Death … it’s the thing many of us fear the most. But there is another death, a second death, that should concern us much more. This second death involves spending eternity in a place where Jesus said the fire is never quenched and the worm never dies. It’s neither purgatorial nor annihilating. And the bad news is that we all deserve this second death and left to ourselves, we have no hope of avoiding it. And while there is good news, it’s not automatic.
Welcome to “God’s Word Day by Day.” Why not make the coming year the best ever when it comes to your understanding and enjoyment of Scripture by signing up for these daily devotionals?
Today’s Readings:
Nahum 1-3
Psalm 145.17-21
Proverbs 30.16
Revelation 12.1-17
Will You Experience the Second Death or Eternal Life?
Nahum 1-3:
Patient, Merciful & Righteous
Chapter 1.3, 7 sums up this book:
3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,
And will not at all acquit the wicked.7 The LORD is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble;
And He knows those who trust in Him.
God is patient and merciful (“slow to anger”). His desire is that all would be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2.4).
But He can’t be good and be a liar. He can’t be a righteous judge and give evil a pass (“acquit the wicked”). There is a debt to be paid for sin in the court of heaven. For those who put their faith and trust in what Christ did on the cross, it has been paid in full, but for those who reject the truth, the penalty is death.
But physical death is not the end. We will all live forever. The question is … “Where?”
Death is separation. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden they were separated from Him. They no longer had the spirit to Spirit communion with Him they had enjoyed. They didn’t die physically, at least not immediately, they died spiritually.
As their children, we are all born spiritually dead and unless Jesus returns before then, we will die physically, as well.
But there is a second death (Rev. 2.11), separation from God for eternity in a place where Jesus said, the fire is never quenched and the worm does not die (Mk. 9.43-44). This death is neither purgatorial nor annihilating since after a thousand years Antichrist and the false prophet, two men controlled by Satan during the Tribulation, will still be there (Rev. 20.10).
What We Deserve
We all deserve that second death. Romans 3.23 and 6.23 say:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
But God in His mercy provided a remedy.
The Righteous Judge
Verse 7 says God is good, a stronghold to those who trust in Him, but because He is also the Righteous Judge of heaven and earth, He will one day judge sin and evil. If you’ve been reading the book of Revelation with me, you’ve seen His warnings.
Confession, Repentance & Surrender
Have you ever stood before God, the Righteous Judge, in prayer? Have you admitted that you owe a debt you can’t possibly pay—that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness and that there is no just verdict other than death? Romans 10.1-4:
1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Have you repented of your sin and put your complete faith and trust in what Jesus did on the cross? Have you accepted His payment for your sins so you won’t have to suffer that second death? Romans 10.8-13:
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
Have you acknowledged Him as Lord—Master and Savior? Have you truly surrendered your life to Him?
The Reason Christ Was Born
If not, don’t let another Christmas season pass without understanding, acknowledging, and accepting the very reason He was born in that stable so long ago.
Why not pray now? There is no magic formula. You don’t need to be in a church. There are no special words. Just talk to Him from your heart. Acknowledge your sin and ask Him to forgive you. Repent. That means to turn away from your sin and ask for His help to grow and change. Repentance is more than sorrow over the consequences of your sin. It means acknowledging that you have sinned against a Holy God, the Righteous Judge of heaven and earth. Then accept His forgiveness.
If that’s you, it’s essential that you begin reading your bible. If you don’t have one, buy one or go to a church and ask for one. Or download an app on your phone. Keep talking to God in prayer. And find a good Bible-believing church. You need others to help you grow and to hold you accountable.
If you do, please let me know so I can pray for you. And if you need help finding a good church, I’ll be glad to help.
Today’s Other Readings:
Psalm 145.17-21:
All Who Call upon Him
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth (v. 18).
What an amazing thing that the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, is always available to hear the prayers of those who call upon Him from a sincere heart!
Proverbs 30.16:
Sin is Never Satisfied
The grave, the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water and the fire never says, ‘Enough!’
This builds on the imagery in yesterday’s verse (Prov. 30.15) and compares sinful desires to these four things.
This is a thought often repeated in Scripture. Proverbs 27.20 says:
Hell and Destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
The only true satisfaction comes from finding contentment in God and His provision. Like the psalmist in Psalm 90.14 let’s pray:
O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Revelation 12.1-17:
The Woman, Her Children, & the Dragon
The Nation of Israel is pictured as a woman, clothed with the sun. The twelve stars are the twelve tribes of Israel.
1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. 5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.
Her enemy, Satan, is pictured as a dragon. In his original rebellion against God, he took a third of the angels with him, “a third of the stars of heaven” (v. 4) and when he could not stop the virgin birth, he tried to “devour her child as soon as it was born” (v. 4) by destroying all the babies age 2 and under (Matt. 2.16). Her child will eventually rule “with a rod of iron,” (v. 5) absolute power, and at the time of His ascension, He was “caught up to God and His throne” (v. 5).
The End is Near
As I understand end-time events, the Tribulation will begin with the Antichrist making a treaty with the Nation of Israel, lulling them into a false peace, but in the middle of the Tribulation, he will break the covenant and set himself up to be worshiped. Many Jews will flee into the wilderness where God will protect them during the second 3 ½ years.
Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days (v. 6).
In this chapter where Satan is seen as the great dragon, he is also called “the devil and Satan” (v. 9). The word “devil” comes from a Greek word for “slander” and means “to falsely accuse.” In verse 10 he is called the “accuser of the brethren” who even though he hates God, is willing to come into the presence of God to accuse his people day and night. “Satan” means “adversary” or “enemy.” He tries to deceive people now just as he did Eve in the garden, and he will do the same during the Tribulation.
But then, just as now, he cannot prevail over the people who belong to God.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death (v. 11).
Though God will protect Israel, the enraged dragon will bring everything he has against all believers “the rest of her offspring” (v. 17).
But his end is near!
The Good News
The word gospel means “good news,” the good news I talked about above, that Jesus came to die for those who will put their faith and trust in Him. Some will accept the “good news” even during the Tribulation and be saved from that second death, but they will suffer greatly for their faith and most will be martyred.
But those who accept His gracious pardon now will not go through that terrible time. 1 Thessalonians 4.16-17:
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
That is good news!
Coming Up:
In the next few days, we’ll talk about grace, the responsibility involved in being a true friend, the number 666, the Book of Life, and purgatory. I hope you’ll join us.
Get Ready for the Coming Year with a Plan for Your Bible Reading
The holidays are just around the corner and the new year will be on us before we know it. What will you do to make Bible reading an ongoing habit in the coming year? I want to encourage you to set a goal to read through the Bible again or for the first time. If you join me here, I’ll take you through a plan that covers both the Old and New Testaments in about 15 minutes a day. Sign up here for my daily email. It can serve as a gentle reminder to stay on track and I believe you’ll benefit from the additional background and application comments that I share.
Start today so you can begin the habit and it will be a regular part of your day come January.
You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. Just click on the social media icons. But nothing replaces having the daily devotion pop up in your inbox each day. It, usually (once in a while life gets in the way), goes out at 6 a.m. MST.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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