From today’s reading in the One Year Chronological Bible dated 6/13:

Micaiah, the prophet of the Lord, says he saw Israel scattered on the mountains without a master and tells Ahab that the Lord allowed a lying spirit to have the 400 prophets say he would have victory over Syria bc the Lord is bringing disaster against Ahab. Well this is not what Ahab wants to hear so he throws Micaiah in prison. 😏 However, just in case Micaiah is correct, Ahab puts on a disguise when he goes into battle against Syria. The problem for Ahab is that you can’t hide from the Lord. So a random (or not so random) arrow hits Ahab right between the joints of his armor killing him in his chariot as prophesied by Elijah and supporting what Micaiah said (Ahab is killed, the people are scattered back to their homes, and the dogs lick up his blood at the pool in Samaria where the harlots are bathing).

Jehoshaphat returns to Jerusalem and establishes a judicial system with judges who fear the Lord. Right afterwards the faith of Jehoshaphat and the people is tested when the people of Moab and Ammon come against them. Jehoshaphat cries out to the Lord, “And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them— here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit”. Remember that the Moabites and Ammonites are descendants of Lot by his daughters making them relatives of the Israelites. The Lord told the Israelites not to harass them because He gave the descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew, a land inheritance. (Deut 2:9,19)

The Lord responds to Jehoshaphat and says do not fear because the battle was God’s. Therefore, Jehoshaphat urges everyone to have faith in the Lord so they will succeed. Then the assembly sings praises and the Lord moves on their behalf causing the enemy to turn on each other and giving victory to Jehoshaphat and the people; providing an example of people being saved by faith in the Lord.

Tomorrow the Lord calls Elijah to go and confront another wicked king of Israel. Keep reading to see what happens.

(1 Kings 22:10-28, 2 Chronicles 18:9-27, 1 Kings 22:29-35, 2 Chronicles 18:28-34, 1 Kings 22:36-40, 51-53, 2 Chronicles 19:1-20:30)

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From today’s reading in the One Year Chronological Bible dated 6/12:

Today the Syrians learn that God is the God of the hills and the valleys! 🙌 The Israelites again defeat the Syrians resulting in Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, surrendering to Ahab. Ben-Hadad promises to restore all that his father took from Israel so Ahab makes a treaty with him. 😏 The Lord has already told His people not to make treaties with the nations around them. Plus, the Lord just delivered the Syrians, who were blaspheming Him, into the hands of Israel. He did not deliver them to Israel for Israel to make a treaty with them but to destroy them.

So God sends a prophet to rebuke Ahab. “Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.” We will see this play out when Ahab gets killed by a Syrian soldier (1 Kings 22:34-35) and the people suffer at the hands of a Syrian king, Hazael (2 Kings 8:12-13). So Ahab goes home sullen and displeased.

Ahab continues his baby pout 🍼 when he sees a vineyard he wants but Naboth refuses to give it to him. Naboth is following the instructions of the Lord by not transferring his inheritance to another (Deut 19:14). Well, Jezebel sees her husband pouting and decides to take matters into her own hands and comes up with an idea! 💡 She has Naboth falsely accused of speaking against the Lord and stoned to death. This news cheers Ahab right up so he leaves to go and enjoy his newly acquired vineyard. However, the Lord is displeased.

God sends Elijah to tell Ahab that because of his wickedness the Lord will destroy Ahab and his household and the dogs will lick his blood in the place where Naboth was killed, and the dogs will eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel. 😳 Yikes! She is about to go down in a major way and this will all play out soon in the Story.

The reading ends with an alliance between Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and Ahab, king of Israel, through marriage. Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram, is married to Ahab’s daughter, Athaliah. Ahab asks Jehoshaphat to go to battle with him against Syria and said that his 400 prophets said they would have victory. But Jehoshaphat isn’t really interested in what these false prophets, who just tell Ahab what he wants to hear, have to say. Jehoshaphat tells Ahab to inquire of a prophet of the Lord. Ahab doesn’t like this idea bc the prophet of the Lord never tells him what he wants to hear but instead speaks truth. But Ahab listens to Jehoshaphat and finds a true prophet of the Lord still living in Israel, Micaiah.

Tomorrow we see the Lord’s response to Ahab so keep reading.

(1 Kings 20:23-22:9, 2 Chronicles 18:1-8)

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From today’s reading in the One Year Chronological Bible dated 6/11:

Elijah has a lot going on in today’s reading. He goes to Zarephath where a widow shows great faith by feeding him first from her last meal for her and her son before they die of starvation. The Lord rewards her faith by keeping her flour bin and oil jar full until the drought is over.

However, the widow’s faith waivers when her son dies. She blames his death on her own sin and asks Elijah if he came to kill her son. The Lord, who is always faithful, brings her child back to life when Elijah prays over the boy. The widow’s faith in the Lord is restored.

Later in the Story, Jesus will use this story of Elijah visiting the widow to rebuke the unbelieving Jews and to illustrate that when they don’t believe, the Lord sends His prophets out to others, even to Gentiles. “But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land,” (Luke 4:25) but Elijah left Israel and visited a woman in Zarephath.

After the 3 years and 6 months of drought, the Lord sends Elijah back to Ahab to tell him the drought is coming to an end. There we learn that Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, has been killing the prophets of the Lord. Elijah challenges the 450 Baal prophets who have been sitting at the table with Jezebel.

Elijah says that they will each build an altar “and the God who answers by fire, He is God!”. The prophets of Baal go first and they begin to call on Baal to bring fire upon the offering but Baal does not answer.

After some time, Elijah steps forward, covers his altar in water and calls upon the Lord of Abraham, Issac, and Israel. The Lord rains fire down 🔥 and consumes the offering and the people fall to the ground shouting “The Lord, He is God!”. Then Elijah kills all the Baal prophets. Afterwards, Elijah prays 7 times for rain and the Lord sends the rain.

Well, when ole Jezebel hears about all this she seeks to kill Elijah. Elijah is now off in the wilderness under an tree praying for the Lord to just kill him. 😳 That’s strange. How can he be so low after experiencing a major spiritual high with the victory at Mount Carmel? 🤔 Maybe, just maybe, it can be extremely difficult doing what the Lord calls you to do, especially if it appears you are standing alone.

But Elijah isn’t alone. He has God! And instead of killing Elijah, the Lord revives him and sends him a helper, Elisha, who will eventually take his place. Then God encourages Elijah further by letting him know that there are 7,000 others who did not bow a knee to Baal. 🙌 See, the Lord knows whose heart is loyal to Him and He will encourage His people for the work of His Kingdom.

The reading ends with Ahab defeating the Syrians but the Syrians attack again tomorrow so keep reading.

(1 Kings 17:8-20:22)

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From today’s reading in the One Year Chronological Bible dated 6/10:

There is war between Baasha, king of Israel, and Asa, king of Judah. Instead of trusting the Lord, Asa makes a treaty with the king of Syria and the Lord rebukes him: “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”

The Lord says against Baasha, because he walks in the ways of Jeroboam, “I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Baasha and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the fields”. Since the Lord always does what He says, when Zimri becomes king he kills the entire household of Baasha.

Today we also meet Ahab, another king of Northern Israel, who does more evil than all those before him. He marries the awful Jezebel, daughter of the king of the Sidonians, and they worship Baal together. The Lord sends the prophet Elijah to Ahab to declare His judgment upon him and Israel bc of their wickedness.

Elijah says there will be a drought, no dew nor rain, which is a direct challenge to their false god Baal since Baal is the god of fertility and the dew and rain. Then the Lord instructs Elijah to go and live by a brook where he is fed by ravens. The brook eventually dries up bc of the drought causing Elijah to move. More on that tomorrow.

Over in Judah there is a good king in place, king Jehoshaphat. He walks in all the ways of the Lord and returns Bible Literacy to the people. 🙌

Tomorrow there is an exciting showdown on Mount Carmel! 🔥 Keep reading to see what happens.

(1 Kings 15:16-22, 2 Chronicles 16:1-10, 1 Kings 16:1-34, 1 Kings 15:23-24, 2 Chronicles 16:11-17:19, 1 Kings 17:1-7)

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#chronologicalbibleteaching

From today’s reading in the One Year Chronological Bible dated 6/9:

Today the Lord sends 2 prophets to tell Jeroboam of his demise and the future destruction of his kingdom bc Jeroboam sinned and made all of Israel sin against the Lord.

1) A prophet of the Lord tells Jeroboam that a king named Josiah from the house of David would one day sacrifice all these priests of the high places. We will meet Josiah soon in the Story.

2) The prophet Ahijah gives a message from the Lord to Jeroboam’s wife for Jeroboam. “Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over my people Israel and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, and yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart…but you have done evil above all who were before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods…therefore behold, I will bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will burn up the house of Jeroboam, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone.” 😳 When Baasha becomes king of Israel, he kills all in the house of Jeroboam as Ahijah prophesied.

Baasha too does evil and walks in the ways of Jeroboam as will all the following kings of Israel which will lead to Northern Israel’s downfall.

Over in Judah we find out that Rehoboam isn’t doing so great either. “For they also built for themselves high places and pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, and there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.” So the Lord allows the king of Egypt to come against Rehoboam and take away the treasures of the house of the Lord. When Rehoboam humbles himself before the Lord, the Lord relents totally destroying him.

After Rehoboam dies, his son Abijam becomes king of Judah and “he walked in all the sins of his father…his heart was not loyal to the Lord…Nevertheless for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up his son after him and by establishing Jerusalem.”

So Abijam’s son, Asa, is the next king of Judah and he “did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God”. Therefore Judah ends on a good note today; the people have returned to the Lord “and the Lord gave them rest all around”.

Tomorrow we meet more kings and the prophet Elijah. Keep reading.

(1 Kings 13:1-14:24, 2 Chronicles 12:13-14, 2 Chronicles 11:18-23, 2 Chronicles 12:1-12, 1 Kings 14:25-28, 2 Chronicles 12:15-16, 1 Kings 14:29-15:5, 2 Chronicles 13:1-22, 1 Kings 15:6-8, 2 Chronicles 14:1-8, 1 Kings 15:9-15, 1 Kings 14:19-20, 1 Kings 15:25-34, 2 Chronicles 14:9-15:19)

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From today’s reading in the One Year Chronological Bible dated 6/8:

The book of Ecclesiastes concludes with “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all”. Basically, everything is meaningless under the SUN unless we have a relationship with the SON, Jesus Christ. And that’s a wrap on the Kingdom Era! 🎉 Saul reigned 40 years, David reigned 40 years and then Solomon reigned 40 years.

Today Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, becomes king of Israel. The people ask him to lighten the heavy labor load that his dad, Solomon, put on them. Instead of listening to the wise counsel of the elders he takes the terrible advice of his young buddies. 🤦‍♀️ Rehoboam says “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke”.

However, this is all part of God’s plan. The “turn of events was from the Lord, that He might fulfill His Word” regarding tearing 10 kingdoms from Solomon’s son due to Solomon’s disobedience and giving them to Jeroboam.

Jeroboam returns from Egypt and leads a revolt against Rehoboam. Rehoboam assembles the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to fight against the other 10 tribes of Israel, but the Lord says they shall not fight their brothers “for this thing is from Me”. So Jeroboam becomes king over 10 tribes of Israel.

Jeroboam fears if he allows the people to go to Jerusalem and worship the Lord that their hearts will turn back to the Lord and to King Rehoboam, and then they may want to kill him. In an effort to keep them in Northern Israel, Jeroboam forms a new blended religion that looks similar to they way they have been worshipping the Lord, except that he throws some false gods in the mix and changes some rules. He takes 2 golden calves and says “Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!”. 🤔 You wouldn’t think that the people would go for the golden calf worship stunt again after what went down in the wilderness with Aaron, but they totally do.

Jeroboam sets the calves up in Dan and Bethel, builds shrines on high places, and makes priests of every class instead of only the Levites as the Lord instructed. 😳 Since the Levites are rejected by Jeroboam, they leave Northern Israel and go to Southern Judah with all the others wanting to worship the Lord God of Israel. “So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong for three years, because they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.”

Ok, this section can get a little confusing bc there are 20 kings of Northern Israel (all evil) and 19 kings and 1 queen of Southern Judah (all from King David’s bloodline and are a mix of good, bad and in-between), plus the various prophets. (I attached a chart below that you might want to print and keep in your Bible during this section of the Story.)

The Northern Kingdom will last 209 years before they are overtaken by the Assyrians. Southern Judah will last 345 years before they are taken over by the Babylonians. So the Divided Kingdom begins…keep reading!

(Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:14, 1 Kings 12:1-20, 2 Chronicles 10:1-19, 1 Kings 12:21-24, 2 Chronicles 11:1-4, 1 Kings 12:25-33, 2 Chronicles 11:5-17)

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14 Eras:

Creation Era (Gen 1:1-11:26)✅

Patriarch Era (Gen 11:27-50:26 and Job)✅

Exodus Era (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) ✅

Conquest Era (Joshua) ✅

Judges Era (Judges, Ruth) ✅

Kingdom Era (1,2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles 1-9, 1 Kings 1-11, various Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon) ✅

Divided Kingdom Era (2 Chronicles 10-36, 1 Kings 11-22, 2 Kings, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, and some of Jeremiah) is up now!

Eras to follow:

Captivity, Return, Silent, Gospel, Church, Missions, and End Times/New Beginnings