If you don't
have a one-year Bible or prefer something online, this link will take you to
the day's reading, http://oneyearbibleonline.com/daily-oyb/. This
site allows you to select from several languages and several English
translations.
DECEMBER 1
Welcome to December and heading down the home stretch of this year's
reading of The One Year Bible. I think that calls for a gingerbread
something.
Daniel 8
This vision was given to Daniel two years after the vision in chapter 7.
Though it involves both Persia and Greece, the major revelation of this vision concerns
the people of Israel as the time of the end approaches. Although everything revealed
here will apply to the next century of trials for Daniel's people, it will
mirror the time of the end before the Messiah establishes His reign on earth
and Israel becomes a leader for the nations.
You'll find a chart, “A Comparison of Daniel 2; 7; and 8,” at
the end of this document.
Vs. 1-4 We'll see that the ram is Persia, the horns are the first two
kings who served at the same time. Darius (representing the Medes) is the
little horn and Cyrus (representing the Persians) is the big horn. By the time
you get to Esther, Ezra and Nehemiah, you don't hear of the Medes anymore, but
Persian kings were still named Darius and Ahasuerus in honor of those early leaders.
V. 2 So where was Daniel? In the vision, he was in Susa (in Iran), the
capital of the Persian Empire. It was only about 150-200 miles directly east of
Babylon. Daniel's description seems as if he was very familiar with the city. We
know from Daniel 5, that Daniel was no longer working in the king's direct
service but was totally forgotten. The king didn't know who Daniel was. My
suggestion is that Daniel was sent out of Babylon, during the reign of
Belshazzar, as a diplomat to Persia. He was still in the king's service, just
out of sight and out of mind. During the conflict with the Persians he would
have returned to the city of Babylon. This is all speculation, but it does make
sense of some of the information.
Vs. 5-8 This is Greece and the mighty horn is Alexander the Great. The
four horns are the four kings and kingdoms that rose after Alexander died at the
age of 32.
Vs. 9-12 Here's that little horn again. Yesterday it was associated
with the fourth kingdom, coming at the time of the end. Today we meet a king
who foreshadows that coming king who will persecute the Jews and claim an
authority above God. Oddly enough, the ruler from the Greeks who will arise is
Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who we'll refer to as AE. He will foreshadow the antichrist
(AC). It's only in English that the spellings of Antiochus and antichrist are
so similar, but still, it is ironic.
V. 10 This is hard to understand. AE and the AC will both be given
power over the people of Israel and especially over those who are following
God. Since we haven't read Daniel 10 yet, we don't understand that behind the
earthly warfare there is also an angelic warfare going on. The mention of stars
can refer to angels. To see this connection of angels and stars, look at Revelation
1:20, and read Revelation 12:4 which is very parallel to this verse in Daniel. So
then, with all of these words that can have double references, both the human
and angelic aspects of this battle could be in view.
V. 11 The Prince of the host
could be referring to the angelic representative for Israel.
V. 12 I think the host here
is clearly referring to the people of Israel.
Vs. 13-14 Since offerings were offered evenings and mornings, this
number should be divided in half, which makes it closer to 3.5 years. This was
the length of time the temple was desecrated by AE during the time of the
Maccabean revolt, and it is roughly the same amount of time it will be
desecrated by the AC in the future.
Vs. 15-18 This is one of four places in the Bible where we meet
Gabriel. He is here and in Daniel 9, and then we see him twice in Luke,
announcing the births of John and Jesus.
V. 17 The vision is for the time
of the end, but this information about the antichrist as seen in AE will
also be a help to the Jews, led by the priest family of the Maccabeans who in
170 A.D. had to endure AE's madness. Hanukkah
is the Jewish celebration of the Maccabeans rededicating the temple after AE
desecrated it.
Vs. 19-26 Notice that Gabriel, in describing AE, doesn't go to the very
last times historically, but rather to the end of this rogue Greek Empire. Actually
AE was chased out of Egypt by the Romans, so this was, as v. 23 says, toward
the end of these Greek kingdoms. When AE arrived in Jerusalem, he wanted Israel
to be a buffer state against the Romans; but the Jews were always stubborn, so
he went crazy. There was a massive persecution of the Jews with much killing
and destruction.
What is to be noted here is the extreme arrogance of AE and his success
against God's people. This example, and what we'll learn in chapter 10, will
help the Jews living in the Tribulation understand what is happening to them
and will give them strength to hold on. Actually too, those believers in the
Tribulation will have the book of Revelation so they will fully understand why
the persecution against them is so hard and so relentless.
V. 25 AE died of madness in Persia. At the end of the Tribulation, it
will be Jesus, the Prince of Princes, who does away with the antichrist.
V. 27 Since Daniel had lived for God and for his people, I think it was
the vision of this destruction of his people that made him sick. In this vision,
too, what he couldn't understand or grasp was the spiritual overtone of this
battle and the apparent victory given to the bad guys.
As disciples, we are following Christ in the harvest in the calm before
the storm. The Bible says the clouds are gathering. Now is the time for us to
be working.
1 John 2:1-17
Since this letter is written to believers, we need to understand John's
warnings as trying to keep believers from becoming damaged on earth, and to
motivate and help disciples to walk closely with the Lord.
Vs. 1-3 Notice this is addressed to all of the believers as little children.
V. 2 Propitiation means that
God was completely "satisfied" by the sacrifice/payment of Jesus. Nothing
more is needed.
Vs. 4-6 Both in John 14:21-23 and in John 15:1-8, there is a special
relationship that is promised to those who walk closely with Jesus. It doesn't
mean that a child who stays distant from his father is not a child, but it will
influence how much benefit and closeness he receives from the relationship. Even
what I was reading this morning, about Jesus acknowledging or denying His
disciples before the angels of God, has to do with blessing and provision, not
with salvation. If a person denies Jesus, Jesus doesn't need to help them
(acknowledge them) because that person is helping himself, getting out of a
tough jam by denying Jesus. If you acknowledge Jesus, He acknowledges you and
sends help from the Father. It has to do with relationship, not salvation.
Vs. 7-11 Now John just mentioned the idea of keeping the commandments
of Christ. If someone asked you what some of those commandments were, there are
a few that should come right to the surface. Anyone who has had to work with
Christians, encouraging them to work in the harvest, knows that working in the church
is not easy. Loving one another is one of those major commandments that Jesus
gave the night before He died. The commandment to love one another was prefaced
by Jesus saying He was leaving, but sending us into the world as witnesses. He
knew the world would hate us, yet we are to love one another as we bear witness
to Him.
It needs to be emphasized that keeping His commandments will always be
tied into the Great Commission and bearing witness for Christ. To live morally
is the least we can do for what He's done for us. It is daring to die for Him
in reaching out and making disciples, that puts us in the position of obeying
His commands. For most people, being a Christian means staying away from sex
and drugs and fun and trouble in general. We are to imitate our Savior and
follow and obey the Father as He did (John 14:13). And in joy, it led Jesus
straight to the cross. Loving one another takes on a special, God intended
meaning, when we are all risking our lives on earth to make Christ known.
Without the mission and living as disciples, loving one another is just another
flowery, religious thought.
Now, in John's Gospel, he says, The
true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world (John
1:9). This light is Jesus. However, if you've been in church, you know that it
is possible for born-again people not to like or love one another. Again, what
John is saying here is that the proof of growing in Christ is loving one
another. It is a sign of abiding in Christ. And if this abiding is the same as
the context of John 15, this abiding is done by disciples in the harvest,
living to bear fruit for Christ. When we forget Who saved us, where we are and
why we are left here, all we have is a social organization called "church,"
in which we vie for position and recognition and where we demand that our needs
be met. The church exists to carry a light into the harvest. In Christ, His
salvation and mission binds us together.
Vs. 12-14 One way to try to understand this section is to understand
that John is addressing everyone as little
children, then everyone as fathers,
and finally everyone as young men. John
has already said in 2:1, that they are all little
children. So, it seems to me that John was saying first that he was calling
them little children, because they
were innocent, like those who had just had their sins forgiven in Christ. He
was saying they were like fathers in
that they knew the Ancient of Days, understood His wisdom and could give perspective
to life. And they were like young men,
because they had fought and overcome the evil one by obeying God.
Then the next section of restatement adds a source or directive to what
was said: little children are to grow
to know the Father, fathers are to
keep on doing the same thing, and young
men are to be strong in the Word.
Vs. 15-17 It seems that this section is a warning. Being lured into
these desires will keep them from the faith of a child, the perspective of a
father, and the victory of a young man. Abiding in Christ, or not, is the point
here.
This morning I was reading of Jesus warning His disciples in Luke
12:1-15. What is interesting is that His warning about hypocrisy only begins
with beware, but when Jesus warns
them against all aspects of coveting and possession in v. 15, He intensifies the
warning by saying, Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness. Sometimes it is easier for us to see
religious problems than for us to see the desires of our hearts that are
consuming us. Just like the seed sown among thorns, believers get choked, their
fruit does not mature and so they prove unfruitful. That choking was the result
of cares and delights and desires. Living for those things describes a lot of
people in a lot of churches. This is a good warning.
Psalm 120
Remember, a song of ascents was sung by the pilgrims coming to
Jerusalem for the feasts, three times a year, preparing their hearts for
worshiping God.
I would guess that this song (sort of an unusual song to read so it
must have sounded great when sung) would have reflected a desire to dwell in
the Lord's presence. One thing have I
asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the
Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to
inquire in his temple (Psalm 27:4).
V. 1 Not everyone went to the feasts. To do that, you had to leave your
house, possessions, and property unguarded. You missed work. Eventually you
were scorned and ridiculed for being faithful.
Vs. 2-7 This must have been the inner feelings of being scorned and
ridiculed for coming to the feasts. Dwelling with the Lord, in peace in the
inner man, is the hope of those who must live in a hostile, unbelieving part of
the world. As disciples we work where human things are often out of control, where
there are few choices, but we do have a choice where our heart dwells.
Proverbs 28:25-26
V. 25 As I've been reading about Jesus teaching His disciples not to
have any anxiety about life or stuff, it not only shows you the trust that He
wants His disciples to have; but that trust is the key to them being full of
joy and having peace. Those who are content in Him and put their trust in Him
bring that joy and trust with them wherever they go. They have it in the middle
of chaos, because they have Him with them.
V. 26 This again has to do with trust. Notice in the second line the
trust is in the Word (how else do we know God's wisdom?) and it leads to
deliverance. This means that the person who trusts his own wisdom ends up in a
trap.
Please Read
the Following Disclaimer
I'm writing the Reading Notes to and
for those who are following a One Year Bible and are 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, that is, 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 and important discipleship manual we have and it is the 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, or whom we are to be following. 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, as disciples, 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, making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive
commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC).
I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite
often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only
note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these
and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge
Commentary would be a good idea.
I am not endorsing any particular
One Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die
Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the
ESV Bible.
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. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both
historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background,
theological training and my personal study.
I'm doing
this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that will
keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are reading. Remember,
the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a supplement, a disciple’s
commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we will keep following our
Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make
disciples. Being in the Word every day,
sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the essential essence of
being and making disciples.
May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan
If you would like documents
containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
If you would like a full
presentation of discipleship read Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples.
Or if you are struggling with
insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these
can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
The One Year Bible © by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
All charts/graphics/outlines
from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C.
Cook.
© 1983, 2001 John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary is published by David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Publisher permission
required to reproduce.
