DAY 63, REVELATION 8-10

Good Morning!  My name is Chuck Lee and I was asked to give you a devotional thought from the book of Revelation, chapters 8-10.

KEY VERSE:

10:1  And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire.

REFLECTIONS:

In Rev. 8:1 we see the opening of the seventh seal which begins the sounding of the seven trumpets.  The first thing that we observe is the silence in heaven for about one half hour.  I think as the multitudes in heaven saw what was opening before them they were awestruck.  The trumpet judgments were so terrible that they were rendered dumb as the scene unfolded.  I'm not sure of the significance, but the first trumpet which involved hail and fire, also happened in Exodus 9:23-23 in the land of Egypt in Moses’ time.  In Moses’ day the waters of Egypt became blood which happened in the second trumpet.  Trumpets three and four involved physically the souring of the water and dimming of the heavenly luminaries.   Terrible visions are recounted by John as he describes the bottomless pit, locusts, and torment that mankind will be experiencing in the fifth trumpet’s sounding.  Rev. 9:6 tells that the suffering will be so great that men will seek death.   I remember the horrible suffering of the people after the planes flew into the World Trade Center towers.  The heat was so intense that many people chose to jump to certain death instead of suffering the fire.  Those who reject Christ as Savior won't have a chance to jump from the fires of eternal punishment.  After seeing the death and destruction, Rev 9:21 tells us that the men who remained still did not repent after seeing all that happened.  There is no hope for these. 

The angel in Rev 10:1 is thought by most commentators to be Christ.  His right foot was on the sea and left is on land which shows He has dominion over the land and sea, according to Matthew Henry.  We do not see the picture of the lamb here but the powerful lion.  At His first advent we see the sacrificial lamb.  This time He is the conquering lion and master of all He created.

APPLICATION:

In seeing Christ in all of His splendor I am happy to bow before Him now voluntarily instead of being forced to bow before Him in judgment.  His love compels me to worship Him.

Thank you for being a part of the 100 Day Challenge.  Thanks for reading, and you have a blessed day!

In Christ, Chuck

CHUCK LEE

SAVED:  age 10

FAVORITE BIBLE CHARACTER:  Joseph

FAMILY:  Married to Pat in 1968; 2 children, Dawna and Scott, and 4 granddaughters

OCCUPATION:  Retired

HOBBIES:  Woodworking

FAVORITE BOOK IN BIBLE:  I John and Ephesians

MINISTRY INVOLVEMENT AT VBC:  Treasurer

DAY 62, REVELATION 6-7

Good Morning! My name is Melanie Simpson and I was asked to give you a devotional thought from the book of Revelation, chapters 6 and 7. 

KEY VERSE:

7:12  Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

REFLECTIONS:

I was struck in chapter 6 how each of the four horsemen bid John to come and look.  It reminded me of how God wants us to pay attention in our lives to what He is doing.  We need to carefully see not only what he is doing in our lives, but in the lives of those around us.  God works greatly in the lives of his children and wants us to come and look.  If we were to take the time to meditate on what God is doing in our lives, we would act much like the angels described in 7:12.  The angels of the Lord see daily the workings of God, no matter how bleak a situation may seem.  Clearly, there is something for which to praise Him and we need to take notice.  When I take the time to look for God, I find myself shouting Hallelujah and Glory to God.

APPLICATION:

I am learning that when I take the time to “come and look,” I find reasons to shout praises to God. I hope that you too learn to see God in everything no matter how bleak your circumstances, because God is sending you help and providing joy.  Let’s seize the day and spend our time praising God as exemplified by the Angels of Revelation 7:12.  I know Pastor will find it a blessing if we start shouting “Amen!”

Thank you for being a part of the 100-Day Challenge.  Thanks for reading, and you have a blessed day!

In Christ, Melanie Simpson

NAME: Melanie Simpson

WHEN YOU GOT SAVED: 7 yrs old (Reassurance when I was 16)

FAVORITE BIBLE CHARACTER: Hannah

OCCUPATION: Math Teacher

HOBBIES: Knitting & Crocheting

FAVORITE BOOK IN BIBLE: Proverbs

DAY 61, REVELATION 3-5

Good Morning! My name is Jim Gordon and I was asked to give you a devotional thought from the book of Revelation, chapters 3-5.

KEY VERSE:   Revelation 5:9

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

REFLECTIONS:

The praise and worship of the singer is pure.  It is unlike that which goes by the name of worship in many Sunday morning church services.  In Heaven, all pretense and make-believe will be done away forever.   In that day we shall be perfect like Him whose praise we shall sing.  I have no idea what the language will be like.  But I know that the singing will be in unison in a language of Heaven that we all will understand.  One day I shall be in the company of a great multitude gathered out of every nation in the earth, and together we shall praise the Lamb who redeemed us by His blood.  The first expression of praise in heaven was on ground of creation. (Rev. 4:11); but this song celebrates the glorious work of redemption.  It is a worship service unprecedented in all history.  My wife and I have seen some great revivals in our time, but this will be the greatest!

APPLICATION:  

Those who read this are probably all saved.  But if not it is our hope that you might make your paths straight.  I hope that you would be saved now, and I sure would like for you to be there with me at that great revival in heaven.  It’s like the great song, What a Day That Will Be!

Thank you for being a part of the 100-Day Challenge.  Thanks for reading, and you have a blessed day!

In Christ,

Jim Gordon

NAME:  James E. Gordon

SAVED:  Spring Revival, 1948

FAVORITE BIBLE CHARACTERS:  Esther and Daniel
FAMILY:  Wife Jerry Sue; Children Kathy, Connie, Marla, Jim Jr.; 11 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren
OCCUPATION:  Retired
FAVORITE BOOK IN BIBLE:  Genesis, Daniel, Revelation
HOBBIES:  Gardening and hunting, fishing when I can
MINISTRY INVOLVEMENT AT VBC:  Whatever called on to do

DAY 60, REVELATION 1-2

Good morning my name is Patrick Wallace, and I was asked to give you a devotional from Revelation chapters 1 and 2.

KEY VERSES:  Revelation 1:1-2

1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

1:2  Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

REFLECTIONS:

While John was in prison on the isle of Patmos, he was not sitting around feeling sorry for himself, but was dwelling on the things of God.  While he was on the isle of Patmos, God transported him to heaven (4:1) to the wilderness (17:3) and he was able to see the contents of the book unfold before his eyes.  Then the angel came and said to get a pen and paper because he had some work to do!  John was to write all the things that he saw, so we could know important events of the end times, and be able to use them in our own testimony.

APPLICATION:

To be able to take this simple command that the angel gave John, “write it down,” and apply it to our lives today, all we must do is get a pen and paper and “write down the things that we have seen”. What visions or miracles of God have you seen?  Some may say they have never seen a miracle, but I ask you, was it not a miracle that God created you?  Was it not a miracle that God saved you?  Have you seen someone healed when doctors gave no hope?  If you are saved you have a testimony that you can write down.  So get to work, get it done, and any time you feel like Satan is binding you up and trying to put you in prison, just get out your own book of Revelations and marvel at the mighty things you have seen God do in your life and others around you.

Thank you for being part of the 100-Day Challenge.  Thanks for reading, and be blessed

In Christ, Patrick Wallace

NAME:  Patrick Wallace

SAVED:  Age 16, started getting right again at 26

FAVORITE BIBLE CHARACTER:  Paul

FAMILY:  Wife Linda; 3 children Kerri Stockman, Mike Wallace, Jennifer Cervik; 9 wonderful grandchildren

OCCUPATION:  Heavy equipment operator and life insurance agent

FAVORITE BOOK IN BIBLE:  Hebrews

HOBBIES:  Hunting, fishing in Canada

MINISTRY INVOLVEMENT AT VBC:  Praying for Pastor and anything else I feel God wants me to do; “Little Is Much if God Is in It.”

Introduction to Revelation

WRITER:  The Apostle John ( 1:1 )

DATE:  A.D. 96

THEME:  The theme of the Revelation is Jesus Christ (1:1), presented in a threefold way:

1. As to time: "which is, and which was, and which is to come"  (1:4);
2. As to relationships--the churches (1:9-3:22), to the tribulation (4:1-19:21), to the kingdom (20:1-22:21);
3. In His offices--High Priest (8:3-6), Bridegroom (19:7-9), King-Judge (20:1-15).

But while Christ is thus the central theme of the book, all of the events move toward one consummation, the bringing in of the covenanted kingdom.  The key-phrase is the prophetic declaration of the "great voices in heaven"  (Revelation 11:15), lit, "The world kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ has come."  The book is, therefore, a prophecy (Revelation 1:3).

The three major divisions of Revelation must be clearly held if the interpretation is to be sane and coherent. John was commanded to "write" concerning three classes of "things" ( Revelation 1:19 ):

1. Things past, "the things thou hast seen," i.e. the Patmos vision, 1:1-20.
2. Things present, "the things which are," i.e. things then existing--obviously the churches. The temple had been destroyed, the Jews dispersed: the testimony of God had been committed to the Churches ( 1 Timothy 3:15 ). Accordingly we have seven messages to seven representative churches, 2:1-3:22 . It is noteworthy that the church is not mentioned in chapters 5-18.
3. Things future, "things which shall be hereafter," lit. "after these," i.e. after the church period ends, 4:1-22:21. The third major division, as Erdman (W.J.) has pointed out, falls into a series of six sevens, with parenthetical passages, making, with the church division, seven sevens.

The six sevens are:

1. The seals, 4:1-8:1.
2. The seven trumpets, 8:2-11:19.
3. The seven personages, 12:1-14,20.
4. The seven vials (bowls), 15:1-16:21.
5. The seven dooms, 17:1-20:15.
6. The seven new things, 21:1-22:21.

The parenthetical passages are:

7. The Jewish remnant and the tribulation saints, 7:1-17.
8. The angel, the little book, the two witnesses, 10:1-11:14.
9. The Lamb, the Remnant, and the everlasting Gospel, 14:1-13.
10. The gathering of the kings at Armageddon, 16:13-16.
11. The four alleluias in heaven, 19:1-6. These passages do not advance the prophetic narrative. Looking backward and forward they sum up results accomplished, and speak of results yet to come as if they had already come. In Re14:1, for example, the Lamb and Remnant are seen prophetically on Mount Sion, though they are not actually there till Re20:4-6.

The end of the church period (2-3.) is left indeterminate. It will end by the fulfillment of 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 . Chapters 4-19 are believed to synchronize with Daniel's Seventieth Week ((See Scofield "Daniel 9:24). The great tribulation begins at the middle of the "week," and continues three and a half years ( Revelation 11:3-19:21 ). The tribulation is brought to an end by the appearing of the Lord and the battle of Armageddon ( Matthew 24:29, Matthew 24:30; Revelation 19:11-21 ). The kingdom follows (Revelation 20:4, Revelation 20:5); after this the "little season" ( Revelation 20:7-15 ), and then eternity.

Interpreters of the Revelation should bear in mind two important passages: 1 Peter 1:12 ; 2 Peter 1:202 Peter 1:21 . Doubtless much which is designedly obscure to us will be clear to those for whom it was written as the time approaches.

C. I. Scofield

Day 59, II and III John, Jude

Day 59, II and III John, Jude

Good Morning! My name is Dave Wilgus and I was asked to give you a devotional thought from the book of II and III John, and Jude.

Key Verses:

II John 8 – Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, [worked for], but that we receive a full reward.

III John 4 – I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Jude 21 – Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life [looking for that blessed hope].

Reflections:

Each of these epistles; II John, III John; and Jude, have several thoughts in common; they warn of false teachers who have crept into the fellowship of the body of believers, such as Demetrius in III John.  Then in each epistle the writer encourages us to love one another and prays that the readers admonish each other, as in III John the brethren exhorted Gaius.

Application:

It is no accident with God that any church body should increase in numerical or spiritual growth each year, when those in leadership love the Lord and do not become complacent to the duty to not lose the vision for the vast harvest of lost souls before us.  Therefore our spiritual growth will continue to thrive for the cause of Christ.

In Christ, Dave

NAME: Dave Wilgus

SAVED:  May of 1976

FAVORITE BIBLE CHARACTER:  John the Baptist

FAMILY:  Wife, Christine; Children – DJ, Amy, Rusty; 4 grandchildren

OCCUPATION:  Retired from Chrysler Corp.

FAVORITE BOOK IN BIBLE:  Psalms

MINISTRY INVOLVEMENT AT VBC:  Ministering at local nursing homes in Valparaiso community

INTRODUCTIONS TO 2 and 3 JOHN, JUDE

Introduction to 2 John

WRITER: The Apostle John.

DATE: Probably A.D. 90.

THEME: Second John gives the essentials of the personal walk of the believer in a day when "many deceivers are entered into the world" ( 2 John 1:7 ). The key phrase is "the truth," by which John means the body of revealed truth, the Scriptures. The Bible as the only authority for doctrine and life, is the believer's resource in a time of declension and apostasy.

The Epistle in three divisions:

1. The pathway of truth and love, vs. 1-6
2. The peril of unscriptural ways, vs. 7-11
3. Superscription, vs. 12,13

Introduction to 3 John

WRITER: The Apostle John.

DATE: Probably about A.D. 90.

THEME: The aged Apostle had written to a church which allowed one Diotrephes to exercise an authority common enough in later ages, but wholly new in the primitive churches. Diotrephes had rejected the apostolic letters and authority. It appears also that he had refused the ministry of the visiting brethren ( 3 John 1:10 ), and cast out those that had received them. Historically, this letter marks the beginning of that clerical and priestly assumption over the churches in which the primitive church order disappeared. This Epistle reveals, as well, the believer's resource in such a day. No longer writing as an apostle, but as an elder, John addresses this letter, not to the church as such, but to a faithful man in the church for the comfort and encouragement of those who were standing fast in the primitive simplicity. Second John conditions the personal walk of the Christian in a day of apostasy; Third John the personal responsibility in such a day of the believer as a member of the local church. The key-phrase is "the truth" (see 2 John, Introduction).

There are three divisions:

1. Personal greetings, vs. 1-4
2. Instructions concerning ministering brethren, vs. 5-8
3. The apostate leader and the good Demetrius, vs. 9-14

Introduction to Jude

WRITER: Jude, the brother of James ( Jude 1:1 )

DATE: Probably A.D. 66

THEME: It is not so much Jude who speaks, as the constraining Spirit ( Jude 1:3 ) and the theme is, "Contending for the faith" ( Luke 18:8 ), (See Scofield "Luke 18:8") . In this brief letter the apostasy (See Scofield " 2 Thessalonians 2:3 ") of the professing church is predicted, and the cause and course described. As in Second Timothy and Second Peter the apostasy is treated as having already set in.

The Epistle is in five divisions:

1. Introduction vs. 1,2
2. Occasion of the Epistle, vs. 3,4
3. Apostasy is possible, vs. 5-7
4. Apostate teachers described, vs. 8-19
5. The saints assured and comforted, vs. 20-25

C. I. Scofield