12/31/2017 DAB Transcript

Malachi 3:1-4:6, Revelations 22:1-21, Psalms 150:1-6, Proverbs 31:25-31

Today is the 31st day of December. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it’s an honor and a pleasure to be here with you on the last day of the year. So, I guess 364 days ago we started this journey this year and I’ll probably talk about that little bit the end. But first we should do what we’ve come to do, what we’ve been doing all year long, taking one step forward. And it has led us to this place where there’s only one step left. So, today we start a brand-new, shiny, sparkly week. Tomorrow we start a brand-new, shiny, sparkly year. And right now, we will conclude our reading of the Bible for this year. We’ll read from the New International Version this week. Malachi chapter 3 verse 1 through 4 verse 6.

Commentary:

This concludes the Bible. And this concludes 12 years, seven days a week, that we’ve taken this journey together. And man, at least the last five years, probably longer, every time I’m reading the last reading of the year, I’m, like, I’m having to shut the mic off because I’m tearing up…just the monumental privilege of reading God’s word out loud…and just reflecting back over the year…and God’s faithfulness through it all just humbles me to tears. And, as I reflect back on this year, man, there have been some significant challenges. I’m sure that’s true for all of us. And some really significant joys. I lost several people that I loved very much last year, in 2016, and lost my mom this year, 2017. And, ironically, our journey through the book of Revelation this year was quite encouraging. I mean, I think it’s clear that we don’t know all that we think we know, but I think that it’s clear, those who endure and stay true will be with God. And I think that’s, literally, true. And I long for a time when there are no more goodbyes and there is no more death and I do believe that will happen.

So, we, speaking of goodbyes, are saying goodbye to the year 2017. And we will go on together into the new year. And I thank you for the privilege of being able to serve you like this. This is a beautiful thing that we have inside this community. And we shouldn’t take what we’ve experienced together for granted. It’s been a joy to move our way step-by-step, day-by-day, all the way to this point. And we’ve taken that final step and we’ve completed the entire Bible. And for some of you, this is the first time all the way through and for others it’s like your 50th time all the way through. It just…it just doesn’t get old because it continues to speak into our lives right where we are. And there’s always something new. The Bible truly is a gift and I’m grateful that we could share in that gift together this year. And I love this family more than I ever have, because, like all of us, when I’ve felt alone this community gives living proof that is not so. And, so I thank you for that.

Prayer:

And, so, having said all of that. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May He lift up his countenance on you and give you peace. May the strength of God go with you. May the wisdom of God instruct you. May the hand of God protect you. May the word of God direct you. May you be sealed in Christ this day and forevermore. Amen.

And I leave you with the final words in the New Testament. ‘The goodwill of the Lord Jesus be with all of you.’ Amen.

I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here next year.

Song:

Mister Mr. – The Border

We, we must go on now, wherever people go who go on together

And now, try to hold on now, too many of us have run, run out of the circle


Can you hear me, are you breathing

I need you near me, no I’m not leaving

I’m in no hurry to do this alone

I am standing here with my arms open wide

I am waiting here, heart in my hand on the border

Dreams, dreams may seduce you

But sooner or later they’re gone and you’re back where you started

Oh look, look at these scars now

How many wounds does it take before we are healing

Can we go on now, from what we have done now

Yes we must go on, our questions unanswered

I know what we’re after is right here in our hands

I am standing here with my arms open wide

I keep waiting here, heart in my hand on the border

And every step we take gives us the strength to go on

And all the love we make gets us closer to home

I can see it all so clearly now, I can hear your voice in a song

And it burns down inside my soul, it takes me down this winding road

We can find our way back home

We, we must go on now, wherever people go who go on together

Oh, standing here with my arms open wide

And I keep waiting here, on the borderline

And every step we take gives us the strength to go on

And all the love we make gets us closer to home

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday December 31, 2017 (NIV)

Malachi 3-4

“I will send my messenger,(A) who will prepare the way before me.(B) Then suddenly the Lord(C) you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant,(D) whom you desire,(E) will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

But who can endure(F) the day of his coming?(G) Who can stand(H) when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire(I) or a launderer’s soap.(J) He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;(K) he will purify(L) the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.(M) Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,(N) and the offerings(O) of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.(P)

“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers,(Q) adulterers(R) and perjurers,(S) against those who defraud laborers of their wages,(T) who oppress the widows(U) and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners(V) among you of justice, but do not fear(W) me,” says the Lord Almighty.

Breaking Covenant by Withholding Tithes

“I the Lord do not change.(X) So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.(Y) Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away(Z) from my decrees and have not kept them. Return(AA) to me, and I will return to you,”(AB) says the Lord Almighty.

“But you ask,(AC) ‘How are we to return?’

“Will a mere mortal rob(AD) God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes(AE) and offerings. You are under a curse(AF)—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe(AG) into the storehouse,(AH) that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates(AI) of heaven and pour out(AJ) so much blessing(AK) that there will not be room enough to store it.(AL) 11 I will prevent pests from devouring(AM) your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,(AN)” says the Lord Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed,(AO) for yours will be a delightful land,”(AP) says the Lord Almighty.(AQ)

Israel Speaks Arrogantly Against God

13 “You have spoken arrogantly(AR) against me,” says the Lord.

“Yet you ask,(AS) ‘What have we said against you?’

14 “You have said, ‘It is futile(AT) to serve(AU) God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements(AV) and going about like mourners(AW) before the Lord Almighty? 15 But now we call the arrogant(AX) blessed. Certainly evildoers(AY) prosper,(AZ) and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.’”

The Faithful Remnant

16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard.(BA) A scroll(BB) of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared(BC) the Lord and honored his name.

17 “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my(BD) treasured possession.(BE) I will spare(BF) them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son(BG) who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous(BH) and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.(BI)

Judgment and Covenant Renewal

[a]“Surely the day is coming;(BJ) it will burn like a furnace.(BK) All the arrogant(BL) and every evildoer will be stubble,(BM) and the day that is coming will set them on fire,(BN)” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch(BO) will be left to them. But for you who revere my name,(BP) the sun of righteousness(BQ) will rise with healing(BR) in its rays. And you will go out and frolic(BS) like well-fed calves. Then you will trample(BT) on the wicked; they will be ashes(BU) under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

“Remember the law(BV) of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb(BW) for all Israel.(BX)

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah(BY) to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.(BZ) He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children,(CA) and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike(CB) the land with total destruction.”(CC)

Footnotes:

  1. Malachi 4:1 In Hebrew texts 4:1-6 is numbered 3:19-24.

Cross references:

  1. Malachi 3:1 : S Nu 27:21; S 2Ch 36:15
  2. Malachi 3:1 : S Isa 40:3; S Mt 3:3; 11:10*; Mk 1:2*; Lk 7:27*
  3. Malachi 3:1 : Mic 5:2
  4. Malachi 3:1 : S Isa 42:6
  5. Malachi 3:1 : S 1Sa 9:20
  6. Malachi 3:2 : S Eze 22:14; Rev 6:17
  7. Malachi 3:2 : S Eze 7:7; S Da 7:13; S Joel 2:31; S Mt 16:27; Jas 5:8; 2Pe 3:4; S Rev 1:7
  8. Malachi 3:2 : S 1Sa 6:20
  9. Malachi 3:2 : S Isa 1:31; S 30:30; S Zec 13:9; Mt 3:10-12
  10. Malachi 3:2 : S Job 9:30
  11. Malachi 3:3 : S Da 12:10; S 1Co 3:13
  12. Malachi 3:3 : S 1Ch 23:28; S Isa 1:25
  13. Malachi 3:3 : S Job 28:1; S Ps 12:6; 1Pe 1:7; Rev 3:18
  14. Malachi 3:3 : S Ps 132:9
  15. Malachi 3:4 : 2Ch 7:12; Ps 51:19; Mal 1:11
  16. Malachi 3:4 : S 2Ch 7:3; S Eze 20:40
  17. Malachi 3:5 : S Ex 7:11; S Isa 47:9
  18. Malachi 3:5 : Ex 20:14; Jas 2:11; 2Pe 2:12-14
  19. Malachi 3:5 : Lev 19:11-12; S Jer 7:9
  20. Malachi 3:5 : S Lev 19:13; Jas 5:4
  21. Malachi 3:5 : S Ex 22:22
  22. Malachi 3:5 : S Ex 22:21; S Dt 24:19; S Eze 22:7
  23. Malachi 3:5 : S Dt 31:12; S Isa 1:2
  24. Malachi 3:6 : S Nu 23:19; S Heb 7:21; Jas 1:17
  25. Malachi 3:6 : S Job 34:15; S Hos 11:9
  26. Malachi 3:7 : S Ex 32:8; S Jer 7:26; Ac 7:51
  27. Malachi 3:7 : S Isa 44:22; S Eze 18:32
  28. Malachi 3:7 : S Zec 1:3; Jas 4:8
  29. Malachi 3:7 : S Mal 1:2
  30. Malachi 3:8 : S Zec 5:3
  31. Malachi 3:8 : S Lev 27:30; Nu 18:21; S Ne 13:10-12; Lk 18:12
  32. Malachi 3:9 : S Dt 11:26; 28:15-68; S Zec 5:3
  33. Malachi 3:10 : S Ex 22:29
  34. Malachi 3:10 : S Ne 13:12
  35. Malachi 3:10 : S 2Ki 7:2
  36. Malachi 3:10 : Isa 44:3
  37. Malachi 3:10 : S Lev 25:21; S Joel 2:14; 2Co 9:8-11
  38. Malachi 3:10 : S Joel 2:24
  39. Malachi 3:11 : S Ex 10:15; S Dt 28:39
  40. Malachi 3:11 : S Ex 23:26
  41. Malachi 3:12 : S Dt 28:3-12; Isa 61:9
  42. Malachi 3:12 : S Isa 62:4; S Eze 20:6
  43. Malachi 3:12 : S 2Ch 31:10
  44. Malachi 3:13 : Mal 2:17
  45. Malachi 3:13 : S Mal 1:2
  46. Malachi 3:14 : Ps 73:13; S Isa 57:10
  47. Malachi 3:14 : Ps 100:2; Jn 12:26; Ro 12:11
  48. Malachi 3:14 : S Jos 22:5; S Isa 1:14
  49. Malachi 3:14 : Isa 58:3
  50. Malachi 3:15 : S Ps 119:21
  51. Malachi 3:15 : Ps 14:1; 36:1-2; Jer 7:10
  52. Malachi 3:15 : S Job 21:7
  53. Malachi 3:16 : S Ps 34:15
  54. Malachi 3:16 : S Ex 32:32; S Ps 56:8; S 87:6; S Lk 10:20
  55. Malachi 3:16 : S Dt 28:58; S 31:12; Ps 33:18; S Pr 1:7; Rev 11:18
  56. Malachi 3:17 : Isa 43:21
  57. Malachi 3:17 : S Ex 8:22; S Dt 7:6; S Ro 8:14; S Tit 2:14
  58. Malachi 3:17 : Ne 13:22; Ps 103:13; Isa 26:20; Lk 15:1-32
  59. Malachi 3:17 : Ro 8:32
  60. Malachi 3:18 : S Ge 18:25
  61. Malachi 3:18 : Dt 32:4; Mt 25:32-33, 41
  62. Malachi 4:1 : S Da 7:13; S Joel 2:31; Mt 11:14; Ac 2:20
  63. Malachi 4:1 : S Isa 31:9
  64. Malachi 4:1 : S Isa 2:12
  65. Malachi 4:1 : S Isa 5:24; S Na 1:10
  66. Malachi 4:1 : S Isa 1:31
  67. Malachi 4:1 : S 2Ki 10:11; S Eze 17:8; S Mt 3:10
  68. Malachi 4:2 : S Dt 28:58; Ps 61:5; 111:9; Rev 14:1
  69. Malachi 4:2 : S Ps 118:27; S Isa 9:2; S 45:8; Lk 1:78; Eph 5:14
  70. Malachi 4:2 : S 2Ch 7:14; S Isa 30:26; S Mt 4:23; Rev 22:2
  71. Malachi 4:2 : S Isa 35:6
  72. Malachi 4:3 : S Job 40:12; Ps 18:40-42
  73. Malachi 4:3 : Eze 28:18
  74. Malachi 4:4 : S Dt 28:61; S Ps 147:19; Mt 5:17; 7:12; Ro 2:13; 4:15; Gal 3:24
  75. Malachi 4:4 : S Ex 3:1
  76. Malachi 4:4 : S Ex 20:1
  77. Malachi 4:5 : S 1Ki 17:1; S Mt 11:14; 16:14
  78. Malachi 4:5 : S Joel 2:31
  79. Malachi 4:6 : Lk 1:17
  80. Malachi 4:6 : S Isa 11:4; Rev 19:15
  81. Malachi 4:6 : S Dt 11:26; S 13:15; S Jos 6:17; S 23:15; S Zec 5:3
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Revelation 22

Eden Restored

22 Then the angel showed me the river(A) of the water of life,(B) as clear as crystal,(C) flowing(D) from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life,(E) bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.(F) No longer will there be any curse.(G) The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.(H) They will see his face,(I) and his name will be on their foreheads.(J) There will be no more night.(K) They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.(L) And they will reign for ever and ever.(M)

John and the Angel

The angel said to me,(N) “These words are trustworthy and true.(O) The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets,(P) sent his angel(Q) to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”

“Look, I am coming soon!(R) Blessed(S) is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”(T)

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things.(U) And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet(V) of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll.(W) Worship God!”(X)

10 Then he told me, “Do not seal up(Y) the words of the prophecy of this scroll,(Z) because the time is near.(AA) 11 Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”(AB)

Epilogue: Invitation and Warning

12 “Look, I am coming soon!(AC) My reward is with me,(AD) and I will give to each person according to what they have done.(AE) 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega,(AF) the First and the Last,(AG) the Beginning and the End.(AH)

14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes,(AI) that they may have the right to the tree of life(AJ) and may go through the gates(AK) into the city.(AL) 15 Outside(AM) are the dogs,(AN) those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16 “I, Jesus,(AO) have sent my angel(AP) to give you[a] this testimony for the churches.(AQ) I am the Root(AR) and the Offspring of David,(AS) and the bright Morning Star.”(AT)

17 The Spirit(AU) and the bride(AV) say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.(AW)

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll:(AX) If anyone adds anything to them,(AY) God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll.(AZ) 19 And if anyone takes words away(BA) from this scroll of prophecy,(BB) God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life(BC) and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

20 He who testifies to these things(BD) says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”(BE)

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.(BF)

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people.(BG) Amen.

Footnotes:

  1. Revelation 22:16 The Greek is plural.

Cross references:

  1. Revelation 22:1 : Ps 36:8; 46:4
  2. Revelation 22:1 : ver 17; S Jn 4:10
  3. Revelation 22:1 : Rev 4:6
  4. Revelation 22:1 : Eze 47:1; Zec 14:8
  5. Revelation 22:2 : S Rev 2:7
  6. Revelation 22:2 : Eze 47:12
  7. Revelation 22:3 : Zec 14:11
  8. Revelation 22:3 : Rev 7:15
  9. Revelation 22:4 : S Mt 5:8
  10. Revelation 22:4 : S Rev 7:3
  11. Revelation 22:5 : Rev 21:25; Zec 14:7
  12. Revelation 22:5 : Isa 60:19, 20; Rev 21:23
  13. Revelation 22:5 : Da 7:27; Rev 20:4
  14. Revelation 22:6 : Rev 1:1
  15. Revelation 22:6 : Rev 21:5
  16. Revelation 22:6 : 1Co 14:32; Heb 12:9
  17. Revelation 22:6 : ver 16; Rev 1:1
  18. Revelation 22:7 : ver 12, 20; S Mt 16:27
  19. Revelation 22:7 : Rev 1:3; 16:15
  20. Revelation 22:7 : ver 10, 18, 19
  21. Revelation 22:8 : S Rev 1:1
  22. Revelation 22:8 : Rev 19:10
  23. Revelation 22:9 : ver 10, 18, 19
  24. Revelation 22:9 : Rev 19:10
  25. Revelation 22:10 : Da 8:26; Rev 10:4
  26. Revelation 22:10 : ver 7, 18, 19
  27. Revelation 22:10 : S Ro 13:11
  28. Revelation 22:11 : Eze 3:27; Da 12:10
  29. Revelation 22:12 : ver 7, 20; S Mt 16:27
  30. Revelation 22:12 : Isa 40:10; 62:11
  31. Revelation 22:12 : S Mt 16:27
  32. Revelation 22:13 : Rev 1:8
  33. Revelation 22:13 : S Rev 1:17
  34. Revelation 22:13 : Rev 21:6
  35. Revelation 22:14 : Rev 7:14
  36. Revelation 22:14 : S Rev 2:7
  37. Revelation 22:14 : S Rev 21:12
  38. Revelation 22:14 : S Rev 21:27
  39. Revelation 22:15 : Dt 23:18; 1Co 6:9, 10; Gal 5:19-21; Col 3:5, 6; Rev 21:8
  40. Revelation 22:15 : Php 3:2
  41. Revelation 22:16 : Rev 1:1
  42. Revelation 22:16 : ver 6
  43. Revelation 22:16 : Rev 1:4
  44. Revelation 22:16 : S Rev 5:5
  45. Revelation 22:16 : S Mt 1:1
  46. Revelation 22:16 : 2Pe 1:19; Rev 2:28
  47. Revelation 22:17 : Rev 2:7; 14:13
  48. Revelation 22:17 : S Rev 19:7
  49. Revelation 22:17 : S Jn 4:10
  50. Revelation 22:18 : ver 7, 10, 19
  51. Revelation 22:18 : Dt 4:2; 12:32; Pr 30:6
  52. Revelation 22:18 : Rev 15:6-16:21
  53. Revelation 22:19 : Dt 4:2; 12:32; Pr 30:6
  54. Revelation 22:19 : ver 7, 10, 18
  55. Revelation 22:19 : S Rev 2:7
  56. Revelation 22:20 : Rev 1:2
  57. Revelation 22:20 : ver 7, 12; S Mt 16:27
  58. Revelation 22:20 : 1Co 16:22
  59. Revelation 22:21 : S Ro 16:20
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Psalm 150

Psalm 150

Praise the Lord.[a](A)

Praise God in his sanctuary;(B)
praise him in his mighty heavens.(C)
Praise him for his acts of power;(D)
praise him for his surpassing greatness.(E)
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,(F)
praise him with the harp and lyre,(G)
praise him with timbrel and dancing,(H)
praise him with the strings(I) and pipe,(J)
praise him with the clash of cymbals,(K)
praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything(L) that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 150:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 6
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Proverbs 31:25-31

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.(A)
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise(B) at the city gate.

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

12/30/2017 DAB Transcript

Malachi 1:1-2:17, Revelations 21:1-27, Psalms 149:1-9, Proverbs 31:10-24

Today is the 30th day of December. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It is great to be here with you for the final two days of the year. I guess we can’t get much closer, just one day closer. So, we don’t have much territory to cover before the end of the year, but we do have some. And in the Old Testament, we have reached the final book, the book of Malachi.

Malachi:

The book of Malachi is that the final of what is known as the 12 Minor Prophets and it happens to be the last book of the Old Testament. And it will be 400 years from the end of Malachi before God sends another prophet, John the Baptist. Of course, a lot of things happen in those 400 years. And there’s all kinds of writings from those 400 years, but it will be 400 years until John the Baptist.  So, in the book of Malachi, as with all the other prophets, God’s central message is clear - come back, return to me, coupled with the promise of restoration. In Malachi’s case, he’s also speaking to the priests who have simply begun to not take the law seriously. For example, the Mosaic law required sacrifices that were pure and spotless, but the priests have begun using blemished and blind animals. Throughout the culture men had begun treating the wives of their youth disrespectfully and still expected God to accept their sacrifices. And on and on it goes. Same story, different writer, different book. Of course, the parallels are striking, and it doesn’t take a degree in theology to apply the circumstances to our culture today into our own lives. God isn’t pleased when we disobey Him. That is only leading us off the narrow path that leads to life and toward our own destruction. And that isn’t because he’s a self-absorbed tyrant. It’s because he knows what is best, how we’re made, he knows what is right for us. And He is right and best for us in all circumstances. And, so, we will conclude the Old Testament with an oracle of the Lord spoken through His servant Malachi. Turn back. Turn back to God. And, so, we begin. Malachi chapter 1 verse 1 through 2:17.

Commentary:

Okay, so it’s no secret that tomorrow is the last day of the year. So, obviously, we have come down to the final readings in the Bible, which means we have also come down to the final readings in the book of Revelation that we’ve been diving into this year. And in today’s reading we kind of turn the corner. What began as seven letters to seven churches turned into seven trumpets and seven bowls. And we spent a lot of time with a lot of disruption. And we’ve looked at many views from many angles that eventually led us to do the great white throne of God and the final judgment. And we passed through that yesterday in our reading. Now we get a picture of all things being made new and the imagery is riveting. And as we’ve gone through the book of Revelation, we’ve looked figuratively and we’ve looked literally in an attempt, simply to get behind all of the things that have been said about the book of Revelation, to try to get insight on what’s being said. So, we have to look at all things being made new from the same perspective as we prepare to end the book of Revelation and the Bible. So, let’s look literally at what we read today while doing what we’ve been doing all along, asking ourselves, is this literal? Is this a literal thing that’s being said or is this a figurative thing that’s being said that represents something bigger that can’t be said? So, after the great white throne judgment that we read about yesterday, we are greeted with the fact that a new heaven and a new earth have appeared. So, we need to stop and think about that literally. A new heaven and a new earth, which would tell us that our ultimate destination is earth, just, apparently, not this one. In the new earth there is no sea. The sea was gone. So, clearly that would be a very different earth. What we don’t know is if John is referring to, like, the Mediterranean Sea will be gone and how would that work? But if we just assume that there are no oceans than a very different earth. And on this new earth John sees the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven to earth dressed like a bride ready for her husband. And a loud voice from the throne said, God lives with humans, God will make His home with them and they will be His people. And God Himself will be with them and be their God and He will wipe every tear from their eyes. And there won’t be any more death and there won’t be any more grief or crying or pain, because the first things have disappeared. So, on this new earth that has no oceans, God plans to actually dwell with people. And as this is happening, the one sitting on the throne says, I’m making everything new. I’m the first and the last. I’m the beginning and the end. And I’ll give a drink from the fountain filled with the water of life to anyone who is thirsty. It’s not going to cost anything. Everyone who wins the victory will inherit these things. I’ll be their God. They’ll be my children. And then He says, you know, cowardly, unfaithful, detestable, all of the people that have been judged earlier, they don’t get to go into this new rest. And then, continuing literally, one of the seven angels that had one of the seven bowls that were poured out on the earth at the end with the seven plagues came to John and said, come I’m going to show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And, so, John is carried by the angel’s power to a high mountain where he sees this new holy city, Jerusalem, coming from God out of heaven. And it’s, obviously, ornate with gates and jewels and angels and inscriptions. The names of the 12 tribes of Israel are on the 12 gates. There are 12 foundations and each foundation has the name of one of the 12 apostles of the Lamb written on it. And it’s coming down from heaven to earth. And it gets measured. And it’s a cube. It’s a big cube coming down out of heaven that is a cubed city coming down-to-earth. And it’s measured. And its measurements are 12,000 stadia long, wide, and high. And 12,000 stadia equates to about 1600 miles or almost 2600 km. And, so, from literal perspective, somehow this this will work. The atmosphere of this new earth must be different because on the earth that we currently live on, I mean, if we just get 60 miles up, we’re kind of in outer space. So, 1600 miles tall would be way out there in outer space. And the angel is telling John that this 1600 mile cube coming out of the sky down-to-earth is the bride. And there is no temple in this this new city because God himself and the Lamb are the temple. And the city doesn’t need any exterior light like the sun or the moon because the glory of God illuminates it. And apparently, because it has gates, you can go in and out of it. And Revelation says, the nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. So, you can go in and out of it, or at least some people can. And its gates never close. It’s open all day. They don’t close because there isn’t any more night. So, it never gets dark outside. And everyone who had passed through the great judgment and their names were found in the book of life, the Lamb’s book of life, would be able to go into the city. So, that’s kind of a literal look at what we read today. If we’re looking at this figuratively then there are a plethora of nuances, but indeed a new heaven and a new earth are established. But this doesn’t necessarily mean different planets. So, the idea of first and second or old and new are used throughout the Bible, So, like, you have an old covenant, a new covenant, a first Adam, a second Adam. Or language like, the latter will be greater than the former. And this is usually indicating the impermanence of the first and the permanence of the second. So, this second earth, this new earth certainly could be at a different planet, but from a figurative perspective, it would be a restored one, one in which evil does not exist, where pollution is gone, where corrupt political systems of governance do not exist, one in which the presence of God is immediate and tangible. Basically, an existence that is restored to shalom, where nothing is broken and nothing is lost. All has been restored to perfection. There are no more goodbyes. One in which death does not exist and God wipes every tear from our eyes. One in which there is no grief or crying or pain because those things do not exist anymore. This picture comes from the book of Isaiah, where it is said there will be a new heaven and new earth, and they will by no means remember the former. So, looking at that figuratively, the struggle to survive in a dark world while trying to remain true to Jesus unto death, that’s over. That will never happen again. But when we did read about this new earth, literally, we found that it has no sea. So, there are no oceans. From a figurative view, scholars just simply look at how this the sea was referenced in the rest of the book. So, it was seen as the origin of cosmic evil. It was referenced as the place of the unbelieving rebellious nations who attacked and tried to stamp out God’s people. It was referenced as the place of the dead. It was referenced as the seat of the world’s idolatry and evil trade activity. So, figuratively, those things aren’t a part of this new earth. So, sticking with this figurative view of the sea then, that means that on this new earth there is no longer a threat from Satan or darkness or evil. Those have been permanently judged. They can never be a part of the new creation and there won’t be any threat from political, or corrupt, rebellious nations. They’ve suffered the same fate is the devil. There won’t be any more death. So, there is no reason to have a place of the dead. And even the fear of the ocean itself as kind of a dark, murky, unpredictable place will be over. And this new city has 12 gates, each named after one of the 12 tribes of Israel with the foundation having 12 foundations, each having the names of the apostles, which would figuratively, basically, represent the completeness of God’s redemptive plan, that all who are within this city are essentially the true Israel, which is not an ethnic thing. And it’s not the structure itself, this 1600 mile cube, that is going to somehow, this cube that isn’t alive is going to somehow become a bride. It’s everyone within that sphere. And this is thought to be true because God uses marriage as a metaphor for His covenant with His people all throughout the Bible, even in devastatingly, heartbreaking ways. So, God is probably not interested in being in a covenant relationship with the literal structure. Rather, He wants union with his people - loyalty, allegiance and perfect intimacy. And God’s saying that He is the Alpha and Omega isn’t, you know, the Lord saying that He is two letters in an alphabet. It is to say that He is the beginning and the end. Right? So, we see that very clearly as a figure of speech. So, figuratively. But He’s saying it as a way of reassurance, that he called creation into being at the beginning and has remained sovereign. So, we can be assured that all things will be made new because He is the beginning and end of it all. And those who win the victory or those who overcome or are overcommers will inherit all of this. And as we’ve seen from one of the main themes of this book that we talked about several times, an overcomer is the one who endures through whatever until the end. And what we inherit is union and communion with God and all of the essentials that we need for an abundant life in his family are available. And it’s been pointed out that the look of this new Jerusalem, the way that is constructed with all of the precious stones, remarkably parallels the description of the great whore of Babylon. Right? So, on the one hand, John is told, come I will show you the judgment of the great whore and then he’s told, come, I will show you the bride. So, figuratively throughout this book Babylon was the dark, evil, world system consolidated into a city name. So, those who look at this figuratively would say the same thing is happening here. One was an attempt to dominate and demand worship and it was full of the world’s people who went along with that. The other is true and is full of those who remained true. And we talked about that a lot when we were talking about the judgment of Babylon. But in terms of looking at this new city figuratively and not as a structure, the allusions go to other parts of the Scripture that are used figuratively. For example, when Jesus is referred to as the cornerstone that the builders rejected. Well, I don’t think anybody thinks Jesus is a piece of rock, is a stone. That would be figurative language. Or when Peter says, in his first letter, that we as believers are precious living stones. We can take that figuratively, pretty easily, because no one thinks that their destiny, ultimately, is to become a stone. And, so, that’s why these things are seen figuratively, in terms of this new city. And there won’t be a temple in this new city. So, if the city isn’t about the structure of the city, but about the people within it, then perhaps there isn’t a third temple to be built. But that is hotly debated. But figuratively, the temple always represented the presence of God. Before there was a temple there was a tabernacle that represented the presence of God. So, in this new creation there’s no need for that. The presence of God is everywhere and is not hindered or impeded in any way. And what about the dimensions of this new city. I mean I said it was like 1600 miles, like, 15 or 1600 miles, I think, like,  7 million feet tall. So, an obviously amazing structure, but in Revelation it’s described as 12,000 stadia. And the number 12 is symbolic throughout the Bible. Right? So, there’s 12 tribes of Israel. There’s 12 apostles in this new city. There’s 12 angels at 12 gates. Earlier in Revelation there were 12,000 people from 12 tribes of Israel that made up 144,000. There were 12 precious stones in the breastplate of the priest. And we could go on and on. Many scholars affirm that the number 12 is a number signifying authority and completeness. So, when applied figuratively to the new Jerusalem, it would represent the entire family of God, as opposed to a cubed city. So, there are a couple of ways of looking at what we’ve read today. And, as with everything that we’ve talked about in the book of Revelation, this is just the tip of the iceberg. But man, man, no matter whether this is literal or figurative or whatever this is going to look like, this is the  unimpeded presence of God with no distractions in a world where evil does not exist and perfect union with God is completely normal. It’s a picture of how things were always supposed to be for us. And it’s a promise that all things will be made new. And if there’s one thing that I’m certain of in my life, it is that I want to be there. I want to stay true. I want to see all this and I’m sure in the end it will be completely different than I might imagine or that any of us might imagine, but what I want, more than anything, is that first moment of pure ecstasy of the full presence of God, followed by the awareness that it never ends. Don’t you? And we can all be there. We can all overcome. And we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. We get there by realizing that the end of what we think we know isn’t the end of anything. It is only the beginning.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for these pictures that describe what is beyond comprehension. And we take the book of Revelation for what it is, a promise. And we invite Your Holy Spirit to come, seal us in Christ, that we might endure whatever comes our way, whatever time we’re in. Come, Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudibiible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find what’s going on around here. And what’s going on around here is we’re about to switch into a new year. Tomorrow is the last day and we will complete this revolution through the Bible. And I hope that it has caused revolution in your life as it has for me, as it does for me every year.

And one of the ways that we’re going into the new year is with the new Daily Audio Bible app that I’ve been mentioning most days, just kind of getting us all migrated over. The new Daily Audio Bible app is free. So, you can tell everyone that you know. All you have to do is go to the Google Play store or the Apple App store and search for ‘Daily Audio Bible mobile app’. We have a couple of apps. We have our current app and we have the new one. The new ones called ‘Daily Audio Bible mobile app’. So, make sure you download it and get ready for the next revolution through the Scriptures.

Also want to remind you that the early registration pricing for the More Gathering, which is coming up this April, is available through the end of the year, which is tomorrow. So, be sure to check that out. If it’s something that’s been on your mind or on your heart, just go to moregathering.com or you can find all the information at dailyaudiobible.com in the Initiatives section.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible here in the last moments of the year 2017, then thank you. I mean, profoundly and humbly, thank you. There is a link on the homepage of dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the new Daily Audio Bible app, just press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner. If you prefer the mail, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Happy New Year everyone. This is Christi from Kentucky. I wanted to give you an update on Andrew, who, my nephew, who had stage 4 kidney failure. He is out of the hospital now and the pneumonia has compromised his lungs a little and he’s not behaving by staying inside out of this cold weather, but he is improving. And Kerri is out of ICU with a collapsed lung. And she has been taken to a private room and she is improving. Thank you. Thank you so much for your faithfulness to pray. I love you guys so very much. Annette, from Oklahoma, you know girl how much I love you, and I just wanted to tell everyone on DAB just a testimony of Christmas day. So very, very hard. Tim and I were here alone and we had no visitors and it was so hard that day. It was…I was in such a dark place. The hardest day that we’ve had since we lost mom and dad. In one year in my life…in our lives have just changed tremendously. And Annette, you came onto Facebook and you did a video and she was just speaking and just to see her beautiful face and hear her voice, which always cheers me up. I know it does to everyone. But she actually was talking about those people that were alone and she mentioned us. And Annette, you know, you know how much that just blessed us. It took this girl that was in a very dark place that day and shed light on her life again. And I thank you. I thank you sister. God bless you. Guys, we need one another. And I just praise God for this community. I love you all so very much and hope each of you are having a most blessed and lovely day. I’ll hit that prayer wall up soon. God bless you.  

Hi Daily Audio Bible. This is Paul from Houston. And I’m praying from the 11th of December broadcast that had Jubilant Perseverance from Indonesia. And I just wanted to pray for her. I really liked how she started off her call - my God is my refuge and my strength, a very present help in times of trouble. And Jubilant, you were saying that your time was coming to an end in Indonesia and for some different circumstances you weren’t going to continue teaching there. And I just want to pray that God gives you wisdom and direction on where to go and that God would open the doors and close doors where He doesn’t want you. And I thank You Lord that You’d be with her, that You would give her direction, that You give her wisdom, that Your Holy Spirit will guide her, and that You would give her wisdom in different things. And I ask Lord that any hurts or wounds would be let go of. And I ask Lord that You would just show that You are sovereign and that You are in control of her circumstances. Whether it be in Indonesia or in the states or wherever she is Lord that You are with her and that You direct her and You guide her paths and that You go with her. And I thank You Lord for being with her this time, this time of year during this holiday season with Christmas and New Year’s, Lord, that she is present in…with You. And I thank You Lord for blessing her and being with her. And just, give her the peace that You have given all of us Lord. That Your Holy Spirit gives that present help, that comforter that comes to us in times where we don’t know understand why things are going the way they’re going. But Lord, You understand, because Lord, you have a bigger picture, a bigger…

This is Candice from Oregon. Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, Abba Father, Holy Spirit, thank You. Thank You so much for redeeming the world and thank You that the restoration of all things is coming, the new earth, even more magnificent than the one we already experience and see. Lord, thank You that You are sovereign, that You, the sovereign, have invited us into life that’s truly life. That You’ve called us to take every thought captive to the Lord Jesus Christ. You are a good, good Father. That’s who You are. And we are loved by You. That’s who we are. Oh Lord, may Your blessings cover 2018 above and farther than anything we could have asked for or ever imagined. We give ourselves completely over to You and knowing that that’s like coming home, that’s what we’re made for, that’s where we become truly ourselves, the person you knit together when we were in our mother’s womb.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday December 30, 2017 (NIV)

Malachi 1-2

“I Loved Jacob, but Esau I Hated”

This is a divine revelation. The Lord spoke his word to Israel through Malachi.

“I loved you,” says the Lord.

“But you ask, ‘How did you love us?’

“Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “I loved Jacob, but Esau I hated. I turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the jackals in the desert.

“The descendants of Esau may say, ‘We have been beaten down, but we will rebuild the ruins.’

“Yet, this is what the Lord of Armies says: They may rebuild, but I will tear it down. They will be called ‘the Wicked Land’ and ‘the people with whom the Lord is always angry.’ You will see these things with your own eyes and say, ‘Even outside the borders of Israel the Lord is great.’

The Priests Offer Unacceptable Sacrifices to the Lord

“This is what the Lord of Armies says: A son honors his father, and a servant honors his master. So if I am a father, where is my honor? If I am a master, where is my respect? You priests despise my name.

“But you ask, ‘How have we despised your name?’

“You offer contaminated food on my altar.

“But you ask, ‘Then how have we contaminated you?’

“When you say that the Lord’s table may be despised. When you bring a blind animal to sacrifice, isn’t that wrong? When you bring a lame or a sick animal, isn’t that wrong? Try offering it to your governor. Would he accept it from you? Would he welcome you?” asks the Lord of Armies.

“Now try asking God to be kind to you. This is what you are doing! Will he welcome you?” asks the Lord of Armies.

10 “I wish one of you would shut the doors to my house so that you could not light fires on my altar for no reason. I’m not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Armies, “and I won’t accept your offerings.

11 “From the nations where the sun rises to the nations where the sun sets, my name will be great. Incense and pure offerings will be offered everywhere in my name, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord of Armies. 12 “But you dishonor it when you say that the Lord’s table may be contaminated and that its food may be despised.

13 “You say, ‘Oh what a nuisance it is,’ and you sniff at it in disgust,” says the Lord of Armies. “You bring stolen, lame, and sick animals. When you bring such offerings, should I accept them from you?” asks the Lord.

14 “Cheaters are under a curse. They have male animals in their flocks that they vow to give as a sacrifice. But they sacrifice second-rate ones to the Lord instead. I am a great king,” says the Lord of Armies. “Among the nations my name is respected.

The Priests Do Not Teach the Lord’s Word Correctly

“And now, you priests, this warning is for you. If you won’t listen and if you won’t consider giving honor to my name,” says the Lord of Armies, “then I’ll send a curse on you, and I’ll curse the blessings you give. Yes, I’ve already cursed them because you don’t carefully consider this.

“I’m going to punish your descendants. I’m going to spread excrement on your faces, the excrement from your festival sacrifices. You will be discarded with it. Then you will know that I sent you this warning so that my promise[a] to Levi will continue,” says the Lord of Armies. “I promised Levi life and peace. I gave them to him so that he would respect me. He respected me and stood in awe of my name. The teaching that came from his mouth was true. Nothing unjust was found on his lips. He lived with me in peace and honesty and turned many people away from sin.

“A priest’s lips should preserve knowledge. Then, because he is the messenger for the Lord of Armies, people will seek instruction from his mouth.

“But you have turned from the correct path and caused many to stumble over my teachings. You have corrupted the promise made to Levi,” says the Lord of Armies. “So I have made you disgusting, and I have humiliated you in front of all the people, because you have not followed my ways. You have been unfair when applying my teachings.”

The People Break Their Marriage Vows

10 Don’t all of us have the same father? Hasn’t the same God created us? Why are we unfaithful to each other? And why do we dishonor the promise given to our ancestors? 11 Judah has been unfaithful! A disgusting thing has been done in Israel and Jerusalem. Judah has dishonored the holy place that the Lord loves and has married a woman who worships a foreign god. 12 May the Lord exclude anyone who does this, whoever he may be. May he exclude them from Jacob’s tents and from bringing offerings to the Lord of Armies.

13 Here is another thing you do: You cover the Lord’s altar with tears. You moan and groan because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them from you.

14 But you ask, “Why aren’t our offerings accepted?” It is because the Lord is a witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been unfaithful. Yet, she is your companion, the wife of your marriage vows. 15 Didn’t God make you one? Your flesh and spirit belong to him. And what does the same God look for but godly descendants? So be careful not to be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.[b]

16 “I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel. “I hate the person who covers himself with violence,” says the Lord of Armies. “Be careful not to be unfaithful.”

17 You have tried the patience of the Lord with your words.

But you ask, “How have we tried his patience?”

When you say, “Everyone who does evil is considered good by the Lord. He is pleased with them,” or “Where is the God of justice?”

Footnotes:

  1. Malachi 2:4 Or “covenant.”
  2. Malachi 2:15 Hebrew meaning of this verse uncertain.
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Revelation 21

A New Heaven and a New Earth

21 I saw a new heaven and a new earth, because the first heaven and earth had disappeared, and the sea was gone. Then I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, dressed like a bride ready for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “God lives with humans! God will make his home with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There won’t be any more death. There won’t be any grief, crying, or pain, because the first things have disappeared.”

The one sitting on the throne said, “I am making everything new.” He said, “Write this: ‘These words are faithful and true.’” He said to me, “It has happened! I am the A and the Z,[a] the beginning and the end. I will give a drink from the fountain filled with the water of life to anyone who is thirsty. It won’t cost anything. Everyone who wins the victory will inherit these things. I will be their God, and they will be my children. But cowardly, unfaithful, and detestable people, murderers, sexual sinners, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars will find themselves in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

A New Jerusalem

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the last seven plagues came to me and said, “Come! I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb.” 10 He carried me by his power away to a large, high mountain. He showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. 11 It had the glory of God. Its light was like a valuable gem, like gray quartz, as clear as crystal. 12 It had a large, high wall with 12 gates. Twelve angels were at the gates. The names of the 12 tribes of Israel were written on the gates. 13 There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. 14 The wall of the city had 12 foundations. The 12 names of the 12 apostles of the lamb were written on them.

15 The angel who was talking to me had a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city was square. It was as wide as it was long. He measured the city with the stick. It was 12,000 stadia[b] long. Its length, width, and height were the same. 17 He measured its wall. According to human measurement, which the angel was using, it was 144 cubits. [c] 18 Its wall was made of gray quartz. The city was made of pure gold, as clear as glass. 19 The foundations of the city wall were beautifully decorated with all kinds of gems: The first foundation was gray quartz, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth red quartz, the seventh yellow quartz, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth green quartz, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The 12 gates were 12 pearls. Each gate was made of one pearl. The street of the city was made of pure gold, as clear as glass.

22 I did not see any temple in it, because the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are its temple. 23 The city doesn’t need any sun or moon to give it light because the glory of God gave it light. The lamb was its lamp. 24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 Its gates will be open all day. They will never close because there won’t be any night there. 26 They will bring the glory and wealth of the nations into the holy city. 27 Nothing unclean,[d] no one who does anything detestable, and no liars will ever enter it. Only those whose names are written in the lamb’s Book of Life will enter it.

Footnotes:

  1. Revelation 21:6 Or “the Alpha and the Omega.”
  2. Revelation 21:16 One stadion is equivalent to 607 feet.
  3. Revelation 21:18 One cubit is equivalent to 21 inches.
  4. Revelation 21:27 “Unclean” refers to anything that Moses’ Teachings say is not presentable to God.
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Psalm 149

Psalm 149

Hallelujah!

Sing a new song to the Lord.
Sing his praise in the assembly of godly people.
Let Israel find joy in their creator.
Let the people of Zion rejoice over their king.
Let them praise his name with dancing.
Let them make music to him with tambourines and lyres,
because the Lord takes pleasure in his people.
He crowns those who are oppressed with victory.
Let godly people triumph in glory.
Let them sing for joy on their beds.
Let the high praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands
to take vengeance on the nations,
to punish the people of the world,
to put their kings in chains
and their leaders in iron shackles,
to carry out the judgment that is written against them.
This is an honor that belongs to all his godly ones.

Hallelujah!

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Proverbs 31:10-24

A Poem in Hebrew Alphabetical Order

10 “Who can find a wife with a strong character?
She is worth far more than jewels.
11 Her husband trusts her with all his heart,
and he does not lack anything good.
12 She helps him and never harms him all the days of her life.

13 “She seeks out wool and linen with care
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like merchant ships.
She brings her food from far away.
15 She wakes up while it is still dark
and gives food to her family
and portions of food to her female slaves.

16 “She picks out a field and buys it.
She plants a vineyard from the profits she has earned.
17 She puts on strength like a belt
and goes to work with energy.
18 She sees that she is making a good profit.
Her lamp burns late at night.

19 “She puts her hands on the distaff,
and her fingers hold a spindle.
20 She opens her hands to oppressed people
and stretches them out to needy people.
21 She does not fear for her family when it snows
because her whole family
has a double layer of clothing.
22 She makes quilts for herself.
Her clothes are made of linen and purple cloth.

23 “Her husband is known at the city gates
when he sits with the leaders of the land.

24 “She makes linen garments and sells them
and delivers belts to the merchants.

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

12/29/2017 DAB Transcript

Zechariah 14:1-21, Revelations 20:1-15, Psalms 148:1-14, Proverbs 31:8-9

Today is the 29th day of December. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian and its pleasure and, of course, an honor to be here with you in the final days of the year. So, the end is in sight. We have well-rounded the corner and there’s just a few things to finish up here, but they’re the word of God so they’re very important things to finish up before we regroup and start it all over. So, let’s dive in. We’re reading from the Gods Word translation this week and today we will finish up the book of Zechariah, which will leave only one book remaining in the whole Bible that we haven’t touched and that’s the book of Malachi, which we will begin tomorrow and finish on the last day of the year. But first, Zechariah 14:1 through 21.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we have come to a point in the book of Revelation where Satan meets his end, and then there’s a thousand years we’ve got to talk about, this millennial reign, and then the final judgment. And over the course of church history, this section of Revelation has been hotly debated by biblical scholars, which means that it has been viewed and taught differently by different segments of the church, all who support their views by the Scriptures. And the problem of time, of sequence, of chronology that is apparent throughout the book of Revelation comes into play, as does the problem of whether to look figuratively or literally come into play. So, we read from Revelation chapter 20 today, but we were just continuing a longer segment about the final judgment, the fall of Babylon, and we talked about all of that. And as the world system comes unglued, and its foundations shaken, it falls apart. We saw some of the repercussions and implications of that, in light of Jesus judgment of the dark, ungodly forces of the world at the end of time, at the end of history as we know it. So, as we begin today. There’s an angel that comes from heaven, holding the key to the pit, the bottomless pit, and he’s got a large chain and he finds and overpowers the serpent, the devil, Satan. And, so, Satan is thrown into the pit for a thousand years. And this thousand years is traditionally known as the millennium. And there are so many views about the millennium that I’m not sure there’s any way to catalogue them all in one place, but most of thoughts about the millennium boil down to: when will the millennium happen, and is the millennium, literally, 1000 years? So, at its core, there are three ways of looking at the millennium from which all of the other views spring. And they all seek to place the millennium in time so that the order of events can be understood. So, some take what is known as a premillennial view. And this is the view that the millennium begins at the second coming of Christ. Then there are those who take a post-millennial view. And that is basically the view that when Jesus came He inaugurated what we would call ‘the church age’. The church sprang up after Christ came and we are now in that age, the church age, and the millennium will be at the end of the church age. And Jesus second coming will be at the end of the millennium. And then the third line of scholarship would take an a-millennial view, which is basically to say that the millennium began at the moment of Christ’s resurrection and will then conclude at His second advent, at his final coming. And part of the reason for these differing views comes from trying to figure out what is to be taken literally and what is symbolic and then applying that discernment to the 1000 years. And this is certainly not the first or second time we’ve encountered this. So, basically, you start with the author, John, who is exiled on an island in the Roman empire at a specific time in history. And since he’s living at a certain point in history, that’s his influence, it’s what he knows. But all of the things that he is seeing in the book of Revelation, he is seeing by way of vision. So, he’s seeing things that he doesn’t have a reference point for. He’s never seen this kind of thing before, but he has to filter it back through what he does understand. And because we, as the readers, do understand that what he’s seeing is in a vision we have to determine what is literal and what is symbolic. So, some interpreters begin with the literal view and then work their way towards the symbolism, while others say most of this book is symbolic and begin with symbolism and work their way toward literal. And they don’t always end up in the same place. So, for example, when John talks about 1000 years, he also talks about an angel with a chain, he talks about the abyss, the dragon, the serpent, the beast. And most commentators would say this is symbolic language, the same kind of symbolic language used throughout the entire book. And there have been plenty of other numbers used in the book of Revelation that have been looked at both from a literal and a figurative view. So, you know, John has this vision that we’re talking about right now in which a thousand years is made mention of, along with a bunch of some symbolism. So, it has to be determined, is the thousand years a symbol as well? And what is it a symbol of if it is a symbol? So, all kinds of divergent thought and problems arise in the midst of all of this. So, the angel captures the devil, throws him into this bottomless pit for a thousand years, and the Scriptures tell us why. ‘The angel shut and sealed the pit over the serpent to keep it from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were over.’ So, the question becomes, when? When is Satan bound and thrown into this pit? Some would say that this has not yet happened but is something that will happen in the future, while others would say this happened as a direct result of Christ’s resurrection. So, Jesus death, burial, and resurrection were a decisive defeat of Satan and the dark forces of evil. And Satan’s defeat at the cross is supported all throughout the Scriptures. So, if that is connected to what we’re seeing in Revelation 20, then Satan was restrained in this pit and Jesus triumphal resurrection. So, with that way of thinking then Satan is restrained currently and will be restrained between the first and second coming of Jesus. So, if you’re following that line of reason, the question becomes, in what way is Satan bound? Revelation says that the angel shut and sealed the pit over the serpent to keep it from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were over. So, that would mean that its ability to completely deceive has been restrained. And some theologians have defended that with many scriptures, but Jesus saying in the Gospel of Mark, ‘no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strongman, then indeed he may plunder his house’, is one of them. So, if this view is correct then Satan was defeated at the cross and restrained in his ability to deceive. So, why is deception still all over the place if that would be the case? This would take us all the way back to the first deception, where Adam and Eve made a choice. They had an uninhibited relationship with God, but they believed a lie. So, in that case we could say that the deceiver, the serpent, was victorious and was able to dominate humanity through deception. But then Jesus came and defeated the evil one, restoring humanity, and like Eden, can only be successful at deception if we allow it. In other words, Satan has no dominion over us that we don’t give him. Or as Jesus says in Matthew 18, ‘truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ So, following this forward, in the end, Satan will be released for a short time from this restraint. Right? So, in this pit. And this is where you go, like, is this this is allegorical or is this literal? Is Satan going to be or is he currently, actually, in a bottomless pit that is actually locked with a key? Or will he no longer be restrained in his deceptions? If it’s the figurative view, then this short time that the evil one is released or unrestrained in his deception will have a polarizing effect, the sheep and the goats will be clear because Satan will be doing everything that he possibly can to make life very, very trying for those who are true to Jesus, who are keeping their lampstands burning, who are holding true to their witness, so that those who are not so deeply in love with Jesus, that they’re willing to physically die because they know this isn’t the end of anything will be clear, while those who have maybe nominal faith or, you know, socially engaged in their faith or whatever, they’ll be unwilling to endure these difficulties. And this is part of Jesus’s sovereign plan, which could, on the one hand, look harsh, and on the other hand, we’d have to say, Jesus is not asking anyone to do anything he didn’t do first. In other words, God isn’t asking anything of anyone that he wasn’t willing to do Himself. So, then this whole plan of restoration, of making all things new, starts to become apparent. Satan gained dominion over humanity because of his deception of Adam and Eve and their falling for it. God chose Abraham and raised up of people that were set apart to him. But because of Satan’s deception, they were unable to be a light to the nations. Through deception, Israel had an on-again, off-again relationship with God, whereby they broke the covenant, which led to spiritual and physical oppression. They were conquered and carried into exile by foreign nations and ruled over by foreign nations as Satan continued his work of deception in the world. And then Jesus came. Satan attacked Jesus and it looked like he was victorious because Jesus was put to death. But then Jesus was resurrected, taking dominion back from Satan. So, from this view then, Jesus is building His church. That began with his ministry. It is being built currently and the gates of hell will not prevail over it because the keys of the kingdom have been given to the church. And the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to overcome the deception of the evil one, but at some point, Satan is unrestrained and does everything possible to stamp out God’s people on this earth. And without God’s intervention would be successful, but God intervenes and Satan is thrown into the lake of fire forever. Satan is restrained from deceiving the nations because we’re supposed to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. So, what about the millennium? What about the thousand years? This gets contentious, depending on whether it’s a literal view you’re taking, or a figurative view. If we’re taking a straight up, straight literal view, those who had been beheaded for the cause of Christ will rule with Him for a thousand years, and the rest of the dead will live after the thousand years are over. So, even those taking a more literal view of this don’t take it to mean, literally, only beheaded Christians. Rather, they would look more figuratively and say, martyrs. And this view certainly has its place in church history. During times of open persecution some longed for martyrdom, but they certainly weren’t all martyred, they certainly weren’t killed all by beheading. Right? So, some were stoned, some were thrown to the wild beasts, while others were crucified, just to name a few. So, there have been those all along, including today, who would long for martyrdom because of the apparent promise in Revelation, which says this is the first time the people come back to life. ‘Blessed and holy are those who are included the first time the people come back to life. The second death has no power over them. They will continue to be priests of God and Christ and they will rule with him for 1000 years.’ So, the idea is that if you die a martyr’s death, you’ll be the first to rise, will reign with Christ, and you have no fear of the second death, nothing can ever touch you again. If you’re taking a more figurative view, then the thousand years isn’t a literal, chronological number. And the reason that many theologians and scholars think this is because they believe that numbers are used figuratively elsewhere in the book of Revelation. The language like the bottomless pit etc., seems to be figurative. So, most of what John is talking about here seems to be figurative. The book of Revelation itself seems to be largely figurative. The number 1000 used in the Old Testament is used figuratively. And in early Jewish and early Christian writings, 1000 years was used as a metaphor for eternal blessing. So, if you take that figurative view and follow it out, then Christ defeated Satan at the cross. Satan was then restrained. Believers experience the first resurrection at the moment they believe, or some would say at the moment of their baptism. Right? So, the person that you were before you knew Christ has died and you have been resurrected into new life with Christ, no longer dominated by the deception of the evil one and you are now reigning with Christ. The thrones, then, wouldn’t be literal pieces of furniture, but, rather, the status of believers who are in Christ. And if we’re continuing to look figuratively at the martyrs then we’re not just talking about only those people who died by being beheaded. Or, for that matter, we’re not just talking about people who were martyred in any way. We’re talking about those who were obedient to one of the main themes of this book, those who endured to the end, no matter what. They will not experience the second death. So, in other words, those who are in Christ have already died to who they were without Jesus and were raised to new life in Him. The second death is eternal separation from God, or the fiery lake, or outer darkness, or however you view that, but believers will experience it because Jesus is the firstborn of this new family of God, and we have followed Him. We are in His kingdom. We are His kingdom. Okay, so moving us forward, no matter how you view this, Satan is set free for a short time to deceive as many as possible, which results in an attempt to stamp out God’s people for good. Fire falls from heaven, whether literally or figuratively. Satan loses the battle and is thrown into the fiery lake of sulfur forever and ever. And then we find ourselves before the great white throne of God. And the first thing that we see is that the earth and the sky fled from his presence, but no place was found for them. So, this is striking imagery. And most agree that this is the passing away of the world as we know it, making way for a new heaven and a new earth, all things being made new. And this is the final judgment. The books are opened, whether literally or figuratively, and the final judgment occurs. So, what we call the book of life is actually the book of life of the lamb who was slain, or the book of life of the lamb. And those whose names are in that book are those who have been sealed in Christ. Right? They have the seal of God on their forehead. These people go through the judgment but do not suffer what they would otherwise deserve because Jesus suffered that on their behalf. And that is about the best news I have ever heard. In pulling together all that we’ve read in Revelation, those are the ones who were true, those are the ones who endured into the end, and no matter what happened, those who were willing, or did lose their lives on account of the gospel, those who kept their witness burning, those who are pure and true to Jesus.

Prayer:

Jesus, we want this to be a description of who we are. And we are well aware of the deceptions we have fallen for and continue to fall for. And yet, clearly it doesn’t have to be that way. You have promised that Your Holy Spirit would lead us into all truth. And, so, that’s what we ask for. You would lead us into all truth, every step we take, every thought we have every, word we speak, everything about us. May everything about us radiate Your glory into this world. May our very lives be a living testimony to who You are. And may we be true to You no matter what happens, no matter what comes our way, may we endure. Come, Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudibiible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find what’s going on around here.

And we’re about to flip into the new year in just a couple of days and start all over.

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And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey DABbers, this is Matt from Cincinnati. First time calling in. Been listening since about January or February and I’ve been really amazed by the prayer request line and how gracious and loving you guys have been with all the prayers being sent out. And I just want to offer a prayer request on behalf of this family who happened to lose the father of the family unexpectedly last night. And right now it’s Christmas eve. And it’s a family with four children. And it’s really hard. It’s a family from our local church. And I just want to lift them up because that…it’s just…a very tragic thing that no one wants to experience, especially during the holiday time. So, not only should we lift that family up, but also others who experienced unexpected losses this year, especially with, like, all the mass shootings that have been happening. I just definitely want to urge you guys to just reach out and pray for those people as well and those who are experiencing loneliness during the holidays, because that can be tough and I’ve been through that before. But God is a God of restoration and redemption and He is good. He’s a good Father. So, if you guys don’t mind doing that, that would be awesome. Thank you. Merry Christmas.

Hello everybody in my wonderful Daily Audio Bible family. This is Meg from Rhode Island and today is December 25th, Christmas. And I was at the gym and I turned on my iPod and there, just like clockwork, is the Daily Audio Bible broadcast for Christmas day. And I got to listen to Brian read the scriptures today, Christmas day. And I just wanted to say thank you, Brian, and Jill, and the whole team for everything you do. I wanted to say Merry Christmas to you and just let you know that this one person here, I sure appreciate having God come into my life through the scripture readings every day. And I want to thank you for your loyalty…for just…your devotion… for being so diligent…keeping…and every day, sticking with it. I know it must be hard. So, anyhow, that’s all. Just thinking of you guys everyday like I do every day. And I’m still here. I think this is my 7th year listening. And I just love everyone in this community. And it’s changed my life and I’m looking forward to a new year with you all. Okay. Bye.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible friends and community. This is Diane Olive. B. from Newburg Indiana. Shalom, Shalom. That means nothing is missing, nothing is broken. It is December 26th at 2:19 in the morning and I just listened to about half way through the Christmas wishes and I just felt the presence of the Lord in my heart and I wanted to call and thank Brian and Jill and thank the Daily Audio Bible community because this has been one of the hardest seasons of my life and I have really been struggling. I want to share my prayer request and praise report. I have bi-polar and I have suffered with depression and anxiety. I’m over 100 pounds overweight and my son, who is 37, my youngest son and only son - I have a daughter who is 38 and a daughter who is 40 - but my son has struggled with drug addiction from when he was in junior high until now. And he went back into drugs again. We had to ask him to move out of our home and we haven’t been able to give him things because we were enabling him and I just ask for your prayers because it breaks his mother’s heart to see…

Hi. My name is Angelique. And I am from Washington State. I am a new listener. A friend of mine let me know about your program. So, I am a newbie in the last week and I am grateful. I have a prayer request for my two sons. I have three sons, but my first two sons are prodigals and I would like to ask for you to be praying for them. First son is Joshua and my second born is Grant - 23 and 20 years old. They accepted Christ when they were boys. They have chosen to walk away, they’ve gotten older. I will begin praying. Father God, I lift up Joshua and I ask You Father that you would open his spiritual eyes, that he would see that the world is not satisfying. I pray that he would look to You for guidance and not to himself. I also ask that You would take his desire for fast cars away from him Lord. You know that he has gotten in two car accidents this last summer with 2 corvettes that he totaled. Thank you for sparing his life. I pray that you’d reveal Your purpose and plan for him. Also lift up my second born, Grant, who’s 20 year old, Lord who professes to be an atheist. And God, I ask that You would reveal Yourself to him in an amazing way so that He could not deny Your existence Lord. I pray that he would commit his life to You and live for You and, again, not for himself. And I ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen. Thank you.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday December 29, 2017 (NIV)

Zechariah 14

The Lord Will Fight the Nations

14 A day is going to come for the Lord when the loot you have taken will be divided among you. I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem for battle. The city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half of the people in the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people won’t be taken from the city.

Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as he does when he fights a battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, just east of Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives will be split in two, forming a very large valley from east to west. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and the other half will move toward the south. Then you will flee to the valley of my mountains, because this valley between the mountains will go as far as Azel.[a] You will flee as you did from the earthquake at the time of King Uzziah of Judah. The Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones will be with him.

On that day there will be neither heat nor freezing cold. [b] There will be one day—a day known to the Lord—with no difference between day and night. It will be light even in the evening.

Living Water from Jerusalem

On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it to the Dead Sea and the other half to the Mediterranean Sea. It will continue in summer and in winter.

The Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be the only Lord and his name the only name.

10 The whole earth will become like the plains from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site, from Benjamin Gate to the place of First Gate, Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses. 11 People will live there, and it will never be threatened with destruction. Jerusalem will live securely.

12 This will be the plague the Lord will use to strike all the people from the nations that have gone to war against Jerusalem. Their flesh will rot while they are standing on their feet. Their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.

13 On that day a large-scale panic from the Lord will spread among them. One person will grab the hand of another, and one will attack the other. 14 Judah will also fight in Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected, a very large amount of gold, silver, and clothes. 15 A similar plague will also affect horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and all other animals in those camps.

16 Everyone who is left from all the nations that attacked Jerusalem will come every year to worship the king, the Lord of Armies, and to celebrate the Festival of Booths. 17 If any of the families on the earth won’t go to Jerusalem to worship the king, the Lord of Armies, then rain won’t fall on them. 18 If the people of Egypt won’t go or enter Jerusalem, then rain won’t fall on them. The plague the Lord uses to strike the nations will affect those who won’t come to celebrate the Festival of Booths. 19 This will be the punishment for Egypt’s sin and for the sin of all the nations that won’t go to celebrate the Festival of Booths.

20 On that day “Holy to the Lord” will be written on the bells of the horses. And the cooking pots in the house of the Lord will be like the bowls in front of the altar. 21 Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the Lord of Armies. All who come to sacrifice will take some of them and cook in them. On that day there will no longer be any Canaanite[c] in the house of the Lord of Armies.

Footnotes:

  1. Zechariah 14:5 Hebrew meaning uncertain.
  2. Zechariah 14:7 Hebrew meaning uncertain.
  3. Zechariah 14:21 Or “merchant.”
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Revelation 20

An Angel Overpowers the Devil

20 I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key to the bottomless pit and a large chain in his hand. He overpowered the serpent, that ancient snake, named Devil and Satan. The angel chained up the serpent for 1,000 years. He threw it into the bottomless pit. The angel shut and sealed the pit over the serpent to keep it from deceiving the nations anymore until the 1,000 years were over. After that it must be set free for a little while.

I saw thrones, and those who sat on them were allowed to judge. Then I saw the souls of those whose heads had been cut off because of their testimony about Jesus and because of God’s word. They had not worshiped the beast or its statue and were not branded on their foreheads or hands. They lived and ruled with Christ for 1,000 years. The rest of the dead did not live until the 1,000 years ended.

This is the first time that people come back to life. Blessed and holy are those who are included the first time that people come back to life. The second death has no power over them. They will continue to be priests of God and Christ. They will rule with him for 1,000 years.

The Final Judgment

When 1,000 years are over, Satan will be freed from his prison. He will go out to deceive Gog and Magog, the nations in the four corners of the earth, and gather them for war. They will be as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore. I saw that they spread over the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s holy people and the beloved city. Fire came from heaven and burned them up. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were also thrown. They will be tortured day and night forever and ever.

11 I saw a large, white throne and the one who was sitting on it. The earth and the sky fled from his presence, but no place was found for them. 12 I saw the dead, both important and unimportant people, standing in front of the throne. Books were opened, including the Book of Life. The dead were judged on the basis of what they had done, as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up its dead. Death and hell gave up their dead. People were judged based on what they had done. 14 Death and hell were thrown into the fiery lake. (The fiery lake is the second death.) 15 Those whose names were not found in the Book of Life were thrown into the fiery lake.

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Psalm 148

Psalm 148

Hallelujah!

Praise the Lord from the heavens.
Praise him in the heights above.
Praise him, all his angels.
Praise him, his entire heavenly army.
Praise him, sun and moon.
Praise him, all shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heaven
and the water above the sky.
Let them praise the name of the Lord
because they were created by his command.
He set them in their places forever and ever.
He made it a law that no one can break.

Praise the Lord from the earth.
Praise him, large sea creatures and all the ocean depths,
lightning and hail,
snow and fog,
strong winds that obey his commands,
mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedar trees,
10 wild animals and all domestic animals,
crawling animals and birds,
11 kings of the earth and all its people,
officials and all judges on the earth,
12 young men and women,
old and young together.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord
because his name is high above all others.
His glory is above heaven and earth.
14 He has given his people a strong leader,[a]
someone praiseworthy for his faithful ones,
for the people of Israel, the people who are close to him.

Hallelujah!

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 148:14 Or “given his people strength.”
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Proverbs 31:8-9

“Speak out for the one who cannot speak,
for the rights of those who are doomed.
Speak out,
judge fairly,
and defend the rights of oppressed and needy people.”

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

12/28/2017 DAB Transcript

Zechariah 12:1-13:9, Revelations 19:1-21, Psalms 147:1-20, Proverbs 31:1-7

Today is the 28th day of December. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you today. Man, I can feel the end of the year upon us. Can’t you? It’s like, holy cow, we’ve just about finished reading the whole Bible in a year again, but I’ll try not to get ahead of myself in my life or in the Bible. So, let’s just be where we are. It’s 28th of December and we’re reading from the Gods Word translation this week. Zachariah 12:1 through 13:9 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, clearly, we only have a few days left in this year. So, clearly, we are coming to the final days in the book of Revelation as well, which we’ve been kind of diving into this year. And today we come to a great banquet, but also a great battle in which the dark forces of the evil one are conquered and the evil one itself is done away with. And the scene begins with a loud, huge crowd from heaven saying, ‘Hallelujah, salvation, glory, and power belong to our God. His judgments are true and fair. He has condemned the notorious prostitute who corrupted the world with her sexual sins. He has taken revenge on her for the blood of his servants.’ And, of course, this is coming on the heels of what we read yesterday in the downfall of Babylon. This world system ruled by evil fractures, implodes, is judged, falls, is done away with. So, we should observe the contrasts that are happening in today’s reading. So, Babylon, these dark forces of evil that have been controlling the world, they fall apart, they’ve been condemned, the notorious prostitute that is this whole system has been condemned because it corrupted the world with her sexual sins. So, we can certainly go, like, okay, this evil empire is very sexual in nature. And, so, this is definitely speaking about sexuality. But, also we should understand that this kind of language, from an allegorical perspective or a figurative view, is about union. I mean, at the most basic level that’s what sex is, union, giving yourself over to someone. So, these dark forces demanded worship, demanded loyalty, and allegiance, demanded union and the result of that was a war on God’s people, a cosmic attempt to stamp out God’s plan. That is in stark contrast to the second song or poem coming from this large crowd that is so big it sounds like raging waters. On the one hand, they’re applauding and worshiping God for the judgment, the downfall of evil. But then they have more to say, ‘Hallelujah the Lord our God, the Almighty has become king. Let us rejoice, be happy, and give him glory, because it’s time for the marriage of the Lamb. His bride has made herself ready. She has been given the privilege of wearing dazzling pure linen.’ So, contrasted with the great prostitute or whore of Babylon, this bride was true and faithful and sought union with no one but God and gave her loyalty and devotion to no one but God. And then in the next scene we see heaven standing open. There’s a white horse with a rider on it named Faithful and True and he’s going he’s going to battle. And the armies of heaven wearing pure white linen, like we just talked about, are following along on white horses of their own. And a sharp sword comes out of his mouth to defeat the nation’s. Some scholars would say these are the Angel armies. This is Jesus with the angel armies going to finish the judgment, finish the final battle, while other scholars would say, no, these are God’s people going along with Jesus to finish this final battle so that this banquet can begin. And an angel cries out to the birds, ‘come, gather for the great banquet of God. Eat the flesh of kings, generals, warriors, horses and their riders, and all free people and slaves, both important and insignificant people.’ And it’s been noted that this is probably a parody. So, on the one hand there is this a great banquet, this great wedding feast where darkness and evil have no place, and not only just have no place, it doesn’t exist, this beautiful, banquet, this consummation of all things being made new. And that contrasts with what the angel is saying to the birds. There’s going to be this great banquet for you because all evil is being extinguished. So, it’s like two sides of the same coin. On the one side there is judgment, on the other side there is salvation. And, so, the battle commences and the beast and the false prophet who had done miracles for the beast were captured and were subsequently thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. So, the forces that were at work in this dark, evil kingdom were cast away and the rider on the horse, on the white horse, had a sword coming out of his mouth and finished the battle. And a great banquet happened for the birds even as a great banquet in heaven is getting ready to begin.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. This is the 362nd day of this year and every day we have feasted upon Your word. And there are just a few days remaining. And we invite your Holy Spirit to continue to speak deeply to us, transforming us on so many levels. We are most certainly at the place that we can look in the mirror and see that we’re not the same as we were when we started this journey on January 1st. And we’re thankful for that. We’ve been through plenty. It’s been a challenging year, but You have been faithful and You have guided us through Your word and through the power of Your Holy Spirit and we’re grateful. This builds confidence in our faith. You are maturing us. And, so, we welcome this to continue. And even though we will finish this year and will finish it well, we look forward to all that You will speak to us through Your word in the coming year. Come, Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudibiible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find what’s going on around here. And we’re getting ready to switch into a new year.

And one of the things that are going on around here is the brand-new Daily Audio Bible App for your Android or Apple devices and the new web player that’s available at dailyaudiobible.com. And, of course, the new app is totally free. So, if you haven’t gotten it yet, definitely get on board. We’ll be phasing out the old app over the next weeks and months. So, all you have to do is go to the app store that pertains to the kind of device that you have and search for “Daily Audio Bible mobile app”. That’s the new one. We couldn’t use the same name as the old one. So, if you find “Daily Audio Bible mobile app” that’s the new one. So, now is a good time to update that as we get ready to launch ourselves into the new year. And like I said, it’s free. So, let everyone in your sphere of influence know about it and invite them to take the journey with you into 2018.

I also want to remind you about the More Gathering for women, our annual women’s conference that’s coming up in April. Early registration pricing for that is in effect until December 31st. So, just a few days from now. So, take advantage of that. You can find out all about it and moregathering.com or at dailyaudiobible.com in the Initiatives section.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible here in the final days of the year, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage. If you’re using the new Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

This is Jerry from Duluth Minnesota. It’s Christmas Eve and I ordered five of the Daily Audio Bible Journal and Pencil sets with the Black Wing case. And I wanted to read one of the ones that I wrote to my son-in-law, to Peter. 2017 has been a year of loss. After my dad died on August 8th I went through the deepest depression of my life. While I was going through alternative experimental catenin treatments, I listened to the Daily Audio Bible. At the end of one of the podcasts on August 27th, 21st rather, Brian told the story of his mom dying and how he discovered the Black Wing pencil, the best pencil in the world. So, I ordered a journal and pencils and found that the tactile exercise of writing in a journal helped release some of my frustrations, my fear, my worry, my doubts. I listened every day to the DAB for many years when I did my paper route in Duluth and I’d like to encourage and challenge you to try it on your commute every morning in 2018. I believe it will change your life. May 2018 bring hope for the future. God is working all things together for our good. Love you family. Have a great 2018.

Hey everybody. This is Pelham from Birmingham. Or Addicted to Christ is my spiritual name because addiction is my weakness but it has also become a weapon in my battle that He’s chosen me for. Anyways, I’m calling because the last time I called my job had suddenly closed because the owner had a baby born with major medical problems. And, financially, we were doing very well but it’s a sad…it’s just been a hard time because it’s no one’s fault and it happened right before Chri…and the Holy Spirit that has been right here with me and has been trying to tell me, hey, we’re always here and we’re leading you in a new way. We’re bringing you to a new place. So, the Marsh’s are doing fine. We’re struggling, of course, we have our battles, but I’m going to be the manager of a much better company. There’s a restaurant opening, literally, a block away from where I had to go for work before. So, there is income. It’s not…you know…I…you see…I’ve got to come to grips with my pride and know that God’s doing what God does and I need to just be happy. He just wants me to be happy, just like my son. He wants my son to be happy. He wants my wife to be happy. I want my son to be happy. And he wants that for me. And I can’t get it into my head that He knows what’s best for me. Not me. I don’t know what’s best for me. So, we’re coming right along. Merry Christmas everyone. I love you. I’ll call back. Blind Tony, thank you.

Hello everyone. This is Victory Victoria calling from Missouri. I’m calling specifically today for 15-year-old Noni that I heard call on the 22nd. Today is now the 24th but I just want to let you know Noni that we are praying for you. You said you were new to the Bible and prayer and you are searching for friends to help you through, onto this journey, I guess, to help you through this and understand the Bible. I want to let you know you have come to the right place. We are so thankful that you have been led here Noni and you are already among many, many friends, ___ friends, who are already praying for you. I want to encourage you to start fresh in January with Brian in the reading of the bible every day. Check out the new app. It’s beautiful. And some of us have been here listening to the bible through the DAB for many years. I am one that has only newly discovered it this year and I am so very thankful. I know so much more about the Bible now than I did in January, a year ago. Noni, also, checkout, to see your new found friends, check out the Facebook page, the prayer wall. Submit your prayers to the prayer wall. You will find so many faithful prayer warriors in this circle of friends. Father, I want to thank You for Noni and that You led her here. Thank You for her desire to become closer to You and to seek out Christian friends for this journey of hers. Please strengthen us as her new friends to be the friends that she needs to help her grow in Your word, to help her know how much she’s loved by…

I see the Lord seated on the throne. Exalted, the train as his robe. Fill the Chapel with glory and the whole earth is filled with His Glory. Gloria from New York, this is Candice from Oregon and I’m just echoing the beauty of the song that you sang. And you’re joining the whole multitude of heavenly hosts, and the cherubim, and seraphim. We worship our Lord and our King and participate in His suffering. And even as He wants us to be in communion with Him like that, He wants us to be in communion with each other. And I just want you to know that I have wept with you. And our God reigns and He is the restorer of all things including your mothers heart. And he will restore everything. He will restore the years that the locusts have eaten and all the enemy’s ploys will seem pathetic on that day. So, look to Him and be radiant my sister, in Jesus’ name.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday December 28, 2017 (NIV)

Zechariah 12-13

The Lord Will Save Jerusalem

12 This is the prophetic revelation, the Lord’s word about Israel. The Lord—who spread out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit in a person—says, “I’m going to make Jerusalem like a cup of wine that makes all the surrounding people stagger. They will attack Judah along with Jerusalem. On that day I will make Jerusalem a stone too heavy for all the nations to lift. All who try to lift it will be severely injured. All the nations in the world will gather to fight against Jerusalem.”

The Lord declares, “On that day I will strike every horse with panic and every rider with madness. I will watch over the people of Judah, but I will strike all the horses of the nations blind. Then the leaders of Judah will think to themselves, ‘The people who live in Jerusalem are strong because of the Lord of Armies, their God.’

“On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a fire on a pile of wood and like a burning torch among freshly cut straw. They will burn up all the surrounding nations to the right and to the left. But the people of Jerusalem will remain safe in Jerusalem.

“The Lord will save Judah’s tents first so that the honor of David’s family and the honor of those who live in Jerusalem will not be greater than the honor of Judah. On that day the Lord will defend those who live in Jerusalem so that even those who stumble will be like David, and David’s family will be like God, like the Messenger of the Lord ahead of them.

“On that day I will seek to destroy all the nations who attack Jerusalem.

The People of Jerusalem Will Look at the One They Stabbed

10 “I will pour out the Spirit of blessing and mercy on David’s family and on those who live in Jerusalem. They will look at me, whom they have stabbed. Then they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and they will cry bitterly for him as one cries for a firstborn son. 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as intense as the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land will mourn, each family by itself: the family of David by itself, and the wives by themselves; the family of Nathan by itself, and the wives by themselves; 13 the family of Levi by itself, and the wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and the wives by themselves. 14 All the families that are left will mourn, each by itself, and the wives by themselves.”

13 The Lord declares, “On that day a fountain will be opened for David’s family and for those who live in Jerusalem to wash away their sin and stain.

False Prophets Will Be Judged

“On that day,” declares the Lord of Armies, “I will wipe away the names of the idols from the land. They will no longer be remembered. I will also remove the false prophets and the unclean[a] spirit from the land.

“If a man still prophesies, his father and his mother, who gave birth to him, will say, ‘You don’t deserve to live because you speak lies in the name of the Lord.’ Then his father and his mother, who gave birth to him, will stab him when he prophesies.

“On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. He won’t deceive people by dressing like a prophet in a coat made of hair. He will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I’m a farmer. I’ve owned this land since I was a child.’

“When someone asks him, ‘What are these scars on your chest?’ he will answer, ‘I was hurt at my friend’s house.’

The Shepherd Struck, the Sheep Scattered

“Arise, sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who is my friend,” declares the Lord of Armies.
“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.
Then I will turn my hand against the little ones.”

The Lord declares,

“Throughout the land two-thirds will be cut off and die.
Yet, one-third will be left in it.
I will bring this third of the people through the fire.
I will refine them as silver is refined.
I will test them as gold is tested.
They will call on me, and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘They are my people.’
They will reply, ‘The Lord is our God.’”

Footnotes:

  1. Zechariah 13:2 “Unclean” refers to anything that Moses’ Teachings say is not presentable to God.
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Revelation 19

The Lamb’s Wedding

19 After these things I heard what sounded like the loud noise from a large crowd in heaven, saying,

“Hallelujah!
Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God.
His judgments are true and fair.
He has condemned the notorious prostitute
who corrupted the world with her sexual sins.
He has taken revenge on her for the blood of his servants.”

A second time they said, “Hallelujah! The smoke goes up from her forever and ever.” The 24 leaders and the 4 living creatures bowed and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They said, “Amen! Hallelujah!” A voice came from the throne. It said, “Praise our God, all who serve and fear him, no matter who you are.”

I heard what sounded like the noise from a large crowd, like the noise of raging waters, like the noise of loud thunder, saying,

“Hallelujah! The Lord our God, the Almighty, has become king.
Let us rejoice, be happy, and give him glory
because it’s time for the marriage of the lamb.
His bride has made herself ready.
She has been given the privilege of wearing
dazzling, pure linen.”

This fine linen represents the things that God’s holy people do that have his approval.

Then the angel said to me, “Write this: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the lamb’s wedding banquet.’” He also told me, “These are God’s true words.” 10 I bowed at his feet to worship him. But he told me, “Don’t do that! I am your coworker and a coworker of the Christians who hold on to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy!”

The Great Banquet of God

11 I saw heaven standing open. There was a white horse, and its rider is named Faithful and True. With integrity he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are flames of fire. On his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him, but only he knows what it is. 13 He wears clothes dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.

14 The armies of heaven, wearing pure, white linen, follow him on white horses. 15 A sharp sword comes out of his mouth to defeat the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter and tread the winepress of the fierce anger of God Almighty. 16 On his clothes and his thigh he has a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

17 I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come! Gather for the great banquet of God. 18 Eat the flesh of kings, generals, warriors, horses and their riders, and all free people and slaves, both important or insignificant people.”

19 I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 The beast and the false prophet who had done miracles for the beast were captured. By these miracles the false prophet had deceived those who had the brand of the beast and worshiped its statue. Both of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rider on the horse killed the rest with the sword that came out of his mouth. All the birds gorged themselves on the flesh of those who had been killed.

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Psalm 147

Psalm 147

Hallelujah!

It is good to sing psalms to our God.
It is pleasant to sing his praise beautifully.

The Lord is the builder of Jerusalem.
He is the one who gathers the outcasts of Israel together.
He is the healer of the brokenhearted.
He is the one who bandages their wounds.
He determines the number of stars.
He gives each one a name.
Our Lord is great, and his power is great.
There is no limit to his understanding.
The Lord gives relief to those who are oppressed.
He brings wicked people down to the ground.

Sing to the Lord a song of thanksgiving.
Make music to our God with a lyre.
He covers the sky with clouds.
He provides rain for the ground.
He makes grass grow on the mountains.
He is the one who gives food to animals
and to young ravens when they call out.
10 He finds no joy in strong horses,
nor is he pleased by brave soldiers.
11 The Lord is pleased with those who fear him,
with those who wait with hope for his mercy.

12 Praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
Praise your God, Zion!
13 He makes the bars across your gates strong.
He blesses the children within you.
14 He is the one who brings peace to your borders
and satisfies your hunger with the finest wheat.
15 He is the one who sends his promise throughout the earth.
His word travels with great speed.
16 He is the one who sends snow like wool
and scatters frost like ashes.
17 He is the one who throws his hailstones like breadcrumbs.
Who can withstand his chilling blast?
18 He sends out his word and melts his hailstones.
He makes wind blow and water flow.
19 He speaks his word to Jacob,
his laws and judicial decisions to Israel.
20 He has done nothing like this for any other nation.
The other nations do not know the decisions he has handed down.

Hallelujah!

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Proverbs 31:1-7

31 The sayings of King Lemuel, a prophetic revelation, used by his mother to discipline him.

Advice to a Prince

“What, my son?
What, son to whom I gave birth?
What, son of my prayers?
Don’t give your strength to women
or your power to those who ruin kings.

“It is not for kings, Lemuel.
It is not for kings to drink wine or for rulers to crave liquor.
Otherwise, they drink and forget what they have decreed
and change the standard of justice for all oppressed people.
Give liquor to a person who is dying
and wine to one who feels resentful.
Such a person drinks
and forgets his poverty
and does not remember his trouble anymore.

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

12/27/2017 DAB Transcript

Zechariah 10:1-11:17, Revelations 18:1-24, Psalms 146:1-10, Proverbs 30:33

Today is the 27th day of December. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is great to be here with you today, man, as we really focus in on the end of the year. After today there’s only four days left in the year 2017. So, let’s press in. Let’s finish strong and finish well and begin the new year well by keeping the rhythm of the Scriptures in our lives, each and every day a part of that story. So, we’re reading from the Gods Word translation this week. Today, Zechariah chapter 10 verse 1 through 11 verse 17. And we’ll read that before we dive back into Revelation chapter 18. But first, Zechariah chapter 10.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the book of Revelation we witness the fall and destruction of Babylon in today’s reading. And again, as I’ve been saying like a broken record, we have to decide how we are going to look at this. Mostly why I bring that up today has to do with time. When we started the book of Revelation we talked about time. Like, when is this happening? Where is this happening? How? All of these questions that come up. And you can read the book of Revelation from front to back as a linear book and go, well, this happens, then this happens, then this, then this, then this, because it’s all in order. While many scholars would point out, this is probably the order that John saw things in, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the order in which they will occur, which is completely valid. And to pour some more vegetables into that stew and stir it around, a very generous portion of the scholarship on the book of Revelation identifies the fact that it’s cyclical. And a lot of confusion arises trying to read it linear because it feels like were jumping all over the place and it’s hard to grasp the flow of time. But if you’re reading from a cyclical perspective, you begin to realize that your reading the same story from different perspectives several times. So, we read of the judgment and destruction of Babylon, but Babylon has been a theme that we’ve been kind of traveling with throughout the book of Revelation. And we’ve looked at literal views of it, we’ve looked at historical views of it, we’ve looked allegorical views of it, we’ve looked at futuristic views of it, presentest views of it, and have come to realize that we have to, at least in part, be willing to look figuratively. And, so, Babylon, figuratively, represents ancient Rome, but likely from the perspective of John, the writer, and the time that John was writing in, but more broadly it represents an entire world system of evil that is set on total domination and control so that the evil one can make an attempt at establishing sovereignty of some sort, and attempt to battle with God. So, figuratively, what we read today is the judgment of that entire system. The façade of this world system is exposed for the façade that it is and its underpinnings are exposed, the skeleton is exposed. And, at the core, there is only evil, the serpent, the evil one has been guiding this all along. And in this judgment, it is completely exposed. And then another angel from heaven calls God’s people out. ‘Come out of Babylon my people so that you do not participate in her sins and suffer from any of her plagues.’ And this is patterned after Isaiah’s prophecy in the 48th chapter and the 52nd chapter, but also from Jeremiah, where were told in the 51st chapter, ‘come forth from her midst my people.’ And since were talking figuratively, we’re not talking about God’s people fleeing a city, like literally fleeing from a city to try to hide somewhere else. Rather, this is a call to not participate in the sins that brought, like, the evil that brought the whole thing down. Don’t participate in any of that, which doesn’t mean, don’t go to grocery store or buy groceries, don’t buy clothes, like, don’t participate in the economy, like, that’s not what’s being said here. This is a spiritual thing. Do not get involved with the darkness. It is being exposed. It is being judged. It is being done away with. Don’t find yourself in that camp. And this understanding goes all the way back to the church fathers. And it’s been pointed out that this is likely a parallel or a reference to clean and unclean, a concept that’s introduced in the Torah and that follows throughout the entire Bible. So, although this isn’t speaking in reference to physical cleanness and uncleanness by the Torah, this is talking about the same thing, spiritually - get away from what is unclean, don’t touch it, don’t make yourself unclean, don’t disqualify yourself, stay away from it, stay away from evil altogether. And then judgment comes. And it affects everything. And the great and powerful who had participated with Babylon, who had participated in this darkness, who’d grown rich because of it, who had found fame and prestige because of it, they’re all standing back watching the whole thing fall apart. And they lament because of the implications. It’s going to affect them so profoundly. And God’s people are invited to rejoice over this, not in an arrogant or insensitive way, but rather, this system of utter evil that had dominated and had done everything conceivable to stamp out the gospel and the witness, the lampstands, from the earth to do away with God’s people completely has failed. Evil has been judged and those who have given themselves in worship to evil, who have given themselves over to the to the dark side have no power to come against God’s people any longer. And that’s where we end up today.

I also want to draw attention to our reading from Proverbs today because it’s simple, stark, direct, and elegant in the way that it simply tells us the truth. And if we would commit it to memory, if we would remember it and incorporate it into our lives, it would be such a rescue from so much conflict. So, the proverb tells us, as churning milk produces butter. Right? So, that’s just a fact. If you’re going to churn milk you will eventually produce butter. I’ve done it myself. So, it’s one of those obvious things. If you churn milk you will produce butter. If you punch someone in the nose, that’s going to produce a bloody nose. So, we can see that the proverb is just saying, stating the obvious, but it’s the last one that’s not quite so obvious to us. So, stirring up anger produces a fight. It produces a fight in the same way that churning milk produces butter or punching a nose produces a bloody nose. Stirring up anger produces a fight. And yes, sometimes in life you’ve got to step into that territory of confrontation, but stirring up anger certainly produces a lot of conflict that doesn’t have to happen and we would do well to remember that.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for the way that it speaks to us, the way that it unsettles us, the way that it stirs things up within us, the way that it comforts us, and directs, and guides our steps. It touches everything about us and we thank You for the gift of it and we invite Your Holy Spirit to plant these words deep in our lives. Help us to hold onto the hope that Babylon will fall, that evil will be eradicated from our experience, ultimately. And help us to stay true and keep the light burning. And Father, part of that is certainly not stirring up anger that produces a fight for no reason. It is sure to happen, just like churning milk or punching a nose. And, so, we take that to heart as well as we move forward. Help us to remember the proverb that tells us, a gentle answer turns away wrath. Come, Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudibiible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find what’s going on around here. Obviously, we’re in the week of transition, getting ready to move ourselves into the new year. So, that’s a flurry of activity around here, just getting ready.

But I remind you of the brand-new Daily Audio Bible mobile app. It is out. It is available. Thousands of you are using it. Its where we’re headed as we continue to build community around the rhythm of the Scriptures in our lives each day. So, you get it now. Whether you have an Android or an Apple device, just go to the Google Play store or the App store for Apple and search for ‘Daily Audio Bible mobile app’. That’s the new one. That’s the one you’ll be looking for. We have our previous app that’s still out there. So, we don’t want to confuse you. So, just search for ‘Daily Audio Bible mobile app’. It’s totally free. Download it. Tell all your friends about it. Get them to download it. Get ready for the new year. Oh my gosh, that’s just days away.

And speaking of days away, if you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible and would like a tax deductible receipt for that for the year 2017, then, first of all, humble, humble gratitude for your partnership in keeping the global campfire burning, and the community thriving around this rhythm that we have together. But secondly, just, if you want it to be for 2017 then make sure it is in 2017. Those are the rules we have to follow. So, thank you for your partnership. There’s a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the new Daily Audio Bible app, just press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello my name is Femi. I’m calling from London. I’m calling regarding the call that Noni played today, the 22nd of December. Noni, you are loved. You have come to the right place in the midst of the loved ones. You are not alone, not any more. I’m so proud of you to have called and you are on the right path and you will be such a blessing in the kingdom of God. Keep it up. You have nothing to fear. And I’ll pray along with you that God, Lord God almighty, will empower you and God will show himself faithful unto you. At your age, desire to get closer to God…ah…God will get closer to you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. You are such, so loved. Don’t worry about anything. God is always with you. Jesus is always with you. Jesus is your Emanuel. Stay blessed and be happy and enjoy the ride. It is going to be wonderful. And 2018 is going to be glorious for you. Just keep it up. You’ve got nothing to fear. God loves you and Jesus loves you much, much, much more. Stay blessed. God bless you. Femi from London. Thank you.

Hey guys. Couple things. One, I just heard a prayer for…a sister called in saying you don’t have any friends, that you don’t have anyone to go through the bible with, you just started, you’re just getting close to the Lord again. And I just want you to know sister, you are definitely not alone doing this. We’re all here with you. All kinds of people are praying for you and heard your prayer request. Maybe check out the new app, there’s a prayer, I mean, a prayer wall. Check out DAB friends on Facebook, that’s a great way to stay in touch with other believers and just not be alone during all of this. So, we all love you, praying for you, keep us updated, and God bless you. And also, guys, if you could pray for my wife and I, she is pregnant with twins and she’s hurting. She still has six weeks to go, Lord willing. And she’s having a bunch of contractions, like, practice ones and just having a lot of issues and we’re trying to figure out how to get the right amount of time off from work so I can…I’m trying to balance it because I don’t want her to overdo while…before the babies come, we want them in there as long as they can be in there. We just…we’ve got a lot of decisions…and there’s a lot of stress…and scares. The babies have a bunch of extra food and stuff but my wife knew they were going to come earlier and all kinds of stuff. I know God’s got it in control. I’ve got a lot peace about it. Just…I guess…I need a wisdom and peace for my wife and prayers for the babies and our other daughter…all kinds of stuff. That a lot. But I love you guys. I’m praying for you. If you could pray for us that’d be great. And…

Hello Daily Audio Bible. It’s Duane from Wisconsin. All praise and glory to God. I’m calling from beautiful North Carolina today. We are here visiting my wife’s youngest daughter, the one I spoke to you about. She had a little baby girl the other day. So, I just want to thank you for all your prayers. So, we’re visiting our granddaughter. But I’m calling in with a heavy heart. I told you about my nephew, Nicholas, and the cancer he was the fighting over the last year and then he had a stroke and they did an artificial heart surgery. My sister called yesterday and they are moving him to hospice. They are only giving him a couple of days, so, I ask for your prayers please. He’s so young. So, I ask you please lift up Nicholas and there be a miracle and he’d be okay. But if not, that’s God will and I pray You’ll be with his wife Erin, my mother, my sister Connie, and dad, Dennis, and his sister Shavon and the rest of family and friends. If you’d please lift them up in prayer Daily Audio Bible, I’d appreciate it. This is Duane from Wisconsin. All praise and glory is to God and Merry Christmas to you all. In Jesus name. Amen. And God bless.

I thought that I was standing tall but really I was down
Smiling broadly ear to ear trying to hide that frown
Believing I could do all things while running from the doubt
Saying straight and narrow is the path but walking in and out
Confident and self-assured trying to hide my fear
Growing stronger day by day yet dying every year
Life is one big paradox
We say and still don’t do
Heavenly Lord we reconcile and surrender all to you

blindtony1016@gmail.com Like to give a shout out to Kim and Dean S., and Sherlock W., and Michelle from LA, and also Drew from the bay area. Hope all of you are having a wonderful holiday. You know you are in my prayers every day. And, once again, my love to go the Hardin family. Thank you, Brian, for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit to flow through the earth. Keep it flowin’ y’all. Alright. Bye-bye.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday December 27, 2017 (NIV)

Zechariah 10-11

The Lord’s People Will Be Victorious

Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime.
The Lord makes thunderstorms.
He gives everyone rain showers for the plants in the field.
The idols speak lies.
The fortunetellers see false visions.
They speak about false dreams.
They give useless comfort.
That is why people wander around like sheep.
They are troubled because there is no shepherd.

“My burning anger is directed against the shepherds.
I will punish the male goats.
The Lord of Armies takes care of his flock, the people of Judah.
He makes them like his splendid war horse.”

From them will come a cornerstone,
from them a tent peg,
from them a battle bow,
from them every leader.
Together they will be like warriors
who trample the enemy in the mud on the streets.
They will fight because the Lord is with them.
They will put to shame those who ride on horses.

“I will strengthen the people of Judah.
I will rescue Joseph’s people.
I will bring them back, because I have compassion for them.
It will be as though I had never rejected them,
because I am the Lord their God, and I will answer them.
The people of Ephraim will be like mighty warriors.
Their hearts will be glad as if they had some wine to drink.
Their sons will see it and be glad.
Their hearts will find joy in the Lord.
I will signal them with a whistle
and gather them because I have reclaimed them.
They will be as numerous as they have ever been.
Although I have scattered them among the nations,
they will remember me even in faraway places.
They will live with their children and then return.
10 I will bring them back from Egypt.
I will gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them to Gilead and to Lebanon,
and there won’t be enough room for them.”

11 The Lord will pass through a sea of distress,
strike the waves in the sea,
and dry up all the deep places of the Nile River.
The pride of Assyria will be humiliated,
and the scepter of Egypt will depart.

12 “I will strengthen them in the Lord.
They will live in his name,” declares the Lord.

Zechariah Is Told to Take Care of the Sheep

Open your doors, Lebanon,
so that fire will be able to burn down your cedars.
Cry, cypress trees,
because the cedars have fallen
and the stately trees have been destroyed.
Cry, oak trees of Bashan,
because your dense forest has fallen down.
Listen! The shepherds are crying,
because their rich pastures are destroyed.
Listen! The young lions are roaring,
because the lush banks of the Jordan are destroyed.

This is what the Lord my God says: Take care of the sheep that are about to be slaughtered. Those who buy them will kill them and go unpunished. Those who sell them will say, “Praise the Lord! I’ve become rich!” Even their own shepherds will have no pity on them.

The Lord declares, “I will no longer have pity on those who live in the land. I am going to hand the people over to their neighbors and their king, who will crush the land. And I won’t rescue any of them from their power.”

So I became the shepherd of the sheep that were to be slaughtered and also of the oppressed sheep. I took two shepherd staffs and named one Favor and the other Unity. And I took care of the sheep. I got rid of three shepherds in one month. I became impatient with the sheep, and they also became disgusted with me. So I said, “I won’t be your shepherd. Let those that are dying die. Let those that are missing stay missing. And let those that are left devour each other.”

10 Then I took my staff called Favor and broke it in pieces, to break the promise[a] that I had made to all the nations. 11 So it was broken on that day, and the oppressed among the sheep who were watching me realized that it was the Lord’s word.

12 Then I said to them, “If it’s alright with you, pay me my wages. But if it’s not, don’t.” And they paid me my wages—30 pieces of silver.

13 The Lord told me, “Give it to the potter.” So I took the 30 pieces of silver. Such a magnificent price was set by them! I gave the pieces of silver to the potter at the house of the Lord.

14 Then I broke my second staff, called Unity, in pieces, to break off the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

15 Then the Lord said to me, “Use the equipment of a foolish shepherd again. 16 I’m about to place a shepherd in the land. He will not take care of those that are dying. He will not search for the young. He will not heal those that have broken their legs or support those that can still stand. But he will eat the meat of the fat animals and tear off their hoofs.

17 “How horrible it will be for the foolish shepherd who abandoned the sheep.
A sword will strike his arm and his right eye.
His arm will be completely withered.
His right eye will be completely blind.”

Footnotes:

  1. Zechariah 11:10 Or “covenant.”
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Revelation 18

Babylon’s Fall

18 After these things I saw another angel come from heaven. He had tremendous power, and his glory lit up the earth. He cried out in a powerful voice, “Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a prison for every evil spirit, every unclean[a] bird, and every unclean and hated beast. All the nations fell because of the wine of her sexual sins. The kings of the earth had sex with her. Her luxurious wealth has made the merchants of the earth rich.”

I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of Babylon, my people, so that you do not participate in her sins and suffer from any of her plagues. Her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Do to her what she has done. Give her twice as much as she gave. Serve her a drink in her own cup twice as large as the drink she served others. She gave herself glory and luxury. Now give her just as much torture and misery. She says to herself, ‘I’m a queen on a throne, not a widow. I’ll never be miserable.’ For this reason her plagues of death, misery, and starvation will come in a single day. She will be burned up in a fire, because the Lord God, who judges her, is powerful.

“The kings of the earth who had sex with her and lived in luxury with her will cry and mourn over her when they see the smoke rise from her raging fire. 10 Frightened by her torture, they will stand far away and say,

‘How horrible, how horrible it is for that important city,
the powerful city Babylon!
In one moment judgment has come to it!’

11 “The merchants of the earth cry and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo anymore. 12 No one buys their cargo of gold, silver, gems, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, bright red cloth, all kinds of citron wood, articles made of ivory and very costly wood, bronze, iron, marble, 13 cinnamon, spices, incense, perfume, frankincense, wine, olive oil, flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, wagons, slaves (that is, humans).

14 ‘The fruit you craved is gone.
All your luxuries and your splendor have disappeared.
No one will ever find them again.’

15 “Frightened by her torture, the merchants who had become rich by selling these things will stand far away. They will cry and mourn, 16 saying,

‘How horrible, how horrible for that important city
which was wearing fine linen, purple clothes,
bright red clothes, gold jewelry, gems, and pearls.
17 In one moment all this wealth has been destroyed!’

Every ship’s captain, everyone who traveled by ship, sailors, and everyone who made their living from the sea stood far away. 18 When they saw the smoke rise from her raging fire, they repeatedly cried out, ‘Was there ever a city as important as this?’ 19 Then they threw dust on their heads and shouted while crying and mourning,

‘How horrible, how horrible for that important city.
Everyone who had a ship at sea
grew rich because of that city’s high prices.
In one moment it has been destroyed!’

20 “Gloat over it, heaven, God’s people, apostles, and prophets.
God has condemned it for you.”

21 Then a powerful angel picked up a stone that was like a large millstone. He threw it into the sea and said,

“The important city Babylon will be thrown down with the same force.
It will never be found again.
22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters
will never be heard in it again.
A skilled craftsman—regardless of the type of craft—
will never be found in it again.
The sound of a millstone
will never be heard in it again.
23 Light from lamps
will never shine in it again.
Voices of brides and grooms
will never be heard in it again.
Its merchants were the important people of the world,
because all the nations were deceived by its witchcraft.

24 “The blood of prophets, God’s people, and everyone who had been murdered on earth was found in it.”

Footnotes:

  1. Revelation 18:2 “Unclean” refers to anything that Moses’ Teachings say is not presentable to God.
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Psalm 146

Psalm 146

Hallelujah!

Praise the Lord, my soul!
I want to praise the Lord throughout my life.
I want to make music to praise my God as long as I live.

Do not trust influential people,
mortals who cannot help you.
When they breathe their last breath, they return to the ground.
On that day their plans come to an end.
Blessed are those who receive help from the God of Jacob.
Their hope rests on the Lord their God,
who made heaven, earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
The Lord remains faithful forever.
He brings about justice for those who are oppressed.
He gives food to those who are hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free.
The Lord gives sight to blind people.
The Lord straightens the backs of those who are bent over.
The Lord loves righteous people.
The Lord protects foreigners.
The Lord gives relief to orphans and widows.
But he keeps wicked people from reaching their goal.
10 The Lord rules as king forever.
Zion, your God rules throughout every generation.

Hallelujah!

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Proverbs 30:33

33 As churning milk produces butter
and punching a nose produces blood,
so stirring up anger[a] produces a fight.

Footnotes:

  1. Proverbs 30:33 In Hebrew there is a play on words in verse 33 where the same verb is used to express all three actions.
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group