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 12
You can celebrate today. You will finish Amos and in Revelation you
will read the last letter that Jesus ever wrote to a church. This is a big day
of big truths and amazing messages for disciples who have been left to follow
Christ in the harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make
disciples.
Amos 7-9
Amos
7
Vs.
1-9 God gave Amos three visions.
What
do you notice that is the same in the first two visions? The third vision
provides a measure or standard of judgment.
God
was willing to "repent" of His actions in the first two visions. That
was mercy, and it showed His willingness to listen and to save. Yet He gave
them a standard by which to measure the people. That was mercy too. They could
have obeyed.
Vs.
10-17 This is an example of why God would judge the northern kingdom and why
the plumb line wouldn't work to rescue them. In spite of God's willingness to
show mercy, the leaders, as personified in this priest, would not listen. This
looks like an example of what God said in Amos 2:11-12. Amos was a little guy
compared to Elijah and Elisha, yet even those two great prophets were ignored
by the leaders and people.
Often,
the only thing that prophecy and miracles do is to show that God's actions of
judgment are just.
Amos
8
Vs.
1-2 The vision was a basket of summer
fruit, that is, the final fruit of the summer. This signified that the time
of the end for the northern kingdom was coming. What is interesting to me, even
as Amos told of these visions, there was grace mixed in. The final day of the
northern kingdom would not come for another 60 years. For those with faith,
they took this to heart, picked up and moved south. For those without faith,
they stayed and died. What a God of patience and forgiveness.
The
rest of this chapter is a description of God's judgment. I think that the
upcoming earthquake from Amos 1:1 was about to happen. I don't know how you
would break down the themes in this chapter, but I'd do it like this.
Vs.
3-8 Notice the two mentions of their oppression of the poor. Also, I think v. 9
is a reference to the upcoming earthquake. The imagery of this section makes
you think of an earthquake.
Vs.
9-10 This might be the physical and the emotional state of things after the
earthquake. It will certainly be the emotional mood of the country when it is
overrun by the Assyrians.
Vs.
11-14 What is surprising here is the mention of God's silence. After everything
that Elijah and Elisha did and said, then came Amos, Jonah and Hosea. The
people were fed up with prophets. They would get their wish. God would stop
talking. That might sound great for them, but in their need, it would be like
turning out a light in a cave. Total darkness and loss of identity.
If
you want to see a biblical, personal example of this, look at King Saul in 1 Samuel
28:6. After chasing David for ten years, after killing the priests of God and
acting against God in every honest way, the still religious King Saul sought
God in his need and God wouldn't answer. So where did Saul go to contact God?
He went to a medium. Saul was totally confused and corrupt in his heart and God
was tired of throwing His pearls before swine. That is the same as what
happened over the century God tried to help these people.
Amos
9
V.
1 This vision shows God standing beside the altar at Bethel, not Jerusalem.
Notice again the earthquake imagery. It appears that God was about to destroy
their buildings of worship in Bethel. It would still be 100 years before King
Josiah would come and destroy the altar at Bethel.
Vs.
2-4 Just as there is no place to hide in an earthquake, there will be no place
to hide from God. That is an obvious truth, and scary too. When God finally is
moved to judgment, it is with focused determination.
Vs.
5-6 The God of creation can cause an earthquake. They should have believed that
God could and would do this.
Vs.
7-8 The people should have been sons to God, but instead they made themselves
foreigners to God.
Vs.
9-10 God would literally shake the house
of Israel.
Vs.
11-15 So, Amos ends on a happy future note.
Vs.
11-12 We have seen references to David. Raising up the booth of David is to raise up his lineage and fulfill God's
promise that a son of David will reign. That Son is the Messiah, who we are
reading about in Revelation. The reference to nations gives me the sense that this is for the Millennial Kingdom.
Vs.
13-15 Verse 15 shows that the fulfillment of this will be when Jesus returns.
Revelation 3:7-22
Vs.
7-13 To the church in Philadelphia.
V. 7 Note how Jesus
introduces Himself. The key of David
seems to refer to Isaiah 22:22, referring to Eliakim the son of
Hilkiah receiving the stewardship and authority of David's house and
possessions. In short, there were two men in authority under King Hezekiah.
Shebna (Isaiah 22:15-19), who abused his position, misused Hezekiah's property
and did not help the people or honor God as the Assyrians came against the
city. Eliakim the son of Hilkiah
(Isaiah 22:20-25) was the opposite. Eliakim honored God, was faithful in his
service to Hezekiah and he strengthened the people. Both looked good from the
outside; in fact, without this passage from Isaiah, both of the men look like
fine religious men, standing together to represent the king in the face of the
arrogance of Rabshakeh in 2 Kings
18:18-19. But one of these men was not faithful and the other was. This church
in Philadelphia was fully faithful to Christ like Eliakim was to Hezekiah, to
God and to His people.
Vs.
8-11 Notice that this was also a suffering church. They acknowledged the name
of Christ and stood against the persecution of the synagogue of Satan. Apparently these synagogues of Satan were a
franchise operation. There was also one in Smyrna which is extremely
coincidental. You'll see why in a minute.
V.
10 Notice that they kept the Lord's Word. Keeping Jesus' Word is also mentioned
in v. 8. The repetition is very significant. Keeping His Word is a mark of a
disciple, as is acknowledging Jesus' name in the face of persecution. Also
notice that Jesus says He loves them. I think this is what the fulfilling of
John 14:21-23 looks like. In fact, keeping Jesus' Word and the world knowing
Jesus has loved His disciples is woven throughout all of John 14-17. This is
the first time I have ever fully noticed these verses in Revelation. Thank you,
Lord. (2014)
Now
there is an aspect of this special church that goes beyond them and the first
century. In saying they will be kept from the hour of trial that is coming
on the whole world, it is saying they will be kept out of the Tribulation.
The Tribulation didn't happen during the time this church existed. So, this
promise must be applied beyond them to give hope to faithful believers who are
going through similar circumstances in the future.
But
I have a couple of questions. First, what is important about this promise,
since all believers, even disobedient ones, will be taken at the rapture before
the Tribulation? Also, even if this promise is applied to that generation that
lives just before the Tribulation, they would never know it because no one
knows the hour the Tribulation will begin. And, we're not encouraged to guess.
So how is this a promise that we can use?
I
would say this is an assurance of truth for those who are suffering and
enduring. I think this promise means more to those who are pursuing Christ in
the harvest and paying the price. We have a lot of truth rattling around in our
heads, but it doesn't become assurance for us until it is meaningful and
helping us daily in our lives. In their suffering, Jesus tells them that
judgment is coming, but they will be saved from it, never to enter into it. It
is the daily reminder that they are the Lord's own. For those who are focused
on Christ and the harvest, this truth holds them fast and helps them endure
with a heart of hope and a perspective of God's purpose. Truth is meant to live
in our hearts and inform our thoughts and actions every minute of every day.
Jesus said, If you know these things,
blessed are you if you do them (John 13:17). The blessing of knowing truth
only comes from using it.
V.
11 That crown is awarded for endurance in suffering for Christ and His gospel.
Again, the coming soon could be
looked at from the perspective that a thousand years is as a day with God. Or,
the word itself means that when the event begins, it happens very quickly, with
focused determination (Amos 9:2-4). This is an encouragement for this church
and its people to hold on to their endurance. The ability to endure in Christ
becomes a reward in itself. According to 2 Timothy 2:11-12, those who know
Christ will live forever with Him, but those who endure suffering and persevere
will reign with Him, probably during the Millennial Kingdom.
V. 12 So what is the
reward here? How special would it be to be to receive a special commendation
from the Lord? I think of what Gabriel said to Zechariah, the father of John
the Baptist, in Luke 1:19, "I am
Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God." Would that be important to
us, to be one of those who stands in His presence? David's prayer in Psalm 27:4
was, 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. Would we desire that? Or are we fine with God when
He's gone and we can do our thing with relative privacy, not always under His
scrutiny? Obviously, in reality, what I just said is theologically impossible
because God is always present, but we do not normally think being in God's
presence would be the high point of our lives. For those who suffer, like David
did, their desires are so focused on the love and compassion of God that He and
His presence is all they want.
When the Twelve
finally asked Jesus to teach them to pray, they could see that suffering was on
the horizon. This time when Jesus told them about asking, seeking and knocking,
He said the reward or answer in each of those actions would be the Holy Spirit,
that is, the peace, joy and power of His presence. More than a specific answer
to prayer, this is what His suffering disciples working in the harvest need.
Like
the church in Smyrna, this was a suffering church that faced deadly
persecution, that lived out the gospel in the harvest, testifying to the name
of Jesus, and like Smyrna, "coincidentally" did not receive a rebuke
from its Lord. The suffering purified their desires, hearts and vision.
Vs. 14-22 The church in Laodicea.
This church usually gets most of the attention when people think of the
churches in Revelation.
V. 14 In a way this is a very unusual introduction. Jesus is everything
this church wasn't.
Vs. 15-20 Notice here, there is no commendation. Like Sardis, they
looked alive, but were dead. They, and everyone else, thought they could see,
but were blind. They thought they looked good, but Jesus said they were naked.
Many people see this church as representing this present age of the church. I
don't think that ages are being talked about here, but we do have an abundance
of churches today that look alive and are neither hot nor cold. Jesus' threat
to spit them out of His mouth should be something that makes every church
leader very humble and alert. But like these churches, they thought everything
was fine. Jesus' opinion is the only one that matters.
V. 18 Jesus actually gives them counsel, to seek Him.
V. 19 Jesus wants them to humbly submit to His discipline, and to
repent.
V. 20 Jesus wants them to hear His knocking and to open to Him. And you
notice that this very famous verse is written to Christians. Notice too, that
just like at Sardis, although the church is dead, Jesus is appealing here to
individuals. So many Christians lament their church, but Jesus doesn't tell
them to complain about the church or stage a mutiny. Rather, they are
individually to hear His voice and to respond. That's how church renewal begins
- people listening to Jesus and doing what He says rather than raising an
unholy ruckus.
V. 21 Jesus came to the earth and went to a dead people. Yet, He was
the only one who was truly alive, and heard and followed His Father. Some
followed Him. In this respect, everyone who is in a place of death, whether a
dead church, or among dead and lost in the harvest, yet, who hears Christ's
voice and follows Him and His Word, is like Him.
I find it incredibly interesting that those who respond to Him, to
renew the church in this context, will receive such an amazing reward. Imagine
sitting with Jesus on His throne. Jesus loves His church. What a wonder it is
to think that we would be conquerors, like He was a conqueror, that we would
sit on His throne with Him. If I'm in the shop of "Jesus' Rewards,"
this is the one I'm looking at and putting everything I have on the counter, so
that I can receive this from Him. In all of these church situations, Jesus gave
the faithful something to strive after to help that particular church become
healthy and re-enter the harvest, following Christ.
These are Jesus' final words to the church as it comes to the time of
finishing its work in the harvest. Now, the church exits and the time comes for
Israel to fulfill its mission to the world. Now the Son of God, the Messiah,
the human ruler of mankind, the second Adam, the Son of Man, takes His seat at
the right hand of God the Father and begins the judgment of the world. Only
Christ, of all men, is worthy to rule and judge mankind, …because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the
transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the
transgressors (Isaiah 53:12).
Psalm 131
Vs.
1-3 In preparation for worship, David wrote this song for those walking up to
Jerusalem. The song was for them to prepare their hearts, but what is cool is
how God prepared David's heart to write this. Maybe the "key of
David" was the hardship that "opened the door" and drove David
to love the Lord and desire Him only.
Proverbs 29:23
Doesn't this sound like
something that could flow right out of Psalm 131? So, how does God make us lowly in spirit? I think it comes from
needing Him so badly that we finally see that we only really need Him.
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.
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