Reading 1 – Job 33

“I am just like you before God; I too have been taken from clay” (Job 33:6).

Elihu takes the place of God — he is now the inspired bearer of His words (Job 32:8). He is the “daysman” (AV) or “someone to arbitrate”, whom Job had sought (Job 9:33).

In v 23 he speaks of “an angel on his side as a mediator, one out of a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him.”

Elihu understands the role of a mediator, and he uses words which are highly suggestive of Christ. Here is the intervention of a divine interpreter (Elihu… or, in later times, Christ) — or messenger (Mal 3:1) to explain to the sufferer what his duty was, and how God might pardon him. This may be compared with Paul’s letter to the Romans: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” and are now in need of a mediator — which God alone can provide: Rom 3:23-26.

Reading 2 – Zec 9:9,10

“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations” (Zec 9:9,10).

This is one of the most significant passages of all the Bible, as regards Messianic prophecy — in both the Jewish and Christian traditions. Judaism sees in it a basis for a royal messianic expectation, whereas the New Testament and Christianity see a prophecy of the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem on the Sunday before his crucifixion (Mat 21:4,5; Mark 11:1-10; John 12:15). Thus, though the fulfillment may be in dispute, there is unanimous conviction that a descendant of David is depicted here, one who, though humble, rides as a victor into his capital city Jerusalem. The way will have been prepared by the imposition of universal peace, following which the king will exercise dominion over the whole world.

Reading 3 – Rev 7:16,17

“Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev 7:16,17).

“Several of these phrases are derived — with what appropriateness — from a wonderful Messianic prophecy in Isa 49. The entire chapter should be studied. It travels in a comprehensive sweep from Jesus in Gethsemane, contemplating his life’s work and effort apparently in ruins, to the glorious climax when he is able to rejoice in a vast multitude called out from Israel and the Gentiles to experience the marvels of God’s gracious salvation.

“In the words: ‘they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more,’ is to be recognized the fulfilment of all that the Manna and the Smitten Rock foreshadowed in the wilderness (1Co 10:3,4) — the fulfilment also of Christ’s own promise: ‘He that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst’ (John 6:35). Those hungering and thirsting after righteousness find full satisfaction at last. It is an appropriate return from him whom, all unknowing, they fed when he was hungry and to whom they gave the cup of cold water when he was athirst (Mat 25:35; 10:42).

“An interesting idea emerges from the words: ‘neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.’ This word ‘heat’ (in Isa 35:7: ‘parched ground’) Gesenius dogmatically translates: ‘mirage’. There is marvellous appropriateness about this. The mirage of an oasis or pool leads the weary thirsty traveller on in hope. In the same way an anticipation of the nearness of the return of the Lord has buoyed up many a weary traveller to the Kingdom. What seemed so near in time has proved in fact to be remote. Many who thought to live to see the Kingdom established have gone to their sleep, some to a long, long sleep, but this prophecy in Revelation assures the faithful that the day surely comes when mirage will give place to reality, and faith to sight. And to make the assurance all the more emphatic, the phrase is introduced by a double negative: ‘no, never shall the sun light on them, nor any heat’ ” (Harry Whittaker, “Revelation”).

Reading 1 – Job 34:5-9

Elihu is speaking: “Job says, ‘I am innocent, but God denies me justice. Although I am right, I am considered a liar; although I am guiltless, his arrow inflicts an incurable wound.’ What man is like Job, who drinks scorn like water? He keeps company with evildoers; he associates with wicked men. For he says, ‘It profits a man nothing when he tries to please God’ ” (Job 34:5-9).

“It was natural that, with all his reverence for Job, Elihu should be offended by the heat and passion of his words, by the absence of moderation and self-restraint, and tell him that ‘this strained passion did him wrong.’ No doubt it is easier for a friend on the bank to maintain his composure, than it is for the man who has been swept away by the stream of calamity, and is doing instant battle with its fierce currents and driving waves. Job is not to be overmuch blamed if, under the stress of calamity, and stung by the baseless calumnies of the friends, he now and then lost composure, and grew immoderate both in his resentments and his retorts. Remembering the keen agony he had to endure, we may well pardon an offence for which it is so easy to account; we may cheerfully admit, as the LORD Himself admitted, that in the main he spoke of God aright; we may even admire the constancy and patience with which, on the whole, he met the provocations and insults of the friends; and yet we cannot but feel that he often pushed his inferences against the Divine justice and providence much too far: as, indeed, he himself confessed that he had, when at last he saw the LORD face to face, and carried his just resentment against the friends to excess. There are points in the progress of the story where he seems to revel in his sense of wrong, and to lash out wildly against both God and man. With fine moral tact, Elihu had detected this fault in his tone and bearing, and had discovered whither it was leading him” (Samuel Cox).

Reading 2 – Zec 10:2

“The idols speak deceit, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd” (Zec 10:2).

“In Zechariah’s days the leaders of the people led them in any direction they could, as long as they did not lead them in the direction of God… It is exactly the same for the people of our day. Governments allow us free speech to speak out for any cause we like — we can take up the cause for witchcraft, homosexuality, abortion or any other topic we fancy — unless it happens to be Christianity. If we speak about Christ or try to turn people back to God we are labelled as brainwashing and trying to influence people against their will. No longer is the Bible read at school or prayers offered as governments prepare to discuss legislation. God has been kicked out of the lives of the people. So it is up to us, who still know God, to be leaders — even against the opposition — to lead people to God. In doing so we will save ourselves and, with God’s blessing, those who follow us” (Robert Prins).

Reading 3 – Rev 10:10

“I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour” (Rev 10:10).

“While the reception of Yahweh’s truth is itself a source of pure sweetness and peace, it makes us the subject of great bitterness afterwards in the feelings with which we view the state of the world and the wickedness of men around us on every hand. John, having eaten the book, was told, ‘Thou must prophecy again before many peoples and nations and tongues and kings’ (v 11). This shows that the book stood for divine knowledge: the eating for the act of acquiring that knowledge: and the purpose of its imparting that it might be communicated to others. We may take this as affording a hint to ourselves even now, for John is our brother if we be brethren of Christ” (Robert Roberts).

Reading 1 – Job 35:9,10

“Men cry out under a load of oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful. But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night?” (Job 35:9,10).

BUT NO ONE SAYS, ‘WHERE IS GOD MY MAKER…?’: “Why is God silent? Men cry for help, but God knows that what they are crying for is merely relief, that is all. They want to be taken out of the harmful, painful effects of their selfish ways and then allowed to go right back to being selfish. Nobody is concerned about God’s glory and about being taught by God and learning at his hand and at his feet. Rather, they are simply crying out for deliverance, they want to use God, and to that kind of an appeal God is silent. I think this is why our prayers are often unanswered. Our selfishness has produced agony in our life and all we want is to escape the penalty; we are not at all concerned about God himself. And that is one reason for God’s silence” (Ray Stedman).

WHO GIVES SONGS IN THE NIGHT: “Let all things go well, I can weave songs, fashioning them wherever I go out of the flowers that grow upon my path; but put me in a desert, where no green thing grows, and wherewith shall I frame a hymn of praise to God? How shall a mortal man make a crown for the Lord where no jewels are? Let but this voice be clear, and this body full of health, and I can sing God’s praise: silence my tongue, lay me upon the bed of languishing, and how shall I then chant God’s high praises, unless He Himself give me the song? No, it is not in man’s power to sing when all is adverse, unless an altar-coal shall touch his lip. It was a divine song, which Habakkuk sang, when in the night he said, ‘Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation’ [Hab 3:17,18]. Then, since our Maker gives songs in the night, let us wait upon Him for the music” (CH Spurgeon).

Reading 2 – Zec 11:7

“So I pastured the flock marked for slaughter, particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I pastured the flock” (Zec 11:7).

“Favor” is “Beauty” in the AV: “Jesus was full of grace in every way. We are told that his hearers ‘wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth.’ In this respect he was like the Father that sent him, for God is the God of all grace, the Gracious God. His grace will yet be revealed in connection with the House of God to be built as the house of prayer for all nations; and for this David prays, when he says: ‘One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple’ (Psa 27:4). Moses appears to equate Beauty and Glory in Psa 90: ‘Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children; and let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us’ ” (John Carter, “Prophets After the Exile” 120).

Reading 3 – Rev 13:18

“This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666” (Rev 13:18).

Who or what is intended by the 666?

Some modern translators read “666”. However, the KJV, as does the Greek text, reads “six hundred (600) threescore (60) and six (6)”. In other words, three distinct divisions (600 + 60 + 6 = 666). The definite article is omitted before “man” in the Greek text, suggesting that this number is not exclusively of one particular man, but of fallible men in general.

Some commentators apply numbers to every letter of the Greek alphabet, then add up the numerical value of particular names, and try to discover what man’s name “adds up” to 666. (The technical name for this procedure is gematria.) The possibilities are endless, especially considering language variations, and various combinations of names (last name only, first and last, all three, titles, etc.). By this method many candidates have been put forth: Nero Caesar, Constantine, Napoleon, Martin Luther, the Pope of Rome, and — more recently — Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler, Kissinger, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan.

But is this the proper Biblical approach?

Bible prophecy students should recognize the value of relying on the OT when interpreting the NT. For example, reference to Daniel is key to interpreting the opening verses of Rev 13:

Given the reasonableness of this approach, why abandon it when attempting to decipher the 600, 60, and 6?

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the first Gentile conqueror of Jerusalem (Dan 1:1), dreamed of a great image (Dan 2; Rev 13:14,15), which Daniel interpreted to be the Gentile oppressors of the nation of Israel. Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire were the image’s head of gold (Dan 2:38). Nebuchadnezzar seems to have been so impressed with this magnificent image of the dream, headed by himself, that he had a replica of it erected; he then proceeded to command the subjects of his empire to worship it (Dan 3). Because of his fierce pride, and his refusal to acknowledge the One God, Nebuchadnezzar was later deprived of his reason and treated, by God, as a beast (Dan 4:16,32,33).

This great golden image, representing the Gentile “beast” and his successors, was “threescore cubits” tall and “six cubits” broad (Dan 3:1). Here are two of the three numbers allotted to the last Gentile oppressor of Israel, the beast/man of Revelation 13. Is this merely a coincidence?

Possibly, the gold with which Nebuchadnezzar constructed the great idol was the same gold that he had confiscated from the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Shortly before this time, his army had conquered the city, destroyed the Temple, and carried much gold back to Babylon, breaking it down for other uses (Dan 1:1,2; 2Ki 24:13; 2Ch 36:10).

Curiously, both the numbers 600 and 666 are also connected with this same Temple and its gold:

(1) King David purchased the future site of the Temple, the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite, for 600 shekels of gold (1Ch 21:25).

(2) King Solomon, to whom God granted great wisdom (2Ch 1:10-12; cp Rev 13:18: “here is wisdom”!), received enormous tribute from his Gentile subjects, in one year “666 talents” of gold (1Ki 10:14), gold which would have found its way into the recently-constructed Temple.

The Temple Connection: If the beasts of Rev 13 are those who trample down Jerusalem and Israel in the Last Days, then the “man” of Rev 13:18 will be the one who, like Nebuchadnezzar, defiles the Temple at Jerusalem! The numbers 600 and 60 and 6 — uncommon in the Bible as a whole, but common in Daniel and the history of the Temple and Nebuchadnezzar — suggest a great king, a great empire (“Babylon”, also prominent in Revelation), the wealth of Israel and its Temple misappropriated and diverted to abominable uses (possibly with some acquiescence by Jewish leaders?), and a great golden image of idolatry foisted upon Israel. History records a Greek king (Antiochus Epiphanes, in 168 BC) who set up the image and altar of Jupiter in the Jewish temple, and commanded its worship. Is it possible that history may repeat itself in the near future?

This latter-day Arab “Beast” will invade Jerusalem, exalt his “image” (representing Gentile supremacy over the Jews), and will establish his headquarters upon the same site where Solomon’s 666 talents of gold was kept — the Temple Mount! Various passages point in this direction:

“His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation… At the time of the end… the king of the North… will invade the Beautiful Land… He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver… He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain” (Dan 11:31,40-45).

“You [the king of Babylon: Isa 14:4] said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High’ ” (Isa 14:13,14).

“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand — a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come” (Joel 2:1-3).

” ‘Hear the word of the Sovereign LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘… You [Ammon: Eze 25:1] said “Aha!” over my sanctuary when it was desecrated and over the land of Israel when it was laid waste and over the people of Judah when they went into exile’ ” (Eze 25:3; cp Eze 36:2,3).

“You [Edom: Oba 1:1] drank [in celebration of victory] on my holy hill [Zion: Oba 1:17]” (Oba 1:6).

“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel [Dan 9:27; 11:31; 12:11] — let the reader understand — then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” (Mat 24:15,16; cp Mar 13:14,15; Luke 21:20-24).

“That day [of Christ’s coming] will not come until… the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (2Th 2:3,4).

Some of these passages are not the easiest to understand in all their details (if only because they point to events yet future). But in general terms they all present or supplement the same basic picture.

Further Parallels: Daniel and Revelation

“I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, ‘Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth’.. .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 street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified [Jerusalem, obviously!]…” (Rev 11:1-3,7,8).

Just as there were those faithful Jews who protested the enforced worship of the first golden image of the beast Nebuchadnezzar, and faced martyrdom as a result (Dan 3), so in the Last Days there will be faithful witnesses who protest the “image” of the Beast defiling the holy Temple Mount. Unlike Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will actually be killed (Rev 11:7,8).

But it is the “Beast-Man” whose days — like those of his Babylonian counterpart — are numbered (cp Dan 5:26). His power will be limited to “a time, times and half a time” (Dan 12:7), equivalent to 42 months (Rev 11:2) or 1,260 days (Rev 11:3). At the end of this time, the abominating power will be destroyed, the faithful martyrs (of all ages) will be resurrected, and the Temple Mount will be restored to its glorious holy use by Christ and his saints in God’s Kingdom:

“Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him…Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise… At that time your people — everyone whose name is found written in the book — will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake… to everlasting life… Those who are wise [margin: who impart wisdom: cp Rev 13:18!] will shine like the brightness of the heavens” (Dan 11:45–12:3).

“I will crush the Assyrian [equivalent to “the king of Babylon”: Isa 14:4] in my land; on my mountains I will trample him down. His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders” (Isa 14:25).

“The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. Then you will know that I, the LORD your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her” (Joel 3:16,17).

“I will make a covenant of peace with them [Israel]; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever” (Eze 37:26-28).

“But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance” (Oba 1:17).

“At that time they will see the Son of Man coming [to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount] in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luk 21:27,28; cp Mat 24:30; Mar 13:26).

“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming” (2Th 2:8).

“The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven… ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever’… The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great — and for destroying those who destroy the earth [or ‘the Land’]” (Rev 11:15,18).

And so the number of the man of sin — 666 — will give way to the number of the man of righteousness — the 144,000 on Mount Zion, who have the name of the Lamb and of his Father (in contrast to the name of the Beast: Rev 13:17) written on their foreheads (Rev 14:1)!

Addendum 1

Here is the simplest “explanation” of the 666: there are six Roman numerals that, taken in various combinations, account for all the smaller numbers. They are I (= 1), V (= 5), X (= 10), L (= 50), C (= 100), and D (= 500), Thus the SIX common Roman numerals have a total value of 600 (500 + 100), 60 (50 + 10), and 6 (5 + 1). These are all the numerals involved in the Roman system, at the lower level, until the number 1,000 is reached (which is denoted by “M” — for “mille”, or thousand). This is itself is significant: the lesser numbers, in all their possible combinations, represent all men, or all mankind (Roman, at least!) — until we come to the “M” (the SEVENTH numeral) — which, obviously, represents the Millennium! When the Millennium begins, all the numbers of “man” (totaling 666) will cease!

Addendum 2

A further possibility, to supplement, not to replace the above: The number of the Beast is the number of MAN. Not necessarily a (single) man, nor a (special, unique) man, but the number of man in general. Six may be the number of man, since man was created on the sixth day, and since six falls one short of seven, the Scriptural number of perfection. Consider, for example, the multiple uses of six in describing Goliath, in 1Sa 17. Is it a coincidence that this blasphemous brute of a man was a Philistine, or Palestinian?

As such, 666 makes a triple emphasis on this falling short of perfection, whereas the gematria of JESUS (in Greek) yields 888, which puts triple emphasis on the fact that he is risen from the dead on the eighth day, a new Beginning, the Firstborn of God’s New Creation.

One other suggestion along these lines: 666 is written, in Greek, as c x ?. This is c ? (which is in New Testament manuscripts the standard abbreviation for Christ, or Messiah) plus x (the symbol of the serpent). In other words, c x ? could signify “the Serpent’s Messiah”, or the false Christ!

Addendum 3

Suppose that the Beast/Man is a composite/culmination of all those who have trampled Jerusalem under their feet (cp Rev 11:2). Then there may be merit in the following point:

The total years from the first subjugation of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar — March 16, 597 BC — to the beginning of the final siege of Jerusalem by the Roman Empire — early April AD 70 — is almost exactly 666 years! 597 plus 70 less 1 (there is no year “zero”!) = 666!

Reading 1 – Job 37:6

“He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’ ” (Job 37:6).

“The snow falls in beautiful showers almost every year, and covers the face of nature. Multitudes admire its beauties, but few understand its singular formation, important uses, and varied design. These things ought not so to be. We should make ourselves acquainted with the works of God, especially such common gifts as the rain, and wind, and snow. This would lead our thoughts from nature to nature’s God; and then His wisdom, and power, and goodness as seen therein would excite our admiration. The snow, this wonderful creature of God, has been thus described — ‘Snow is a moist vapour drawn up from the earth to, or near the middle region of the air, where it is condensed, or thickened into a cloud, and falls down again like carded wool, sometimes in greater and sometimes in lesser flakes. The snow and the rain are made of the same matter, and are produced in the same place, only they differ in their outward form, as is obvious to the eye, and in their season. Rain falls in the warmer seasons, the clouds being dissolved into rain by heat; snow falls in the sharper seasons, the clouds being thickened by the cold. The place where the snow is generated is in the air, from thence it receives a command to dispatch itself to the earth, and there to abide’ ” (HW Beecher).

Reading 2 – Zec 12:10

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on [or ‘to’] me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son” (Zec 12:10).

THEY WILL LOOK ON ME… AND THEY WILL MOURN FOR HIM: “On” would be better rendered “TO” (NET; NIV mg; Constable Expository Notes). “The most common meaning of the Hebrew preposition translated ‘on’ is ‘to’, and there is no good contextual reason to depart from it here. The emphasis, then, is not on looking ‘on’ (or ‘at’) the Messiah literally — but on looking ‘to’ the Messiah in faith (cf Num 21:9; Isa 45:22; John 3:14,15)” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary).

And so they will look not to “him” alone, ie not just Jesus, but also to “ME”, the Father! “In all [His Son’s] affliction, he was afflicted” (Isa 63:9). And the two of them (Abraham and Isaac, typifying God and His Son: Rom 8:32) “went together” (Gen 22:6,8). The sufferings of the Son were also the sufferings of the Father!

This repentance will thus be an absolute realization that the One whom their forefathers crucified, Jesus of Nazareth (“him”), was and is in fact the Son of Almighty God (“Me”!). With this compare Thomas’ understanding, expressed in John 20:28: for him, seeing his “Lord” (ie, Jesus) was equivalent to seeing his “God” — for Jesus was the manifestation of the Father in the flesh of human nature.

THE ONE THEY HAVE PIERCED: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa 53:5).

AS ONE MOURNS FOR AN ONLY CHILD: They will mourn as one mourns over the death of one’s only (or one’s beloved, cp Gen 22:2; Jer 6:26; Amos 8:10) son, or his or her firstborn son.

Reading 3 – Rev 14:1

“Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads” (Rev 14:1).

Those who bear in their foreheads the name of the Lamb and of his Father have the “mark” of the Lamb. They are deliberately contrasted with the people who bear, on the right arm or the forehead, the “mark of the beast” (Rev 13:16-18). The Lamb is of course Christ. In an especially poignant scene of the Apocalypse, he is pictured as “a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain” (Rev 5:6; cp Rev 5:12; 13:8). The “Lamb” Jesus is the Passover Lamb, slain for the sins of the world (Joh 1:29; 1Co 5:7), bearing ever after in his body the marks of his sacrifice (Joh 20:25-28).

The original Passover lamb was slain in Egypt, and its blood used to mark the lintels and doorposts of the houses of the believing Israelites. Succeeding generations of Israel would readily recognize such a mark (that is, resembling a doorway) as approximating the Hebrew letter He , which almost by itself spells the name of God: Yod He, or YAH. It is no great stretch of the imagination, therefore, to see that every faithful house in Egypt had the name of the Father marked over its doorway, written in the blood of the Lamb! And the name of the Father, “Yah”, is — of course — the name of the Lamb too: “Yah-shua”, or Jesus!

Now, in the Book of Revelation, there are marked out, not houses, but individual men and women, each sealed, not upon the door, but in the forehead (the “door” of the mind) with the “mark” of the Lamb. These are the individuals who have opened their minds to the message of God, who have directed their thoughts into the ways of His Laws. These are they who have been touched by the blood of Christ, who have been baptized into his name and the name of his Father. These are they who, wherever they are — even in the grave itself — will be protected in the Last Days from the “Angel of Death” and will be delivered from the “Egypt” of slavery and sin and death.

Listen to what the Lord and King Jesus promised to those who keep his word and do not deny his name: “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name” (Rev 3:10-12).

Reading 1 – Job 38:4-7

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone– while the morning stars sang together and all the angels [Hebrew ‘the sons of God’] shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7).

“If there weren’t enthusiasm in creation, it would soon run down. Everything is made of atoms, protons, neutrons and electrons, things you can’t keep still — not for a second! They dash in all directions at tremendous speeds, and the heavenly bodies move the same way. The old Greeks called the movement they made as they passed through space ‘the music of the spheres.’ I don’t think they’ve missed it by very much at all. I believe that God sang when He created things. The motion and speed of the heavenly bodies, the working of little creatures in the earth to make the soil soft, the working of the sun on the earth — all this is God joyously working in His creation.

“Enthusiasm is seen in creation; it’s seen in light. Did you ever stop to think what it would be like if there were no light? If God Almighty were to put a lead sack around all the heavenly bodies and suddenly shut out all the light there is, I wouldn’t want to be alive… Some people are afraid of color. They think that spirituality consists in being drab. But God made color! He made all shades of colors. Look at the sunset — what is it, just something scientific? Do you think that God splashed the lovely, beautiful sky with rose, cerise, blue and white and wasn’t smiling when He did that? Is that just an accident of nature, scientifically explained? Then you’ve got too much learning for your own good! Go empty your head and get your heart filled and you’ll be better off. The Holy Spirit wrote 150 psalms and in those psalms God celebrates the wonders of His creation.

“In my state of Pennsylvania the money-greedy scoundrels have bought the coal rights in certain sections of the state. There were beautiful hills there that I grew up to see and love, beautiful sun-kissed hills sometimes mystic blue in the setting of the sun. And the creeks ran below out to the rivers and down to the sea. It was all very beautiful. But I went back to my old place years later, and I found that these money-hungry fellows didn’t dig a hole to get the coal; they took bulldozers and dragged the top off the earth — trees, grass, everything — to get down to the coal. The result was that thousands and thousands of acres — whole hills that used to go up with their green to meet heaven’s blue — lay gashed like one vast, gaping grave. The state of Pennsylvania said, ‘You’ve got to fill them all in or we’ll fine you $3,000.’ And the mining people looked at each other and grinned and paid the $3,000. They left it as it was, and I went away grief-stricken to see my beautiful hills now great ugly sand pits. I went back in a few more years, and do you know what nature had done? Dear old busy, enthusiastic, fun-loving, joyous Mother Nature began to draw a green veil over that ugly gash. And now if you go back you will see it has cured itself. It’s God Almighty in that!

“We ought to stop thinking like scientists and think like psalmists. This infinite God is enjoying Himself. Somebody is having a good time in heaven and earth and sea and sky. Somebody is painting the sky. Somebody is making trees to grow where only gashes were a year ago. Somebody is causing the ice to melt out of the river and the fish to swim and the birds to sing and lay their blue eggs and build their nests and hatch their young. Somebody’s running the universe… And I believe I know who it is” (AW Tozer).

Reading 2 – Zec 14:8

“On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter” (Zec 14:8).

“Living water” is a metaphor that pictures water as a living thing flowing quickly and sparkling in its constant movement and shifting course (cp Lev 14:5,6,50-52; 15:13; Num 19:17). This life-giving water would flow rapidly out of Jerusalem half of it flowing east into the Dead Sea and half west into the Mediterranean Sea.

This water would flow all year round, “in summer and in winter”, even in the summer when most streams in Palestine dry up (cp Psa 46:4; Joel 3:18). The Israelites divided their year into two seasons instead of four: summer and winter (cp Gen 8:22; Psa 74:17; Isa 18:6).

“The streams of living water which flow from Jerusalem are not dried up by the parching heats of sultry midsummer any more than they are frozen by the cold winds of blustering winter. The seasons change and thou changest, but thy Lord abides evermore the same, and the streams of His love are as deep, as broad and as full as ever. The heats of business cares and scorching trials make me need the cooling influences of the river of His grace; I may go at once and drink to the full from the inexhaustible fountain, for in summer and in winter it pours forth its flood. Elijah found Cherith dry up, but Jehovah was still the same God of providence. Job said his brethren were like deceitful brooks, but he found his God an overflowing river of consolation. The Nile is the great confidence of Egypt, but its floods are variable; our Lord is evermore the same. By turning the course of the Euphrates, Cyrus took the city of Babylon, but no power, human or infernal, can divert the current of divine grace. The tracks of ancient rivers have been found all dry and desolate, but the streams which take their rise on the mountains of divine sovereignty and infinite love shall ever be full to the brim. Generations melt away, but the course of grace is unaltered. The river of God may sing with greater truth than the brook in the poem —

‘Men may come, and men may go,

But I go on for ever’ ” (CH Spurgeon).

Probably the water will be literal, but it certainly has symbolic significance as well (cp Psa 46:4; 65:9; Isa 8:6; 30:25; 33:21; 41:18; 43:19,20; Jer 2:13; Eze 47:1-12; John 4:10-14; 7:38; Rev 22:1-2).

Reading 3 – Rev 16:16

“Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon” (Rev 16:16).

“Armageddon” probably signifies ‘the mountain of Megiddo”. But other related passages — many of them (eg, Joel 3; Zec 12; 14; Eze 25; 36; Oba; Rev 11) — point to Jerusalem (about 70 miles south) as the site of the last great battle. The (probable) parallel account in Joel 3 records the battle of “the day of the LORD” as occurring in the “valley of Decision”, which Joel 3:2 says is the Valley of Jehoshaphat, just outside Jerusalem.

So will the last great battle be at Megiddo, or Jerusalem? Is this a discrepancy? Or will there be two separate battles? Or is there another explanation? Notice that this verse states only that the kings (who will fight in the great battle described in Rev 16) will be assembled at Megiddo. This accords well with the strategic importance of the Plain of Jezreel, where Megiddo is situated. The order of battle of a large army coming from the north — or from the east or west, for that matter — can be organized in detail in this area. From Jezreel a force can advance by any one of three main routes:

through the pass at Megiddo to the coast, directly south across the central range, or through Bethshean south down the Jordan Valley.

Or it can launch three simultaneous attacks from different directions.

Reading 1 – Job 39; 40

Job 39; 40: These chapters illustrate a great principle of nature: The innocent (that is, the wild goat, kid) often suffer and die so that the cruel (ie, the lion, eagle) might live. God cares and provides for all His creatures.

God especially cares and provides for all men — He is not willing that any should perish (2Pe 3:9; John 3:16,17). Sometimes the innocent (Job) must suffer, that others (the three friends, and perhaps “Satan”) might learn and live. Job’s experiences were but a shadow of Christ’s sufferings on behalf of sinners (Jam 5:10,11; Acts 2:22-24; 8:13-15).

Also, contrast the present age (here) with the future kingdom — when the lion and the lamb will be at peace together (Isa 11:6-9).

Reading 2 – Mal 1:13

“When you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” (Mal 1:13).

“God will have no regard for those who forget Him or neglect His commandments: those who sink into a state of self-service, who live exclusively for their own comfort and well-being, who let God slip from their practical recognitions; His word from their studies; His honour from their concern; His commandments from their lives, will awake to find that where life and death, and men, and angels, and heaven and earth, were powerless to interpose an obstacle between them and the friendly regard of the Almighty, their own folly has done it without further remedy. God is love; but our God is also a consuming fire. He will not be mocked; He will not be put off with fag-ends of our service. He demands the whole heart and the whole life; and he is not his own friend who refuses the call: for there will come a time when the man who has served himself will find he has served a master who can only pay him at last with tribulation, and anguish, and death; while the man who obeys the Divine call will at the same period discover that in making God his portion he has secured the joyful eternal inheritance of all things” (Robert Roberts, “Seasons of Comfort” 72).

Reading 3 – Rev 18:2

“With a mighty voice he shouted: ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ ” (Rev 18:2).

The whole prophetic narrative of the Bible is in many ways a tale of two cities: Babylon and Jerusalem. There are times when Babylon masquerades as Zion — a false city of God with a false Messiah leading her. And there are times when Zion in her apostasy has appeared as Babylon. But in the final conflict of the last days, these two cities will be literally pitted against each other. Zion will briefly succumb under the might and pride of Babylon, to rise again in eternal glory. It was in Babylon where Nimrod first built the tower of Babel, the first organized rebellion against God; and it was there that God first entered into open judgment of flesh and humanity en masse. And it is here likewise that His purpose with sin and His true people will likewise be fulfilled. Babylon was also called Su-anna, “the holy city”. Yet “the holy city” is Jerusalem, thus making Babylon a fake Zion. Herodotus says the city was square, just as new Jerusalem.

Unfulfilled Prophecies: “Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians’ pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah” (Isa 13:19). And yet Babylon was never suddenly overthrown like Sodom and Gomorrah in their fiery destruction. It was conquered by the Medes and Persians and fell into decline, but it was not violently destroyed. Likewise: “The Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and settle them in their own land… They will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors… On the day the Lord gives you relief from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended!… All the lands are at rest and at peace; they break into singing” (Isa 14:1-4,7).

When Babylon is ultimately destroyed, Israel will finally be at Peace and will dwell in safety. Israel has been a nation since 1948, but not for one day has the nation of Israel known real peace or ease. It has never been able to claim all the lands God promised the Israelites, and Israel’s Arab neighbors have been a constant threat and danger.

There is the assumption by many that all the OT prophecies about ‘Babylon’ were fulfilled in the overrunning of Babylon by the Medes. However, there are many details of those prophecies which did not have a total fulfillment, and thus what the Medes did as but a partial, incipient fulfillment of what is going to come in the last days. This also requires that ‘Babylon’ be understood as literal Babylon — for it was against her that the prophecies were uttered in the first place. And quite clearly, the prophecies of Revelation against ‘Babylon’ are extensions of those of the Old Testament. We therefore are encouraged to see the ‘Babylon’ of Rev as the Babylon of the prophets — ie literal Babylon.

Unfulfilled details, which require a latter day fulfillment:

Literal Babylon decayed due to the ravages of time, whereas Babylon was to fall “suddenly” in her prime (Jer 51:8; Rev 18: “one hour”). This must be future in its fulfillment. Rev. 18:22; 14:8 both speak of “Babylon is fallen” as applying to a latter day scenario. And yet these words come directly from Isa 21:9 and Jer 51:8, prophecies about literal Babylon being destroyed suddenly — a destruction which is clearly future, seeing the city was never so suddenly destroyed in the past. The suddenness of the destruction is a keynote of these prophecies. It is not true that Babylon has been uninhabited “forever”. “The city of Babylon has never ceased to exist. Although its name was changed on two occasions, it has never been totally unpopulated. Hillah presently has 250,000 citizens and was built almost entirely of bricks from the parts of the old city of Babylon” (Joseph Chambers, A Palace For The Antichrist 146). Note too that the Babylonian Talmud was written by Jews living in Babylon in the 6th century AD. 1 Pet 5:13 implies there was even an ecclesia there in the first century. “For the Lord will have mercy upon Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. And the people shall take them [the Babylonians], and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors” (Isa 14:1,2). This passage has never been fulfilled yet. It will be in the last days; and at this time, as Is. 14 goes on to detail, Babylon [literal Babylon, in the context] will fall.

Other prophecies about the sudden destruction of literal Babylon — which can only be latter day in their application — are also the basis for the words of Rev about latter day Babylon. Consider: (a) “Thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me: I shall not sit a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children” (Isa 47:8), compared with: “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously…for she hath said in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow” (Rev 18:7). (b) “But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood” (Isa 47:9), compared with: “Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death and mourning” (Rev 18:8). (c) “Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up” (Isa 47:13), compared with: “For by thy sorceries…” (Rev 18:23).

The Babylon of Revelation is the Babylon of Jeremiah and Isaiah, literal Babylon, which awaits her full punishment. This conclusion is strengthened once it is appreciated how the harlot Babylon of Rev 17, loud, gaudy, decked with jewelry and painted face, is replete with reference to Semiramis, the goddess / mother of Nimrod, and one of the patron gods of literal Babylon.

The antichrist is a mimic of the true Christ; his kingdom is a parody of God’s Kingdom. And the King of Babylon claiming “I am and none else beside me” are the very words of Yahweh — the King of Babylon is clearly to be identified with the man of sin, who sits as God in God’s temple (2Th 2). But the similarities run deeper. The Babylonian epic of creation is a parody of the Genesis account; the flood has its counterpart in the epic of Gilgamesh; and the Code of Hammurabi, an early ruler of Babylon, was clearly an anti-law of Moses. And Saddam Hussein’s supporters greet him as the Messiah of the Arab world (Chambers 45). Now Saddam may pass off the scene, but the point is that a similar charismatic leader could arise and be the antichrist.

The accounts of the latter day invasion of Israel all feature a single charismatic individual, who will be destroyed personally by the Lord Jesus at His coming. This is Paul’s “man of sin”, Daniel’s aggressive king of fierce countenance, Ezekiel’s Gog, the chief prince. It is also the person referred to by Micah: “And this man [Messiah] shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land” (Mic 5:1,2). The Lord Jesus will save His people in the latter days from an “Assyrian”. It has been shown that Assyria and Babylon are used almost interchangeably in Scripture. Gog was a Jew who apostasized and went to live in Assyria / Babylonia, according to 1Ch 5. This is why he has the appearance of spirituality; and he may even be an Arab Christian. 2Th 2 describes him as “the son of perdition”, exactly the phrase used about Judas, the false disciple of Jesus. Notice how Tariq Aziz [Iraqi foreign minister at the time of writing] and other leading members of the Iraqi cabinet are in fact Arab Christians, not Muslims.

Reading 1 – Job 40:4

“I am unworthy — how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth” (Job 40:4).

But it was only when the sinner knew himself to be unworthy, with no extenuating circumstances to plead, that God could begin the process of instruction that leads to repentance, which in turn brings forgiveness and renewal!

Reading 2 – Mal 2:13-15

“Another thing you do: You flood the LORD’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, ‘Why?’ It is because the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth” (Mal 2:13-15).

“Marriage is a serious business. God created marriage to last a lifetime. It is the commitment between a man and a woman to be devoted to each other for as long as they live. It is about faithfulness, sharing and unity. But today, as it was in Malachi’s day, the marriage bond is not respected as it should be. When a marriage breaks down, much more is affected than just the lives of the couple: here we see that because of their unfaithfulness in marriage, God no longer paid attention to those people or accepted their offerings. In other words, if we want to be accepted by God and we want him to hear our prayers we must stay faithful to our marriage partner.

“One of the reasons He makes the two halves of a married couple as one is because He is looking for godly offspring. Can godly children come from a broken home? Yes, they can, but it is so much more difficult.

“When Malachi finished his message about marriage, he ended with a strong exhortation which is worth repeating: ‘So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth…’ Amen!” (Robert Prins).

Reading 3 – Rev 19:9

“Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” (Rev 19:9).

“It is common to identify the marriage and the marriage supper as one, and because of that mistakes are made in the understanding of this chapter. The following account of a marriage supper, taken from various parts of the Word, will help in the better understanding of this important part of the Apocalypse.

“The bride was dressed in white, often richly decorated (Psa 45:13,14), with a bridal girdle about her waist (Isa 49:18), and resplendent in jewels (Isa 61:10). The bridegroom set out from his home to that of the bride, accompanied by friends and musicians (Mat 25:10). Having received the bride, he conducted the whole company to his house, singing and dancing marking the route (Psa 45:15; Mat 9:15; Song 3:6-11).

“It was customary for friends to join the company on the way back (Mat 25:6). A feast was then provided to which additional friends came (Mat 22:1-10, 25:1-13). Thus the bridegroom returns with his angelic friends to meet the bride at [the place of judgment], to conduct her to Zion for the feast.

“Those who join the procession on the way back, to rejoice at the subsequent feast, will be Israel and the nations (v 17). The terms of the invitation are expressed in Rev 14:6,7. The feast is celebrated after Armageddon and before the complete destruction of those nations who reject the invitation (Eze 39:17)” (HP Mansfield, “Apocalypse Epitomised”).

Reading 1 – Ezr 4:24

“Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia” (Ezr 4:24).

Through the opposition of the adversaries the wonderful work that had commenced with the returning exiles stopped. The work was stopped for abut 16 years. It was this stopping of the work which caused some to say, “The time has not yet come for the LORD’s house to be built” (Hag 1:2). Opposition should not cause us to slack the work and make excuses for our inactivity.

Reading 2 – Hos 6:6

“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hos 6:6).

“God is not setting up mercy and sacrifice as opposites. He is not condemning the offering of sacrifices, but He is exposing their attitude of mind in the offering thereof. Their worship was hollow, without heart. They were, as Malachi so clearly stated, guilty of robbing God whilst in the very act of offering sacrifices to him (Mal 3:7-12). They were going through the motions of seeking forgiveness, for God had given them the blood of animals ‘upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls’ (Lev 17:11), but there was no appreciation of His mercy and consequently no spilling over of that mercy from their own lives. There was no knowledge of God, no fear of His presence; their lives were filled with self.

“This is a searching exhortation: to be exposed to the possibility of incurring condemnation whilst in the act of performing that which was designed to save. Is this not the Old Testament counterpart of, ‘Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body’ (1Co 11:27-29). How important it is, then, that we should have a ‘knowledge’ of God, a knowledge of His redeeming mercy and of His searching truth, and that these should be discerned along with the Lord’s body in the emblems given for that purpose” (Cyril Tennant, “Hosea” 47,48).

Reading 3 – Acts 24:25

“As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, ‘That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you’ ” (Acts 24:25).

“Felix was a naturally violent and headstrong man, used to exercising power, and getting his own way. If men revolted against his authority, he destroyed them. If the High Priest remonstrated with him, he had him put to death. If he fancied another man’s wife, he took her. But if he wanted to be a Christian, he would have to get down off his high horse and learn to control his passions. ‘Except a man be converted, and become as a little child’, the founder of Christianity had laid down, ‘he cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven.’ And neither Felix or anybody else is exempted. There is no place for people on hand-made pedestals in the Kingdom of Christ, and of God” (Len Richardson).

“The bloated slave sitting on the seat of judgment and power, representing all the worst vices of Roman degeneracy; the heads of the sinking Jewish commonwealth, blinded by history and mad with hate, forgetting for the moment their abhorrence of their Roman masters and their deeper detestation of the apostle Paul; the hired advocate with his fulsome praise and false charges. And the great apostle with his inimitable skill in debate, pure-minded, upright, fearless, pleading his own cause with consummate force and dignity, and overawing his heathen judge by the majesty of his character. A graphic description of a noble scene” (AC Hervey, cited in “Story of the Bible” 14:85).

Reading 1 – Ezr 7:27,28

“Praise be to the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king’s heart to bring honor to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem in this way and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king’s powerful officials. Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me” (Ezra 7:27,28).

“Ezra may have been the agent, but he understood that the work was really God’s. This is an attitude all God’s servants should attempt to adopt: thankfulness that God in His mercy has allowed human involvement in the working out of His great plan and purpose.”

THE HAND OF THE LORD MY GOD WAS ON ME: “This can be discovered and proved true by experience. Work done for God and not for selfish motives brings its own reward: peace of mind and contentment. As the Apostle wrote, ‘Godliness with contentment is GREAT GAIN’ (1TI 6:10). ¶ Undoubtedly it was as a result of Ezra’s deep pre-occupation with study and meditation in the word of God’s law that he was able to see with great clarity ‘the hand of God’ in many aspects of the events in which he played his part. This perception was to give him great comfort and confidence in the difficult times he faced when he reached Jerusalem, and the phrase is therefore found often on his lips: Ezr 7:6,9; 8:18,22,31” (Michael Ashton, “The Exiles Return”).

Reading 2 – Hos 8:7

“They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up” (Hos 8:7).

Israel had sown the wind, something foolish and worthless (cp Job 7:7; Pro 11:29; Ecc 1:14,17), namely idolatry. Sowing the “wind” of vanities (idols) will yield the “whirlwind” of Divine judgment!

Paul comments on this: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Gal 6:7,8).

THE STALK HAS NO HEAD; IT WILL PRODUCE NO FLOUR: The “whirlwind” from God will destroy their crops.

WERE IT TO YIELD GRAIN, FOREIGNERS WOULD SWALLOW IT UP: And even if the “whirlwind” of God does not destroy all their crops, then alien marauders will take anything that is left.

Reading 3 – Acts 27:39

“When daylight came, they did not recognize the land” (Acts 27:39).

“Principles are like stars, constant and comprehensive, but not local or particular. The pilot with only local knowledge may guide the ship through the well-known channel and into the old port, but a knowledge of the stars is necessary when sailing in unknown seas. If a pilot should mistake a foreign port for the one he knows and attempt to guide the vessel according to the old rules he will bring it to disaster. Ships of various kinds have been wrecked through such mistaken confidence. Oftentimes men have ignored principles and have applied the lessons learned in former years to circumstances that are totally different. They have even quoted the words of former leaders in a manner that would horrify such leaders could they rise from their graves and witness the application” (Islip Collyer, “Principles and Proverbs”).

Reading 1 – Ezr 8:22

“I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, ‘The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him’ ” (Ezra 8:22).

“A convoy on many accounts would have been desirable for the pilgrim band, but a holy shamefacedness would not allow Ezra to seek one. He feared lest the heathen king should think his professions of faith in God to be mere hypocrisy, or imagine that the God of Israel was not able to preserve His own worshippers. He could not bring his mind to lean on an arm of flesh in a matter so evidently of the Lord, and therefore the caravan set out with no visible protection, guarded by Him who is the sword and shield of His people. It is to be feared that few believers feel this holy jealousy for God; even those who in a measure walk by faith, occasionally mar the lustre of their life by craving aid from man. It is a most blessed thing to have no props and no buttresses, but to stand upright on the Rock of Ages, upheld by the Lord alone” (CH Spurgeon).

*****

“Ezra was not overconfident or boastful. He did not presume upon the providence of God. But he did not feel he could consistently ask the help of man when he had spoken of the limitless power of his God. Others may have regarded the matter differently, but to him, the situation raised again the same issue of allegiance and dependence — God or man — and whenever that issue arises in whatever form, the answer of faith must be the same.

“He well realized the responsibility he had assumed in leading his unprotected company through wild and hostile country. It is clear that this weighed heavily upon him. There were many other lives besides his own involved — many who trusted him and depended upon him, and who were prepared to make the journey with him relying upon his judgment and wisdom.

“It would have been far easier to have asked for an armed guard, but he felt that the honour of his God was at stake, and so in prayerful hope, and with no armour but faith, they ventured forth. And no harm befell them” (GV Growcott).

Reading 2 – Hos 9:11,16

“Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird — no birth, no pregnancy, no conception” (Hos 9:11).

The glory of the Ephraimites, their numerous children, would fly away like a bird, quickly and irretrievably. There would be few births, or even pregnancies, or even conceptions. There is a play on the name “Ephraim” here, which sounds somewhat like the Heb word meaning “twice fruitful”. The Ephraimites had looked to Baal for the blessing of human fertility, but Yahweh would withhold it in judgment. Ephraim, the doubly fruitful, would become Ephraim, the completely fruitless.

“Ephraim is blighted, their root is withered, they yield no fruit. Even if they bear children, I will slay their cherished offspring” (v 16).

Because the people were not ROOTED in the truth (Eph 3:17; Col 2:7), their natural roots would wither. Likewise, the fig tree which did not yield the promised fruit was cursed by Jesus, and was dried up from the ROOT (Mar 11:20).

Reading 3 – Acts 28:30,31

“For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ” (Act 28:30,31).

During these two years, Paul was constantly under Roman guard (Eph 1:20; Phi 1:7), enduring much privation and suffering (Col 1:24; Eph 3:13) — being prematurely aged by extreme persecutions (Phm 1:8,9).

Apparently, some of the Praetorian Guard, assigned to guard Paul, were converted by his preaching (Phi 1:13).