Nahum 1:7

How wonderful it is to rest in the arms of the Lord! Peace beyond our understanding waits for us to trust in Him alone…what a wonderful God we serve!

Because we know that the Lord is good, we can endure the tribulations of life.

Nahum 1:7 (NKJV)

⁷ The Lord is good,

A stronghold in the day of trouble;

And He knows those who trust in Him.

³⁹ But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. 

Psalm 37:39

⁴⁰ And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him. 

Psalm 37:40

⁵ For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. 

Psalm 100:5

²⁵ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. 

Lamentations 3:25

¹⁹ Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 

2 Timothy 2:19

Micah 1:5

God protects His own but He loves us to much to let us live and die in sin. In Him, with Him and in the unity of the Holy Spirit nothing is impossible. Our faith is our shield in times of good and in times of trouble to keep us humble, forgiving and fair. 

If we are not careful we can make the Church our god, worshiping the traditions of man in place of the Creator of man.

The interplay of texts of wrath and mercy in the Book of Micah mirrors the character of God, for even in His wrath He remembers mercy. In the darkest days of impending judgment on the nations of Israel and Judah, there was always the possibility of a remnant being spared. Although the Lord was determined to maintain His holiness, He was equally intent on fulfilling His loving promises to Abraham. The Lord would balance His judgment with mercy.

All the earth was to know that God was witnessing against His people. This announcement of judgment is based on the people’s breach of covenant. The faithlessness of the people provoked the Lord God to enter into a judicial dispute with them. Jerusalem and Samaria were the “high places,” or elevated capitals, of Judah and Israel; but “high places” were also sites of idolatrous worship. Jerusalem, which was once “beautiful in elevation”, was nothing more than another platform of pagan worship, like the “high places” of the Canaanites. The NKJV Study Bible.

Micah 1:5 (NKJV)

⁵    All this is for the transgression of Jacob

And for the sins of the house of Israel.

What is the transgression of Jacob?

Is it not Samaria?

And what are the high places of Judah?

Are they not Jerusalem?

Micah 6:8

⁸    He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?

¹² “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 

Deuteronomy 10:12

¹³ For behold, He who forms mountains, And creates the wind, Who declares to man what his thought is, And makes the morning darkness, Who treads the high places of the earth— The Lord God of hosts is His name. 

Amos 4:13

¹¹ For thus Amos has said: Jeroboam shall die by the sword, And Israel shall surely be led away captive From their own land.’ ” 

Amos 7:11

¹⁰ Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, Like a woman in birth pangs. For now you shall go forth from the city, You shall dwell in the field, And to Babylon you shall go. There you shall be delivered; There the Lord will redeem you From the hand of your enemies. 

Micah 4:10

John 8:23

Simply stated…there is no other way to the Father than by the precious blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. All God. All man.

Jesus was not referring to hell, but to this world.

John 8:23–24 (NKJV)

²³ And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. ²⁴ Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

³¹ He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 

John 3:31

¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 

John 15:19

¹⁶ He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 

Mark 16:16

Acts 26:4-8

Paul took advantage of the law of man to pursue his calling to serve God. His knowledge of those laws served him well as he spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God knew what Paul was capable of and that by using his intelligence and strategy he would fulfill his calling. 

This is a perfect example of using the talents and abilities that God has given you for His glory.

Paul was intelligent enough to know all of his rights and savvy enough to know how to use them to his and especially God’s advantage. Not only did his rights as a Roman citizen often save his life in dangerous situations, they also allowed him to carry the gospel message to jailers, shipmates, kings, and to the emperor in Rome.

Paul pointed out that he was not some stranger or foreigner trying to start a new religion. He was a Jew, a Pharisee, who lived out his Jewish faith better than most.  

Paul was not being judged because he had done something wrong. He had not turned against his own Jewish heritage. Instead he fervently believed in the promises God had made to the nation of Israel: the promise of a coming Messiah and the reestablishment of the kingdom of God. Paul did not reject the hope of salvation for Israel. Instead he saw that hope fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The fact that Jesus had been raised from the dead confirmed to Paul that all believers would be raised from the dead to enjoy the blessings of the promised kingdom of God. The NKJV Study Bible 

Acts 26:4–8 (NKJV)

⁴ “My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. ⁵ They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. ⁶ And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. ⁷ To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. ⁸ Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?

³ “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. 

Acts 22:3

⁵ circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 

Philippians 3:5

⁶ But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!” 

Acts 23:6

¹⁵ I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. 

Acts 24:15

¹⁸ In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” 

Genesis 22:18

¹⁵ “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 

Deuteronomy 18:15

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. ⁹

Isaiah 7:14

⁶ For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Isaiah 9:6

⁸ Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, 

Romans 15:8

Mark 6:4-6

Even in rejection Jesus continued in His mission…we cannot let the approval or disapproval of men determine God’s will for our life. Those closest to you may be your biggest obstacle. If the Holy Spirit has called you to it… He will get you through it!

Just B.E.L.I.E.V.E. in Him and His ability to do what alone you cannot! Nothing is impossible for those who believe.

A prophet is not without honor except in his own country is a maxim still repeated and still true today. Perhaps others were jealous of Jesus’ popularity and huge following. Their envy even took the form of violence against Christ. NKJV Study Bible

Mark 6:4–6 (NKJV)

⁴ But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” ⁵ Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

⁴⁴ For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 

John 4:44

⁵⁸ Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. 

Matthew 13:58

²⁰ So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 

Matthew 17:20

¹⁹ So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. 

Hebrews 3:19

² For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 

Hebrews 4:2

³⁵ Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 

Matthew 9:35

¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 

Ephesians 2:17

Mark 15:37-39

God’s mercy and great love for His creation allowed Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords, to give up His life in our place. No greater love than this exist. By His sacrifice the divider between man and God was done away with and a new Covenant was made so that whom ever would accept His salvation would have eternal life with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

Blessed are those who by faith believe.

Jesus breathed His last after a loud conscious statement. Frequently, crucifixion produced a coma or unconsciousness prior to death, but Jesus was in control of all His faculties until the moment when He voluntarily gave up His life.The significance of the supernatural tearing of the veil of the temple is that access to God is now open to all. No longer through priests and the blood of bulls and goats do we approach God, but through the torn veil, which also symbolizes Jesus’ broken and torn body. Top to bottom reminds us that God Himself removed the barrier. NKJV study bible.

To God be all glory.

Mark 15:37–39 (NKJV)

³⁷ And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.

³⁸ Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. ³⁹ So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”

¹⁷ “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 

John 10:17

¹⁸ No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” 

John 10:18

³¹ And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 

Mark 8:31

³⁰ So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. 

John 19:30

³⁸ Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 

Mark 15:38

²⁰ by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 

Hebrews 10:20

³¹ “You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim. ³² You shall hang it upon the four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of silver. ³³ And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy. 

Exodus 26:31–33

⁵¹ Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 

Matthew 27:51

⁵⁴ So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” 

Matthew 27:54

The Harmony of the Gospels

May God,

Who inspired the gospel writers,

give you understanding of what they wrote.

Luke 1:1–4 the source of knowledge

1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, 3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; 4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

John 1:1–18

 The Deity of and pre-existence of Jesus Christ

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

The Witness of John

6There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. 9There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

The Word Made Flesh

14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15John *testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ ” 16For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Luke 3:23–38 Genealogy of Christ the King

23When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

The "harmony" of the Gospels is the agreement of the four biblical Gospels. The four New Testament Gospels are like the singers in a four-part choir. They each have their distinct parts to sing, yet the parts combine to make a beautiful composition. Each of the four Gospels gives testimony of Jesus from a slightly different perspective, but they all tell the same story. Thus, they are all in harmony with one another. There are also books that align the Gospel accounts chronologically which are called harmonies of the Gospels, and some Bibles have a reference section doing the same thing that is referred to as a harmony of the Gospels. 

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the "synoptic" gospels, because they give a synopsis of most of the same events from the life of Jesus. John stands on its own, filling in gaps that the others leave out. Each one of these Gospels was written for a different audience and emphasizes different things about Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew was written primarily for the Jews and emphasized how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of a kingly Messiah. Mark was written primarily for Roman or Gentile Christians, so it includes few Old Testament prophecies and explains many Jewish words and customs. Jesus is portrayed in Mark as the Divine Servant. Luke was also written primarily for Gentile believers, as it also explains Jewish customs and uses Greek names. Luke set out to write an orderly narrative of the life of Jesus and presented Jesus as the Son of Man, emphasizing His full humanity. John’s Gospel emphasizes Jesus as the Son of God and includes more of Jesus' revelations about Himself than any of the other Gospels. It also gives a much more detailed picture of the events during Jesus' last days. 

www.GospelHarmony.Vear.info

Daniel 9:13

Leaving God  out of the equation ultimately brings failure. If we admit our sin, ask forgiveness and seek God’s direction He will answer. The Holy Spirit searches for those who have a heart for God and His righteousness not their own.

God Answers Fervent Prayer Do you ever feel as if your prayers bounce off the ceiling rather than reaching God? If so, consider carefully the prayer of Daniel for the release of his people from captivity. It is a testimony to the fact that God answers prayer—in His time and according to His purposes—as the angel Gabriel announced.

James said that “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” James 5:16.

Prayer is a sober-minded acknowledgment of our true situation before the Lord and an admission of our need for His divine help. NKJ Study Bible

Prayer changes everything.

Daniel 9:13 (NKJV)

¹³ “As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.

¹⁷ The Lord has done what He purposed; He has fulfilled His word Which He commanded in days of old. He has thrown down and has not pitied, And He has caused an enemy to rejoice over you; He has exalted the horn of your adversaries. 

Lamentations 2:17

¹³ “But the hypocrites in heart store up wrath; They do not cry for help when He binds them. 

Job 36:13

¹³ For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts. 

Isaiah 9:13

⁷ They are all hot, like an oven, And have devoured their judges; All their kings have fallen. None among them calls upon Me. 

Hosea 7:7

Luke 11:27-28

Seek God first and He will take care of the rest!

and what did Jesus command us to do? He commanded us to love god above all and our neighbors as much as we love ourselves!

Though Jesus always honored Mary, He commented carefully on the woman’s blessing to keep the focus on the word of God.

It is easy to allow traditional practices to take the place of the authority of the Scriptures. Jesus offers His blessing to those who respond concretely to God’s will as expressed in the Bible. NKJ Study Bible

Luke 11:27–28 (NKJV)

²⁷ And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”

²⁸ But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

¹ Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who delights greatly in His commandments. 

Psalm 112:1

² Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart! 

Psalm 119:2

¹⁷ Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. 

Isaiah 48:17

²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. 

James 1:25

Zephaniah 1:2-3

The United States seems to have lost its fear of the Lord. 

We are anything but united and really need to question if our values as a country are Biblically based…not based on monetary gain. If it is not in Scripture or not verified in the New Testament it is just not right and no amount of alternate facts make it so. Pray for God to revive our moral compass and let us be a nation that shows the hands and feet of the triune Godhead to the world. Make no mistake God will not be mocked!

It was the “turn back to God” part of Zephaniah’s message that offered a ray of hope. And to those who listened and responded to his call, the good news wiped out every line of bad. God would restore those who sought Him.

The message of Zephaniah begins with a pronouncement of universal judgment. These words not only introduce the particular judgment that would be pronounced upon Judah, but they also speak of the final judgment that will usher in the kingdom of God on earth. Stumbling blocks refers to idolatry, or substitutes for God in the life and affections of a person. The NKJV Study Bible.

Zephaniah 1:2–3 

²    “I will utterly consume everything

From the face of the land,”

Says the Lord;

³ “I will consume man and beast;

I will consume the birds of the heavens,

The fish of the sea,

And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked.

I will cut off man from the face of the land,”

Says the Lord.

¹³ “I will surely consume them,” says the Lord. “No grapes shall be on the vine, Nor figs on the fig tree, And the leaf shall fade; And the things I have given them shall pass away from them.” ’ ” 

Jeremiah 8:13

²⁷ because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the Lord. 

2 Chronicles 34:27