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<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center">"<font size="3"><b>TWO
ARE BETTER THAN ONE" MINISTRIES</b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><font size="3"><b>Jim
& Marie Watt</b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><b><font size="3">Tel:
253.874.4265 -- Email: <a href="mailto:jmbetter@gmail.com">jmbetter@gmail.com</a></font></b></p>
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<a href="http://www.2rbetter.org/">www.2rbetter.org</a></font></b></p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><u> <font size="3"><b>2
KINGS - POLITICAL HISTORY OF THE KINGDOM - OVERVIEW - T2501R -
2008-12-28</b></font></u></p>
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</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3"><b>1. 1:10 (1-3) ELISHA: BEGINNING OF HIS MINISTRY.
"And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a
man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume you and your
fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his
fifty." </b><span style="">It is a fearful
thing to fall into the hands of the living God; for You Father, are a
consuming fire. </span><b><i>Hallowed be your :name.</i></b></font></p>
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<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3"><b>2. 6:17 (4-10) ELISHA AND KINGS OF ISRAEL. "And
Elisha prayed, and said, Jehovah, I pray you, open his eyes, that he
may see. And Jehovah opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw:
and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire
round about Elisha." </b><span style="">This is
quite a remarkable answer to prayer. Father. We trust You to do what
is necessary to show us Your Kingdom power in this age. </span><b><i>Your
:kingdom come.</i></b></font></p>
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<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<b><font size="3">3. 11:1 (11-17) JUDAH'S ALTERNATING KINGS WITH
ISRAEL. "Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son
was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal." </font></b><font size="3"><span style="">The
spirit of Jezebel entered into Judah also through Ahab's sister, and
introduced Baal worship. What a wicked queen was this Athaliah, and
how fitting her punishment! </span></font><b><font size="3"><i>Your
:will be done, As in heaven, so on earth.</i></font></b></p>
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<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3"><b>4. 13:21 (11-17) ISRAEL'S FINAL KINGS AND FALL.
"And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold,
they spied a band; and they cast the man into the sepulcher of
Elisha: and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he
revived, and stood up on his feet."</b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3">God's witness to Israel: Elijah and then Elisha! And,
even the bones of the dead Elisha had within them the power of
resurrection! <i><b>Our :daily :bread Give us this day.</b></i></font></p>
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<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3"><b>5. 19:30-31 (18-21 HEZEKIAH'S REVIVAL AND EVIL
AFTERMATH. "And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah
shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. <font style="font-size: 8pt;" size="1">31</font><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">
</font>For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of
mount Zion they shall escape: the zeal of Jehovah shall perform
this." </b><span style="">Only You Father,
could so reverse the situation in Hezekiah's day, that this could
take place. And you did! </span><b><i>And forgive us our :debts, As
we also have forgiven our :debtors.</i></b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="left"><font size="3"><b>6.
23:7 (22:1-23:30a) JOSIAH'S REVIVAL "And he broke down the
houses of the sodomites, that were in the house of Jehovah, where the
women wove hangings for the Asherah." </b><span style="">No
sin and its effects did Josiah leave untouched! Father, raise up
Josiahs today, and give us all the heart of Josiah. </span><b><i>And
bring us not into temptation.</i></b></font></p>
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<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3"><b>7. 25:1-2 (23:30b-25:30) JUDAH FALLS. "And it
came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in
the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came,
he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and
they built forts against it round about. <font style="font-size: 8pt;" size="1">2</font><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">
</font>So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king
Zedekiah." </b><span style="">This marks the
end of Judah. Yet in the midst of ruin - still You are there, Father!
</span><b><i>But deliver us from the evil </i><span style="font-style: normal;">one.</span></b></font></p>
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<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="left"><font size="3"><u><b><span style="font-style: normal;">NOTE</span></b></u><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>:
</b></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">God
assigned 4 great men to this epoch of history: Elijah, Elisha,
Hezekiah and Josiah.</span></span></span></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="left"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="left"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">Elijah's
time primarily took place in 1 Kings - yet his unusual acts spilled
over into this book also.</span></span></span></font></p>
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</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="left"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">Elisha
asked for the blessing of the first-born when Elijah asked him what
he wished. Elijah commented that his request was very difficult - but
if he saw Elijah taken from him, it would be granted. And Elisha did
- and immediately started performing deeds of power. And - the
portion of the first-born - double of all others - indeed came upon
him! He performed exactly double the miracles performed by Elijah.</span></span></span></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="left"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="left"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">Out
of the 21 kings of Judah, 9 were good like David, and two were </span></span></span><u><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">very
good</span></span></u><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">!
They alone removed </span></span></span><u><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">the
high places</span></span></u><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">.
This is comparable for us today pressing in to obtain </span></span></span><u><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">a
renewed mind</span></span></u><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">
(Romans 12:2). Hezekiah, though not perfect, did follow more closely
to the pattern of David. And Josiah, perhaps even more so. When the
priest of his day discovered the lost copy of the law of Moses -
Josiah tore his clothes in sorrow and mourned. He then revived the
observance of the Festivals of Jehovah, tore down idols both in Judah
as well as in Israel, and led the nation in renewing the Covenant of
the Lord.</span></span></span></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="left"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="left"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">There
is much to learn and profit from in the study of these 4 lives. - Jim
Watt</span></span></span></font></p>
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