Tag Archives: Read through the Bible in a year

Daily Bible Study

December 29, 2018 Bible Study — The Rise of the beasts

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Revelation 13-16.

John describes a great beast which will arise and rule over the entire earth.  This beast was given power by the “dragon”, which was the devil.  As a result of this power it survived and healed from a wound which appeared to be fatal.     People from all over the world will worship the beast and the dragon which gave it power.  The beast will blaspheme against God and against heaven.  It will wage war on God’s people.  A second beast will arise and exercise the power of the first beast.  This second beast will perform miracles in the name of the first beast.  It will commission a statue of the first beast to which it will give the power of speech.   The second beast will require everyone to have a number written on their hand or on their forehead in order for them to buy or sell anything.

 

As I read all of this passage, I wondered if John’s vision referred to a specific future event, or if it was a figurative description of history from John’s time until Christ’s Second Coming.  I struggle with writing this entry because for the most part, John’s Apocalyptic visions do not speak to me.

Having written the previous, I went back to the passage one more time for something to wrap up this entry.  Whereupon I read the part where God sent the Seven Plagues upon the earth.  The terrible plagues John describes seem to me to be the natural result of the behaviors of those who worshiped the beasts.  More importantly, rather than respond to their suffering by turning to God, the victims of these plagues cursed God and dedicated themselves more fully to service to the beasts.  That speaks to me because it is behavior I see all too often.  Time and again I see people double down on the sins which have caused their misery rather than repent and turn to God.

Daily Bible Study

December 11, 2018 Bible Study — Loving Our fellow believers while facing persecution

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Thessalonians 1-5.

Paul commends the believers in Thessalonica for continuing in their faith in the face of persecution. He commends them for showing their love and concern for their fellow believers living elsewhere and for following the teachings of the Gospel. He reminds them that he had warned them about the coming persecution when he first preached the Gospel to them. In a way, this letter is passing the same warning on to us. If we are faithful to the Gospel, those who do not believe will seek to persecute us.

Paul instructs the believers of Thessalonica to live in a way which pleases God by staying away from sexual sins. Immediately after telling them to stay away from sexual sins he writes, “But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other,…” Which clearly shows that if we truly love those around us, we will not commit sexual sins. Sexual sins bring harm both to ourselves and to those around us.

Daily Bible Study

December 10, 2018 Bible Study — No rules, just be kind, compassionate, humble patient, and above all loving

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Colossians 1-4.

The Gospel message changes lives.  It does not result in us following a set of rules to which we can find loopholes.   We see the way rules fail to save, or change, people in our society today.  Our society rejected Paul’s teaching on sexual morality, but discovered that without it they needed rules to protect the vulnerable.  Now society is discovering that it needs to ever extend those rules because sinful people find loopholes through which they can exploit the vulnerable.  

  Paul writes that we should forgive those who offend us and live our lives with compassion, kindness, gentleness, humility and patience.   Letting all of these express the love which Christ will cause to live in us.  No rule set can ever cover all of the things which flow out of such characteristics.  No matter how you write the rule set, those who do not possess those characteristics will find ways to abuse others.  On the other hand, those who possess all of those characteristics will never abuse others, even if there are no rules at all.   The point which Paul makes again and again is that sexual immorality, evil desires, and greed are all contrary to the above characteristics.

Paul tells us to bear with the faults of others, although elsewhere he also tells us to confront sinners about their sin.  However, this does not present the conundrum that many people think it does.  Paul tells us not to confront sinners to show them how much better than twe are.  Nor are we to confront sinners as a way to pay them back for what harm they have done to us or others.  No, we should confront sinners because we love them and want them to stop harming themselves with their sins.