The Bible is not a series of books about God. It is one book, penned by numerous human authors, and inspired by God. It is His-story told through His continuing revelation of Himself to mankind. The more you read it, the more you see how the books, the prophesies, the stories, and the letters fit together like the pieces of a puzzle. In today’s O.T. reading Zechariah prophesied hundreds of years earlier about many of the things Jesus showed John in the book of Revelation.
And in our New Testament reading, as we continue through the book of Revelation, we learn about two final judgments. One day every person will stand before God at one of them: “the great white throne judgment” or “the judgment seat of Christ.” Where will you stand?
Welcome to “God’s Word Day by Day.” Before we get started, I’d like to encourage you to make the coming year the best ever by committing to a daily Bible reading plan. You can sign up here for these daily devotionals. They will take you through the Bible in a year and provide valuable commentary that can help you apply the Scripture to your daily life. (If you are already receiving them, thank you so much! And there is no need to re-sign up.)
Today’s Readings:
Zechariah 13 & 14
Psalm 149.5-9
Proverbs 31.1-9
Revelation 20.1-15
The Bible – All One Continuous Story
Zechariah 13 & 14:
From Genesis to Revelation
Zechariah prophesied beginning about 520 B.C., but did you notice that he prophesied many of the same things Jesus revealed to the aging Apostle John toward the end of the first century A.D. and recorded in the book of Revelation?
We see the same picture of Jesus coming back the second time as the King of kings and Lord of lords, his feet touching down on the Mount of Olives followed by a great earthquake and the destruction of Satan’s armies.
We, also, see the description of Christ as the Shepherd (13.7) that David wrote about in Psalm 23 and Jesus called Himself in John 10. He described Himself as the Good Shepherd who gave up His life for the sheep (Jn. 10.11).
The more you read and study God’s Word, the more you see that it is not a series of books about God. It is one book, penned by numerous human authors, but inspired by God. Just as a writer controls his pen or writing instrument, God superimposed himself over the hearts and minds of his instruments, the human authors (2 Pet. 1.21).
It is His-story told through His continuous revelation of Himself to mankind.
Today’s Other Readings:
Psalm 149.5-9:
Praise & A Sword
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand (v. 6).
That is how we fight life’s battles—by praising God and trusting in His sovereignty and by speaking and living according to His Word.
Proverbs 31.1-9:
A Mother’s Advice to the King
Verses 1-9 contain the first of two poems in this chapter. This one contains advice to the King from a godly mother and the second is a description of an excellent wife. While the Bible doesn’t specify, tradition says King Lemuel was King Solomon.
The King’s mother warned him about several vices to which kings are often vulnerable: sexual immorality, drunkenness or overindulgence, ruling in a harsh or unfair manner, and lack of concern for the weak and less fortunate.
That isn’t just good advice for leaders, it’s important for anyone who wants to live a godly life and impact others through their testimony.
Revelation 20.1-15:
Two Judgments
We see several future events in this chapter. First, the devil will be locked up in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years. At the end of that time, he will be released again, briefly, so that those who have been born during Christ’s 1,000-year millennial reign will have to make the decision to accept or reject Him.
We also see, at the end of that time, what is called “the great white throne judgment” where those who rejected Christ’s offer of salvation will receive their final judgment.
Believers will not be judged there. Believers will stand before Christ at what Scripture calls “the judgment seat of Christ” (Rom. 14.10). It will probably take place initially right after the Rapture but may continue during the Tribulation for those who are martyred during that time.
“The judgment seat of Christ” is also called “the rewards seat of Christ” because we will not be judged for our sin—Christ already paid the price for our sin. We will be judged for our works and our motives for doing those works (1 Cor. 5:9-10) and receive rewards accordingly.
Just as there will be different rewards for the saints of God, there will be different degrees of punishment for those judged at “the great white throne judgment” (Rev. 20:12).
Coming Up:
Well … one more day in this year … tomorrow we will read the book of Malachi and the last two chapters of Revelation, as well as, complete Psalms and Proverbs!
Tomorrow, we’ll talk about how to face tests and trials, what it means to be an excellent wife, and about the importance of giving our best to God. Then we’ll begin again in Genesis and look at the stories God recorded for us there:
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope (Rom. 15.4).
Get Ready for the Coming Year:
The new year is upon us. By the time you read this, we may have already turned the calendar. What will you do to make Bible reading an ongoing habit in the coming year? And what will you read that can help you grow and change? 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. Why not start today?
My Bible in a Year series will also be on YouTube this year. You can subscribe now and preview the first video here.
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. Also, don’t forget to check out our sister site Joyful Marriage Ministries.
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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