Revelation 19:1-21 Another late-in-the-day post – the holidays are killers for keeping on a timetable! My Study Bible noted that the word “Hallelujah” occurred four times in today’s first six verses – and not at all in the rest of the New Testament! I was surprised that Paul and other writers had never used that …
Author Archives: Fred
December 27 / Revelation 18:1-24
Revelation 18:1-24 Babylon. A great many Biblical scholars agree that Babylon in John’s time was Rome, a city of wealth and power that ruled the entire Mediterranean world and was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Christians. So I wonder about Babylon in today’s world. That is, if Babylon is a city and not …
December 26 / Revelation 17:1-18
Revelation 17:1-18 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. (v. 8) This triad, …was, and is not, andis about to rise…, didn’t make much sense to me until my Study Bible suggested evil that was, but is not now apparent, …
December 25 / Revelation 16:1-21
Revelation 16:1-21 In the midst of these plagues being poured out on the earth, “…they blasphemed the name of God… [and] …they did not repent…” (vv. 9, 11, 21) So sad…! More connections to the crucifixion: It is done. (v. 17) Those were also Jesus’ last words: When Jesus had received the sour wine, He …
December 24 / Revelation 14:1-15:8
Revelation 14:1-15:8 I was struck today by the beauty of the angels, the Lamb, the Son of Man, the heavenly worshipping bodies – in contrast to the past few days where we’ve seen evil in the person of Satan, the dragon, and the two beasts. Today was a much more fun read!! Six different angels …
December 23 / Revelation 12:1-13:18
Revelation 12:1-13:18 I was struck by verse 12:11b: …for they loved not their lives even unto death. I sense that “loving not their lives” means that their earthly lives were nothing compared to their hope of eternal life with Jesus – that martyrdom was preferred to whatever else the world or their accuser offered. Again, …
December 22 / Revelation 11:1-19
Revelation 11:1-19 Two witnesses are mentioned in verse 3 – unusual. We often see 1, 3 and 7, 12 and 40 as common Biblical numbers. So two is unusual. So who are the two witnesses? My Study Bible said that many scholars suggest Moses and Elijah, the two Old Testament prophets who stood with Jesus …
December 21 / Revelation 9:1-10:11
Revelation 9:1-10:11 Yeah, I’m a numbers person – and Revelation is full of numbers. Initially we see seven seals, then seven trumpets and three woes within those seven trumpets, then later we’ll get seven bowls. But there are other unnamed numbers, four sets of which we find in today’s reading: three plagues on mankind – …
December 20 / Revelation 7:1-8:13
Revelation 7:1-8:13 It’s a strange listing of the Israeli tribes in 7:5-8. Dan is missing while Levi is included. Joseph is included, as is his son, Manasseh, but his son Ephraim is not included. You may recall in the division of the Promised Land back in Joshua that twelve tribes were given land. Levi was …
December 19 / Revelation 5:1-6:17
Revelation 5:1-6:16 The end of today’s reading leaves us hanging – six of the seven seals have been broken; what of the seventh? We’ll have a one-chapter interlude until we get to that seventh seal. But at that point we’re only at the beginning of the end since there will still be seven trumpets (Rev. …