THE TROUBLES of this world can be a huge obstacle to following Christ. Money, family, social status, possessions, and even religious tradition can distract us from prioritizing our lives in the proper order.
We also discuss the Parable of the Prodigal Son and the prophetic implications of Luke 17:20-37, which parallels Matthew 24:3-44. Luke adds “just as it was in the days of Lot” to the “days of Noah” reference we’re familiar with from Matthew. Does this mean a return of the Nephilim “who were on the earth in those days, and also afterward”?
WE’VE GOT the fire, we’ve got the wood, and we’ve got the Lamb!
WE PICK up the story of Abram at Genesis chapter 15. We talk about Yahweh’s covenant with Abram, including the land promised to his descendants; Sarai’s impatience with the promise of an heir, and the trouble that created with (and for) Hagar and Ishmael; Yahweh’s promise of Isaac and the new names He gave to Abraham and Sarah; and Abraham’s humble, reverent intercession for Sodom.
At left is one interpretation of the area included in the land promised to Abram by Yahweh. The Hebrew in Gen. 15:18 indicates that the “river of Egypt” is not the Nile, but rather Wadi El-Arish, which extended southeast from the Mediterranean Sea along the traditional border between Egypt and Israel, and so excludes the Sinai peninsula.
