Ruth chapter 1:   “Ruth:  A Story Of Redemption And Prophecy”

By

Jim Bomkamp

Back           Bible Studies                Home Page

 

1.      INTRODUCTION

 

1.1.                     In our last study, we finished up the book of Judges.

 

1.1.1.  We saw in that study of the last 3 chapters of the book how that moral collapse always followed the spiritual decline of the nation.

 

1.1.2.  We also saw how that story was really the toilet bowl of the scriptures, the lowest point that God’s people achieved when they fell away from the Lord.  There wasn’t a single redeeming detail in any of that story.

 

1.1.3.  We also noted how that that story of the greatest moral corruption of God’s people was followed by this wonderful book of Ruth which is the most beautiful story of redemption in all of the Old Testament.  The Holy Spirit’s fingerprints were revealed in this because of the fact that the Lord loves to redeem mankind.  After all, He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

 

1.2.                     In our study today, we are going to look at chapter 1 of Ruth and the introduction to the book itself.  We are going to look at the book from two perspectives:

 

1.2.1.  A wonderful love story that foretells the plan of redemption that Christ has procured for us.

 

1.2.2.  A fabulous prophetic picture that foretells the history of redemption of the Jews as well as the church by Jesus Christ.

 

2.     Date of writing:

 

2.1.                     The book of Ruth was written during the period of the Judges, at about 1100BC.

 

2.2.                     The nation of Israel during the period of the Judges was a dark time when confusion reigned and there was no king in Israel and every man was just doing what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). 

 

2.3.                     Seven times during the period of the Judges the people of God went into the cycle of falling away from the Lord into apostasy, they began to serve the gods of the other nations, they became oppressed and enslaved by another nation, then finally when their misery became severe they cried out to the Lord and began to repent of their sins, then the Lord raised up a judge or deliverer who mobilized the people to go and overthrow their oppressors, and, the people served the Lord during the subsequent lifetime of the Judge.  When their judge died however the cycle started over.

 

3.     Author:

 

3.1.                     Unknown.  Could it be Sammuel?

 

4.     The basic story line:

 

4.1.                     There was a man named Elimelech and his wife Naomi who lived in Bethlehem with their sons Mahlon and Chilion.  They were happy and God-fearing people who were going against the trend of the time of falling away from the Lord.  However, a famine in the land of Israel caused them to leave and go to the land of Moab where they could work and find food.  While there in Moab, each of their sons married Moabite girls named Ruth and Orpah.  Times were rough in Moab for them however, with many tribulations, for first Elimelech died, and then Mahlon and Chilion died.  Naomi was then without a husband or sons.  She next hears that things are going well now in Israel and so she decides to go back to the land.  Upon deciding to go, Naomi’s two daughters-in-law decide initially to go back to Israel with her.  However, Naomi tries to talk them out of returning with her.  Orpah finally ends up going back to her people the Moabites, however Ruth decides to go with Naomi back to her people and to have Naomi’s God be her God, and to have Naomi’s people be her people, and to die where Naomi dies.  When Naomi and Ruth return to Israel however, Naomi discovers that in her absence her inheritance of land now belongs to someone else.  Ruth begins to work in the fields of one of Naomi’s relatives, Boaz, who becomes a kinsman redeemer.  A beautiful love story unfolds as Boaz decides both to buy back Naomi’s inheritance and to take Ruth as his bride.

 

5.     The meaning of very name has significance in this story:

 

5.1.                     Elimelech:  “God is my king.”

 

5.1.1.  At this point in time when the nation of Israel had rejected the Lord as their king, here was this man whose name declared that God was his king.  Elimelech and his family went against the culture and times in Israel and served the Lord and made Him king of their lives.

 

5.2.                     Naomi:  “pleasant one.”

 

5.2.1.  Naomi was truly a joy to be around there in Israel.  She was a woman who had the Lord as her king, as her husband’s name signifies, and who knew the truth that the joy of the Lord was her strength. 

 

5.2.2.  We will see in our story that after being in Moab for awhile and incurring the trials and suffering that she endures that she has not embraced her trials in the way that she should.  She then says that her name should be “Marah,” which means “bitter,” instead of Naomi which means “pleasant.”

 

5.2.3.  Naomi symbolizes prophetically Israel in our story.

 

5.3.                     Mahlon:  “sickly one.”

 

5.3.1.  This son was evidently not healthy, and our story tells us that he dies at a young age and after only being married a short time.

 

5.4.                     Chilion:  “pining or puny one.”

 

5.4.1.  This son was evidently not very healthy either, and as happened to his brother Mahlon, he dies at a young age and after only being married a short time.

 

5.5.                     Orpah:  “gazelle.”

 

5.5.1.  Orpah evidently could run very fast.

 

5.5.2.  Orpah initially plans to go with Naomi to the promised land of Israel where she would have known and served the Lord as a Jewish proselyte and possibly been redeemed, however she decides to turn back after counting the cost, and she returns to her pagan family, gods, and nation.

 

5.6.                     Ruth:  “friend.”

 

5.6.1.  Ruth is the best friend that a person could have.  She determines to go with Naomi where she goes, lodge where she lodges, serve her God, have Naomi’s people as her people, and even to die and be buried where Naomi dies and is buried.  Her vow to go with Naomi is so compelling that even though her relationship with Naomi was that of friendship, nevertheless many quote her vow to Naomi as part of their marriage vow to their spouse.

 

5.6.2.  Ruth is a prophetic picture of the church of Jesus Christ in our story.

 

5.6.3.  Incredibly, Ruth, the Gentile Moabites, becomes the grandmother of king David and thus is found in the New Testament in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

 

5.7.                     Boaz:  “in Him is strength.”

 

5.7.1.  Boaz in our story is a wealthy relative of Naomi’s living in Bethlehem, one who by the law was qualified to be a kinsman redeemer to redeem her inheritance in the land and raise up children to her. 

 

5.7.2.  Boaz is a prophetic type of Jesus Christ in our story.  He redeems Naomi’s land (Naomi symbolizes Israel), and takes Ruth (who symbolizes the church), the Moabite daughter-in-law of Naomi, to be his bride (symbolizing the church as the bride of Christ).

 

6.     Prophetic overview of the book of Ruth:

 

6.1.                     We see initially in our story that Elimelech (“God is my king”) and his wife Naomi (“pleasant one”) were living in the blessing of God.  They were living in Bethlehem (which means “ house of bread”) and prospering in their lives in every way.

 

6.2.                     Famine struck the land of Israel.  It has been pointed out that every famine mentioned in the scriptures came about as a judgment of God because of the sins of men.  Israel had been unfaithful and the judgment of God drove Elimelech and his family out from their house and land.

 

6.3.                     Prophetically the being driven out of the land of Israel by the judgment of God is symbolic of the “diaspora,” the dispersion of the Jews from the land of Israel which occurred in 70 A.D. under the Roman general Titus.  The Jews who weren’t slaughtered at that time were driven out of the land and went into all of the countries of the world.  The Lord had promised that if Israel fell away from Him that they would be scattered to all of the nations and this is exactly what happened to them (see Deut. 28:62-67).

 

6.4.                     Naomi, who along with her family symbolizes Israel, fell into very hard times, trials, and difficulties in Moab.  Sorrow, suffering, and death occurred when she lost her husband, and two sons Mahlon and Chilion.  Naomi lost her husband but she also lost her faith, for when she returns to Israel she says that her name is not Naomi (“pleasant one”) but Mara (“bitter”).  This symbolizes the persecution and hard times that the Jews throughout almost 2,000 years of history have experienced in all of the countries into which they were dispersed, and how that they fell away from their Lord in those lands.

 

6.5.                     Ruth (“friend”), who symbolizes the church, had come to know the Lord God of Elimelech while Naomi’s family lived in Moab, the period of time that symbolizes the Jewish dispersion.  Ruth’s coming to know the Lord came about because of being introduced to Elimelech and his family.  This time period prior to Ruth’s marriage to Boaz symbolizes the “Church Age,” or as the scriptures call it “the time of the Gentiles,” which began right after Jesus raised from the dead.

 

6.5.1.  M.R. De Hann writes the following concerning Ruth, “Ruth is a picture of the helpless, hopeless sinner, alienated from God, stranger to the covenants of promise, condemned by the law, and doomed to eternal darkness.  But there is one who is able to redeem.  Ruth laid herself down at the feet of Boaz, and he recognized her helpless estate and received her and redeemed her.” 

 

6.6.                     Naomi, who symbolizes Israel, decides to return to the land of promise, and this occurs by the hand of the Lord.  This parallels the fact that the Lord promised that He would return the nation of Israel to the land of Israel at the end of the ages (see Lev. 26:42-44; Ezek. 36:24,28).

 

6.7.                     Orpah and Ruth initially decide to go with Naomi back to her homeland, however instead of Naomi encouraging these women to come and join her and serve the Lord God, she does everything that she can to try to dissuade them from coming.  In this same way, though Israel was called by the Lord to be a light to the nations and to lead them to the Lord, they instead from the beginning tried to block Gentiles from coming into the kingdom of God.

 

6.8.                     Orpah finally turned her back on Naomi and went back to her pagan nation and worship, yet Ruth (“friend”), who symbolizes the church, went with Naomi and actually was instrumental in the salvation of Naomi and restoration of her inheritance in the land.  Just like Ruth, the true church of Jesus Christ should not turn their back upon Israel but rather seek to help and assist them in their return to their land and to their redeemer (whom Boaz symbolizes in this story).

 

6.9.                     Naomi returns to the land of Israel having heard that the land is again experiencing abundance and blessing, however initially when she returns to the land she does not have back her inheritance and is still in bitterness because of her sorrows and tribulations.  In the same way, at this point in time today Israel has come back into her land as a nation because she heard of how with modern technology and industry, and the blessing of the Lord in an increased rain fall, that the land of Israel is again experiencing abundance and blessing.  However,  the nation of Israel has not truly come back to her inheritance in the Lord, and rather than experiencing the abundance and joy of the Lord she is still experiencing sorrows and bitterness.  Naomi will get her inheritance back just as Israel will one day also be restored to the Lord (“they will look on Him whom they have pierced” as Zechariah prophesied). 

 

6.10.                Boaz (“in Him is strength”), is the kinsman redeemer, and symbolizes Jesus Christ in that role, and his is a wonderful love story.  Boaz pursues a bride in Ruth (who symbolizes the church) and through the night of tribulation and harvest which symbolizes the 7 year tribulation, Ruth rests peacefully at his feet, while Naomi, though in the land, is still waiting to receive back her inheritance in the Lord.  In the morning, Boaz purchases the land of Naomi, takes Ruth as his bride, and Boaz and Ruth live happily together forever after.  This symbolizes the events that will occur during the 7 year tribulation when the church enjoys the wedding feast of the Lamb and then at the end of the 7 year tribulation when the Lord fulfills the promises made to Israel to again restore her to Himself (thus all Israel shall be saved), and prepare for His Millennial Reign.

 

6.10.1.                     The fact that God will renew His calling of the nation of Israel to be His people and that at that time that all Israel will be saved is found in Rom. 11:25-26.

 

7.     VS 1:1-2  - “1 Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there.” -  There was a famine in the land of Israel and Elimelech and his family move to Moab to escape it

 

7.1.                     It was in Bethlehem (“house of bread”) that this story begins.  Bethlehem becomes a key city in the history of the nation of Israel for it was here that king David was born and lived, and it was also here that Jesus Christ was born according to prophesy.

 

7.1.1.  Micah 5:2 prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, “2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.””

 

7.2.                     We see in this story the providential hand of the Lord.  If Ruth is not redeemed by Boaz then she does not become his wife and thus the genealogy of Jesus Christ is skewed, therefore it is imperative that the events of this story occur.

 

7.3.                     Elimelech (“God is my king”) along with his wife Naomi (“pleasant one”) are living with their two sickly sons Mahlon and Chilion in the land of promise.  Their life is one of abundance and blessing, especially as they are following the Lord and fulfilling the calling that He has for their lives.

 

7.4.                     However, by the judgment of God a famine came into the land of Israel.  The people had rebelled against the Lord and so just He promised as part of the “curse of the law,” the Lord took away their abundance and caused a famine to occur.

 

7.5.                     We can read of the blessing that was promised to occur if the nation followed the Lord and obeyed His commandments in Lev. 26:3-12, “3 ‘If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out, 4 then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit. 5 ‘Indeed, your threshing will last for you until grape gathering, and grape gathering will last until sowing time. You will thus eat your food to the full and live securely in your land. 6 ‘I shall also grant peace in the land, so that you may lie down with no one making you tremble. I shall also eliminate harmful beasts from the land, and no sword will pass through your land. 7 ‘But you will chase your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword; 8 five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword. 9 ‘So I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you. 10 ‘You will eat the old supply and clear out the old because of the new. 11 ‘Moreover, I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you. 12 ‘I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.”.

 

7.6.                     We can also read of the curses from the Lord that were promised to occur in the nation if they turned away from following and obeying the Lord in Lev. 26:14,16; 26:32-33, 38-39, “14 ‘But if you do not obey Me and do not carry out all these commandments…16 I, in turn, will do this to you: I will appoint over you a sudden terror, consumption and fever that will waste away the eyes and cause the soul to pine away; also, you will sow your seed uselessly, for your enemies will eat it up…32 ‘I will make the land desolate so that your enemies who settle in it will be appalled over it. 33 ‘You, however, I will scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste…38 ‘But you will perish among the nations, and your enemies’ land will consume you. 39 ‘So those of you who may be left will rot away because of their iniquity in the lands of your enemies; and also because of the iniquities of their forefathers they will rot away with them.”

 

7.7.                     Moab and Ammon were enemies of the Lord and we read about how they came about in the book of Genesis.  These nations resulted from incest when Lot’s two daughters each on a different night got him drunk and had sex with him.  Elimelech escaped a famine in the land of promise to flee to the nation of Moab.

 

7.7.1.  In Psalm 108:9 it says that, “Moab is my washpot.”  J. Vernon McGee has written that this is as if the Lord said that, “Moab is my garbage can.”

 

7.8.                     God’s people were never to move away unto a Gentile land, especially that of Moab, for the Moabites were always Israel’s enemies (Deut. 23:3-6;  Num. 22-25).  However, in a time of panic due to famine this is what Abraham once did, and this is also what Elimelech and his family did. 

 

7.8.1.  We all need to realize that we cannot run away from our problems.  If we try to sweep problems in our lives under the carpet then we are eventually going to have them resurface in a much more volatile and destructive way down the road.  Its much better to face our problems, take them to the Lord, and look to Him for His resource and provision for them.

 

7.9.                     It was the sin of unbelief that caused Elimelech to take his family out of the land of Israel, for he doubted that the Lord could provide for them in the land.  Yet, the Lord has always promised to provide for His people who trust in Him:

 

7.9.1.  In Psalm 37:25, David wrote about this, “25 I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread.”

 

8.     VS 1:3-5  - “3 Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. 4 They took for themselves Moabite women as wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband.” – Elimelech dies, then his sons take Moabite wives, then his sons die

 

8.1.                     According to the law of Moses, the sons of Israel were strictly told not to take wives for themselves from the Gentile nations around them, especially Moab and Ammon (Deut. 7:1-11; 23:3-6;  Neh. 13:1-3;  Ezra 9:1-4), however after Elimelech dies Naomi’s sons take Moabite wives for themselves.  This just shows how that Naomi and her family had begun to compromise with the Lord and that their zeal for the Lord had cooled. 

 

8.2.                     Times were difficult for Naomi and her family (who symbolize Israel and all of her sorrows and tribulations), she loses everything that she had when she left Israel, including husband and sons.

 

8.2.1.  Naomi left Israel in the center of the Lord’s will and living in abundance, and now in the land of Moab she has lost every possession.

 

8.3.                     We most likely cannot imagine the sorrow, trials, and tribulation of this poor woman Naomi.  She has suffered far more than we imagine that any person should ever have to suffer.

 

8.3.1.  Unlike any other nation that the world has ever known, the nation of Israel has suffered during the almost 2,000 years of her dispersion.  Unlike any people, the Jews have been persecuted in every nation in which they have lived.  This ancient people who marvelously and miraculously has their culture virtually intact to this day, had once been reduced in their number through persecution to a mere 1 million people. 

 

8.3.2.  In 1996, M.R. De Hann wrote that the number of the nation of Israel was at that time about 18 million.

 

8.4.                     Not only had Naomi (“pleasant one”) lost everything external in her life, she also had lost her faith.  Moving away and living in the enemy’s territory had the same effect in her life which it had in Lot when he pitched his tent towards Sodom rather than remain with the people of God.  Naomi was a backslidden believer. 

 

8.4.1.  Rather than thank the Lord for her trials and tribulations and seek to learn what the Lord was teaching her through them, Naomi got bitter towards the Lord because of them. 

 

8.5.                     It was almost 10 years that Naomi and her family lived in Moab, and some who study numerology have attributed significance to this number:  the number of testimony.

 

9.     VS 1:6-13  - “6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab, for she had heard in the land of Moab that the Lord had visited His people in giving them food. 7 So she departed from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 “May the Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “No, but we will surely return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12 “Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is harder for me than for you, for the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me.”” -  Naomi initially leaves with her daughters-in-law to return to the land of Israel, then she decides instead to try to dissuade them from return with her

 

9.1.                     Naomi truly had become backslidden in her relationship with the Lord at this point in time, for we see that she is a miserable witness for the Lord and represents Him poorly.  Instead of being concerned with how that she might win her daughter-in-laws to the Lord, she instead tries to do everything that she can to talk them out of coming with her and serving her God.

 

9.1.1.  Sadly, she most likely had it in her power to influence her daughter-in-law Orpah to salvation through Jehovah, however instead she talked her out of coming with her to serve the Lord.

 

9.2.                     Notice that both Naomi and Ruth when faced with the prospect of coming with Naomi to her people and to serve her God have many tears, however it is not tears that brings salvation to a person but rather an unwavering commitment of oneself to the Lord.  Ruth had made such a commitment to the Lord, but Naomi had not.

 

9.3.                     It has been suggested by some that Naomi thought better of inviting Orpah and Ruth to return to Israel with her because then she would have to give an account as to why she had allowed her sons to marry Gentile women, and out of pride she was seeking to save face for herself.  I believe that there is most likely some truth in this.

 

9.4.                     Since Israelites were not supposed to marry Gentiles, Naomi was most likely also thinking of Orpah and Ruth and considering that if they returned with her that they would also be widows for life because no Israelite would violate the law in order to marry them. 

 

9.4.1.  Little did Naomi realize how that God’s grace would win out in her circumstance!

 

9.5.                     Notice here how that Naomi expresses her bitterness against the Lord for the sorrows and trials that she has had to go through.  Instead of realizing that the Lord brings trials into our lives as His people because He loves us and is using those difficulties for good in our lives to train us up in righteousness, she instead believes that God is against her and thus that the hand of the Lord has done these things to her.

 

9.5.1.  Trials in our lives will either make us better or they will make us bitter, depending upon how we view them.  If we receive them as coming from the loving hand of the Lord, just as a parent disciplines a child, and as sent as Rom. 8:28 tells to work together with everything else in our lives for good, then they will achieve the result of making us better people.  However, if we don’t look at them in this way we can and will get very bitter as a result of experiencing them.

 

10.            VS 1:14-18  - “14 And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 Then she said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17 “Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.” 18 When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.” -  Ruth chooses to return with Naomi to Israel and then recites her beautiful vow of commitment to Naomi

 

10.1.                Even after Orpah has left Naomi and returned to her own people of Moab, Naomi again tries to dissuade Ruth from returning with her to Israel.

 

10.2.                Ruth has come to know the God of Naomi however, and though Naomi had become bitter because of her trials, Ruth is not embittered against the Lord and desires to go live among God’s people and serve Him.

 

10.3.                Ruth (“friend”) recites this most beautiful vow of friendship to Naomi that expresses a total and undying loyalty and commitment to Naomi:  ‘Where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17 “Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.’

 

11.            VS 1:19-22  - “19 So they both went until they came to Bethlehem. And when they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was stirred because of them, and the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 “I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?” 22 So Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the land of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.” -  Naomi returns with Ruth to her home town of Bethlehem and the city is astir with the news

 

11.1.                We see here that all of Naomi’s friends in Bethlehem were shocked to see her after 10 years away in another land.

 

11.2.                Although Naomi is now in the land (just as Israel as a nation is in the land today) she is not yet restored to the Lord (just like Israel today) but instead is filled with the bitterness of her years away from the land.  She tells everyone to call her “Mara,” or “bitter.”  The “pleasant one” was now the “bitter one.” 

 

11.2.1.                     Naomi tells everyone that she left full, blessed and overflowing in every way, but she has returned on empty.

 

11.2.1.1. Remember however, that Elimelech and his family had not been following the perfect will of the Lord when, rather than trust the Lord to provide for them in their promised land, they instead went out of the land to seek shelter and provision in the territory of their enemy.  Ruth’s lack was not the Lord’s fault!

 

11.2.2.                     Whenever God’s people backslide, they take a bitter path in life.  When you know to do better than you are willing to do, your conscience is a relentless enemy.  The way of a backslider is hard.

 

12.            CONCLUSION:

 

12.1.                In this beautiful love story of Ruth, we have seen the Lord revealing both the history of Israel as well as the history of the church, over 3,000 years before our day today.  In this story, as well as in other parts of scripture, we see that the Lord revealed that Israel would return to her land, something that began happening at the beginning of the 1900s and culminated in her becoming a nation in 1948.  Standing where we are in history we can see much more clearly what the Lord intended to reveal to us about the future, as He has painted for us the future for Israel as well as the church.  Seeing these things prophesied by the Lord beforehand brings about two results in our lives, does it not?

 

12.1.1.                     As we as Christians study God’s word and the prophetic scriptures in it we see the Lord reveal the future before it happens, and this lets us know how big our God really is.   

 

12.1.1.1. Biblical prophecy reveals that the Lord truly is omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful), omnipresent (present in all parts of the universe at all times, and continually present both within all time periods as well as outside of time itself). 

 

12.1.1.2. Because of these things, we know that nothing is too great for our Lord to perform.  Our lives truly are safe when they are in His hands.

 

12.1.2.                     As we see the parallels to Naomi with Israel being back in the land today but not yet restored to the Lord, and as we see that Ruth at that time was preparing to take her place at the feet of her kinsman redeemer, Boaz, who represents Jesus Christ, we must know just how close we are to the Lord’s return.  Jesus could come at any moment for the entire prophetic stage is set for Jesus to rapture the church and signal the 7 year tribulation of the book of Revelation to occur.  Are you ready for Jesus to return?

 

12.1.2.1. Have you surrendered your life to Him as your Lord and Savior?

 

12.1.2.2. Do you know if you died today that you would go to heaven?  If you aren’t sure about this for yourself, I encourage you to do like Ruth and come and present yourself before Jesus Christ, your kinsman redeemer, and yield up your life, future, plans, and desires to Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

 

12.1.2.3. To learn more about how you can come to have a personal relationship with the Lord and have eternal life, you can go to this link on our web page:  http://www.calvarychapel.com/greenbay/tract.htm. 

 

Back                 Bible Studes                            Home Page