DECEMBER 24
Wow, we're almost there, Christmas and
the end of the year. This is one of the biggest shopping days of the year for
men who have waited until the last minute.
Zechariah
6-7
Zechariah 6
This concludes all the visions that
Zechariah had on that one night back in 1:7. What a long night of visions. This
will conclude the visions of bringing God's mercy to Jerusalem.
Vs. 1-8 Since these are chariots,
fighting appears to be in view, but the Ethiopian official in Acts was in a
chariot and he was just crusin' home. It says they are patrolling the earth,
keeping watch over it and bringing news back to the Lord. There are only two
directions mentioned because invaders only ever came into Israel from the north
and the south. Since the horses' colors are the same as those in Revelation, it
is thought that this event is the judgment on the earth leading up to the
Millennial Kingdom. Who knows? Since no war is mentioned here, it could simply
be a symbol of God's watching over the Gentile nations which will eventually
lead to peace for Jerusalem and Judah. It is interesting to me that God would use
angels like this since He knows and sees everything.
The focus changes now to matters
dealing with the completion of the current temple.
Vs. 9-15 This is the actual crowning of
Joshua to be the high priest, but it is symbolic of Jesus, the Branch, the Messiah
reigning over Israel. We see this crowning of the priest in Exodus 39:30. In
Hebrews we read how Jesus is both priest and king. In Israel that would not
have worked, but it works with Jesus because he is a priest after the order of
Melchizedek.
Vs. 12-13 These are very interesting
verses. The Jews knew that the Messiah, the Branch, would build the temple.
Think, then, of the significance of these words: Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will
raise it up.” (John 2:19) These words of Jesus were not only a part of
prophecy, but they were mentioned again and again at His trial; and as He hung
on the cross they mocked Him with them.
Apparently the temple will be damaged
in the Tribulation and the Messiah will rebuild it. We've already seen what the
millennial temple will look like.
V. 14 They were to place that crown in
the temple they were building as a reminder of the future glory of the
millennial temple and its priest-king.
V.15 The nations will help to build the
millennial temple.
Zechariah 7
Vs. 1-3 This event took place almost
two years after the visions we just read about. The temple was in the middle of
its rebuilding. It is a question about fasting, but it is really a question
about religious routine. The fasts mentioned here were not prescribed by the
Lord, but became traditions of the people. The fast of the fifth month was
commemorating the day Babylon burned down the temple and destroyed it. The fast
of the seventh month was mourning the murder of Gedaliah, the first governor of
Judah after the destruction of the temple.
Vs. 4-7 God says here that He never
told them to do this. The fast was for themselves, to commemorate something
important to them, but it was not to seek God's will or favor. It was like a
patriotic day of mourning.
Vs. 8-14 It was the false religiousness
of the former generations that brought judgment upon them. God is trying to
show them that in this rebuilt temple, religion without true relationship will
only bring them judgment. Religion, without loving God and doing what He says,
helps no one. For an interesting slant on this, read Isaiah 58, which also has
to do with useless fasting. God didn't like it.
As disciples, in all our work in the
harvest, in our work with people and in our churches, our first love for Christ
has to keep growing. Without a deep warm love for Christ, we grow hard and
religious. That first love was born out of salvation and stays alive and
burning as we follow Him in the harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples,
who make disciples.
Revelation
15
V. 1 I'm guessing that at least two
years have passed since the death of the witnesses and the commencement of the
mystery. There are seven more plagues to be poured out. I'm thinking they do
not happen right at the end, in the last month, so that there is still a chance
for people to decide and so that those to be punished can be punished for a
while. Not only that, a great gathering of armies will take place north of
Jerusalem and it will take months to get that organized in a wrecked world.
While the bowls will be poured out in quick order, it could be six months to a
year from the first bowl to the final. Then there will be the mourning over the
destruction of the whore of Babylon, and then comes the end. Anyway, I think
there will be some time in this.
Vs. 2-4 Notice who is here, those who
have conquered the beast. How did they conquer him? That was the mystery. These
are martyrs who have conquered the beast and Satan by their testimony and
deaths through the blood of the Lamb. God uses the foolishness of the world to
shame the wise and the weak of the world to defeat the strong, and He uses
things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are.
I'm not sure what the
song of Moses is, but it is identical
to the song of the Lamb. Notice that
Christ will be the King of the nations
and that these things have become a testimony to the nations. Nations will come
and worship the Lamb. This "witness to the nations" could be the song
of the Lamb, but what about Moses? Glad you asked. Look at what Paul says in Romans
9:17, For the Scripture says to Pharaoh,
“For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you,
and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
God has been giving
testimony in all of this. The bowls are plagues, so if you'd like to see the
full connection to Moses and testimony to God and plagues, read Exodus 9:13-16.
It could be that this testimony to the world is a part of the expression of the
"song" of Moses. Notice the connection between God's people, the
oppressive unbelief of the enemy and the plagues. In the end, God used
Pharaoh's sin as a testimony to the world, and nations feared God. The same
thing is happening here.
Just for trivia, notice that the
central theme of the song is not God's holiness. I think that holiness is an
angelic thing. The central theme of this song is about God's harvest and
acclaim among the nations. That is the plan of redemption.
Vs. 5-8 If we thought we had seen
"solemn" before, this is a new level. As we'll see in chapters 16 and
17, the death of the saints heightens the wrath of God that is about to be
poured out. This scene is literally awesome. There is glory and purity and
righteousness and power and wrath all gathered together, so intensely, that
even in heaven, you couldn't enter the sanctuary.
As the song “Awesome God” says, when God
has rolled up His sleeves, it isn't for show. He means business. He is about to
avenge His saints.
And even today, as He gives up His
Son's followers in this part of the harvest, by whatever means or
circumstances, it has an intentional purpose in His plan. And He's keeping
track and taking names. Yet, our business is just to love Him, reach out to the
lost and to make disciples, who make disciples. When He thinks we're done and
ready for retirement, we'll receive, by whatever means or circumstances, as
Paul put it, the prize of the upward call
of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)
Psalm
143
Somehow my heart
feels the deep cry of David in this psalm. So much of this sounds like what
David says in Psalm 27.
Vs. 1-2 It is hard
not to understand God's silence and the hard times we endure as God's anger
with us.
Vs. 3-4 Who hasn't
felt like this, especially when you've tried to do the right thing and have
received criticism?
Vs. 5-6 When all
you've got are memories, you still have the Word and you can seek God.
Vs. 7-8 It is natural
and necessary for us to want and need assurances of God's love.
Vs. 9-10 We not only
need deliverance. We need to learn when God takes us through times like this,
so that we can be stronger in faith and more trusting of His care and leading.
Vs. 11-12 What a deep
and profound plea to God…for Your name’s
sake… for I am Your servant.
Some people object to
a prayer like this for vengeance or justice. Yet we've seen the martyrs in
Revelation 6:10 ask the same thing. It is interesting that in the next chapters
of Revelation we'll see God avenge His servants. Those who made His servants
suffer will suffer, not just because they touched God's people, but because
there is a deeper, unseen reality.
Luke 10:16 The one who hears you
hears me, and the
one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent
me.
Proverbs 30:24-28
So, if you had to give a devotional on these verses, what
would you say God would like to see in us? What is the quality in each of these
to which He is drawing our attention?
If you’re reading along
and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these
comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in
growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see
the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples,
meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out
and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal
manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us
more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are
only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of
God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are
designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is
that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a
year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples,
disciples making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a
complete description of this model of being and making disciples you can find
it in my book: Simply Disciples*Making Disciples.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
If you would like a more
descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the
Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is the
commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never
hurts.
I am not endorsing any
particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte
Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with
us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their
own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular
tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to
criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has
written to us, as I understand it. Send comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like
documents containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download these to use on your computer or to
print.
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