The coming of the King and His Kingdom!
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[Thank you to all who have followed this Bible reading plan for 365 days! I began it while in Cambodia and completed it in California looking forward to my next trip to Cambodia. When that is, I am not sure. Lord willing I will go back in late August or early September. It all hinges on funding.
My plan for this website is to begin a new Bible reading plan. Coming soon. Stay tuned.]
In the meantime, check out my daily dose of logos at http://www.dailydoseoflogos.com.
Remember as you read Revelation, it is not chronological and there are parenthetical statements through the book.
Revelation 12-15 go with the chronology of Revelation 6, 8-9, and 11:15-19. Chapter 16-18 continues where 11:19 stops.
Seven Seals are opened.
- The White Horse, through studying the text and making some assumptions this rider is believed to be the Antichrist.
- The Fiery Red Horse, (rider unknown) war breaks out on the earth.
- The Black Horse, (rider unknown) tough to determine the full meaning.
- The Pale Horse, (rider unknown) death takes one-fourth of the earth.
- Persecution.
- The Day of the Lord’s Wrath (6:17).
- Takes place in heaven. Silence. Announcement of the Seven Trumpets.
The 144,000 are sealed. A literal number (Tribes of Israel except for Dan and Ephraim, Deut. 29:18-21).
Seven Trumpets are sounded.
- Hail, fire, and blood.
- Great mountain burning with fire cast into the sea.
- Wormwood. Whatever it is, it causes death from the waters. Bitter.
- Announcement of woe.
- The first woe, a star falls from heaven (Satan?), a bottomless pit opened.
- Four angels loosed (are they good or bad? Perhaps bad?). The army of horsemen (controlled by the four angels?). No repentance (age of Grace has ceased).
- The Kingdoms of this world are become of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever. Today world is still under control of the god of this age. God has taken power but will not begin his reign until Jesus returns and sits on the throne of David.
And the nations were angry.
Whoever reads, and hears, and keeps the words of this prophecy are blessed.
It is a mistake to view the book as a revelation (apocalypse) “by” or “from Jesus” and not “of Jesus.” The NIV and NLT poorly translate it as from Jesus Christ. The book is a revelation of Jesus–Grammatically, Jesus is being revealed and is communicated by an Angel to John.
Seven is the number of perfection.
Questions:
Are the Angels of the seven churches the Pastors?
Are these letters to the Seven Churches futuristic?
Are they seven Jewish assemblies in the Tribulation and not historical or present-day churches?
Here are some principles of Interpretation in Revelation:
- The only sure interpretation is the one given by the text itself, or in an exact use of the term in other Scriptures.
- Meanings drawn from implication may or may not be true, and must be treated as conjecture.
- If a meaning seems to be correct but is not clearly defined, then ask.
– Is there a need to determine meaning?
– Is the conjectured meaning correct the first time the word or phrase appears in Scripture?
– Is the conjectured meaning ever contradicted in Scripture?
Enjoy!
These two brief letters are written by the apostle John in his old age, probably in his nineties. These two short little letters are an encouragement to abide in the sound doctrine of Christ and to watch out for evil that creeps into the church.
Second John is written to a Christian lady. Many have tried to figure out what or who this lady “symbolized.” The standard interpretation is that it is the church, but I see no reason to not take “lady” as a literal unnamed person; she has a sister (vs. 13). In Third John, he addresses a literal man, although named, Gaius. Either way, the message is clear.
The apostle John wrote this letter, along with 2nd and 3rd John, and the Revelation sometime after A.D. 90.
He is an excellent example for older men not to give up, as long as we have breath, and keep serving the Lord.
John shows tenderness in his old age, addressing his readers as his “children.” Men who follow Christ as they mature, become less dogmatic and more sensitive to those around them. John speaks of often of love and writes it, or a form of it, thirty-seven times.
John’s epistle one of how Christians may retain fellowship (not salvation) with the Lord: He is writing to believers (5:13).
Like Paul before, Peter too is aware of his impending death (or martyrdom), yet he remains joyful. Peter however, warns of false teachers who will deny redemption truth.
Jude also foresees a coming apostasy in both the church members and false teachers.
With apostasy sure to surface (and perhaps we are seeing it more and more today), these apostles remain confident in God and His promises.
This is the apostle Paul’s final letter, written about A.D. 66. The following year while a prisoner in Rome, he would be beheaded. The words of a man who knows his death is near carry more weight.
I have fought a good fight, Paul says. I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.
What more could a Christian man or woman seek for their life?
One of the greatest chapters in the Bible is Hebrews chapter 11–We are presented with the heroes of faith. Chapter 12 speaks of running the Christian race, which is certainly applicable for all believers. Finally, the writer leaves us with a great benediction of what the “God of peace” might do for us all.
The writer of Hebrews is unknown. The authorship has been a controversy since the earliest times. There is some evidence the apostle Paul was the author (Hebrews 13:23; 2 Peter 3:15), but it is inconclusive.
The audience for Hebrews is…Jews. If Paul is the author, then this is the only book he wrote when he did not have Gentiles in mind. While the book is not written “to” Gentiles, it has many things “for” Gentiles. Namely, that Jesus Christ is better than Judaism, angels, Moses, Joshua, Aaron.
Its Jewishness should cause us to be cautious when trying to apply it to the Church.
Peter wrote this letter around A.D. 60. It is clear from 1:1,2 he is addressing redeemed Jews in the diaspora. The theme running through the book is preparation for victory over suffering. A quick search reveals Peter uses a form of the word suffering sixteen times. It is a keyword in his epistle.
While written to Jewish believers, we who are non-Jews can see what our conduct should be when we encounter suffering, and we can see what our Christian service can be in light of the coming of the Chief Shepherd (5:1-14).
