The little Epistle of Jude expressed concern over the heresies or false teachers who speak against faith in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection. Jude tells us false teachers are like clouds promising rain but producing nothing. The Revelation is the most difficult book in the Bible to understand for it is written in sign language. God pulled back the veil and gave John a revelation of Jesus Christ and of things to come which cannot be known without the revelation.
In addition to Paul's experience when he encountered Jesus on the Damascus road, he learned from Jesus in the Arabian Desert, and was taken into heaven and given revelations too deep for words. Paul was also given a thorn in his flesh, a messenger from Satan. No one knows exactly what this thorn was, but it is clear God used it to keep Paul humble and to use Pauls weakness to show His strength. God likes to demonstrate His adequacy through our inadequacy.
Hebrews says to discouraged, persecuted people, Do not throw away your faith because a great cloud of witnesses surrounds us! Hebrews chapter eleven is known as the "faith chapter", and gives reasons why we should hold on to our faith. Faith saves and gives substance to our hope. We must live by faith. The author gives many examples of what faith can mean and what faith can do. The author closes with an exhortation to obey those who are our spiritual shepherds.
Numbers is filled with powerful metaphors and allegories. We see how mans freedom of choice can limit Gods power. If we have the faith to believe and claim all the blessings God has for us and accept His good and perfect will for our lives, then He can lead us into our spiritual Promised Land. There is a difference between Gods permissive will and Gods directive will. The abundant life is only found in Gods directive will.
What is the Kingdom of God? In the Old Testament, Gods kingdom was a literal, historical and geographical realm over which God was sovereign, with God Himself wanting to be the only ruler. The people, however, rejected God as their king and asked for human kings, which they got. The result was often tragic. This gives us insight into the concept of the Kingdom of God and how it relates to the New Testament and our lives.
