Tag Archives: Old Testament

Ancient Egypt by the Nile

Joseph’s Prophetic Dreams and Their Fulfillment

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Genesis 37-50 records the incredible account of Joseph, his dysfunctional family, and God’s faithfulness through it all. Joseph’s prophetic dreams during his youth sustained him in his making wise choices throughout his life. Joseph had additional opportunities in the narrative to interpret dreams for the baker, the cupbearer, and for the great Pharaoh. But the ones we will focus on concern the dreams of his eventual exaltation above his brothers. This prophecy of exaltation has several unique features. First, in a narrow sense, it was focused on just one person—Joseph himself.
Parchment on Table

The Fulfillment of Daniel’s “70 Weeks” Prophecy

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One unique and interesting facet of biblical literature is the existence of predictive prophecy. I am always encouraged by the cohesiveness of God’s word when I read in Scripture of a prophecy coming to fruition. One such prophecy is the “coming and cutting off of the Messiah” predicted in Dan 9, referring to the arrival of the Messiah to his people and his subsequent crucifixion. The goal of this article is to briefly survey this prophecy from Dan 9, as well as observe its fulfillment in Luke 19.
Israel Ruins

Isaiah’s Amazing Prophecy of King Cyrus

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Isa 44:28: That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. Isa 45:1: Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; Introduction: Imagine in 1830 that someone in the then 54-year-old United States of America predicted by name in writing that a future president, who himself had formerly been a Hollywood actor, would be instrumental in ending the Cold War with the Soviet Union some 150 years later—in the 1980s!
King and Priest

The Prophecy of the Eternal King-Priest in Psalm 110

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The study of prophecy is always a favorite among believers. It is compelling and intriguing to see how prophets of God predict what will take place in the future. Fulfilled prophecy bolsters our faith and encourages us in the sovereignty of our great God. Only God has the omniscience to predict the future, and only God has the omnipotence to fulfill the prediction. Most prophecy in Scripture is directly tied to God’s plan and promises. This is the case with the prophecy found in Psalm 110.
Babylonian King

Israel’s Future Enemy: The King of Babylon in Isaiah 14:4–21

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The Bible has much to say about Israel—past, present, and future. This small plot of land, this scattered people throughout the world, are precious in the sight of the Lord (Zech 2:8). The prophets prophesied a bright future filled with abundance and blessing. On the eve of blessing, however, will be a time of great trial. The persecutor of Israel will prevail, conquering rulers, brutally ruling over his own people, and leading a worldwide persecution of the Jewish people. Israel’s deliverer will not come from a political alliance, but from the true King of Kings who will usher in a time of eternal blessing.

God’s Kingdom Program in the Old Testament: A Biblical Theological Overview Part 1

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Introduction The kingdom of God is a prominent and multi-faceted biblical theme. Kingdom concepts can be found in virtually every biblical book, and it touches on a wide range of biblical ideas. While it is debatable whether the kingdom of God is the over-arching theme of the Bible, it certainly is a theme that transcends several eras of biblical history and binds together several strands of biblical revelation. The goal of this article is to give a brief biblical/theological overview of the kingdom theme in the Old Testament.

The Viewpoint of Ecclesiastes: Cynicism or Realism?

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The book of Ecclesiastes is a conundrum to many people. Does it express a cynical view of life, or does it describe how a believer is to enjoy life? Our understanding of how to interpret this book makes a significant difference in how we apply it to our lives. In this issue of the Faith Pulpit Tim Little, professor of Old Testament at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary, explores the differing views of how to interpret Ecclesiastes and gives his studied conclusions.

Encouraging the Pursuit of Joy

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In the preceding article Prof. Little presented his conclusion that Qoheleth did not have a cynical view of life but rather was a wise, godly man who encouraged the pursuit of joy in the midst of the vanities of life. “There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God” (2:24).1) This text is the first of seven passages explaining how one should live in light of the vanity in this world.2 In this article Prof.

The Heart and Hands of Leadership

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Leadership is always a subject of prime importance for the local church. The spiritual success of a church is in direct proportion to the quality of its leaders. In this article Dr. John Hartog III, professor at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary in Ankeny, Iowa, explores Psalm 78 to discover several qualities of leadership from David’s life. Israel’s History from Zoan to Zion Psalm 78 is the first and longest of the Historical psalms (the others are 105, 106, and 135).1 Only Psalm 119 is longer than Psalm 78.

Why We Reject the Apocrypha

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The subject of the Apocrypha can be difficult and detailed, but this article should simplify matters. If you want to explore this subject in greater detail, you should read a chapter entitled, “The Old Testament Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha” in the book A General Introduction to the Bible by Norman Geisler and William Nix, published by Moody Press. Unless otherwise noted, the facts and arguments used in this article are taken from this source. What Books Belong in the Old Testament? The word canon means “ruler” or “standard” by which something is judged.