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 your prophets (16:6).

“You are just in these judgments, O Holy One” (16:5). When it seems that evil has temporarily triumphed, we can trust that God sees and will not ignore the suffering of the innocent. He will make things right.

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 “completed” (1).

“All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed” (15:4). Through His righteous acts revealed in Christ, the King of nations continues to call all people to Himself, until He returns in glory.

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 on their foreheads” (14:1).

“They will rest from their labor” (14:13). No matter what dark powers are shaking our world, in Christ we are secure. Faith in Him carries us through this life and all the way to His resurrection kingdom.

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 us to worship.

We praise the Lord because He did not abandon what He had created. Despite our sins, He rescued us and made us “the people close to His heart” through Israel’s Messiah, Jesus (148:14).

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 deliverance for the “meek and humble” (3:12).

“I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles” (3:19). God is the “Mighty Warrior” who is against the proud and rebellious, and He is the Redeemer who takes “great delight” in those who run to Him for refuge (3:17).

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 awe” of God’s amazing creation and His mighty acts of deliverance – especially His great salvation through Christ - we find strength to face temporary disappointment. He promises to help us “tread on the heights” (3:19).

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 revelation”, God responded (2:2); justice will “certainly come” (2:3-19).

God does not “prove false” with His people (2:3). We can live by faith in His character (2:4), even as we wait. He reigns forever from his “holy temple,” and all His purposes will be accomplished (2:20).

Nahum 1-3

“The Lord is slow to anger but great in power” (1:3). Ninevah was the capital of the oppressive Assyrian Empire, known for their “endless cruelty” (3:19). Nahum calls Ninevah the “city of blood”, filled with war sounds: “the crack of whip, the clatter of wheels, galloping horses and jolting chariots” (3:2). The “piles of dead” grieved God and provoked judgment. Nahum reminded Judah that God is a “refuge” for those who trust Him, but He will not “leave the guilty unpunished” (1:3,7).

“Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace!” (1:15). God abhors the world’s violence and sin, and He will bring judgment. He looks for those who long for and welcome His kingdom of peace.

Revelation 13

“And ... they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?’” (4). John saw “a beast” rising from the sea with horns, crowns, and blasphemous names; the dragon (Satan) had given it power, position (a throne), and great authority (2). John saw another “beast” encouraging people to follow the first creature who was miraculously healed, and together they opposed God (6), made war on the saints (7), and deceived humanity (11-18).

In a chaotic world, leaders with great authority, power, and miraculous signs seem like the answer. But our King, “the Lamb who was slain”, won salvation through His loving sacrifice, so that our names could be in His book of Life (8).

Revelation 12

“Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down” (11). Using images of stars and dragons – “signs” (1) – John’s vision depicts the great Biblical narrative in which God’s purposes are opposed by evil powers. God’s people can be confident because the “dragon” has already been defeated (8). We can look beyond current troubles and know Jesus has secured the final victory.

“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (10-11). Jesus’ death and resurrection gives us power against the sin and evil seeking to destroy the world. In Him, we are secure now and forever.

Psalm 147

“He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name” (4). The same Creator who calls billions of stars by name, makes grass grow, and causes rain to fall (8) is the One who “builds up Jerusalem” (2). Our infinite God is not far off; He “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (3). Full of power and mercy, He does not want us to put our confidence in human strength or weapons of war (horses and warriors, 10), but in His unfailing love.

“Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit” (5). Through Christ, we can go straight to the Source of power, love, and wisdom and find the help we need.

Micah 6-7

“What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (6:8). Through Micah, God reminded Israel that He had rescued them from Egypt not because He needed sacrifices (6:7), but because He wanted their hearts, for them to be a transformed people who followed His ways. In mercy, He promised to make a way to deal with their failures. He promised to hurl their sins “into the depths of the sea (7:15,19).

“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin ...?” (7:18). God so loved Israel and the world, including us, that He sent Jesus to provide a sacrifice for forgiveness. Through Him, we can be transformed and walk in God’s ways.

Micah 4-5

“In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains ... and peoples will stream to it” (4:1). Micah prophesied far beyond Israel’s coming conflict and exile; he saw that one day, the Lord would do something remarkable for the whole earth through a special “ruler” from Bethlehem (5:2). Unlike the failed human kings and corrupt priests, this good Shepherd would bring true righteousness and security (5:4).

Micah’s good news was that this Shepherd would open God’s kingdom not to the winners of the worldly race for success and power, but to the humble, the least, and the lost: “I will gather the lame; I will assemble the exiles” (4:6).

Micah 3

“Hear this, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right; who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness” (3:9-10). Micah had harsh words for Jerusalem’s leaders who wanted to “build Zion” – God’s kingdom – with the world’s methods of violence and injustice. Shockingly, Israel’s priests and prophets profited from telling lies, yet they felt safe and said, “Is not the Lord among us?” (3:11). Micah warned that disaster was coming (3:12).

“But as for me, I am filled with power” (3:8). Ungodly actions and methods will not build God’s kingdom. Instead, like Micah, God gives power for His own purposes – so that we live faithfully and glorify Jesus.

Micah 1-2

“Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling place; he comes down and treads on the heights of the earth” (3). The prophet Micah warned Israel (the north) and Judah (the south) that God would not ignore their sins; He was coming to judge both capital cities, Samaria and Jerusalem. They had forsaken God to worship idols (1:7), and their greed had caused them to steal houses and land (2:2,9). When godly prophets like Micah spoke up, people turned away to listen to those who falsely promised blessings (2:11).

“I will surely gather all of you ... like a flock” (2:12). God calls us to reject the idolatries of money and self and to trust our Shepherd. His voice is the one we obey.

Revelation 11

“Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here” (12). John’s vision of the two prophets recalled the Old Testament stories. These faithful witnesses had power to “shut up the heavens” so it would not rain, like Elijah did. As they declared God’s truth, these prophets were mocked and killed, just like the Old Testament prophets (Acts 7:2). However, in John’s vision, the end of the story is different: God resurrects his prophets (11).

Through Christ, we are citizens now of God’s kingdom, but our world is still affected by sin and darkness. We look forward to the great day when “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah” (15).

Revelation 10

“The mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets” (7). John’s visions brought hope to believers suffering under the Roman Empire’s oppression. Just as the “mystery of God” prophesied in the Old Testament was revealed at the right time in Jesus Christ, the church could trust that God would complete His work. The One who “lives for ever and ever” and created everything (6) cares about our world: “peoples, nations, languages, kings” (11).

The struggles and injustices of this world are not the end. One day, the mystery” already at work in us by faith - “Christ in you, the hope of glory” – will shine out over the entire earth.

Psalm 146

“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation” (v3). In every generation, confronted with challenges and conflicts, people are tempted to put their trust in charismatic individuals or in human plans for re- making the world. But the psalmist said, “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob” (v5). Rather than our own limited (or even misguided) efforts, we have the privilege of leaning on the Creator, who “executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry … sets the prisoners free” (v7-8).

Human self-salvation fails, and powerful leaders disappoint us. But we can wholly trust in our Lord who loves us perfectly and “keeps faith forever” (v6)

Jonah 3-4

“When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented ...” (3:10). When Nineveh’s king heard Jonah’s warning, he proclaimed a fast and called on God (3:9). God showed mercy, but to Jonah, “this seemed very wrong” and he was furiously angry (4:1,9). Jonah wanted God to be “gracious and compassionate” in his own case – rescuing him from the fish’s mouth – but not for the Ninevites (4:2-3). Yet God revealed his heart of concern for the thousands of people without knowledge of him (4:11).

God is “slow to anger and abounding in love” (4:2), even when we are not. He calls us to act as His sons and daughters by extending his love to those we consider undeserving

Jonah 1-2

“But Jonah ran away from the Lord ...” (1:3). Jonah the “anti-prophet” was called to preach to the great pagan city of Nineveh, but he ran away from God His presence on a ship caused a terrible storm, and the non-Israelite sailors demonstrated more faith than he did. Jonah was rebelling against God, but they tried to avoid throwing Jonah overboard and “cried out to the Lord” (14). Inside the fish, Jonah confronted his self-made disaster and cried out to the Lord himself (4-7).

“Salvation comes from the Lord” (2:9). Jonah needed the Lord as much as the “pagans” did. We must be convinced of our own need for God’s love and mercy before we can be a true light for others.