From: December 22, 2025
“For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day” (Zechariah 3:9 ESV).
Zechariah spoke to a returned, but discouraged, remnant in Judah, assuring them that God Himself would lay a stone before Joshua the high priest as the secure foundation for His restored people. This stone anticipated a divinely appointed, messianic cornerstone who would be personally engraved by God and, in one decisive day, would remove the iniquity of the land.
In the wider sweep of Scripture, this stone corresponds to the “precious cornerstone” laid in Zion in Isaiah 28:16 and the rejected-but-exalted stone of Psalm 118:22, later applied to Christ by the apostles (cf. 1 Pet. 2:6-8). The engraving hints at the suffering of the Servant, fulfilled when Jesus Christ, the Lamb with seven eyes (the fullness of the Spirit), was pierced for our sins and, by His once‑for‑all sacrifice, took away sin in a single, finished work.
As we consider this engraved Stone, we remember that our standing before God rests not on our performance but on a once‑laid, unshakable foundation. We may feel like the returned exiles—weak, compromised, and aware of many failures—yet God points us, not to ourselves, but to His chosen Cornerstone who has already borne our iniquity.
So we can respond in faith, refusing to build our lives on the shifting sands of self‑effort, but instead on the solid rock of Christ’s finished work on the cross. For He is our precious Cornerstone and upon Him we are joined together with all the saints, growing into God’s holy temple (cf. Eph. 2:19-21).
PRAYER: Dear Father, we praise You for setting before us the true Stone, Your beloved Son, engraved for our iniquity. Help us live as those whose sin has been removed in that one day, resting in His finished work and building everything on Him. Anchor our church, our homes, and our hearts to this unshakable cornerstone, that Your glory might be seen in us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: December 22, 2024
“And all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 13:8 ESV).
John’s prophecy tells of a figure that will recover from a “mortal wound” (Rev. 13:3), that will unite the world in worshiping him. This individual is called the Beast or the Antichrist. He is a counterfeit christ empowered by Satan to deceive the world during the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation. Yet, those whose names are written in the Lamb’s “Book of Life” will not worship him, for they know and follow the true Christ.
How does one keep from being deceived by a counterfeit? By knowing and believing in the genuine article. For Jesus is the Lamb of God whose sacrifice was in the mind of God before He made the world. His first advent was so certain in God’s plan that it was as if it had already happened. Those who believe in the Lamb of God will find their names written in the Book of Life.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we desire to worship You alone. We will not give our worship to another. Empower us to have discernment of false idols and counterfeit worship. Help us to give wholehearted worship to Christ alone, who is the Lamb of God. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: December 22, 2023
‘The Lord says, “Shout and rejoice, O beautiful Jerusalem, for I am coming to live among you”‘ (Zechariah 2:10 NLT).
The book of Zechariah is filled with Messianic prophecies about the “coming” of the LORD. Israel was called to “shout and rejoice” in anticipation of His coming. This prophecy was partially fulfilled in the incarnation. As John proclaimed, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Yet Israel as a nation did not receive Him, but handed Him over to be crucified.
“But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God” (John 1:12). Now God’s children sing and rejoice because Christ has come and is coming again. And on that day when Christ returns to dwell among us, Zechariah’s prophecy that beautiful Jerusalem would rejoice will finally be fulfilled. For Israel will finally recognize and receive Him as their Messiah and King.
The word “advent” means the arrival or coming of someone or something notable. This is Advent: Christ has come and is coming again.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we celebrate the coming of Christ and look forward in hope to His soon return. We sing and rejoice that He has come and taken away our sin. We look forward to that Day when we shall live with Him forever. Strengthen us to proclaim this good news until His return. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: December 22, 2022
KINGS ARE BORN IN PALACES BUT LAMBS IN A MANGER
In John’s revelation, the curtain between heaven and earth was pulled back and he saw events from God’s perspective. From God’s eternal, beyond time, point of view, the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world. For Jesus is the Lamb of God whose sacrifice was in the mind of God before He made the world. His first advent was so certain in God’s plan that it was as if it had already happened.
In the same way, God already knows the names of those who will be in the Lamb’s Book of Life. How does one find their name there? Those who believe in the Lamb of God will find their names written in the Book of Life. Those who do not believe, will not. Those who believe in the Lamb will worship Him. Those who do not believe are of this world and will worship the things of this world.
This Christmas, let us look and see the story of Christ’s birth from God’s perspective. Jesus is the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. The cross overshadows the cradle. This Lamb, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, came to die in our place.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank you that You so loved us that You gave Your only begotten to die for us. He is our Lamb. We have believed in Him. Strengthen us to worship Him in Spirit and Truth this Christmas. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: December 22, 2016
John’s prophecy tells of a figure that will recover from a “mortal wound” (Rev. 13:3), that will unite the world in worshiping him. This individual is sometimes called the Beast or the Antichrist. He is a counterfeit christ sent by Satan to deceive the world during the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation. Yet, those whose names are written in the Lamb’s “Book of Life” will not worship him, for they know and follow the true Christ. How do you keep from being deceived by a counterfeit? By knowing and believing in the genuine article.