January 1

Revelation 19-22
The Bible ends where it started.  God is on the throne and there is victory for all who choose to follow Him.  I find it extremely comforting to know that John will be in heaven.  Even after being a Christian for more than seventy years, being an apostle, being so very close to Jesus, in his human frailty, he worships an angel.  The angel is quick to rebuke him, but it reminds me of God’s unfailing love and mercy.  He takes us weak and sinful creatures to be His very own, in spite of our weakness!  Near the end of Revelation, John records: The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let those who hear say, “Come!” Let those who are thirsty come; and let all who wish take the free gift of the water of life.  For all who have traveled this journey with me throughout 2012, I can find no better words to leave you with!

December 31

Revelation 12-18
In the 14th chapter, verses eleven and twelve, it reads: “There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.  This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.”  As I read this I had to ask myself, why does this call for patient endurance?  And then it struck me.  Those who keep God’s commands love everyone.  Therefore, the suffering of anyone would be painful to witness.  There is another verse in the Revelation that tells us God will wipe away all tears.  This indicates that there will be tears.  It is my conviction that our tears will be for those who going to suffer eternal torment in hell.  Even though we will know that it is God’s will, it will still hurt us to see them in torment.  It will take the Lord’s special powers to help us overcome this grief.  Of course, you are free to disagree with my interpretation, as this is not a salvation issue, and therefore, open to interpretation.

December 30

Revelation 6-11
I do not pretend to even come close to being able to interpret any prophecy, much less John’s Revelation.  However, there is one section that needs no interpretation: They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”  When God decides to execute His judgment there will be no hiding place, no defense.  Conversely, for those who are saved, there is no thing or one who will be able to change that.  The saved will be just that, saved!  Whereas, the condemned will only be looking at the wrath of God, and nothing can alter that fact.

December 29

Revelation 1-5
Perhaps the most controversial book in the Bible, Revelation holds truths that are to be ingrained and honored.  It is filled with prophetic language that is difficult to interpret, and I will not even begin to pretend that I fully understand all that is written.  Having said that, I do understand the first three chapters quite well.  Jesus addresses the seven churches of Asia.  He has problems with six of them.  Yet, He calls all seven of them His church.  I dare say that many Christians would have trouble offering their hand in fellowship to some of these churches.  And, in their refusal to fellowship, they would be going against the will of God.  Jesus clearly states, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.”  If He loves them, dare we do any less?  True, He calls them to repentance, but He still loves them and calls them His own.  The divisions we have in Christendom are to our shame.  As the church of God, we need to repent, and promote unity in the love of Christ.

December 28

2 John 1
3 John 1
There are many who are always pointing to one sign or another that the antichrist is coming.  However, John writes, “Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.”  Thus, the antichrist is not one person, but many.  Furthermore, the antichrist has been around for nearly two thousand years, and will continue to be around until the coming of our Lord and the end of this age.  I guess it makes for good drama to point to one person, and varying signs and wonders pointing to that one person.  But, truth is not about drama.  Rather, truth is found in Jesus Christ and His teachings.

December 27

1 John 1-5
There are so many interesting points made in this letter that it would take a small book to cover them all.  However, there are two that I am led to address.  Both have to do with our eternal security.  At the beginning we read that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  In the original language, the tense for confess is past, whereas the tense for cleanse is a flowing tense.  In other words, when we confessed that we are a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness, He began cleansing us, and continues to do so, much like a flowing river, it never stops.  The other aspect of our eternal security is found near the end of the letter when the author tells us that he has written these things so that we might know that we have eternal life.  Our confidence is not in ourselves, it is in the Lord.  It is in His righteousness that we are able to stand, and can confidently acknowledge that we have eternal life!

December 26

2 Peter 1-3
Jude
These two letters so closely parallel one another, one might be lead to believe they were both written by the same person. At the very least, one author had read the other's letter before writing his. All of which is immaterial, given that both are included in the canon containing the inspired word of God. What is important is our growth in understanding the Bible. 2 Peter ends with this injunction: "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." Unfortunately, many Christians seldom read scripture, and are, therefore, ignorant of much of the truth revealed. They depend wholly on others, receiving interpretation that is open to error. Thus, some are misled and project a false impression of our Lord. We need to be actively engaged in the reading, study, and meditation over the Word. May it never be said that any of us are at the same place we were when we received the salvation of our souls!