1 Corinthians 1: 18

Jonah 3 vs10 

And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

For further study - Jonah 3:1-10

This daily devotion is presented with a “prophetic perspective” each day for your consideration. Today as we read Jonah 3, the “prophetic perspective” is the underlying theme of this passage.

After Jonah is "vomited" upon the "dry land", Jonah 2:10, the reluctant Jewish prophet makes his way to Nineveh where he enters the city with the message that God had given him. Jonah cried out, "Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown", verse 4.

Let me remind you that Nineveh was a well-fortified city with two high and wide walls around the city. The scholars tell us that the walls were around 100 feet high and about 50 feet wide. This was a well-fortified Gentile city and to have a Jew come tell them of a coming destruction seems to be beyond what that lonely man could do.

Basically that is the case, this wasn't just a man, he was a man of God with God's message to sinful people. Our reading, verse 5 tells us that the people of Nineveh "believed God". There was a major “revival” that would follow and even the King, verse 6, repented and gave a decree for all the people to honor God.

The desire of all those people in Nineveh was that God might not bring judgment upon them, verse 9. Verse 10 tells us that God did stop His hand of destruction on the city and the people of Nineveh.

Let the record show however, that the people of Nineveh did go back to their sinful ways and God destroyed the city around 150 years after Jonah’s ministry there, (see Nahum).

Now, to that underlying theme for the “Last Days” found in our passage for today. The prophetic Scriptures reveal to us that God will raise-up Jewish evangelists in the Last Days to go to the Gentile world.

Revelation 11:3 and following tells us of "two witnesses" who will preach to the world from Jerusalem in the first half of the Tribulation Period and at least one of them will be Elijah, Micah 4:5, a Jewish man.

A result of these “two witnesses” preaching, 144,000 male virgin Jews, 12,000 each from the 12 tribes of Israel, Revelation 7:4-9, will have an evangelistic ministry for all seven years of the Tribulation. The outcome of their ministry is a multitude of people being saved.

Jonah was only a prototype of these evangelists to come. The practical lesson for each of us today is that we can be a part of God's plan if we obey Him all along the way.

How can they be saved unless they hear and how can they hear unless we go with the message. It is a message of salvation to some and a warning to be prepared for the Rapture for others.

PRAYER THOT: Help us Lord to do the ministry of reaching lost people with the message of salvation before it is eternally too late.

Jonah 4 vs11 

And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

For further study - Jonah 4:1-11

Jonah closes his prophetic book abruptly indicating that the prophet was angry, depressed, hot and faint. Jonah was left to contemplate God's words about his own lack of compassion and God's depth of compassion.

The truth be known, Jonah could not have written this book unless he had learned the point God was seeking to bring to the prophets attention. It is most likely that Jonah did come to an understanding of his error and then wrote this historical, biographical narrative to urge Israel to flee from disobedience and spiritual callousness.

Jonah ran the opposite direction from where God had sent him in chapter 1. In chapter 2 the prophet got his heart right after being resurrected from the dead. Chapter 3 reveals the record of the prophet doing what the Lord sent him to do, preach to the Gentile city of Nineveh. God's Word was effective and the city turned to the Lord.

When we come to Jonah 4 we see the Jewish prophet actually depressed that he had been used of God to reach these Gentiles. The narrative reveals Jonah's sorrow over the loss of his physical protection, provided by God, but totally void of any compassion for those who the Lord had displayed great compassion for, the people of Nineveh.

God worked in the heart of this Jewish preacher and then allowed him the ministry to his own people to show them the Lord's heart and compassion and their lack of compassion and failure to serve the Lord within His plan and power.

As I read this chapter I was reminded why the Lord has not come back to earth and in fact why He has not shouted for us to join Him in the air at the Rapture. II Peter 3:9 says, " The Lord is not slack concerning His promise (the promise to call us up to heaven) as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."

That's His compassion for the lost, and it should be ours also. By the way, you and I can hasten the coming of the Lord, II Peter 3:12, by leading lost people to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

Prayer Thot: Help me Lord, to do what must be done to reach the lost and dying world before it's too late, as I await and hasten Your return.

Joshua 1 vs. 5 - There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

For further study - Joshua 1:1-9

Our devotional reading for today is the record of the Lord giving a command for Joshua to take the children of Israel into the “promised land”. This is the land that He had prepared for the Israelites. Joshua was now the leader of the Jewish people and would lead them during the first return to the land.

As the Israelites would enter the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua, the Lord would promise Joshua that the Jewish people would receive all the land promised to Moses and his descendants, the land that would extend even to the River Euphrates, verse 4.

On this return to the land, the first of three returns after the Jewish nation would leave the land God had promised the Jews, they would receive only a portion of the land that God promised. The complete fulfillment of the land prophecy, Deuteronomy 30, will take place during the future 1000 year Kingdom period.

The scriptures give us the details on the total amount of land that God has promised His “chosen people”, the Jewish people. One day the Jewish people will receive 10 times the amount of land they have today, that happens at His Second Coming.

Our passage for today’s reading is one of thirty eight Biblical references that detail all the land promised, which is much of what we know as the Middle East today. This helps us to understand why the Arab world is concerned about what happens to the Jewish State of Israel.

The Lord also assures Joshua of “good success”, verse 8, and that He would be with this one who replaced Moses, the great Jewish prophet and leader.

God told Joshua that as He was with Moses, He would be with young Joshua.

That success would come from daily mediation in the Word of God, verse 8, and obedience to the Word. These are the promises that the Lord gives a young Jewish leader at the exact time that he needed to have this encouragement and direction.

This first, of three returns to the “Promised Land” by the Jews, is evidence that the Lord will be faithful to His promise of a “land” for a “people”, His chosen people, as a “nation”, a land that He gives them, forever. This land will be given at the Lord’s return to earth.

But until that time, God will be with His people, the Jewish people, verse 5. God's promise to Joshua is that He will give them good success, verse 8. The success for the Jews and for us as well is dependent on each of us allowing His word to direct our every step.

Prayer Thot: Thank you Lord for being a “promise-keeping” God, not only for success but for Your promise of a return to the “land” to set up Your “Kingdom”.



Joshua 5 vs10 

And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.

For further reading - Joshua 5:6-15

Today we read the account of the first several days of the children of Israel in the Promised Land. Joshua had been installed as leader after the death of Moses and given the responsibilities of leading the Israelites across the Jordan River and into the area just to the east of Jericho, out in the valley halfway between Jericho and the Jordan River and just north of the Dead Sea to a place that He would name Gilgal.

Even the name of the location where the children of Israel would first encamp, Gilgal, which in Hebrew means "rolling," was significant. It was here that God told Joshua He had rolled away the reproach of the Egyptian bondage, verse 9.

The first act that Joshua led the Jewish people into, once inside the Promised Land, was the “circumcision” of each of the males. The fact is that none of the men who entered the land God had given them had been circumcised, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb. The oldest of all the men would have been 39 years of age and none of them had ever been given the mark of God's promise to the Jews, circumcision.

The next item on God's agenda, even before He would lead them to conquer the land, was to begin the “cycle of Jewish feast” that He had given Moses for His chosen people. The Lord had commanded that once they entered the land they were to start with the Passover, the first of the seven Jewish feasts, and complete the entire cycle on a yearly basis.

Through the Jewish feast God was giving the Jewish people a glimpse into the future. The seven feasts all have a historic significance and an agricultural factor to them as well as the prophetic aspect to each of the Jewish feasts.

You remember that in the gospel records of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the events actually took place on the Jewish feast days. Jesus Christ was crucified on Passover, John 13:1, was buried on Unleavened Bread, John 19:31 and 42, and resurrected on Sunday, the day the Jews celebrate the Feast of First Fruits, John 20:1 and Leviticus 23:10-13.

Interestingly, Jesus, as He fulfilled the first three Jewish feast days in the proper day sequence, so also He will fulfill the last three Jewish feast days in the proper day sequence as well (See my study "The Feasts of God").

Year after year for the last 3,500 years, the Jews have been observing these Jewish feast days, a constant reminder of what the Lord has done, is doing, and will do for them in the future.

PRAYER THOT: Thank you Lord for being a consistent, faithful God who always keeps His promises.

Joshua 6 vs.2 and 21 

And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

For further study - Joshua 6:1-27

It is worth the time you will spend to read our extended reading for today, which is the complete account of the conquering of Jericho. God told Joshua that as He had been with Moses He would be with the new leader of the Jewish people as they would enter the “promise land”.

This portion of God's word is the record of God's beginning phase of the fulfillment of His promises to Joshua. This is an amazing victory over the awesome enemy standing at the entrance of the conquest of the “promise land” for the children of Israel.

Any true military strategist would have warned Joshua against the plan given to him by God. It would have been considered a suicide mission by any evaluation to simply have your religious leaders lead your people in a walk around this well fortified city.

It would have been ridiculous to walk around the city for one day but to do so for seven days and then to shout and think that the walls would come down would be out of question for any logical leader.

However, God did not set Joshua in place as the leader of the children of Israel to lead the conquest of the land He had promised them because he was a logical thinker but because Joshua was obedient to his Lord.

The rest of the book of Joshua, which records the leadership of God's man for this mission, is a record of obedience and victory. It is the evidence that we must look at and consider, even as we in our own journey through life follow His direction for all the conquests that are promised for each of us as we do follow His direction.

It is interesting that as the children of Israel entered the promise land, it is "Jericho first" on the agenda for God's plan for taking the land. I used that phrase "Jericho first" because this is the phrase used in 1993 when the Oslo Accords were signed on the lawn at the White House in Washington.

The peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinian people would give to the Palestinians, "Jericho first." For this last 15 years we have seen how that peace treaty has been negated and the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people is deteriorating on a daily basis.

What got my attention is the fact that God gave “Jericho first” to the children of Israel and 3,500 years later the Jews gave “Jericho first” to their enemies. This scenario is in perfect alignment with Bible prophecy for these two peoples, the Jews and the Palestinians. (see my study on Esau and the Palestinians)

All the actors are in place and the curtain is about to go up on the final drama as described in Bible prophecy. Keep looking up. Jesus is coming.

PRAYER THOT: Help me to realize the time of Your return is drawing closer as the current events unfold that are in line with the end time scenario found in Bible prophecy.

Joshua 14 vs14

Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.

For further study - Joshua 14:1-15

The book of Joshua is the history of the children of Israel, under the leadership of Joshua, as they come into the "promised land". It is also the story of conflicts that followed as the Jews conquered the land. It is a record of one victory after another as the Lord gives the children of Israel what He told them He would give them 40 years before they arrive to claim His promise.

There is a great lesson in that thought. Sometimes, we ignore God's directives which brings upon us sorrow, heartache and distress. I do not understand why I do not learn His way, His way is the best way.

Our reading for today is a perfect example of my point. When Moses sent out the spies, Joshua and Caleb were the only two to return from their sojourn inside the “promised land” with a positive report.

Because the majority of the spies gave a negative, fearful report of the land and due to their unbelief, the children of Israel wandered around in the wilderness for 40 years before claiming their promise.

However, the Lord did not forget the faithfulness of the spy named Caleb. God instructed Joshua, the leader responsible for dividing the promised land, to give Caleb the piece of real estate he wanted, the area around Hebron. Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb because this spy had "wholly followed the Lord God of Israel", verse 14.

This whole account is a great spiritual lesson for me and for you also. In our daily lives, we must do all that the Lord directs us to do, "wholly following the Lord."

Before I finish, let me remind you that this land and city that God gave Caleb 3,500 years ago is a center of controversy today. Hebron is the oldest Jewish community in the world founded by Abraham some 4,000 years ago, Genesis 13:18.

Today, there are around 1,000 Jews living in Hebron with 150,000 Palestinians surrounding them and many of those Palestinians self-proclaimed Islamic terrorists.

Hebron is the second most sacred piece of real estate in the world for the Jewish people. It was purchased by Abraham as a burial site, Genesis 23, and paid for in cash.

There is a great Jewish heritage in Hebron from the past, but the present situation is very controversial and will continue to be so until the Messiah, Jesus Christ, returns to deal with the enemies of the Jewish people.

It is good to reflect on the past as we look to the future, all under the watchful eye of our Lord. He is still in charge.

PRAYER THOT: Help me this day Lord, to wholly follow You in all that I do, as You lead.

Jude 1 vs-7 

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

For further study - Jude 1:1-7

The half-brother of Jesus, Jude, is the writer of this short, but power-packed letter to the church in general. There are many issues discussed in Jude's letter, all of which seem to have a connection to the last days, with warnings and exhortations to the believer. This time through Jude I want to draw our attention to the two verses that deal with angels and coming judgment, verses 6 and 7.

Let me remind you that angels are created beings, created on the first day of Creation. (See my study on "Angels and Prophecy".) It was after the 6th day of Creation, Genesis 1:31, that Lucifer rebelled against God, along with 1/3 of the angels. Then a number of evil angels, "the sons of God" in Genesis 6, had an unnatural sexual relationship with "the daughters of men." And God "reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day" these evil angels. They have been awaiting judgment for over 4,500 years.

Revelation 9:1-18 unfolds the Last Days drama for these evil angels that will be released from their prison, the “abyss” or “bottomless pit”, and allowed to come to the Earth during the Tribulation Period. Under the control of Satan, they will kill millions on the Earth before being thrown into the eternal punishment of the Lake of Fire, Matthew 25:41.

These passages help us to understand what happens to even angels that commit fornication", verse 7, so that we can know how God deals with fornicators. The Bible definition of fornication is “any unnatural sexual sin that God condemns”.

In our day, there is fornication practiced by those who have rebelled against God's natural laws for mankind. In particular there are those men and women who have "changed the natural use" of each other for the same sex, for "that which is unseemly," Romans 1:26-27. God has given these fornicators "over to a reprobate mind" and to judgment to come.

By the way, Jesus Christ said it would be this way in the Last Days. Jesus said it would be like the days of Lot and Sodom and Gomorra, Luke 17:28-29. We are quickly approaching the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, the Rapture could happen today, so let's keep looking up, until...

PRAYER THOT: Lord, as I see the days in which we are living, please help me to be ready for the Rapture.


Jude 14 

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.

For further study - Jude 8-16


In the portion that I selected for today there are two names that I want to draw your attention to for further thought. One is an angel - an archangel and the other is a man, a man who has never died but was taken to heaven, alive.

The angel Michael is spoken of throughout the scriptures especially as the "protector" of the Jewish people, Daniel 12:1. Michael heads up the “angelic army” in the heavenlies.

Michael's “army of angels” will at the midway point of the Tribulation period throw Satan and his evil angels out of the first heaven, the one above us where the sun is located over the earth.

The prophet Daniel also referred to Michael as the "chief princes" who deals with the “demonically controlled” world leader of Greece. This supposes that the heavenly visitor came to meet with Daniel, Daniel 10:13.

However, with all this contact with the evil forces of Satan, Michael dare not tell Satan what to do, he left that up to the Lord, Jude 9. As powerful as Michael the archangel is under the sovereignty of God, he did not demand the Devil to do anything.

This principle must be considered when there are those today who think they can demand Satan to do anything. We are never told to take on Satan. We are told to put on the whole armor of God so we "can stand against the wiles of the Devil", Ephesians 6:11. We stand against the Devil - we do not confront him.

Enoch is the man we need to consider for a moment. Enoch, the great grandfather of Noah, was a mighty preacher in his day, before the worldwide flood came upon the earth. He was a man who walked with the Lord on earth and then was taken by the Lord into heaven without dying, Genesis 5:23-24. Enoch is one of two men that have never died, the other was Elijah who was also taken into heaven, alive, II Kings 2:11.

It is interesting that at least one of those men, Elijah, will be one of the two witnesses during the seven year Tribulation, Revelation 11:3-10 and Malachi 4:5. I do believe the other witness will be Enoch, who during his previous earthly ministry preach about the coming of the Lord, Jude 14.

Both of these men, the “two witnesses” will die at the end of their 3 1/2 years of ministry, Revelation 11:7 . The whole world will see these to men dead in the streets of Jerusalem. They will then be resurrected and taken again into heaven, Revelation 11:11-12.

The information we receive from our reading today, I believe, helps us to understand the times we are living in and how to deal with Satan as we await the coming of the Lord. As the song says, I think we are living in the days of Elijah...and Enoch. Even so, come Lord Jesus.

PRAYER THOT: Thank you, Lord, for an example of how to deal with Satan in what seems to be the days Enoch spoke about, the time of the Lord's return.


Jude 1 vs.’s 17-18 - But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

For further study - Jude 1:17-25

The theme of this little book written by Jude, the brother of James, the Pastor of the church in Jerusalem, is "earnestly contend for the faith". Jude goes at this exhortation and challenge from several directions.

As we come to our devotional reading for today, Jude wants each of us to "contend for the faith" by remembering. We must remember the word spoken by the apostles.

The apostles were a select group of men that Jesus trained for a special period of time and purpose for the new "body", known as the church. Each of the apostles had to have seen Jesus, in person, after His resurrection. The last of the men chosen to be an apostles was Paul who saw Jesus in person on the road to Damascus as he was traveling from Jerusalem, Acts 9:1-16.

The Holy Spirit "breathed" into these men the "words of warning" that Jude wants us to remember. Let me just remind you of the words of two apostles, Peter and Paul. In Paul's last letter, 2 Timothy, he wrote of the days that would mark the "last days" that lead up to the return of Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 reminds us of the people who will no longer endure sound doctrine, they will turn away their ears from the truth and they do this because they, of their own lust, will choose teaching that will "tickle their ears."

Peter also, writing his last words before his death, reminded us of those who would even "deny the coming of the Lord" as they also would "walk after their own lust," 2 Peter 3:3-4.

Now notice what Jude tells us about his "warnings of the mockers in the last days," verse 18. These mockers of Jesus, His second coming, and even us as followers of Jesus, these mockers will be those who walk after their own lust," verse 18.

Jude gives us three ways to live in these times described as the end times. Verse 20 tells us to "build" ourselves up in the "holy faith."

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God and believing it to the extent that we walk in what it says.

Then Jude says to "pray." Matthew says "watch and pray, we watch for Jesus to come as we pray. Then in verse 21 Jude says "keep yourself in the love of the Lord." This means "stay in love with the Lord,"

don't forsake or leave your first love for Jesus.

If you notice that you have left your first love, return to that proper relationship by spending time talking to Him in prayer and allowing Him talk with you in His Word.

These are only several ways that Jude tells us we can "earnestly contend for the faith" as we await His soon coming.

PRAYER THOT: Thank you Lord for the warning of the end times, help me to "contend for the faith" by remembering your word for these days.

Judges 2 vs.22 - That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.
For further study - Judges 2:11-23
Today we come to the book of Judges for our devotions. This is a record of God appointing a number of Judges that He would use to discipline His chosen people and at the same time to protect them from the surrounding enemies. Though He would protect the children of Israel from their enemies, at the same time He would use these same enemies to bring His people closer to Him.
The judges were actually tribal leaders of the twelve tribes upon whom the Lord laid the burden of apostate Israel. These were men and women who represented the Lord God Himself, they were the spiritual ancestors of the ancient Jewish prophets. The truth be known, these judges were responsible for implementing the needed chastisement on the Jews to produce loyalty and obedience which would result in security and prosperity, all needed for the survival of the children of Israel.
When God selected the children of Jacob and his twelve sons to be His chosen people, He knew they would not always be obedient and loving as a people. He knew they would sometimes be a stiff-necked, hard- hearted, and hard-headed people. In fact, that is the way the Israelites were acting as they were at this time in history as recorded in Judges 2:11 reveals to us that they were actually doing evil in His sight and were "whoring" after other gods, verse 17.
If you spend time studying the 4,000 year history of the Jews you see the Judges scenario is repeated over and over again and again. This will also be the case in the last days when the Lord allows for seven years of judgment to come upon them for the purpose of turning the Jews to Jesus Christ as their Messiah and thus their Lord and Savior.
Biblical prophecy reveals to us today the soon appearing of the "Time of Jacob's Trouble" that precedes the second coming of Jesus. The Jews must be in the land, in unbelief before the Lord will bring salvation to them as a nation. That, He promised to them, in Zechariah 3:9.
The stage is set for that prophetic drama to begin its final act.

Bible prophecy will be fulfilled and seemingly very soon. Keep looking up for His shout to have us join Him in the heavens.

PRAYER THOT: Help me to live in purity for you and thus eliminate Your chastisement.