Resource Manager Posted December 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2016 26 December 2016 Job 35; 36Zechariah 11Revelation 12; 13 “ENDURANCE AND FAITH” “Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints” [Revelation13:10] This statement in Revelation was true then – and it is just as true today, and it is almost certain to become even a guiding principle in the lives of earnest believers before God “shortens” [Matthew 24:22] life on earth by sending the Lord Jesus back here, otherwise no human beings would be left alive. Honesty should compel all dedicated students of God’s word to admit that some things, maybe many things in the Bible are a “challenge” to understand and the history among those striving to be true believers is full of examples of mistakes made in trying to be specific in expounding prophecy, and time has proved them wrong. That said though, it is clear from what is written that there is to be, and has been throughout history, a continuing battle between that which is true and right in relation to God and that which is a human perversion of that truth. It was so in the time of Jesus and we read in several places how Jesus condemned the religious leaders for teaching their own traditions. [Matthew 15:3-6] These are represented in Revelation as a dragon and a beast. We read of a beast that looks somewhat like a lamb [Revelation 13:11] but when it opens its mouth it is clear it is not. It is very much a lesson of life that one never judges simply by appearances! This is why it is essential to read and absorb the teachings of the Bible for ourselves, especially the words of Jesus and the apostles. In past Centuries, those represented by the symbols of the beast and the dragon, often persecuted those who followed the lamb and sometimes they became martyrs – as some of the first disciples eventually did. Revelation pictures this in some places. Today, as well as seeing those who think Christ accepts them as his followers teaching things which Christ did not teach, we also have to contend with human imaginations that we are just the highest form of animal life! That all that exists has evolved by pure chance – an incredible accident – and there is no Creator! As a result there is even greater immoral behaviour now – there is “no fear of God before their eyes” [Romans 3:18]. So the call for “endurance and faith” goes out today more than ever. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted December 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2016 27 December 2016 Job 37Zechariah 12Revelation 14 “LOOK ON … HIM WHOM THEY HAVE PIERCED” First we note that there are no less than nine times the phrase “on that day” today occurs in just 15 verses in Zechariah 12 through to the first 2 verses of Zechariah 13. We note the prelude to these pronouncements, “Thus declares the LORD who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him” [Zechariah 12:1]. These words fascinate us as a way to announce the character of God, a declaration of his absolute almightiness as the originator of all that exists. It is the first “on that day” that has particularly captivated the attention of believers throughout our lifetime. “On that day” we read, “I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.” [Zechariah 12:3] Jerusalem was the centre of attention in the Middle East, attracting the attention of the whole world from when Israel became a nation again in 1948 after being “dead” since AD 70. The USA tried hard to “lift” the “stone” to solve the problem the diplomatic headaches in earlier years: but made no real progress. The influences of Islamic countries have grown greater and it now seems clear that someday, maybe soon, an “explosion” will occur. The next “on that day” is when God “will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness” [Zechariah 12:4] Today men have invented a great variety of “vehicles” to replace the horse. They get around at great speed. What is this madness? We suspect it means totally irrational behaviour, especially in the surrounding nations, in a situation which suddenly gets totally out of control. Now notice the declaration in the next verse. “The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the LORD of hosts their God.” We are strongly inclined to believe this happens because of diviner intervention when God pours out on “Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him they have pierced, they shall mourn …” [Zechariah 12:10] This portrays the wonder of the return of Christ, with the Jews at last recognising their Messiah. But Zechariah 13:8-9 appear to indicate they first experience a traumatic time when God will “refine them”. There is then an incredible turnaround of events as “the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives” [Zechariah 14:4] which is where Jesus ascended from [Acts 1:9-12] But also “on that day there shall be a fountain opened for … the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness” [Zechariah 13:1] The most momentous climax possible - to human history is soon to happen. Will you be there on that day?-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted December 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2016 28 December 2016 Job 38Zechariah 13; 14Revelation 15; 16 “BEHOLD A DAY IS COMING …” Today’s reading of the last chapter of the prophet Zechariah starts with, “Behold a day is coming …” and our reading in Revelation contains the only verse in the Bible with the word ARMAGEDDON. False spirits (attitudes?) “ … go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God Almighty. Behold I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake … and they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon” [Revelation 16:14-16] That word “Armageddon” has cropped up in our Newspapers quite a lot, sometimes in relation to climate change and the potential for more fearsome, indeed awesome weather events. It was used in relation to the world-wide financial crisis 8 years ago, which is still far from solved. AAP reported some years ago, ”In a new record, Australians now owe more in household debt that the country’s entire economy earns in a year” The world’s economy has been revved up to work on massive spending – continuously. This is the NOW generation, ‘we must have it NOW.’ The crisis has been “solved” by Governments throwing a heap of largely borrowed money at the problem. Of course, money is no longer gold and silver, which was its foundation, even 100 years ago. It is fascinating to see the sense in which money is the “beast” - which people worship. We note that a replica (image) of this beast arises and this chapter which tells how harmful and painful sores (symbol of what?) came upon those who bore the mark of the beast and worshipped its image.” [Revelation 16:2] Zechariah’s chapter also describes Armageddon without using the word! “Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations … the mount of Olives shall be split in two” [Zechariah 14:3-4] A world shaking earthquake occurs, see Revelation 16:18; “a great earthquake such as there has never been since man was on earth” – and the “day” will have come! But then, says Zechariah, “the LORD will be King over all the earth … then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship in King, the LORD of Hosts …” [Zechariah 14:9,16]. We have read almost the same in Revelation, “Who will not fear O Lord and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you for your righteous acts have been revealed.” [Revelation 15:4] Blessed are those who are awake and ready for what God will cause to happen. (see Revelation 16:15)-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted December 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2016 29 December 2016 Job 39Malachi 1Revelation 17; 18 “WHAT A WEARINESS THIS IS” Malachi is the last prophet God sent to his people Israel before John the Baptist and Christ came on the scene. After Malachi there is silence in Israel, no inspired man from God appears. Of course the records of the messages of the prophets are available; indeed they are carefully preserved as we can see from the discovery of so many scrolls in the caves by the Dead Sea in 1947-50. So was there anything significant in the message God sent through the last prophet? The first half of his short book is a lament by God that the people only give in sacrifice to him what we might call the ‘leftovers.’ The prophet’s message is, “You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the LORD. Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished.” [Malachi 1:13-14] Have these words any application today for those who say they believe and serve God? They certainly have! While there is no temple for us to bring our offerings, there is a spiritual temple. Paul wrote, “We are the temple of the living God; as God said, I will make my dwelling among them …” [2 Corinthians 6:16]. Paul made the same point to the believers at Ephesus saying that, “In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” [Ephesians 2:22] Gatherings of believers must sense the wonder of this happening, the wonder of God’s involvement in their lives. But do many only give to God the leftovers of their time, especially today? Do some feel, as we read in Malachi, “What a weariness this is” [Malachi 1:13] when they feel obliged to find some time to use in a spiritual way. Malachi says that God even felt it would be better if someone “would shut the doors” to the temple so they “might not kindle fire on my altar in vain.” [Malachi 1:10]. So if we only wearily give to God our ‘left over’ time will not God also say of us, “I have no pleasure in you … I will not accept an offering”. If we struggle to fit in time, and often do not succeed, in joining with fellow believers in acts of worship and in the reading and study of God’s word, will God not have the same attitude toward us as he did in the days of Malachi? If we make a New Year’s resolution on this – how quickly will it be broken? It depends on how well we sense the presence of God. As we read the climax of the book of Job we will see a challenging lesson there.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted December 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2016 30 December 2016 Job 40Malachi 2Revelation 19; 20 "FOR THE FINE LINEN IS ..." Although the book of Revelation contains much symbolic language we can build up a framework of understanding from the definitions it provides. We have now reached the climax and see the vindication of those who faithfully serve him in spite of all the opposition and challenges to faith they have variously encountered in the spiritual battles in their lives. We now read of the appearing of the Lamb of God, our Saviour and Lord. His dramatic return to earth is described in several parts of the New Testament. What follows this!? What fear many experience, but what rejoicing is experienced by the faithful remnant. John tells us how he hears “what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure’ – for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.” [Revelation 19:6-8] Paul had told believers that they were espoused to Christ to become his bride [Romans 7:4; 2 Corinthians 11:2]. John, in his Gospel tells us that John the Baptist, when he met Jesus, said he “rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice” [John 3:29]. The bride is made up of all the truly committed believers and, as Jesus said in a parable [Matthew 25:6], they are those with their lamps (and garments) ready who go out to meet their returning bridegroom. Look up and meditate on Isaiah 61:10. Revelation 19 proceeds to describe the other role of Christ at his return; “in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire … from his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God …” [Revelation 19:11,12,15] Revelation 20 describes how the bride “will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years” [Revelation 20:6]. The end of this chapter makes the sobering statement that “if anyone’s name is not found written in the book of life, he was thrown in the lake of fire” and that “this is the second death” – so we are left in no doubt as to what that lake symbolises. Revelation 19:20 told us that all the evil powers and those who had “received the mark of the beast” were also thrown in the lake of fire. In contrast, those “who have not soiled their garments” - they have “fine linen.” Because of this Jesus says I “will never blot his name out of the book of life.” [Revelation 3:4,6] Let us keep our “linen” fine, because we are faithful members of “his Bride (who) has made herself ready” [Revelation 19:7]-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted December 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2016 31 December 2016 Job 41; 42Malachi 3; 4Revelation 21; 22 “BUT NOW MY EYE SEES YOU” An abundance of challenging and inspiring thoughts occur in our minds as we complete our readings for the year. In Revelation we read, “Behold, I am making all things new.” [Revelation 21:5] and as part of this wonderful future is the promise, “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” [Revelation 21:7] Son? Those in the kingdom we will be “equal to angels” [Luke 20:36] and the ultimate purpose of God will occur when, literally, “there is no male and female, for … all (will be) one in Christ Jesus.” [Galatians 3:28] Back in Revelation we are told the fate of those who fail to qualify! They will experience “the second death.” May this NOT apply to any who are reading this! We read, “as for the cowardly, the faithless … the sexually immoral … and all liars, their portion will be … the second death” [Revelation 21:8] All of these will be among those raised to life, but they will those who have failed to live a Christ-like life. Paul warned about this in writing to Timothy, “the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith … through the insincerity of liars …” [1 Timothy 4:1-2] All those who believe “the truth” must speak the truth at all times, see Ephesians 4:25. What a heritage awaits “the one who conquers” – and the foundation for doing this is laid now is living a life which “conquers” the flesh, and one vital part in this is to “speak (and write) the truth” at all times. We completed reading Job today – and “the truth” was his aim in life and Job is comforted at last with seeing the reality of God – and how utterly humbling this is! He says, “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself …” [Job 42:5-6] Job is blessed because he had spoken of God “what is right” [Job 42:7] One day – how soon (?) - we will say to our Lord “now my eye sees you!” Can we “picture” our feelings!? Difficult – no, impossible! We recall Isaiah’s reaction [isaiah 6:5] to seeing “the Lord sitting upon a throne …” (and Isaiah) said “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King”. Can we imagine Isaiah’s feelings? And ours - when we have this experience! How soon now? -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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