Kameel Majdali's Road Ahead

  INTRODUCTION TO          ZECHARIAH   A returnee from the Babylonian captivity, Zechariah teamed up with the mature prophet Haggai to encourage the Judeans to rebuild the God’s temple in Jerusalem. Its construction was halted and it took the prophets to restart it, both by word and action. Years later Zechariah continued his written prophecies focusing on Messiah Himself. To the disappointment of many, Messiah had not yet appeared. Zechariah gave insight on the conditions surrounding the coming King of kings and Lord of lords. Apart from Isaiah, no Old Testament prophetic book has more Messianic references than Zechariah. That’s why we call the Book of Zechariah ‘The Coming King.’ HEBREW NAME OF ZECHARIAH Known in the original Hebrew as zekar-yah or ‘God remembers.’ Because God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He will also remember to bless their descendants, the children of Israel. AUTHOR OF ZECHARIAH The author of Ze...

  INTRODUCTION TO HAGGAI The Book of Haggai is only 38 verses, the second shortest prophecy after Obadiah, and one of three post-exilic prophetic books, along with Zechariah and Malachi. It was probably the first time Judah had a prophetic word since the exile to Babylon decades before. Yet, within its verses are powerful promises and prophetic insights. Having looked at key features of this prophetic book, we now focus on a summary and outline. SUMMARY OF HAGGAI After 70 years of Babylonian captivity, it was time for Judah to go home and the temple to be rebuilt. This was not just a wonderful gesture but a fulfilment of prophecy (Isaiah 45:1-3; Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10-14). Daniel’s great intercession of Chapter 9 was on this very theme of the return, though he himself did not go back home but remained in exile. Haggai and Zerubbabel were part of the very first of three returns in 536 BC. The foundation of the second temple was laid. Opposition from the Samaritans and ...

INTRODUCTION It is an ideal ‘Sunday School’ story. Yet, this book is not just for children; it is a prophetic word for all of God’s people. While some will scoff at the notion that this prophet spent 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the great fish, Jesus Christ treated it as historic fact. More than that, He made Jonah’s 3 days underworld excursion a sign of His own burial, which is an important component of the gospel: Christ died, was buried, and rose again, according to the Scriptures (I Corinthians 15:3-5). HEBREW NAME The book is known as ‘Yonah,’ which means ‘dove.’ AUTHOR Jonah is the author of the book that bears his name. He is the ‘son of Amittai’ and II Kings 14:25, is the only verse in the Bible that tells us anything about him. The text says: He (King Jeroboam II of the Northern Kingdom of Israel) restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake ...

Bible prophecy is a wonderful, God-given blessing to the church and the world. Its benefits are incalculable, including bringing edification, comfort, enlargement to the church. Of course, it is a ‘heads up’ regarding the future. Yet prophecy is in danger of falling into disrepute through foe and friend alike. Foes seek to ignore, marginalise, or discredit the prophetic word. Prophecy’s ‘friends’ are capable of doing some very unwise things, too. For example, they set the date for Christ’s return. I remember as a 21 year old sitting in church and hearing that a certain high-profile man ‘staked his reputation’ that Jesus would return the very next month! Another man wrote a book called about why Jesus would return that very year. Though the book was from America, it travelled very quickly to Australia (and, no doubt, other parts of the world). Normal ‘Aussie skepticism’ was thrown to the wind as people were stirred up that Jesus might, just might, return that year. One man see...

In this important series we have been learning the pillars that help us to make sense of the future. When you understand the future, we are better prepared to face it. So far, the pillars we learned include: Pillar 01: Bible Prophecy is the key; Pillar 02: We live in a spiritual world and the challenges, problems and solutions are equally spiritual; Pillar 03: We have power and victory over the enemy; Pillar 04: We are called to fearlessness; Pillar 05: We are simultaneously ‘dead’ and ‘alive;’ Pillar 06: God provides a way of escape. To these we add the seventh and final pillar. It is well described in Proverbs 4:18-19: But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. In short, Pillar 07 can be summarised as this: Your God-given future is bright. This is very true, however, the converse is also correct: A future witho...