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 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 (Rom. 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.
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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