Category: Revelation–BibleTrekToday
Response to a revelation of God’s holiness
Scripture reading for July 17th: Isaiah 5-8
In the presence of the Lord there is an awesome awareness of God’s holiness and glory and of our sinfulness and need of cleansing. The stories of encounters with the Lord in Scripture record humbling effects on those so blessed to experience a personal visitation. It is always by God’s initiative that He reveals Himself to a man or woman. We can’t command a visitation although we can ask humbly. Job asked to have an audience with His maker and found himself unable to answer and repented following the encounter. (Job 42:2-6) Isaiah had a visitation and confessed his sin quickly.
During Isaiah’s encounter, he beheld the Lord on a throne with His robe filling the temple. Above and around Him were heavenly being called seraphs, or “burning ones”. They had six wings and used these to fly and cover their faces and feet. They were calling to each other “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty, the whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6:3) When they spoke, their voices shook the doorposts and thresholds of the temple and smoke filled the house. This ‘smoke’ was the tangible glory of God!
Isaiah himself began to cry out in terror of judgment in the presence of this Holy One and His burning angels! He immediately knew his sin would bring judgment and death. He understood that all people among whom he lived were also sinful and were in danger of judgment! Seeing God’s great white throne would spell disaster! (Revelation 20:11-14) God saw his heart and repentance and heard his confession. He sent one of the seraph’s with a burning coal from the altar and applied it to the prophet’s mouth. His sin was taken away and atoned for.
After cleansing, Isaiah heard the Lord’s personal call: “Whom shall I send? And who will go for Me?” Isaiah quickly responded with “Here am I, send me!” (Isaiah 6:8) God told Isaiah that He was sending him to a people whose hearts were calloused and their ears were dull. They had become hardened and would become harder as they refused to listen to God’s prophet! (Isaiah 6:9-10) Jesus quoted these verses as He spoke to the religious people of His day. (Matthew 13:13-15)
In summary, the open heaven Isaiah experienced brought revelation of God’s glory. This led to awareness and confession of his sinfulness and cleansing by God’s grace through fire from the altar. After cleansing he heard God’s call and obeyed! Why not ask God for a fresh revelation of His holiness and glory?
The answer to life’s meaning!
Scripture reading for July 13: Ecclesiastes 7-12
This quest of Solomon to find meaning is played out every day in our world. People are going to and fro seeking pleasure, wisdom, meaning and purpose in life under the sun. They are trying wine, women, sports, building, materialism, and fame to find happiness and fulfillment. Many are laughing and appearing to have fun, but it is shallow and meaningless. Many are in bondage to sins of the flesh and are miserable. They go from one form of bondage to another looking for that elusive fulfillment that can only be found in God Himself!
Solomon tells us that the day of death is better than the day of birth. Death takes away every man and their works will stand judgment. Being mindful of this should give us motivation for righteous living here and now. There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right all the time and never sins. (Ecclesiastes 7:10; Romans 3:23) Solomon found that God had made men upright, but that men in their folly had gone in search of many schemes! (Ecclesiastes 7:29) How true of man throughout history and today!
No man knows when the hour of his end will come. Things don’t always turn out according to a movie script where the good guy wins and the evil person is destroyed! “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11) No one really knows the future or what it holds. Accidents can come suddenly and death can snatch us from this life without warning! “As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.” (Ecclesiastes 9:12)
“The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails–given by one Shepherd. Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of the making of many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body. Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or bad.” Ecclesiastes 12:11-13
Solomon concludes his book with a simple warning. Have you found true meaning in life here on earth? Are you still searching in all the wrong places? Turn to Jesus Christ today and ask Him for mercy and a new beginning! He lovingly took the penalty for your sins and offers you eternal life in Father’s house!
Sunday rest and reflection: wise living!
Dear Friends, Greetings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus Christ, the only wise God! What a day to be alive and learning to know and love God! The signs are everywhere of the last days and God’s Word tells us to live wisely and make the most of our time as we see the Day of Christ approaching. (Ephesians 5:15-16) Those who are righteous will become more righteous and live by the Spirit, following Christ more closely. Those who are wicked will become more wicked, following their own flesh and the evil spirits of this world more closely. (Revelation 22:10-11)
As we read Proverbs, we are exposed to wisdom for successful daily living. The proverbs were wise sayings and nuggets of God’s truth that would help to discern the right path. These truths were particularly helpful to youth and children who were beginning their walk through life. Parents were to teach their children wise living. They taught by impressing truth on the hearts of the young during daily meals, Sabbath day church gatherings, work, and sharing at bedtime around the fire.
According to God’s Word, wise living always centered on loving God and obeying His commandments. This wisdom has it’s beginning in a deep respect for God as Creator and giver of life! The term used in Scripture is the ‘fear of the Lord’. Parents teach the ‘fear of the Lord’ by their attitude towards God and God’s house. Regular church attendance and worship is a good indication of a desire to live wisely. Daily study of the Word of God and prayer are spiritual disciplines that indicate a desire to know God’s will in order to submit to it and obey it. Wise living honors God’s Word as the rule of faith and practice. We treat it with respect and believe it is truth–all of it! When we cut out parts of the Bible because it doesn’t line up with what ‘science’ teaches or with what we want to believe, then we have lost our fear of the Lord and our ability to know truth. This is a dangerous place to be!
In the last days, men will refuse a love of the truth, believe a lie, and end up in damnation. (2nd Thessalonians 2:9-12) When we have no fear of God or His Word, a delusion of deception blinds us even further. We lose our ability to discern right from wrong. We end up delighting in wickedness and going to our destruction. Now is the time to press on to know the Lord and live wisely in obedience and faith. Jesus is coming soon! (Revelation 22:20)
The star-breathing God!
Scripture reading for June 8: Psalms 31-35
Psalm 33:6,8 “By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host. . . .Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him!
The Psalms reveal a lot about the character, power and majesty of the God we worship. God is the subject and object of these writings quite often, and Psalm 33 is especially rich in revelation! It is one of my personal favorites! It begins with music–singing, shouting, and instruments played skillfully! It is fitting to begin with praise and worship when we contemplate the majesty of God!
God is first commended for His Word. God can be depended on to do what He has said. He made the heavens by His own Word. When He spoke, the psalmist states, God breathed out the starry host! When we think of the vast universe with it’s countless stars, galaxies, and star clusters, stretching out for billions of light-years, we can only worship in awe and holy fear! He speaks and out of nothing, stars and galaxies appear! His Word holds the universe together and is the agent that brings faith to those who will hear Him! (Romans 10:17) (Colossians 1:17)
God is in total control of the earth and all it’s peoples! He knows how to stop nations and people from interfering with His plans. His plans and purposes are established firmly forever! The nation that serves the Lord will be blessed because that is His plan! God is watching over mankind and knows everything that is happening. He knows the hearts of all men and is looking for those whose hearts are sold out to Him. He will show Himself strong for them! (Psalm 33:18-19) He will save them and preserve them!
As we contemplate the truths of this psalm, we gain an understanding of the magnitude of the God we worship! Faith begins to grow that He is truly in control! No purpose of God can be stopped! He knows how to stop nations that are going against Him. He knows how to bless people who are sold out to Him!
“We wait in hope for the Lord’ He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” Psalm 33:20-22
What is a ‘fool’?
Scripture reading for June 5: Psalms 13-18
“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.” Psalm 14:1
The fool in Scripture is the one who denies the existence of God. Why would anyone want to deny that God exists? Hasn’t God placed eternity in the hearts of all men? (Ecclesiastes 3:11) Isn’t God evident to all through creation? (Psalm 19:2-4) The reason this kind of fool exists isn’t because of an intellectual problem. It is something much deeper than that!
According to Psalm 14, the reason the fool says that there is no God is because of corruption of character. These people are vile and do not do anything that would be considered ‘good’ in God’s sight. These people avoid seeking God so that they do not have to answer for their wicked deeds. They prefer their corruption and want no ‘God’ to interfere with their evil ways and thoughts. It is convenient to do away with God or any knowledge of Him, thinking this liberates them from responsibility and judgment.
The Apostle Paul describes the fool’s way of thinking in Romans 1:18-23. These people have known about God and His ways but have suppressed this truth in unrighteousness. Having suppressed truth, the lie of their own ‘godhood’ based on their own futile thinking darkens their hearts and souls. God allows them to follow their darkened understanding and worship creatures and creation rather than the creator.
The next step is sexual perversion. (Romans 1:24-27) When a person rejects God because of their wickedness, God allows that person to be deluded and go deeply into perversion and further depravity in the breaking of God’s laws. This results in all kinds of sexual sin, lying, greed, envy, malice, strife, and idolatry. This is where every ‘fool’ in Scripture ends up without the grace of God.
There is no excuse for staying a fool however, for God is always ready to save, heal and forgive. We must humble ourselves and admit that He exists and that He will reward and forgive those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6) If you have been foolish in your words or attitudes about God, take time today and repent. God is faithful and just and will forgive you! (1st John 1:7-9)
God turns the tables!
Scripture reading for May 15: Esther 5-7
“If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it; if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him.” Proverbs 26:27 “An evil man is snared by his own sin, but a righteous one can sing and be glad.” Proverbs 29:6
We must be careful when we plot revenge. All judgment and vengeance is the Lord’s. (Romans 12:19) The Lord has a way of turning the tables on those who seek revenge and plot evil. He has ways of protecting those who are innocent and those who are serving Him.
Haman was thrilled with his position and his influence! He boasted to his wife and friends of his good fortune and how he was the only one invited to meet with Queen Esther for a banquet. (Nehemiah 6:1-12) He was happy, except for one fly in the ointment: Mordecai the Jew would not show him honor by bowing before him! He complained to his wife and friends who proposed a plan to hang Mordecai on a gallows 75 feet high! This would have been high enough to display the execution above the walls of the city! He had the gallows built and was ready for the next day.
But God was moving silently behind the scenes. The king could not sleep, so he had the chronicles of his reign read to him. He heard the story of a foiled plot to assassinate him–a plot Mordecai had exposed, thus saving his life. He asked what had been done for this man and found out it had been overlooked. He asked who might be in the court to honor Mordecai, and providentially, Haman had just walked in. The king asked him what he would do to honor someone special to the king. Thinking it was him to be honored, Haman proposed a grand public honor and was shocked when the king told him to honor Mordecai! God turned the tables deftly and quickly!
The end of the story finds Haman hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai after being exposed as the one seeking to kill off all Jews, including the Queen! It may look as if the wicked get by with their schemes, but not in the end! Do you have thoughts of revenge or plans to get even? Why not forgive and turn the table back toward God’s mercy before He turns the tables on you?
The secret to great power!
Scripture reading for April 29: 2 Chronicles 26-28
People are always curious when someone says that they know a secret that will make them young, rich, beautiful, successful or powerful. Many people have gotten rich selling secrets relating to these popular desires. Most of them are people who are playing on the selfish nature of man for their own benefit. We would do well to avoid them. But in today’s reading, we find a treasure from the Lord!
Do you want the secret of great power? Lets look at the life of Jotham, the twenty five year old son of King Uzziah. This king did right in the eyes of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 27:2) The main event recorded of this king was a war with the Ammonites and it says that Jotham conquered them. (2 Chronicles 27:5) After the conquest, he got a large amount of silver, wheat, and barley for several years.
The secret of his power is found in one verse that makes up a paragraph! “Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God.” (2 Chronicles 27:6) It is so simple that anyone can grasp this concept. Faithfulness is the first requirement of a good steward. Jotham was faithful and he kept the faith all of his life! He served the Lord his God. God wasn’t just the God of his father or mother. He wasn’t just his nation’s God or his wife’s God. In order to serve steadfastly, you need to know God for yourself!
If you need to ask the Lord to be your God today, take time now and get right with Him. The path to great power starts with a heart commitment to the Lord in faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. (Acts 4:12) We must humbly confess our sins and our need of His grace. (1st John 1:9) We choose to believe in our hearts and confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and we will be saved. (Romans 10:9-11) We are saved by grace through faith in Christ and He has good works for us to walk in. (Ephesians 2:8-10) If you continue in the faith, steadfast to the end, you will experience the greatest power available to man–God will raise you from the dead and you will live forever with Him! (1st Thessalonians 4:13-18) May the Lord bless you with great power!
God is good and loves eternally!
Scripture reading for April 22: 2nd Chronicles 1-5
Two great truths about God are voiced in this simple song that was sung when the priests and Solomon moved the Ark of the Covenant into the completed temple of the Lord. These truths are so simple and obvious that one would think everyone should know them and had experienced them. But Satan is a liar, always questioning God’s goodness and His enduring love!
God is good! God is good in all His ways and character. His goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives. (Psalm 23:6) He is good in His creation through which He has provided for all creatures food and drink to sustain them. Everything we eat ultimately comes from His hands. He is good to both the evil and the good. He shows mercy by his goodness in sending rain and bringing forth crops and food for all, no matter how they might treat Him! God is good in His character as well. He is pure and holy and righteous in every way. (Revelation 15:3-4) His perfection and holiness causes the hosts of heaven to adore Him, crying: “Holy, Holy, Holy!” ( Revelation 4:8) Ultimately all nations will come and worship Him for His goodness, justice and truth!
The second truth declared by those who moved the Ark into the Temple was that God’s love endures forever. God is love. (1st John 4:16) His nature is good because He is love that is eternal. God is from everlasting to everlasting! (Psalm 90:2) He pours out His love on those He has made in His image and likeness! “God so loved the world” (John 3:16) is one of the most quoted verses of the Bible. God’s love moved Him to send His only Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to seek out lost men and save them. (Luke 19:10) His love heals the sick, cleanses the defiled, and restores broken lives to trophies of love!
Today, try singing this simple song as you go through your day. Look for all the ways that God is good to you and thank Him as you are reminded of His goodness! Tell Him that you love Him today and appreciate his eternal love! As you do, remember that you now bear His presence and glory as a living stone in his temple! You join Solomon and the hosts of heaven as they worship eternally!
Revenge belongs only to God!
Scripture reading for March 22: 1st Samuel 24-26
Nabal was a “Calebite”, a descendant of Caleb, the faithful spy and conqueror of giants. Nabal was described as being “surly and mean in his dealings”. (1st Samuel 25:3) One of his own servants also described Nabal as a man who was “such a wicked man that no one could talk to him”. (1st Samuel 25:17) He liked to party and alcohol was also a factor in his reputation. (1st Samuel 25:36) If he were around today, he would fit in well with many in our world.
Nabal was married to a Abigail, a woman described as “intelligent and beautiful”. Often our mate is the one who can help us with our own sins and weaknesses. Hearing how arrogantly her husband had treated the servants of David, who had helped protect their herds, Abigail quickly took action to avert a disaster. She was like the godly woman in Proverbs 31 who was working for her husband’s good. Abigail took goods and met David and his men as they were coming to seek revenge. She appealed to David, humbly asking for his favor. David listened and relented. Through this godly woman, he heard the voice of God and was spared the shedding of innocent blood though revenge.
1 Samuel 25:32-33 “And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, Who sent you this day to meet me! Blessed be your discretion, and blessed by you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand!” Romans 12:19 “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, says the Lord.”
Returning home, Abigail found her husband at a party, drunk. She waited until morning to tell him what she had done. When Nabal heard about her kindness, God struck him with what appears to be a stroke. The scripture says that Nabal “became like a stone” and soon died.
What lessons can we learn for our lives today from this story of Nabal and Abigail? What were some factors in Nabal’s life that brought him trouble and judgment? How did God show him mercy? How does this story speak to today’s culture in our time?
Give me a King!
Scripture reading for March 18: 1st Samuel 8-12
1Samuel 8:5,7 “. . .and they said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” . . .”and the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.”
Although they already had God as King, the Israelites had demanded a king like the other nations. (1st Samuel 8:4-5) God already knew this would happen. He had told Moses about it! (Deuteronomy 16:14-20) God knows man’s deepest need is for a relationship Him. To help us know Him, He sometimes lets us have what we want in order to help us learn what we really need.
God chose Saul, a person who stood above all the others, as Israel’s first king. (1st Samuel 10:23-24) As Samuel anointed him, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul and he began prophesying. (1st Samuel 10:1, 9-11) Samuel introduced him to the nation and the people shouted, “Long live the king!” But this king would not satisfy the people’s need, but would help them to learn that they needed their real King more than ever! This first king would soon fail to obey and honor the Lord and fall under God’s judgment. The people would suffer under his leadership! He would not deliver them from their enemies.
Tomorrow happens to be my 77th birthday. I lived for a few years without a King! As a early teen I invited the King Jesus to rule my life, but did not really let Him have complete say over everything. I am thankful that my King was patient with me. He let me have what I initially wanted, success in farming, to show me that it did not satisfy. My birthday request is that my family would all willingly serve Jesus. A further request would be that all my friends and neighbors would also know this King as Lord, Savior, and Friend! Jesus is patiently waiting for all to acknowledge Him as Lord and King! He meets our deepest need eternally!
“But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.” That is the word of faith that we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” (Romans 10:8-11)