Old Testament completed

I am thrilled to announce that I have completed writing résumés or summaries chapter by chapter, book by book, of all the Old Testament. This means I have finished writing 39 books, 929 chapters, and 78% of the Bible. Everything has been posted here in my blog and then published in organized fashion, on the EAB website. Now it's on to the New Testament and its 260 chapters written in 27 books. 

Last night I led the communion service in Patos and Pastor Rafael preached. Philip brought a short word, prayed for the children and sang a solo. It was a lovely service. Pastor Murilo preached in Imaculada. 

Brother Sid Wilder went to be with the Lord this morning at Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, aged 93. Sid was a long-term supporter of EAB having supported the work since our first visit to the Harold Hill church in 1972 before we first came to Brazil. Please pray for the family at this time. 🙏

Matthew 1 (résumé): The genealogy & birth of Jesus

Matthew's (or Levi) Gospel was essentially written for a Jewish audience, quoting the Old Testament extensively, focused on Jesus Christ as Messiah and King. Matthew starts by giving Jesus' genealogy showing him to have been a descendant of Abraham and of David. The genealogy is organized into 3 groups of 14 generations: from Abraham to David / from David to the Babylonian exile / from the exile to Jesus Christ. It is interesting to note the 5 women in this family tree: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba (called here "the wife of Uriah") and Mary. There are some unlikely characters here in the genealogy of the Messiah demonstrating God's supreme grace. Then comes the description of Jesus birth. "Mary was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit... she will give birth to a son and you will call him Jesus... this fulfills Isaiah 7:14 that he will be called Immanuel which means God with us... and Mary gave birth to a boy and they called him Jesus".

Malachi 4 (résumé): The Day of the Lord

 Malachi ends talking about judgement for the wicked and hope for those who fear God. "Surely the Day of the Lord is coming and it will burn like a furnace and arrogant evildoers will be stubble... but for those who fear God the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in his wings... and you will leap like calves... and trample down the wicked... and I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes... and he will bring fathers and children together blessed by God". 

Malachi 3 (résumé): The Day of Judgement

Malachi 3 focuses on God's coming judgement, purification and blessing. "See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way for me... but who can endure the day of his coming... for he will be like a refiner's fire... I will come near to you in judgement against sorcerers, adulterers, perjurers, defrauders and oppressors and who do not fear me... I the Lord do not change... so return to me and I will return to you... will a man rob God in tithes and offerings?... the whole nation is under a curse because you are robbing me... so bring the whole tithe into the storehouse and see if I will not open the floodgates of heaven's blessing... and all nations will call you blessed... and those that fear the Lord will be mine, says the Lord Almighty".

Malachi 2 (résumé): Admonition for the Priests

In Malachi 2 the prophet continues to complain about the priests and the resultant unfaithfulness of his people. "If you priests don't set your heart to honour my name I will send a curse on you... and I will rebuke your descendants... I send you this admonition so that my covenant with Levi may continue... he walked with me in peace and uprightness... for the lips of the priest should preserve knowledge... but you have turned from the way and caused many to stumble... and Judah has broken faith... and desecrated the sanctuary by marrying the daughter of a foreign god... guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth... for I hate divorce... so guard yourself in your spirit and do not break faith".

Malachi 1 (résumé): Jacob loves, Esau hates

The book of Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament, written around 425 BC, after the Babylonian exile and the rebuilding of the temple. Now the Jews had become complacent again so Malachi calls Israel to repentance. 

Malachi starts by reminding his people of his covenant love - Jacob as opposed to Esau. "I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated... Edom may rebuild but I will demolish". Then the chapter goes on to rebuke the priests. "It is you O priests who despise my name... you place defiled food on my altar... oh that one of you would shut the temple doors... for I will not accept offerings from your hands because you bring injured, crippled and diseased animals for sacrifices... for I am a great king, says the Lord Almighty, and my name is to be feared among the nations".

Zechariah 14 (résumé): The Lord comes and reigns

Zechariah concludes his book announcing the coming Day of the Lord. "The Day of the Lord is coming... I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it... the city will be captured... half of the people will go into exile... then the Lord will fight these nations... and the Lord will stand on the Mount of Olives and it will be split in two... and you will flee... and God will come with his holy ones... and on that day there will be no light... but in the evening there will be light... and living water will flow from Jerusalem... and the Lord will be king over the whole earth... and Jerusalem will be secure... and God will give a plague to the nations and their flesh will rot when there are stood up and their eyes will rot in their sockets and their tongues will rot in their mouths... and the wealth of the nations will be collected... whilst a similar plague will affect all the animals... and the survivors of the nation will worship God... and people that don't go will receive no rain... and HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the horses".