Author Archive for: meiling

Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin the book of Revelation.  Written in approximately 95 A.D., the book of Revelation was written by the apostle John while he was in exile on the island of Patmos for preaching about Jesus.  While on Patmos, John receives multiple visions which he understands to be from Jesus Christ and is told to write them down.  The result is the book of Revelation, a highly significant book that describes what will happen before, during and after the return (second coming) of Jesus Christ.  This book also shows how many Old Testament prophecies will be fulfilled.

Today’s passage is Revelation 1:1-8.  Let’s go!

Revelation 1:1-2 (NIV) 
1  The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
2  who testifies to everything he saw–that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

On verses 1-2:  Here John makes clear that what he is writing about is not something he himself manufactured.  Rather what John is writing down is “the revelation of Jesus Christ”.  What John is about to share is what was revealed to him as “the word of God” and “the testimony of Jesus Christ”.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Zephaniah 3:1-19.  Let’s go!

Zephaniah 3:1-7 (NIV) 
1  Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled!
2  She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD, she does not draw near to her God.
3  Her officials are roaring lions, her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning…….

On verses 1-7:  Chapter 3 of Zephaniah begins with God expressing His utter displeasure with the city of Jerusalem.  He describes the people of Jerusalem as rebellious and unholy (v1), disobedient and unteachable (v2a), refusing to trust God or draw near to Him (v2b).  He describes Jerusalem’s political and military leaders as lions and wolves (v3), her prophets as arrogant and deceitful (v4), and her priests as hypocrites (v5).  The only One righteous in Jerusalem is the Lord Himself (v5), who “does no wrong” (v5) and who continues to act justly despite the unrighteousness around Him (v5).  In verses 6 and 7, the Lord laments how despite disciplining Jerusalem with hardship, the people of Jerusalem continued to act corruptly.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Zephaniah 2:1-15.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-3:  Here Zephaniah implores the people of Judah to seek the Lord and to humble themselves before it is too late, “before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes upon you” (v2).  Later on in this chapter, Zephaniah will introduce the idea of the “remnant”, that is, a group within the people of Judah who continued to seek the Lord and humble themselves before Him despite the widespread sin and rebellion around them.  Zephaniah and other Old Testament prophesy about how the Lord will preserve and rescue this remnant from the destruction He pronounced on the land of Judah.

Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin the book of Zephaniah, a short book with a powerful message and part of what is sometimes known as the “Minor Prophets” section of the Old Testament.

Today’s passage is Zephaniah 1:1-19. Let’s go!

Zephaniah 1:1 (NIV)
1 The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:

On verse 1: Who was Zephaniah? According to some scholars, the fact that Zephaniah traces his ancestry back four generations in verse 1 suggests that Zephaniah was a man of high social standing and quite possibly the great grandson of King Hezekiah. Zephaniah received this word from the Lord and wrote this book during the reign of Josiah, who reigned from 640 and 609 B.C.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Habakkuk 2:1-20.  Let’s go!

Habakkuk 3:1 (NIV) 
1  A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.
 
On verse 1:  The book of Habakkuk reads like an ongoing dialogue between Habakkuk and the Lord.  In chapter 1 Habakkuk complains about why there is injustice and evil in the world, and the Lord responds.  Then Habakkuk questions how God could use the evil Babylonians as His chosen instrument.  In chapter 2 the Lord responds by saying that He will hold the Babylonians to account for their sin as well. In chapter 3 the book of Habakkuk ends with a song of praise from Habakkuk.  On “shigionoth” is probably a musical instruction for the musicians playing this song.