Prophetic Prospective Daily Devotional

For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.

You need to take a moment with me and read all 37 verses of II Kings 19, our devotional reading for today. It is the story of a king’s prayer for the Lord to save the Jewish people and their city of Jerusalem, and how Jesus Christ intercedes to protect both the Jews and the city.

We first need some background. The King of Judah, King Hezekiah, had come to power and there was revival in the land of Judah and among the Jewish people, II Kings 18.

Now around 710 BC, almost 15 years after the Assyrians had captured the ten tribes of Israel in the north, the Assyrians, led by King Sennacherib had come to capture Judah, the two southern tribes, and destroy the city of Jerusalem.

This caused King Hezekiah to humble himself, rent his clothes, cover himself with sackcloth and go into the Temple to pray. Hezekiah sent his servant, Eliakim, to the prophet Isaiah so that the prophet would also beseech the Lord for the protection of the Jews and Jerusalem.

Isaiah's message to King Hezekiah was a prophecy that the Lord would defeat the attacking Assyrian army. King Sennacherib would return home and there die in his own land.

Sennacherib heard the prophecy and determined that he would defy the Lord God of Israel. King Hezekiah heard that the Assyrians were coming and failed to believe the prophecy of Isaiah.

Therefore, he returned to the Temple to once again pray for his people and Jerusalem. The Lord's answer to the King's prayer would come through the prophet Isaiah, again.

This time Isaiah goes into more detail, verses 20-34. The Lord makes the promise to Hezekiah, through the prophet Isaiah, that He would defend the city of Jerusalem and thus the people, the Jewish people.

Verses 35-37 reveal the record of the prophecy fulfilled. That night Jesus Christ fulfilled the prophecy. The "angel of the Lord" is a pre-incarnate appearance by Jesus who that night killed 185,000 of the attacking Assyrians, verse 35.

Then King Sennacherib returned to his capital city of Assyria, Ninevah, and Sennacherib was killed, by the sword of his enemies as Isaiah the prophet had foretold it would happen. This is another proof that Bible prophecy will be fulfilled.

Please notice before we leave this passage that the reason the Lord protected Jerusalem at this time was two-fold. The Lord saved Jerusalem for His own sake, He has chosen Jerusalem to dwell among His people forever, Psalm 132:13-14.

Jesus also saved Jerusalem because of His promise to King David that there would be a Temple in Jerusalem and one of David's descendants would rule on the throne in that Temple, forever. That king forever is "King Jesus".

Prophecy fulfilled in the past is evidence that prophecy yet to be fulfilled will be fulfilled.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you Lord for the pages of prophecy in the Bible that help me to understand the times in which I'm living and also alert me to the nearness of Your soon return.

And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.

Have you ever heard someone refer to the book of Hezekiah in the Bible? I often say, "in Hezekiah 3:16", in jest with people. Today, we are not in the book of Hezekiah, but II Kings, which is the record of Hezekiah as King of Judah, the revival under Hezekiah and the victory in Gaza for this King of Judah is recorded.

After the reign of King Solomon, I Kings 11, the Twelve Tribes of Israel divided into a Northern and a Southern "kingdom". The ten tribes who went to the north were known as "Israel". The two tribes in the south were "Judah".

There were a number of Kings over Judah until the Babylonian captivity and Hezekiah was one of the greatest. He was great, not because he was a military genius or an astute politician, he was both wise in military activity, verse 8, and adept in the political arena. But Hezekiah's greatness came because, "he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord", verse 3.

The result of Hezekiah's "right living" led to a "revival" among the Jewish nation. The children of Israel had been misusing the "brazen serpent" that God had given the Jewish people for salvation, Numbers 21:5-9. This idolatrous activity took place all the way to the days of Hezekiah, over a thousand years after the brazen serpent in the wilderness wanderings.

The Jews were not "looking to live" on the brazen serpent but instead they were "burning incense" to the serpent. Hezekiah broke the brazen serpent into pieces to stop this idolatry. Hezekiah also removed the "high places", broke the images set up there, and cut down the groves, which all were symbolic of idolatrous worship.

Revival had broken out in Judah and it started with their King and worked its way down to the people. In contrast, this account reveals the defeat of the ten tribes in the north, Israel, by Shalmaneser, King of Assyria. They were defeated because they did not obey the voice of the Lord and transgressed the Mosaic Covenant, verses 9-12.

Before we conclude our devotional thoughts for today, please notice Hezekiah's victory over the Philistines in Gaza. The "Gaza" in this passage is the same as the "Gaza Strip" in modern times. God did give Judah, King Hezekiah, this piece of real estate almost 2,700 years ago.

Let me hasten to remind you that the Philistines of Biblical times are not the Palestinians of today. The Palestinians of today come from the line of Esau, Jacob's twin brother. (See my audio series Esau and the Palestinians.)

It is so interesting that God gave the Jews victory over their enemies that were headquartered in Gaza. What goes around, comes around and will continue to do so in the future. Obadiah 14-18 tells of the victory that the Jews will have over the present residents of Gaza at the time of the return of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

That time is quickly approaching, the stage is being set for Obadiah’s prophecy to be fulfilled. But remember, seven years before Jesus Christ returns He will shout and each of us who are Christians will be "caught up" to meet Him in the "air" and it could be today - keep looking up.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me, dear Lord, to be like King Hezekiah and to do that which is right in Your sight as I await the "shout" to join You in the "air".

The year is 722BC, the location is what is today northern Israel, and the situation is Assyria, led by King Shalmaneser, is taking the ten northern tribes, known as Israel, into captivity. Remember, after the death of King Solomon, I Kings 11, the twelve tribes of Israel had divided.

Jeroboam had taken ten tribes out of Jerusalem to the north and established "Israel" with these ten tribes. Rehoboam, the son of King Solomon, remained in the south with two tribes. These two tribes, Benjamin and Judah, became known as "Judah".

A number of years later, the Assyrians came and took captive Israel, these ten northern tribes. The author of II Kings, who is unknown, but a man writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, II Timothy 3:16, reveals the sins of Israel, the reason for their capture.

Verse 7 says it all in the statement that "Israel had sinned against the Lord their God". The manifestation of that indictment was that the ten tribes had feared other gods more so than the Lord their God, verse 7. They also did secret things against the Lord, verse 9. They were involved with idol worship, verse 12. In reality, the bottom line was that they would not listen to the Lord and they hardened their necks against Him, verse 14.

The Lord had warned these ten tribes, Israel, as He always did, by the prophets that this would happen. The Jews failed to repent and return in obedience unto the Lord so He followed through on His warning and allowed their enemies to capture them taking them out of their promised land into Assyria.

By the way, the last three words of verse 23, "unto this day", refers to the time of the writing of II Kings, not until our day. I bring that to your attention because these ten tribes are not the "Ten Lost Tribes of Israel" as some try to say.

The Assyrians took the ten tribes, Israel, into captivity. But remember, the Babylonians defeated the Assyrians and took under its Kingdom all of the people of Assyria including these ten tribes.

These tribes are not lost - they were under the Kingdom of Babylon and representatives of these ten tribes returned to Jerusalem after the Medo-Persian Empire came to place and Cyrus allowed almost 50,000 Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.

Ezra, chapters 2 and 6, records that all of Israel, all twelve tribes or at least a family or two from these tribes returned to Israel. This is key, in light of the prophecy of Ezekiel 37:15-23, when once again the twelve tribes will be divided into two Jewish states, Israel and Judah.

The truth be known, the Jewish state of Israel today is so divided that Ezekiel's prophecy could happen in the near future. Our reading today helps us to see the background for the future fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me, Lord, to not sin against you and have to face Your chastisement.

Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel:

There are some very interesting characters in this Biblical narrative that reveal a very important principle of Bible prophecy or should I say several principles of Bible prophecy. I'll get to those principles in a moment, but first, the narrative.

From II Kings 3 through 8 we see the account of the beginning of Elisha’s ministry. Elisha had prayed for a "double portion of the spirit be upon him", II Kings 2:9, and this young Prophet "took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him", II Kings 2:13.

Now in II Kings 9 we see additional information about the "prophetic ministry" of Elisha, a ministry that was a major part of the life of the Jewish people. As already mentioned there are some very important principles that we need to learn.

Jehu is the son of Jehoshaphat and had been made king of Israel, which included the 10 tribes who had separated from the other 2 tribes Benjamin and Judah. God would use Jehu to fulfill the prophecy He had given through Elijah.

Jehu would travel to Jezreel, the city, and be confronted by the wicked Jezebel. Do you remember her? She was the patron saint of the Prophets of Baal that were defeated and killed by Elijah, I Kings 18.

After Elijah defeated the 400 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, he ran, in fact, out ran King Ahab, Jezebel's husband and wicked king of Israel, all the way to Jezreel, I Kings 18:46.

It was Jezebel who threatened to take the life of Elijah, I Kings 19:2, and scared Elijah so much that he ran for his life all the way to Mt. Sinai. However, Elijah returned to the land of Israel and gave the prophecy that Jezebel would die and her body would be eaten by the dogs, I Kings 21:23.

Now back to our narrative. The King of Israel, Jehu, would be used of God to fulfill the prophecy God gave to Elijah. After Jezebel's death, Jehu had her body thrown down to the ground and she was trodden upon under his feet.

Jehu commanded that Jezebel be buried, but when the men went to take her body for burial, all they found was the skull, feet and the palms of her hands. The dogs had eaten her flesh, which is what Elijah had prophesied would happen.

That is the narrative, and now the "principles" of Bible prophecy. Elijah had prophesied that dogs would eat the flesh of Jezebel in Jezreel. If it is indeed a prophecy from God through one of His prophets, it will happen just like it was prophesied - word for word, Deuteronomy 18:20-22. That is what happened here.

The second principle of Bible prophecy is that when one of God's prophecies is fulfilled that is assurance additional prophecies from God will also be fulfilled. There are countless records of that principle applied throughout the Bible. We will look at them as we continue our journey through the Bible with "prophetic prospectives" on our daily devotional.

Rest assured, this account of Jezebel's death confirms prophecies for the "last days", which will also be fulfilled. As one studies through the prophetic word and compares these passages to current events, it is evident that Jesus is coming soon. Keep looking up, it could be today.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me, dear Lord, in my study of prophecy to better understand the times we live in and the nearness of His coming.

And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

This Biblical account of a living creature being taken into the heavens, alive, is the second such incident of this kind to be recorded in 6,000 years of history. The first man to be taken to heaven alive was Enoch - an event recorded in Genesis 5:24. Enoch and Elijah are the only two men that have never died - and are now in the presence of God in the Third Heaven.

I’ll discuss these two men more in a moment but first please notice the trip that Elijah and Elisha made to the spot where God would take Elijah into the heavenlies. They started their trip at "Gilgal", verse 1, which is a place of "safety". They passed through "Bethel", verse 2, a place of "commitment". Then the two men went into "Jericho", verse 4, a place of "battle".

Before Elijah was taken up to heaven in a "chariot of fire", verse 11, the two Prophets would cross the Jordan River, verse 8, into the country of "Jordan", verse 6, a place of "departure". In Jordan, Elijah would give his "mantle" and "ministry" to Elisha.

Then the Lord sent a "chariot of fire" that had "horses of fire", verse 11, and took Elijah "up by a whirlwind into heaven", as Elisha stood there watching. Jordan is indeed a "place of departure". Thus, Elijah became the second man, after Enoch, to go to heaven without dying.

The New Testament writer of Hebrews says that "it's appointed unto man once to die",Hebrews 9:27, and yet these two men have not died, which leads us to other passages of Scripture for an explanation.

Revelation 11:3-12 foretells of two witnesses - two men who will have a preaching ministry from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem during the coming 7 year Tribulation Period. Malachi 4:5-6 tells how God will send Elijah back to earth before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

It is reasonable to say that Elijah, one of the two men who have never died, will be one of the two witnesses of Revelation 11. The current popular Christian song, "we're living in the days of Elijah" speaks to this issue. This is evidence that the Rapture, which must happen before the appearance of Elijah, must be close - let's keep looking up!

PRAYER THOUGHT: Lord, help me to recognize the evidence that the Rapture is close at hand and live my life as if it could happen in the next moment, which it could.

Let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.

The account of the dividing of the "twelve tribes of Israel", after the 40-year reign of King Solomon, into the two divisions of "Israel" and "Judah" can be found in I Kings 12-16. This record of the people of Israel, the Jewish people, then leads into the account of one of the great "Prophets" of the Jewish people.

I Kings 16-18 continues the story of the ten tribes that went with Jeroboam to the north of the country and became the ones who would "worship evil" in their "religious" practices. Into this story would come one of the great "Prophets" of the Jewish people, Elijah.

Before we get to Elijah let me set the scene. The ten tribes in the north known as 'Israel" had a King that was the King that "did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him", the King of Israel, Ahab.

God used Elijah to stop the "rain" in the land of Israel for a period of three years, I Kings 17:1and 18:1, and Elijah did all of this according to the word of God. You will notice that phrase again, "according to thy word".

Please read through the extended reading for our devotional today, I Kings 18:17-46. This is the marvelous story of God using a man of like passion as we have to do a "mighty" work for Him. This is the classic account of the battle between the "God of Elijah" and the "god of the prophets of Baal".

Read this account and rejoice in the Lord and how He gives the victory over evil. Notice the phrase found in I Kings 18:36, Elijah again did all that he did according to the Word of God.

The prophetic significance in this passage is found in the life of Elijah. James, the New Testament writer, reveals that Elijah was, and will be used of God even though he is just a man that is subject to like passions as you and me. That does not eliminate us from being used of God in the last days.

Elijah is one of the two witnesses foretold in Revelation 11:3-12, according to Malachi 4:5. These two witnesses will have a ministry of 1260 days, or three and one half years, during the Tribulation Period. We’ll have more on this great Prophet and his total ministry in a future devotional.

I close this devotional by reminding you that the first portion of the Tribulation is drawing closer and closer each and every day. This is so because of all the prophetic passages in God’s word yet to be fulfilled and seemingly at the point of fulfillment.

The very next prophecy to be fulfilled is the Rapture when Jesus calls us into the heavens to be with Him evermore. That Rapture can happen at any time, even today, so keep looking up and listening for the shout.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Dear Lord, as I await your shout for me to join you in the heavens, help me to "do according to your word".

Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.

As we continue through I Kings, next is chapter 10, which is the account of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. This one note of fact, King Solomon never gave the Queen the "ark of the covenant" thus it never went to Ethiopia. The next chapter contains a prophecy for that day as well as the near future.

Our key verse, verse 11, in our devotional reading for today is the prophecy that I’m referring to that has the connection between yesterday and the future. This prophecy to Solomon thus becomes the "prototype" for a prophecy yet to be fulfilled. 

The fulfillment of this prophecy is recorded in I Kings 12:16-24. The dividing of the Kingdom of Solomon - 10 tribes under Jeroboam known as "Israel" and two tribes under Rehoboam known as "Judah".

These 12 tribes would reunite almost 500 years later. This reunification of the twelve tribes of Israel would take place in the days of the reign of Cyrus of the Medo-Persian Empire, Ezra 1:1-3 and Ezra 2.

However, the ancient Jewish prophet Ezekiel reveals another division among the Jewish people will take place during the last days leading up to and during the seven year Tribulation Period.

Ezekiel 37:15-23 is prophecy that is yet to come to pass. There will be two Jewish states at that time known as "Israel" and "Judah" (see my study on Ezekiel 37 on my CD "Ezekiel, Retribution and Restoration') .

The stage is being set for this prophecy to be fulfilled with the growing division among the Jewish people of Israel over the issue of the Jewish settlements in the area of Judea and Samaria (sometimes referred to as the "West Bank").

In addition to the division in the body politic of Israel there is the continuing pressure from the United States, the European Union and the United Nations for the Israeli government to evacuate the almost 500,000 Jewish settlers in Judea and Samaria.

There is a recent poll done by Hebrew University that reveals there are thousands of these Jewish settlers that say they will “take up arms” to stop their own government from evacuating their families from the homes that they have lived in for almost four decades.

We are witnessing the formation of the two Jewish states called for in Bible Prophecy, even today. The Rapture will happen before this division of the single Jewish State of Israel today. Thus the Rapture could be today........ So let's keep looking up.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Dear Lord, as I watch the preparations for the fulfillment of Bible Prophecy help me to allow my understanding of future events to cause me to live in light of your Word, a life expecting You to call me to be with You at any moment.

And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

In fulfillment of God's promise to David, II Samuel 7, King David's son Solomon did build the temple, the first permanent dwelling place for the worship of the Jewish people in Jerusalem.

I Kings 5 is the record of Solomon's preparations to build the Temple with the gathering together of the manpower and materials. I Kings 6, Solomon begins the building of the Temple. I Kings 7 is the story of the building of the home of Solomon.

Notice in I Kings 7:1, it took Solomon 13 years to build his house and according to I Kings 6:38 it only took 7 years to build the Temple. Solomon had a very interesting priority. I Kings 8 reveals that Solomon brought the "Ark of the Covenant" into the Temple. What a day that was when the "Glory of the Lord filled the House of the Lord".

As we come to our devotional reading for today, I Kings 9:1-9, we see recorded the second pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus to King Solomon, the first being in Gibeon, I Kings 3:5. The Lord tells the King of Israel that He had heard his prayer and supplication, verse 3. The Lord also said that Solomon's permanent "worship center", the Temple, was to be "hallowed" by Him.

The Lord added that He would put His name there at the Temple, forever, and that His eyes and His heart would be there "perpetually". The Lord then makes a promise and gives a warning to the King.

In verses 4-5 the Lord promises Solomon that if He would walk before Him as his father David had done, and do according to all that the Lord commanded him to do, King Solomon's kingdom would be established forever, as He had promised his father David.

However, there is a "but", verse 6. The Lord tells Solomon that if he or his children turn from following Him, do not keep His commandments and if they follow after other gods, then Israel would be cut off out of the land that He had given the children of Israel.

The Lord also told Solomon the Temple would be destroyed, a result of the children of Israel failing to follow and obey Him. Solomon was told that people of the world would look at Israel as a "proverb and byword".

These worldly people would ask why Israel was not in the land and why was the Temple destroyed. The Lord answers that question in advance, "because the people of Israel forsook the Lord their God", verse 9.

This prophecy that Jesus gave to Solomon was fulfilled, in fact fulfilled, twice. In 586 BC Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Solomon's Temple and took the Jews out of their God-given land. Some seventy years later the Jews returned to the land and built another Temple, Ezra 1-6.

Then, because of additional disobedience, the Lord followed through on His promise again and had the Roman Army destroy the Second Temple and disbursed the Jews out of their land. When God makes a promise, He keeps that promise.

The Lord made another promise, that He would bring the Jews back into the land in the last days and give them another Temple. This scenario found in God's prophetic word is in the process of being played out in our world today.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me Lord, to walk before You daily and do that which You direct me to do as I await Your return.

So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

King Solomon, the third king of Israel, was the one God would have to build the Temple, the first permanent worship center for the Jewish people. You can read how King Solomon prepared to build the Temple and then the actual building of the Temple in I Kings 3-7

The account of Solomon's Temple, up and operating in Jerusalem, is the portion of I Kings that I've selected for today’s devotional reading. This chapter of I Kings is key to understanding the operation of the Temple and its importance in the daily life of the Jewish people.

Until Solomon's Temple the tabernacle, a transportable worship center, was used by the Lord to "dwell among His people", especially during the forty years of wandering in the wilderness and also during the first 350 years of the Jewish people living in the Promised Land.

After the Philistines took the Ark of the Covenant from the Jews they kept the Ark for only seven months, I Samuel 6:1. And then for another 120 years the Ark was at a place about 15 miles west of Jerusalem.

King David brought the Ark to Jerusalem, II Samuel 6, and wanted to build a temple to house the Ark. Because of David's disobedience he was not allowed that honor; however, his son Solomon would be the one to build the temple.

David gathered the manpower, the monies and the materials for Solomon to use in the building of the temple. He even purchased the site where the temple would be erected. David paid cash money for the site of Araunah's threshing floor, II Samuel 24:24, which was on Mt Moriah, II Chronicles 3:1.

King David passed from the earth into paradise and his son Solomon, as promised by the Lord, built the first temple which took him seven years to build this "worship center" for the Jewish people, I Kings 6:38.

With the temple built, Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and the heads of all the tribes of Israel for the dedication of the Temple and the placing of the "Ark of the Covenant", the Shakinah Glory, in the Holy of Holies of this "permanent worship center" of the Jewish people.

King Solomon had the Levites to bring the Ark from the tabernacle that King David had erected to house the Ark until the temple was ready. As the men brought the Ark into the Temple, into the Holy of Holies, the "glory of the Lord" filled the "house of the Lord" so that the priests could not minister.

There would be a second temple built in Jerusalem, after the Babylonian Captivity; however, the "Glory of the Lord" would not be on the Ark of the Covenant because the "Glory" departed the Ark and the Holy of Holies before the Temple was destroyed, Ezekiel 8-11.

The Ark was never again in the Temple, even during the lifetime of Jesus. The location of the Ark is known today and it will be placed in the Temple that stands on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem during the Tribulation Period; however, the "Glory of the Lord" will not be resting on the Ark.

The "Glory of the Lord" manifested in the person of Jesus Christ will once again enter the "House of the Lord" going into the Holy of Holies and He will fill the "House of the Lord" with His glory when He comes back to Jerusalem.

Remember, the Ark will be used in the Tribulation Temple, but Jesus is the "Ark" for His Temple, a Temple where He will rule and reign from during His kingdom.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Even so come, Lord Jesus.

Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.

This is the record of the death of one King and the installation of another. It is also the first installment of the promise made to King David. Before we look at these two issues, let's look at King David's charge to his son who was to become "King of Israel".

As David began the charge he used a very picturesque description for his pending death. "I go the way of all the earth", is a statement that shows David was a realist who knew he would soon die and thus the reason for the charge to his son, the "heir apparent".

As I read the "charge", I was reminded of the "charge" Moses gave to Joshua. There are some familiar phrases which are actually good Biblical principles for us to follow as well.

Notice verse 3. David charges Solomon to "walk in the Lord's ways and to keep His statutes", as written in the word of God. The promise for doing this will be that Solomon and each of us also will prosper.

Just this reminder - to "prosper" is not necessarily to be "wealthy". That is not what the Lord has in mind. The Lord's idea of "prosper" is to “fulfill the will of the Lord for our lives and to bring glory to Him”.

Before I look at the first installment of God's promise to King David, notice verse 10. King David, after serving 40 years as King of the Jewish people, dies and is buried in the city of David, which is the city of Jerusalem.

The place of David's burial is the actual location of where the events of what happened in Acts 2 took place. The Day of Pentecost, when the church was born, is at the same spot where King David is buried, Acts 2:29.

Verse 12 tells us that David's son Solomon did indeed ascend to the "throne of his father" and thus fulfilled the first installment of the Davidic Covenant, II Samuel 7:12-13.

This is evidence that God's plan was in force and will be in force in the future as well. The Davidic Covenant will be fulfilled - a King from David's family will be on the throne in the Temple in Jerusalem with a Kingdom that will be forever.

Solomon was the first installment of that promise. The coming Messiah, Jesus Christ will be the ultimate fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant. I believe we are living in the days of that Kingdom, which is yet to come.

The "chain of events" leading up to that "Kingdom Temple" is found in God’s Word. The Rapture, precedes the Tribulation Period, the seven years of judgment on the Earth. At the end of the time of judgment Jesus Christ returns to Earth to set up His Kingdom, with Jesus on the "throne, in the Temple".

Notice that the next event on God’s "agenda of end time events" is the Rapture and it can happen at any time, even today. Keep looking up.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you for keeping Your promises, Lord, to each of us, as You did to King David.

And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon.

The time is around 3,000 years ago as we come to the record of King David anointing his son Solomon to be king of all of Israel. It almost did not happen this way for another son of David, Adonijah had plotted to seize the kingdom from his stepbrother Solomon.

When their father, King David, learned of the plan he had Bathsheba call a member of the King’s staff to his death bed to make certain Solomon was crowned King. Bathsheba brought Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet to anoint Solomon King of Israel.

It is interesting to note that this prophet Nathan is the same prophet that told King David that he would not be allowed to build the temple. Instead, the Lord would set it up so that the first Temple would be built by David’s son, Solomon.

Nathan also is key in the giving of the Davidic Covenant, II Samuel 7, to David. It was Nathan who helped select Solomon to be the third king of Israel and one of the ones to anoint Solomon.

God had promised David that one of his seed would rule on the throne and also play a key role in the building of the permanent "worship center" of the Lord, the Temple. That promise will ultimately be fulfilled by Jesus Christ who will return to earth and build His Temple, Messiah's Temple, Zechariah 6:12. The Lord Jesus will also reign from that Temple as the King, Zechariah 6:13.

Thus we have seen the first step in the long journey, over the centuries, to Jesus through the Davidic line. But, I want you to notice something else in this passage.

Nathan, the prophet and Zadok , were to bring Solomon to the Gihon River, which is located in the city of David, the original site for Jerusalem. It was at the Gihon that these men would anoint Solomon to be king over Israel.

Maybe you remember where you have heard of that river, the Gihon, before. If not, look back to Genesis 2. The Gihon is one of the rivers mentioned in the reference to the Garden of Eden, Genesis 2:13. In fact, the Gihon is the river, the one river, that flowed out of the Garden of Eden and became four rivers somewhere outside of the Garden, Genesis 2:10.

This text is telling us that, as Jewish scholarship has believed for almost 6,000 years, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the original site of the Garden of Eden. (See my audio series, Return to Eden)

One of David's seed will rule from a Temple in the original Garden of Eden one day. That one, from David’s seed, is Jesus Christ, the same member of the Godhead that performed the act of "Creation", Colossians 1:16, in the Garden of Eden.

Where Jesus started everything Jesus will rule and reign from forever, the Garden of Eden. By the way, this fact about the Garden of Eden is also believed by the Muslim world as well. That is why the Muslims don’t want the Jews in Jerusalem.

The current events that you see with a focus on the city of Jerusalem are evidence that Jesus is making ready to call all Christians out of this world at the Rapture. The Rapture could happen at any moment. You must make sure that you are ready.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Because I am prepared, help me to be pure and productive as I await His return.

And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.

As we come to the last twelve chapters of II Samuel we see, like I said in the last devotional, that David is just a "man" with the human characteristics to be able to "sin" and fail the Lord with the actions in his life style that are not pleasing to the Lord.

Though David was forgiven of his sins, he did suffer the consequences of these sins, here on the earth in his lifetime. Our sins will be forgiven if we confess them, I John 1:9, but we must remember that there will be consequences for our sins that we must live through, in this lifetime.

II Samuel 13 to 24 is the record of David’s life as a result of his failures in his life. These sins, "adultery and murder" were bad enough but the Lord was concerned about David’s "numbering" of the people of Israel, chapter 24:1-9.

The Lord, through the "seer" Gad, gave David three possible punishments for his sin and he choose the last, which resulted in seventy thousand men, from Dan to Beer-sheba, dying of the "pestilence" sent by God upon Israel, found in our devotional reading in II Samuel 24:15.

Notice that "the angel of the Lord" was next to the "threshing-place" belonging to Araunah the Jebusite, verse 16. When you see the phrase "the angel of the Lord" your speaking of a "pre-incarnate" appearance of Jesus Christ. The text indicates that the Lord was about to destroy Jerusalem, verse 16.

This destruction did not take place because the Lord "repented", took another direction, and instead had David to "buy" the threshing floor, which is the same location that Abraham brought Isaac to offer him in sacrifice, Genesis 22.

It is also the location where King Solomon, David’s son, would build the first Temple, II Chronicles 3:1. Solomon's building of this Temple is the first installment of the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant.

What is so interesting to me is that King David would not take the land as a gift, but insisted that he pay for it with "fifty shekels of silver". That is a large sum of money in today’s money. It is the money paid by a Jewish King.

The real estate that we’re talking about was the location of the first and second Temples and will be the same location for the last two temples, yet to be re-built. This land is the "most sacred location in all of Creation".

The location that King David paid "cash money" for yesterday will be the site for the next two temples, yet to be rebuilt. It is the location today of the "Dome of the Rock" on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

This sacred site, the Temple Mount, is today controlled by the Muslim "Islamic Trust" and they claim they have the "custodial rights" to this location. Any effort by the Jews to rebuild their Temple there will result in a major conflict in Jerusalem. This is the case even though King David paid "cash money" for the location.

This information is evidence that the stage is being set for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled. The Temple Mount will be the focus of the world as the Lord allows His plan for the future to be played out in our day.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Lord, it is so exciting to watch your plan for the future being played today. It is also evidence that should make everyone of us be alert to the soon return of Jesus Christ. Help me to live in light of this information and be ready for the any moment return of Jesus Christ at the Rapture.

And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

This portion of II Samuel selected for today's devotional reveals a very sad ending to the "double act of sin" that King David committed while serving as King of Israel.

David had lusted over Bathsheba, the wife of one of his "mighty fighting men", Uriah. David was driven so much by his lust for Bathsheba that he had her husband killed. The King then had a child by this other man's wife.

These sins had already taken place, and then the prophet Nathan who tells King David a story of how one man mistreated another. The story made the King angry until Nathan told David that "he was the man". the man who had mistreated the other, verses 1-11.

David's anger changed to sorrow and repentance, verse 13, and the Lord did not kill the King of Israel for these sins right then. However, Nathan told David that his son by Bathsheba would die because of the sin. Notice, verse 12, what David had done secretly, the Lord would reveal openly before all of Israel.

David would pray that his son would not die because of the sins he, David, had committed. But the Lord did take the son. Verse 14 tells us why the Lord took David's son. The sins of King David had given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme Him, and therefore the Lord would take the child.

In no way can one commend David for what he did, murder and adultery. However, David confessed his sins and the Lord forgave the King even though he would have to pay the consequences, his young son would die. There are consequences for sin.

Before we leave this passage please notice the last verse of our extended reading. Though it is not an absolute, the verse seems to say that "babies" at death go directly into the presence of God to be with Him forever.

We know that David will be in heaven, and the verse tells us that his "baby" will be there also, "I shall go to him but he cannot return to me", verse 23.

Though David was forgiven of his sins, he did suffer the consequences of these sins, here on the earth in his lifetime. Our sins will be forgiven if we confess them, I John 1:9, but we must remember that there will be consequences for our sins that we must live through, in this lifetime.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me Lord, to stay away from sin, so that I don't give occasion to others to blaspheme You, and thus I will also escape the consequences of sin.