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 20
The next two prophets served the
first wave of exiles from Babylon who were trying to rebuild the temple. Ezra
mentions both Haggai and Zechariah in Ezra 5:1 and Ezra 16:14. The time was
about 18 years after the exiles returned to Jerusalem under Zerubbabel. They were commanded to
rebuild the temple and they began with zeal; but under the pressure of their
neighbors, the rebuilding had come to a standstill. If you reread
some of Ezra you'll see that the Jews were forced to stop building. For some
reason this time of Haggai was a critical time in the lives of the returned
exiles. Ezra wasn't there yet, nor was Nehemiah. Suddenly Haggai appeared with
four short messages all within a few months. Amazingly the leaders sprang to
life. Then before Haggai gave his final address, Zechariah began to preach.
Zechariah is an unusual prophet and what he says will look like the book of Revelation.
What is interesting is that Haggai's last messages also look to the end times.
For some reason this was a very critical time and as we saw with Zephaniah, in
order to inspire hope, the Lord lifted their eyes to the prize of what their
earthly labor was working toward: the redemption of man and the coming King.
There are two charts at the end of this document that might help you
understand where Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi fit in the Old Testament. These
charts are “The Three Returns from Exile,” and “Chronology of the Postexilic
Period.” And you also will find one other chart that is focused on Haggai and
Zechariah, “Dates of Key Events in Haggai's and Zechariah's Time.”
Haggai 1-2
Haggai
1
V.
1 This Darius was not the Darius from Daniel 6. This is now 18 years later.
Darius was a popular name among the Persians and Medes, sort of like names for
popes.
Notice
that the message is to Zerubbabel and to Joshua.
Zerubbabel
was the governor and in the line of David. Wait until you see the good things God
says about him in Haggai and then in Zechariah.
Joshua
the high priest appears in a very dramatic scene in Zechariah.
To
get your bearings here notice when this first message was given. Now go to 2:10
where the day of the final two messages is given. As far as we know, Haggai's
ministry lasted only three months, but not without impact.
Vs.
2-11 Remember that this message was given to these two leaders. As I read this,
this sounds so much like what any of us are prone to do in the Western world.
The harvest is difficult, but going to church and living in comfort is so easy.
Yet, our lives are so barren of fruit. To draw close to God as a disciple means
you will have to become dissatisfied with a lack of fruit. Verse 8 reminds me
of John 15:8.
Vs.
12-15 This was a miracle and shows the power of God in Haggai's message. It
also shows the hearts of Zerubbabel and Joshua as godly leaders. It just makes
you happy to read this.
Haggai
2
Vs.
1-9 This message comes a month into their work on the temple and they were
discouraged. How could this temple compare to the glorious temple of Solomon?
The Lord tells Zerubbabel and Joshua to be encouraged and keep working. Then in
vs. 6-9, God gives them a hint of the coming glory of the millennial temple.
God lifts their eyes from that temple to the future temple to strengthen their
hands. This is a very direct and heartfelt word to these two men.
It
should also be noted that Ezekiel had already completed his book and I'm sure
it was in print. Joshua would have brought a copy with him. They would have
read about the millennial temple in Ezekiel 40. God, through Haggai, was
reminding them that whatever was on earth now was only a frail copy of what
would be in the future.
Vs.
10-19 This message is directed to the priests to remain holy, personally and in
their attitudes. The people might have "let down" regarding
rebuilding the temple, but the priests and Levites couldn't let down in their
holiness before God and in leading the people. God marks this day as the day He
will begin to bless the exiles for their obedience. It is interesting that the
promise of blessing was marked with the spiritual reform of the leaders.
Vs.
20-23 This is the same day, and the message is only for Zerubbabel. The best
guess is that this blessing is still waiting for fulfillment in the Millennium.
Zerubbabel was true to God and there will be a reward. Since we know that the
resurrected David will lead Israel in the Millennial Kingdom, it is thought
that Zerubbabel will also be raised to work and govern under David as part of
this reward. After this time of Haggai and Zechariah, we hear nothing more
about Zerubbabel. He was not present when Ezra arrived 62 years later or when
Nehemiah arrived 76 years later.
Reading
these prophets, it makes me aware of how important it is to live closely with
the Lord in faith, to keep the end in view and to stay motivated in the
harvest. God showed these leaders what they were working for, lifting their
vision beyond their challenges and beyond their generation. Their work was
adding to the coming day of redemption for all peoples and nations. That is
exactly what we are working toward too, as we follow Jesus in the harvest,
making disciples, who make disciples.
Revelation 11
Just
as chapter 10 showed a heavenly event that will signify a change from the first
3.5 years of the Tribulation to the next 3.5 years, chapter 11 shows us what
has happened on earth as this change has taken place.
Vs.
1-2 The temple will be rebuilt in the first 3.5 years of peace in Jerusalem.
Now a change has taken place and the nations will trample Jerusalem for the
next 3.5 years. It is exactly at the mid-point of the Tribulation that the
antichrist will come into the temple, defile it and stop the worship. Both
Daniel and Jesus spoke of this.
V.
3 Now we learn about the two witnesses. Notice that their ministry was for 3.5
years, that is, the first half of the Tribulation. I think it is obvious that
neither the antichrist nor the nations could run amok in Jerusalem with these
guys on the loose. No one knows who these two guys are, but since it says in
Hebrews that you only die once, it seems a good guess to think these might be
two guys in the OT who never died, Enoch and Elijah. Or, of course, they could
just be two other guys, like Fred and Ralph.
Vs.
4-6 In Zechariah 4:2-14 we see Zerubbabel and Joshua referred to in the same
way. The idea is that they bore witness in their generation in giving light
like lampstands, and both are empowered by the Holy Spirit, as seen in the oil
of the olive tree.
Notice
that these guys can call down disaster and no one can stand against them. I
think, as the seals are being broken and the trumpets are sounding in heaven,
these guys are on earth calling down all the judgments just like Moses and
Aaron did. This means that they work in the first 3.5 years.
Vs.
7-10 My sense is that the angel's declaration in chapter 10 will introduce the
mystery of God, allowing His followers to conquer Satan by the sacrifice and
testimony of their lives for Christ. This mystery will begin on earth with the
deaths of these two men. It reminds me of Herod laying hands on the apostles in
Acts 12. God allowed it, but it only advanced the gospel.
You've
got to admit this sounds funny, that people in the world will be so happy that
these guys are dead that they will give gifts. That will make it a real
"black Friday." I wonder if they'll put up their Christmas trees.
I'll bet there will be fantastic discounts. Even though it has been said, and
people know in their hearts, that what has happened is the judgment of God as
written in the Bible, they will only think about those two guys. They won't see
God. They will think that if they kill the messengers, God will go away.
Think
of what has happened with all of the seals and the trumpets. Over half of the
earth's population is dead. A third of the land of the earth is scorched. A
third of the fresh water is poisoned; a third of the ocean is poisoned, and a
third of the world’s fleet of ships is gone. There is war and famine all over
the planet. Think of how long it took to clean up after Katrina hit the Gulf
States in the U.S., with all of the U.S.'s resources. The earth will be totally
wrecked for those last 3.5 years and everything will finally resemble an
apocalyptic landscape. Without technology, utilities and the ability to make
gasoline, we'll all be on equal footing. The earth will be happy these guys are
dead and the antichrist and his beast will be very popular, with action figures
and TV interviews, etc….
We
don't see it yet, but the fact that just a third of everything was destroyed
was still God's mercy in trying to wake people up to the judgments yet to come.
People could have still repented. In some way this is a very crucial time while
there is still the chance to come to God because things will get worse. The
hearts of people will now be totally revealed and most will become totally
hardened.
Vs.
11-13 Apparently this will be televised. Notice that this is resurrection, but
after 3.5 days, it is the total recreation of their bodies. Also, notice that
if people are giving glory to God, they are believing.
I
would say it is after this that the antichrist takes his place in the temple,
declaring himself to be God or the messiah, with a small "m." You
have to admit, showing his muscle like this would make a convincing argument
that he is the king ant on the ant hill, except that it's just an ant hill.
Vs.
15-19 The death of the witnesses begins the second 3.5 years. The seventh angel
blows his trumpet and it is declared that the kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ."
Notice
that the ark of the covenant is there
in the heavenly temple. As important as the ark of the covenant was in the days
from Moses to David, it was lost sometime before the Babylonian captivity. In
order for Josiah to have sacrificed, he would have needed the ark. It talks
about all of the things that Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple, but it
never mentions the ark. I know some people think Indiana Jones found it, and
obviously Israel had to make another ark for Ezra's generation and for the
generation in Jesus' day, but I wonder if this is the missing ark and God took
it before the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar. Just speculation.
This
is a solemn moment and there is worship, but what really happens here? Jesus
doesn't return at this point and there are still events taking place and there
are yet seven bowls of judgment to be poured out. There are still 3.5 years of
what will now be referred to as the "Great Tribulation."
It
seems to me that God is showing the power of His righteousness and the proof of
forgiveness and redemption by allowing the world to be "judged," or
"conquered" by the saints. What better proof to the success of the
work you have done than to let the finished product speak for itself. The next
chapters should make this more evident that God is giving up His own people as
proof of the power of salvation in Christ. These people will carry their cross
daily and most will be giving up their lives for their Savior.
As
we read these next chapters it looks pretty grim for the followers of Jesus.
But imagine going through all of this and having the playbook in hand. I'm sure
there will be some desperate moments, but I'll bet there will be some
Spirit-inspired joy and courage like the world has never seen. Everything that
Jesus said should be true of a disciple will be alive and lived through those
followers. They will not fear in their deaths and they will give up testimony
as they are removed from the earth and enter into life. That is how we need to
be working now in the harvest. We have far less to be anxious about than
they'll have, and we have the same assurance that we are in the Lord's hands as
we work in the harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make
disciples.
Psalm 139
As
you read this psalm for the second time this year, think of how your
understanding or feeling for what David is saying might be different because of
what you have read since then.
Vs.
1-6 Verse 6 is the climax here. God knows us intimately, completely, and
intricately. In faith we can rejoice in this knowledge, knowing God has
cleansed us in Jesus Christ; otherwise, this would be pretty scary.
Vs.
7-12 Again, in a heart of faith, this is a major comfort. As Jesus encouraged
His disciples that there could be things done to them that would never be
known, that they might be killed and there would be no justice, Jesus said to
them, So have no fear of them, for
nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known (Matt.
10:26). Not only does God see, He is there too. We are never alone.
Vs.
13-18 These verses add another dimension to what Paul wrote in Romans 8:29-31, For those whom he foreknew he also
predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be
the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also
called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified
he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us,
who can be against us?
Vs.
19-22 Regarding the lost, we are to love all men and work to see the lost saved
and disciples made. Regarding our Father, our prayer is to be, Your kingdom come, your will be done, on
earth as it is in heaven. Among all the things those words mean, they mean
judgment to those who rebel against Christ. We are praying for justice, for the
light of God to come and for this tragedy to be over.
Vs.
23-24 This is the kind of bold transparency we need each day as we pursue our
Lord, following Him in the harvest.
Proverbs 30:15-16
This is a rather striking image
for a lack of contentment. As Paul said, But
godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the
world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and
clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall
into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that
plunge people into ruin and destruction (1 Tim. 6:6-9).
In this Christmas season, that
is a good thought. I'm afraid that for most people and many believers,
Christmas and life are reflected in the words of this proverb.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment