Yahweh continues to question Job. From this chapter we learn that Yahweh viewed Job's responses as 'contending' with Him.

Which produces an acknowledgement from Job - Job 40:3-5. In but a few words - by contrast to his many in pervious chapters - he acknowledges that he really has nothing he can say to Him in defence of himself.

So Yahweh is able to respond to this humility Job 40:6- end by asking Job to respond to a number of specific questions.

ch 40 and 41 - GOD IS THE EXPERT!
I heard God's argument in these chapters summed up very well one Sunday morning. It went something like this: "Job, look at my creation around you. If you can take control over the physical creation, I will be prepared to discuss the moral creation with you."
Can you tame the elephant or the crocodile? Would you put a collar around their neck and give them to your daughter as a pet? Most of us would answer "No," to these questions. It also sees that Leviathin (which translators think is possibly a crocodile) is actually more like a dragon, being a scaley creature, breathing fire from his mouth and smoke from his nose and having no fear of any weapons. No one would ever dream of taming it, having it under control or giving it to their daughter as a present. It is the type of animal that is more likely to keep it's attacker on the run. God's physical creation is in itself an awesome thing, but his moral laws are even more just. But we, like Job, often think that we have the right to discuss morality with God when we can't even control his physical creation. Let us not fool ourselves - God is the expert!

40:3  So Job, it seems, repented immediately of his attitude. For he must have repented or else God would not have continued with him and blessed him.

40:6-14  Having obtained the repentance from Job God now challenges Job at the moral level. He has appealed to the greatness of creation. He now looks at the way He deals with men.

40:4   Job, having had a desire to reason with God, now realises that he has nothing he can say in his defence.

40:7 God’s call to Job is like that of 38:3 as Job is now taken through the ways of God, not now as a challenge but as instruction.

40:14 God is saying ‘if you can understand all the things then you can save yourself’

2:2 If ye will not hear Deuteronomy 28:15
2:2 I will even send a curse upon you Deuteronomy 28:20
2:5 My covenant was with him of life and peace Numbers 25:12
2:6 turn ... away Numbers 25:11
2:7 lips should keep knowledge Proverbs 5:2
2:10 one father Ephesians 4:6
2:11 strange god Proverbs 5:3
2:13 weeping Numbers 25:6
2:14 the wife of thy youth Proverbs 5:18
2:15 godly seed Numbers 25:13
2:15 the wife of thy youth Proverbs 5:18

Similarities with the time of Nehemiah
2:8 corrupt priesthood Nehemiah 13:29
2:11 'mixed' marriages' Ezra 9:12
2:15 Godly seed Ezra 9:2

2:5 The context of Malachi is the time of Nehemiah. Appeal is made to two areas of the Old Testament to reinforce the exhortation of Nehemiah.
They are the time of Baalam Numbers 22 - 25 and Proverbs 5.

Malachi speaks first against the priests and the Levites (Mal 2:1-10), and then for the rest of the chapter against Judah and Jerusalem. They have “wearied” God. The Hebrew word means to labour, and so be weary. What a terrible inditement! The returned Jews had so gone against God that He was tired!

2:5-6     The example of faithfulness in a priest is based upon Phinehas who, in Num 25 stayed the plague by killing the Simeonite and the Moabite woman.

2:15     In accusing the priesthood of dealing “treacherously with the wife of his youth” the prophet is reproving them for their immoral behaviour in putting away their wives and taking wives of the inhabitants of the land – Neh 13:23

V.7 It should be noted that true followers of Christ are priests-in-training (Rev 1:6; 5:10).  Like all priests, they are guardians of divine knowledge, to whom people should seek instruction.  They are messengers of Yahweh (Rom 10:14).  But how can priests be faithful if they are not knowledgeable in the Word? (Rom 10:17).

SET YOUR HEART

Above all else, setting your heart to honour God's name is the one thing that will keep us faithful and devoted to the LORD, no matter what temptations come our way. Setting our heart to honour the LORD will also move God to bless us.

Malachi gave this message to the priests: "'And now this admonition is for you, O priests. If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honour my name,' says the LORD Almighty, 'I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because your have not set your heart to honour me.'" (Mal 2:1-2)

It all begins with the heart. Our thoughts, words and actions will all follow the desire of our heart. If we have not set our heart on anything, we will drift having no particular aim and end up just existing through life. Our heart can be set on almost anything and when our heart is set on a particular thing, it will lead us there.

Apart from having God's blessing on us when we set our heart on him, the decision to set our heart on the Lord also reaches far beyond our life today right into eternity. Nothing else we could ever set our heart on can do that. So let's set our heart on the Lord and make it our aim to honour him.

19:1 This is the last use of the phrase 'after these things' Revelation 7:1 18:1 19:1. We are nearing the end of all things. The after is concerned that His servants understand those things which are to come will terminate in a time of great blessing.

20:3 The casting of the dragon into the bottomless pit is the reversal of what took place in Revelation 9:2. Thus despite all the evil that has been spoken of in Revelation since that time it is clear that it is God and not a supernatural devil, who is in control of world events. Thus with the binding of the dragon we can be assured that our God will finally suppress all evil in the earth.

Ezekiel saw the likeness of the glory of God (Ezekiel 1:28). The glory of God is associated here with 'salvation …' And so it is that God will truly be glorified when men and women have been mde like unto the risen Jesus.

Daniel 7 speaks of the resurrection and the judgement. It is, therefore, appropriate that Daniel 7 is used here when speaking of those who are delivered.

We have yet another use of language from Dan 3 where Nebuchadnezzar would have all men worship the image that he had made. All nations gathering shows that it was not only Nebuchadnezzar who was self centred. It is all of mankind.

And so the dream which Nebuchadnezzar had is finally fulfilled in all it's details. The stone has smashed the kingdom of this world and Christ is ruling

19:12 The "name that no man knew" is the "new name" that will be given to the ones who "overcome"(Rev 2:17)

20:10 The "great and high mountain" is like the location Ezekiel was when he saw the temple  (Eze 40:2) and is akin to the situation Jesus was in (Luke 4:5) when he was tempted in the wilderness. I suggest it was the realisation of what John was shown that helped Jesus to overcome the temptation in the wilderness. In the same way our vivid "seeing" of the kingdom will help us in our times of temptation.

19:6  The ‘voice of a great multitude as the voice of many waters’ draws on the language of Ezekiel’s temple – Eze 43:2 which is most fitting as Ezekiel is seeing the glory of God in the temple. The glorified saints will show that glory to the world.

20:3  Here and everywhere else where the word ‘bottomless’ is found in Revelation the word is Strong’s number <12>. The only other use outside Revelation is Luke 8:31and , Rom 10:7. The use in Revelation seems to draw on the ideas behind the use in Luke 8. A place where that which is evil is consigned to.

WEDDING WORSHIP

The vision of John brought him to the point where great joy and rejoicing was heard because of the righteous judgements of God. In the words of the twenty four Elders, it climaxed when they said, "For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean was given her to wear." (Rev 19:7-8) Then the angel with John told him to write, "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" It was at this that John fell at the feet of the angel to worship him, but he was told to worship God instead.
 
The question we need to ask ourselves about all of this, is whether the vision of the wedding supper of the Lamb and being part of the bride of Christ dressed in fine white linen, produces a spirit of worship in us as it did in John? Are we really looking forward to that day with all our heart as a bride longs for her wedding day? Are we so appreciative of the hope that has been set before us that we have praise on our lips and songs in our heart for the goodness of God?
 
The vision of the wedding provoked worship from John. Let us let it's 'wow' sink home to us, and worship God for his incredible promise.

20:7 The concept of the loosing of satan – sin and associated death being seen in the earth again, though only for a short while, contrasts life in the millennium when ‘a child shall die at an hundred’ – Isa 65:10

19:15 In treading ‘the winepress’ Jesus is finally fulfilling all that was built into the words of the prophet – Isa 63:3

Alleluia, God be praised, the Lord Jesus has come to claim his bride (19:7-9). After the marriage of the Lamb, there remains some unfinished business for the Lord.  Although Rome (Babylon) has been destroyed, there are still those of Catholic Europe who, with the blessing of the false prophet (Pope), will oppose Christ (19:19).  These shall be destroyed (19:20).  Then shall the Kingdom period begin, sinful opposition having been bound for this time (20:2,3). At the end of the Kingdom period there will be a rebellion (20:8) which shall be put down (20:9).  This will be followed by the judgment of the mortal population of the Kingdom period (20:12,13).  After this, both death and the grave will be destroyed (20:14).  At this time all will become subject to Yahweh (1Cor 15:28).

19:6 We find idea of God reigning in the Old Testament in Psa 93:1 and , Psa 97:1. In the second of these references the consequence of God reigning is the earth will rejoice. This will be so when the righteous rulership of the kingdom of God is established men and women will appreciate the glories and worship God. As we already appreciate the glories we should be worshipping Him now.

  In saying the one on the horse was called faithful and true we see the idea found in Jer 42:5 which there applies to God being applied to the lord Jesus Christ at his return.

19:11 In saying the one on the horse was called faithful and true we see the idea found in Jer 42:5 which there applies to God being applied to the lord Jesus Christ at his return.