Daily Bible Reading Podcast

HABAKKUK 1-2: The book of Nahum ended with these words about Nineveh:

Nam. 3:19 NLT There is no healing for your wound; your injury is fatal. All who hear of your destruction will clap their hands for joy. Where can anyone be found who has not suffered from your continual cruelty?

And now we turn to the book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk preached at the time when it was already clear— through the means of prophecy and conquest, that Babylon would defeat Judah. This was between 627 and 605 BC, which would have been at the same time as Jeremiah, Nahum, Zephaniah were living, and Daniel may have been a young boy.

We often hear people questioning how God could be good and loving and allow various disasters or evil things to happen. And Habakkuk asks that question, and another: "Why do You, God, use a nation that is more sinful than we are to punish us?"

Mears gives this neat outline of the three chapters of Habakkuk:

1. Watch and see
2. Stand and see
3. Kneel and see

ISAIAH 55: Perhaps you noticed that Isaiah 54:1 was quoted by Paul in Gal. 4:27.

And did Isaiah 54:11-12 cause you to think of Revelation? In just a few days in our reading of Revelation we will hear about precious gems used in building the New Jerusalem.

REVELATION 8: Remember that in Rev. 7 we saw first the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel. 144,000 = 12 x 12,000. Remember, numbers in Revelation have symbolic meanings! Now the question is whether the next group that John sees is the same group or a different one. He says that they were "a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language."

Look closer at God's Word and you will always see that it is very deep. Look closely at the names of the 12 tribes! Notice that the list has been altered from the normal list repeated in the Old Testament. Which tribes are missing? Which tribe is doubled up? Note that the answers to this may hold a clue as to whether the 144,000 is made up only of ethnic Jews. There is gold to dig for here!

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

NAHUM 3: Yesterday we heard just how Nineveh's defenses would be breached. The description was detailed and vivid, including the scarlet color of the enemy uniforms and the way chariots would rumble recklessly in the city streets after the river gate was torn open. God justly judged this city for its cruelty to others.

ISAIAH 54: In Isaiah 53:10 it says,

Is. 53:10 NLT But it was the LORD's good plan to crush him and cause him grief.

Often literal translations give a meaning that can hardly be conceived of— saying that the Lord was 'pleased'. The pleasure of the Lord means that it was His will or decision— which is why Jesus received a No answer in the garden of Gethsemane. Seeing His Son suffer so much certainly caused great sorrow! Think how Abraham felt when he was about to sacrifice his son, Isaac!

Also Isaiah 53 ends with the idea that Jesus 'intercedes for the rebels'— which is us. This is echoed in Hebrews 7 in the teaching that Jesus is our great High Priest.

Heb. 7:24 NLT But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. 25 Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.

REVELATION 7: In Revelation chapter 5 we heard what happened when Jesus opened 6 of the 7 seals on the scroll that had been in God's hand. After the 6th seal was broken,

Rev. 6:14 NLT The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places.

No one on earth will call that 'climate change'. There will be no atheists by that time. Everyone still left on earth will be cowering in terror of God's judgment.

These judgements— set off when the seals are opened, are an overview. Remember that we will hear the same story from other perspectives. And this is not the only time in this book where there is an interlude between the 6th and 7th item.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

NAHUM 1-2: Micah certainly poured out his heart in chapter 7. Micah 7:7-9 matches the verse I highlighted in Isaiah 50:10. Those are verses that give comfort to people dealing with long-term suffering.

Now turning to Nahum: Nahum's name means 'compassion', 'consolation', or 'comfort'. Nothing is known about Nahum except for what we can glean from his book. He must have written between the fall of the Egyptian city of Thebes in 663 B.C. and the fall of the Assyrian city of Nineveh in 612. Nineveh fell to a combined force of Medes, Babylonians, and Scythians.

This book is a vivid prediction of the fall of Nineveh— which is the same city that Jonah preached against 150 years earlier. Assyria was an extremely violent and cruel oppressor.

Rereading ISAIAH 52:13—53: Note the contrast between verses 8 and 10:

Is. 538 NLT Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream.

But just two verses later, we read:

10 But it was the LORD's good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD's good plan will prosper in his hands.

So we have the word 'died' (past tense) in verse 9, 'buried like a criminal' and 'no descendants' in 8, but the words 'long life' and 'many descendants' in verse 10. Looking back at Jesus, this makes perfect sense. In a similar way, mysteries in Revelation will one day be perfectly clear.

REVELATION 6: In Revelation 5 we heard that only One was worthy to take the scroll that was in God's hand. The scroll had seven seals, and it is the first of three big series of seven in this book. Christ is introduced as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. But when John sees him, he appears as a lamb that has been slain. (Remember quotes about the Lamb spoken by Isaiah, Micah, and John the Baptist!) The Lamb had seven horns. Horns are used in Scripture to portray kingly power to rule, so with 7, he is the perfect and divine King. And the Lamb had 7 eyes, which again, we are told, stand for the sevenfold Spirit of God. Through the Holy Spirit Christ has perfect eyesight— seeing in all places and in all hearts.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

MICAH 7: The complete quote about the Messiah's birthplace (Micah 5:2-5) quoted to Herod in Matthew 2:6 mentions Bethlehem, a woman in labor giving birth, and the Lord is pictured as our shepherd who will be 'highly honored around the world'. Note that Herod would have had cause for concern about his reign if such a leader appeared.

If Micah 6:8 sounded familiar, it is because Micah quoted from Deut. 10:12.

ISAIAH 52:13—53: In our reading yesterday, Isaiah 52, we heard the passage that Paul quoted in Romans 10.

Is. 52:7 NLT How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! All the ends of the earth will see the victory of our God.

Note that God gave a special message (in 52:11-12) to those who would carry the temple treasures back to Jerusalem led by Ezra (Ezra 8). Those who carried those 'sacred objects' and who prayed and fasted with Ezra beside the river near Babylon had their prayer answered around 200 years before they prayed it!

REVELATION 5: After acting as Jesus' secretary to write down the seven letters to the seven churches, John was taken up to God's throne in heaven. We can note a feature of Jewish custom in the writing of John in Revelation 4: In reverence he avoided saying, "I saw God sitting on his throne." He went beyond custom and didn't even say 'the Lord/Kyrios'. Instead he said, 'Someone' or 'the One sitting on the throne'. God was mentioned directly only in the quotes of the four living creatures and the 24 elders. Note that we have seen the living creatures with four faces before in Ezekiel.

And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. And we are told, "This is the seven-fold Spirit of God." The number seven has a symbolic meaning— indicating perfection, completeness, or attributes of God. (Compare Rev. 1:5, 3:1, 4:5 and 5:6.) Commentators also say that John could have thought about Isaiah 11:2-5— where Isaiah prophesied about the seven-fold spiritual characteristics of the Branch growing from David's stump (Jesus).

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

MICAH 5-6: Remember that Isaiah and Micah were contemporaries. Yesterday we read very familiar sounding verses at the beginning of Micah 4 which start like this:

Mic. 4:1 NLT In the last days, the mountain of the LORD's house will be the highest of all— the most important place on earth. …

That was so familiar sounding that I thought the passage must be quoted in the New Testament— but no! There are three verses there in Micah 4 that are almost exactly the same as verses found in Isaiah chapter 2. No wonder they sounded familiar!

Note that God, as he speaks in Micah, frequently jumps from one time to another without warning. He can tell the people, "You will be exiled to Babylon" in one verse, but then very quickly, God says, "Rise and crush the nations, Jerusalem." We just have to accept that this kind of unannounced time-switching is a feature of prophetic writings.

ISAIAH 52: The chapter break between Isaiah 50 and 51 breaks up an important connection. For any of us who are "walking in the dark without a ray of light," (like it says at chapter 50:10), there are encouraging words for you at the beginning of chapter 51.

And our family will remember this verse from a song we used to sing:

Is. 51:11 NLT Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

REVELATION 4: Yesterday we heard the last of the seven letters, the one to Laodicea, the spiritually indifferent church. If we were seeking to interpret the seven letters as seven church ages, we would have no difficulty in saying that that last letter fits us to a tee. Laodicea was a medical center and was known for making an eye salve. So this letter is full of irony that Christ finds them poor, wretched, blind and naked. And note that the Savior doesn't tell them to fix the problems by their own effort. He tells them to buy the eye salve, white garments, and the gold FROM HIM. What an awesome word is this statement:

Rev. 3:19 NLT "I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference."

Then the famous verse about Christ knocking is not spoken to unbelievers. In its first application, the famous promise is made to the members of the church who are willing to turn from spiritual indifference.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

MICAH 3-4: In Micah 1 yesterday we heard one of the sections of Hebrew poetry which is virtually impossible to translate and capture the same impact as the original. Micah— expressing his deep sorrow at God's coming judgment, concatenated many place names— using them in a compound figure of speech based on the meanings of the names. For instance,

Mic. 1:10b NLT You people in Beth-leaphrah, roll in the dust to show your despair.

The name Beth-leaphrah means 'house of dust'.

For those following this plan in the GNT, Micah 1 would be a good place to open the NLT. The NLT footnotes do a good job helping us with the meanings of the names. That holds true until the reader gets to Adullam. No footnote for that one! Say, we've heard that name before, haven't we? Who else hid there?

ISAIAH 51: If you have time, go back to review Isaiah 50. God showed the thoughts of our Savior in advance of his coming in verses 4-6. Jesus' resolve (alluded to in Luke 9:51) is shown in verse 7. And verse 9 might have been Paul's inspiration for the last part of Romans 8! Verse 10 has been an amazing comfort to many with incurable disease or in hopeless situations.

REVELATION 3b: One of the rewards given to the victorious from Philadelphia is this as NIV translates it:

Rev. 3:12a NIV The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it.

That gives the wrong impression to me. "Oh, no, I don't want to be made into a pillar and not be able to move!" NLT gives the right idea with neat economy of words like this:

Rev. 3:12a NLT All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never _have to_ leave it.

Another part of their reward is this:

12b And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.

People get very concerned about the mark of the beast in Revelation 13. Observe here something that you will see throughout this book: EVERYONE gets a mark of ownership upon them— including all the saints, and even Jesus has a mark on his forehead.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

MICAH 1-2:The name "Micah" is a shortened form of "Micaiah," which means, "Who is like Yahweh?" A different Micaiah, the son of Imlah, served as a prophet in the Northern Kingdom during the reign of King Ahab of Israel (874-853 B.C., 1Kings 22:8-28; 2Chron. 18:3-27).

Micah prophesied during the reigns of the Judean kings Jotham (750-732 B.C.), Ahaz (732-715 B.C.), and Hezekiah (715-686 B.C.). This makes him a late eighth-century contemporary of Isaiah. While Isaiah was ministering in Jerusalem, perhaps Micah was more of a country prophet. Amos and Hosea were preaching at the same time in the Northern Kingdom. Micah's message is similar to that of Amos, and Micah spoke at a time when conditions in Judah were much like those in the Northern Kingdom while Amos was preaching. Both prophets denounced social sins and the unfair treatment of the poor by the rich. The Northern Kingdom was taken into captivity during Micah's lifetime— fulfilling Amos' prophecies.

Micah contains three notable passages about Christ:

• Bethlehem will produce the ultimate Ruler 5:2— the information quoted to Herod in Mat. 2.
• Christ will be the King 2:12-13
• Christ will reign in righteousness over the whole earth 4:1,7-8

ISAIAH 50: As we heard yesterday, Isaiah 49 includes these words that are quoted in 2Cor 6:2:

Is. 49:8 NLT "At just the right time, I will respond to you. On the day of salvation I will help you.

And these next words are frequently repeated by the Lord elsewhere, therefore, IMPORTANT:

Is. 49:23b NLT Then you will know that I am the LORD. Those who trust in me will never be put to shame."

REVELATION 3a: The churches of Pergamum and Thyatira (chapter 2) were enduring and remaining loyal to Jesus. But both were allowing the corruption of false teaching that promoted adultery and idolatry. Jesus warned of severe punishments including death for those who failed to repent, and also wonderful promises to those who are victorious. I especially love the last promise to the church in Pergamum because it shows how intimately Jesus knows us and how his rewards will be appropriate for each of us:

Rev. 2:17b NLT And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

OBADIAH:At the end of Amos, the clouds of judgment broke and there were wonderful promises about the restoration of Israel. God would shake the nations like a sieve and not a single kernel (child of Israel) would drop through the cracks and be lost. And Israel's crops would be so rich and fruitful. Then, did you notice?— Isaiah said the same thing in chapter 49.

Obadiah's name means "servant of Yahweh" or "worshipper of Yahweh." There are 13 men who have this name in the Old Testament, and it is very possible that the writer of this book is not one of those mentioned. Only two Old Testament prophetic books lack any information about the author: Obadiah and Malachi.

Obadiah refers to a time when the Edomites had gloated over a successful invasion of Jerusalem (vv. 10-14, 16), but this does not help much in dating the book, since invasions of the city happened at least seven times in Old Testament history. The Edomites lived in the inaccessible rock fortress of Petra— which is famously seen in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. From our vantage point, we may see the Edomites as being symbolic of all the proud enemies of God's people.

ISAIAH 49b: In our first reading in Isaiah 49, I hope you noticed many poetic prophecies that remind us of Jesus. It is fascinating that most of these can be understood to refer to Cyrus as well! After all, Cyrus did release the captives of Israel to return again to their land. Alternatively, some of the prophecies may refer to the nation of Israel or even Isaiah, as the Lord's servant.

REVELATION 2b: Yesterday we heard the letter to the church at Ephesus— the church that lost their 'love' (in a literal translation). So the question is, they lost their love of who? The GNT specifies the implicit object 'Me' (meaning Jesus). NLT chooses another good option: It makes good sense to say that the love was for Jesus and for one another, since the two go hand in hand!

Secondly we heard about the poor and persecuted church in Smyrna. Their church is exceptional because there was no word of rebuke for them. Jesus just urged them to keep on being faithful.

Jesus ends each letter just like he ended his parables— which I paraphrase: "Ya' got ears, don't ya?! Well then pay attention …"

Remember what Isaiah said about people who have grown deaf!

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

AMOS 9: In Amos 7 we heard of how the priest of Israel's pagan shrine, Amaziah, told Amos to go away, and Amaziah even tried to get king Jeroboam the 2nd to move against Amos.

There were sad words at the end of chapter 8, which indeed happened during the 400 year inter-testamental period:

Amo. 8:11 NLT "The time is surely coming," says the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the LORD. 12 People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.

ISAIAH 49a: In Isaiah 48 God said,

Is. 48:3 Long ago I told you what was going to happen. Then suddenly I took action, (past tense) and all my predictions came true.

Such words may be hard to understand. There is a trait of some prophetic writings where the past tense is used instead of the future tense. Since Cyrus had not yet come, this section may well have meant in Isaiah's time "suddenly I will take action." Remember that all times are alike to God, and it is natural for Him to speak of future things (from our perspective) as already happening (in the present or past from HIS perspective). We see this trait also in Revelation.

REVELATION 2a: The first chapter ended with Jesus' explanation of what John saw:

20 NLT This is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

The word 'angel' in Greek can also mean 'messenger'. It could be that the angel for each church is the pastor, but at this time, churches did not have just one pastor. So this can be translated as the messenger (probably one of the elders) to whom the Lord gave the responsibility of conveying His message.

We now come to a very special section: the letters to the seven churches in Asia. Some have tried to see church ages in these letters. It is better to see them as representative of churches at any age. Each letter has the same form. First there is a highlighting of one of the characteristics of Jesus as seen in chapter 1. Then Jesus shows that He sees and knows each church intimately. He gives whatever rebuke or commendation that is deserved. Then the Lord exhorts each church appropriately according to their condition. Finally there is a repeated warning, and a special promise appropriate to each church.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

AMOS 7-8:

Our reading in chapter 5 of Amos included these words quoted in Stephen's speech in Acts 7:42-43 in the New Testament:

Amos 5:25 NLT "Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, Israel?26 No, you served your pagan gods—Sakkuth your king god and Kaiwan your star god—…

This makes it sound like the Israelites never gave sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness, which we know is false. So we should understand Amos' and Stephen's words as an exaggeration or hyperbole.

ISAIAH 48: In Isaiah 47, we heard how God criticized the Babylonians just like Amos criticized the people of Judah and the Northern Kingdom for living in uncaring luxury built upon the unjust treatment of others. And God taunted the Babylonians to use their magic charms to try to charm away his coming judgment.

REVELATION 1: This book is also called the Apocalypse. The apostle John clearly tells us that he is the author of this book and that he was at that time in exile on the island of Patmos.

Four early church fathers affirm that John was exiled to the island of Patmos during Domitian's reign. They wrote that the government allowed John to return to Ephesus after this emperor died. And I have seen a picture of John's tomb at Ephesus. Domitian died in A.D. 96. Consequently many interpreters date the writing of this book near A.D. 95 or 96.

Estimates vary that from two hundred and seventy-eight to 500 allusions to Old Testament verses are found in the book of Revelation. John never actually quotes from the Old Testament, but just make obvious allusions to it.

The book of Revelation has the reputation of being a hard book to understand, and people have often said to me that it must be hard to translate. On the contrary, Revelation is a rather easy book to translate! And John's main points in writing this book are not at all hard to understand. To help us understand, here are two important points:

• Remember that this book is full of symbolism and that many things are not to be taken literally.
• Realize that most of this book is not arranged chronologically. What we have instead is a series of visions that show the same events from different perspectives.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.