December 31

The Revelation to John -- Triumph of Christ and His Church -- Revelation 19:1-21, 20:1-15, 21:1-8; Glory and Grandeur of Heaven -- Revelation 21:9-27, 22:1-5; Epilogue -- Revelation 22:6-21

Photograph of the actual morning star -- the star that signals the end of the night and ushers in the dawn.

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.  I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star. [Revelation 22:16]

Jesus' last recorded words in the Bible.  He is the morning star -- It is the brilliant star (actually Venus) that appears to signal the end of night and the coming of morning.  Jesus has signaled the end of all that is dark and the dawn of a new day of light.  

I love Christ's close -- a rich symbol that encompasses our looking forward to the skies for His coming and the hope of heaven.  Christ is the morning star and we wait for him to signal the coming dawn.

I also can't help but think of Thoreau's last line in Walden, a literary allusion to this verse:  "The sun is but a morning star."

I feel that same sense of satisfaction and joy and hope in the completion of my first read through the Bible, cover to cover, in a year.  Somehow it made me feel like an insider.  A bit closer to God -- not in understanding Him, because now I think I have even more questions.  But closer in spirit and encompassed by His love.  I still hold that the Lord is alive in nature and the world around us and we can feel and know Him there.  But this does not replace the importance of scripture and His Word.  There are times to be in the Book and times to get up and look up and out and beyond the pages to see the Word, living and breathing and moving and at work in the world around us.

December 30

The Revelation to John -- Hope of the Faithful -- Revelation 14:1-13; Judgment Against Unrighteous -- Revelation 14:14-20, 15:1-8, 16:1-21; Special Judgment upon Babylon -- Revelation 17:1-18, 18:1-24, 19:1-5

The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more.... [Revelation 18:11]

Your merchants were the world's great men.  By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. [Revelation 18:23]

Interesting to be reading this during our current economic downturn that was essentially fueled by personal greed -- the greed of individuals and institutions and banks and the government's willingness to empower greed.  Instead of Babylon, it's the United States whose greed has lured the nations and our fall has led to the economic troubles of merchants everywhere.  

We heralded our bringing of the free economy to the world.  But now, in shame, teaching greed has led to everyone's misfortune and trouble.

Are we the modern Babylon?

December 29

The Revelation to John (continued) -- Wrath of God Against Evil -- Revelation 8:7-13, 9:1-21, 10:1-11, 11:1-14; Righteousness of God Seen in Coming of Christ -- Revelation 11:15-19; Opposition to Christ's Church -- Revelation 12:1-17, 13:1-18

I'm underlining very little here.  Just letting the dreamlike waves of scripture wash over me.  Here, picking up the name of an angel I'd never heard of before -- "Apollyon." [Revelation 9:11] Letting it wash over and hopefully soak in.  I can't always read scripture and assign precise meaning.  If I could, than I would know the mind of God and God would be as small and limited as my own mine.  Sometimes I can only read and trust the Holy Spirit to bring to me what I need.  

And there was war in heaven.  Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.  But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. [Revelation 12:7-8]

A battle in heaven?  How do I understand this?  A war in a place of peace and love?  A battle of spiritual beings.  How does that look and feel?  And where is God as Michael fights.  Did He avert His gaze as He did with His son on the cross because fighting was so offensive and even pornographic in heaven's peace?  The waring of angels.  Is it a physical battle or a fight for souls and spirit and mind? 

December 28

The Revelation to John (continued) -- Majesty and Centrality of God -- Revelation 4:1-11, 5:1-14; Destructiveness of Sin -- Revelation 6:1-17, 7:1-17, 8:1-6

...And He who sits on the throne will spread His tent over them.  Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst.  The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  [Revelation 7:15-17]

There's my tent thing again.  This time, however, the tent symbolizes God's care and protection and not a symbol of our temporary dwelling on earth.  

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."  Amazing.  How intimate a portrait of God, the creator of the universe.  How much He cares for us.  How individual, how personal and how He touches us at our most vulnerable moments -- when life overwhelms and the tears come.

December 27

The Revelation to John -- Revelation 1:1-8; Origin and Purpose of Revelation -- Revelation 1:9-20; Letters to the Seven Churches -- Revelation 2:1-29, 3:1-22

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy.... [Revelation 1:3]

I don't understand much of what I'm reading in Revelation -- what prophecy is fulfilled and what prophecy is yet to be fulfilled and what all of the symbolism means.  But I do understand this -- even in reading the words, I am blessed.  And I truly feel that.  Blessed.  Just in the reading.  It's difficult to explain.  There is an energy here, a positive hopefulness in the power of the Lamb and Lion and Morning Star and Angels.  While I might question the meaning, there is no questioning of the outcome.  God is in control.  Satan has and will be vanquished.  

December 26

First Letter by John -- 1 John 1:1-4; Walking in Light of Righteousness -- 1 John 1:5-10, 2:1-17; Warning about Antichrists -- 1 John 2:18-28; Living as Children of God -- 1 John 2:29, 3:1-24; Distinguishing Unbelievers from Believers -- 1 John 4:1-21, 5:1-12; Assurances in Christ -- 1 John 5:13-21

For everything in the world -- the cravings of the sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does -- comes not from the Father but from the world. [1 John 2:16]

What is the first question we [men specifically] typically ask someone when we meet them?  What do you do?  How do we measure a person's success?  To often, what we do and what we have define us in the eyes of people...in the eyes of the world.  That's why we miss that the carpenter who wanders with a group of fishermen is really the Christ.  Or that the homeless stranger we pass by is an angel...or, at the very list (really, at the very most), is a son of God.  What we have and what we do is not who and whose we are.  God knows our value.  Man's measure is wanting and flawed.  Forgive me Lord when I apply man's measure instead of yours. 

December 25

Letter to the Hebrews (continued) -- Exhortation to Continue Faith in Christ -- Hebrews 10:19-39; Examples of Great Faith -- Hebrews 11:1-40; A Call for Steadfast Faith -- Hebrews 12:1-29; Various Exhortations -- Hebrews 13:1-17; Closing Thoughts -- Hebrews 13:18-25

Here's a photo that came up from Flickr when I google-imaged "entertaining angels unaware."  It's an encouragement taped by someone to a public phone.  It included the encouragement to "Be careful how you treat people, you just might be entertaining angels unaware. You see, the person that you hate, or look down on, could be your blessing."

By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.  For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. [Hebrews 11:9-10]

There's that tent thing again that I'm so fond of.  Live in a tent for a week if you never have and then read the tent scriptures.  You'll have a whole new view after week.  It will give you a new perspective of how we should view our stay here in the body on earth.

By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Eqypt and gave instructions about his bones. [Hebrews 11:22]

Ah, it's December and we've come full circle.  We're back to Joseph's bones.  

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. [Hebrews 13:2]

How do we entertain angels?  In church?  In Bible study?  In meditation on scripture?  No, by entertaining strangers...in benevolence.  We come in contact with angels in the field of service and not the sanctuary of religion.

December 24

Letter to the Hebrews (continued) -- Christ Superior to Priesthood -- Hebrews 6:13-20, 7:1-28; Superiority of Christ's Covenant and Sacrifice -- Hebrews 8:1-13, 9:1-28, 10:1-18

Melchizedek?  Who is this guy?  He's a priest or more precisely -- "This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High." [Hebrews 7:1]  Ok.  So this is a dispensation they didn't talk about in the Jewel Miller filmstrips. (Wow...I googled Jewel Miller filmstrips and there's no official site.  That's an opportunity for someone.)  Melchizedek is a priest of God...before the priesthood was even set up.  He was a priest before there were even Jews.  Once again, God can and does anything he wants to do.  We want to codify Him and He resists this.  That's why the Jews missed Christ.  He didn't fit.  They didn't see Him because He wasn't within their frame of reference or expectation.  

God is exceptional.

December 23

Letter to the Hebrews -- The Majesty of Christ -- Hebrews 1:1-14, 2:1-18; Christ Superior to Moses -- Hebrews 3:1-19; Christ Superior to Joshua -- Hebrews 4:1-13; Jesus as High Priest -- Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:1-10; Parenthetical Thoughts Regarding Readers -- Hebrews 5:11-16, 6:1-12

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? [Hebrews 1:14]

I like this.  Cool, comforting thought.  Wonder what my angel's name is?  I'll call him Elvis or just E for short.  Wonder what E. is up to?  I always joked that any angel that had to ride with Mariana (my wife) was probably a chain-smoker.  Can just see him shaking and lighting one up after a trip to the grocery store with the wife.

December 22

Second Letter by Peter -- 2 Peter 1:1-2; Value of True Knowledge -- 2 Peter 1:3-21; Danger of False Teachers -- 2 Peter 2:1-22; Regarding the Second Coming -- 2 Peter 3:1-18

I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.  And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. [2 Peter 1:13-15]

I think I've blogged about this before -- but I really appreciate the tent-of-this body concept.  A tent is a temporary dwelling.  Living in a tent you are intimately aware of the environment and changes in the weather.  Things you'd be insulated from in a more permanent dwelling.  Maybe if we truly viewed our earthly stay as a temporary dwelling, we'd be more aware of the evil in the world all around us instead of removed and distant.  You're not overly concerned with the appearance of your tent either.  It's merely a functional piece of equipment.  It's not who you are.  Who you are is what's protected inside the tent.  A tent will be blown away if it's not staked down.  Tents need anchors.  Also, living in a tent encourages you to simplify your life.  When you live in a tent, you don't fill it with a lot of stuff.  Because you realize you have to carry everything with you.  Stuff is just baggage.  So the less the better.  Carrying too much inhibits your ability to keep moving ahead.

This metaphor has sooooo many layers of meaning.

Something else interesting about this reading is the end of the verse:  "And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things."  Peter intends to watch and help them in the next life.  I've always imagined that when I die, I'd watch over and help out the ones I love.  Perhaps I can.  Lord willing.  I love this thought and hope.