Looking at the Major Truths in the Minor Prophets - Why Did God Create the Universe?

Have you ever thought about the size of the universe?  If you have ever looked at a Nova presentation on the Hubble telescope, you know what I'm talking about.  It's huge, it's incredible, and to think that God created it all!! Scientists say that there are two billion to two trillion galaxies in the observable universe.

And when I asked Google how many stars are in the universe, the answer came back 100 billion!  It's really hard for me to wrap my head around numbers like that because in standard notation that number looks like this: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000!!  Those are the kinds of numbers God works with, and He's the originator of all the scientific formulas that He put into motion to run this universe!

By now you may be wondering where am I going with all of this. That's my introduction to my last post in the Life-Studies of the Bible that I started in July 2011. Zechariah 12:1  says:  "The burden of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel. Thus declares Jehovah, who stretches forth the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him," 

 If you look carefully at this verse, it's almost like a target with three circles--the outermost being God's creation of the heavens (Genesis 1:1), then zeroing a little closer, we see God created the earth (Genesis 1:1), and last of all in the center we see God's creation of the spirit of man by breathing His breath into man's soul (Genesis 2:7). (I learned that from a chapter in the Life-Study of Genesis!)

From this one verse in a book of the minor prophets we can see that the center of the entire universe is man's spirit!!  Now that's worth a ta-da!  Have you ever thought about that?  From this verse we can easily see that the focus isn't about what's out there--even though it's marvelous and breathtakingly beautiful. What God is centered on is what's going on in man's spirit!! This one phrase in the book of Zechariah should make us all think why did God form a spirit within me? 

In the New Testament Paul wrote to the Thessalonian believers about how God created man with three parts:  And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23  We all learned in school that anything separated by an and is a separate entity. Sometimes philosophers goof up and mix man's soul with man's spirit, but the Bible tells us that they are two different things. 

When Jesus talked to Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, he talked to him about God's Spirit and man's spirit. According to the record in John 3, the Lord was pretty direct with Nicodemus.  He told him in verse 3:  "Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God,"  At first Nicodemus didn't realize that the Lord was not talking about a physical birth but a spiritual one.

 Then in verse 6 the Lord goes on to say:  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. In one of the footnotes in my Recovery Version of the Bible on John 3:6, it says:

"The first Spirit mentioned here is the divine Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God, and the second spirit is the human spirit, the regenerated spirit of man. Regeneration is accomplished in the human spirit by the Spirit of God with God's life, the uncreated eternal life...."

Bibles for America has produced a very helpful article called Do You Know the Two Spirits--God's Spirit Mingled With Your Human Spirit? It talks about the different places in the New Testament where these two spirits are used.  You can also order your own free Bible with footnotes on that page. They've given away over a million all over the United States.

    Anyway, back to where I was going with all of this.  It's quite touching that when the Lord spoke with Nicodemus He was showing him his need to be born again or regenerated.  And later the Lord speaks to Nicodemus the beautiful verse in John 3:16 that has brought hope and salvation to millions:  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that every one who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life."

     Throughout the centuries people have complicated God's salvation by making it a matter of doing something to receive forgiveness. But the Bible tells us we can't earn salvation--take a look at Ephesians 2:8  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

     So if it's a gift, but how do you receive it?  Once again the Bible tells us how simple it is and in Romans 10:9-10 are some classic verses that say: "That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; For with the heart there is believing unto righteousness, and with the mouth there is confession unto salvation." 

     Right now there's a lot of uncertainty on the earth today because of the impact of the coronavirus. Undoubtedly this is making a lot of people think more seriously about eternal things. If you haven't ever done so, please take this as your opportunity to open up your heart and ask the Lord Jesus to come into you.  By doing so, you will fulfill God's purpose for forming the spirit of man in Zechariah 12:1!! 

Other Posts on the Three Parts of Man & the Gospel:

Why Did God Create Man with Three Parts in Genesis 2:7?
How Does God Preserve Us Complete in 1 Thessalonians 5:23?

Looking at the Major Truths in the Minor Prophets - Did You Know Christ's Death & Resurrection were Prophesied in the Minor Prophets?

        As I was reading through all the Life-Studies of the minor prophets, I realized that embedded  in these books  were many major truths presented in the New Testament.  Even CHRIST'S INCARNATION is hidden there because in Micah 5:2 it says that Christ’s goings forth are from eternity. I read in chapter 23 of the Life-Study of Micah that this means that even in eternity Christ was preparing to come forth as a man so that He could die on our behalf.  Also in this verse we learn that the LOCATION OF CHRIST'S BIRTH would be Bethlehem.

First blossoms of spring!

       In the  book of Jonah we see that Jonah’s spending THREE DAYS IN THE BELLY of that great fish was a picture of the Lord being in the heart of the earth for three days before His resurrection.  And we know this because the Lord compared Himself to Jonah in Matthew 12:40. 

      In the Life-Study of Jonah Witness Lee also points out that Jonah's PREACHING THE GOSPEL TO THE GENTILES in Ninevah is similar to the Lord's preaching the gospel to both the Jews and Gentiles (Matt. 12:17-21).

     Then hidden in the book of Joel are some verses about the POURING OUT OF THE SPIRIT. In the Life-Study of Joel I learned that after the Lord’s resurrection, He came to His disciples in John 20:22 and breathed  the Holy Spirit into them. And in Acts 2:1-4 we see that on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was also poured out upon the disciples for their preaching the gospel.  All of this was foretold in Joel 2:28-29, 32 hundreds of years before it even happened. 

     Then I learned by reading the chapters in the Life-Study of Haggai that this prophet's main burden was to turn the Israelites from being so wrapped up in their own houses to CARE FOR GOD'S HOUSE which was lying waste.  Haggai inspired the people to give so the temple could be repaired. All of this is a picture of how we need to give ourselves to built together so that God can have a testimony through His church.

      Even many events that will occur in the future are foretold in the books of the minor prophets.  I read in the Life-Study of Obadiah that this prophet spoke about THE DAY OF JEHOVAH when God will come to judge the nations after the great tribulation (Obadiah  1:15-16). 

This is the first bloom in my front flower bed.

     Then back in the Book of Joel in chapter 3:2, 12, 14 I saw that this judgment will take place in the valley of Jehosphaphat.  Can you imagine even the outcome of this final battle is actually foretold in Joel 3:9-13, 16-21?    
 

     In the Gospels the Lord spoke many times about the Kingdom of God, and that we should pray that God's kingdom would come to this earth.  This hidden truth is proclaimed in Joel 3:16a, 17, and 21b  where Joel states that CHRIST WILL REIGN IN THE CITY OF JERUSALEM DURING THE MILENNIAL KINGDOM.

     Now isn't the Bible a wonderful book?