DECEMBER 4
We have less than a month to go. If you are caught up, that
is amazing. If it has been "hit-and-miss" for you, you've still
probably read more of the Word than you did last year, and you have some ideas
going into the new year of what you'll have to do to stay on target. But let me
ask, why are you doing this? On a superficial level, there is no difference
between you and someone who hardly picked up their Bible. But if you are
pursuing the Lord, what you're doing makes all the difference in the world. Remember
Hebrews 11 and the words, By faith.
All of those people pursued God by faith and God blessed them, but that
blessing was often only in that they grew closer to God. The verses that drive
me on are John 14:21-23,
“Whoever
has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me
will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to
him." Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you
will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?" Jesus answered him,
"If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our home with him.”
Since you are finishing up Daniel today, you might treat
yourself to a peppermint something.
Daniel
11:36-12:13
Daniel 11:36-45
Vs. 36-39 At this point the words
regarding this ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes (AE), begin to directly mirror the future
attitude and behavior of the antichrist (AC) in the latter part of Israel's
history. Though it was still in the future for Daniel, what is mentioned here happened
in 170 B.C. with Antiochus Epiphanes; and yet in the future, during the 70th
week, the antichrist will do the same thing. Notice the expression of arrogance
and self-exultation that happens here. Not only will the antichrist walk into
the temple, as Antiochus Epiphanes did, and set up an abomination, but he too
will exalt himself above God. Apparently Antiochus Epiphanes was helped by
Jewish traitors who helped him do this, whom he later rewarded. It appears the
antichrist will do something similar and through this treachery will also kill
the two witnesses before he defaces the temple.
Some of the references to the one beloved by women and the god of fortresses may not make sense to
us, but they will be clear to the people who have to go through this worldwide
Tribulation.
Vs. 40-45 Not all nations will follow
the AC, and since he can't be in more than one place at one time, they will
rise up against Israel. Eventually there will be a worldwide showdown in the
plain of Armageddon. Remember too, that the conditions of those future days
will look very desperate and primitive. There is no reason to believe that oil
refineries will be working and that there will be gasoline available for these
military ventures. According to Revelation, the king of the east will cross the
Euphrates with 200 million foot soldiers to join the party. It is possible that
some of these will be on horseback.
V. 41 The area of these countries is
present-day Jordan and the area around the Dead Sea. This is important. Jesus
said that when the people living near Jerusalem saw the "abomination that
makes desolate" in the temple, which the AC will put there, the people
were to flee into the mountains. In Revelation, the description of this flight
and the pursuit of Satan is scary, but God will save the people in the
wilderness. The area of these countries is where the people will go to hide.
It's about 15 miles from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. We see how people in
mountains can hide now from the mighty, high-tech U.S. military. Imagine how
much better they will hide from the AC if God is helping them and if the world
has been reduced to very primitive low-tech warfare.
V. 44 And then the AC will hear about
these approaching armies from the north and east and decide he has other fish
to fry. Still, he will kill many followers of Christ, in Israel and in all
other nations. The slaughter of God's people will be a test of the hearts of
men and women, and it will confirm the justness of the wrath of God upon
mankind.
Daniel 12
Vs. 1-4 This is a summary of the final
3.5 years of the Tribulation and the judgment that follows. Verse 2 is one of
the clearest verses in the OT regarding the resurrection. This sounds like what
Jesus said in John 5:28-29. And v. 3 sounds like Matthew 13:43, Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
Vs. 5-7 It is significant that this
number of days is given and that the angel gave it by raising his hands and
swearing by God. If you were trying to hang on during that time and knew the
day those last 3.5 years began, you'd be happy to know an exact number. That
the angel swore by God makes this a very solemn declaration. We don't grasp
this.
Vs. 8-12 Daniel's heart was so big
toward God and his people; the more he heard, the more interested he became.
V. 9 Shut up and sealed means you will have to be there in that time to
understand what is going on. We are not supposed to fully grasp it.
V. 10 During this Tribulation, those
who love God will become more purified, and the wicked will become more wicked.
It is a time of testing and revealing.
V. 11 The 1290 days extend from the
defiling of the temple up to the cleansing of the temple and reestablishment of
worship in the temple. Jesus will arrive in about 1260 days, but I'm sure there
will be some business to take care of first, like the judgment of the nations.
And I think rather than Him just cleaning up supernaturally, there will be
people employed to clean and repair the temple and have it ceremonially
rededicated. There will be a lot to do in 30 days.
V. 12 Blessed is the person who is there at this celebration. Jerusalem
will be cleaned up and the King will officially, before the world, take His
throne in Jerusalem and begin ruling the world.
V. 13 Just as it says in Ezekiel that
the resurrected David will govern the people of Israel, I wonder if the
resurrected Daniel will govern the people of Iraq from Babylon. If so, it will
not have been the first time.
But for now, we work in the harvest as
the clouds approach. When it all comes down, we'll have great seats to see how
Jesus will justly judge the world, and we'll be at the celebration of His
thousand-year kingdom.
1 John
4
In chapters 1 and 2 John has talked
about walking in the light and truth of Christ. Even Christians can walk out of
the light. In chapter 3 John began talking about abiding in Christ's love as
the evidence that we know that love. Now John begins to talk about the guidance
of the Spirit in knowing and living the love of our Lord.
When Jesus told the disciples about
what the last days before His coming would look like, He warned them regarding false prophets and false messiahs.
(Matt. 7:15, 24:11, 24:24) I'm sure John and the others were surprised how
quickly error and false teachers began to come into the church. In the days of
the Tribulation it will be far worse.
Note that there is a lot of
"love" going on in this chapter. Laura found 27 forms of the word
love within just 15 verses. I don't know if that's a record, but it is
something to observe and think about.
Vs. 1-6 Up until 3:24 John had not
mentioned the Holy Spirit. Notice that the confession of Jesus as God the Son
who became flesh is a mark of the Spirit. Anyone could say Jesus came in the
flesh without being truly saved, but keeping the commandments of God in the
Spirit of God means understanding who Jesus truly is. A false understanding of
Jesus springs from a false spirit and leads to a warped walk. As disciples, our
obedience and walk are directly connected to our love and understanding of
Jesus. Just like in Romans 8 and in John 14-17, it is the Spirit who guides us
into a proper balance of understanding. All of this becomes visible by our love
for the Word, our obedience to Christ in our walk and in the harvest, and by
our love for one another.
Vs. 4-6 Anyone led by the Spirit
continues in the teaching of Jesus and the apostles, and in our case, the Word.
Vs. 7-12 The evidence of the work of
the Spirit in us is knowing the love of
God and loving one another. Verse 8 is not stating evidence of salvation,
but evidence of knowing God relationally. The true understanding of the love of
God is that we love. Even though no one has ever seen God, by loving one
another because of the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of God's love, we can show
that we have a relationship with Him. Notice what Paul told Timothy in 1
Timothy 1:5, The aim of our charge is
love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
Even in 1 Timothy, the context for this verse is false teaching and teachers.
Vs. 13-18 The evidence that we abide in
God is that His love is alive in us and is seen in our love for one another. If
we are fully living in the love of Christ, there is no fear of what will happen
when we stand in His presence, because there will be no judgment for us.
I know this all sounds like circular
reasoning, but here is the simplicity in our walk with Christ that is very
visible. You even see this simplicity of the Christian life in Paul's prayer at
the end of Ephesians 3. The most important thing for us to be growing in is the
love of Christ. This love is grounded in His Word, understood in His Spirit and
poured out in His mission. Working together as His people, we express His love
to one another inwardly and His love for a dying world outwardly, and we are
strengthened in our work for Him. But it all flows out of knowing and showing
His love. Love is the key word and the key for our lives in Christ. But, love
is not without definition. Love is defined by God and Jesus and their effort to
save a lost world. And where do we know this love? Through His Word and by His
Spirit. And hope does not put us to
shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy
Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:5)
An example of what is being said here
is that a husband is told to love his wife as Christ loved the church. It is
fair to say that if a believing man doesn't do this, he really doesn't know the
love of Christ. It doesn't make him unsaved, but it really shows his lack of
knowing Christ and his lack of maturity in Christ. This is the point that John
and the Spirit are making here, using love for one another as the example of
relationship and maturity.
Vs. 19-21 According to John and the
Spirit, this is an absolute. We really do kid ourselves and treat God's truth
lightly when we claim to love God but cannot get that love to connect to loving
others, including the lost and the people of God. I think a lot of churches
don't work because they are not following Christ in the harvest. It is
appropriate not to feel at home in a group like that. However, in a church that
is working to reach out and make disciples, we need to love one another as
Christ loved, and maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and
love.
Psalm
123
Vs. 1-2 As the worshipers walked up
those roads leading to Jerusalem on Mount Zion, it was really the Lord they
were approaching. It was really the Lord they were seeking. I like v. 2, that
they will persist in prayer until the Lord shows them mercy. When the disciples
finally asked the Lord to teach them to pray, He restated the Lord's Prayer to
them and then added what they had never heard before: the parable of the friend
knocking on his friend's door at midnight. Perseverance is necessary and
natural; after all we are praying to our Father who loves us. We are appealing
to His kindness and love.
Vs. 3-4 It is a truth that we often
seek God because outside circumstances show us we need Him. It is also true
that God allows these circumstances to come to us to drive us to Him.
Proverbs 29:2-4
Sometimes, just
for the fun of it, try taking a triad of verses like this and restating them.
For example:
When the righteous increase, when children love wisdom and the king
builds his land with justice, the people rejoice and fathers are glad. But when the wicked rule, when children live
in passion and rebellion and when bribes are common, the people groan and the
wealth of a land is squandered.
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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