ADAM

Was once the first, and only, man on earth.  He had never known another human being.  He missed much that makes us who we are-he had no childhood, no parents, no family or friends.  He had to learn to be human on his own.  God didn't let him struggle too long before presenting him with an ideal companion and mate, Eve.  Theirs was a complete, innocent, and open oneness without a hint of shame.

Before God made Eve he had already given Adam complete freedom in the garden, with the responsibility to tend and care for it.  But one tree was off limits, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Adam would have told Eve all about this.  She knew, when Satan approached her, that the tree's fruit was not to be eaten.  However, she decided to eat the forbidden fruit.  Then she offered some to Adam.  At that moment, the fate of creation was on the line.  Sadly, Adam didn't pause to consider the consequences.  He went ahead and ate.

In that moment of  rebellion something shattered.  God's perfect creation, man was separated from God by his desire to act on his own.  Many things would change for Adam after that beginning with being cast out of the Garden of Eden.  He would also have to toil and struggle and work to live from now on among other things.

Adam was:

Only mand who never had an earthly mother of father
First zoologist-namer of animals
First landscape architect, placed in the garden to care for it
Father of the human race
First person made in the image of God.
First human to share an intimate personal relationship with God
Avoided responsibility and blamed others, chose to hide rather than confront, made excuses rather than admitting the truth

Relatives:
Wife: Eve
Sons: Cain, Abel, Seth, Numerous other children.

SAMSON

Samson was one of the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites.

He was given supernatural strength by God in order to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats such as killing a lion, slaying an entire army with just the jawbone of an ass and destroying a pagan temple.

 Samson had two vulnerabilities however, his attraction to the wrong women and his hair which he was powerless without.  These vulnerabilities eventually led to his death.

Samson is believed by some to be buried in Tel Tzora Israel where there are two large gravestones, one for him and one for his father Manoah.

Samson was:
Dedicated to God from birth as a Nazirite
Known for his feats of strength
Listed in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11
Began to free Israel from Philistine oppression
Violated his vow and God's laws on many occasions
Was controlled by sensuality
Used his gifts and abilities unwisely
Father; Manoah

His story is told in Judges 13-16.  And he is also mentioned in Hebrews 11:32

ARCHANGEL GABRIEL

Gabriel is one of only two angels specifically named in the Bible.  (The other being Michael).

He is an angel who typically serves as a messenger sent from God to certain people.

He is mentioned both in the Old and the New Testament.

In the Old Testament it is in the book of Daniel where he explains Daniels visions to him.
In the New Testament it is in the book of Luke where he appears to Zacharia and Mary fortelling the births of both John the Baptist and Jesus.
He is also the angel that causes Zacharia to be unable to speak for a period of time due to his unbelief of the angel's message.

ARCHANGEL MICHAEL

The Archangel Michael is only mentioned three times in the Bible.  In Daniel 10:13-21 and 12:1.

The prophet Daniel experiences a vision after going through a period of fasting.  In the vision an angel identifies Michael as the protector of Israel.  Later in the vision Daniel is informed about the role of Michael during the "Time of the End" when there will be "distress such as not happened from the beginning of nations" and that:

At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. 

In the book of Revelation during the war in heaven Michael leads God's armies against Satan's forces and defeats Satan.

Because of this Michael is seen as playing an important role as the protector of Israel and later of the Christian Church.

DANIEL

Daniel's early life demonstrates that there is more to being young than making mistakes.  No characteristic wins the hearts of adults more quickly than wisdom in the words and actions of a young person.  Daniel and his friends had been taken from their homes in Judah and exiled.  Their futures were in doubt, but they all had personal traits that qualified them for jobs as servants inn the king's palace.  They took advantage of the opportunity without letting the opportunity take advantage of them.

Our first hint of Daniel's greatness comes in his quiet refusal to give up his convictions.  He had applied God's will to his own life, and he resisted changing the good habits he had formed.  Both his physical and spiritual diets were an important part of his relationship with God.  He ate carefully and lived prayerfully.  One of the benefits of being in training for royal service was eating food from the king's table.  Daniel tactfully chose a simpler menu and proved it was a healthy choice.  As with Daniel, mealtimes are obvious and regular test s of our efforts to control our appetites.

While Daniel limited his food intake, he indulged in prayer.  He was able to communicate with God because he made it a habit.  He put into practice his convictions even when that meant being thrown into a den of hungry lions.  His life proved he made the right choice.

Daniel was:

• Although young when deported, remained true to his faith
• Served as an adviser to two Bablyonian kings and two Medo-Persian kings
• Was a man of prayer and a statesman with the gift of prophecy
• Survived the lions den
• Where: Judah and the courts of both Babylon and Persi
• Occupation:  A captive fro Israel who became an adviseer of kings
• Contemporaries:  Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, Mebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, Cyrus

Daniel's story is told in the book of Daniel.  He is also mentioned in Matthew 24:15

MARY (Mother of Jesus)

Young Mary of Nazareth had the unique privilege of being mother to the very Son of God.

Mary was the only human present at Jesus' birth who also witnessed his death.  She saw him arrive as her baby son, and she watched him die as her Savior.

Until Gabriel's unexpected visit, Mary's life was quite satisfactory.  She had recently become engaged to a carpenter, Joseph, and was anticipating married life.  But her life was about to change forever.

Gabriel told her that even though she had never been with a m an she would have a baby and that baby would be God's Son.  Her answer was the one God waits in vain to hear fro so many other people.  "I am the Lord's servant...May it be to me as you have said"  (Luke 1:38).  Later, her song of joy shows us how well she knew God, for her thoughts were filled with his words from the Old Testament.

Within a few weeks of his birth, Jesus was taken to the temple to be dedicated to God.  There, Joseph and Mary were met by two devout people, Simeon and Anna, who recognized the child as the Messiah and praised God.  Simeon directed some words to Mary that must have come to her mind many times in the years that followed.  "A sword will pierce your own soul" (Luke 2:35).  A big part of her painful privilege of motherhood would be to see her son rejected and crucified by the people he came to save.

Mary was:

• The mother of Jesus, the Messiah
• The one human who was with Jesus from birth to death
• Willing to be available to God
• Knew and applied Old Testament scriptures
• Where: Nazareth, Bethlehem
• Occupation:  Homemaker
• Relatives:  Husband-Joseph.  Relatives:  Zechariah and Elizabeth, Children-Jesus, James, Joseph, Judas, Simon and daughters

Mary's story is told throughout the Gospels.  She is also mentioned in Acts 1:14  

JOHN THE BAPTIST

There's no getting around it-John the Baptist was unique.  He wore odd clothes and ate strange food and preached an unusual message to the Judeans who went out to the wastelands to see him.

But John did not aim at uniqueness for his own sake.  Instead, he aimed at obedience.  He knew he had a specific role to play in the world-announcing the coming of the Savior-and he put all his energies into this task.  Luke tells us that John was in the desert when God's word of direction came to him.  John was ready and waiting.  The angel who had announced John's birth to Zechariah had made it clear this child was to be a Nazirite-one set apart for God's service.  John remained faithful to that calling.

This wild-looking man had no power or position in the Jewish political system, but he spoke with amost irresistible authority.  People were moved by his words because he spoke the truth, challenging them to turn from their sins and baptizing them as a symbol of their repentance.  They responded by the hundreds.  But even as people crowded to him, he pointed beyond himself, never forgetting that his main role was to announce the coming of the Savior.

The words of truth that moved many to repentance goaded others to resistance and resentment.  John even challenged Herod to admit his sin.  Herodias, the woman Herod had married illegally, decided to get rid of this desert preacher.  Although she was able to have him killed, she was not able to stop his message.  The One John had announced was already on the move.  John had accomplished his mission.

John was:

• The God-appointed messenger to announce the arrival of Jesus
• A preacher whose theme was repentance
• A fearless confront-er
• Known for his remarkable life-style
• Where: Judea
• Occupation:  Prophet
• Relatives:  Father-Zechariah, Mother-Elizabeth.  Distant relative-Jesus
• Contemporaries:  Herod, Herodias

John's story is told in all four Gospels.  His coming was predicted in Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 4:5, and he is mentioned in Acts 1:5, 22; 10:37, 11:16, 13:24, 25, 18:25, 19:3,4