When Jacob stole Esau's blessing, he set events into motion, both physically and spiritually. The negative consequences of that act would follow him for the rest of his life. It is especially worthy of note that even though God had chosen Jacob to be one of Israel's patriarchs, He did not intervene to short circuit those consequences.

The Lamb and the scroll. What does the scroll represent? A discussion of how real estate deeds were handled in Israel.

During the reign of the wicked king Ahab, Elijah showed up out of nowhere and turned off the rain for three and a half years. He also raised a widow's son from the dead and slaughtered the prophets of Baal when they could not demonstrate that their god had any power.

Looking at the chaotic state of the world right now, it is tempting to throw one's hands up in despair. It is important to realize that in a war each side tries to create a chaotic situation for the enemy because an enemy overwhelmed by chaos cannot fight back successfully. God has provided us with the means of cutting through the chaos and remaining effective and useful to the Kingdom.

Introduction to looking at the end times through the eyes of John. How should we approach this subject?

The parable of the pearl corresponds to the church at Philadelphia and the dragnet to Laodicea. While the letters to the churches are for all churches and all times, Laodicea is especially pertinent for the western church today. It speaks to cultural Christians who attend church but are otherwise flowing with the surrounding culture; Christians who don't want to rock the boat.

Up until Abraham, humanity's typical reaction to failure is to say, "It's not my fault" or "It's not my problem." Abraham was different. When presented with problems, he stepped up and took responsibility. (Suggested by Rabbi Sacks' article, "Answering the Call" on Aish.com)

The Church at Laodicea is famous for being neither hot nor cold. Because of this lack of heat, they have no energy to do any works. Being spat out of Y'shua's mouth is by way of getting their attention.

The parable of the hidden treasure correlates with the letter to Sardis and with Paul's letter to the Romans. The image is of a dead church which still has a few hidden people who are faithful. The exhortation is to return to the basics of the faith.

Defending himself before Felix and Agrippa in Acts 26, Paul describes the incident where he was knocked to the ground and spoken to by Y'shua Himself. It is important to note that Paul was already thoroughly schooled in the Scriptures and was convinced that The Way was an heretical cult. The Scriptures didn't change; Paul's perspective is what changed. This is a lesson when dealing with believers who see some point of doctrine differently.