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.