Sunday, March 28, 2010

Genesis 36 - More than a list of names

Today we looked at Genesis 36.  This is one of those passages that we often gloss over.  We often read though passages such as this with lots of names and struggle with their pronunciation and wonder what this all has to do with anything.  To do that is to miss what God has for us to hear.

As I prepared for this passage it took a number of readings through and much study before it became clear.  This passage, among other things, creates a contrast with that of Joseph to follow and in truth also the life of Jacob that has passed.  While Esau and his descendants are shown as numerous and powerful Jacob and his descendants are wandering around and even in bondage. 

In reading the passage you may wonder who it is that is blessed.  But we know it is the line of Jacob that is of the promise.  Esau is the one that looks successful from the outside as this passage makes much of him.  The world desires to make much of itself and sees outward success as Esau had as what the aim of life is to be about.  The truth is we are to live lives that make much of God, who is absent from this chapter.  We are to make sure that all we do is done for God’s glory and not ours.

Another contrast that is seen is that Esau is said to have had children that were all born in Canaan (V5 ) but he would move out of the promise land to Seir.  Jacob on the other hand had children born outside the promised land but had taken them back there.  The message is that no mater what ones family looks like on the outside if we are leading them away from God what it looks like on the outside is of little matter.  Let us make sure that is what we are doing, leading our children towards God and not away.

These are just some of the things I found in the passage that initially looked like not much more than a list of names.  So, the next time you read this passage step back from your struggle with the names and notice that Moses is accentuating all that Esau had to let us see that was all he had.  His descendants contained chiefs and kings but Jacob would be the line through which the King of kings would come.

If you would like to hear the message from this week you can get it here:  Esau is made Much Of.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Kevin Swanson on Eschatology


Eschatology – One Big Rat Nest from Kevin Swanson on Vimeo.

You can also get the audio here.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Some Thoughts on Dominion

Matt 28:19-20  "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
This is not a call for only the 1st century and it is not an empty call for any other century. If Christ has called us to do this, “make disciples of all nations,” He has called us to do what is possible. It may be a long and arduous road but it is one that is to be traveled by His power and for His glory. We are to seek to disciple the nations and teach them to “obey” and that obedience is accomplished by a work of God, but it can be accomplished by His people seeking to obey Him in making disciples.


Matt 6:9-13 "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"

This passage is speaking not simply of some future event, "this day", to pray for but what the disciples were to pray for and seek after then as we are to pray and seek after now. We are to pray for His kingdom to be manifested in and though His people which is then exhibited in their works as James makes abundantly clear. The result of God’s people living out His word, all of it, in the world by His power is a changed world. The first century Christians changed the world by their lives can we and should we not do the same. Dominion starts with God having dominion over his people and then moves out from there.


2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Of course this change starts by God's power in the hearts and minds of His people by God's writing of His law on their hearts (Jer 31:31ff). This is a changed heart is one that radically transforms God’s elect. 2 Cor 5:17 is not a simply a wish but a reality accomplished by the hand of God and is where dominion begins. This change does not end with the individual but is to extend to all of God’s creation as He uses His people as the means to bring all things under His rule. We are to realize that the dominion and the change that God desires is wrought by Him by the means of the Spirit and the work of His people for His glory.

Dominion is not a word to fear but one to embrace as the call of His children.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Around the Web and Blogosphere (3/12/10)

For those of you like our family that were not able to attend, and even those that did, the Family Economics Conference put on by Generations with Vision the audio of the sessions is not available. You can get the MP3s of all 19 talks for $34.95 or the CD’s for $54.95. If you are more visual and would like to see the speakers you can DVD’s of 10 of the talks for $74.95 or they have a package deal for the CDs, MP3s and DVDs for $109. We have ordered ours and are very much looking forward to listening to them and I will post more on them once I have listened to the talks.


With the census fast approaching and the government further intruding into our homes here is article with at least one option for the census: Census Law. Also here is a link to Kevin Swanson sharing some thoughts on the census: Guns and Census:Honor to Whom Honor is Due. We all have to make our own decisions but one thing is clear, especially with the extended survey some may get, the government wants to know about you. This is clearly not one of its functions as Romans 13 shows but it is simply the direction the state heads when it sees itself as god. But, the true God already knows us, even the hairs on our head (Matt 10:30), and does not need a census to know these things.



The March Welcome to the Continuing Collapse (Exposing Government Schools: The Youth Ministry of the State Church of Secular Humanism) by Bruce Shortt has been posted.



Many in the professing church today have no problem separating Christ from government. However, Romans 13 says that government officials are to be ministers or servants of God and thus as believers should we not want to vote for the most biblically qualified men to be those ministers? Can God use the pagan for His purposes,of course. But our duty as believers should be to have godly qualified men as leaders, men who seek Christ and His will first and foremost. As this article articulates: It is Insanity Without Christ and presently many in the professing church are continually voting for insanity.



As a reminder: At Vision Forum until March 12th there is a sale on a great History Resource, The Expanded History of the World Mega-Pack Curriculum. We have a few of the items in this set and they are very good. The entire set includes 10 DVD's, 64 CD's and a Study Guide. The sale price is $165 which is 55% off.

Monday, March 08, 2010

The Expanded History of the World Mega-Pack Curriculum Sale

At Vision Forum until March 12th there is a sale on a great History Resource, The Expanded History of the World Mega-Pack Curriculum. We have a few of the items in this set and they are very good.  The entire set includes 10 DVD's, 64 CD's and a Study Guide.  The sale price is $165 which is 55% off.

From the Vision Forum site:

The Expanded History of the World Mega-Pack Curriculum Includes:

1) The History of the World DVD Collection (10 DVDs)
The ten powerful messages contained in this special DVD curriculum series provide an overview of six thousand years of earth history. Enjoy a sweeping overview of earth history, spanning the events of peoples and cultures over six millennia.

These presentations are designed to dispel anti-Christian myths of historiography, establish a distinctively biblical grid for interpreting historical events, and cover key themes in the rise and fall of civilizations.

Sampling of titles included in this album:
• Six Thousand Years of Earth History In 1 Hour — Douglas W. Phillips
• Vikings: Their Law, Culture, and Conquests — Col. John Eidsmoe
• The Crusades — Dr. George Grant
• The Miracle of America — Dr. Marshall Foster

2) The History of the World Study Guide
The perfect complement to The History of the World 10-DVD collection, this study guide presents summaries of the key ideas and events behind each DVD lecture topic, along with outlines and detailed notes for further study.

Dig deeply into some of the richest themes of providential history as you study definitions, discover new resources from the suggested readings, and add relevant Scripture passages to your memory.

3) History of the World B.C. (20 CDs)
Twenty Lectures on the Ancient World

Covering the first four millennia of earth history, History of the World: B.C. features twenty lectures covering the pre-flood world, the history of the ancient Babylonians, the Hebrew nation, the establishment of Rome, and ancient legal systems. These presentations are designed to dispel anti-Christian myths of historiography, establish a distinctively biblical grid for interpreting historical events, while covering, millennium by millennium, key themes in the rise and fall of civilizations.

Sampling of titles included in this album:
• The Implications of the Genesis Flood on Earth History — Dr. John Whitcomb
• The Search For Noah’s Ark — Dr. John Morris
• The Tower of Babel and the Dispersion of the Nations — Dr. John Whitcomb
• One Blood: The Origin of the Races — Dr. John Morris
• The Puzzle of Ancient Man — Douglas Phillips
• The History of the Hebrew Nation, Part 1 — Col. John Eidsmoe
• The History of the Hebrew Nation, Part 2 — Col. John Eidsmoe
• The Meaning of Rome — Dr. George Grant

4) History of the World A.D. (20 CDs)
Twenty Lectures on the World Anno Domini

Beginning with Christ’s incarnation, History of the World A.D. contains covers the rise of Byzantium and fall of Rome, the history of the Church, the history of the law of nations, Islam, and the establishment of America, concluding with a review of the twentieth century. Each lecture emphasizes the providence of God over every detail of history — that Christ is the “author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), and that the history of the world is His story.

Sampling of titles included in this album:
• The Rise of Byzantium and the Fall of Rome — Dr. George Grant
• The Battle of Teutoburg Forest — Col. John Eidsmoe
• What Every Christian Needs to Know About The Reformation — Dr. Joseph Morecraft III
• The History of the English Church — Dr. Joseph Morecraft III
• Nineteenth Century Missions — William Potter
• Islam and the Modern World — Dr. George Grant
• The American Republic — Dr. Marshall Foster

5) Mysteries of the Ancient World
Unlock the mysteries of the ancients in this fascinating 12-part audio album. Explore the Nephilim, “the great men of renown” of Noah’s day. Consider the wonders of the moon, and trek through the lost civilizations of South America — from Machu Picchu and the legacy of the stone masons, to the Ica stones and Nazca lines. Finally, visit the Galapagos Islands — Darwin’s Eden — and discover the true story of man’s origins

6) Providential Battles I: Twenty Battles that Changed the World
In this four-part album, Christian historian William Potter provides a providential interpretation of twenty of the greatest military battles in the world that altered the course of history, serving strategic roles in God’s unfolding plan.

Including battles from ancient history, to the fall of Constantinople to the Turks, to the American War for Independence, to the Alamo and Civil War events, Mr. Potter presents a panorama of providential military highlights. This album concludes with the mysteries of providence that engulfed the Axis powers of WWII in the air, on land, and at sea.

7) Providential Battles II: Epic Conflicts that Changed the World
Building upon Providential Battles I, Bill Potter identifies eight more battles of monumental importance and details how God used men, nations, and events to accomplish His plans. From the Thirty Years War, to the events surrounding the Russian army and forces of the Empire of the Rising Sun colliding in Tsushima in 1905, each unfolding saga will leave you grateful for God’s orchestrating hand in the affairs of men.

8) Sabers, Spears, & Catapults: A Providential History of Warfare Technology
“The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory lies in the hands of the Lord.”

There are two sets of lectures in this series. The first examines weapons and warfare in the Old Testament era. Little has changed in principle since then: there are still hand–held, thrown, and fired weapons, including large engines of warfare. The use of combat and weapons terminology is common in Scripture as one would expect from the only One who is known as The God of Battle.

The subsequent lectures cover a trilogy of battles that occurred in three different centuries within a few miles of each other along the border of France and Belgium: The battles of Agincourt in 1415, Waterloo in 1815, and The Somme in 1916. Examined for each conflict are the weapons technology of the period and the warriors at the sharp end of battle, rather than the grand strategies and political outcomes. The study includes many possible types of confrontation: infantry against cavalry, infantry against infantry, infantry against artillery, cavalry against cavalry, etc., looking at how those deadly encounters resolved themselves on that day.

Sunday, March 07, 2010

“Meet the Puritans” Book Giveaway

At the J.C. Ryle Quotes blog they are having a drawing to give away a copy of Meet the Puritans. Go to their site to sign up: J.C. Ryle Quotes “Meet the Puritans” Giveaway.