December 31 – The Curse of the Old Testament, No Curse in the New Testament!

December 31
Malachi 3:1-4:6
Revelation 22:1-21
Psalm 150:1-6
Proverbs 31:25-31

Malachi 3:1 – A messenger who shall prepare the way of the LORD? Not preparing the way of a mere prophet, but the way of Yahweh Elohim, the LORD God! When the messenger arrives, behold “He shall come!” This is the same promise that Isaiah 40:3 shares, and was fulfilled by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:2-3, Matthew 11:10, John 1:23).

Malachi 3:5 – Who will He judge? Interesting that its similar to Revelation 21:8 and Revelation 22:15.

Malachi 3:11 – Why was Israel beset with famine? As a judgment for sin (Deuteronomy 28:3-4). Malachi reminds us of the lesson from Elijah in 1 Kings 17:13, if you will trust God with your resources (that came from Him), He will provide all that you need!

Malachi 3:14 – Ever get depressed and wonder what benefit there is to serving God? Demas did (2 Timothy 4:10). It’s ok to be depressed, but don’t let Satan change your beliefs – true, serving the Lord is not the highest dollar return on your time, but are you laying up treasure here or in heaven? (Matthew 6:19-21).

Malachi 4:2 – “Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace! / Hail the Son of Righteousness! / Light and life to all He brings / Ris’n with healing in His wings!”

https://youtu.be/fqkBLvCmiCk?t=93

Malachi 4:5-6 – Elijah would come – John denied that he was Elijah (John 1:21), but Luke clarifies that he would come “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17). Jesus Himself confirmed that John was the very messenger (Matthew 11:10) – “this is he.” And the Old Testament ends warning us that without repentance is “a curse.” (Malachi 4:6).

The Tree of Life”… A print from the Phillip Medhurst Collection of Bible illustrations in the possession of Revd. Philip De Vere at St. George’s Court, Kidderminster, England.

Revelation 22:3 – The Old Testament ends with a curse – but the New Testament ends declaring “there shall be no more curse!”

Revelation 22:10 – Notice four promises of the unsealed prophecy:

1. Reward (Revelation 22:12) – 2 Corinthians 5:10 tells us that we will give an account of ourselves to God, and He will reward us (1 Corinthians 3:14-15).
2. Reception (Revelation 22:14) – Jesus went to prepare a place for us (John 14:2-3), and He gave us power to become Sons of God (John 1:12) so we have the right to enter into the gates!
3. Restrictions (Revelation 22:15) – Not everyone is going to heaven. Sin keeps you from heaven – even just one sin (James 2:10)!
4. Return (Revelation 22:7, Revelation 22:12, Revelation 22:20) – Jesus is coming!

Yes – the Wonderful word of the King is that Jesus is coming again!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dVB9ITVPtQ

Revelation 22:16 – Only Jesus can be the root and the offspring – the Father of David (Luke 3:38) and His Son (Luke 3:23)! He is the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 22:13).

Revelation 22:17 – The final invitation of the Bible is to you to Come. Take of the water of life freely! Where is the water of life / living water found? Jesus told the woman at the well that He gives living water (John 4:10). If you haven’t come to Jesus yet – come to Jesus before Jesus comes again!

Psalm 150:6 – As we end this year of 2018 – I don’t know if you’ve been as blessed reading Revelation 22 as I have – I’m glad we came to Psalm 150 – Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMnevRoAz74

Proverbs 31:30 – Beauty pageants focus on the wrong aspects of womanhood. Praise is for those who fear the LORD!

December 30 – Any ol’ Thing or Only My Best?

December 30
Malachi 1:1-2:17
Revelation 21:1-27
Psalm 149:1-9
Proverbs 31:10-24 

Welcome to the last book of the Old Testament – Malachi! We’re just one day away from the end of the year – thank you for joining with us this year!

Malachi 1:2 – Stop and appreciate the first phrase of this declaration. “I have loved you!” God loves Israel, and God loves us!!

Malachi 1:13 – Have we ever thought going to church was “weariness”? Have we brought our best gifts to the LORD or have we brought our leftovers? As the satirical Patch the Pirate song reminds us, sometimes we say, “Any old thing will do for you“

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uzrTlo5no4

Our attitude should be, “Only my best will do for you!”

Malachi 1:14 – What does the LORD say about vows? Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 warns us that ”
Better is it that thou shouldest not vow.”

Malachi 2:7-8 – We see a strong warning for religious leaders. While we’re in the New Testament, we have similar warnings (James 3:1 – leaders will receive greater punishment, Luke 12:47 – shall be beaten with many stripes, Matthew 23:13 – problem with the scribes and Pharisees, 1 Corinthians 11:29 – “damnation to himself”).

Malachi 2:13 – Why won’t God receive our offerings? Peter tells us that if I am not “giving honour unto [my] wife” – my prayers will be hindered (1 Peter 3:7). Malachi elaborates on God’s hatred of divorce (putting away – Malachi 2:16). Jesus Himself reiterated this as well (Matthew 19:8). As we saw earlier, God’s treatment of us depends on how we treat our wives.

Revelation 21:4 – No more night, no more pain. No more tears, no more crying again!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0Gb6j1ceKo

Revelation 21:7 – Not all are God’s children, only those who overcome? Who are the overcomers? Those who believe (Revelation 21:8).

Revelation 21:12-14 – Notice how God is uniting Israel (Revelation 21:12) and the Church (Revelation 21:14) for eternity in the eternal New Jerusalem!

Apocalypse 42. A new heaven and new earth. Revelation 21 v 29.
Petrus van der Borcht. . Phillip Medhurst Collection

Revelation 21:23 – Yes in the New Jerusalem, there is “No need of moon or stars by night, or sun to shine by day;”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uE4qZUdsM4

Revelation 21:27 – God can’t let any sin into His heaven, and you must have an RSVP to enter. If you don’t know for sure that your name is in the Book of Life, make sure of that today! We saw yesterday what happens to those whose names are not found in the book (Revelation 20:15).

Psalm 149:5 – Yes it’s ok to sing alone and aloud! Praise ye the LORD!

Proverbs 31:10 – The Sunrise Ruby, a 25.59-carat Burmese ruby sold at Sotheby’s in May 2015 for $25 million. I’m so thankful for my wife!

Proverbs 31:11 – We read earlier about the condemnation of men who cheat on their wives, and here we see praise for the woman who is safely trusted in by her husband. Jesus’ first miracle was at a wedding in Cana (John 2), He loves Christian marriages!

December 29 – Zechariah prophesied what the Angel said in Acts?

December 29
Zechariah 14:1-21
Revelation 20:1-15
Psalm 148:1-14
Proverbs 31:8-9 

Zechariah 14:3 – Some think that the prophetic events were fulfilled in AD 70, but in AD 70 half the city wasn’t delivered by the LORD. According to Josephus, those who weren’t killed were enslaved (thanks to StackExchange for a great discussion). No, there’s coming a time when Jerusalem will again be under attack, and the LORD will defend them!

Zechariah 14:4 – Who will return to the mount of Olives? Acts 1:11-12 recounts the angels telling the disciples who were standing at the Mount of Olives , that Jesus who rose from the Mount, would return to the Mount!

Author’s Photo of the Mount of Olives

Zechariah 14:9 – In Mark 1:14 – Jesus began His ministry preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. But not until He returns again will the King reign on earth! And when the KIng reigns – there will be no more war (Zechariah 14:11).

Zechariah 14:12 – Calvary Chapel Jonesboro notes the similarities between this verse and a Neutron Bomb.

When this bomb blows the release of the neutrons are lethal to humans and any other animal life around it.  If you are within the radius of a neutron bomb you will be killed almost instantly.  If you are within the blast radius what will happen to you is eerily similar to what Zechariah describes in chapter 14 of his prophecy.  Any kind of flesh is destroyed by a kind of melting process as all the atoms are destroyed within it.  Thus Zechariah’s description of something that rots flesh, eyes, and the tongue are often compared to what happens at the detonation of a neutron bomb.

https://www.calvarychapeljonesboro.org/prophecynews/zechariah-14-neutron-bombs-and-gods-ultimate-purpose-for-israel

Zechariah 14:21 – No more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD? Hermenutics/StackExchange says:

The reason there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord is: if he be of a Canaanite heart, then his refusal to come will see him destroyed by the plagues and panic and drought of the day of the Lord. If, however, his Canaanite heart were converted and he come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, then he would no longer be of a Canaanite heart, i.e. not a Canaanite.

https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/20645/why-do-some-bibles-say-canaanites-in-zechariah-1421-while-other-say-traders

Revelation 20:4 – Many people hold to amillenialism – the view that there is not a literal ‘thousand year reign’ of Christ. However, six times in this one chapter we see recorded exactly one thousand years. And as we look around, it’s hard to argue that Satan is bound today. BibleStudyTools has a great chart of the attributes of the Millennium.

Revelation 20:8 – Notice that even though the Millennium is populated by faithful Jews and Gentiles, their offspring – even with Satan bound – will not all be faithful. God will allow Satan one last attempt to organize before the last judgment.

Revelation 20:10 – Hell is not forever. It will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14). God didn’t make the lake of fire to burn man in – it was made for the devil (Revelation 20:10). But if your name is not found written in the book of life (Revelation 20:15), you’ll be cast into the lake of fire.

We don’t know what the lake of fire will look like – but on earth we can see “lava lakes” that burn eerily.
These are the Lava fountains in the Halemaʻumaʻu lava lake, Kīlauea

Psalm 148:8 – Just like in Jonah, the stormy wind fulfills His Word! Why can’t we?

Psalm 148:14 – Let’s bring Glory to His Name!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey8c8NYPAn0

Proverbs 31:8-9 – Today, there are poor and needy unborn children that are appointed to destruction. Let’s open our mouth for them!

December 28 – The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!

December 28
Zechariah 12:1-13:9
Revelation 19:1-21
Psalm 147:1-20
Proverbs 31:1-7 

Zechariah 12:1 -The thought dawned on me the other day. Why would the God that “stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth” care about man? Why would the King of eternity care about temporal man? So much that He became a man (John 1:14) and is still a man (1 Timothy 2:5). The “transcendence” of God is an easy concept (for me at least) – that He is Great! But that He is Good to me – don’t miss the message of the Old Testament – the great God has a word for Israel, and this message He has for you and me as well!

Zechariah 12:4 – Revelation 9:16 talks about an army of 200,000,000 horsemen – what will stop them when they attack Jerusalem? The LORD will smite the horse and his rider!

Zechariah 12:10 – “they shall look upon me whom they have pierced”? The word “pierced” actually means “pierced” by the way according to the Englishman’s Concordance. When has the LORD been pierced? By his people?

The Cruxifiction from Korzenna

In John 19:34, Jesus was pierced by the spear of the soldier. The very next verse John says “he that saw it bare record” – John can’t believe he saw it and then realized it was what Zechariah talked about almost 500 years earlier, and notes that (John 19:37).

But all Israel isn’t saved as Paul prays (Romans 10:1), but they will (Romans 11:26).

When Babylon has warred with the saints (Revelation 18:24), and attempted to war with Israel (Revelation 12:6), but the LORD protects Israel (Zechariah 12:7), then He will reveal Himself to them as He revealed Himself to Paul (Acts 9:5).

He will pour out “the spirit of grace and of supplications.” And they reference the “only son” – the “only begotten Son” (John 3:16).

Zechariah 13:6 – All of a sudden we see a shift from the false prophet that is thrust thru by their own parents (Zechariah 13:3), to the shepherd that is smitten and the sheep scattered (Zechariah 13:7). At first we think the whole passage is about false prophets – but Jesus quoted Zechariah 13:7 as about himself (Matthew 26:31). However where this verse falls is much debated. John MacArthur thinks it talks about the false prophet covering up the marks of cultism. Most commentators agree, but some see an allusion to the Messiah.

Zechariah 13:9 – As Hosea 2:23 declares – God will reach out and say “It is my people!” God will reconcile His people to Himself! His people will declare “The LORD is my God!” – watch how this ties into the NT reading!

Revelation 19:1 – What will they say? Alleluia (Praise Ye the Lord) (Revelation 19:1, Revelation 19:3, Revelation 19:4, Revelation 19:5, Revelation 19:6).

Revelation 19:6 – George Frederick Handel wrote the Hallelujah Chorus using the words from this verse, and when it was played, King George II stood. The King stood for the King of Kings! (Revelation 19:16).

Revelation 19:7 – This passage talks about us – we are invited as the spouse of the Lamb – our wedding feast that John the Baptist alluded to in John 3:29, and Paul talked about in Ephesians 5:22-23.

Revelation 19:16 – See the Hallelujah Chorus above!

Psalm 147:6 – The Great LORD (Psalm 147:5) who knows the name of every star (Psalm 147:4), identifies not with the “great” but with the meek (Psalm 147:6). Because compared to Him, nobody is great. Yes – He loves us, not because of anything good in ourselves (Titus 3:5).

Proverbs 31:4 – As Billy Sunday said, “I am the sworn, eternal and uncompromising enemy of the liquor traffic.”

December 27 – What is the “latter rain”?

December 27
Zechariah 10:1-11:17
Revelation 18:1-24
Psalm 146:1-10
Proverbs 30:33 

Zechariah 10:1 – David Wilkerson believes the “latter rain” is spiritual, talking about a revival move of the Holy Spirit. While the timing of the “latter rain” is a matter of eschatological dispute, Wilkerson adds helpful caution to his desire for Holy Spirit revival: “Many so-called Holy-Ghost movements vanished quickly because they were man-centered — focusing on gifts, blessings, self-improvement, happiness.”

However, we’re probably safer taking a narrower interpretation – within the context of the chapter, it’s referring to God’s future dealing with Israel not the Church. As the latter rain follows the early rain, God will deal with Israel again as merciful as in the past. Note the frequency of the word “again.”

• “I will bring them again… they shall be as though I had not cast them off” (Zechariah 10;6)
• “they shall remember me… turn again” (Zechariah 10:9)
• “I will bring them again” (Zechariah 10:10)

Zechariah 10:4 – John MacArthur identifies this as a Messianic prophecy.

• He notes “the corner” is the “precious cornerstone” in Isaiah 28:16, and the “stumbling stone” of Romans 9:32, and described in 1 Corinthians 1:23, Ephesians 2:20, Daniel 2:34, and Matthew 21:44.
• He compares “the nail” to Eliakim in Isaiah 22:23, but where “the Eliakim nail will be cut off, not the nail that is referring to Christ. “
• He argues that the “battle bow” is identified with Zechariah 9:13 and Revelation 19:11.

Zechariah 11:12-13 – 1 Peter 1:11 comes to mind – Zechariah must have wondered why God included this – and it wasn’t until Matthew 27:9-10 that it was identified as a Messianic prophecy. The New Testament attributes it to Jeremiah, the first of the prophets in the Hebrew Bible.

Zechariah 11:16 – God is raising up a bad shepherd? Similar to the lying spirit of 1 Kings 22:23, to bring judgment upon His people.

Revelation 18:4 – In 2 Corinthians 6:17, God says to come out from unbelievers – if you lose your father He will be a father to you.

Apocalypse 28. The destruction of Babylon. Revelation cap 18. Mortier’s Bible. Phillip Medhurst Collection

Revelation 18:24 – Many people wonder why God doesn’t judge the wicked – the problem is their timetable isn’t God’s. God will judge the wicked – He keeps track of every wrong.

Psalm 146:4 – Note the contrast – man returns to his earth (dirt), as opposed to the Maker of the earth (Psalm 146:6). Trust in the LORD!

Proverbs 30:33 – As James 1:20 tells us, “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”