Today, I am reading and commenting on Revelation 20-22.

I have trouble understanding the first part of today’s passage, where Satan will be bound in the Abyss for a thousand years while Christ rules over the earth.  At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released and gather the people of the earth for battle against God’s people.  That’s the part I have trouble understanding, how does Satan fool people into following him after a thousand years of Christ’s reign?  I suppose it speaks a bit to the foolishness of mankind.  Of course, if those who have experienced a thousand years of Christ’s reign over the earth might rise up in rebellion against God, then we should not be surprised by those today who refuse to accept Christ despite having His existence, death, and resurrection clearly shown to them.

Having said that, the short description of God’s judgement given here is a quite eloquent presentation of God’s grace.  On that final day, the books which record all of everyone’s actions will be opened and people will be judged on the basis of those actions.  But alongside of those books another book will be opened, the Book of Life.  The Book of Life does not record anyone’s actions.  It only records the names of those who accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on their behalf.  And everyone whose name does not appear in that Book will be judged, according to their actions, as deserving of the second death.  Those whose names DO appear in the Book of Life will inhabit the new earth which God will cause to come forth to replace the currently existing earth.  They will be comforted and their will be no more death, pain, or suffering for those who reside there with God.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Revelation 17-19.

The description of the beast mentioned in this passage resembles the description of the beast which rose out of the sea in chapter 13, but I do not think it is intended to be viewed as the same beast.  Perhaps more accurately I would say that the events related to the beast in chapter 13 are not intended to be connected to the events described in the vision in today’s passage.  Many years ago I had come across the idea that the seven heads of this beast represented the seven hills upon which the city of Rome is built.  Since then I have always thought that the writer of this book was thinking of Rome when he wrote this.  Since I do believe that this is a description of a vision which John had, I did not believe that John’s understanding of it as applying to Rome necessarily means that it does indeed mean that it refers to Rome.  Today when I read it I noticed that it refers to “the beast” as “once was, now is not, and yet will come.”  In addition, I remembered that Jerusalem was sometimes referred to as “Babylon” in prophetic writings in the Bible.  Finally I read that the woman was drunk with the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.  Which leads me to think that John was thinking of the Jews who rejected Jesus when he wrote about this vision.

I wrote the above thinking it was going somewhere.  In any case, this account of the beast and the woman reflects how those who make war against the Lamb will go down into defeat,.  While His called, chosen, and faithful followers will be invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb and thus be blessed.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Revelation 9-12.

In John’s vision, after the fifth angel blows his trumpet a great suffering is inflicted on those who do have not received God’s seal, on those who refuse to listen His commands and obey them.  Then after the sixth angel blows his trumpet yet more suffering is inflicted on mankind such that a third of the people are killed.  Even after these two events the remaining people did not repent of their idolatry and evil.  While John’s vision is about the end times, I think this message is one for all time.  Most of the time people do not see the connection between their sin and their suffering.  Instead of turning from the wicked behaviors which have led to their suffering, they often double down and engage in even more wicked behavior.  They become convinced that if they just dedicate themselves more fully to the things to which they have turned for meaning and fulfillment, things which failed to provide that in the first place, those things will give them what they desire and relieve them of their suffering.  Whether the end of the world is coming or just the end of our lives, the time we have to communicate to those we love that they need to turn to God is running out.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Revelation 4-8.

I usually prefer to write about how the passage gives us lessons on how we should live our lives, but today’s passage is full of symbolism which I want to write about.  The first is “the seven spirits of God”, which the translators’ notes suggest could be translated as “the sevenfold Spirit of God.”  Personally, I think the latter is a more accurate translation of the writer’s meaning.  I mentioned that in passing yesterday.  Today I am going to go a little more in-depth. So, why would the Holy Spirit be referred to as “the sevenfold Spirit”?  The number seven in the Bible refers to completion, perfection, and/or fulfillment.  In the case of the Holy Spirit, all three meanings apply.  The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, brings perfection, completion, and fulfillment.  He is also all three of those things.  Next I want to note that the Sevenfold Spirit was in front of the throne upon which God the Father sat.  However, the Lamb which was slain, which was also the Lion of Judah, had seven horns and seven eyes which were also the Sevenfold Spirit of God.  In this passage about John’s vision the Holy Spirit was with both the Father and with  the Son.  My point here is that, despite what some say, the Bible does indeed present the idea of the Trinity, God in Three Persons.

When I started I thought I would write about some other things, but I am going to stop here.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Revelation 1-3.

This morning I want to go over what John wrote in his introduction to his letter.  As I read it this morning it evoked a sense of awe in me.  First, I want to point out that I think the translation of verse four in the NIV is incorrect.  The NIV translates verse 4 and five as, “Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits^[a] before his throne,  and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.”  That little {a} references a translators’ note which says, “That is, the sevenfold Spirit.”  So, verses four and five here are an outright reference to the Trinity.  First it references the Father, “Him who is, and who was, and who is to come.”  Then it references the Holy Spirit, “the sevenfold Spirit before His throne.” (The “His” whose throne is referenced is the Father).  Finally, it references Jesus, and in doing so indicates that He is also God.

But it was verse seven which really spoke to me today.
“Look He is coming with the clouds.”
We usually read that as being about Jesus’ second coming, and I think that is generally the correct reading.  However, today I thought that perhaps that is too narrow of a reading.  I think we should also call that out to people today, people who need to see and understand the glory of God in Jesus.  Every eye will indeed see Him, but those of us who see Him now, before that glorious day when He comes in judgement of the earth, are blessed.  When you see clouds in the sky, think about the fact that Jesus came with the clouds, and that He holds the keys of death and of the place of the dead.  Jesus died and rose from the dead, and now He holds the keys to free all of us from death.  I want to go back once more to the statement that “Every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him.”  Again, that is not just about at His second coming.  Many will see Him before that, even from among those who chose to reject Him.  There are those, such as Paul while he was still Saul, who reject Jesus only to see Him “coming with the clouds” and turn to follow Him.  Just as rainbows are a sign to us that God will never again destroy the entire world with a flood, so are clouds a sign to us that Jesus died and rose again and is now here for us for eternity.  The clouds are a sign that we should preach His gospel to those who reject Him, because His Spirit will strike down some of those as Saul was struck down outside of Damascus.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.