February 25: Daily Bible Study

February 25: Daily Bible Reading

Genesis

CHAPTER 2

(4004 B.C.)

SEVENTH DAY

THUS the heavens and the Earth were finished, and all the host of them (proclaims the fact that when the heavens and the Earth were completed, they were a brilliant array). 2 And on the seventh day God ended His Work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His Work which He had made (it doesn’t mean that God was tired, for He cannot be such [Isa. 40:28]; it simply means that He had finished the work). 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His Work which God created and made (the Sabbath, or seventh day, or Saturday, the last day of the week, is meant by God to be a Type of the Salvation Rest which one finds in Christ; that’s the reason it was a part of the Ten Commandments).
SUMMARY
4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the Earth when they were created (“generations” here refer to “Divine divisions;” it refers to the manner in which all were created, as outlined in Chapter 1), in the day that the LORD God made the Earth and the heavens (presents the new name of God as “Jehovah Elohim”; this Chapter reveals Christ as Jehovah Elohim, man’s Redeemer; the First Chapter reveals Him as Elohim, man’s Creator), 5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew (the second day of creation is addressed here, which obviously preceded day three, when plant life was developed): for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the Earth (it seems that rain came to the Earth on day three, which caused the Earth to “bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind”), and there was not a man to till the ground (all of this was before man was created, showing that he had nothing to do with the creation, that being altogether of God). 6 But there went up a mist from the Earth, and watered the whole face of the ground (this pertains to day two of Creation; at that time, day two, there went up a mist from the Earth, which prepared the Earth for the seed which God evidently planted on the beginning of day three, and which rain on day three then brought forth). 7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground (proclaims the physical body made of clay), and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (the “breath of life,” which comes from God, pertains to the soul and spirit of man; this was done with the first man, Adam, God breathing the soul and the spirit into man, and thereafter it comes automatically at conception); and man became a living soul (man is a soul, has a spirit, both which reside in the physical body; the soul addresses the body; the spirit addresses God; the physical body addresses the world).
THE GARDEN OF EDEN
8 And the LORD God planted a Garden eastward in Eden (it was actually planted before Adam was created; the area is believed by some Scholars to be the site where the city of Babylon would ultimately be built); and there He put the man whom He had formed (the Garden of Eden was to be the home place of man). 9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight (beautiful trees), and good for food (every fruit tree imaginable, even those which bear nuts); the Tree of Life also in the midst of the Garden (evidently contained a type of fruit; 3:22 says as much! the Tree of Life had the power of so renewing man’s physical energies that his body, though formed of the dust of the ground and, therefore, naturally mortal, would, by its continual use, live on forever; Christ is now to us the “Tree of Life” [Rev. 2:7; 22:2]; and the “Bread of Life” [Jn. 6:48, 51]), and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (presents the tree of death). 10 And a river went out of Eden to water the Garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads (four rivers). 11 The name of the first is Pison (is believed to be the “Ganges”): that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold (believed to be India); 12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone (Verses 11 and 12 present the first mention in the Bible of the precious metal, gold; it is mentioned last in the Bible as it refers to the main thoroughfare of the New Jerusalem, in which we are told is “pure gold” [Rev. 21:21]). 13 And the name of the second river is Gihon (is believed to be the Nile): the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. 14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel (is believed to be the Tigris): that is it which goes toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. (These rivers at the present time have their sources far apart. The explanation, no doubt, lies in the flood, which altered the topography of the Earth. The headwaters of the first two were drastically changed, while the last two remain basically the same. In fact, it is believed that the Garden of Eden may have been located, as stated, at the joining of the Tigris and Euphrates, which is the site of ancient Babylon.) 15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the Garden you may freely eat (as stated, before the Fall, man was vegetarian): 17 But of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, you shall not eat of it (as for the “evil,” that was obvious; however, it is the “good” on this tree that deceives much of the world; the “good” speaks of religion; the definition of religion pertains to a system devised by men in order to bring about Salvation, to reach God, or to better oneself in some way; because it is devised by man, it is unacceptable to God; God’s answer to the dilemma of the human race is “Jesus Christ and Him Crucified” [I Cor. 1:23]): for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die (speaks of spiritual death, which is separation from God; let it be understood that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was not the cause of Adam’s Fall; it was a failure to heed and obey the Word of God, which is the cause of every single failure; spiritual death ultimately brought on physical death, and has, in fact, filled the world with death, all because of the Fall).
GOD’S FORESIGHT FOR MAN
18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone (doesn’t mean that the idea of a companion for Adam suddenly presented itself to the Lord; God never intended that man should be alone); I will make him an help meet for him (this is not meant to infer that the creation of woman was an afterthought; there is no Plan of God that is incomplete!).
ADAM AND THE ANIMAL WORLD
19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air (the animals and the fowls were created out of dust, exactly as man); and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof (carried within the name that Adam gave to each one of these creatures are the characteristics of that particular animal or fowl; so we are speaking here of a man who had amazing intelligence; to do all of this, Adam had to have a distinct knowledge of speech, the meaning of all words, and the capacity of attaching words to ideas; why not? Adam had the greatest Teacher that man has ever had, “the LORD God”). 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a help meet for him (we learn from this that the animal creation was of far greater magnitude and intelligence than at the present; it was the Fall which changed that creation [Rom. 8:19-23]).
THE CREATION OF WOMAN
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept (records the first anesthesia): and He took one of his ribs (the word “rib” here actually means “side”), and closed up the flesh instead thereof (the woman is not merely of a rib, but actually of one side of man); 22 And the rib (side), which the LORD God had taken from man, made He a woman (the Hebrew says, “built He a woman”; Horton says, “When God created the man, the word ‘form’ was used, which is the same word used of a potter forming a clay jar; but the word ‘build’ here seems to mean God paid even more attention to the creation of the woman”), and brought her unto the man (presents a formal presentation, with God, in essence, performing the first wedding; thus He instituted the bonds of the Marriage Covenant, which is actually called the Covenant of God [Prov. 2:17], indicating that God is the Author of this sacred institution; this is the marriage model, and was instituted by God; any other model, such as the homosexual marriages, so-called, can be constituted as none other than an abomination in the Eyes of God [Rom. 1:24-28]).
THE FIRST MARRIAGE UNION
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh (that is, she is man’s counterpart, not merely in feeling and sense — his flesh — but in his solid qualities): she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man (God did not take the woman out of man’s feet to be stepped on as an inferior; nor out of his head to be put on a pedestal as a superior; but from his side, close to his heart as an equal). 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife (this Passage must be viewed as an inspired declaration of the law of marriage): and they shall be one flesh (points to a unity of persons, not simply to a conjunction of bodies, or a community of interests, or even a reciprocity of affections).
THE STATE OF INNOCENCE
25 And they were both naked (refers to an absence of clothing, at least as we understand such; they were actually enswathed in ethereal and transfiguring light), the man and his wife, and were not ashamed (were not asham-ed, because there was nothing of which to be ashamed).

PSALM 2
A PSALM OF DAVID: MESSIAH’S KINGSHIP AND KINGDOM
WHY do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? (This is the great gathering of the mighty armies of the Antichrist against Christ in Rev., Chpt. 17.) 2 The kings of the Earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against His Anointed (the Lord Jesus Christ; this is the Battle of Armageddon), saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us (man has ever tried to disassociate himself from God; the first organized effort was the building of the Tower of Babel [Gen., Chpt. 11]; this last great organized effort will be the Antichrist, who will seek to overcome Christ once and for all; as the first failed, so will the last). 4 He who sits in the Heavens shall laugh (man’s great efforts against Christ only produce a “laugh” on the part of the Creator): the LORD shall have them in derision (holds them in contempt). 5 Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure (this pertains to the Second Coming). 6 Yet have I set My king upon My Holy Hill of Zion (which will take place immediately after the Second Coming; the “Blessed Man” of Psalm 1, and the “Crowned King” of Psalm 2 are the One and Same Divine Person, the Messiah, the Son of Man, the Son of God; in both Psalms, He stands in contrast to the first Adam as Man and King in the Earth and over the Earth). 7 I will declare the decree (the Father gives the Son sovereign power over the Universe): the LORD has said unto Me, You are My Son (the Lord Jesus Christ); this day have I begotten You. (What day? The day this was decreed in Heaven, even before the foundation of the world. It speaks of the Plan of God to redeem humanity, by God becoming Man, and going to the Cross [I Pet. 1:18-20.) 8 Ask of Me, and I shall give you the heathen for your inheritance (speaks of two things: the defeat of the Antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon, and the evangelization of the world), and the uttermost parts of the Earth for Your possession (Christ will rule the entirety of the world in the Kingdom Age, and not the Antichrist). 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel (meaning that the Kingdom Age will come in with great violence; it pertains to the Second Coming, when the Lord will smite the nations [Ezek., Chpts. 38-39; Dan. 2:34-35]). 10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, you judges of the Earth (in other words, let this be a warning to you; don’t side with the Antichrist). 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling (the idea is, the Lord is going to win out). 12 Kiss the Son (the Lord Jesus, meaning to embrace Him), lest He be angry, and you perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little (once again, it speaks of the coming Battle of Armageddon). Blessed are all they who put their trust in Him (which holds for all people for all time).

MATHEW

CHAPTER 2

(A.D. 1)

THE VISIT OF THE MAGI FROM THE EAST

NOW when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea (Mic. 5:2) in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came Wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is He Who is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His Star in the east, and are come to worship Him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the Chief Priests and Scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the Prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the Land of Judah, are not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of you shall come a Governor, Who shall rule My people Israel (Mic. 5:2). 7 Then Herod, when he had privily (privately) called the Wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when you have found Him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship Him also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was (not Bethlehem, but some other place, maybe Nazareth). 10 When they saw the star (where the star stopped), they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house (not the stable where He was born in Bethlehem), they saw the young Child with Mary His Mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT
13 And when they were departed, behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young Child and His Mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word: for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him. 14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His Mother by night, and departed into Egypt: 15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called My Son (Hos. 11:1).
SLAUGHTER OF THE CHILDRENIN BETHLEHEM
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the Wise men (they ignored his demand that when they found the Child, they were to come back and report to him), was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and killed all the children who were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the Wise men (these words decide that two years, or nearly so, had elapsed since Herod had seen the Wise men). 17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the Prophet, saying, 18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not (Jer. 31:15).
THE RETURN FROM EGYPTTO NAZARETH
19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt (this is the third of four dreams given to Joseph by the Lord), 20 Saying, Arise, and take the young Child and His Mother, and go into the Land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young Child’s life. 21 And he arose, and took the young Child and His Mother, and came into the Land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee (the fourth and final dream recorded as given by the Lord to Joseph): 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene (the word “Nazarene” is meant to portray the action instead of the location; He would be despised, as Nazareth was despised [Jn. 1:46]).

I CORINTHIANS

CHAPTER 13

(A.D. 59)

LOVE

THOUGH I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels (actually says in the Greek, “If it were possible to speak with the tongues of men and of Angels”; as well, Paul is not denigrating speaking with Tongues, as some have claimed [I Cor. 14:18]), and have not charity (love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal (does not refer to our modern musical instrument which we call by that name, but that which made no more than a clattering sound). 2 And though I have the Gift of Prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all Faith, so that I could remove mountains (tells us that the Gifts of the Spirit can be had by less than perfect people, as should be obvious), and have not charity (love), I am nothing. (We now see the basis on which everything must be built — it is love. If not, we are nothing!) 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned (shifts from Gifts to “Works”), and have not charity (love), it profits me nothing. (As commendable as the acts may be, they bring a grade of zero unless God’s Love motivates them.)
CHARACTERISTICS
4 Charity (love) suffers long (refers to patience), and is kind (represents the second side of the Divine attitude toward human kind); charity (the God kind of Love) envies not (does not want that which belongs to others); Love vaunts not itself (is never a braggart), is not puffed up (is not prideful), 5 Does not behave itself unseemly (is forgetful of self and thoughtful of others), seeks not her own (is unselfish), is not easily provoked (is not embittered by abuse, insult, or injury), thinks no evil (takes no account of evil); 6 Rejoices not in iniquity (never gossips about the misdeeds of others), but rejoices in the Truth (proclaims that which the Word of God identifies as Truth); 7 Bears all things (never complains), believes all things (takes the kindest views of all men), hopes all things (keeps believing for the best), endures all things (puts up with everything).
ETERNAL
8 Love never fails (because love cannot fail): but whether there be Prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be Tongues, they shall cease; whether there be Knowledge, it shall vanish away. (This refers to the fact that the Gifts of the Spirit will not be needed in the coming Resurrection, as well as many other things we could name.) 9 For we know in part (pertains to the “Word of Knowledge,” which is just part Knowledge), and we Prophesy in part (falls into the same category). 10 But when that which is perfect is come (refers to the Rapture of the Church, i.e., the Resurrection), then that which is in part shall be done away (as should be obvious). 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. (The Apostle is comparing our present state, “as a child,” to that which is coming, symbolized by a mature adult. That is the difference between the present state and the coming Resurrection.) 12 For now (before the Resurrection) we see through a glass, darkly (can only see the dim outline); but then (after the Resurrection) face to face (we can look and see openly and clearly): now I know in part (have some knowledge); but then shall I know even as also I am known (then everything will be perfect and complete). 13 And now (before the Resurrection) abides Faith, Hope, Love, these three (all three will abide forever); but the greatest of these is Love (it is the greatest because Love alone makes us like God [I Jn. 4:7]).