Revelations 3-5, 25 Dec 12

Okay, so tonight, Nicole Nieddu and I read Revelation 3 through the end of 5.  And, to be perfectly honest, I've got close to nothing.  This book continues to be so very enigmatic.  I'll go over what I read.

First of all, chapter 3 continues on with the angel of the Lord dictating messages to the rest of the seven churches - specifically Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.  Sardis was being scolded by the angel for only appearing to be alive but actually being spiritually dead.  Philadelphia was actually being praised for remaining faithful in the midst of Jewish persecution.  And, Laodicea was being scolded for being lukewarm as opposed to hot or cold.  The angel said that he would rather that they would be one or the other, but they weren't.

Alright, so...if I do have an application from this reading it would be from chapter 3.  We can obviously see what traits are important to the angel of God in these first three chapters and if one is asking themselves how to behave or what to do or not to do, then these three chapters give a good idea.  Chapter 3 specifically addresses a lack of sincerity, faithfulness, and indecisiveness with regard to your faith.  So, be sincere in your faith.  Be full of faith.  Be hot (passionate) for God.

Retrieved from
http://www.imagesofrevelation.com/revelations/revelation1_4-6.htm

There is no doubt that I have lacked these traits before and honestly continue to lack these traits today.  My faith is not always sincere.  There are days I am more faithful and days I am less.  And on those days where faith may be lacking, I continue on with the facade.  It's simpler that way, honestly.  There are other days where my faith is completely intact.  It is dichotomous, but that's kind of how it has always been.  The problem is that I'm a bit of a doubting Thomas.  I need to touch the holes in His sides and hands.  I've never liked that about me.  But, I'm an analyst at heart and in my line of work, faith just isn't good enough.


Chapters 4 and 5 were starting into the descriptions of things that make no sense and are almost impossible to imagine even though you read about them.  Creatures with six wings and eyes covering every inch of their body?  A sea of glass?  I understand that we're looking at a throne room of some sort.  I get that there are a multitude of people in there as well.  I comprehend the 24 thrones and 24 elders.  But, those are concrete ideas that make sense to my mortal mind.  The rest of it is almost nonsense to me.

Retrieved from
http://www.imagesofrevelation.com/revelations/revelation1_4-6.htm

The last tidbit I got from tonight's reading (oh, and by the way,  George Nieddu, got us the Archaeological NIV Study Bible for Christmas) was in the study notes.  I was interested to read about the history of the name Philadelphia.  The Philadelphia of the Bible is modern day Alashehir.  The city's founder's name was Attalus II Philadelphus and he was known for being devoted to his brother, Eumenes.  And his name means "brotherly love".  And that is why Philadelphia is nick-named the city of brotherly love.

Revelation 1-2; 18 Dec 12

So, this is, in part a follow-up to a post on my other blog.  You can view that post here.

After my wife and I started talking about everything, we decided to restart a Bible study.  Neither of us has read the Bible consistently for years.  I asked her where she would like to start and how she would like to go about doing it.  I know that when I used to conduct Bible studies in California, she wasn't overly comfortable with the format we chose.  As I've done in previous Bible study posts on this blog, we would utilize the S.O.A.P. method and then we would share with each other what we had written. 

The Rosetta Stone

But, she told me that she would like to go through Revelation.  And, initially, I almost always avoid reading through Revelation.  I know that I shouldn't avoid any certain aspect of the Bible.  But, there is just so much room for interpretation that to me, it is literally impossible for western civilization to understand.  First of all, there is the linguistic and cultural hurdles to jump.  If you don't A) understand the language that the original was written in and the cultural significance of each and every word used (not just the literal translation, but the colloquial understanding of that word) then you won't ever understand the MEANING behind what is being communicated; and B) understand the audience it was intended for and the issues all parties involved were dealing with, then again, the meaning of what is being communicated will be lost.  You could have the literal translation completed and still not have a clue as to what it means without the cultural relativism.

Illustration inspired by the book of Revelation. Image recovered
from: http://www.tonyhj.ca/Chronicles/Oxbow120804.html

Secondly, there is the imagery used.  How in the world is someone actually supposed to interpret all of the imagery used in Revelation?  I dare say it is not possible without direct intervention from God.

Having said that, I agreed to go through Revelation knowing that, even with my objections, God is still God and is capable of communicating some lesson or other in what we're reading.  And that's really what this post is about.

So, tonight, my wife and I read through Revelation, chapters 1 and 2. 

The first two chapters mainly consisted of the introduction to the book and some of the imagery and message of Revelation.  The imagery described talks about seven lamp stands with the one in the middle looking like a man.  That man is presumably God.  According to Revelation 1:14-16, "His head and His hair were white like wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.  His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters." And here is verse 16, which is what pertains most to these first two chapters, "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." 

So, each of those stars represents one of seven different churches and the first few chapters (I think 5 chapters, but I'm not 100% sure) go through each one of those seven stars/churches and God gives His warning to each of them.  Chapter 2 dealt with:

• Ephesus
• Smyrna
• Pergamum
• Thyatira

Basically,  God was telling John (the author of Revelation and the one to whom the vision was given) to send a message to each of the seven churches.  And for each of these churches (at least so far in Chapter 2), God had both good and bad.  He would start out by communicating what they were doing correct.  Ephesus persevered through turmoil and would not tolerate evil men.  Smyrna was persecuted by the Jews and had to endure that.  Pergamum held fast to God's name in the midst of "Satan's throne" (Rev 2:13).  Thyatira was known to have increased in faith and deeds as time went on - it showed growth in its faith.

But, then God followed that with a warning for each place.  For Ephesus, God told them that they had left their first love (v. 2:4).  Smyrna is an exception to this format - God only had a warning that things would get worse before they got better with regard to their persecution and admonished them to hold fast.  Pergamum allowed paganism in its midst (v. 2:14-17).  And for Thystira, God was angry that they allowed Jezebel, the false prophetess, to stay in the church and continue to lead people astray (v. 2:20-21).

And finally, each of those churches, with the exception of Smyrna as I discussed before, were given an out.  God didn't just tell them what they were doing wrong, but He told them how to fix it.

There were also a few interesting tidbits of history interspersed throughout the note sections of my and my wife's study Bibles.  But, I won't go too much into that.  Except this one bit.  This is actually my biggest takeaway from tonight's reading.  It is a reminder.  In Revelation 2:6, the Bible says, "Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."  God just said He hated something...hopefully your ears perked up a little bit.

My study notes say this, "A problem in Pergamum also (vv. 12-15), this heresy was similar to the teaching of Balaam (vv. 14, 15).  Nicolas means "one who conquers the people."  Irenaeus writes that Nicolas, who was made a deacon in Ac 6, was a false believer who later became apostate; but because of his credentials he was able to lead the church astray...Clement of Alexander says, 'They abandoned themselves to pleasure like goats, leading a life of self-indulgence.'  Their teaching perverted grace and replaced liberty with license."1

That last sentence is my own emphasis, because to me, this is the most pertinent part.  I know that it is a huge debate in the church, and I don't want this to be a forum for the debate, but I do believe the Bible teaches the "once-saved-always-saved" philosophy.  And, this is a reminder that just because we have that grace, we are NOT to abuse it.  

So, all of that to say that tonight, I was reminded not to take the grave of God on my soul and eternity for granted and to keep myself in check with regard to my lifestyle.

As always, your thoughts, ideas, and opinions are welcome!  

1MacArthur, John. "Revelation 2:6." The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. Updated ed. Nashville: Nelson Bibles, 2006. 1964. Print.

Wednesday, 4 April 2012; Matthew 26 - 28

Wow, okay. So, first of all, I want to apologize for not having posted anything the last two weeks. Two weeks ago, my son was sick with a stomach bug, and then last week, I was sick with a stomach bug (and a fever - yuck!). Anyway, I didn't even get to read the last two weeks' worth of Bible, BUT we'll just push forward to where we're supposed to be for this week. And, on that note...

"Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, 'What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?'" - Matthew 26:14

A little background and context on this verse: Jesus had gone to Bethany and he was hanging out in Simon the leper's house. While He was there, a woman (apparently named Mary, even though my Bible never actually names her) opened up a vial of super expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus' head. Well, the disciples saw it and couldn't believe that this woman would waste something so expensive like that. But, Jesus told them to chill out because she was only preparing Him for His burial. Not only did He tell them that they were wrong, but He emphasized it by saying that wherever the Gospel was taken, this woman's deed would be told there, too.

But, here is my real observation about this verse: Judas didn't all-of-a-sudden decide to betray Jesus. People just don't work that way (usually). This was just the straw that broke the camel's back. When I read verse 14, I immediately see Judas as this guy that had been walking around in Jesus' shadow, under His tutelage, and seething with resentment at all of the things in his life he is being told that he is doing wrong. I am betting that Judas just got so tired of Jesus being right all the time and him being wrong that he just couldn't take being put in his place anymore. He was SO tired of it, that he did the one thing that he knew he could do to hurt Jesus the most - he sold him out. And for what? He sold him out for 30 pieces of silver. I have got to wonder how much that would be worth in terms of today's money. My study notes tell me that 30 pieces of silver was the price of a slave. Judas was so angry that he was willing to lower the value of Christ to that of a slave. To me, that's pretty profound.

I think the reason this spoke to me, is because I find myself in Judas' shoes a lot throughout life. I go through these spurts where I'm super devoted to being a good Christian and turning the other cheek and always being positive and always accepting criticism and correction, etc. But then I go through long periods of time where I have such a hard time listening to people tell me over and over again how what I'm doing isn't good enough or how I'm wrong about this, that, or the other thing. But, not only that, I see how the transformation in going from trying to humbly accept correction to stubbornly refusing it is a very gradual one. And to be perfectly honest, I feel like I have come into that stage of my life where my heart has been chipped away at by life (read: work and responsibility) that I find it hard to appreciate God, much less have faith that He will bring everything together eventually. Not that I condone what Judas did, by any means, but I think I understand him a little bit. And understanding why he did it, and maybe where he was coming from, makes him seem less evil and maybe just more desperate or something.

I think it can serve as a warning to not let your own desperation get the better of you. When you are feeling down, or discouraged, or desperate, find a friend. Even if you don't want to talk about what it is you're going through directly, just go find a friend and talk about anything else. Sometimes, all we need is someone positive to laugh with, or just be around and even though you might not have actually talked about your stressers, you will likely walk away feeling much better about all of it. I know that when Nicole and I get a chance to just hang out, even though we aren't talking about my work, most of the time, I do walk away from that feeling better.

Lord, thank You for grace and mercy. Thank You for peace. Father, I just ask that You reveal Yourself to me and anyone else reading this blog. I pray for guidance, and direction. I pray for provision. Above all, I pray that Your will be done. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Wednesday, 14 March 2012; Matthew 14 - 18

So, I haven't finished reading today's chapters, yet, but I came across something that made me think. So, I'll try to get right into it, but I'm not sure how effectively I'll be able to communicate my thoughts.

"Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 'Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders?...' And He answered and said to them, 'Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?'" - Matthew 15:1-6

Okay, so, I took out the bits and pieces that spoke to me, but here is the gist of the whole conversation: The scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus and called Him and his disciples out for not washing their hands before they ate. But, Jesus came back and called them out for dishonoring God's commandments in the name of pursuing holiness. In this bit of scripture, Jesus used the commandment, "Honor your father and mother," to bring to light the fact that the scribes and Pharisees were hypocrites. They were telling their parents that they have nothing to give them because they gave what they had to God. So, they were using God as an excuse to not give back to their parents.

This conversation stuck out to me because it has been a long time since I've been thinking that we, as a Church (i.e. the body of Christ), have a lot of this stuff wrong. Having been formally trained in language, I have at least a small idea of how language changes between translations. I have seen word studies and scripture studies and, one of the main reasons I always buy study Bibles, it always brings the verses alive in a new light for me when I see the direct translations. Most of the Bibles we have are translations of translations and when you look at the original language that it was written in, and try to understand the original intent and the intended audience - it can completely change the meaning of what, at first seems pretty straight forward.

But, I stumbled upon this train of thought - what if we have it wrong - when I started looking around at the Church from an outside perspective. I've talked a lot to non-Christians (those have been some of my favorite and most memorable conversations) and the feedback I got from those conversations initially made me ashamed to associate myself, not with Jesus or God, but with those of us who are more often the scribes and Pharisees than the disciples that we think we are. It took a couple of years before I could give someone a straight, "Yes, I'm a Christian," answer when they asked. I would normally go with, "Well, I believe in Jesus and God, but I'm not a Christian, per se."

The bottom line for me is that if church and religion was working, then the world would be saved. But, it doesn't. We are the Pharisees thinking that we have to follow all of these rules and regulations, when at the end of the day, I believe God just wants us to respect each other, love each other, support and uplift each other, and just be all-around good people to each other. He doesn't expect us to be perfect - He made us perfect via Jesus' perfect sacrifice. But, He does expect us to just do what we know is the right thing to do, and do what we think is the right thing to do when we don't know for sure.

Be good to each other. Go find that person or people that you've had a grudge against for so long and just apologize. Even if you weren't in the wrong, just apologize and come to an understanding. If you have a spouse, go tell them that you love them...and mean it. If you have children or parents, go spend some time with them. When you go in to work (or school) remove yourself from the gossip and drama, and be a reliable co-worker/student, and friend. Be consistent, be reliable, be on time, be respectful. Just be...yourself. I truly do believe that people are good at their core. We just too often hide our core so deep that we don't even recognize it ourselves.

Lord, I love You and praise You. I ask that You give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand. I pray for passion. I pray for a clear and known direction. I thank You for provision. I thank You for Your Son, and I ask that You fill each of us with the knowledge of who we really are in You. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Wednesday, 7 March 2012; Matthew 10 - 13

Well, first of all, happy Wednesday. Okay, so today, we read Matthew 10, 11, 12, and 13. There were tons of good little words of wisdom and a bunch of stuff that I can remember reading from years ago when I used to do this more regularly. And all of them still speak to my heart.

But, today, I am in more of a pensive, questioning mood than I am in an inspired mood, if that makes any sense. And here is what I'm talking about:

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest...For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

This is where I would normally give you the context of what this is talking about and what it meant to Jesus at the time and what it meant to the people who were there then listening to it, but it just doesn't make sense to me. It raises the question in my mind: What is He actually talking about?

The reason it doesn't make sense to me is because life is not easier as a Christian. Anyone who tells you that becoming a Christian will ease the burdens of life is...well, in my opinion, mistaken. Just like the Bible says in other places, it rains on the just and unjust alike. Whether you are Christian or not, life comes at you without relenting.

Now, I do believe that being a Christian helps you deal with life. So, the only way that I can make sense of Jesus making this statement is by concluding that, yes, being a Christian has at times helped me turn the situations that would normally be a source of distress into sources of eustress (or the kind of stress that drives you to succeed).

And, I do disagree that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. But, there was another verse, that kind of ties in with what I'm saying tonight that I think applies to me. And it says, "...because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." This comes from Matthew 13:13.

I have long fought the fear that I am the person that this verse is talking about. I spend, even now, the majority of my prayer time asking God to give me eyes to see, ears to hear, etc. But, I think that at the end of the day (or at least, at the end of THIS day), I have fallen short. I don't hear often, if at all. I don't see often, if at all.

But, alas! We are not to lose hope (if you, too, find yourself in agreement with me here) because God is not done. He's not done with us. I know that because I woke up this morning. And so long as I continue to wake up in the morning, I know that God is not done with me. So, take pride in that and find hope in it.

I know I strayed from my normal, preferred, journal structure, but I just felt like this was the more appropriate way to communicate what was on my heart after reading tonight. So, thank you for bearing with me.

But, God - thank You for You, and thank You for grace. Father, I continue to ask that You would give me wisdom, and eyes to see, and ears to hear. I pray for strength of heart, the fire of purpose, and the courage to follow You. I also thank You for being willing to take my burdens and ease my stress and pain, even if I don't know how to give them over to You completely. Thank you. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Wednesday, 29 February 2012; Matthew 6 - 9

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Man, today was a stressful day at work, and even though I had a headache for 3/4 of my work day, I picked up my kids from the babysitter, got them put into bed, and came into my office to read my Bible and it feels good. It feels good to follow through even though I don't necessarily feel physically up to it.

But, anyway - on to today's reading/journaling. There were a lot of heavy, or heavily debated concepts in today's passages. At the onset, there was some teaching about anonymous generosity - which can be difficult for me because in order to get a good EPR (annual performance report that directly affects how competitive I am for promotion in the Air Force), I need to be doing things like volunteering and donating. So, I have to toot my own horn a little bit. There was a bunch about Jesus' early ministry miracles - all of the sick people He healed, the demons He cast down, and sins He forgave. But, I think the thing that hit home the most for me, was actually Jesus' teaching on judging people in Matthew 7.

Matthew 7:1-2, "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you..."

This paragraph of scripture goes on for three more verses, and those verses talk more about not being a hypocrite but stay in line with judging people. But, I think the concept here is pretty simple: God will use the same measure of judgement that you judge other people by to judge you. And, this makes sense to me, to be honest. I mean, what better standard for someone to grade another person on than the standard by which they hold dear and judge other by?

This verse says two things to me:

1. Don't beat someone down or berate them for not meeting your standards
   
2. Improve yourself so that you meet your own standards
   

So, here is the personal application part and why this hits home: I know that I do not live up to my own standards. I do try to keep this scripture in mind every time I find myself being harsh on someone in my thoughts or words towards them (usually either driving or at work). But, at the end of the day, there is always some sort of justification that I come up with for why it was okay, this time, for me to judge that person so harshly. And here is where my struggle stems from, I think - how do we draw the line between being completely complacent in life and being judgmental? On one hand, we judge people and run the risk of getting caught in our hypocrises, or we are standing by this verse to the letter and we lose all ability to govern ourselves or others in a functional society. But here is where I think the balance can be found: create a realistic standard for YOURSELF, and leave judgement to God.

If you are in a position of authority at work, you are given a standard by which you and everyone else in that business or company is judged, so I do think it is okay to judge your subordinates by that standard.

Lord, thank you for grace - all of the time, you're grace. I appreciate every second chance I get to make it right. I don't always think it consciously, but I do thank you for every morning that I get to wake up and try to do it right this time. Thank you for love. Love can be one of the most rare things in the entire world, but it is that love that keeps hope alive. And, Father, I pray for understanding. I won't pretend to comprehend or understand everything I read tonight in those chapters of Matthew, but I ask you to help me understand. Thank you. I love you. I pray for anyone and everyone who reads this - that you would bless them, give them insights into you and your word that they can apply to their own lives. In the name of Jesus, I pray all things. Amen.

As always, your thoughts, comments, suggestions, and personal journal entries on today's reading are always welcome. Just be respectful. :) Take care, and God bless!

Wednesday, 22 February 2012; Matthew 1 - 5

Welcome to the first week of a year-long Bible study through the New Testament! Stick around awhile, read, comment, and feel free to open your Bible and submit your own thoughts/journal entries!

For the first entry, we will start at the very beginning of the New Testament with Matthew 1 and read through the end of chapter 5. Here is what I got:

Matthew 1:6 - "...David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah."

The first 17 verses of chapter 1 was a genealogical list starting with Abraham and going all the way to Jesus - a total of 40 generations. And verse 6 was simply stating that David was the father of Solomon, so as to establish a correct genealogy.

The reason I picked this verse was because it reminds me that in order to be useful to and used by God, you don't need to be perfect. David had committed the only act that God has said it was okay to end a marriage over, and therefore (in my opinion) one of the worst things a person can do. But, God still chose to use him. David was a man who loved God. From the time that he was a little boy, he loved God. He followed God to fight a giant (and win) when he was still just a boy. He ran all throughout various wildernesses because of his faith in God. He became the king of God's people because of his love for God. But, he still screwed up. It reminds me that it is okay to screw up. God still loves you and God still wants to use you. The only thing stopping God from being an active force in your life is you and your lack of willingness to go where He leads and do what He asks. So, as my best friend is fond of saying, do it! Get up, brush your knees off, tend to your bruised pride and move forward.

Lord, thank You for Your grace and mercy and Your word. Thank You that You continue to guide and bless and love on us even when we forget who we really are. Thank you for being amazing. I pray that I, myself, and anyone else reading this would be strengthened and encouraged in our hearts to put down whatever barriers there are in our hearts and just follow after You. Thank You. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

[this is a side note from my study Bible on this verse: "This is not an exhaustive genealogy. Several additional generations must have elapsed between Rahab (in Joshua's time) and David (v. 6) - nearly 4 centuries later. Matthew's genealogy (like most of the biblical ones) sometimes skips over several generations between well known characters in order to abbreviate the listing."]

Feel free to add your thoughts or comments, as well as your own journaling from today's reading. Thanks, and God bless!