This week’s study on the Rise and Fall of Israel’s Monarch’s continues with a look into the life of King Solomon – David’s son. Solomon will reign as King of Israel for a total of 40 years and he will expand the borders of the kingdom to their largest ever for any King who ruled over Israel. During Solomon’s reign he will build the Temple and will live at peace with his neighbors unlike his father David. Solomon will be blessed by the Lord with wisdom, wealth, honor, and a long life. Solomon will speak or write over 3000 proverbs (several hundred of which are preserved in the Books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes), he also wrote 1005 songs (one of which was recorded as The Song of Songs) and he was an expert in botany and zoology. Solomon was considered to be one of the wisest men to ever walk this planet and yet in spite of that wisdom, he failed to guard himself against complacency and the temptations of evil. As we will see in this portion of our study, Solomon makes a number of bad choices during the middle portion of his reign which leads to a pattern of sin that brings severe judgment upon him. In addition, his pursuit of worshipping false gods really becomes his undoing and will bring about the division of the Kingdom of Israel. It is a bit of a sad turn of events for a man who was given so much wisdom and wealth but Solomon will admit in other writings what happens when we get our focus off of the Lord and turn that focus on earthly things. Solomon will eventually write the Book of Ecclesiastes which will serve as an acknowledgement of his failures, an admittance of his errors and an assent toward repentance as he openly declares that the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments. Sadly this change of heart is too little too late and the damage is done as the United Kingdom of Israel will fracture in two. Stay tuned – more to come.

Lesson 4 – King Solomon (Student Copy)

Lesson 4 – King Solomon (Teacher)

Lesson 4 – King Solomon Part II – PPT

Of all of David’s sons, his choice to reign alongside of him during the final years of his life was Solomon. David made preparations for the construction of the temple and it would become Solomon’s task to complete. Solomon was the Lord’s choice to reign after David and Solomon was also embraced by the people of Israel to be their king. Solomon will reign as King of Israel for a total of 40 years and he will expand the borders of the kingdom to their largest ever for any King who ruled over Israel. During Solomon’s reign he will build the Temple and will live at peace with his neighbors unlike his father David. Solomon will be blessed by the Lord with wisdom, wealth, honor, and a long life. Solomon will speak or write over 3000 proverbs (several hundred of which are preserved in the Books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes), he also wrote 1005 songs (one of which was recorded as The Song of Songs) and he was an expert in botany and zoology. Solomon was considered to be one of the wisest men to ever walk this planet and yet in spite of that wisdom, he failed to guard himself against complacency and the temptations of evil. In this portion of our study we will see Solomon at his best and in our next lesson we will see him at his worst, but the Lord will direct him toward repentance. Solomon will eventually write the Book of Ecclesiastes which will serve as an acknowledgement of his failures, an admittance of his errors and an assent toward repentance as he openly declares that the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments.

Lesson 4 – King Solomon (Student Copy)

Lesson 4 – King Solomon (Teacher)

Lesson 4 – King Solomon Part I – PPT

This is the fifth installment in the series I am teaching this fall on the “Rise and Fall of Israel’s Monarchs”, which is a study on the Kings of Israel and Judah. During David’s first 20 years as king he continued to fight many battles and was away from home often. This resulted in all sorts of domestic failures at home, both for the nation, as well as in his personal family. This neglect of things at home, along with not completely following the teachings of scripture (Deut. 17:14-17), are what drove David into a cycle of sin that he struggled to break free from. David’s decisions to be unaccountable made him vulnerable to the very thing that made him such a notable person. His pursuit of righteousness (a man after God’s own heart), and integrity was blindsided by pride and arrogance because he didn’t allow himself to keep it in check! The days following David’s adultery with Bathsheba were some of his most challenging as he faced a number of family issues; the greatest of them was a rebellious son (Absalom) who sought to steal the kingdom away from him. David grieves over the bad decisions that he made and does show signs of a repentant heart but his actions (like ours) still have consequences. Over time the kingdom is restored to David but at a very heavy cost (the death of his son Absalom). Toward the end of his reign, David restores his relationship to the Lord, makes repairs to the fragile kingdom, and prepares to deliver a United Kingdom over to his son Solomon before he dies.

Lesson 3 – King David (Student Copy)

Lesson 3 – King David (Teacher Copy)

Lesson 3 – King David Part III – PPT

This is the fourth installment in the series I am teaching this fall on the “Rise and Fall of Israel’s Monarchs”, which is a study on the Kings of Israel and Judah. In this portion of our study we will cover the portion of David’s life when he takes over as the King of Israel and Judah. After the death of Saul a civil war breaks out between the house of Saul (led by his son whose name was Ish-bosheth) and the house of David. The tribes of Israel will follow Ish-bosheth and the tribes of Benjamin and Judah will follow David. Eventually David’s following will grow strong and he will become the sole ruler of a United Kingdom of Israel at the age of 30. David will eventually move the capital to Jerusalem and will rule from there for about 33 years. During these years David’s family will grow and the kingdom will expand. David will be responsible for the implementation of the priesthood and re-focus attention on obedience to the Law and the elimination of idol worship within the kingdom. The Lord will make a covenant with David in which the Lord tells David that He will make his name great and that David’s throne would be established forever. David has a desire to build a house (Temple) for the Lord but that job is reserved for his son Solomon. David will be quite successful in defeating the neighboring countries causing them to fear the Lord and make peace with the people of Israel. This was probably the best years of David’s 40 year reign as king before things begin to unravel a bit.

Lesson 3 – King David (Student Copy)

Lesson 3 – King David (Teacher Copy)

Lesson 3 – King David Part II – PPT

This is the third installment in the series I am teaching this fall on the “Rise and Fall of Israel’s Monarchs”, which is a study on the Kings of Israel and Judah. In this portion of our study we are introduced to a young man who will eventually become the most renowned and most respected king of Israel – King David. The Scriptures do not provide any detail of his birth and early childhood years. We are introduced to him when he is a young lad and although we are not completely sure, he was probably just entering his teenage years at the time he faces Goliath the Philistine. This portion of our study focuses on David’s defeat of Goliath the giant and David’s early days in King Saul’s army. David quickly moves up the ranks and having already been anointed by Samuel as the next King of Israel, he will eventually win the hearts of the people and become their second king. David will work hard to unite all the tribes of Judah and Israel with a focus on following God wholeheartedly. David is far from a perfect man but he was regarded as a man after God’s own heart which means to me that his heart was in the right place. I am glad the Lord understands the heart of man and though our outward actions have consequences (some good and some bad) – the Lord knows the intent of our hearts and judges accordingly. David was no exception and being a man of faith in the Lord, his motives and actions were for the most part, guided by that faith.

Lesson 3 – King David (Student Copy)

Lesson 3 – King David (Teacher Copy)

Lesson 3 – King David Part I – PPT

This time in Israel’s history represents a shift in which they will no longer be recognized by their loose tribal affiliations with a Judge as their leader, but will experience a more centralized government that will have a king on the throne. By the time Samuel was born, the Israelites (as a whole) were extremely idolatrous and immoral and the need for a strong “spiritual leader” was more evident than ever. Samuel became that leader but the peoples desire for a king to rule continued to drive their demands to be like all the surrounding nations. In spite of Samuel’s warnings as to what this king would represent and how he would treat them….they wanted him anyway and God granted them their wish as He gave them Saul.

Lesson 2 – From Samuel to Saul (Student)

Lesson 2 – From Samuel to Saul (Teacher)

Lesson 2 – From Samuel to Saul (PPT)

I will be teaching this new series beginning this week (Thursday evening – September 19). This study “The Rise and Fall of Israel’s Monarchs” is my newest study that covers the period in the Old Testament known as the Kings. It covers approximately 440 years of Israel’s history and encompasses approximately 22 out of the 39 books of the Old Testament. It will last approximately 10 weeks. The first lesson provides the Biblical and historical background to the overall period of the Kings from the days of the Judges up to and including the final king of Judah before they were conquered by the Babylonians and taken into captivity.

Lesson 1 – Kings and Queens Overview (Student)

Lesson 1 – Kings and Queens Overview (Teacher)

Lesson A – Kings and Queens Overview PPT

Daniel 12 concludes the final vision that Daniel receives and makes reference to in Daniel 10:1; “In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the message was true and one of great conflict, but he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision”. In this chapter (Daniel 12) the focus is on the events surrounding the time of the end which matches up with the description of events by Jesus in Matthew 24:15-25 and those written by the Apostle John in the Book of The Revelation which we often refer to as the Tribulation. The rather short chapter of Daniel 12 (just 13 verses) does not have the same specific detail as we find in Daniel 11, but the fact remains that the Lord has a plan of blessing for the people of the Covenant and all who follow Him. The Lord also has a plan for those who remain in rebellion against Him and choose to ally themselves with Satan and his demons which Daniel briefly speaks about here. There may remain a few unanswered questions and items of concern for Daniel but one thing that he could be sure of was a future resurrection to righteousness and to receive that which he was promised. We too can be sure of a future hope that was provided through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross if we but trust and believe. (John 3:16, Romans 10:9-10)

I trust that you have enjoyed this study through the Book of Daniel and I would welcome and appreciate any thoughts or comments that you might have. I will be returning to the study that I had been working on titled “Kings and Queens – The Rise and Fall of Israel’s Monarchs” so be on the lookout for the completion of that study. God Bless you as you continue studying His Word.

Lesson 12 – Daniel’s Last Vision Part III – Daniel 12 (Student Copy)

Lesson 12 – Daniel’s Last Vision Part III – Daniel 12 (Teacher Copy)

Daniel 11 continues with an explanation of the vision that Daniel references in Daniel 10:1 in which he writes; “In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the message was true and one of great conflict, but he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision”. This vision which involved “great conflict” that impacted the lives of Daniel’s countrymen (the Jews) had serious consequences to the future of his people. The angel says to Daniel; “Now I have come to give you understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future” (Daniel 10:14). The information provided in Daniel 11 outline the future historical impact that the Persian and Greek Empire and its leaders have upon the people of the covenant (the Jews), and the detailed account which is future to Daniel will unfold in the later days just as it is described here. The recorded account here in Daniel 11 is so detailed that the skeptics claim that Daniel could not have written this and it had to have been authored by someone who actually lived through the events. I find this claim to be absurd and have no doubt that the vision that was given to Daniel along with its explanation was penned with the intent to show these as future prophetic events, some of which have yet to be fulfilled.

We are introduced to some significant character and world leaders such as Cyrus the king of Persia, Alexander the Great and Antiochus Epiphanes just to name a few. The text here also describes a number of significant battles and wars that are also supported by the historical record involving the Persian, Greek and Roman Empires. These various empires, more specifically the Greek Empire and its most despicable leader named Antiochus IV (AKA – Antiochus Epiphanes) will bring harm to and even persecute the people of the covenant until that divinely appointed time has run its course. This chapter also provides a glimpse toward the yet future events of the Great Tribulation described by Jesus in Matthew 24, Paul in II Thessalonians 2, and the Apostle John in The Revelation. This vision was very troubling to Daniel and rightfully so as it impacted his people the Jews and shows the ugly side of humanity as well as the evil influence of Satan and his demons. Although the chapter is full of persecution and oppression against the Jews, there is hope in Jesus Christ the Messiah who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This same Jesus will rule and reign in the final kingdom which is eternal and will never come to an end. All evil will one day be judged, and Satan and his evil powers will be banished to hell forever – on this you can be 100% sure!

Lesson 11 – Daniel’s Last Vision Part II – Daniel 11 (Student Copy)

Lesson 11 – Daniel’s Last Vision Part II – Daniel 11 (Teacher Copy)

Daniel 10 begins with these words; “In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the message was true and one of great conflict, but he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision.” (Daniel 10:1).

This vision which is revealed in the last three chapters of Daniel (Chapters 10-12) contained an enormous amount of detail as to the great conflict that the people of Judah and Israel would face in their future. This vision which contained such detail about the future of the people of Judah and Israel was so concerning to Daniel that he mourned for 3 full weeks and during this time he abstained from the delicacies afforded to him because of his position in the government.

This final vision that Daniel shares in the remaining chapters of his book is one of epic importance to the people of God which no doubt weighed heavy on Daniel who is visited by an angel who many conclude is Gabriel. It is this angel who says to Daniel; “Now I have come to give you understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future” (Dan. 10:14. The visitation by this angel comes with an explanation of the battles that exist in the “spirit world” that go beyond our human comprehension and adds to Daniel’s concern and anguish, so much so that he becomes physically exhausted. The chapter concludes with Daniel being comforted by the angel and he then proceeds to describe the events to follow in chapter 11.

For more information feel free to contact me at mikesouthwick@gmail.com and if you are interested check out the tabs at the top of the home page (http://goodnewsbiblestudies.com) and click on Old Testament Studies for the full slide presentations and answers to the fill ins.

Lesson 10 – Daniel’s Last Vision Part I – Daniel 10 (Student Copy)

Lesson 10 – Daniel’s Last Vision Part I – Daniel 10 (Teacher Copy)