I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Zechariah says to watch for the day of the Lord is coming. When it does, the nations will gather to attack Jerusalem and the city will be sacked. After Jerusalem is sacked, God Himself will do battle against the nations on behalf of Jerusalem and His people. Once again I find this passage reminding me of passages in Revelation, yet when I read closer I see differences which suggest that this prophecy refers to something different than the similar passage in Revelation (although I am less convinced of that here than in the other passages). Zechariah tells us that on that day, God will strike down those who oppose His people and His power and show the entire world that He is the only one to worship.
Zechariah describes a plague which will strike all of the nations which go to war against Jerusalem. The description sounds much like the Zombie Apocalypse image from many horror movies. Those who survive the plague will go up to Jerusalem each year to worship God. Any nation which refuses to worship God will suffer drought and a resurgence of the plague. I had never realized that the first description of the “zombie apocalypse” was in the Bible. This passage paints a scary image, but it also paints a picture of hope. It describes a day when all of the world will worship God, when people will no longer doubt the existence, might and goodness of God. In that day the effects of fighting against God will be quickly and clearly evident to anyone. Yet even today, the negative consequences of opposing God can be seen by anyone willing to look. Unfortunately very few are willing to look. All too many seem to think that there is no connection between sin and the negative consequences of sin, that if science advances just a little further no one will ever again need to suffer the consequences of their sins. Rather than learning that the way to avoid the consequences of sin is to avoid the sin, they seek a way to “cure” the consequences of the sin. Such an attitude turns us into walking corpses (figuratively even if not necessarily literally).
Following the battle between the Rider who is the King of all Kings and the armies of the beast, the writer tells us that an angel came down from heaven and bound the dragon who is the devil. Once he had bound the devil the angel threw him into the bottomless pit for one thousand years. After the devil has been cast into the bottomless pit, those who have been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and the word of God will be resurrected. They will reign with Christ for a thousand years. At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released from the bottomless pit. When he is released from the bottomless pit, Satan will gather the armies of the world on a broad plain surrounding God’s people and the “beloved city” (which is generally another term for Jerusalem). Fire will come down from heaven and destroy them. The devil will then be cast into the lake of fiery sulphur along with the beast and the false prophet. This passage certainly bears resemblance to the passage we read from Zechariah today. The armies of the world gather against Jerusalem, which is now in the middle of a great plain. God uses His mighty power to strike down the armies and defend Jerusalem. Yet there are differences. In Zechariah, the attacking armies are struck by a plague that causes them to re-enact a zombie apocalypse scene. In Revelation, God strikes down the attacking armies with fire from heaven.
Once Satan has been cast into the lake of fire, God will raise the dead for a final judgment. The books will be opened, including the Book of Life. All who had ever lived will stand before God and be judged according to what they had done. When this judgment is complete, death and the grave will be cast into the lake of fire. The writer tells us that the lake of fire is the second death. After all of humanity has been judged according to their deeds, those whose names are not written in the Book of Life will also be cast into the lake of fire. Perhaps I am reading too much into this, but I noticed that the judgment for our deeds is one step. We will all be judged according to our deeds. But after the judgment, those whose names are recorded in the Book of Life will be spared from the second death. We will all have to account for our actions before God. I can and will make no defense of my sins. All I can do is throw myself on God’s mercy in Jesus’ name.
Today’s psalm is a psalm of praise. It calls on all created beings and things to praise God. When I read this psalm I think of the wonder of God. It reminds me of the beauty and awe I feel when I spend time in nature. Whether it is locally or when I visited the Grand Canyon, the grandeur of looking at nature puts me in awe of how great our God is. This psalm evokes those same feelings of awe and wonder.
Today’s proverb calls on us to speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves. It calls on us to seek justice to those who are powerless to mount their own defense. We should use what power we have to ensure that those who have less power than us receive justice. This is not just a matter of seeing to it that those who are accused of a crime have an opportunity to defend themselves against the accusations. It is also a matter of seeing that victims of oppression and injustice receive a voice. We are to call for judgment against the powerful when they use their power to victimize the weak.