Revelation: The Song of the Lamb
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 15:1-8 Before each of the series of divine judgments on the earth, during the tribulation time, John describes a heavenly scene. The vision of heaven in chapters 4,5 precedes the judgments of the seven seals. The heavenly scene in Revelation 8:2-5 precedes the judgments of the seven trumpets. The bowl judgments will be described in chapter 16, but now, before those final judgments, there is another description of heaven. Beside a heavenly glass-like sea, "those who had conquered the beast" are gathered and they are singing a song (Rev...
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Revelation: The Perseverance of the Saints
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 14:9-20 In the middle of a biblical text about the dreadful wrath of God is a passage designed to be a great encouragement to Christians. Following a passage declaring the God's wrath "poured full strength into the cup of his anger" (Rev 14:10), we read about the "perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus" (Rev 14:12, LSB). The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is the idea that, having been changed at the deepest level of one's being by the Spirit of God, Christians "can neither totally nor finally fall...
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Revelation: The Eternal Gospel
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 13:11-18 A second beast appears in Revelation 13, "exercising all the authority of the first beast . . . and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast" (Rev 13:12). This beast is called the 'false prophet' in Revelation 16:13; 19:20; 20:10. This title suggests that he will bring a religious element to the kingdom of the antichrist. He will have the power to do supernatural acts (Rev 13:13-15). The combination of a political, militaristic leader and an ecumenical religious leader will be a potent force in galvanizing the...
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Revelation: A Call For Endurance
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 13:1-10 Much of the focus of Revelation is on what God will doing on the earth during the time of tribulation. The holy Judge will pour out His righteous justice on the inhabitants of the earth, in a series of horrendous, global judgments. In Revelation 12-14, however, the focus is on what Satan will be doing on the earth during the tribulation. Chapter 13 introduces us to two new figures … the antichrist (Rev 13:1-10) and the false prophet (Rev 13:11-18). Along with the devil, these three form a kind of unholy 'trinity'. The antichrist...
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Revelation: The Defeat of the Dragon
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading; Revelation 12:1-12 To this point in the book of Revelation, much of the focus has been on what God will be doing on the earth during the time of tribulation. God will pour out His holy justice on the inhabitants of the earth, in a series of horrendous, global judgments. In Revelation 12-14, the focus is on what Satan will be doing on the earth during the tribulation. In richly symbolic language, the events and activities of this chapter center around Satan and the people of Israel. Having been cast out of heaven, Satan has opposed the Israelites of old ......
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Revelation: And He Shall Reign Forever And Ever
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 11:15-19 In the middle of the horrendous judgments that John is describing in Revelation, he gives his readers a glorious preview of what will take place after God's justice has been fully meted out on the inhabitants of the earth. It is a foretaste of the coming kingdom of Christ, in His reign on this earth. In John's wondrous declaration, there is a stark contrast between the present kingdom of collective humanity and the future kingdom of the King of kings. "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall...
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Revelation: Prophets of God's Mercy
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 11:1-14 This chapter in Revelation is one of the places in the book in which the interpretive principles of the commentator show through very clearly. Over a century ago, Henry Alford, a reputable New Testament scholar and commentator, wrote that Revelation 11 is "undoubtably one of the most difficult [chapters] in the whole Apocalypse" … and "no solution has ever been given to this portion of the prophecy" (Alford, The Greek Testament, IV:655,658). The approach I have employed in our study of Revelation is to take words and phrases literally whenever it...
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Micah: From The Days Of Eternity
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Micah 5:1-5a There are many prophecies in the Old Testament regarding the coming of Jesus Christ in His first advent, beginning with a very early reference in Genesis 3:15. One of the wonderful predictions of the coming of Christ is found in Micah 5. Micah lived and wrote 700 years before Christ, during a time of rampant wickedness . . . idolatry (Mic 1:7), greed (2:2), thievery (2:2), injustice (3:2,3), falsehood (5:5), bloodshed (3:10). Micah sounds two great messages in this book . . . the consuming judgment of God, on one hand (1:3,4), and the...
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Revelation: Take and Eat
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 10:1-11 The context of this chapter is the interlude between the sounding of the sixth trumpet … in chapter 9 … and the sounding of the seventh trumpet … in the middle of chapter 11. As there was an interlude between the breaking and opening of the sixth and the seventh seals … Revelation 7 … so there is an interlude between the sounding of the sixth and seventh trumpets. These interludes have a literary function, at least, for the readers of this book … as they contemplate what has taken place … and anticipate what is coming in the unfolding...
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Revelation: They Still Did Not Repent
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 9:13-21 This passage contains another description of the horrors brought to humanity during the coming time of tribulation. The sounding of the sixth trumpet will bring the death of a third of the earth's population (Rev 9:18). Like the fifth trumpet, this judgment will be effected by a demonic host that will be released on the earth. The description of these beings, riding frightful horses points to the power they will possess and the lethal effect they will produce … heads like lions and tails like serpents. Whereas the judgment of the...
info_outlineScripture Reading: 2 Kings 14:23-29
Jeroboam II was the 14th king of the northern kingdom of Israel. He had a long reign of 41 years and enjoyed security, and even the expansion of his kingdom. It was the most prosperous time in the history of the northern kingdom.
2 Kings 14;23-29 tell us of the material success of Jeroboam II, while Amos and Hosea … prophets contemporary with him … tell us of the spiritual corruption of Israel during this time.
There was great expansion of territory under the rule of Jeroboam II (2 Kgs 14;25) and God saved the Israelites from its enemies (2 Kgs 14:26,27), but this was a display of divine grace because Jeroboam II "did what was evil in the sight of the LORD" (2 Kgs 14:24).
But beneath the surface of material success was a dark spiritual reality. The land was filled with lying, murder, theft, adultery, and oppression of the poor (Hos 4:1,2; Amos 4:1). The people had forgotten God's law (Hos 4:6) … and His omniscience and judgment (Hos 7:2) … and His steadfast love (Hos 11:1-4). Spiritually speaking, they were 'feeding on the wind.'
When we turn away from God, we replace Him with water that does not satisfy and bread that does not nourish. In His mercy God beckons to us "Listen diligently to me, and eat with is good" (Isa 55:2).