Philippians 4. The Apostle Paul’s theme is joy “dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.” and “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” and this gem “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” and this one “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” This letter of joy and encouragement ends with a greeting: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
Proverbs 14. These Proverbs of King Solomon mark the contrast between the foolish and the wise.
Proverbs 15, Proverbs of Solomon. Solomon speaks of the value of following the LORD and the pursuit of righteousness and virtue as opposed to folly, pride and wickedness, all of which God hates.
Psalm 82, of Asaph. Jesus quotes this Psalm when he confounds the people accusing him of blasphemy.
Psalm 83, of Asaph. An urgent prayer for God to help when war is threatening.
Philippians 3. The Apostle Paul had reason to brag about his perfect Jewish credentials, but he did not; he would glory only in Chris and his resurrection. Let us press on towards the goal, after all, our citizenship is in heaven.
Isaiah 65 is rich. It tells of judgment and salvation, the new creation and the new Jerusalem.
Isaiah 66 speaks of judgement and hope, and true and false worship. Yet, the LORD will vindicate Zion; “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream“. Finally, God via Isaiah wraps up the scroll with a description of the Day of the LORD and its sobering aftermath.
Philippians 2:12-29. The Apostle Paul urged the believers to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. Yes, salvation is past tense (for by grace have you been saved), present tense (work out your own salvation) and future tense (you will be saved). God is independent of time (He existed before time and space. Time and space only has meaning after creation of matter). Paul ended the chapter talking about Timothy and Epaphroditus.
Isaiah 63. The day of the Lord’s vengeance is coming where “the grapes of wrath are trod” and there was no one to help. Then God will show His mercy and provide salvation, but will people listen?
Isaiah 64. A prayer of petition and penance: “All our righteousness are as filthy rags”
Psalm 81, of Asaph. A Psalm for the Feast of Tabernacles.
Philippians 2:1-11. The Apostle Paul urged the believers to imitate the humility of Christ. Verses 7-11 are in the form of a hymn and shows how Jesus, even though he always is God, emptied himself and became obedient to the cross, even unto death.
Isaiah 61. This is the year of the Lord’s favor. Jesus started his ministry finding this prophecy in the scroll of Isaiah and read it but stopped mid-sentence. It also gives “beauty for ashes” and proclaims the good news of salvation.
Isaiah 62. Zion’s new name will be called Hephzibah and the land will be called Beulah, salvation is coming.
Philippians 1. After the customary greeting the Apostle Paul gave a heartfelt prayer for the believers. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” (This was the verse given to my wife and me when we joined the church after our salvation). Paul was in prison and this worked in favor of the Gospel. He also encouraged them to behave worthy of the Gospel and follow Christ and be partakers with him in suffering.
Isaiah 59. We are hopelessly separated from God until we confess our sin, and even then we need a redeemer. He will come out of Zion.
Isaiah 60. Arise, shine, for your light has come. Gross darkness covers the people. It tells of the glory of Zion and ends with a millennial prophecy of the New Jerusalem.
I have been praying for a revival for a few years, This time it is critical, and when it comes it will be worldwide thanks to the power of internet and what it means for both good and evil. It has enabled the spiritual warfare to increase to unprecedented levels. There was a time not long ago when people communicated with each other, went to church on Sunday and endured yet another sermon they had heard three years ago and it was time to preach it again according to the three year cycle, and not much happened, but there was a few people who prayed for a revival, such a one that had happened before in their youth. Such it was on the Lewis part of the island of Lewis and Harris in the outer Hebrides, and this short video will tell the story vividly. This was while Donald Trump was still president:
More than four years have passed, and the world is no longer the same. In 2020 the Abraham accords were signed, and we were looking for and anticipated transitioning into a time of peace. The opposite did indeed happen; the time was not yet ready for a revival. People were still asleep, not aware of the fullness of evil. The 2024 election is upon us, and we are still not fully aware of who the contestants really are, 28% of the people want to know more about Kamala Harris, but only 9% want to know more about Donald Trump. I didn’t know this about him until a few days ago, when I looked up Duncan Campbell and the1949 Hebrides’ revival, the beginning of which he vehemently denied he had originated. He claimed the revival had already started when he arrived, thanks to the two old ladies and the young Donald Smith.
Anyhow the Bible given to Donald Trump by his mother was used at the 2017 presidential. inauguration together with the 1861 Bible used by Abraham Lincoln at his taking the oath of office.
This is an example of the synergy of the ages .Two elderly shut-in ladies prayed for years for a revival, and nothing happened, but suddenly it did, and the effect lasts for generations
Pray for the revival. God uses the most unlikely characters to accomplish His purposes.
Ephesians 6. Children: Obey your parents; bondservants (employees): Do everything as unto God, put on the whole armor of God and pray in the spirit always for all the saints. The Apostle Paul then added a final greeting, and so ends this inspirational letter to the Ephesians.
Isaiah 57. The LORD warned strongly against idolatry, especially the pagan god Moloch. There is peace for the contrite, but there is no peace for the wicked.
Ephesians 5. The Apostle Paul gave good advice: Walk in love, walk in light, and walk in wisdom, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” Then Paul gave Godly advice on marriage and likened it to the relationship between Christ and the church.
Isaiah 56. Salvation will be open to all. In Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial will be remembered “Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.” Yet, Israel still have wicked leaders.
Psalm 80, of Asaph. A prayer for restoration of Israel, mentioning the Shepherd of Israel, a heartfelt and urgent plea.
Ephesians 4:17-32. The Apostle Paul reminded the Ephesians they are children of light, do not grieve the spirit, and “do not let the sun go down on your wrath“.
Isaiah 54. After the gigantic chapter 53, writing about the sin-bearing, suffering servant the narrative switches back to God’s servant, Israel, and the Covenant of Peace. It ends with “no weapon formed against you shall prosper”
Isaiah 55 gives the invitation to abundant life. Remember this: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Psalm 79, of Asaph. A cry for help, for the heathens were devastating Jerusalem, the Temple and the people. The Psalmist confessed their collective sins and pleaded for restoration, always with praise and thankfulness.
I have been praying for a revival for a few years, This time it is critical, and when it comes it will be worldwide thanks to the power of internet and what it means for both good and evil. It has enabled the spiritual warfare to increase to unprecedented levels. There was a time not long ago when people communicated with each other, went to church on Sunday and endured yet another sermon they had heard three years ago and it was time to preach it again according to the three year cycle, and not much happened, but there was a few people who preyed for a revival, such a one that had happened before in their youth. Such it was on the island of Lewis in the inner Hebrides, and this short video will tell the story vividly:
This is the day of the one and only presidential debate, and 28% of the people want to know more about Kamala Harris, but only 9% want to know more about Donald Trump. I didn’t know this about him until a few days ago, when I looked up Duncan Hines and the Hebrides revival, a fact he vehemently denied. He claimed the revival had already started when he arrived, thanks to the two old women and the young Donald Smith.
Anyhow the Bible given to Donald Trump by his mother was used at the 2017 presidential. inauguration together with the 1861 Bible used by Abraham Lincoln at his taking the oath of office.
This is an example of the synergy of the ages .Two elderly shut-in ladies prayed for years for a revival, and nothing happened, but suddenly it did, and the effects goes down for generations
Pray for the revival. God uses the most unlikely characters to accomplish His purposes.
Len Bilén's blog, a blog about faith, politics and the environment. 