Jesus taught that all scripture testifies about him so that in him we might have life (John 5v39-40). King David taught that it is only by living according to God's word that we're kept on the right path (Psalm 119v9). What then could be better than reading the entire Bible? Click the menu to read about the program, choose a month or Bible book - or just work through the blog posts day by day.
This reading program finishes tomorrow! If you want to do it again or have friends who would like to, I won't be republishing things every day. However, if you go to this link, you can access each day as an individual pdf, according to the date in the file title: eg. "20180101 - Two year Bible reading program" is that of 1 January in the first year (which was 2018).
BEGIN WITH PRAYER
BEGIN WITH PRAYER
"Lord open my eyes and my heart."
Read
slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God,
thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for
you, your family, your church and the world.
Wisdom to chew on
The wife of nobel character...Proverbs 31:27-28
The wife of nobel character...Proverbs 31:27-28
Understanding to grow in
Christ will be victorious. That a key message of Revelation. However much that may not feel the case when Christians suffer, we have seen how it all ends. Jesus wins. The rest of chapter 19 sets that out vividly with this vision of Christ as king of kings intervening to end the final persecution of his people and consigning the beast (a key ruler/anti-Christ) and false prophet (those who bring people into allegiance to this ruler) into the lake of burning sulphur, that symbolises hell. But note, it is Christ as "the word of God" with a sword in his mouth. So it is by the word of the gospel that he is victorious, as people are brought to faith in him. And by that same word he will judge - the meaning of how he will "rule" the nations with an "iron sceptre" (19v15, Ps 2v9).What follows in chapter 20 is much debated, but most likely spans the entire church age. It tells how Satan will be restrained for 1000 years (symbolising a great period) so that those from amongst the nations can come to faith, before being released just before Christ's return, when he will gather the rest against the church as we've seen, and then be defeated by Christ. Strangely, two resurrections are spoken of. Paralleling the book's description of a first death when the soul departs the body, and a second when body and soul are condemned (20v6), these would be the raising of the believer's soul to heaven and then the raising of the body reunited with its soul on the last day. This tells us that during the intermediate time between death and Christ's return, the souls of his people are in heaven, safe and reigning in some sense with him, whilst the souls of unbelievers are in Hades, which is a sort of foretaste of hell (20v13, Lk 16v23). The chapter ends with believers and unbelievers then brought from these two locations to stand on the last day before God's throne for judgment. Those whose names are in the book of life have no fear, and are saved, whilst those who are not are thrown into the lake of fire. It's a hard truth. However, there is a second book of deeds. It records the deeds of unbelievers as a testimony that their condemnation is deserved, and those of believers as a testimony that their faith is genuine and so they have loved and obeyed Christ. In this sense "each person is judged according to what they have done" (20v13). As you read note how this should encourage Christians to persevere with Jesus.
Christ will be victorious. That a key message of Revelation. However much that may not feel the case when Christians suffer, we have seen how it all ends. Jesus wins. The rest of chapter 19 sets that out vividly with this vision of Christ as king of kings intervening to end the final persecution of his people and consigning the beast (a key ruler/anti-Christ) and false prophet (those who bring people into allegiance to this ruler) into the lake of burning sulphur, that symbolises hell. But note, it is Christ as "the word of God" with a sword in his mouth. So it is by the word of the gospel that he is victorious, as people are brought to faith in him. And by that same word he will judge - the meaning of how he will "rule" the nations with an "iron sceptre" (19v15, Ps 2v9).What follows in chapter 20 is much debated, but most likely spans the entire church age. It tells how Satan will be restrained for 1000 years (symbolising a great period) so that those from amongst the nations can come to faith, before being released just before Christ's return, when he will gather the rest against the church as we've seen, and then be defeated by Christ. Strangely, two resurrections are spoken of. Paralleling the book's description of a first death when the soul departs the body, and a second when body and soul are condemned (20v6), these would be the raising of the believer's soul to heaven and then the raising of the body reunited with its soul on the last day. This tells us that during the intermediate time between death and Christ's return, the souls of his people are in heaven, safe and reigning in some sense with him, whilst the souls of unbelievers are in Hades, which is a sort of foretaste of hell (20v13, Lk 16v23). The chapter ends with believers and unbelievers then brought from these two locations to stand on the last day before God's throne for judgment. Those whose names are in the book of life have no fear, and are saved, whilst those who are not are thrown into the lake of fire. It's a hard truth. However, there is a second book of deeds. It records the deeds of unbelievers as a testimony that their condemnation is deserved, and those of believers as a testimony that their faith is genuine and so they have loved and obeyed Christ. In this sense "each person is judged according to what they have done" (20v13). As you read note how this should encourage Christians to persevere with Jesus.
Finish this reading by pausing to ask yourself:
1) What’s the main thing it teaches me about God or his purposes in Christ? Then praise him for this.
2) What’s the main thing it teaches me about his will for me or the world? Then pray that home.
Devotion to offer up
You could read this aloud and perhaps as a springboard to further prayer.