December 31 :: Malachi; Revelation 22

I hope you had a happy and edifying year of reading the entire written Word of God! I love that we get to end the year on this scripture - as it was an inspiration for the title, "Fused Branches: Upheld by the living Root everyday." May you be reminded in your mind and spirit by the Holy Spirit, all that you have read in the Word and may it keep you strong brothers and sisters. 

{Revelation 22:16-17}

"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

May you be reminded in your mind and spirit by the Holy Spirit, all that you have read in the Word and may it keep you strong brothers and sisters. 

December 30 :: Zechariah 13-14; Revelation 21

December 29 :: Zechariah 9-12; Revelation 20

I have been finding the book of Revelation really interesting/informative to read. There are so many small details in here about particulars of the end times and I have forgotten many, confused some, or perhaps just misunderstood in the past. So, it's interesting to note here (and correct me if I'm understanding this wrong) that only the saints who are beheaded during the rule of the beast will be brought back to life for the first resurrection to reign for the thousand years. I didn't know that!

{Revelation 20:4-5}

And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 

And here there are many things differentiated between, which often come to be seen as one in the same, such as "Hades," "death," and "the lake of fire," which is hell. So Hades is different than death and death is different than the lake of fire, for both Hades and death will be thrown into the lake of fire. Interesting huh?

{Revelation 20:12-14}

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.

December 28 :: Zechariah 5-8; Revelation 19

{Revelation 19:4}

The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: “Amen, Hallelujah!” 

Hallelujah: Hebrew for "Praise God" (written in picture)

Amen: Hebrew root implies "firmness, solidity, and sureness" - it can be used as a form of agreement

{Revelation 19:11-16}

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 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. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: 

   KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 

December 27 :: Zechariah 1-4; Revelation 18

December 26 :: Haggai; Revelation 17

Recently, some friends and I have been greatly encouraged by this scripture from Hebrews:

“Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 

{Hebrews 12:26-27}

The message it has sent to us is that sometimes things "shake" in our lives...and that's not a bad thing. What I mean by "shake" is, not everything in your life is going smoothly, the circumstances and situations around you are not easy to handle and require a lot of trust in God and a lot of prayer. So as we have felt our lives "shaken" recently, by way of difficult circumstances, we have also hoped in our Savior. We have hoped that the reason for these circumstances have actually been a way of refining us...taking out all the stuff that is "shakeable"...removing that which hinders or distracts us from our divine purposes on earth given by God...and leaving only that in our lives and consequently our hearts, which will be divinely used for His purposes and His kingdom!

In Haggai, today, we come across two more verses in which God is "shaking" the heavens and the earth. What do you think He is saying by way of these?

"This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty."

{Haggai 2:6-7}

...I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms.

{Haggai 2:21b-22a} 

December 25 :: Zephaniah; Revelation 16

{Revelation 16:15}

“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.”

Let us be like this person, watching...

December 24 :: Habakkuk; Revelation 15

December 23 :: Nahum; Revelation 14

December 22 :: Micah 6-7; Revelation 13

Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 

{Revelation 13:11-14}

Why do you think evil is given authority on earth?

December 21 :: Micah 4-5; Revelation 12

December 20 :: Micah 1-3; Revelation 11

{Revelation 11:3-13}

And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.” If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want. 

 Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city—which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. 

 But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on. 

 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 

Thought this was a great graphic from Mars Hill: 

 

December 19 :: Jonah; Revelation 10

Jonah 2

 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. He said:

   “In my distress I called to the LORD,
   and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
   and you listened to my cry. 

You hurled me into the depths,
   into the very heart of the seas,
   and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
   swept over me.
I said, ‘I have been banished
   from your sight;
yet I will look again
   toward your holy temple.’
The engulfing waters threatened me,
   the deep surrounded me;
   seaweed was wrapped around my head.
To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
   the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, LORD my God,
   brought my life up from the pit.

 “When my life was ebbing away,
   I remembered you, LORD,
and my prayer rose to you,
   to your holy temple.

 “Those who cling to worthless idols
   turn away from God’s love for them.
But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
   will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
   I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the LORD.’” 

{Psalm 42:7}

Deep calls to deep
   in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
   have swept over me.

December 18 :: Obadiah; Revelation 9

A glimpse of how terrible those last days will be {Revelation 9:3-6}:

"And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 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. 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. During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them."

But even then in the time of God's righteous judgment - people will not turn to Him {Revelation 9:20-21}:

"The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts."

December 17 :: Amos 7-9; Revelation 8