December 12, 2016
“You are lukewarm!” These words were given by Jesus to the apostle John to pass on to the church at Laodicea. The ruins of this ancient city are located in the Western part of modern day Turkey. It’s geographic location gives insight to the words of Jesus. Located in the fertile Lycus valley between the cities of Colossae and Hierapolis, the wealthy city of Laodicea was the financial headquarters for the whole area and the political center for the district. Yet, the city was dependent on external sources for water. The Laodiceans built aqueducts to carry water from the nearby hot springs at Hierapolis and the refreshing cold waters at Colossae, but by the time the water arrived at Laodicea it was “lukewarm.” The water from the hot springs of Hierapolis was known for its therapeutic value and the ice cold waters of Colossae, for its refreshing taste for drinking. But the water at Laodicea was good for neither. So, what was Jesus saying to the church at Laodicea when He accused them of being “lukewarm?” He was telling them that their works were useless, good for nothing, because they lacked spiritual power. This was not about their salvation, as some have suggested, but about their lack of spiritual zeal. They were depending on their own wealth and power to live. They thought themselves “rich,” but Jesus called them “poor” (Rev.3:17). A church that depends on worldly wealth and influence, rather than the Spirit’s power, is at risk of being “spit out” of Christ’s mouth! Today, there is no church nor city in Laodicea, only ruins.
December 11, 2016
The Lord is not an absentee creator. He is not merely a celestial clockmaker who fashioned the universe, wound it up and watches time pass from a distance. No, the Lord was active in making all things and continues to sustain all things. His creation was fashioned “ex nihilo” (“out of nothing”) by the power of His Word (“per verbum”). And He who “made” it, is he who still “calls” to it. His Word made it and His Word sustains and orchestrates it. Who is this “Word?” It is Jesus. As the author of Hebrews states, “In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:2-3). Maker, Sustainer, and Savior–– the Lord is his name!
December 10, 2016
God often calls preachers, prophets and kings from obscure places. The prophet Amos was a simple, shepherd living about twelve miles South of Jerusalem near the small town of Tekoa. He was a country boy, but God called him from the pasture to the palace to proclaim the Word of God before kings. Where did he get his message? The Scripture says, “he saw,” meaning he received his message in a vision from God. God still calls the small and the simple to proclaim His Word. He still calls country boys like Amos to preach to the countries of the world.
December 9, 2016
The prophet Joel wrote that “everyone” who calls upon the “name” of the Lord would be saved. His prophecy was first written to the Jewish people and he surely didn’t foresee that this ‘everyone” would one day include both Jew and Gentile alike. The apostle Paul quoted Joel to emphasize that this “everyone” made no distinction between race, only between hearts–– that believed (Rom.10:9-13). Yet, this “everyone” must be one “who calls on the name.” What is this “name?” The apostle Peter makes it clear in his first sermon preached at Pentecost when he declared, “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11-12). The “name” is “Jesus!”
December 8, 2016
The Old Testament prophets usually referred to Israel in the feminine. Hosea continued that tradition by beginning his book with references to Israel’s “harlotry,” even being called of God to take a “wife of harlotry” to illustrate the depth of Israel’s sin. But here, Hosea quoted the Lord calling Israel “my son.” Certainly, this passage must refer to Israel being led out of bondage in Egypt. Yet, the switch to the masculine signals something more. The apostle Matthew certainly thought so. For he quoted this verse as being fulfilled when Joseph carried Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod’s persecution and then brought him out after Herod’s death (Matt. 2:15). There are over 300 messianic prophecies in the Old Testament and Christ fulfilled every one.
December 7, 2016
There is an answer for the nation that is under God’s judgment: Return to the Lord and desire to know Him. God is faithful. If we repent and desire to know Him, He will restore us and reveal Himself to us, just as surely as the coming dawn. This is the antidote for the nation that has lost the “knowledge of God” (Hos.4:1). Let us pursue knowing our God and let us teach the nations about Him.
December 6, 2016
God gave the prophet Hosea a word of accusation and warning for the priests of Israel. He accused them of failing to fulfill their calling to know, believe and teach God’s Word. This failure affected the people, who were being “destroyed for lack of knowledge,” and the next generation of children who no longer knew God, nor His Word. Today, we are the “priests” (1 Peter 2:9). And we are responsible to know, believe and preach God’s Word. Where the people in our world are being destroyed and the children are being forgotten, isn’t it because we have yet to give them the knowledge of God?
December 5, 2016
Many search for the fountain of youth. Yet, eternal life is not found in a fountain, nor a serum or medical procedure. It is found in Christ alone. Eternal life is in the Son of God. He is the Son that was given “unto us” (Isa. 9:7). He is the “only begotten” that God has given (John 3:16). Do you wonder how to know whether you have eternal life? Do you have the Son? Have you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Got Jesus? Got life!
December 4, 2016
God gave Daniel great insight into the future, yet his understanding was only partial. No matter how much he studied these future prophecies, much was left cloudy for him. So, the Lord gave Daniel three insights on how to respond to His end times prophecies:
1) “Go your way.” In other words, get busy doing what I’ve called you to do in the present.
2) “You shall rest.” Physical death would come for Daniel long before the end. Death for the believer is not the end, but merely rest from physical labor. Daniel would not see all that God had revealed. He would rest (“sabbath”).
3) “You shall stand at the end.” God told Daniel that he would rise again at the end of days. This speaks of the bodily resurrection of the saints.
This instruction is good for today’s reader of prophecy too. We may not know all that the future holds, but we can know the One who holds the future.
December 3, 2016
One of the most amazing prophesies concerning the future of human kingdoms was given to Daniel. Written around 530 BC, God revealed the rise and fall of kingdoms from the time of Daniel to the end times. The three kings predicted to “arise” in Persia was fulfilled by the reigns of Cyrus, Cambyses, and Darius. The 4th and final king of Persia, the one “richer than all” before him, was fulfilled by Xerxes. As Daniel’s prophecy predicted over 200 years before it happened, Xerxes “stirred up” the Greeks which led to Persia being conquered by the “mighty king” (Dan. 11:3), Alexander the Great. The rest of the chapter goes on to describe kingdoms that have come and gone in the following centuries all the way up to the present and beyond. The Lord pulled back the veil of time to show Daniel the kingdoms to come before Christ would establish His everlasting kingdom. The future is in the Lord’s hands.