November 30th One Year Bible Readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
Daniel 7:1-28 ~ 1 John 1:1-10
Psalm 119:153-176 ~ Proverbs 28:23-24

Old Testament - Allright, Daniel chapter 7 with the vision of 4 beasts is not exactly an easy one for me to interpret here in a daily blog!  :)  But I'll give it a bit of a go.  Actually, if you're looking for in-depth commentary on this chapter, please check out this link on bible.org, titled "Daniel's Disturbing Dream."

Overall, this is a very powerful chapter to read... I definitely was feeling drawn into this chapter and the description of the beasts.  Basically here in chapter 7 we're seeing a parallel with the vision of these 4 beasts in this vision of Daniel's with the dream Nebuchadnezzar had of the statue in chapter 2 of Daniel.   The lion with the eagle wings represents Babylonia, just as the head of gold in ch. 2 did.  The bear represents Medo-Persia, as the silver did in ch. 2.  The leopard represents Greece, as did the bronze/brass in ch. 2.  And the terrifying and frightening beast represents the Roman empire, as the feet of clay & iron did in ch. 2.   Roughly speaking of course...  :)  Maybe this image below will better explain things:

The coolest verses in this chapter are in my mind verse 13 & 14 where we get a Messianic vision of Jesus! "As my vision continued that night, I saw someone who looked like a man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and royal power over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal--it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed."   Wow...  very cool stuff..  Do you believe that Jesus has been given authority, honor and royal power over all the world?  Do you believe that his rule is eternal and his kingdom will never be destroyed?  Do you know in your heart that Jesus is your eternal King?

Verse 8 & 20 are intriguing to me when they talk about: "This little horn had eyes like human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly."  The thing that jumped out at me was the mouth that was boasting arrogantly.  How did this read to you when you came across it?  As a good or bad thing to have a mouth that boasts arrogantly?  Again, this reminds me of the sin of pride that we have been seeing over and over again here in the book of Daniel with the Babylonian kings & Darius the Mede.  Essentially some commentaries suggest this little horn that boasts arrogantly represents the antichrist...

New Testament - Whoo-hoo!  We start First John today!  First John was written by one of Jesus' 12 disciples, John son of Zebedee - who also wrote the Gospel of John and the book of Revelation.  First John was written between 85 and 95 A.D. when John was in Ephesus (in modern day Turkey) late in his life.  The purpose of this letter was in large part to dispel Gnosticism, which was a twisting of Christianity - it basically meant salvation through knowledge (gnosis is Greek for knowledge).  I could go on and on about Gnosticism, but see this link for all the details.

   

~ First John ~
Author: John the apostle
Place: Uncertain, probably Ephesus
Date:  A.D. 85-95
Content:  This very personal letter was written by the apostle John in his old age to believers who were very dear to him.  He addresses them as his little children and gives them practical instructions for Christian living.  He begins by stressing Jesus’ incarnation and builds his commands upon the truth that those who know Jesus know the Father as well.  Those who do not know Jesus do not know the Father, nor do they know the love of the Father.  Christians, however, have experienced the love of God in their lives, for God is love, and have no need to fear either in this life or in the life to come.
Theme:  John stresses the basic truths of the Christian faith in this letter in order to comfort and encourage his children in the faith.  The themes of love, forgiveness, fellowship, victory over sin, assurance, purity, and eternal life are woven together in a marvelous document that shines with the light of God in the darkness of the world.  (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 33) A great overview of First John by Daniel Wallace is at this link.

First John starts out strong right out of the gates in verse 1 and is very similar to the beginning of the Gospel of John:  "The one who existed from the beginning is the one we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is Jesus Christ, the Word of life."   Do you believe that Jesus Christ has existed from the very beginning of time with God the Father?  Do you believe that Jesus is the Word of life?

And verse 5 is a message to us from Jesus via John: "This is the message he has given us to announce to you: God is light and there is no darkness in him at all."  I love this.  A month or so ago in this blog I reflected on God being a God of no shadows.  All light.  I love that thought.  Do you believe God is light?  And that there is no darkness, no shadows, in Him at all?

And in verses 8 & 9 we read:  “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  Do you claim to be without sin?  Do you confess your sins regularly and ask for forgiveness from God?  Do you believe that God is faithful and just and will forgive you?  And not just forgive you but purify you from your confessed sins?  And heal you from your confessed sins?  Let us not deceive ourselves any longer.  Let us allow the Truth to fully live in our hearts.  Let us confess our sins, be forgiven, and be purified from all unrighteousness.  Are you with me on this?

Psalms - We finish Psalm 119 today...  :(  I am sad.  I loved reading through this Psalm again!  For some reason it meant so much to me these past few days.  I pray this Psalm has been good for you as well this go round.  I think the last 3 verses of this Psalm are worth us camping out on here for a moment.  In verses 174, 175 & 176 the author of Psalm 119 closes out the Psalm with what I think is a prayer and a confession all in one - "O LORD, I have longed for your salvation, and your law is my delight. Let me live so I can praise you, and may your laws sustain me. I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands."  Wow... not a bad prayer and confession, eh?  Is God's Word your delight?  Do you wish to live so you can praise God?  Does His Word sustain you?

Proverbs - Today in Proverbs 28 verse 23 we read: “In the end, people appreciate frankness more than flattery.” How does this Proverb speak to you?  I find it to be a great reminder to simply be sincere with people.  Just be sincere.  Be frank. Don’t flatter.  Don’t lie.  Do you appreciate sincerity in others?  Do you like it when people flatter you rather than speak frankly to you?  Do you ever flatter others?  How often are you frank with others?  Are you a sincere person?  Do you want to be sincere?  Was Jesus a sincere person?

Comments from you - What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings?  Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

God bless,
Mike

Comments

[Anka]

Daniel 7 is quite powerful,I won't go into the interpretation..what struck me was that the saints will be handed over to him for a time,times and half a time....Well historically speaking,during the roman empire,christians were persecuted...I couldn't help wondering...why then....was that the testing of their faith?I can't really say that was the period of the 4th beast because we are still awaiting the return of Jesus...I just keep pondering about the testing of our faith...then,now..many christians are still being tortured around the world....some of us are still living in a period of grace...the word is made available to us free...I pray we all store up enough like Joseph did in Egypt...There will be hard times ahead..we may/maynot see those times...but it's good to store up anyway...Like the psalmist....even though we stray sometimes...let us not forget the Lord's commands.
God bless you all

[Pat]

My thoughts on Daniel 7: Let me start by saying I am not a theologian – I’m just one of God’s simple children that seeks to know God through the study of His Word. I have read commentaries that describe the fourth beast as the Roman Empire and others that discuss it as the antichrist. For me personally, I can’t accept the fourth beast being anything other than the antichrist. Here are my reasons:

Daniel 7:23 says "He gave me this explanation. The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.” The Roman Empire was an exceedingly strong empire but it was not different from other earthly empires. It acquired its conquest through war and conquering just as great empires that preceded it acquired their conquest. Even though it conquered all the lands that we refer to today as southern Europe and most of those surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, it did not conquer the whole earth! There were other great kingdoms and dynasties that existed at the same time as the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire did not even attempt to conquer them even though they were known to the Roman Empire as the Romans commercially traded with them. This is a matter of historical documentation.

Daniel 7:11 says "Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.” In Revelation chapters 19-20 when it discusses the last days and the activities of the antichrist we read – Rev. 19:20 “But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” Rev. 20:10 “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” To me Daniel 7:11 and Revelation 19:20 and 20:10 are describing one and the same event.

In summary, when the angel is interpreting the fourth beast to Daniel it/he says in Daniel 7:26-27 “But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.” If this is a description of the Roman Empire instead of the antichrist then I am being greatly deceived when I look at the world we live in! This is not the Kingdom my Lord has assured me will come and no one could say that all of our earthly rulers today worship and obey our Risen Savior!

God Bless!
Pat

[Jenny]

We are for sure not without sin. I saw an icon on myspace the other day: sin, repent, repeat. I took this in a bad way like, sin, apologize, then sin again. NOOOO. I think people dont realize repentence means to turn away from sin! Dont continue in it. He will of course forgive us if we ask, but we should seek to please Him...if we continue in our sin, we have NOT truely repented! sometimes we have an emotional experience where we feel guilty so we apologize and ask for forgiveness...then keep doing the same thing. This is not right!

Ps. 168 stood out: "I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you." We talked about this at church tonight...how we dont know our own hearts, but God is familiar with all our ways. David talks a lot about the heart in Ps 139. I know thats a bit off in the 1 Year Bible, but its a good one.

our hearts are desperatley wicked, no one has a good heart! If we think so, we deceive ourselves. God knows our hearts more then we do. Ask for God to reveal your heart to you. My pastor was saying, God doesnt reveal all our heart to us at once cause that would be too overwhelming for us. but He does reveal it a bit at a time. Like you know how once you get victory over one sin, you feel relieved, then..oops! another area in your life is revealed to you. Its ongoing, we're constantly under construction.

Yes, i agree, i dont like flattery. I am guilty of it, but in general, if someone asks my opinion, i will tell it like it is. I'm pretty open about stuff and flattery is empty words...get to the point. Be sincere. Ever notice you have a couple ppl in your life you go to when you want the truth? for instance, you want an honest opinion on something, you go the people that are gonna be honest, not just tell you want they think u want to hear...or perhaps they are scared the truth will hurt you. well thats ok, thats why i'm asking you!

hmmm, the bk. in Daniel sure sounds like the antichrist and his overthrow and the setup of God's kingdom. I'm gonna have to dive into my study Bible for a better understanding!

[Mae]

I like reading all books of John. I started to read them right after I was reborn. The books of John give so much insight of how Jesus lived and how He felt towards others: towards His Father, His disciples, the poor, the rich, the sick, the children. I really like the books! It explains so well how you need Jesus in order to find the Lord. Those books really helped me a lot to become a good Christian.

I really believe Jesus is the Word of life. He gave me a good life. He spoke to me on the day I was reborn and now He's my bridge to eternal life. I listen to His word and I watch how His life was. I want to learn how His life was and understand how His life was. I really admire how He handled situations, He shows so much courage! He's the best thing that ever happened to me!

[ecdistributions]

Annalists are already predicting a huge sweep of leftists coming into both houses of congress along with the white house this fall. These leftists openly consider christians the enemies of the state even above the terrorists. These people are itching to pass the fairness doctrine to put an end conservative talk radio. They
are already targeting hate legislation aimed directly against all christian patriots. They plan a massive overhaul
of the judicial system to impose legislation against 1st and 2nd amendment rights.

McCain will make the Iraq war the central issue of this campaign because Obama promises to withdraw our troops regardless if the terrorists declare victory. Christians may have one last chance to grandstand against another Vietnam and the establishment of an anti christian socialistic state in America. But there is now a new hope!

A new biblical discovery has just hit the market bringing a miraculous prophecy about Iraq. There are a large number of related biblical scriptures which have passed silently under the radar until now.

Iraq is to be freed by a great eagle wings in the latter days! This is welcome news coming straight from the Bible just before the election.

If the war in Iraq represents Gods will as predicted in Bible prophecy, this may be our chance to unify christians patriots before this critical election takes place. Obama claims to be a good christian. Could he now be exposed publically for apposing America or "the great eagle" freeing Iraq in Bible prophecy?
A Salem christian group published an important press release concerning this true Biblical discovery! This stunning declaration comes from one of the most reputable christian publishers in America... www.eternaltruth.net

One critic asked the author how he could possibly announce he had discovered 9/11 and Iraq in Bible prophecy?
"Aren't you exploiting thousands of American deaths in both this current war and 9/11 just sell a book?"

Author.." "That is my greatest consolation! As we speak many people including veterans are purchasing this book witnessing the very references which prove this books biblical promises. People are witnessing biblical prophecies as they unfold before their eyes concerning 9/11 and Iraq freed by a modern eagle. Amazon.com just announced upon their web sight that they have sold out the book and must now order more!"
"There are no unsatisfied customers who complain having not received any thing less than was promised by the author." "There are steady reports of people who find far more than what they expected possible. It would be unforgivable for any author to promise people such to exploit a national tragedy just for book sales." Many lives are lost and many families with children grieve after having lost their parents. This author is not letting those people down who purchase this book in good faith. We are delivering a true message taken from biblical prophets directed for our time. "I have four children of my own, if my book were to become exposed as a manipulation of biblical text such would forever mark my children's name as well as my own."
I have been blessed to have discovered a message placed into the Bible
which could unite believers together before this election.
I need your help because the media ignores everything about this discovery.

Author of this book,
Paul Gregersen

Listen likewise to an educated critics expert opinion regarding this miraclulous book.

"Reading this particular book has made me aware of how christians have come to accept biblical spin and less than honest interpretations when reading books on Bible prophecy." When I started reading "Bible prophecies of 9 - 11" the whole idea of 9 - 11 and Iraq being in Bible prophecy admittedly was quite appealing to me.

But it seemed very far fetched and I fully expected to discover another fiction story cleverly masked behind a another "new" biblical declaration. I fully expected to see the familiar hand picking of quotes deliberately coming from the authors’ selection of unrelated texts to manipulate the meaning of Bible text. I've learned that it is a common trick to cleverly combine unrelated verses from separated biblical context in order to stretch readers’ perception beyond the original focus toward the authors’ conclusions, creating the appearance that authors conclusions are also supported by the Bible.

My first surprise while reading this book was to see this author approach things quite differently by laying a biblical foundation from Adam and Eve with the tree of life story, establishing common threads for his entire biblical claim. As the first chapters began to build solidly on biblical themes I quickly realized this particular author was either seriously attempting to link legitimate patterns of bible prophecy, or he was using an even more clever deception to mislead me. This author surprisingly understood the procedure to outline proper types and shadows and stay within one context while linking proper biblical themes. Since the author was not spinning I suspected that he would postpone taking of his liberties until he would be forced into a corner having to demonstrate 9 - 11 towers falling and eagle's wings into modern Iraq.

To my surprise the transition was smooth and never broke context or prophetic flow. Not only was 9 - 11 coming straight from the Bible but almost every highly specific detail, including the number of planes that hit each target, was referenced in the Bible with numerous exact details specifically related to 9 - 11. This book does not just stop there, but continued to unwind the scenario of America going to Iraq spelling out the exact manner of Saddam’s capture and execution. This was a highly unusual book! This book was based on what was written in the Bible and relied solely upon that premise. How do I react to this other than try to convince someone to read it and find out? I feel concerned that christians are so used to being tricked by each cry of wolf that when the real thing appears there will be a little comprehension that something amazing has occurred. I have wracked my mind as to how this could have possibly been fixed and there is no possible way other than Gods prophets deliberately sent us this intentional message about Iraq and 9 - 11. Ross David www.eternaltruth.net