Jeroboam I

Using the story of God's prophet in I Kings 13, John Reid derives several lessons we can apply in this time of doctrinal confusion.

Jeroboam, pragmatic and fearful, established a more convenient idolatrous festival to prevent his people from keeping the real Feast of Tabernacles in Judah.

God divided Solomon's kingdom between Israel and Judah, but promised that a king of Judaic lineage will always rule Israel—another key to finding Israel.

The history of Israel is not only a fascinating study, but it also reveals important facts and principles necessary for proper understanding of prophecy. Once Isreal is identified prophetically, Bible prophecy opens up and God's plan becomes plain!

The high places—and more specifically, the idolatrous worship they came to represent—were a critical issue in the histories of Israel and Judah. ...

Abijah had three good years but was suddenly cut off because he didn't remove the idols. One act of faith is only something to build on, not a cause to rest.

God points out four kings of Judah who did not remove the high places. Many kings neither built nor destroyed high places, yet God points out four who failed.

The people to whom Amos writes have the mistaken assumption that because they have made the covenant with God, they can bask in a kind of divine favoritism.

Matthew 27:29 records that a reed was placed in Christ's hand as a mock scepter. But when He returns, He will take the scepter of the Kingdom of God.

Martin Collins, reminding us that Hosea has sometimes been referred to as the deathbed prophet of Israel, nevertheless assures us that the end of the book is filled with hope and a happy conclusion. Before the inspiring conclusion of the Book, Hosea foreca. . .

Amos 8:11 speaks of "a famine . . . of hearing the words of the LORD." Such a spiritual famine is occurring today: The words of God are readily available, but few are hearing them. David Grabbe explains this prophecy and its connection to the Feast of Unle. . .

Israel had every opportunity that the Gentiles did not have. God gave the Israelites gifts to live a better way, but they completely failed to reflect Him.

John Ritenbaugh reiterates that the false religions embraced by the descendants of Jacob are not preparing God's people for the harsh punishment God will surely bring to modern Israel. Amos indicts rampant dishonest practices in modern Israel, placing dish. . .

Martin Collins, reflecting on Jerusalem's current reputation for violence, murder, immorality, multi-culturalism, and conflict, looks at the city's history and at its prophesied status as the capital of God's Kingdom. The reputation for the City of Peace d. . .

John Ritenbaugh focuses upon the episode in Matthew 20, in which Jesus was deep in thought, reflecting on the prophecies leading up to His crucifixion. At this point, His disciples were not converted, but displayed considerable carnality. The mother of two. . .