Category: Revelation

Day 350 of reading the Holy Bible in 365 days.

Revelation 8 describes the precursors to the great tribulation with the opening of the seventh seal and the sounding of the trumpets. It begins with an earthquake. First Trumpet: Vegetation Struck, Second Trumpet: The Seas Struck, Third Trumpet: The Waters Struck, Fourth Trumpet: The Heavens Struck; one ecological disaster after another.

Haggai 1 is about having the right priorities. God had commanded the inhabitants of Jerusalem to rebuild His house. When confronted with their wrongful ways the people obeyed.

Day 349 of reading the Holy Bible in 365 days.

Revelation 7. The apostle John saw angels telling of the 144 thousand sealed of Israel, and then saw a multitude that came out of the Great Tribulation singing praises such as “Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.”

Proverbs 28, more proverbs of Solomon. Wisdom is important, so here are many more proverbs about wisdom and righteousness, and the consequences of the lack thereof.

Day 348 of reading the Holy Bible in 365 days.

Revelation 6. The first six seals are opened. First Seal: The rider on a white horse. He represents the conqueror or the Catholic Church. Second Seal: The rider on a red horse. He represents conflict on earth or the powers of humanism, secularism, communism and socialism. Third Seal: The rider on the black horse. He represents scarcity on earth from wars or the results of unrestrained capitalism. Fourth Seal: The rider on the green horse. He represents mass death on earth or the religion/state power of Islam. Fifth Seal: The Cry of the Martyrs. “It was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” Then comes the Sixth Seal with the Great Earthquake. It is at this time I place the rapture of the believers. We are living in the time of the first five seals already being opened. Read all the Old Testament references and see if it makes sense to you. This is but one interpretation since Revelation is deliberately veiled, lest we would go ahead on our own trying to make human sense out of it.

Zephaniah 3. Jerusalem was full of wickedness but there remained a faithful remnant and they would rejoice in God’s faithfulness, restoring His people.

Day 347 of reading the Holy Bible in 365 days.

Revelation 5. Worship is continued in heaven and the Apostle John saw a scroll with seven seals. Nobody but the Lamb was worthy to take and open the scroll. All that were present broke out in praise, singing a new song, saying, “Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood” and “Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.  And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.”

Zephaniah 1 is a prophecy of the Great Day of the LORD.

Zephaniah 2 is a call to repentance and a prophecy of judgment on many nations.

Day 346 of reading the Holy Bible in 365 days.

Revelation 4. The Apostle John was shown the throne room of Heaven. Someone was sitting on the throne. A rainbow was over it, 24 elders were around it, in the front were seven lamps, representing the seven-fold spirit of God. Around it were also four creatures, one like a lion, representing Jesus as king (Matthew), one like an ox representing Jesus as a servant (Mark), one with the face of man representing the humanity of Christ (Luke), and the fourth like an eagle representing Jesus is God (John). All sang or said praises, a true worship.

Proverbs 27. More Proverbs of Solomon. This chapter deals with the future, and what to do about it today. One notable quote: “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”

Psalm 148: Let all creation praise the LORD!

Day 345 of reading the Holy Bible in 365 days.

Revelation 3 ends the message to the seven churches: To Sardis, the church that claimed to be alive, but in God’s eyes was dead; to Philadelphia, the church that kept its faith, and as a reward will be kept from the hour of trial that is coming; and finally to the church of Laodicea, the church that thought it had it all figured out and prospered, when in reality it had nothing. These can be seen as seven historical churches, which they were, but also as seven types of churches as they exist today and through history. They can also be taken as seven states of the individual believer. However you take it, there is something in it for every believer, even today.

In Habakkuk 3 is recorded Habakkuk’s prayer, a hymn of faith.

Psalm 147 is a great Psalm of praising God for His protection and creation, for His care and power, for His provisions, wisdom and His word. It ends with praise to the LORD for His special attention to Israel.

Day 344 of reading the Holy Bible in 365 days.

Revelation 2:12-29 continues the message to the seven churches, church three and four: Pergamos, a church that looked good but compromised itself, and the church of Thyatira, a corrupted church, but with hope of repentance. These can be seen as seven historical churches, which they were, but also as seven types of churches as they exist today and through history. They can also be taken as seven states of the individual believer. Whichever way you take it, there is something in it for every believer, even today.

Habakkuk 1 begins with the prophet’s first complaint and the LORD’s reply. After that the prophet poured out his second complaint.

Habakkuk 2. The LORD answered the prophet to his second complaint. It contains this gem, just as valid today as it was then: “The just shall live by his faith“.  On the other hand God promised more woes to the wicked.

Day 343 of reading the Holy Bible in 365 days.

Revelation 2:1-11 begins the message to the seven churches. The first two are: Ephesus, the church that lost its first love; Smyrna, the church that stood firm even when it was persecuted;  These can be seen as seven historical churches, which they were, but also as seven types of churches as they exist today and through history. They can also be taken as seven states of the individual believer. Whichever way you take it, there is even today something in it for every believer.

Proverbs 26 is a collection of more proverbs of Solomon collected after his death during the reign of Hezekiah.

Psalm 145, a Psalm of Praise, of David. In an acrostic fashion David praised God for his fame, glory and for His goodness; for his kingdom and His providence, and most of all for his saving mercy.

Psalm 146 is the first of the five final songs in the Book of Psalms, known as the Hallelujah Psalms. This one gives praise to the Lord for creation, for what He is doing and will do forever.

Day 342 of reading the Holy Bible in 365 days.

Revelation 1. The final book of the Bible begins with an introduction and promises a blessing to all who read it and take it to heart. It sends a greeting to the seven Churches followed by the most wonderful vision of the Son of Man.

Nahum 3. The prophet Nahum ended with a “woe to Nineveh.”

Day 3 of reading the Holy Bible in 365 days.

Today we read in John 2, that Jesus turned water into wine, cleansed the Temple, and when the Jews demanded a sign he gave them just one sign (which they of course did not understand).

Genesis 2 left us with the idyllic Eden, no diseases existed yet. But God created us with free will, and the fall is then described in Genesis 3 . The problem is, after eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, (not an apple tree) and in doing so we think we can build better without God.

The question to ponder is: Why did God create us with a free will? He knew the result from the beginning, and knew He would have to send His Son to redeem us back to Himself. In fact He knew it from before the beginning: “All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8, NIV)

Answer: We are created in God’s image, male and female, not so much physical, but spiritual, and free will is part of the package. Without free will there is no fellowship with God, only puppetry.

Psalm 1 is a beautiful poem about righteous living, and only one person could fulfill all the conditions mentioned, the exception to ” There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3: 10)