THE FINAL POST. Reading from December 31

This is it, folks. The end. The journey of an entire year comes to a climactic conclusion with a record nine posts in one day. And as promised, I finished on January 10 - exactly a year since I began.

This really has been a remarkable experience. I am really happy I decided to blog through my journey instead of just reading through the Bible without recording my thoughts. Doing so has also allowed you guys to comment and help me along in my journey. Specifically I want to give big shout outs to Pete Mitchell, Chris Dela Cruz and Henry Coates who commented regularly and gave me plenty of insight and a lot to think about. I genuinely appreciate all of your thoughtful remarks.

As I've mentioned before, blogging this thing has also allowed me to think and decipher things a little more. I'm sure you've seen this in my writing - I'll think something, write about it, figure something else out while writing the first thing and come up with a new conclusion.

I'm going to take a break after this post is done, but I intend to write a few "prologue" pieces. I want to write my summary of the entire Bible, my definition of God, and address my goals and questions on the right side of the page.

If you have been a regular reader of this thing. Thank you. I hope through this lowly blog you've been able to find some hope or comfort in your own faith, or if you don't believe wisdom and insight into those people who do to gain a better understanding of those around us.

Alright dudes. This is it. The last one.

Reading for December 31
Malachi 3:1-4:6
I think Malachi's placement at the end of the Old Testament is not a mistake. It reminds us that God is not to be effed with. He is a powerful and angry, yet compassionate and loving God. The past few books have focused on God's softer side, while Malachi shows God's anger one last time, with a very important reminder to all who read it.

⁶ “I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. ⁷ Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.

Throughout this whole thing, I have theorized that God changed at some point. His heart softened and he became more compassionate and loving to his creations. This statement squashes that theory. Now this could be God simply trying to keep his street cred, but I believe him. I think both sides of God that we see are always part of him. He has a bitter anger inside of him that is swelled and ignited by sin, but he also has an incomprehensible amount of patience and love for his people. Both of these live within him at all times, he just lets one side come out at some point and the other side at others.

Even here, in the midst of God's firey, anger fueled rant, he offers salvation to his people. "Return to me and I will return to you."

The Old Testament, the Torah, closes with these three verses.

 ⁴ “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.
 ⁵ “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. ⁶ He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”

The most important things God could say to his people are as follows:
1) Remember the Ten Commandments
2) A savior is coming
3) Obey him or I'm going to destroy everything

And the Old Testament is complete.


Revelation 22:1-21
Wow. A pretty controversial conclusion to the Bible.

It begins with the final pieces of the new earth, the section is titled "Eden restored" bringing the entire Bible ful circle, allowing God and his people to experience the plan that existed for a brief moment and took millenia to get back.

³ No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. ⁴ They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵ There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

Awesome.

The writer, John, then pulls back, talking about himself and the angel who showed him these visions. There is a conversation between John and the angel where the angel tells him not to bow to him as he began to, because they are both equal servants of God. Then the angel says something really, really strange for the Bible - if he knew he was gonna be at the very end of the Bible, I'm sure he would have chosen his words more carefully.

¹¹ Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”

Aren't we called to correct our brothers and sisters and point them in the right direction when they're headed in the wrong one? Is this some selfish plot to let fewer people into heaven, or to insure that you'll be one of the 144,000? I don't know.

Finally, here is the conclusion to the New Testament, and thus the Bible.

²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
   Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
 ²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

Such awesome peace in those words. Like I could just wrap myself in them on a cold day with a cup of soup. So great.


Psalm 150:1-6
The end of Pslam calls us to praise God at all times and in all ways and for all reasons.

¹ Praise the LORD.^[a]
   Praise God in his sanctuary;
   praise him in his mighty heavens.
² Praise him for his acts of power;
   praise him for his surpassing greatness.
³ Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
   praise him with the harp and lyre,
⁴ praise him with timbrel and dancing,
   praise him with the strings and pipe,
⁵ praise him with the clash of cymbals,
   praise him with resounding cymbals.
 ⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
   Praise the LORD.

Indeed. Praise the Lord.

Proverbs 31:25-31
The end of Proverbs is actually the conclusion of the prologue of the ideal wife. Here's a snippet.

³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
   but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
   and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.  

Its funny that Solomon chose to put this at the end. There is a whole section devoted to watching out for adulterous and seductive women, to have this vision of a beautiful, loving, intelligent strong woman for a wife is the complete antithesis of that idea. And I believe its what I have in my wife.

I did it. I can't believe it. I did it.

Dear God, 

Wow, what a journey it has been. I have learned so much about you and your people. I have learned to fear you and love you in equal amounts. I have learned how to be an ideal person, and how to be an ideal servant of God. I feel like I have learned I lifetime's worth of information and knowledge.

Thank you so much for your word. It is joyous to read and I pray that others were able to find a similar joy to the experience through my work here. 

God, thank you. Thank you for giving me the will to persevere through this - it wasn't easy at times but I am rapturously happy that I did. I feel like a more complete person. 

Thank you. Thank you. 

In Jesus Holy name I pray,
Amen. 

Reading from Thursday, December 30

Oh man. Two away...

Reading for December 30
Malachi 1:1-2:17
Hey, new book! This is the last time I'll say that. Sad face.

Whoa. So much for the "new God". As we've neared the end of the Old Testament, we have begun to see God's heart softening. Not caring about ritualistic sacrifices, but rather seeking the heart of his people. Wishing for his people to be kind to one another, and fair in their judgments.

Here in Malachi, we see a God obsessed with ritualistic sacrifice, and the quality of the sacrifice - he seems even more adamant than he did in Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

   “It is you priests who show contempt for my name.
   “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’
 ⁷ “By offering defiled food on my altar.
   “But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’
   “By saying that the LORD’s table is contemptible. ⁸ When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the LORD Almighty.
 ⁹ “Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?”—says the LORD Almighty.

Wow, reading that I actually feel like I'm being yelled at - even though I have never offered a bad animal to God. Although, there is a lesson to learn here, even in modern times. While we may not sacrifice animals to God anymore, we are still called to give of our time and money. And where it seems these people have failed by simply giving because they're compelled to, and giving the least amount they can, we too have done the same. At least I have - I feel that I am called to give my time and money to God, and most of the time, these are token gestures, or just the change in my pocket when I have $20 in my wallet I'm saving for a Gameboy game. 

I'm reminded of the Simpson's ep when Homer put a coupon for "Shake and Bake" in the collection tray at church - responding to Marge's disappointment with "Marge, we can spare it - we've been blessed."

It goes on...

 ¹³ Another thing you do: You flood the LORD’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. ¹⁴ You ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.
 ¹⁵ Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring.^[e] So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.

Now in now way am I condoning adultery, I think this tough stance on it is perfectly fair. It's just not the patient, gentle being that God had seemed to evolve into as the Old Testament progressed.

And yes, I realize the irony of using the word "evolve" there.

Revelation 21:1-27
This is the resounding orchestra fanfare at the end of the whole thing. Everything and everyone is at pure peace and there is not even a glimpse of suffering - this is the image God had designed from the very beginning of his creation.

 ¹ Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”^[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’^[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

What can you say about something like that? It's incredible - especially after the terrifying, tortuous images from the previous chapters. This is the hope of every believer, this is where we yearn to end up, under the rule of God alone, with no evil or influence of evil anywhere in the world. It will be like in Return of the Jedi when they finally destroy the Empire once and for all and the entire galaxy is at peace.

Sorry, I just watched those movies for the first time this week, and they were amazing.

I know, I know - "gasp gasp he's never seen Star Wars before? But he's such a nerd!" I've seen it now and I love it like the rest of you.

The chapter concludes with a vision of the New Jerusalem. Remember that the original Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians so the readers of this must have been totally stoked to hear the stats laid out here. It is to be 1,400 miles wide in both directions with walls 200 feet thick.

The chapter ends with these words which I can do no better justice to than copy paste

 ²² I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. ²⁴ The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. ²⁵ On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. ²⁶ The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. ²⁷ Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

How incredible is that first verse? For the entirety of the history of Jerusalem, and even further back to the nomadic Israelites, God's presence was contained within something. A tent, a cloud, the temple, he was never really willing to make his presence part of his people. In this new vision, there is no temple, only God. How awesome is that? 

Psalm 149:1-9
This sounds like the new earth...

² Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
   let the people of Zion be glad in their King.
³ Let them praise his name with dancing
   and make music to him with timbrel and harp.
⁴ For the LORD takes delight in his people;
   he crowns the humble with victory.
⁵ Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor
   and sing for joy on their beds.

Proverbs 31:10-24
This section is headlined with "Epilogue: The wife of noble character" It basically outlines the ideal wife from the author's point of view. It's actually really long for a Proverb reading, so I won't post the whole thing here, but it basically says that the woman is kind to others, compassionate with the poor and needy, a provider of income for the household, and an all around good woman. If you go back and read it, you'll notice that it says nothing about submissiveness to the husband nor does it paint the wife as the less important partner. Rather, it appears that the wife is equal with the husband, doing her share and carrying a portion of the burden of the household.

Reading from Wednesday, December 29

Post 363.

Reading for December 29
Zechariah 14:1-21
Okay, this sounds like the day of Babylon's invasion and destruction of Jerusalem. Which I thought had already occurred at the time of this writing.

¹ A day of the LORD is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.  ² I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.

But then it goes on to talk about another day which appears to be the day of Christ's crucifixion.

Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
 ⁶ On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty darkness. ⁷ It will be a unique day—a day known only to the LORD—with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light.
 ⁸ On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.

Remember when Jesus died, the day turned to night immediately, and that Jesus referred to himself as the living water. Then it closes with the beautiful image of this water flowing in both directions eternally.

Then...it turns kinda nasty...

 ¹² This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. ¹³ On that day people will be stricken by the LORD with great panic. They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another. ¹⁴ Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected—great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. ¹⁵ A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.

So Zechariah appears to contain prophecies about present future and way future times - namely the invasion of Jerusalem, the life and death of Jesus and the end times described in Revelation. He had a heavy task indeed.


Revelation 20:1-15
The aftermath of the battle.

So here's what happens. Jesus defeats Satan and throws him into hell. He is bound in hell for 1000 years. Meanwhile, those who died for the name of God during these end times were resurrected and ruled the earth with Jesus for those 1000 years.


After those thousand years, Satan returns to get one last go at causing pain and misery in the world, at this he fails and is once again cast into the "lake of fire" where he will be tortured forever. Then all of the dead who had not yet been resurrected, were placed in judgment before God. If their names were not written in that book of life, they were sent to hell with Satan to be tortured forever as well.

This is the clearest picture of Hell that we have in the Bible and it is a very popular one, though very few other books mention it. Jesus kinda glances over the topic, but focuses more on the kingdom of God which he claims is to come. Zechariah, while fairly accurate about his prophecies of Jesus, had a few errors here and there. I'm not saying not to believe this text, but I'm just trying to put some context around it.

Psalm 148:1-14
We are all meant to praise God and receive his love

¹¹ kings of the earth and all nations,
   you princes and all rulers on earth,
¹² young men and women,
   old men and children.  ¹³ Let them praise the name of the LORD,
   for his name alone is exalted;
   his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

Although he does mention a special group of people

¹⁴ And he has raised up for his people a horn,^[b]
   the praise of all his faithful servants,
   of Israel, the people close to his heart.

Proverbs 31:8-9

 ⁸ Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
   for the rights of all who are destitute.
⁹ Speak up and judge fairly;
   defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Yes yes and yes. 

Reading from Tuesday, December 28

Only four to go, yo.

Reading for December 28
Zechariah 12:1-13:9
More specific prophecies about Jesus.

¹⁰ “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit^[a] of grace and supplication. They will look on^[b] me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

And...

 ¹ “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.

Some seriously hopeful images there. Again, remember the original audience who would be reading this. 

Revelation 19:1-21

The second half of this chapter opens with a description of the 'future Jesus' for lack of a better phrase.

¹² His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. ¹³ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. [...] ¹⁵ Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”^[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

 KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

I think this is the guy the Jews were expecting when the humble carpenter's son came around claiming his own divinity. I don't think anyone would have denied that this guy was holy. He's freaking terrifying. 

Then we have the big final battle between Jesus and Satan. It's pretty epic. Check it out.

 ¹⁹ Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. ²⁰ But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. ²¹ The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. 

Damn. I know its complete blasphemy here, but can I get a hell yeah?

Psalm 147:1-20
This was my image of God for pretty much my whole life up until this point.

³ He heals the brokenhearted
   and binds up their wounds.
⁴ He determines the number of the stars
   and calls them each by name.
⁵ Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
   his understanding has no limit.

While I still believe he is those things, he is so much more complex than even that. 

Proverbs 31:1-7
Hmm...interesting perspective on alcohol consumption...

 ⁴ It is not for kings, Lemuel—
   it is not for kings to drink wine,
   not for rulers to crave beer,
⁵ lest they drink and forget what has been decreed,
   and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
⁶ Let beer be for those who are perishing,
   wine for those who are in anguish!
⁷ Let them drink and forget their poverty
   and remember their misery no more.

Reading from Monday, December 27

Gettin close, son.

Reading for December 27
Zechariah 10:1-11:17
OK. Chapters ten and eleven couldn't be further from each other with regards to content. Chapter ten is about as hopeful as any chapter in the Bible as God begins speaking of the forgiveness he will give to his people.

⁶ “I will strengthen Judah
   and save the tribes of Joseph.
I will restore them
   because I have compassion on them.
They will be as though
   I had not rejected them,
for I am the LORD their God
   and I will answer them.

What a rapturous image. Especially for the readers of the time - remember this was written (I think) during the Jews exile when Babylon had come in and destroyed Jerusalem and rousted the Jews from their homeland, and enslaving those who were left behind. According to the scripture, God was solely responsible for this occurring and the Jews likely believed this to be 100% true. Now to hear that God has had a change of heart, that he is going to be compassionate, that it will be as if he "had not rejected them", must have been like water in a desert.

Chapter eleven starts with an image of Jesus that quickly turns sour.

⁷ So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter, particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. ⁸ In one month I got rid of the three shepherds.

OK so far. Jesus helped the oppressed and embarrassed the oppressors - no problem there. But then...

  The flock detested me, and I grew weary of them ⁹ and said, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish. Let those who are left eat one another’s flesh.”
 ¹⁰ Then I took my staff called Favor and broke it, revoking the covenant I had made with all the nations. ¹¹ It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the LORD.

Uh oh...that doesn't sound like Jesus at all. But then we have this to make it even more confusing...

 ¹² I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.
 ¹³ And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the LORD.

Thirty pieces of silver is the same price that Judas was paid to betray Jesus, and then he bought the "potters field" with the money. And subsequently killed himself on said field. So could this text be from the point of view of Judas? Interesting...



Revelation 18:1-24
Now we seem to be getting some clarification. It appears that the plagues that were dished out were meant for Babylon - the nation which destroyed Jerusalem and enslaved the Jews.

 ⁴ Then I heard another voice from heaven say:   

 “‘Come out of [Babylon], my people,’^[b]
   so that you will not share in her sins,
   so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
⁵ for her sins are piled up to heaven,
   and God has remembered her crimes.
⁶ Give back to her as she has given;
   pay her back double for what she has done.
   Pour her a double portion from her own cup.

Right? Doesn't that sound like God is trying to rescue the believers from the destruction beset upon B-Lon? The question now is - does this still mean strictly Babylon, or is it symbolic for the most powerful nation of the time which oppresses Israel or God's people? Uh oh...

Psalm 146:1-10
Yeah! Re-remember? Remember God is good! Honestly, its a real blessing to have the Psalms to read back to back with Revelation.

⁶ He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
   the sea, and everything in them—
   he remains faithful forever.
⁷ He upholds the cause of the oppressed
   and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free,
 ⁸ the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
   the LORD loves the righteous.
⁹ The LORD watches over the foreigner
   and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
   but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

Proverbs 30:33

³³ For as churning cream produces butter,
   and as twisting the nose produces blood,
   so stirring up anger produces strife.” 

Take that, political media crazies.

Reading from Sunday, December 26

Yes sir. Strep is kicking my little white booty.

Reading for December 26
Zechariah 9:1-17
Chapter 9 starts with a "this will happen to this country" and "that will happen to that country" thing, but then right in the middle, is a clear vision of Jesus, the humble kind, king.

  ⁹ Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
   Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
   righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
   on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
¹⁰ [...]He will proclaim peace to the nations.
   His rule will extend from sea to sea
   and from the River^[b] to the ends of the earth.

If I remember correctly, this specific prophecy of him riding on a donkey is one that Jesus uses to prove his divinity amongst the Jews. I'd also like to point out verse 10 - he will proclaim peace to the nations. That's nationS with an S. All are welcome, all are able to partake of the peace Jesus offers. 

Revelation 17:1-18
This has already been mentioned in Revelation, but I haven't touched on it yet - the book of life.

The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.

I'll get to that beast in a minute, but I want to talk about this idea of the book of life. According to this, there is a book in which is written the names of every person who will ever get into heaven. And apparently this book was written at the outset of the universe. From the very beginning, God knew who would and who would not come to him. Logically this creates some errors that I could spend hours on, but this takes me all the way back to when I started this thing and I wondered about God's all-knowing nature. Why the disappointment when people fail, then? Why these seven plagues if you know that these people will not convert? Why kill every first born child of Egypt? Why the death of Christ?! Why any of it? Doesn't this book of life render all of it meaningless? It's like multiplying the entire Bible by zero.

How very Ecclesiastical of me.

Now. This beast. The phrase "once was, now is not and yet will come" is repeated several times in regards to this beast. What could this beast be? My best guess is death. Not physical death, but the death that Adam and Eve experienced, the death that was defeated by Jesus and the death which will come again after this ridiculous catastrophic apocalypse.

And who is riding this beast? A prostitute. To me this symbolizes temptation and lust for power, sex, money, land, Porshes, guns, video games, food, flat screen tvs, pornography, drugs, and anything else you want to fill in. The lust for things and sex and satisfaction will ultimately destroy us. We're already seeing it, and we've been seeing it for thousands of years. Wars for no actual reason, poverty because of others' greed, hunger in a land of plenty - this will be our destroyer. Make no mistake.

I hate to be all scary and death zone but this is what its saying, I'm trying to provide my honest interpretation as I always have tried to do.

Psalm 145:1-21
Again, nice to read coming from Armageddon town.

 ⁸ The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
   slow to anger and rich in love.
 ⁹ The LORD is good to all;
   he has compassion on all he has made.

Proverbs 30:32
 ³² “If you play the fool and exalt yourself,
   or if you plan evil,
   clap your hand over your mouth! 

Yah. Shut up ya jerk.

Reading from Saturday, December 25

Christmas post. Only two weeks late!

Reading for December 25
Zechariah 8:1-23
God reiterates his statement from the last chapter...

¹⁴ This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Just as I had determined to bring disaster on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered me,” says the LORD Almighty, ¹⁵ “so now I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid. ¹⁶ These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; ¹⁷ do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the LORD.

It's also interesting to see God himself admitting he has a changed heart towards his people. We saw this too in books like Jeremiah where God spoke of the New Covenant. So to receive this good that God wishes to give us, we are asked to be truthful, fair, good natured, and to keep from loving false promises. God HATES all of this. And what is "all this"? All of these are things that bring pain and sadness and despair to people. Extrapolation helmet on - God hates seeing his people suffer.

Revelation 16:1-21
So if God hates seeing his people suffer, he must be dreading this day. I usually don't paste an entire chapter, but this is so intense, I think it all needs to be read to understand.

  ¹ Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”
 ² The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
 ³ The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.
 ⁴ The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. ⁵ Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:
   “You are just in these judgments, O Holy One,
   you who are and who were;
⁶ for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets,
   and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.”
 ⁷ And I heard the altar respond:
   “Yes, Lord God Almighty,
   true and just are your judgments.”
 ⁸ The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. ⁹ They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.
 ¹⁰ The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony ¹¹ and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.
 ¹² The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. ¹³ Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. ¹⁴ They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.
   ¹⁵ “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
 ¹⁶ Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
 ¹⁷ The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” ¹⁸ Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. ¹⁹ The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. ²⁰ Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. ²¹ From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds,^[a] fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.

The one thing that sticks out to me as I try to defend a God who would allow this is the end of verse 11 "and they refused to repent for what they had done." God's only motive in sending this torment is a last ditch effort to get people to become his children, but as it says here, they instead cursed God for the pain they were suffering. Scary times indeed.

Psalm 144:1-15
One of my favorite verses - it keeps all the Revelation stuff in perspective.

³ LORD, what are human beings that you care for them,
   mere mortals that you think of them?
⁴ They are like a breath;
   their days are like a fleeting shadow.

Proverbs 30:29-31
Super helpful. Thanks!

 ²⁹ “There are three things that are stately in their stride,
   four that move with stately bearing:
³⁰ a lion, mighty among beasts,
   who retreats before nothing;
³¹ a strutting rooster, a he-goat,
   and a king secure against revolt.^[a]

Reading from Friday, December 24

Post #2 for the day.

Reading for December 24
Zechariah 6:1-7:14
Good stuff. It's strange how many similarities there are between this book and Revelation. Chapter 6 opens with another vision of four horsemen riding in chariots. One with white horses, one with black one with red and one with "dappled" or spotted horses. These are identified as the four spirits of God to go throughout the earth. One to the North, one to the East and so on...Interpreting that a bit, this would indicate that God's message is meant for everyone to hear and receive.

Chapter 7 is titled "Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting". We start to see this a lot toward the end of the Old Testament - God would rather a person who practices genuine compassion and who possess a pure heart than someone who obeys rituals without meaning. God calls people out for fasting for the wrong reasons and then tasks us all with this message:

⁹ “This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. ¹⁰ Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’

It's kinda neat to think about God sort of "amending" the Ten Commandments. Sure you could derive this message from the original commandments, but you could also derive a completely opposite message. It almost feels like God is playing catch-up with his laws...what are your guys thoughts on this?

Regardless, this message is of clear importance to God, and how I am trying to live my life. 

Revelation 15:1-8
This is it. God's final wrath is being administered on the world. Seven angels hold seven bowls which contain seven plagues which will be inflicted on the world. As they prepare to dole it out, the angels sing a song comprised of sections of Psalm and Deuteronomy.

  “Great and marvelous are your deeds,
   Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
   King of the nations.^[a]
4 Who will not fear you, Lord,
   and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
   and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Not to trivialize this, but singing this song of praise before killing billions feels almost psychotic. Like in the movies when the crazy religious guy is killing people for God. 

Psalm 143:1-12
This almost feels like a prayer that would be uttered in the last days mapped out in Revelation:

¹ LORD, hear my prayer,
   listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
   come to my relief.
² Do not bring your servant into judgment,
   for no one living is righteous before you.

Proverbs 30:24-28
 ²⁴ “Four things on earth are small,
   yet they are extremely wise:
²⁵ Ants are creatures of little strength,
   yet they store up their food in the summer;
²⁶ hyraxes are creatures of little power,
   yet they make their home in the crags;
²⁷ locusts have no king,
   yet they advance together in ranks;
²⁸ a lizard can be caught with the hand,
   yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

What is a hyrax?

Aww...

Reading from Thursday, December 23

Here we are. Today is January 10 - exactly one year since I started this project. Posting has been sporadic lately because I have strep throat and haven't felt like moving, much less sitting up and typing. I'm starting to feel slightly better, but am still pretty much bed ridden.

Can I bang out nine posts and finish this thing in exactly a year? It would be the most I'd ever done in a single day, but it would also be an epic conclusion to the Adventure.

Let's do it.

Reading for December 23
Zechariah 4:1-5:11
This is immensely confusing. There is a golden lampstand, with an olive tree on either side of it. I remember seeing a golden lampstand in Revelation, but not the olive trees. There's an angel there who explains these visions to Zechariah, but I have no idea what he's talking about. This is what the angel says about the golden lampstands...

⁶ So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.
 ⁷ “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’”
 ⁸ Then the word of the LORD came to me: ⁹ “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.
 ¹⁰ “Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the LORD that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone^[a] in the hand of Zerubbabel?”

Uh...yup. Got it.

Revelation 14:1-20
This is fairly disturbing. The first paragraph talks about how there will this group of 144,000 (divisible by 12) who had Jesus and God's name written on their foreheads and they were singing a song that only they could learn. The qualities of these 144,000 are that they are:

A) Men
B) Virgins who "did not defile themselves with women"

First of all, I think this is where the Mormon's derive their belief that only 144,000 people will be allowed into heaven. But secondly, what the heck?!

Only men who remained virgins will be allowed into heaven? Well, maybe I'm being too presumptuous. It says that this group "had been redeemed from the earth". So maybe this is like a test group that goes to heaven before everyone else gets to come? But why punish those who aren't virgins? Jesus condones sex within marriage, right? And why no women? That seems a little unfair...

This chapter ends with an even more disturbing image. Jesus and a couple angels begin to "harvest" the earth, but not in a good way. They have "sharp sickles" and the harvest the ripened grapes and "threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath." The blood that flows out of that winepress is about four feet high in 180 miles in all directions.

If that doesn't strike the fear of God into ya...

Psalm 142:1-7
You know, I'm often critical of Psalm's overtly positive attitude towards God. But after reading that passage from Revelation, this comes as a breath of fresh air.

 ³ When my spirit grows faint within me,
   it is you who watch over my way.
In the path where I walk
   people have hidden a snare for me.
⁴ Look and see, there is no one at my right hand;
   no one is concerned for me.
I have no refuge;
   no one cares for my life.
 ⁵ I cry to you, LORD;
   I say, “You are my refuge,
   my portion in the land of the living.”

Proverbs 30:21-23
 ²¹ “Under three things the earth trembles,
   under four it cannot bear up:
²² a servant who becomes king,
   a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,
²³ a contemptible woman who gets married,
   and a servant who displaces her mistress. 

Uh...yeah. Right on...

Reading from Wednesday, December 22

Hey gang.

I'm uber sick. Been in bed for the past three days without the strength to read or post. I'm still shooting to finish by the 10th. Exactly a year.

Nine posts to go.

Reading for December 22
Zechariah 2:1-3:10
So Zechariah begins to prophecy about the coming of the savior. Though it appears that this prophecy is only for the Israelites. First you have a vision of the priest, Joshua standing before God and Satan. Joshua is wearing filthy clothes and God demands that he be stripped and clothed with new, pristine garments - symbolizing the taking away of sins. Joshua is only one man though...lets see what he says about everyone else...

⁹ See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes^[e] on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day. 

This land. That could mean Jerusalem, Israel, the Middle East in general or the whole world. I wonder if the original Hebrew gives any better indication about that...scholars...hit me up.

Revelation 13:1-18
This is possibly one of the most metal chapters in all of scripture. Dragons, fire, mortal wounds, swords, lions, war - Aspiring metal musicians - Revelation 13...read it.

So in the last post we read about a dragon who was trying to kill all the people of the earth. This dragon is Satan and he is trying to kill us all, spiritually. That's my interpretation anyway.

This chapter talks about how the dragon suffered a mortal wound but was eventually healed of it. My best guess is that the mortal wound is the salvation that came through Christ to all people, and that through time, people found less and less meaning and significance in that, and just like their ancestors, turned their back on their Lord.

The chapter closes with possibly the most infamous number of all time:

¹⁸ This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.^[e] That number is 666.

You know with all the pop culture references to that number, I wasn't sure if it would actually appear in the Bible or not. Kinda like how "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" is thought to be from the Bible, but in fact is not. 

Psalm 141:1-10
Consider it pure joy, brothers...

⁵ Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness;
   let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head.
My head will not refuse it,
   for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.

Proverbs 30:18-20
What?

 ¹⁸ “There are three things that are too amazing for me,
   four that I do not understand:
¹⁹ the way of an eagle in the sky,
   the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
   and the way of a man with a young woman.
 ²⁰ “This is the way of an adulterous woman:
   She eats and wipes her mouth
   and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’

Reading from Tuesday, December 21

Ten posts to go. 

Howdy. So how about those birds and fish mysteriously dying? Wasn't that in Revelation? Uh oh...is this the third woe?

I'm kinda kidding, but I'm also kinda terrified.

Reading for December 21
Zechariah 1:1-21
Zechariah is gonna take up the majority of the remainder of this project from the OT perspective. A relatively big book amongst very short books. Must be good. Let us see.

Oh yeah. This is like the Revelation of the Old Testament - complete with the four horsemen we read about a couple nights ago!

⁸ During the night I had a vision, and there before me was a man mounted on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses.

Except these aren't terrifying murder horsemen. Their task, according to Zech's vision, was to go throughout the earth and report what they saw. Here is that report:

“We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace.”

YEAH! KILL EVERYTHING! JUDGMENT FOR ALL...wait...what?

"at rest an in peace"? "the whole world at rest and in peace"? This is still the Bible, right? God must be cooking up something really scary for the next paragraph. He wouldn't let us get too comfortable.

¹⁶ “Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,’ declares the LORD Almighty.  

Mercy? Where is the judgment? Where is the blood rain and fire hail and scorpions that torture us for five months but can't kill us?  It's not here. I'm not sure of the time differential between the end of the OT and the story of Christ, but if you assume they are relatively close, you can almost see God readying his heart for the eternal mercy which he will bestow upon his creation.

Revelation 12:1-17
Crazy. My friend Chris has been preparing me for this chapter, and I certainly wasn't fully ready for it. So there's a woman who gives birth to a male child who I don't think is Jesus. There's a super monster dragon waiting to eat the child as soon as its born, but God snatched up the child and brought it up to heaven with him.

The woman went to earth where she would be cared for for 1260 days - what is with that number? (Looked it up - it represents half of seven - 3 1/2 years) The dragon was hurled down to earth after a war in Heaven and pursued the woman and the rest of her offspring.

Here's my amateur-hour theory of what's going on here. The child actually is Jesus, but the "In the Beginning" version of Jesus that lived with God until he came to Earth on December 25th, 0000 AD. "The rest of her offspring" is Israel - and the dragon marched among them to tempt and torment them.

Psalm 140:1-13

¹² I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor
   and upholds the cause of the needy.
¹³ Surely the righteous will praise your name,
   and the upright will live in your presence.

Proverbs 30:17

 ¹⁷ “The eye that mocks a father,
   that scorns an aged mother,
will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley,
   will be eaten by the vultures. 

Reading from Monday, December 20

11 posts to go. Yay.

Reading for December 20
Haggai 1:1-2:23
These two chapters make up the entirety of the book of Haggai, and its a fairly dry two chapters. The majority of this book talks about God's temple and how it lies in ruin. I read through both chapters a couple times and still have nothing of any real substance to share with you. I hate to do this so late in the project, but this one comes in as a big skip.

Revelation 11:1-19
OK, let me see if I can get this right.

There are two dudes who will prophecy in God's name for 1260 days - which is about three and a half years. During their testimony they have the power to kill anyone who opposes them and inflict whatever plague or disaster on the earth that they want. After this time, they will be killed by what appears to be Satan - referred to here as "the beast that comes up from the Abyss".

Their bodies will lie in a public square for three and a half days and everyone will be super psyched that they're dead because they were condemning the people of the earth. After the three and a half days, God will bring them back to life and bring them up to heaven in front of everyone. This will be immediately followed by a devastating earthquake which will kill 7000 people.

 ¹⁴ The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.  

Psalm 139:1-24
This is an idea of God that has remained consistent for me throughout the entire journey through the Bible.

  ¹ You have searched me, LORD,
   and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
   you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
   you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
   you, LORD, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
   and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
   too lofty for me to attain.

Not quite "all knowing" but certainly "all perceiving". 

Proverbs 30:15-16
 ¹⁵ “The leech has two daughters.
   ‘Give! Give!’ they cry.
   “There are three things that are never satisfied,
   four that never say, ‘Enough!’:
¹⁶ the grave, the barren womb,
   land, which is never satisfied with water,
   and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’

Reading from Sunday, December 19

Hey dudes.

The last post generated a lot of feedback and comments from friends - for these I am truly grateful. While I still am struggling to figure out my own beliefs, it's inspiring to read your stories and statements of faith.

On to the reading...

Reading for December 19
Zephaniah 1:1-3:20
You know, I always get the sense that God's punishment on people, especially in the Old Testament, is due to some sort of perceived blasphemy. In other words - someone not following a ritual correctly or saying the wrong thing or whatever. But I think in most cases, God's punishment only comes in extreme circumstances.

Zephaniah, like all these other end-of-the-Old-Testament books, is filled with images of divine destruction on all nations. This book is written from God's perspective and he lays it out - again - for everyone, saving Jerusalem for last...

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 within her
   are roaring lions;
her rulers are evening wolves,
   who leave nothing for the morning.

Now most of that seems like they are being punished for simply rubbing God the wrong way, but look at the very first verse there. "City of oppressors". God cannot be oppressed - who can be? The weak? The poor? The outcasts? Yup.

I may be reading way too much into that singular word, but I think God was speaking up for the people who felt like outsiders in their own city - just like Jesus did only a short time later. God continues his rallying cry for these people at the end of the book.

¹⁹ At that time I will deal
   with all who oppressed you.
I will rescue the lame;
   I will gather the exiles.
I will give them praise and honor
   in every land where they have suffered shame.
²⁰ At that time I will gather you;
   at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
   among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes^[l]
   before your very eyes,”
            says the LORD.

Revelation 10:1-11
This entire reading focuses on this one quote from one of the angels in this vision:

“There will be no more delay! ⁷ But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”

I thought the mystery of God was the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. I certainly could be wrong though...

Psalm 138:1-8
Boom

 ⁶ Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;
   though lofty, he sees them from afar.

Proverbs 30:11-14

 ¹¹ “There are those who curse their fathers
   and do not bless their mothers;
¹² those who are pure in their own eyes
   and yet are not cleansed of their filth;
¹³ those whose eyes are ever so haughty,
   whose glances are so disdainful;
¹⁴ those whose teeth are swords
   and whose jaws are set with knives
to devour the poor from the earth
   and the needy from among mankind. 

Once again speaking out for the outcasts...

Reading from Saturday, December 18

Hey. So as I've approached closer and closer to the end of this project, I'm starting to worry about my faith. Every time I look at the idea of God from an intellectual, scientific standpoint I cannot say that he is real. The more I think about answered prayer and miracles and other signs of "proof" of God existing the more I think these are all coincidences, placebos or the power of the mind convinced of the power of a God who can move mountains.

But just this week I asked for your prayers for something I spent the entire past week praying about. That's the thing - I can logically dismiss the existence of God, but I cannot faithfully dismiss him, or remove him from my heart, as corny as that sounds. When tragedy strikes, my knee-jerk reaction is "Dear God, please...". I can honestly say my life is better because of him, or at least the concept of him. The concept of a God who died for me and who would be disappointed in me if I screwed up is something that has kept me in check for most of my life. But how does this differ from deciding Gandalf from Lord of the Rings is real and following the ideas outlined in those novels?

I'm convinced that the idea of God is something that has a profound impact on this world - both good and bad. I'm just not convinced that God is a real actual thing that exists in the way the Bible declares he does.

...

I've been sitting here for the past five minutes trying to figure out what to say next. I think the reason my faith has been shaken so dramatically is because I have taken a severely critical eye to the Bible. I haven't shared all of the holes I've poked, and theories I've come up with, but ever since I started I've been trying to logically pick apart the supernatural elements of the Bible. And now that I'm getting closer to the end, I'm not finding that big moment of personal proof that I needed to make it sure for me.

I am a person who is easily swayed one way or another. I could hear a great sermon tomorrow and be totally convinced of God's existence and omniscience all over again.  I think I need to make this documentary I've been talking about making. I don't want to lose God from my life. I don't want to cast off his existence and remove his presence from my life. That's a weird thing to say about something that I used to be convinced was as real as my hands.

Maybe we can start here.

Believers - what makes God real to you?
Non-Believers - what makes you sure of God's non-existence?

Reading from December 18
Disclaimer: for the sake of the rest of the readings, I'm going to assume God is real and exists and these stories are true unless I find something that really sticks out.


Habakkuk 1:1-3:19
OK. Before I even go any further, this is person who is unsatisfied with God's customer service. "The problem of evil" in other words.

² How long, LORD, must I call for help,
   but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
   but you do not save?
³ Why do you make me look at injustice?
   Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
   there is strife, and conflict abounds.
⁴ Therefore the law is paralyzed,
   and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
   so that justice is perverted.

I have made this point before on this blog - this does not fix the problem of evil, but it shows that even the faithful writers of the Bible - who were perhaps the closest people to God in history - still had trouble with the idea of a God who loved his people and his creation and allowed injustice and destruction to occur on his watch. The next section is titled "The LORD's Answer". Let's see what he says.

God's response to Habakkuk is "Babylon is coming to kill you." That's his answer to "Why are you letting injustice happen?" His answer is "I'm sending Babylon to kill you." Rightfully, Habakkuk complains to God once more.

You, LORD, have appointed them to execute judgment;
   you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish.
¹³ Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
   you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?
   Why are you silent while the wicked
   swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

Exactly! God is someone who cannot tolerate evil. I have speculated on the idea of pre-Jesus God being like a robot who only sees right and wrong. Sin = punishment...no matter the context. So why then, should he allow injustice to occur simply to make a point or to prove how big and powerful he is?

God's response to this is basically a statement of his values. A lecture on sin and the result that sin. One could read into that to mean that Babylon will receive the punishment he outlined, but then it would be using Babylon to punish Israel only to destroy Babylon - why even bother with any of it?

The book closes with Habakkuk's response. This literally brought me to tears just now. Behold this man's unrelenting faith...as he remembered God's terrifying punishment and history of anger here is what he said...

¹⁶ I heard and my heart pounded,
   my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
   and my legs trembled.
Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity
   to come on the nation invading us.
¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud
   and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
   and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
   and no cattle in the stalls,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
   I will be joyful in God my Savior.

How do I get that faith?

This is my new favorite book of the Bible.

Also, verse 16 is the most palpable verse in the whole scripture. This is a real dude who is telling it like it is.

Revelation 9:1-21

³ And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. ⁴ They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. ⁶ During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.

SH*T!

 ¹² The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.

SH*T! SH*T! SH*T! SH*T! SH*T! SH*T! SH*T! SH*T! SH*T! SH*T!


Psalm 137:1-9

 ⁴ How can we sing the songs of the LORD
   while in a foreign land? 

How could you not?

Proverbs 30:10

 ¹⁰ “Do not slander a servant to their master,
   or they will curse you, and you will pay for it. 

Dear God, 

It's certainly been a while since one of these. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm having trouble believing in you right now. God, if your word has taught me anything its that going through a struggle or painful period is intentional - whether its from you, or fate or chance - its purpose is to strengthen its victim. If you are responsible for the hard times lately, thank you. I am trying to "consider it pure joy" as your word has taught me. 

God, please reveal yourself to me in whatever way is possible. I know I'm not supposed to ask you to do that, but I'm sure other have asked you. In fact I think a few dudes in the Bible asked you to do that. I don't remember how it turned out for them - maybe I should take it back just to be safe.


God, whether you're there or not, I love you. You have made my life what it is. You have shaped me as a person. You have made me who I am. My belief in you has made me who I am. Please don't let me dismiss you so easily. 

Brandon.

Reading from Friday, December 17

Hey ho. Hey ha. Fifteen posts to go.


Reading for December 17
Nahum 1:1-3:19
This entire book is dedicated to the condemnation of Ninevah. Ninevah is the city that Jonah went and preached against and on this city God had mercy. Now we see an entire book whose sole purpose is to describe how God will destroy it. The question is - when was this book written and by whom? If it was written by Jonah, we may have a different opinion, or if it was written before the events of Jonah supposedly took place it would also shed a different light on the text. However if it was written after the events of Jonah, it would make the mercy and grace afforded to Ninevah in that book meaningless - the whole story trivial.

Well, I did a little research and here's what I found. This book was written after the events of Jonah, and was written by a prophet named Nahum (funnily enough). Within my study Bible it has an explanation of this very topic of Jonah and the mercy that now seems to have expired for Ninevah. Here's what it says:

God's anger against Ninevah had not appeared overnight. Assyria had been the dominant world power for at least 300 years. Once before, Jonah had carried a message of condemnation to its chief city, Ninevah. As was always true with God's prophets, Jonah's condemnation sounded absolute. Actually, it included an escape clause. In Jeremiah 18:7-10, God spelled it out: "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent." Hearing Jonah, the Ninevites had repented, and God spared their city.

The repentance had not lasted, however. By Nahum's time, Ninevah had returned to her evil ways. God's anger, while slow to develop, was sure. 

So it's not a total reversal of his word, but its a bit disappointing that A) Ninevah couldn't hold it together and B) God's mercy ran out in a time that seemed so much like he was turning all of his other cheeks.

If anything though, reading Nahum has made me realize that Ninevah was actually a ruthless, awful nation. It wasn't just that they didn't like Jews. By the way, the city was completely destroyed shortly after this book was written, never to be fully rebuilt.

Revelation 8:1-13
Oh sh**. This is the scary stuff I was talking about. So the seventh seal was opened on this scroll thing and all sorts of terrifying stuff starts happening. A mountain and a meteor crash into the earth, the sea turns to blood and everything in the sea dies. The sun moon and stars all lose a third of their light so a third of the day and a third of the night are total blackness.

Eh...scary...

Psalm 136:1-26
 ²³ He remembered us in our low estate
            His love endures forever.
²⁴ and freed us from our enemies.
            His love endures forever.
²⁵ He gives food to every creature.
            His love endures forever.
 ²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven.
            His love endures forever.


Proverbs 30:7-9
What a brilliantly wise prayer

 ⁷ “Two things I ask of you, LORD;
   do not refuse me before I die:
⁸ Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
   give me neither poverty nor riches,
   but give me only my daily bread.
⁹ Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
   and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
   and so dishonor the name of my God.

Reading from Thursday, December 16

Howdy, chums. It's the second day of 2011 and that means I'm running two days late on finishing this thing.

I think by the end of this week I should be done. Thanks for being patient.

Reading for December 16
Micah 5:1-7:20
The remainder of this book is like so many of the other later OT books. God is angry, he will carry out his vengeance on this nation and that nation, we are all doomed, etc. However, there is one line I want to really focus on here.

¹³ The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,
   as the result of their deeds.

des·o·late/ˈdesəlit/

Adjective: (of a place) Deserted of people and in a state of bleak and dismal emptiness.

This is what God has been trying to prevent all along. All the anguish and sorrow and pain that he sent - that he caused - was all for the purpose of avoiding the image that's painted in this single verse. We as people are bent on destroying ourselves. In most cases it is subconsciously, or even accidentally, but more and more we see people making self destructive decisions. War, fast food, smoking, drinking, promiscuity, selfishness, greed, apathy for the poor - all of these things make for a people who will eventually exterminate itself. God makes every effort to make us humble and conscious of our decisions and our bodies, while we make every effort to ignore him. 

 

Revelation 7:1-17
Revelation is a scary book. Partly because I feel like I'm missing a lot of the intended message out of ignorance, but also because it deals with something we should all fear - the end of the world. If this is to be taken as truth, what you are reading when you read Revelation is a blueprint for how we will all die and what will happen afterward.

But its because the book is so frightening that verses like this stand out like a flashlight in a dark hallway.

⁹ After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

From a God who chose a single group of people to watch over and protect, to a God being praised in his heavenly home by people from every type of person. Follow the logic and that means that everyone is welcome into heaven given a love for God. Now that's character development.

Also, thanks to Chris Dela Cruz for the knowledge drops from the past few entries. Check the comments from the previous couple of days to see what I was reading actually meant. For example those four horsemen that dealt with apocalyptic type things - turns out those were the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Psalm 135:1-21
Fun thought. Do you think God had a competition with other gods to see who would rule over everyone?

⁵ I know that the LORD is great,
   that our Lord is greater than all gods.

Him and Baal are like the Yankees and the Red Sox.

Proverbs 30:5-6

 ⁵ “Every word of God is flawless;
   he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
⁶ Do not add to his words,
   or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. 

This presents an interesting question: based on verse 5 - would you consider the entire Bible 'the word of God' as its presented here? Meaning should we take that to mean that every word of the Bible is flawless? Because there are things that certainly don't line up...what do you guys think?