Today, we are powering through Revelation – our last book!  Today, please read chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6.  Again, nearly impossible to comment on much of anything in a short blog post – we could spend a year in any one book of the Bible all by itself, let alone the entire work in one year!  I’ll point out a few things, and you find a few things too.  We’ll get through it!  Come on back and let’s visit!

“After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ‘Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.’ ” Revelation 4:1

“After” is referring to the previous vision (“these things” that he saw in a vision).  John is “looking” in a vision, and sees a door.  It’s interesting that he goes straight from one vision into another.  As soon as one closes, he looks for the next one immediately.  There doesn’t have to be a delay – God is always speaking to us.

“You are worthy,  O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” Revelation 4:11

The Phillips translation describes this passage as “the ceaseless worship of Heaven”.  I love that. I relate this verse to so many others: Psalm 19:1, Psalm 115:1, Isaiah 6:3, 1 Corinthians 10:31 – the Word is consistent throughout.

“Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood, Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation’ ” Revelation 5:8-9

So much symbolism in Revelation – it can be hard to keep up.  The bowls represent prayers, harps represent worship.

In chapter 6, the 7 seals represent a series of judgements that will be part of a period called the Great Tribulation.  I’m not going to enter the pre-tribulation/post-tribulation debate – I’ll just going to do my best to be ready!  (Someone once said to me, “I’m gonna keep my nose clean if it takes both sleeves! 😉 Amen!). Stay close and trust the Lord!

5 days to go – at this point, every day feels like a milestone, a final countdown.  Wow – we are going to finish together! Please read Jude, and Revelation chapters 1 and 2. Revelation in 5 days?  Crazy – there’s no way to hit it all in a short blog post.  Sometime, let’s dig deeper together – but for now, dig in deep for yourself!  Draw circles, make highlights, underline, pencil in question marks or exclamation points – read and come on back, share some of your notes with me!

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit” Jude 20

Build yourself up.  That’ll preach – we have to be able to do this for ourselves, not wait on someone else to read or pray or study or seek God for us.  No “second hand relationships” here!  I remember back to our Old Testament days, and Moses speaking to the children of Israel: “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it“ (Deuteronomy 30:12-14, emphasis mine).  I think about Paul and the people with the unknown god, telling them “so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27, emphasis mine). What a gift to see the Bible as a whole, all themes and truths so tightly connected.

“on some have compassion, making a distinction” Jude 22

It’s so important to know your intended audience. The only way to effectively minister is through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Make a distinction.

“And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last’ “Revelation 1:17

Jesus ALWAYS brings peace.  He ALWAYS casts out fear.  What are you afraid of today?  Bring it to the Lord.  Compare it to His power.

As we go into the 7 letters, there’s a pattern to take note of, each has these elements:

Statement about Christ

Description of the church

a promise at the end

I love a promise at the end – you and I have one too.

Merry Christmas!  359 days together, wow!  Take a minute from the festivities to read 1 John 4:7-21, 1 John 5, 2 John 1, and 3 John 1.  Knocking out 3 books today!  (Maybe visit Luke 2 while you are here as well, just for Christmas’ sake!) What stands out to you today?  Come on back and let’s visit!

I can’t put all of 1 John 4:7-19, but LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE! Read it again for me, slower this time 🙂

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” 1 John 5:21

1 John 5:21 makes me think of Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”.  We need to keep ourselves from anything that would take first place away from Jesus (anything that takes first place in your life over Christ is an idol).  This is an ACTIVE stance, not passive.  We cannot only move away from the idol, we have to move toward God.  Pressing on toward the goal!

Let’s go ahead and finish Matthew 6:33: “and all these things shall be added unto you”. All the things.  What comfort and joy ❤

Today we are in 1 John – does anyone feel like they need more than a year to take in the entire Bible?  We really do – and so it’s incredible how the Word can be new every day, how we can see something different every time…. We need a lifetime.  Today, let’s read 1 John 1, 2, 3 and 4:1-6. I don’t know how to get through this in just a couple of days – so much here!  Come on back and let’s talk!

Just a few highlights:

“if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” 1 John 1:7

We have fellowship and cleansing from sin IN THE LIGHT. To receive the benefits associated with salvation, we have to live the life of a disciple.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” 1 John 1:9

We have such a sweet promise in Christ: if we confess our sins, we will be forgiven.

“He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” 1 John 2:6

That’s simple to understand, but not easy to achieve: it’s our daily walk, that we ought to model after Christ. Day by day, growing more and more, making progress.  God allows us time to grow. We see the progression in 1 John 2:12-14 as well: little children, fathers, young men….

“Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God” 1 John 3:9

This verse really means that we don’t practice a life of sin (not that we never sin). When God saved us, He also gave us the desire to live a righteous life (His seed). What you invest in will grow – spend your time pursuing a life of holiness, walking just as Jesus walked, and that is what will grow!

Please read 1 Peter 5:12-14, 2 Peter chapters 2, 3 and 4 today.  1 Peter is finished, we have 8 days to go and we’ve finished the entire Bible – can you believe it? Wow – you are amazing!  Come on back and let’s visit!  Just for something a little different, I’ll go from the Phillips today:

“ For this very reason you must do your utmost from your side, and see that your faith carries with it real goodness of life. Your goodness must be accompanied by knowledge, your knowledge by self-control, your self-control by the ability to endure. Your endurance too must always be accompanied by devotion to God; that in turn must have in it the quality of brotherliness, and your brotherliness must lead on to Christian love” 2 Peter 1:5-7 J.B. Phillips

It’s dangerous to stop growing.  If we lack any of “these things”, we’ll forget the cleansing of our sins.  You can see the progression that comes: knowledge, then self-control, then endurance, then devotion, then brotherliness, then Christian love.  Like a roadmap for our spiritual growth, here are the signs!

I relate 2 Peter 2:20-23 to Hebrews 6.  To know the truth and then turn away from it must be the worst.

“But you should never lose sight of this fact, dear friends, that time is not the same with the Lord as it is with us—to him a day may be a thousand years, and a thousand years only a day. It is not that he is dilatory about keeping his own promise as some men seem to think; the fact is that he is very patient towards you. He has no wish that any man should be destroyed. He wishes that all men should come to repent.” 2 Peter 3:8-9 J.B. Phillips 

God desires for ALL to come to repentance.  ALL. Fill in any blank – from the best person you can think of (God wants that person) to the worst person you can think of (God wants that person), from any background, from any belief system, from any high or low – God wants that person.  All the more reason for us to operate in love continually.

9 days to go, I can’t believe it. Today we are all in 1 Peter – please read 2:4-25, chapters 3 and 4, and finally 5:1-11. Let’s do a little word study today – my Strong’s concordance is a favorite reference tool!  Come and back and let’s visit!

In the King James version, the word “precious” in 1 Peter 2:4 and 2:7 caught my eye:

“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious” 1 Peter 2:4

“Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious” 1 Peter 2:7

In 2:4, “precious” refers to us.  Strongs #1784: held in honor or prized.  You are held in honor by God, prized by Him.  How powerful.  How humbling, really.

In 2:7, “precious” refers to Jesus. Strongs #5092: honor by reason or rank or office, value of price paid, highest degree of honor.

We are precious because we are chosen.  Jesus is precious because of His sacrifice.  Our believing and trusting in Him makes Him more precious in our sight. “Value of price paid” – let that sink in for a moment.  If your value is determined by the price paid for you, just imagine: the Blood of Christ paid that price!  What could be more precious?

“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,  having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation” 1 Peter 2:11-12

You cannot be victorious in battle while there is an inner struggle going on in your soul.  To put it bluntly: we need a different level of character to be victorious at a different level of battle.

I relate 2:24 to Isaiah 53:5 – another place where a simple word is important: did you notice the change in tense?  In the OT, Isaiah says “by His stripes we are healed”.  In 1 Peter, Paul quotes it was “by His stripes we were healed.”  I love that.  By the time Paul wrote it, the prophecy had been fulfilled by the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Our healing was done, it is available to us now: we were healed by Jesus’ sacrifice. It is finished.

I highlighted 2:21 and 4:7 too – I’ve just already written too long today!

How do we only have 10 days left in our reading? Are you planning to read through the Bible again next year? 🙂

Today, we are finishing Hebrews and starting 1 Peter. It’s a whirlwind! Please read Hebrews 13, 1 Peter 1 and 1 Peter 2:1-3. Come on back and let’s visit!

“But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” Hebrews 13:16 NKJV

So simple! “Don’t forget to do good and share!” There’s a preschool lesson for you, and one that will serve you well your entire life!

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:6-9

We can rejoice through trials because we know they serve a purpose. We can rejoice through trials because we were given this heads up: the Lord is with us, even when times are hard (and there will be hard times). We can rejoice through trials because they are producing precious faith. They are a season. Is today a hard day? Remind yourself of this!

“searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow” 1 Peter 1:11

It’s surely a comfort that nothing is a surprise. Paul means to communicate the truth, the Lord means for us to be prepared.

Nearly finishing up Hebrews today – can you believe it? 🙂 One more chapter to go, and it’s another book down! You are doing GREAT – nearly done with our year-long commitment to the Bible! Please read Hebrews 11 and 12 today. Come on back and let’s visit- what’s your highlight today?

The “Hebrews Hall of Fame” in chapter 11 is familiar territory to us! It hasn’t even been a year since we spent time with these saints, reading their histories and ours in the Word. The impact of their obedience is literally immeasurable.

“After all, your fight against sin has not yet meant the shedding of blood, and you have perhaps lost sight of that piece of advice which reminds you of our sonship in God: ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by him; for whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives’. “Hebrews 12:4-6 Phillips

“After all, your fight against sin has not meant the shedding of blood” – short of that, how can we stop? Jesus paid the ultimate price for us. Going on to verses 5 and 6: our trials are not a punishment, please do not misunderstand. Jesus loves us so!

I relate Hebrews 12:25 to Deuteronomy 5 – God does desire for us to hear His voice.

Please read Hebrews 8, 9 and 10.  We have lots of Old Testament references – I love it.  I wrote down a few – did you see one that I missed? This is our history – it’s important that we know it! Come on back and let’s share!

I love all these references to Moses. We spent so much time with him in the Old Testament, he’s a good friend to us by now. Did you notice these:

Hebrews 8:5 – Exodus 25:8-9
Hebrews 8:6 – Exodus 25:40

“For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” Hebrews 10:1-4 NKJV

“every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” Hebrews 10:11-14 NKJV

Hebrews 10 is literally everything. Other blood cannot remove sins. The Old Testament law was a “shadow”, a hint of what was to come (see – we didn’t spend all that time in the OT for nothing!). When Jesus came, He didn’t destroy the law – He destroyed the curse of sin. Jesus fulfilled and completed the law. One offering, the Blood of Jesus, perfected us forever, cleansed our sins once and for all. If we don’t get anything else, we have to get this.

Please read Hebrews 4:14-16, and Hebrews chapters 5, 6, and 7.  Come on back and let’s visit – does anything stand out to you today?

“that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” Hebrews 4:16

In this sentence, the word “THAT” works like the word “BECAUSE”. It’s important to notice: beyond salvation, why did Jesus have to be tempted in all things? BECAUSE/THAT we need to know that help is available to us and that we are understood.

“Though He was a SON, HE learned obedience by the things He suffered” Hebrews 5:8

Even though Jesus was fully God Himself, He still took on our infirmities and all our temptations and He did have to suffer.  We would be wrong to expect or even assume that we will get out of this life without sufferings. Growth comes through trials. (Will you allow a side note here? We make a mistake sometimes by thinking “if it’s uncomfortable, it must be wrong” or “if it doesn’t make me happy, it must be wrong”.  We make a mistake when we think our comfort and happiness is the goal – our holiness and righteousness is the goal.  Living a life worthy of our calling in Christ is the goal.  Making it to heaven and communicating the Gospel to as many people as we can is the goal.). What an amazing example Jesus sets before us!