The claim of the Jews is that they were the children of Abraham, John says: Matthew 3:9 NIV
And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
Jesus said: in John chapter 8... When they say they, "Abraham is our father".
John 8:39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus *said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham.40 But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. 41 You are doing the deeds of your father.”
The LORD of Hosts: Frequency and Use in the OT
Why does the title “LORD of hosts” appear more frequently in Malachi than in any other OT book, and in the time of prophetic books more than during other time periods? In the period of Isaiah, the northern kingdom was overrun and destroyed and the southern kingdom almost destroyed by the “hosts” (armies) of Assyria. God’s people had so few troops that the Assyrian King Sennacherib could mockingly challenge King Hezekiah with the offer of a gift of 2,000 horses if Hezekiah could find enough soldiers to ride them (Isa. 36:8). Similarly, in the period of Jeremiah, the southern kingdom was wiped out by the hosts (armies) of Babylon.
In the postexilic period of Malachi, the postage-stamp-sized Judah, as a tiny province within the vast Persian Empire, had no army of its own. It is precisely in such times, when God’s people are painfully aware of how limited their own resources are, that there is no greater comfort than the fact that the Lord has his invincible heavenly armies standing at the ready. It is like the comfort that Elisha prayed for his servant at Dothan when they were surrounded by the Syrian armies: “‘O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17). Perhaps it is like the comfort felt by Jesus before the cross: “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt. 26:53).
The following chart shows the percentages of verses in a book containing at least one occurrence of the phrase, “LORD of hosts” (or related variation):
|
Malachi
|
(43.6%)
|
|
Haggai
|
(31.6%)
|
|
Zechariah
|
(21.8%)
|
|
Amos
|
(6.1%)
|
|
Jeremiah
|
(5.9%)
|
|
Isaiah
|
(4.7%)
|
|
Nahum
|
(4.3%)
|
|
Zephaniah
|
(3.8%)
|
|
Habakkuk
|
(1.8%)
|
|
Micah
|
(1.0%)
|
|
2
Samuel
|
(0.9%)
|
|
Psalms
|
(0.7%)
|
|
1
Samuel
|
(0.6%)
|
|
Hosea
|
(0.5%)
|
|
1
Kings
|
(0.4%)
|
|
1
Chronicles
|
(0.3%)
|
|
2
Kings
|
(0.3%)
|
Source: ESV Study Bible
The Day of The Lord:
Source: ESV Study Bible
The questions are always been a amazing way of our understanding about the things that we are not sure about, but it does not limit there. Sometimes or many a time people question because they wanted a particular answer or they wanted to prove something. The best is not to answer, but to question. Jesus did that... He asked questions that made Jews, Pharisees and other look like Jesus had a point. Most of the time they did not answer or they ignored the question.
Nicodemus questions Jesus, Pontius Pilate questions Jesus, The High Priest Questions.
Jesus Questions:
Matthew 22:43-44New International Version (NIV)
43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,
The most fascinating thing about Jesus' question is that we may understand the spiritual meaning and message behind it. In Luke chapter 5 we see a Paralytic man healed by Jesus.
There is this one statement that Jesus makes,
Luke 5:23 NIV
Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'?
I was for a long time did not understand the exact meaning and message behind this, why should Jesus ask them a question, giving them a choice and he then does something. We see the fact that no one except God can forgive sins? The Pharisees and Doctors of the law were sitting and saying themselves this question.
Jesus' response teaches us two important things:
1. He proves that he is God
2. He proves that he can forgive sins and also can heal the paralytic
When he saw the friends of the paralytic brought he down through the roof, Jesus saw their faith and first forgive his sins, he could have complimented their friends and healed the sick at first, but he does forgive for a reason. Some of the sickness are through sin, some doesn't. Jesus saw that this man's sin to be forgiven that he not only will be healed with his present, temporary sickness of being paralytic, but saw that he should be accepted in his kingdom. But when it came to prove that he is God not just by saying, which many prophets and people do, either through their misunderstood philosophies about God, or their belief on their texts or scriptures or their traditions. Jesus thought a lesson to the Pharisees and the Doctors of Laws. In fact these people were the one who actually condemned Jesus for his claim and being, they thought their works only lead to salvation, their traditions were accepted by God.
The last week of Jesus' calcification. Three disciples exhibited their character weaknesses. One Denied - Apostle Peter, One Doubted - Apostle Thomas, and one betrayed - judas.
The parable of Jesus - The Seed and the Sower, I was always thinking that the Sower had the control, Yes, he did. But it was not about the control of the Sower, but the heart of the field that is the places of the person who receives the Gospel. The Heart of Man. He either chooses God's word and obeys, bringing fruit to his life and an assurance for his life after death or he ignores and dis-obeys to be Judged by the Almighty God.
Jesus' answer to Apostle Peter is this he asks Peter, do you Love me? His answer to Apostle Thomas is, John 20:29 NIV Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
He gives us the liberty to ask the right questions?
Matthew 8:9 NIV
For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
He allows our doubts to be cleared.
John 20:25 NIV
So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
He Answers:
John 18:37... “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
John 14:6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
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