Zechariah (Program #5) – The Visions of Consolation and Promise (4)

Zechariah is full of mysterious visions revealing Christ. Listen to the first four verses from Zechariah chapter 4, “Then the angel who spoke with me returned and roused me as a a man is roused from his sleep. And he said to me, What do you see? And I said, I see that there is a lampstand all of gold, with its bowl on top of it and its seven lamps upon it, with seven pipes for each of the lamps on top of it; And there are two olive trees beside it, one to the right of the bowl and one to the left. And I answered and spoke to the angel who spoke with me saying, What are these, sir?”

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Zechariah (Program #4) – The Visions of Consolation and Promise (3)

Zechariah chapter 3 begins with a vision of three persons standing together. The first was Joshua, the high priest of Israel; and next to him was Satan, who was accusing him and opposing him. The third person standing just before Joshua was the Angel of Jehovah. This scene is repeated nearly everyday in the life of God’s chosen ones. Revelation chapter 12 tells us that Satan, the adversary of God’s people is constantly accusing them just as he was accusing Joshua before the Lord in Zechariah 3. And here the Lord deals with Satan and Joshua is relieved, not because he wasn’t guilty but because Jehovah cleansed him and justified him. When we find ourselves being accused by the adversary, the key is to do as Joshua did – not to hide or pretend – but to rely on God’s word to deal with both adversary and all of our feelings.

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Zechariah (Program #3) – The Visions of Consolation and Promise (2)

Zechariah chapter 2 is one of the mysterious chapters in the Bible and to be sure the book of Zechariah is considered quite mysterious by many, if not most believers. A man with a measuring line appears in verse 1 and this man is measuring Jerusalem. Then, Jehovah declares that He will be the glory within Jerusalem and the fire round about her protecting the city and His people and its inhabitants. All of this is against the backdrop of the previous seventy years of history where Jehovah seemingly was silent and inactive. What has caused the Lord to rise up and take such an active and vigorous stand on behalf of His people?  The answer is clear – His people has returned from captivity in Babylon and they are re-inhabiting Jerusalem and Jehovah is re-inhabiting His house, the temple.

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Zechariah (Program #2) – The Visions of Consolation and Promise (1)

The New Testament tells us that Christ today is in the heavens as the Great High Priest interceding always for us continually before the throne of God. For all of us as believers, this is the most encouraging and comforting realization of Christ. But interestingly, this aspect of His ministry can be seen not just in the New Testament book of Hebrews but also in the Old Testament visions of the prophet Zechariah. In fact, the book of Zechariah is full of visions that reveal Christ in His sweet comfort, care and encouragement for His suffering people.

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Jeremiah (Program #18) – Jehovah’s Condemnation of and Punishment upon the Kings and Prophets of Judah

In the middle chapters of Jeremiah, the Lord is condemning and chastising the kings and prophets of Israel for how they had so fully turned their backs on Him. Listen to this verse from chapter 22, “I spoke to you in your prosperity; But you said, I will not listen. This has been your way from your youth, That you have not listened to My voice.” But despite how this must have deeply offended the very God that had brought them through so much and had proven Himself to them again and again, it’s in the midst of His exposing how utterly unrighteous His people had become that He offers the most hopeful and encouraging promise through the prophet Jeremiah. Just a few verses later, we hear “Indeed, days are coming, Declares Jehovah, When I will raise up to David a righteous Shoot; And He will reign as King and act prudently And will execute justice and righteousness in the land.”

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Jeremiah (Program #13) – God’s Economy with His Dispensing in Jeremiah (2)

It seems upon casual reading of the Old Testament that the central focus of the book is the law of Moses.  When God brought Moses to the mountain and deliver the ten commandments that surely was a key moment, a key factor in God’s dealing with His people Israel.  But in the New Testament, the apostle Paul tells us that the law was not part of God’s original intention for man, rather it was something added due to man’s failures and sins.   In Galatians chapter 3 he says, “Why then the law? It was added because of the transgressions until the seed should come to whom the promise was made, it being ordained through angels in the hand of a mediator. ”  Actually God’s intention for man has never changed.  From the beginning He has desire that He Himself would be everything to man.  And Jeremiah, he lamented that His people Israel had forsaken Him, the fountain of living waters.  If we have this view of God’s eternal desire, our understanding of such Old Testament books as Jeremiah will be greatly uplifted.

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Isaiah (Program #17) – Christ as the Servant of Jehovah (1)

Isaiah 40:31presents believes and followers of Christ with the tremendous promise, “Yet those who wait on Jehovah will renew their strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles; They will run and will not faint; They will walk and will not become weary.”  We all cherish this kind of encouraging word.  But the question is “what is it to wait on the Lord in such a way as to be brought into this kind of rich experience of Christ?”  Don’t miss the Lord’s fresh speaking on today’s life study of the Bible.

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Hebrews (Program #43) – Christ’s Sacrifices Replacing and Terminating Those of the Old Covenant

Today in chapter 10 of Hebrews we will see the good news that our sins and iniquities are completely taken away. And, we will see the better news that we can join in with God for the fulfillment of His desire on earth today.

Twice in the book of Hebrews we have God’s new covenant presented. In this new covenant we have Christ to offer to God for our sins; but not only so, we also have the promise of the divine life being imparted into our being. Once again we will enjoy this new covenant on today’s life study of the Bible.

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2 Thessalonians (Program #6) – Chosen by God Unto Salvation in Sanctification of the Spirit (2)

For a Christian salvation has many facets, many aspects. One of the great mistakes we can make in our Christian life is to assume that sum total of our salvation is the forgiveness of sins and the promise of everlasting life.  Surely these are facets, important facets of God’s full salvation but there are far more to our salvation that we dare not neglect. This may had been on the apostle Paul’s heart when he wrote to the young believers in Thessalonica in his second epistle. In Chapter 2:13, he wrote “But we ought to thank God always concerning you, brothers beloved of the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.”  We have been chosen with a view toward salvation, a salvation that includes sanctification of the Spirit. Here, salvation can be liken to a long bridge. A bridge upon which we, the believers cross over bringing us out of this present evil age and into the realm of eternity.

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1 Thessalonians (Program #16) – Cooperation with the Divine Operation (2)

1 Thessalonians chapter 4 is a chapter presenting the promise of the Lord’s return and the rapture of all the believers at the end of this age. And to the young believers in Thessalonica these word were encouraging and fill them with hope.

But in Chapter 5, Paul begins with the word “but”, implying that though it’s good to be encouraged by the hope of the Lord’s second coming, before He does come, we need to be watchful and sober, and most of all prepared and ready for His coming.  It’s in this light that we come to the last half of the final chapter of the short book to the new believers in the Church in Thessalonica.

Chapter 5:12 begins this way, “Furthermore we ask you, brothers, to acknowledge those who labor among you and take the lead among you in the Lord and admonish you, And to regard them most highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.“

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