….less than 1%. Only a fraction of the world converts

• 2000 years after Jesus…over 33% of the earth’s population.

Colossians 1:27 ESV

• To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

The culmination of the ages

• This is where we find Jesus…between the 2000 years of the Hebrews and the 2000 years of Jesus Church.

• Hebrews 9:26 But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.

But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages Where we begin.

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