December 31, 2014
“And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:5 NLT).
“Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6 NLT).
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised” (Proverbs 31:30 NLT).
As we finish up the OYB readings for 2014, here are verses from each reading from the last books of the Old and New Testaments and the last chapters of Psalms and Proverbs. As I’m sure others have noticed, even though the Bible is made up of sixty-six books, it has an amazing unity. Though it was written over a period of over fifteen hundred years, in three distinct languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) on three separate continents (Africa, Asia, and Europe), by at least forty human writers from vastly differing fields, perspectives, and backgrounds, it still reads as one book. Why? Because they all wrote under the direction of the one Spirit of God.
Notice in the above four verses the unifying themes: Fear of God, praise of God, eternal life, the Lord as our light, eternal reward… Perhaps the Proverbs 31 reading seems a little out of place, until we consider that the bride is often a metaphor for the Church. Taken in this way, the Proverbs reading joins in the harmonious chorus of Christ and His Bride enjoying all of eternity together.
December 30, 2014
Do you ever question God’s love? The exiled Jews that had returned to Jerusalem did. They were happy to be home again, yet they were still under Persian rule and the former glory of their city was a mere memory. They wondered, how has God “loved us?” God’s reply through His prophet Malachi is both startling and mysterious: “I loved Jacob,” but hated his twin brother Esau. In other words, God chose to love them with an exclusive love long before they were even born. Like a groom who chooses his bride, rejecting all others, so God chose Jacob (Israel) and rejected Esau. It is God’s choosing to love us that makes it possible for us to respond. God’s love initiates. As Jesus told His disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (John 15:16). When Paul explained how God has loved us to the Romans, he wrote, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). How has God loved us? By choosing to love us when we were unlovable.
December 29, 2014
There is much debate about the meaning of Revelation chapter 20 and its description of the millennial kingdom (1,000 years reign). Yet, most agree on the interpretation concerning the “Book of Life.” If your name is in the Book, you have eternal life. If your name isn’t in the book, you are condemned to experience the second death, which is eternal separation from God in Hell. I remember singing a song in church when I was young that went like this: ““My name is in the book of Life, oh bless the name of Jesus; I rise above all doubt and strife, And read my title clear. I know, I know, My name is there; I know, I know, My name is written there.” Is your name written there?
December 28, 2014
The prophet Zechariah wrote around 520 BC. This was 500 years before Christ and 2500 years before the present age. His little book is filled with Messianic prophecies. Here, we see a Messianic reference to “an only son,” a “firstborn” who the people of Israel would “look on” and finally acknowledge as the Messiah whom they had “pierced.” Recognizing Him they would “mourn” and “grieve bitterly.” Certainly, the prophecy that they would pierce the Son has already come to pass at Christ’s crucifixion. But that they would acknowledge Him and mourn has only partially come true. A great outpouring of the Spirit took place at Pentecost and thousands of Jews were saved. Yet, most Jews have rejected Christ. Zechariah’s prophecy points to a future time when a great spiritual awakening will take place among the Jews, so that they embrace Christ as their Messiah. This will happen before true peace comes to Jerusalem.
December 27, 2014
God revealed the fall of Babylon to John. Since the actual city of Babylon had fallen to the Persians over 500 years before John’s Revelation, this must be taken as a symbolic reference to a future event. Some see Babylon as symbolizing Rome (historic view), others see the city of New York, but a more convincing view is that Babylon symbolizes the world economic system. In this view, a sign of the end times is that the world will have a unified world economy that makes nations and merchants wealthy, while others are enslaved by it. Ultimately, Babylon will fall. Those who depend on the world’s economy will be disappointed. Those who depend on God’s provision will be satisfied.
December 26, 2014
Christianity is always only one generation away from extinction. God does not have grandchildren. The faith must be passed on like a baton in a relay race. The Israelites who took possession of the Promised Land were faithful, but they forgot the command to pass their faith on to their children. So, the author of the book of Judges observed: “After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10). Every good parent wants their children to be well educated. But every godly parent knows that the most important task is to teach their children of God’s “mighty acts.”
December 25, 2014
Everyone has a god, someone/something they idolize and worship. The atheist worships reason, the hedonist bows to pleasure, and the pantheist prays to nature. Yet, all are humanists at heart and have chosen themselves as god and gone their own way. Some will find fleeting moments of happiness and distraction. But only those who have recognized the LORD as God will know true JOY!
December 24, 2014
The vision that God gave the prophet Zechariah has a striking similarity to the one He gave John in the Revelation. Here, the “four spirits” and their chariots are similar to the four horsemen of the apocalypse (Rev. 6). In Zechariah, the four chariots are connected to the four directions of the compass, as God sent them out to “patrol the earth” and administer His justice on the nations. There are many interpretations as to the meaning of these four chariots, yet one thing is clear. They “stand before the Lord” and they go out to “do His work.” God is not a passive observer, nor an absentee landlord of His creation. He is ever-vigilant and active in His sovereignty. And He is not silent. He has revealed His plans to His people. We may not fully understand the details, but we can clearly see the overall arc of the story the Divine Author is writing. One day, the Son of God will judge the living and the dead and all creation will bow to His eternal reign. The rebellion will end and Christ will reign.
December 23, 2014
When we pray to the Lord with understanding we eventually stop praying for what we want and find our wants met in Him. We stop praying for a place of peace and safety and we see that God Himself is our “refuge.” Let the prayers of David guide you on how to pray. Turn down the volume and busyness this Christmas to pray. Pray not until you feel inner peace, but until you are so stirred by God’s radiant glory that you are captured by the amazing light that still points to Christ.
December 22, 2014
“The Branch” is a title referring to a coming King in the line of David. The Davidic line in Zechariah’s day was preserved (in Zerubbabel), but no longer in possession of the throne. A branch is part of a family tree that has yet to reach its climax. One from David’s line would again take the throne, yet in this future day this “Servant/Branch” would be both King and Priest. The high priest, Jeshua (Yeshua, Jesus), and his fellow priests were “symbols of things to come,” they foreshadowed the coming Messiah who would combine the offices of king and high priest and make all of His followers a kingdom of priests with Him. This messianic prophecy is partially fulfilled in Christ’s first coming, but will be completely fulfilled in His soon return.