She tried to stop the spread of God’s word.

• I Kings 18-19

She had a terrible influence on her spouse.

• I Kings 16, 21

She met the God of vengeance.

• II Kings 9

I Corinthians 15

• I Corinthians 15:1-11 – Preaching Christ’s resurrection
  • See Luke 24:44.
  • I Corinthians 15:5 – See Luke 24:34. We do not have a direct record of Peter seeing the risen Jesus, but the two on the road also referenced this. “The twelve” here is a figure of speech (“adjournment”). There were not precisely twelve apostles at this time.
  • I Corinthians 15:7 – See Acts 1:2-3.
• I Corinthians 15:12-19 – Everything depends upon Christ’s resurrection (and resurrection in general).
  • I Corinthians 15:12-14 – Apparently some in Corinth erroneously believed there was no resurrection.
  • I Corinthians 15:19 – If Christ is not raised, we are in a terrible spot!
• I Corinthians 15:20-28 – Christ leads the way.
  • I Corinthians 15:24 – Compare John 1:1-5.
• I Corinthians 15:29-32 – If the dead are not raised.
  • I Corinthians 15:29 – Facts:
    • Baptism is an individual’s response to the gospel. (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38)
    • Each person will be judged according to what he or she has done, not based on what someone else has done. (Romans 14:12; II Corinthians 5:10; Ezekiel 18:20)
    • In Luke 16:19-31, the dead man was not able to switch places in the afterlife.
    • Baptism doesn’t always refer to water baptism. It can refer to immersion in persecution/suffering (Luke 12:50; Mark 10:39). Suffering is in the context of I Corinthians 15:30, 32.
    • Therefore, I Corinthians 15:29 CAN’T be teaching us to be baptized for the salvation of those who are already daed.

Introduction

• Summary of Romans:
  • Condemnation (Romans 1-3)
  • Christ (Romans 4-5)
  • Choice (Romans 6-8)
  • Children (Romans 9-11)
  • Conduct (Romans 12-16)
• Romans 6
  • Romans 6:12-23

Dead to sin; do not let sin reign

• We must put sinful habits to death.
• We must consider our old selves as dead.
• Psalms 97:10
• What keeps drawing you back to sin? What do you like about it?
• We’ll never be deaed to sin as long as we crave its passing pleasure.
• Romans 6:12-14, 16-18 – We must choose who we want to obey.
• Romans 6:21, 13 – Think about your sin and how it causes you spiritual death. You are not the person you would be if you were not enslaved to this sin.

Alive to God; slaves of righteousness

• Ephesians 4:24-32
• Psalms 15:4
• Romans 6:11, 18
• Acts 22:4
• Is there something I still need to change so the old me stays dead?

In Christ Jesus!

• Romans 6:11, 23
• The only way to do this is with Jesus’ grace.
• Colossians 3:15

More on the Sabbath

• Exodus 31:12-18
• God is adamant about the Sabbath
• Severity of punishment for profaning
• Exodus 31:14
  • Punishment: death and cutting off
  • The same punishments or different?
• Tablets of stone

The first commandments violated

• Exodus 32:1-6
• The demands of the people
  • Aaron’s acquiescence and demand
  • Makes a calf of gold – Psalms 106:19; Romans 1:22-25
  • Their declaration, Aaron’s proclamation
• Day of sacrifice and play

Why make a god?

• What motivated them?
  • Loss of leadership?
  • Loss of faith?
  • Loss of direction?
  • How could it have been avoided?
  • What lessons does this give us today?

Fallout

• Exodus 32:7-24
• God’s conversation with Moses
  • God’s anger
  • Moses’ pleading
• Moses goes down from the mountain
  • Encounters Joshua
  • Tablets destroyed
  • Calf elixir
  • Aaron’s lie

Cleansing and blotting out

• Exodus 32:25-35
• Whoever is for the Lord
  • Levi steps forward
  • Punishment begins
• Moses calls for dedication
• Returns to the mountain
  • Pleads to God for their forgiveness
  • Blotting out from His Book
  • The people smitten

Time to leave

• Exodus 33:1-6
• God repeats His promise
• Sending an angel before them
• Drive out the occupants
• He will no longer be in their midst
• Moses told the Israelites, they mourned
• The ornaments

Moving the tent of meeting

• Exodus 33:7-11
• Tent of meeting
  • Now pitched well outside the camp
  • God would not be among the people
• People would watch
  • Moses went, entered, and pillar descended upon it
  • People would then worship, but at own tent
  • God would talk with Moses “as a man speaks to his friend”
• Joshua – loyal and watchful servant

What Moses wants

• Exodus 33:12-23
• Favor in God’s sight
  • Already had it (Exodus 33:12)
  • Now he wants it (Exodus 33:13)
• God’s presence
  • It shows they’ve found favor in His sight (Exodus 33:16)
  • God shows Moses graciousness and compassion
• To see God’s glory

Introduction

• Ezekiel 38:1-3

Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38-39)

• I Chronicles :4; Genesis 10:2; Revelation 20:8
• Ezekiel 38:4-6 – Gog is the leader of the army.
• The army is going to attack Israel while they are living securely in unwalled villages – Ezekiel 38:11, 14-16
• God will utterly defeat Gog – Ezekiel 38:18-20, 22; 39:3-4, 7-8
• It will take seven years to burn all the weapons – Ezekiel 39:9
• It will take seven months to bury all the dead – Ezekiel 39:12
• All the birds and animals will eat the dead bodies – Ezekiel 39:17
• God’s reputation will be upheld – Ezekiel 39:21-24
• There will be hope for Israel – Ezekiel 39:25-29

Many think Ezekiel 38-39 is talking about modern-day Israel

• Ezekiel 38:2
  • Rosh – Russia?
  • Meshech – Moscow?
  • Tubal – Tobolsk?
• Luke 21:28-32 – This was referring to the destruction of Jerusalem.
• Start with eh facts you know and build from there.

Biblically, here’s what we know for sure …

Promises regarding physical Israel have already been fulfilled.

• Genesis 12:3; Acts 3:25-26
• Genesis 12:7; Joshua 21:43-45

New Covenant Christians are the “Israel” of today.

• Romans 2:28-29; 9:6—8
• Galatians 3:7, 29; 6:15-16

God is not planning a physical battle.

• John 18:36
• II Corinthians 10:3-6

Spiritual struggles are often pictured figuratively as physical fighting.

• Ephesians 6:11-17

We don’t know when the world will end.

• I Thessalonians 5:2-3

Jesus will not return to earth.

• I Thessalonians 4:16-17

So, what is Ezekiel 38-39 about?

• This is a vivid, figurative picture of God’s spiritual victory in the New Covenant – all enemies are defeated and God wins!
• Why do I think it’s figurative?
  • It would fit the context of Ezekiel.
    • Ezekiel 34 – shepherds
    • Ezekiel 37 – bones, sticks, “David”
    • Ezekiel 40-48 – temple
  • It explains why no one knows of Gog leading this battle any time in history.
  • It matches the imagery of the New Covenant.
  • It makes sense with Revelation 20.

What does all of this mean for us now?

• The events in the news have nothing to do with Bible prophecies or indications that the world is about to end.
• Pray for Israel (and everyone else in the world involved in wars and tragedies)!