Zechariah 6-7

“When you fasted and mourned ... was it really for me that you fasted?” (7:5). When the returned exiles asked the prophet Zechariah about their rituals of fasting, the Lord reminded them of the dangers of empty religion. Earlier generations had sacrificed and fasted but ignored God’s instructions: “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor” (7:9-10). Rejecting God’s powerful Word

Revelation 19

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God” (v1). After the scene of God’s judgment on evil, John heard a great multitude shouting praises. All those who refused to bow down to the world’s idols, the “great and small” who were faithful to Jesus (5), rejoiced when the one called Faithful and True began to reign (v11). John bowed to the angel who brought this vision of victory, but the angel said, “Worship God!” (10).

“For it is the Spirit of prophecy who be

Revelation 18

“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ ... For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries ... and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries” (v3). As powerful as the world’s rulers, influencers, and owners seem to be, John’s vision shows it all crashing down. When God comes to judge (v20), the world’s “glory and luxury” gives way to plagues and death (v8). Political leaders, business leaders, all those whose highest values are c

Revelation 17

“I saw that the woman was drunk with ... the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus” (v6). In John’s time, many believers were martyred under the authority of the mighty Roman Empire. John’s vision used images of a prostitute (Babylon, symbol of worldly power) and a beast to depict the great evil unleashed when humans use their strength and achievements for sinful purposes. Inevitably, these powers turn against people who refuse to worship them (v4,12).  But, in the en

Psalm 149

“Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people” (v1). God’s people – “the people of Zion” – are urged to bring new songs of praise to God in response to His kindness. Israel praised God in communal, public celebrations (“dancing ... timbrel and harp” v3), and they also sang and worshipped in private, “on their beds” (5). Declaring the truth about God was part of both praise and judgment (v6-9), and eventually the “new song” became the truth

Zechariah 3-5

“Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates ... are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch” (3:8). Miraculously, the Jews who had been exiled to Babylon were allowed to return to Judah and begin rebuilding Jerusalem and its Temple. God told the high priest Joshua that this amazing restoration pointed toward even greater “things to come.”  The God who rescued His people from exile would bring the Branch, the Messiah, to truly cle

Zechariah 1-2

“'Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you'” (2:2). Like Haggai, the prophet Zechariah urged the returned exiles in Judah to not repeat their ancestors’ mistakes. God planned an amazing future for the ruined Jerusalem: an angel said that one day, it would be “a city without walls” because God Himself “will be a wall of fire around it ... and its glory within” (2:2-5). God’s plan for Judah was far beyond land; He said, “Shout and be glad ... For

Haggai 1-2

“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” (1:3). In the prophet Haggai’s day, the exiled people of Judah had been miraculously brought home to their own land, but the Temple remained in ruins. Instead of rebuilding God’s house, they were busy with their own personal projects (1:7-11). The prophet declared that all their hard work “turned out to be little” because they were not putting God first (1:9). 

“Be strong

Revelation 16

“They cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him” (16:8). John’s vision of plagues of judgment recalled the plagues in Egypt, when God was rescuing the Israelites from slavery. Just like the Egyptians who oppressed God’s people, those with the “mark of the beast” (2) refused to repent, even when the plagues grew worse (16:11). God’s judgment was fierce against those who had “shed the blood of your holy people and

Revelation 15

“Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations” (15:3). John saw God’s people singing “the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb” (3), echoing the psalms. The same God who brought Israel out of Egypt under Moses’ leadership is the One who rescued “the nations” from sin and death through Christ. From the Temple in heaven (5), God will keep faithfully judging, saving, and working out His purposes until all is “c

Revelation 14

“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on” (14:13). John’s vision reassured persecuted believers that death was not the end for the Lamb’s followers. Worldly empires are ultimately powerless (Babylon has fallen, v4, 8) against Jesus’ resurrection life. The symbolic 144,000 (ch 7; 14:3) are redeemed and safe with the Lord on Mt Zion, God’s city (14:1). Those who worshiped the beast are marked by evil, but those who follow the Lamb have “his Father’s name written

Psalm 148

“Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created” (148:5). The psalmist reminds the whole created universe that existence itself is a gift of God. From the sun, moon, and shining stars, to great sea creatures and wild animals, everything is urged to “Praise Him!” because His Word brings life. Men and women, from kings to little children (148:12), are called to join with creation’s praise of the Creator. Being alive in an awesome universe causes u

Zephaniah 1-3

“Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger” (2:3). Zephaniah pronounced judgment against “all mankind” (1:3), pagan nations and even Jerusalem itself. “Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She obeys no one ... She does not trust in the Lord” (3:1-2). Because Jerusalem’s prophets and priests were “treacherous” and did “violence to the law” (3:4), God’s judgment was coming. However, He promised deliveran

Habakkuk 3

“I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day” (3:2). After the prophet’s complaints and God’s responses, he prayed toward resolution in his soul. He recalled God’s past mighty deeds: the Lord “shook the earth ... and made nations tremble (6); He “raged against the sea” (8); and He “delivered” His people (13).  With this in mind, Habakkuk found faith to wait patiently for the Lord’s action (16).

“Though the fig tree does not bud ...” (3:17). When we “stand in

Habakkuk 1-2

"How long must I call for help?” was the prophet Habakkuk’s first complaint to the Lord (1:1). God answered this question, saying that he will “do something .... you would not believe”: He would deploy the Babylonians to bring justice (1:5). God’s use of the Babylonians was unsatisfactory to Habakkuk, so he complained a second time. “Why do you tolerate the treacherous?” (1:13).  Habakkuk waited for an answer, confident that the Lord was involved (2:1).  “Write down the re