Reading through the Bible in a Year:  Isaiah 51-55

Hello Brothers and Sisters,

I am writing this after a small vacation, while we were attending to my Father-in-law's heart surgery.  We are still shadowing him as he continues to grow stronger.  He is not out of the woods until later today. 

I would encourage you to be diligent with the Bible readings, if you are not following the study, at least follow the scripture readings, by following it, you will be able to read through the Bible in one year.  This is very important for remaining grounded and stable in the word of God.  I have archived the entire schedule in "doc" format on the website, www.emailbiblestudy.com under the schedule tab.

As an introduction to Revelation, it is difficult to do.  John the Apostle wrote the book, in verse 9 we know that he wrote it while he was on the Island of Patmos.  It is probably the most disputed book in the Bible, which is why I have been reluctant to start a study on it.  Literally depending upon which church or denomination that you belong to, depends upon what your view is on this book.  Some regard it as the most important book which all must understand which supersedes all other scriptures and others ignore the book completely.  I will approach the book from two perspectives; I will first try to keep it consistent with the times that John wrote it.  Keeping the historical perspective.  And second I will attempt to tie it with the Old Testament scriptures as it relates to the end times and the second Coming of Christ.

At any rate, I expect that with this book we will probably see more interaction from the group than with any other book.  I will attach some of the studies to the following day's text and other comments will simply be added to the archives.  Regarding that, I attempted to update the website yesterday, but the connection at the hotel was not good enough.  I will continue to try to update the website, if I am not able to get it working, it will be updated on Wednesday when I return home.  On with the study!

Rev. 1:1-2

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, 2who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

The word "Revelation" is the Greek word "apokalypsis" where we transliterate it into English when the end times is spoken of.  It means "an unveiling, or uncovering", the concept is that something which was hidden is being brought to light.  Consider that the Old Testament prophets had already spoken of many of the things which will be discussed in this book, Revelation acts as a guidebook which ties those scriptures together.

"Bond-servants" is also a word which has been discussed at length in the past.  A bond servant is one which was in bondage and chose to remain in bondage of his own free will;  living for the sole purpose of satisfying the needs of his master (see note below, thanks Erik for the correction).  This type of servanthood was scorned in the Greek culture because they taught the freedom and autonomy of all men.  The idea of being in bondage to another was the opposite of their idea as to what it meant to be free.  This goes to show that In Christ, we go against the thinking of the world.  It is kind of interesting though that Plato felt that being a bond-servant was a mark of a good citizen toward the Greek culture because it promotes solidarity between citizens.  Even though the common thought of the day was for freedom, their great thinkers realized the importance of servanthood to society.  Bringing this full circle, with Christians, we are born into Christ Jesus when we come to know Him.  We literally are "Born again", taking on His life and abandoning our own.  In the process of doing this, we are born into slavery to Jesus Christ; we are bond servants of the Father, commissioned to do His will.  Many try to hold to the idea that the Greeks held, thinking that we are free and autonomous beings, all of us being free agents in the kingdom of God.  Paul refuted this idea many times over, speaking again and again about how that we are a body, and that all parts of the body are to work together, each member accenting and building upon the gifts of others.  And just as Plato understood, in the attitude of being a "bond-servant", it does not remove freedom, rather it gives freedom.  In the attitude of being a slave to Jesus Christ, we have total freedom in Christ.  It sounds like an oxymoron, but that is only because of our limited understanding based upon our experiences in life.  So much for the tangent, back to the study.

John revealed what God had given to him to share with the rest of the church, as he indicated it was communicated to himself through the aid of an angel.  This message was not a flippant possibility, the words in the Greek speak specifically of this message being "necessary for it to come to happen, quickly". 

Rev. 1:3

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

There is a promise that goes along with the words of this prophecy, if you study them you will be happy, blessed.  Often people read these words and think that it means that simply studying the Book of Revelation will make them happier, it will bless them and they will demonstrate a blessedness simply because they have delved into the book and have come to intellectually understand it.  I beg to differ.  John is not speaking of head knowledge here, rather, he is speaking of heart knowledge, look at the phrase "heed the things", this is not lightly taken.  If we merely read the Bible and never apply it to our lives, then what good is it to study?  How is the Bible going to bless our lives if we merely intellectually learn the principles but are unwilling to put it into action in our lives?  Yes, intellect is good, but more is required.  In order to understand Revelation, you must study and understand all the other scriptures in the Bible as well.  As you will see in the future studies, John tied many concepts in the Bible together in writing this prophecy.  It includes the teachings of Jesus as well as the teachings of the Old Testament.  This book will certainly bless your life as you apply it to your life, heed the warning and make it a point to put into action the scriptures in a preparation for the return of Christ.  It will also bless your lives when encouraged to be a bond-servant,  we daily submit to the will of the Father in waiting for Him to work through our lives. 

Daniel 7:25

'And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

Daniel 8:17

So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and fell on my face; but he said to me, "Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end."

Being warned, if the time was near when John had written this book, it is right on our doorstep. We don't know how much longer that the Lord will tarry, today is the day to put our Christianity into action, today is the day that all of us need to lie prostrate before the Lord and submit our lives to Him, renewing our relationship with Him on a personal basis.  The time spoken of here is relative, it could be referring to the times that Daniel spoke of, which would make perfect sense.  It is believed that once the times start, they will move quickly as is indicated in verse 1. 

Rev. 1:4-8

John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne; 5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood, 6and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen.

8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

John carried the message of Jesus to the churches, in verse 4 there is an interesting statement regarding the seven spirits.  This is disputed somewhat, some say that these seven spirits are the seven spirits of the seven churches.  It could also be referring to the seven attributes of the Holy Spirit as it is listed in Isaiah 11:2-3:

Isaiah 11:2-3

And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,

The spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The spirit of counsel and strength,

The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

3And He will delight in the fear of the Lord,

And He will not judge by what His eyes see,

Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;

Look at the way that Jesus is spoken of in these verses as well, Jesus, the Messiah, who is a faithful witness for all of us.  Through His blood we were released from our sins!  Not only that, we are made to be a kingdom of priests before God.  The phrase "His God and Father" could also be translated "Our God and His Father", according to the NASB footnotes.  This makes more sense in the context of the scriptures. He will rule forever and ever.  Jesus is also the firstborn of the dead, this offers us the assurance that we will also be released from death, just as He was.  When we accept Jesus as savior, we are released from the death that was imposed by Adam, and born into new life in Jesus.  He was the firstborn, and He has made it possible for all of us to have eternal life in Him. 

Some believe that verse 7 is speaking of the rapture.  They believe that when Jesus comes on the clouds and collects the believers to Him, that the entire world will recognize who He is, and will see Him coming on the clouds. 

Jesus is the Almighty God, the first and the last, the Greek letters "Alpha and the Omega" are the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet.  Look also at the presence of Jesus through history, He always was, always is, and is coming.  He is the almighty God.  That is the reason that once we accept Him as savior, we are taken back on the cross, nailed to it, buried with Him and raised to new life in Him, then we will live forever in His life. 

What is important here is the position of Jesus and the position of the Holy Spirit in the end times.  At that time, everyone will recognize who Jesus is, and what His role is through the ages.  I am not going to say that verse 7 is regarding the rapture, particularly if it is referring to a pre-trib rapture simply because if that were the case, wouldn't the world be brought to repentance as a result of seeing and recognizing that Jesus is truly the Lord of all?  There is little doubt that Jesus will return to judge the nations, and at that time, everyone will recognize who He is, this could be when He ushers in His millineal Kingdom:

Daniel 7:13-14

"I kept looking in the night visions,

And behold, with the clouds of heaven

One like a Son of Man was coming,

And He came up to the Ancient of Days

And was presented before Him.

14"And to Him was given dominion,

Glory and a kingdom,

That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language

Might serve Him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

Which will not pass away;

And His kingdom is one

Which will not be destroyed.

Jesus Himself claimed to be the one spoken of in this prophecy:

Mark 13:26

"And then they will see the Son of Man COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory.

Mark 14:62

And Jesus said, "I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

Matthew 24:30

and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.

Matthew 26:64

Jesus said to him, "You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."

Luke 21:27

"And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

I am going to close here, as I dug into these 8 verses, I was overwhelmed with information which could be shared.  I will hit the high points, and as always, if I miss something please feel free to email back with your opinion and your take on the passage.

Father, as we dig into Your word, open our minds and our hearts to understand how this applies to our lives.  Enable us to understand the scriptures so that we can have a correct understanding of Your word.

In Him,

Joe Turner.

I made the correction to the study.

Joe.

Reading through the Bible in a Year:  1 Corinthians 3-4

Hello Brothers and Sisters,

Rev. 1:9

I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

I mentioned yesterday that John had written the book of Revelation on the island of Patmos.  According to Foxes Book of Martyrs, he was banished to the island after he had survived being cast into a cauldron of boiling oil.  They could not kill him so they banished him to a place that they felt that he could do no harm.  History does not indicate that Patmos was deserted since there was a thriving community there. 

There was a prison type of community on Patmos that where the prisoners were required to mine some type of ore for the king, or it was to build a canal for Nero.  It is thought that John was condemned to these mines. Either way, it was a forced labor type of situation.  Perhaps if they could not kill him with oil, they could work him to death. Others hold that John was simply banished to Patmos and allowed to roam at his own leisure, while unable to leave the island.  Either way, God used the situation. When the Roman emperor Domitian died, legend tells us that the banishment was lifted about A. D. 96 and John went on to Ephesus, where he is lost track of.  When he left Patmos, he would have been over 90 years old.  In light of his experience as his life was threatened, he did partake in the tribulation, and he did persevere in Jesus because of the Word of God.  Of the twelve disciples, he is the only one that does not have a hideous death recorded.  He never wandered, preaching and teaching the word of God.  Fox also gives him credit for planting six of the seven churches listed in verse 11, the only one that he did not plant was Ephesus. 

2 Cor. 6:4

but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses,

Romans 5:3-5

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Note that John had attributed that he was a fellow partaker in three things, first tribulation, or trouble, second the kingdom, or literally the kingship of Christ, and third the perseverance, or steadfastness in Christ Jesus.  These three things are common to all Christians, they are essential elements of our faith.  Granted, not many of us suffer tribulation because of Christ today, but it is not outside the realm of possibility for any of us.  All Christians participate in the Kingship of Jesus, and all of us participate in the steadfastness of Jesus.  These are the attributes that separate us from the world, they make us different and cause us to stand apart for the Kingdom of God.

Rev. 1:10-11

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11saying, "Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea."

Place yourself in John's shoes, can you imagine the impact of a voice like that?  John indicates that he was in the Spirit, it is implied that he was in a trance-like state, this also occurs in Revelation 17:3, 21:10.  Paul used similar terminology referring to being in the Spirit:

Romans 8:9

However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

Ephes. 5:18

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,

Ephes. 6:18

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

Paul was commissioned to write a message to the seven churches, giving them instruction as to the word of the Lord.  Dispensationalist will tell you that these seven churches represent seven distinct periods in church history, but that is a relatively new view on these churches, and a very interesting one as well.  These seven churches were seven distinct churches of the time, with specific problems which we will discuss as we study them. 

Rev. 1:12-20

And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle. 14And His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire; 15and His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been caused to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16And in His right hand He held seven stars; and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. 17And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. 19"Write therefore the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall take place after these things. 20"As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Jesus interpreted this vision for John, so there is no interpretation needed to speak of what the seven stars stood for, or the seven golden lampstands. 

Daniel 7:9-14

"I kept looking

Until thrones were set up,

And the Ancient of Days took His seat;

His vesture was like white snow,

And the hair of His head like pure wool.

His throne was ablaze with flames,

Its wheels were a burning fire.

10"A river of fire was flowing

And coming out from before Him;

Thousands upon thousands were attending Him,

And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him;

The court sat,

And the books were opened.

11"Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. 12"As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.

13"I kept looking in the night visions,

And behold, with the clouds of heaven

One like a Son of Man was coming,

And He came up to the Ancient of Days

And was presented before Him.

14"And to Him was given dominion,

Glory and a kingdom,

That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language

Might serve Him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

Which will not pass away;

And His kingdom is one

Which will not be destroyed.

Compare Jesus to Daniel's vision, also consider that Jesus is spoken of as having the word of God as a sword, Hebrews 4:12.  Consider seeing a vision like that, along with Jesus speaking audibly to John in his old age.  It must have been tremendous and tremendously frightening.  Jesus revealed Himself as John and the disciples wanted Him to here on earth.  The tremendous awesome power of God was finally displayed for John. 

Malachi 4:2

"But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.

Psalm 84:11

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

The Lord gives grace and glory;

No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Prophecy regarding the Son as the Sun. The symbolism is tremendous when you run down the cross references.  It is worth the time to go through the cross references if you have time.  Also consider Daniel's response to his vision as compared to John's response:

Daniel 10:7-9

Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great dread fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. 8So I was left alone and saw this great vision; yet no strength was left in me, for my natural color turned to a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength. 9But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.

I am going to cut the study short here.  Today we returned home from over a week's stay at the hospital, and things have been very busy catching everything back up.  If you wish to add to the study, please feel free to write in, I will post your work on the website, unless you wish otherwise.  Dig in the word, enjoy it, and learn from it.  As a side note, I drew heavily from the “Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 52 on the notes regarding John’s history.

Father, as we gather together today, open our eyes so that each one of us can see and understand the awesome power of Jesus.  Praise You.

In Him,

Joe Turner.