December 22, 2014 Bible Study

December 21, 2014 AttilaDimedici

For today, One Year Bible Online links here. Christmas is coming soon. Let us remember what it is truly about, the birth of Jesus Christ. Let us strive to not be caught up in the commercialism which is what this season is about for many in our society today.

Proverbs 30:18-20

Despite the way modern science has learned to explain three of the things mentioned in the article (eagle’s flight, snake slithering, ship’s on water) they are still amazing to watch and hard to understand. When I see a bird in flight, I know the science of how it does it, but I can not say that I truly understand it. The writer says that he does not understand a man’s love for a woman. I cannot completely agree, what I find hard to understand is why my wife loves me.

Psalm 141:1-10

Verses three and four make statements that we should follow. I ask God to take control of my lips and control what I say. We are reminded that it is easy to drift towards wickedness little by little. First we justify some small wrong on the basis of a greater good, but if we follow that path, soon we justify ever greater wrong. If we share in the spoils of wicked behavior with the wicked, we are complicit in their evil. In addition, if we do so, we are likely to soon take an active part in their wickedness. Let us not fall into that trap. Rather let us pray constantly that the wicked will repent of their ways and turn to God.

Revelation 13:1-18

John’s vision continues with two beasts, one out of the sea and one out of the land. The first beast was given power by the dragon, Satan. He rose to rule over all of the earth and everyone whose name is not written in the book of life worshiped him. As a result, God’s people will endure persecution and must remain faithful in the face of such persecution. The second beast rose up and exercised the authority of the first beast. The second beast forced all people to worship the first beast. In addition, the second beast performed wonders to promote the worship of the first beast and to punish those who refused to do so.
Over the years I have seen these two beasts interpreted as being either individual men or as particular nations. I think that this prophecy is a little of both. I think it likely that these “beasts” will manifest as the governments of nations, but that they will reach their fulfillment with particular men who come to rule those governments. In some ways one of the important points to remember is that all governments seek, over time, to become objects of worship. We must reject such worship and remain faithful to God.

Zechariah 2-3:10

Zechariah prophesied that some day such a large number of people would live in Jerusalem that many of them would live outside the city walls. Is that not the situation which exists today? Israel’s enemies should take note of the rest of this prophesy. Zechariah also prophesied that God Himself would defend the people of Jerusalem. God promised that He would crush those who brought harm against His people.

Daily Bible Study

December 21, 2014 Bible Study — “Return To Me, and I Will Return To You,” Says the Lord

December 20, 2014 AttilaDimedici

Proverbs 30:17

A young person who mocks the advice given by his parents, rather than listen to it, will find themselves in a world of hurt. You know the people I am referring to, those who think their parents are completely clueless and boring. As a result they never pay attention to their parents’ warnings. While some parents are overprotective and restrictive of their children’s behaviors, they all have more experience about the dangers in this world than their children.

Psalm 140:1-13

The psalmist cries out to God for rescue from the wicked and the violent. We cannot expect God to rescue us from the wicked and protect us from the violent if we are also wicked and/or violent. We know that God will help the poor and those whom the wicked and violent persecute. Let us choose to be among the persecuted, not the persecutors.

Revelation 12:1-17

This passage is more metaphorical than many and understanding it relies on properly identifying the elements of the metaphor. I will be perfectly honest, my experience is that doing that is beyond most people. However, there are a few that are obvious. The woman described in this passage is the Jewish people. The baby she gives birth to is Jesus. The dragon, at least, is easy. The dragon is Satan, or “The Adversary”.
One of the points we learn from this passage is that the enemies of Jews are advancing Satan’s agenda. This passage tells us that those who seek to weaken or destroy Israel are serving Satan. This does not mean that we are called to support Israel, merely that we should not work for her destruction. This passage is a good starting point to sort out many evil organizations long before the rest of their evil becomes apparent. If an organization, or ideology, spreads the idea that Jews are inherently evil, it is a tool of Satan and will, sooner or later, be revealed to be evil in many other ways.

Zechariah 1:1-21

Zechariah starts off by reminding us that if we return to God, He will return to us. It is we who left God, not the other way around. If we accept that our suffering is a result of our sin, God will show us how to move on and leave it behind. We cannot expect God to relieve our suffering if we do not turn from our sins.
The rest of this passage fits in well with today’s passage from Revelation. The prophet describes how God is angry with the nations which He used to punish the sins of the Jewish people. He tells us that when God chose to punish the people of Israel these nations went beyond God’s intentions in bringing harm to them. To me this says that while we may suffer as a result of our actions/sins, that does not excuse those who bring about this suffering. Just because someone deserves to suffer does not mean that we are not sinning when we inflict that suffering on them.

Daily Bible Study

December 20, 2014 Bible Study — Do God’s Work First

December 19, 2014 AttilaDimedici

Proverbs 30:15-16

There are some things which you cannot satisfy by giving them more. No matter how much is burned up in a fire, it will always be able to burn more. No matter how much rain falls in the desert, it will be dry almost as soon as the rain stops. No matter how many people die, the grave will always have room for more. We need to recognize those things which cannot be sated.

Psalm 139:1-24

This psalm conveys an important message. One which I cannot sum up better than the way the psalmist says it.

You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
…
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.

God knows everything we think and do. He knows what we are going to say before we even think it. The psalmist goes on to tell us that there is no place we can go to be separated from God. No matter where we go, God is already there.

Revelation 11:1-19

John describes two witnesses/prophets who will arise and prophesy in Jerusalem. They will perform miraculous signs and, during their period of testimony, any who try to harm them will die a sudden death. When they complete their testimony the forces of evil will make war against them and kill them. Their bodies will be left to lie in the streets of Jerusalem for three and a half days. During that time, the people of the world who do not worship God will gloat over their death. Then God will raise them up to life again, terrifying those who witness it. They will be called into heaven.
I am convinced that much of what is written here is figurative. However, I am also convinced that when this happens, those who truly worship God will recognize it as fulfilling this passage. In addition, many people will come to serve the Lord as a result of these events, some because of the prophesying by these two witnesses, and some because they see how these two witnesses fulfill this passage.

Haggai 1-2:23

Haggai called on the Jews who had returned from exile to rebuild the Temple. He calls them to task for putting their own comfort ahead of doing God’s will. This message is an important reminder to us to put God first in our lives. The returned exiles had good intentions. As soon as they got the local economy back up and running, they were planning to rebuild the Temple. But everything they tried fell just a little short. They never managed to accumulate the surplus they thought they needed to be able to spare the time and effort to work on the Temple. This is so much like us.
Haggai’s message to them was to do the Lord’s work now, not to wait until conditions were just right to do so. God wants the same thing from us today. If we wait until we get everything going the way we think it should before doing God’s work, we will never get there. Let us start doing what we know God wants us to do first. Then God will bless us by showing us how to make the rest work as well.

Daily Bible Study

December 19, 2014 Bible Study

December 18, 2014 AttilaDimedici

Proverbs 30:11-14

There are those who curse their parents rather than thank them. They think they are better than everyone else, but are actually more thoroughly steeped in sin than most. They look down on everyone else as beneath them. Yet God will reserve a special judgement for them, one they will not appreciate.

Psalm 138:1-8

What a wonderful psalm of praise:

As soon as I pray, you answer me;

I may not understand the answer, but God always answers my prayers.

Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble,
but he keeps his distance from the proud.

How different that is than how we tend to behave! All too often we think that ignoring the humble is a sign of greatness. When, in fact, it is caring for and spending time with the humble that is the true sign of greatness.

Revelation 10:1-11

I am not sure what this passage is about. John describes a scene where he hears something which he is told to keep secret, or seal up. This is reminiscent of the same passage in Daniel that the scroll with seven seals imagery brings to mind. John ends this passage with imagery that brings to mind Ezekiel 3 when he describes being told to take and eat a scroll. Just as in Ezekiel the scroll was sweet in his mouth. I believe both of these connections are intentional. While I do not believe that Daniel or Ezekiel were prophesying about the same things as John is here, I do believe that Revelation is continuing the prophesies of Daniel and Ezekiel.

Zephaniah 1-3:20

The prophet proclaims that God is about wipe out everything on the earth. He tells us that this is going to happen because of religious leaders who claim to follow the Lord, but also worship nature and Molech (a god whose worship involved sacrifice of children, which always reminds me of abortion). Further, he condemns those who once sought God’s blessing and guidance but now rely on other sources of guidance. On the day of God’s judgement our wealth will not save us, not even if we have as much wealth as Bill Gates.
Yet there is still time. If we act now to seek the Lord and follow His commands, He will protect us. God’s day of judgement is coming, but if we seek to do what is right and live humbly He may spare us.

Daily Bible Study

December 18, 2014 Bible Study — Look and Be Amazed

December 17, 2014 AttilaDimedici

Proverbs 30:10

Never slander someone to their employer. This does not mean that you cannot make a legitimate complaint, but if you complain to someone’s boss make sure that what you say is fair and honest.

Psalm 137:1-9

There will be those who will encourage us to celebrate that which should be mourned and will call on us to forget that which should never be forgotten. Let us dedicate our hearts to remembering and celebrating the joys of following God and reject the call to forget what God has done for us.

Revelation 9:1-21

My father said that the locusts which John describes in this passage sounded like military helicopters to him. Reading it now, they remind me of military drones. Whatever John is describing, a key part of this vision is that they will inflict excruciating pain for five months on those who do not have God’s seal on their forehead. Those who suffer this pain will wish they could die, but they will not do so.
After the locusts are done another terror will strike. The next terror sounds like a conquering army that will kill one third of everybody on earth. The army will be mounted on horses that breathe fire, smoke, and sulfur. Once again the description sounds like modern military equipment. John tells us that those who survive will not repent of their multitude of sins. They will continue to prefer the worship of man-made idols to the worship of the living God.

Habakkuk 1-3:19

When Habakkuk cries out to God demanding to know how long until God brings judgement on the wicked and violent, God replies that He is about to do something which no one would believe if they were told about it. This statement is something for us to remember. I believe that in every generation that God does things which if you told people it was coming, no one would believe you. I know of several things which have happened in my lifetime that I would not have believed before they happened. So, let us look and be amazed at what God is doing.
Then Habakkuk complains about the destruction which God is bringing. God tells him that He will make it plain. Those who put their trust in themselves will see their trust betrayed. The righteous will live by their faith in God and that faith will be rewarded. Those who trust their safety and future to their wealth and power will experience great sorrow.

Daily Bible Study

December 17, 2014 Bible Study

December 16, 2014 AttilaDimedici

Proverbs 30:7-9

I have always connected with this proverb. I ask God that He give me just enough to meet my needs and perhaps a bit more to help those less fortunate than I. But never so much that I forget that it all comes from Him. I also ask that He not leave me with so little that I am tempted to do wrong to meet my needs.

Psalm 136:1-26

What a wonderful psalm to follow up that proverb. Give thanks to the Lord. He remembers us. He saves us. He gives us food to eat. His faithful love endures forever.

Revelation 8:1-13

    You do not realize it until now, but up until this passage John’s vision of heaven had a lot of sound (mostly various praises being sung and shouted). When the seventh seal was broken there was silence throughout heaven for half an hour. I find the scene which ends the silence interesting. An angel combines the prayers of God’s people with the smoke of incense as an offering before God. The interesting thing is that the burning incense was thrown down on to the earth, where it caused great damage, yet the prayers of God’s people continued to rise up before God as an offering to Him.
    The next thing that happens is that seven angels prepare to blow seven trumpets. After each of the first four trumpets is blown the passage describes a disaster occurring upon the earth. Then after these events of massive destruction the message goes out that even greater terror is yet to come. While this passage is about how things will get worse and troubles will come upon the earth in greater intensity and frequency as the end of the world approaches, there is an element here as well reminding us that there will be torment and trouble until the day of the Lord’s return.
    There were two news stories this week which bring this thought home to me. One was the story about the hostages taken in the coffee shop in Sydney, Australia. The other was a story about a man who shot 6 people throughout the area close to where I live. Both of these stories broke my heart. Yet they are the sort of thing we should expect in this broken world and will only get more common and worse and the day of the Lord’s return approaches.

Nahum 1-3:19

The prophet Nahum speaks about the fall of Ninevah and Assyria. Ninevah was a city of great wealth and power, but her people did not acknowledge God. They believed that they could do as they pleased with no negative consequences. By acting on that belief they made themselves the enemies of God and God brought about their destruction. The prophet describes the fate of all who choose to be God’s enemies.

Daily Bible Study

December 16, 2014 Bible Study — The Lord Has Told You What Is Good

December 15, 2014 AttilaDimedici

Proverbs 30:5-6

Every last one of God’s words prove true. If we take refuge in His words He will faithfully protect us. But be careful not to rely on your interpretation of His words when that interpretation goes beyond what God actually said.

Psalm 135:1-21

I will serve God and I will praise Him. God has done great things. He listens to our prayers and speaks to us. He sees what we do and gives us guidance. Those who worship things made by man are as foolish and lacking as the things they worship. Those who place their trust in things made by man do not truly see and cannot hear the truth about the world.

Revelation 7:1-17

The passage refers to 144,000 who will be sealed with God’s seal from among the tribes of Israel, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes. There are arguments about whether this number is literal, or merely symbolic. I tend to think it is merely symbolic. Whether or not this number is literal, it is certainly symbolic. The number 12 indicates completeness. Twelve of something indicates a complete set. The number 1,000 indicates a number that cannot be easily counted. If there are 1,000 of something it means that there are so many they cannot truly be counted. So the number of those sealed is 12 times 12 times 1,000. This means to me that the number of the people of Israel who will be saved is a complete representation of all of the people of Israel.
Despite the symbolism I talked about in the last paragraph, it is clear from the next part of today’s passage that the Jews, the members of the people of Israel, who are sealed is a limited number, a very large, but still limited, number. This is not to in any way denigrate the Jews, the people of Israel. It is to point out that we have the 144,000 Jews who are sealed with God’s seal who are contrasted with the countless numbers of those who died in the great tribulation. I believe that this passage is very intentional in showing that while a large number of people of Jewish descent will enter into heaven, the total number of those who will die for their faith will be many more than that. There will be martyrs from every people and nation in large numbers.
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Micah 5-7:20

Micah speaks about what God has done for Israel and what He has done for us. Micah asks what it is that we should offer God. Are we to offer God from our material resources? Does God require that we bring Him great wealth? Does he require that we sacrifice our children to Him? Micah tells us the answer in one of the most powerful passages in Scripture:

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.
I was going to stop there, but as I read more of Micah’s condemnation of the evil which people do, I came upon this:
As for me, I look to the Lord for help.
I wait confidently for God to save me,
and my God will certainly hear me.
This was in contrast with the conflict and infighting between people within the same family that Micah said was the norm. But Micah did not have confidence in the Lord because of his righteousness. No, he tells us:
I will be patient as the Lord punishes me,
for I have sinned against him.
Let us not seek to determine who is more guilty before the Lord. There is more than enough guilt to go around. Rather, let us seek how we can work together to do good going forward.

Daily Bible Study

December 15, 2014 Bible Study — The Four Horsemen

December 14, 2014 AttilaDimedici

Proverbs 30:1-4

I believe that these words are sarcastic. Well, maybe not the first part where he declares himself weary. It strikes me as being written by someone who has been arguing with another for some time. The writer of this bit is tired of the argument and “concedes” to his opponent. It strikes me that he has been having a disagreement with someone who does not believe in God. So he asks him, where did everything come from? Surely, since you say there is no God, you can tell me how it all came to be?
…
And where did that come from?

Psalm 134:1-3

This psalm is both a beautiful song of praise and a reminder that part of serving God is praising God. Let us praise God both day and night as we strive to be His servants.

Revelation 6:1-17

    Here John describes the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. However, they are not the “Four Horsemen” of popular culture (even though those in popular culture derive from them). In popular culture the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are: War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death. In this passage there is no Pestilence.
    The first Horsemen is “Conquest” or “Victory”. There are several possible interpretations of this. I will look at two of them. The first interpretation is that the first Horsemen is Christ Himself. This interpretation sees Christ as riding forth and conquering before the Apocalypse begins. It’s fulfillment comes in the spread of the Gospel throughout the world to all peoples and nations. The second interpretation sees the first Horseman as the Anti-Christ, who will rise to prominence and conquer the world to begin the Apocalypse. The second interpretation has some merit. My reservations about it are based on the fact that the author of Revelation also wrote 1 John. In 1 John he tells us that there is not a singular Anti-Christ, rather there are many anti-christs. I said I was only going to look at two interpretations of the first Horseman, but a third one occurred to me that I have not seen mentioned elsewhere (although I find it hard to believe that no one has come up with it before). My thought is that the first Horseman represents a person, or nation, which will conquer so much of the world that there is no place on earth where there power is not felt.
    In many ways, the other three Horsemen follow that third interpretation as naturally as night follows day. When the conqueror loses control over the territory he held, War, and Famine, and Death will surely follow. How the Four Horsemen fit together is a bit of a mystery to me, but the rest of this passage is clear. Over the course of history there will be numerous people who will be martyred for serving Christ. They will be rewarded for their faithfulness and will cry out for God to bring His promised judgement. They will be assured that this Judgement will come. Then we have the sixth seal. When it is broken, everyone will see that God’s day of judgement is coming. But rather than repent of their sins and turn to God, the vast majority will seek to hide from God.

Micah 1-4:13

Micah prophecies against Israel and Judah. He tells them that destruction is coming because those who have power do evil simply because they can. They should love good and hate evil but instead they love evil and hate good. When the leaders want a piece of land, they find a way to seize it. Micah bemoans those who talk about caring for the poor and powerless while using their position and power to enrich themselves. Over the last few months, I have heard various politicians praised for speeches they have made decrying how our system favors the rich and is stacked against the poor. Yet these same politicians made a fortune working in the system they now want people to believe they will work to change. If the rich and powerful do not stop using their power to take advantage of the poor and powerless, all the while using their rhetoric against such actions as an excuse to further their own power, God’s judgement will fall upon our nation.
Yet mixed throughout his condemnation of the sins of the people, Micah reminds us of God’s great faithfulness. He tells us that the day will come when people from all over the world will worship God. He tells us that the day will come when God will mediate between peoples and settle the disputes between nations. In that day they will turn their weapons of war into tools of peaceful industry. They will no longer study the methods of war.

Daily Bible Study

December 14, 2014 Bible Study — Who Is Worthy?

December 13, 2014 AttilaDimedici

Proverbs 29:26-27

Many people seek to curry favor with the politically powerful, but if you wish to see justice seek the Lord. The righteous think poorly of the wicked and the wicked look on the righteous with disdain and contempt.

Psalm 133:1-3

This psalm reminds us that God’s people should strive to live together in peace and unity. It is not an easy thing to do. We all have our shortcomings and we are all too ready to blame others when we fail to live as we know we ought. Let us strive to live in unity with those who also strive to serve God.

Revelation 5:1-14

    The passage begins with John noting a scroll in the hand of God. Since we do not normally use scrolls anymore we often overlook the significance of the fact that there is writing on both sides of the scroll. Ordinarily there is only writing on the inside of a scroll. The fact that this scroll has writing on both sides indicates that it is completely full. It is complete, there is no more to be written. The other important fact is that it is sealed with seven seals. This indicates that it is completely and perfectly sealed. There have been those who connect this scroll to the one referred to in Daniel 12:4. I believe they are correct. Further, I believe that John wrote this book intending to connect it with the apocalyptic prophesies from the Old Testament.
    I should mention one thing here. I believe that what is recorded in the Book of Revelation represents visions which John actually saw. However, he described those visions in ways which reflect what he believed them to mean and the events which he thought they indicated. I believe that John struggled with what his visions meant much as we do today.
    So, we have a scroll which represents God’s complete message that is completely sealed. A call is put forth seeking someone who is worthy and able to open the scroll, but no one in all of heaven and earth is found. When John breaks down and cries over this tragedy he is told that the Lion of Judah, David’s heir, is worthy and able to open the scroll. The Lion of Judah is Jesus. It is through Jesus, and only through Jesus, that we are able to hear, and understand, God’s complete message. Anyone who attempts to open the scroll of God’s message on their own will fail.

Jonah 1-4:11

    The book of Jonah starts out with God giving Jonah a calling. Not only did Jonah not obey God’s calling, he went in the opposite direction. I spend so much of my time seeking clear direction from God that I sometimes wonder how Jonah could have done that. Yet, I remember one time when I felt a clear call to do something for God and chose not to do it. I justified my decision by convincing myself that I was not prepared for the role. Looking back I regret the decision I made at the time.
    On the other hand, the rest of the book of Jonah suggests that maybe my perception of God’s call was mistaken. Why do I say that? Because when Jonah refused to answer God’s call, God did not take that first “No” for an answer. When God calls us, He will not easily take “No” for an answer. God drove Jonah to the deepest depths. When he was in the belly of the fish, Jonah could have laid down and died. Instead, he cried out to God and repented his sins. When God called Jonah once more to go to Ninevah and preach, Jonah still did not like what the results would be, but he realized that he like the results of not doing God’s will anymore. So Jonah went and did God’s will.
    Sure enough, the actions God called Jonah to perform had the effect that Jonah feared. God could have left it at that. Jonah had done what he asked and the people of Ninevah repented. He did not need Jonah to be happy about it. But God wanted Jonah, and us, to understand why He did what He did here. As evil, wicked, and nasty the people of Ninevah had been, God did not desire their destruction. He desired that they turn from their wickedness to doing good. To make a modern comparison, God does not desire the destruction of the people who make up ISIS (Islamic State of Syria and Iraq). He desires them to turn from their evil to serve Him.

Daily Bible Study

December 13, 2014 Bible Study — Give Glory and Honour and Praise to God

December 12, 2014 AttilaDimedici

Proverbs 29:24-25

Fear of man is a trap that will keep us from trusting the Lord. Yet trusting the Lord is our only true path to safety.

Psalm 132:1-18

David swore that he would not rest until he found a place to build a house for the Lord. Will we do the same? Will we work without rest until our hearts a place fit to build a house for the Lord?

Revelation 4:1-11

This passage reminds us that our goal in all that we do is to bring glory and honour to God. We exist solely because it pleased God to create us. Let us worship and praise Him for as long as we shall live…and if we place our faith in Jesus Christ, we shall live for all of eternity. When I read this passage I can imagine nothing that would bring me more joy than bringing praise to God.

Obadiah 1:1-21

This passage is specifically a prophesy against Edom, but it contains warnings for all of Israel’s neighbors. It is even more than that. It is a warning against all who join in the destruction of their neighbors. God will judge those who seek to profit from their neighbors misfortune. When our neighbors (whether as individuals or as nations) are suffering, we should seek to aid them in what ways we can. God will not judge us if we are unable to aid them, but if we join in their destruction, God will visit destruction on us.

Fact and Fantasy

Monthly Archives: December 2014

December 22, 2014 Bible Study

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December 21, 2014 Bible Study — “Return To Me, and I Will Return To You,” Says the Lord

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December 20, 2014 Bible Study — Do God’s Work First

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December 19, 2014 Bible Study

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December 18, 2014 Bible Study — Look and Be Amazed

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December 17, 2014 Bible Study

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December 16, 2014 Bible Study — The Lord Has Told You What Is Good

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December 15, 2014 Bible Study — The Four Horsemen

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December 14, 2014 Bible Study — Who Is Worthy?

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December 13, 2014 Bible Study — Give Glory and Honour and Praise to God

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