The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday December 22, 2018 (NIV)

Zechariah 2-3

Future Prosperity of Jerusalem

[a]When I looked again, I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. “Where are you going?” I asked.

He replied, “I am going to measure Jerusalem, to see how wide and how long it is.”

Then the angel who was with me went to meet a second angel who was coming toward him. The other angel said, “Hurry, and say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem will someday be so full of people and livestock that there won’t be room enough for everyone! Many will live outside the city walls. Then I, myself, will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem, says the Lord. And I will be the glory inside the city!’”

The Exiles Are Called Home

The Lord says, “Come away! Flee from Babylon in the land of the north, for I have scattered you to the four winds. Come away, people of Zion, you who are exiled in Babylon!”

After a period of glory, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies sent me[b] against the nations who plundered you. For he said, “Anyone who harms you harms my most precious possession.[c] I will raise my fist to crush them, and their own slaves will plunder them.” Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me.

10 The Lord says, “Shout and rejoice, O beautiful Jerusalem,[d] for I am coming to live among you. 11 Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they, too, will be my people. I will live among you, and you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies sent me to you. 12 The land of Judah will be the Lord’s special possession in the holy land, and he will once again choose Jerusalem to be his own city. 13 Be silent before the Lord, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling.”

Cleansing for the High Priest

Then the angel showed me Jeshua[e] the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan,[f] was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Jeshua. And the Lord said to Satan, “I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.”

Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, “Take off his filthy clothes.” And turning to Jeshua he said, “See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.”

Then I said, “They should also place a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the Lord stood by.

Then the angel of the Lord spoke very solemnly to Jeshua and said, “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: If you follow my ways and carefully serve me, then you will be given authority over my Temple and its courtyards. I will let you walk among these others standing here.

“Listen to me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. Now look at the jewel I have set before Jeshua, a single stone with seven facets.[g] I will engrave an inscription on it, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, and I will remove the sins of this land in a single day.

10 “And on that day, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, each of you will invite your neighbor to sit with you peacefully under your own grapevine and fig tree.”

Footnotes:

  1. 2:1 Verses 2:1-13 are numbered 2:5-17 in Hebrew text.
  2. 2:8a The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  3. 2:8b Hebrew Anyone who touches you touches the pupil of his eye.
  4. 2:10 Hebrew O daughter of Zion.
  5. 3:1a Hebrew Joshua, a variant spelling of Jeshua; also in 3:3, 4, 6, 8, 9.
  6. 3:1b Hebrew The satan; similarly in 3:2.
  7. 3:9 Hebrew seven eyes.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Revelation 13

The Beast out of the Sea

13 Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. And written on each head were names that blasphemed God. This beast looked like a leopard, but it had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion! And the dragon gave the beast his own power and throne and great authority.

I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast. They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. “Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?”

Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months. And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and his dwelling—that is, those who dwell in heaven.[a] And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made.[b]

Anyone with ears to hear
should listen and understand.
10 Anyone who is destined for prison
will be taken to prison.
Anyone destined to die by the sword
will die by the sword.

This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful.

The Beast out of the Earth

11 Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon. 12 He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 He did astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching. 14 And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. 15 He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.

16 He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. 17 And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. 18 Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[c] His number is 666.[d]

Footnotes:

  1. 13:6 Some manuscripts read and his dwelling and all who dwell in heaven.
  2. 13:8 Or not written in the Book of Life before the world was made—the Book that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered.
  3. 13:18a Or of humanity.
  4. 13:18b Some manuscripts read 616.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 141

Psalm 141

A psalm of David.

O Lord, I am calling to you. Please hurry!
Listen when I cry to you for help!
Accept my prayer as incense offered to you,
and my upraised hands as an evening offering.

Take control of what I say, O Lord,
and guard my lips.
Don’t let me drift toward evil
or take part in acts of wickedness.
Don’t let me share in the delicacies
of those who do wrong.

Let the godly strike me!
It will be a kindness!
If they correct me, it is soothing medicine.
Don’t let me refuse it.

But I pray constantly
against the wicked and their deeds.
When their leaders are thrown down from a cliff,
the wicked will listen to my words and find them true.
Like rocks brought up by a plow,
the bones of the wicked will lie scattered without burial.[a]

I look to you for help, O Sovereign Lord.
You are my refuge; don’t let them kill me.
Keep me from the traps they have set for me,
from the snares of those who do wrong.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
but let me escape.

Footnotes:

  1. 141:7 Hebrew our bones will be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 30:18-20

18 There are three things that amaze me—
no, four things that I don’t understand:
19 how an eagle glides through the sky,
how a snake slithers on a rock,
how a ship navigates the ocean,
how a man loves a woman.

20 An adulterous woman consumes a man,
then wipes her mouth and says, “What’s wrong with that?”

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


12/21/2018 DAB Transcript

Zechariah 1:1-2:21, Revelation 12:1-17, Psalms 140:1-13, Proverbs 30:17

Today is the 21st day of December. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. And, of course, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today as it is every day as we come in out of the weather and warm ourselves around this global campfire that is our community. So, I’m thrilled that we can have this next few minutes together as we immerse ourselves in the Scriptures and step away from whatever’s going on and just center ourselves in God’s word. So, we’ve been reading a book a day for a while now, right, as we’re moving to the minor prophets and as we were moving us through some of the shorter letters in the New Testament. So, today’s kind of no different, but it is. We are beginning a new book of minor prophecy in the Old Testament but we’re not gonna finish it today. In fact, this book is going to bring us a right up to the last two days of the year and this book is called Zechariah.

Introduction to the book of Zechariah:

So, yesterday, we read in its entirety the book of Haggai. Zechariah and Haggai were contemporaries even though Zechariah continued his ministry long after Haggai and then they were prophesying at the same place and at the same time and for the same reason, the rebuilding of the temple. So, Zechariah’s grandfather, Iddo, that was named among the first leaders of the priestly families to return from exile  was Zerubbabel. So, this tells us that Zechariah was probably a priest, or at least of a priestly family. His name means God remembers and this covenantal remembering and the resulting restoration from it is a central theme of Zechariah. Now, since we’re not reading Zechariah in one sitting, like today, we know that, obviously, Zechariah is much longer than Haggai and it’s far broader in scope and style. For example, Zechariah tells of a night visions that he experienced that are apocalyptic in nature and highly symbolic much like what we’re reading in the book of Revelation. So, in light of rebuilding the temple God was initiating a far broader plan of sweeping restoration but the people were going to have to respond and how would they respond? They would respond the same way that we have to respond, with one of the central themes that runs its way all the way through the Bible, “return to me and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Don’t be like your ancestors, who wouldn’t listen or pay attention when the earlier prophets told them this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says. Turn from your evil ways and stop all your evil practices. Where are your ancestors now?” So, obviously, come back, come home, return to me. This is such a central theme in the prophet’s and we it, here in the book of Zechariah. But that’s not all there is in Zechariah. Zechariah also foretells a coming Messiah with verses that we should be able to instantly recognize. For example, “rejoice oh people of Zion. Shout in triumph oh people of Jerusalem. Look, your kind is coming to you. He is a righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey, riding on a donkey’s colt.” So, because of these utterances Zechariah is quoted in Matthew, in Mark, in John, and in Revelation in reference to Jesus. And ultimately Zechariah is supposed to be received as prophetic encouragement and to serve as a reminder that God is absolutely sovereign in all things at all times and in all places. An, so, let’s take that encouragement and lean into that encouragement and lean into the sovereignty of our Father as we learn to endure, which is also such a central theme of apocalyptic literature like book of Revelation. So, what we can see in Zechariah is that our endurance is not purposeless, that all of this is headed somewhere, and all that we go through is headed somewhere good if we will return to God. And, so, we begin. Zechariah chapter 1 verse 1 through verse 21 today. And we’re reading from the New Living Translation this week.

Prayer:

Once again Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for the way that it speaks every day. For example, in the Psalms today, we can very easily pray along with the ancient warrior poet King David. You are our God. Listen Lord to our cries for mercy. Lord, Sovereign God, the strong one who rescues us. You protected us on the day of battle. Lord, do not let evil people have their way. Do not let their evil schemes succeed. We know that You will help those who are persecuted. We know that You will give justice to the poor. We will praise Your name because You have allowed us to live in Your presence. And yes, oh sovereign Lord, we agree, we pray, let it be so, You are the sovereign God, You are the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, You are just and true. And, so, we pray Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven and may this begin in our own hearts. Come Holy Spirit we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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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:

Good morning DABbers, I am a Burning Bush that will not be Devoured for the Glory of Our God and King. There’s a song, I’m not going to sing it, I’m going to share in the lyrics for you guys. It has been blessing my heart lately. It is a Liberian song and in Liberian __ the song says __. And what he’s basically saying to God, God why should I ruin your reputation? Some people go to bed at night and may never wake up. I went to sleep at night and I woke up. So, why should I ruin your reputation God? You’ve blessing me. And, so, this morning I’m sitting here in my heart is a little heavy because I’ve been having some issues at work and I ask you guys to pray for me at this new job, that God will use me as a light and bless me, give me favor and wisdom. And as I was tempted to feel down about it I realized that the fact that I woke up this morning means that God still has an assignment for me. That is my mission. I wake up in the morning, open my eyes, and I can see. That is evidence of…even if I could see, I wake up and I breathe air. That is evidence that God has a plan for me today. And why should I ruin His reputation? Why should I say, oh woe is me? No. I am blessed. I am blessed. I am blessed, highly favored, and I have been sent out on a mission. So, I’m sharing this with you guys. I hope that it’s life to somebody and I‘m heading out to Liberia tomorrow to bury my aunt. Please pray for me for God to go ahead of me. I love you guys so much. Hope you have a wonderful week.

Hey, this is Kevin from the rolling hills of Arkansas. I have really never called in for a prayer request but today I was listening to the 16th when Dash called in and he’s struggling with anxiety and sitting in his car and it’s exactly what my son Benjamin is going through. And, so, I just really needed to call. It confirmed to me that there’s a lot of people out there that struggle with some type of mental illness or just tormenting things in their mind. So, I just want to play for Dash and Benji and I hope you all can keep all those others in prayer that need it. Dear Lord, be with Dash today and be with Benji. Just clear their minds from this anxiety. Help them to get the care they need. Help all those in the DAB land that suffer with the same. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Love you guys. Thanks. Keep it up Brian and family. God bless. Bye-bye.

Hi everyone it’s Nicholai in California and I’m calling in regards to a call I heard on the community prayer, I think Laura the conqueror from Colorado, she’s the one who is going through a divorce from an abusive relationship, but she said she’s just been having a lot of difficulties of having a dream where she can’t, you know, get anywhere forward and her seat is taken. I just want to say congratulations, the fact that you are leaving this relationship. It is more difficult than people know to leave an abusive relationship and you are doing it and that is a huge deal. And yes, are you going to have to overcome a lot of difficult things in the process of getting away from this, but you are a warrior and you’re going to make it and you going to find your seat. There is a seat for you and the space for you. And God is going to reward you for all of this. He has so much in store for you that you can’t even imagine. I think it’s just the enemy trying to scare you and trying to stop you from moving forward and from getting away from this relationship but there is a safe haven for you and there is a glorious throne, not just a seat, there’s a throne waiting for you. So, just want you to know that I’m praying for you and that you’re not alone and that you’re supported all the way out you’re in California and you’re going to make it and you’re going to find your throne. Hope you have a great day. Bye.

Hey guys, how you doing? It’s the prodigal. First of all, let me say that I feel all you all’s pain and I really do pray for you. And times are tough for a lot of people especially this time of year, it’s really bad. The main reason for my call is I told my priest, I promised my priest I’d reach out to someone. I am overwhelmed with the thought of committing suicide. I’ve thought about it before, but this year’s been the worst year of my life. I lost everything, I mean absolutely frigging everything. And it’s all because of my pride and because myself hatred. And I’m just figuring that out now. So, the message said His love endures forever today, but I’m not sure I can anymore. I’m so beaten down and I’ve got nothing to look forward to. This year’s word was Hope. My word this year’s loss. It’s bad enough I drove off my best friend, my wife of 23 years. She was everything to me except I drove her away, but she took my dog and the only dog I’ve ever owned in my life and my dog died. So, it’s just a year of total loss. My house, my money, my business going bankrupt. It’s on and on and on and on and on. I just don’t have any more gas in the tank. So, just reaching out asking your prayers. I don’t know how much longer I can stand this. I fight the good fight, which I’ve already fought and been doing research whether suicide is a mortal sin or not. I can’t find that answer either. So, __ I’m lost. And family I pray for you all. God, bless. Maybe I’ll talk to you in the future. We’ll see. God bless and have a Merry Christmas.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday December 21, 2018 (NIV)

Zechariah 1

A Call to Return to the Lord

In November[a] of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord gave this message to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah and grandson of Iddo:

“I, the Lord, was very angry with your ancestors. Therefore, say to the people, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’ Don’t be like your ancestors who would not listen or pay attention when the earlier prophets said to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Turn from your evil ways, and stop all your evil practices.’

“Where are your ancestors now? They and the prophets are long dead. But everything I said through my servants the prophets happened to your ancestors, just as I said. As a result, they repented and said, ‘We have received what we deserved from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. He has done what he said he would do.’”

A Man among the Myrtle Trees

Three months later, on February 15,[b] the Lord sent another message to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah and grandson of Iddo.

In a vision during the night, I saw a man sitting on a red horse that was standing among some myrtle trees in a small valley. Behind him were riders on red, brown, and white horses. I asked the angel who was talking with me, “My lord, what do these horses mean?”

“I will show you,” the angel replied.

10 The rider standing among the myrtle trees then explained, “They are the ones the Lord has sent out to patrol the earth.”

11 Then the other riders reported to the angel of the Lord, who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have been patrolling the earth, and the whole earth is at peace.”

12 Upon hearing this, the angel of the Lord prayed this prayer: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, for seventy years now you have been angry with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. How long until you again show mercy to them?” 13 And the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.

14 Then the angel said to me, “Shout this message for all to hear: ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong. 15 But I am very angry with the other nations that are now enjoying peace and security. I was only a little angry with my people, but the nations inflicted harm on them far beyond my intentions.

16 “‘Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I have returned to show mercy to Jerusalem. My Temple will be rebuilt, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, and measurements will be taken for the reconstruction of Jerusalem.[c]

17 “Say this also: ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: The towns of Israel will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem as his own.’”

Four Horns and Four Blacksmiths

18 [d]Then I looked up and saw four animal horns. 19 “What are these?” I asked the angel who was talking with me.

He replied, “These horns represent the nations that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

20 Then the Lord showed me four blacksmiths. 21 “What are these men coming to do?” I asked.

The angel replied, “These four horns—these nations—scattered and humbled Judah. Now these blacksmiths have come to terrify those nations and throw them down and destroy them.”

Footnotes:

  1. 1:1 Hebrew In the eighth month. A number of dates in Zechariah can be cross-checked with dates in surviving Persian records and related accurately to our modern calendar. This month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred within the months of October and November 520 B.c.
  2. 1:7 Hebrew On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius. This event occurred on February 15, 519 B.c.; also see note on 1:1.
  3. 1:16 Hebrew and the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.
  4. 1:18 Verses 1:18-21 are numbered 2:1-4 in Hebrew text.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Revelation 12

The Woman and the Dragon

12 Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance. I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth.

Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born.

She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place to care for her for 1,260 days.

Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

10 Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens,

“It has come at last—
salvation and power
and the Kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.[a]
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters[b]
has been thrown down to earth—
the one who accuses them
before our God day and night.
11 And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb
and by their testimony.
And they did not love their lives so much
that they were afraid to die.
12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens!
And you who live in the heavens, rejoice!
But terror will come on the earth and the sea,
for the devil has come down to you in great anger,
knowing that he has little time.”

13 When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But she was given two wings like those of a great eagle so she could fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness. There she would be cared for and protected from the dragon[c] for a time, times, and half a time.

15 Then the dragon tried to drown the woman with a flood of water that flowed from his mouth. 16 But the earth helped her by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that gushed out from the mouth of the dragon. 17 And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children—all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus.

18 Then the dragon took his stand[d] on the shore beside the sea.

Footnotes:

  1. 12:10a Or his Messiah.
  2. 12:10b Greek brothers.
  3. 12:14 Greek the serpent; also in 12:15. See 12:9.
  4. 12:18 Greek Then he took his stand; some manuscripts read Then I took my stand. Some translations put this entire sentence into 13:1.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 140

Psalm 140

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

O Lord, rescue me from evil people.
Protect me from those who are violent,
those who plot evil in their hearts
and stir up trouble all day long.
Their tongues sting like a snake;
the venom of a viper drips from their lips. Interlude

O Lord, keep me out of the hands of the wicked.
Protect me from those who are violent,
for they are plotting against me.
The proud have set a trap to catch me;
they have stretched out a net;
they have placed traps all along the way. Interlude

I said to the Lord, “You are my God!”
Listen, O Lord, to my cries for mercy!
O Sovereign Lord, the strong one who rescued me,
you protected me on the day of battle.
Lord, do not let evil people have their way.
Do not let their evil schemes succeed,
or they will become proud. Interlude

Let my enemies be destroyed
by the very evil they have planned for me.
10 Let burning coals fall down on their heads.
Let them be thrown into the fire
or into watery pits from which they can’t escape.
11 Don’t let liars prosper here in our land.
Cause great disasters to fall on the violent.

12 But I know the Lord will help those they persecute;
he will give justice to the poor.
13 Surely righteous people are praising your name;
the godly will live in your presence.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 30:17

17 The eye that mocks a father
and despises a mother’s instructions
will be plucked out by ravens of the valley
and eaten by vultures.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


12/20/2018 DAB Transcript

Haggai 1:1-2:23, Revelation 11:1-19, Psalms 139:1-24, Proverbs 30:15-16

Today is the 20th day of December. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it’s fantastic to be here with you today, taking the next step forward toward the end of this week, towards Christmas, which is just around the corner and eventually toward the end of this year, which is right upon us in the conclusion of our journey this year through the entire Bible. So, as we enter into our reading today we are following the tradition that seems to happen at the end of the year. We’re moving through books rapidly and I we have a brand-new book today that we’ll read in its entirety, the book of Haggai, which is the 10th of the 12 books known as the minor prophets.

Introduction to the book of Haggai:

And like so many of the authors of the minor prophets, we don’t we don’t know much that could give us a biographical sketch of Haggai. We know that he was among those living in Jerusalem who had returned from the Babylonian exile. He was probably one of the first waves of the exiles to return. We also know that he had access to people who were in power because the opening verse indicates that his message was delivered to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah. And we certainly learned Zerubbabel’s story in the book of Ezra and Nehemiah, but also Joshua, the high priest, is mentioned in Haggai. So, he had access to the to those who were in power and who can make decisions. And Haggai’s message was largely motivational, but for us to understand why we need a very short timeline, which happens to be a review of the territory we’ve covered. So, Babylon conquered Jerusalem as we know and lead her people into exile and this happened around 586 B.C. And then Babylon was conquered by the Persian Empire in 539 B.C. And it was the Persian king Cyrus that allowed the first of the exiles to come back to Jerusalem under Zerubbabel’s leadership and this was around 538 B.C. So, Haggai’s message came 18 years after that in 520 B.C. In fact, Haggai’s prophecies are some of the most precisely dated utterances in the whole Bible because the dates are contained in the book and they run between August 29th and December 18th 520 B.C. And, so, during the 18 years that the exiles had been coming back, the temple remained incomplete and there was political opposition and intimidation that was coming in from the surrounding peoples, and these had kind of stalled things out as it relates to the temple, but the people were building their own houses and rebuilding their own lives without the temple as the centerpiece, which had traditionally been the identity of the people. So, through the prophet Haggai, God voiced His displeasure at this. “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins” He asks. And then God revealed that there were repercussions whether they realized what they were doing or not, that since their return they had worked hard and toiled and attempted to rebuild but that had been thwarted all along the way and their crops had yielded their intended yield because they’d become self-absorbed and left God’s temple neglected and they needed to change their priorities and get busy because God had future plans of judgment. So, God commanded them, go up into the hills, bring down timber, rebuild my house and then I’ll take pleasure in it and be honored. So, according to Haggai, construction started again September 21st, 520 B.C. and less than a month later, on October 17th of the same year God spoke again and He basically said, you know, does anybody remember what the temple used to be like? And now that you can look at what you’re rebuilding you can see that it’s nothing like that in terms of its splendor. But God encouraged the leaders to be strong, to keep going, and not be afraid. And, so, obviously God wanted to restore the temple. It was the central thing that represented covenantal life in the community of God’s people. But God had specific plans for the work and he wanted no more delay because, actually, the people had been working their butt off, right? They’d been working to rebuild a life and a country but they had been thwarted at every turn, even with the weather when what God had intended was that the Temple be rebuilt, reassert itself as the centerpiece of covenantal life, and then God would draw the riches from the surrounding nations into the temple and back into the land. In other words, if they had put God first their toll hill would’ve been more fruitful, which is a lesson every one of us can at least be reminded of often. And, so, with that we begin. We’re reading from the New Living Translation this week. Haggai, chapter 1 verse 1 through 2:23

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for your word, we thank you for the message in the prophet Haggai that essentially tells us, seek you first, then all these things will be added unto us. And we thank you for this reminder in this season, not only in this season of commercialism and giving but also as we come to the close of the year. One of the ways that we will begin the new year strong is to finish this one well. And, so, we thank you for these reminders every step of the way. We thank you for what you’ve reminded us of in Proverbs, that there are four things never say enough. And, yeah, we can say the grave and the barren womb and the thirsty desert and the blazing fire for sure, but it is our desire that another be added to that list, that our longing for you, that we would never be able to say enough, that we would never be satisfied, that our lives would hunger and thirst for your righteousness all of our days because that is not only how we will finish a year strong and begin a new one well, it is how we will survive and navigate in this world. So, come Holy Spirit and lead us forward into all truth we ask in the mighty name of Jesus as we hunger and thirst after you. Come Holy Spirit we pray. Amen.

Announcements:

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And it’s Christmas time and the next few days it will get more and more increasingly all things Christmas. And this is the time to just immerse ourselves, slow things down to the best of our ability, at least on the inside, take a breath and enjoy what is happening and the wonder of the Lord coming for us. And, so, be sure to do that all the Christmas stuff that we’ve been talking about, you know, since the beginning of this month, all that is available in the shop.

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If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is, of course, a link that lives on the homepage. If you are using the 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.

12/19/2018 DAB Transcript

Zephaniah 1:1-3:20, Revelation 10:1-11, Psalms 138:1-8, Proverbs 30:11-14

Today is the 19th day of December. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It is great to be here with you on hump day, and we’re inside of a week for Christmas now. So, my son, Ezekiel, he’s starting to count down the days, probably your kids are too. And I don’t know if its busy around your neck of the woods but it’s definitely busy around ours. So, having this rhythm, this space, this sacred space that we create each day together around this global campfire for the Scriptures to be poured into our lives is an anchor. So, let’s get to that. So, it’s no surprise that we we’ve been moving rapidly through the minor prophets in the Old Testament and previous to that we had moved rapidly through a number of letters in the New Testament. So, we’ve been encountering new books of the Bible regularly as the end of the year approaches. Today is no different. Today we’ll read another short but complete prophetic book. And this is the ninth of the minor prophets the book of Zephaniah.

Introduction to the book of Zephaniah:

Zephaniah, as with so many of the other minor prophets, we know very little about who Zephaniah was. The only substantial information we have is found in the first verse of the book, which reads the Lord gave this message to Zephaniah when Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah. Zephaniah was the son of Koshy, son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah. So, I mean, we could go, well that’s all I really need to know about Zephaniah other than the fact that whatever it was that he wrote down ended up in the Bible. So, I know what I need to know. But what’s interesting about the way this description of Zephaniah is given is that four generations are listed. Usually in the Bible if you’re trying to identify a person they will be identified by their father and maybe the grandfather, but in this case,  we’re going back for four generations. And even though it’s not certain, this is might be because Zephaniah was a descendent of the good and reforming King, Hezekiah, which would explain Zephaniah’s awareness of the world surrounding him. And we’ll see that he’s aware as we read the book. And this would also of likely lend credibility to his prophetic work. Like if he was a direct descendent of the good King Hezekiah not only would it have given his voice some standing in the culture it would’ve also given credibility to the prophecy. So, Zephaniah’s name means God has hidden and he states that his message was given during the reign of Josiah. So, this would place him in the early to mid-600s B.C. and make him a contemporary with other prophets like Jeremiah. And, so, many scholars believe that Zephaniah was familiar with the writings of prophets like Isaiah because of the similarities in language and tone. Another thing that’s unique is that a lot of the works of prophecy, whether major or longer works of prophecy or the minor prophets, they’re specifically targeted to a specific group of people, but Zephaniah actually concerns his prophetic work basically with the judgment of the known world, and that included Judah. And according to Zephaniah, this judgment of evil was eminent. And, so, to that end the day of the Lord is a central theme throughout Zephaniah. And with the day of the Lord in view Zephaniah encourages his readers towards repentance before it’s too late. In fact, he says as much, “seek the Lord all who are humble and follow his commands. Seek to do what is right and to live humbly, perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you, protect you from His anger on that day of destruction.” So, the day of the Lord and, I mean, we’re kind of in some of this territory in the book of Revelation as well. This can evoke ominous imagery of terrible devastation and it can certainly give fear and dread, but we have to remember that it was evil that God wanted to eradicate, it wasn’t people, it was evil, it was deception. But those who were unwilling to rid themselves of evil would indeed be swept away no matter or where they were from according to Zephaniah. But to those who would move through this great day of the Lord would move through with a specific posture and they would survive and, quoting Zephaniah, “those who are left will be the lowly and humble, for it is they who trust in the name of the Lord.” And, as is typical as in the prophetic works, the conclusion of judgment then brings the heralding of a new and pure beginning and Zephaniah is no different, although judgment is foretold and its widespread judgment, so also is restoration. According to Zephaniah, “the Lord will remove His hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy and the Lord himself, the King of Israel, will live among you, and at last your troubles will be over and you will never again fear disaster.” So, we have certainly end in a tremendously encouraging place. So, with all of this being said, let’s read the book of Zephaniah. We’re reading from the new living translation this week. Zephaniah 1:1 through 3:20.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for your word, we thank you for all that you speak to us each day through your word and the way that your word really does go deep within us and begin to subtly and slowly but methodically and surely change our perspective on nearly everything. And, so, we really have reached a point in the year that we can look back to the beginning of this year and realize we’re not the same person we were. It’s not that everything about us has changed, it’s not that we are struggle free, it’s not that we still don’t have challenges, and that we still don’t have to face hardships, but the way that we’re approaching things is being transformed, and we can look back through this period of time where we’ve invested every single day into your word and we can see that the process of sanctification is in fact real,  it really is happening within us. You truly are making us holy, you truly are changing the way that we see and do everything. And, yes, we acknowledge we have so far to go. But father, we worship you for how far you have brought us. Thank you. We know that this will continue as we continue to apply your word into our lives. So, come Holy Spirit, lead us forward, lead us into all truth, lead us on the narrow path that leads to life, we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, its the website, its where you find out what’s going on around here.

And, you know, how many more ways are there to say it’s Christmas time around here. But the Daily Audio Bible family Christmas is coming up, hopefully tomorrow. And, so, we have this annual Christmas party that we share together and that will be fun. It will just show up as an extra episode. And, so excited about that and that you are probably well…I don’t know…everybody has their own traditions. And even in the United States we have our own traditions about Christmas. So, traditions are different all over the world but the they might include special church, you know, presentations, plays, musicals, these kinds of things. That usually happens over the next few days and into the weekend and then obviously Monday’s gonna be Christmas eve and I just can't…it’s here. Like…I so deeply remember, like it was yesterday, this point in the year last year and it’s hard to believe a year has gone by and here we are about to, you know, look into Christmas and then into the eyes of a brand-new, sparkly, shiny new year. So, let’s drink it in and enjoy it for all that it brings to us because it really is a unique time of year. Truly, we the way that we feel during this time of year and believe it or not, that’s not always a positive thing. So, for some people it’s a deep time of reflection and remembrance. It’s not necessarily even a happy time, but what comes up around this time, no matter what’s coming up inside of us, it kind of only comes up this way, this time of year. So, whatever is coming up, whether feelings of home, whether feelings of loneliness, whether feeling grief for someone that you’ve lost, or whether feeling overjoyed that there will be a reuniting of your family, feel it is the point, like, rather than going one set of feelings is a good and these other experiences need to be suppressed. We suppress them all the time. And then something happens around this time of year and things begin to come up and their invitation to invite Jesus, this Christmas child, into these situations, allowing Him to speak into them, allowing Him to grieve with us allowing Him to heal broken places, allowing Him to wide eyed laugh and rejoice with us, and maybe even lead us into a place of peace that we thought that we wouldn’t be able to experience all because we just started paying attention that He is near. So, embrace that as we move into these next couple of days.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if the mail is your preference, 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.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday December 20, 2018 (NIV)

Haggai 1-2

A Call to Rebuild the Temple

On August 29[a] of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord gave a message through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Jeshua[b] son of Jehozadak, the high priest.

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: The people are saying, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.’”

Then the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai: “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord. You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses. 10 It’s because of you that the heavens withhold the dew and the earth produces no crops. 11 I have called for a drought on your fields and hills—a drought to wither the grain and grapes and olive trees and all your other crops, a drought to starve you and your livestock and to ruin everything you have worked so hard to get.”

Obedience to God’s Call

12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of God’s people began to obey the message from the Lord their God. When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai, whom the Lord their God had sent, the people feared the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave the people this message from the Lord: “I am with you, says the Lord!”

14 So the Lord sparked the enthusiasm of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the enthusiasm of Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the enthusiasm of the whole remnant of God’s people. They began to work on the house of their God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, 15 on September 21[c] of the second year of King Darius’s reign.

The New Temple’s Diminished Splendor

Then on October 17 of that same year,[d] the Lord sent another message through the prophet Haggai. “Say this to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Jeshua[e] son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of God’s people there in the land: ‘Does anyone remember this house—this Temple—in its former splendor? How, in comparison, does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all! But now the Lord says: Be strong, Zerubbabel. Be strong, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.’

“For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

Blessings Promised for Obedience

10 On December 18[f] of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord sent this message to the prophet Haggai: 11 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says. Ask the priests this question about the law: 12 ‘If one of you is carrying some meat from a holy sacrifice in his robes and his robe happens to brush against some bread or stew, wine or olive oil, or any other kind of food, will it also become holy?’”

The priests replied, “No.”

13 Then Haggai asked, “If someone becomes ceremonially unclean by touching a dead person and then touches any of these foods, will the food be defiled?”

And the priests answered, “Yes.”

14 Then Haggai responded, “That is how it is with this people and this nation, says the Lord. Everything they do and everything they offer is defiled by their sin. 15 Look at what was happening to you before you began to lay the foundation of the Lord’s Temple. 16 When you hoped for a twenty-bushel crop, you harvested only ten. When you expected to draw fifty gallons from the winepress, you found only twenty. 17 I sent blight and mildew and hail to destroy everything you worked so hard to produce. Even so, you refused to return to me, says the Lord.

18 “Think about this eighteenth day of December, the day[g] when the foundation of the Lord’s Temple was laid. Think carefully. 19 I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn.[h] You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops. But from this day onward I will bless you.”

Promises for Zerubbabel

20 On that same day, December 18,[i] the Lord sent this second message to Haggai: 21 “Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overthrow royal thrones and destroy the power of foreign kingdoms. I will overturn their chariots and riders. The horses will fall, and their riders will kill each other.

23 “But when this happens, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, I will honor you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant. I will make you like a signet ring on my finger, says the Lord, for I have chosen you. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

Footnotes:

  1. 1:1a Hebrew On the first day of the sixth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. A number of dates in Haggai can be cross-checked with dates in surviving Persian records and related accurately to our modern calendar. This event occurred on August 29, 520 B.c.
  2. 1:1b Hebrew Joshua, a variant spelling of Jeshua; also in 1:12, 14.
  3. 1:15 Hebrew on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This event occurred on September 21, 520 B.c.; also see note on 1:1a.
  4. 2:1 Hebrew on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This event (in the second year of Darius’s reign) occurred on October 17, 520 B.c.; also see note on 1:1a.
  5. 2:2 Hebrew Joshua, a variant spelling of Jeshua; also in 2:4.
  6. 2:10 Hebrew On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar (similarly in 2:18). This event occurred on December 18, 520 B.c.; also see note on 1:1a.
  7. 2:18 Or On this eighteenth day of December, think about the day.
  8. 2:19 Hebrew Is the seed yet in the barn?
  9. 2:20 Hebrew On the twenty-fourth day of the [ninth] month; see note on 2:10.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Revelation 11

The Two Witnesses

11 Then I was given a measuring stick, and I was told, “Go and measure the Temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers. But do not measure the outer courtyard, for it has been turned over to the nations. They will trample the holy city for 42 months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in burlap and will prophesy during those 1,260 days.”

These two prophets are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of all the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire flashes from their mouths and consumes their enemies. This is how anyone who tries to harm them must die. They have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall for as long as they prophesy. And they have the power to turn the rivers and oceans into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.

When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit[a] will declare war against them, and he will conquer them and kill them. And their bodies will lie in the main street of Jerusalem,[b] the city that is figuratively called “Sodom” and “Egypt,” the city where their Lord was crucified. And for three and a half days, all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will stare at their bodies. No one will be allowed to bury them. 10 All the people who belong to this world will gloat over them and give presents to each other to celebrate the death of the two prophets who had tormented them.

11 But after three and a half days, God breathed life into them, and they stood up! Terror struck all who were staring at them. 12 Then a loud voice from heaven called to the two prophets, “Come up here!” And they rose to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched.

13 At the same time there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people died in that earthquake, and everyone else was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second terror is past, but look, the third terror is coming quickly.

The Seventh Trumpet Brings the Third Terror

15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven:

“The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,[c]
and he will reign forever and ever.”

16 The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him. 17 And they said,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty,
the one who is and who always was,
for now you have assumed your great power
and have begun to reign.
18 The nations were filled with wrath,
but now the time of your wrath has come.
It is time to judge the dead
and reward your servants the prophets,
as well as your holy people,
and all who fear your name,
from the least to the greatest.
It is time to destroy
all who have caused destruction on the earth.”

19 Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared, and there was an earthquake and a terrible hailstorm.

Footnotes:

  1. 11:7 Or the abyss, or the underworld.
  2. 11:8 Greek the great city.
  3. 11:15 Or his Messiah.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 139

Psalm 139

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!

I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me,[b] O God.
They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!

19 O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!
Get out of my life, you murderers!
20 They blaspheme you;
your enemies misuse your name.
21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
for your enemies are my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Footnotes:

  1. 139:8 Hebrew to Sheol.
  2. 139:17 Or How precious to me are your thoughts.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 30:15-16

15 The leech has two suckers
that cry out, “More, more!”[a]

There are three things that are never satisfied—
no, four that never say, “Enough!”:
16 the grave,[b]
the barren womb,
the thirsty desert,
the blazing fire.

Footnotes:

  1. 30:15 Hebrew two daughters who cry out, “Give, give!”
  2. 30:16 Hebrew Sheol.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday December 20, 2018 (NIV)

Haggai 1-2

A Call to Rebuild the Temple

On August 29[a] of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord gave a message through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Jeshua[b] son of Jehozadak, the high priest.

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: The people are saying, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.’”

Then the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai: “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord. You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses. 10 It’s because of you that the heavens withhold the dew and the earth produces no crops. 11 I have called for a drought on your fields and hills—a drought to wither the grain and grapes and olive trees and all your other crops, a drought to starve you and your livestock and to ruin everything you have worked so hard to get.”

Obedience to God’s Call

12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of God’s people began to obey the message from the Lord their God. When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai, whom the Lord their God had sent, the people feared the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave the people this message from the Lord: “I am with you, says the Lord!”

14 So the Lord sparked the enthusiasm of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the enthusiasm of Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the enthusiasm of the whole remnant of God’s people. They began to work on the house of their God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, 15 on September 21[c] of the second year of King Darius’s reign.

The New Temple’s Diminished Splendor

Then on October 17 of that same year,[d] the Lord sent another message through the prophet Haggai. “Say this to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Jeshua[e] son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of God’s people there in the land: ‘Does anyone remember this house—this Temple—in its former splendor? How, in comparison, does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all! But now the Lord says: Be strong, Zerubbabel. Be strong, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.’

“For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

Blessings Promised for Obedience

10 On December 18[f] of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord sent this message to the prophet Haggai: 11 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says. Ask the priests this question about the law: 12 ‘If one of you is carrying some meat from a holy sacrifice in his robes and his robe happens to brush against some bread or stew, wine or olive oil, or any other kind of food, will it also become holy?’”

The priests replied, “No.”

13 Then Haggai asked, “If someone becomes ceremonially unclean by touching a dead person and then touches any of these foods, will the food be defiled?”

And the priests answered, “Yes.”

14 Then Haggai responded, “That is how it is with this people and this nation, says the Lord. Everything they do and everything they offer is defiled by their sin. 15 Look at what was happening to you before you began to lay the foundation of the Lord’s Temple. 16 When you hoped for a twenty-bushel crop, you harvested only ten. When you expected to draw fifty gallons from the winepress, you found only twenty. 17 I sent blight and mildew and hail to destroy everything you worked so hard to produce. Even so, you refused to return to me, says the Lord.

18 “Think about this eighteenth day of December, the day[g] when the foundation of the Lord’s Temple was laid. Think carefully. 19 I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn.[h] You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops. But from this day onward I will bless you.”

Promises for Zerubbabel

20 On that same day, December 18,[i] the Lord sent this second message to Haggai: 21 “Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overthrow royal thrones and destroy the power of foreign kingdoms. I will overturn their chariots and riders. The horses will fall, and their riders will kill each other.

23 “But when this happens, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, I will honor you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant. I will make you like a signet ring on my finger, says the Lord, for I have chosen you. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

Footnotes:

  1. 1:1a Hebrew On the first day of the sixth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. A number of dates in Haggai can be cross-checked with dates in surviving Persian records and related accurately to our modern calendar. This event occurred on August 29, 520 B.c.
  2. 1:1b Hebrew Joshua, a variant spelling of Jeshua; also in 1:12, 14.
  3. 1:15 Hebrew on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This event occurred on September 21, 520 B.c.; also see note on 1:1a.
  4. 2:1 Hebrew on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This event (in the second year of Darius’s reign) occurred on October 17, 520 B.c.; also see note on 1:1a.
  5. 2:2 Hebrew Joshua, a variant spelling of Jeshua; also in 2:4.
  6. 2:10 Hebrew On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar (similarly in 2:18). This event occurred on December 18, 520 B.c.; also see note on 1:1a.
  7. 2:18 Or On this eighteenth day of December, think about the day.
  8. 2:19 Hebrew Is the seed yet in the barn?
  9. 2:20 Hebrew On the twenty-fourth day of the [ninth] month; see note on 2:10.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Revelation 11

The Two Witnesses

11 Then I was given a measuring stick, and I was told, “Go and measure the Temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers. But do not measure the outer courtyard, for it has been turned over to the nations. They will trample the holy city for 42 months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in burlap and will prophesy during those 1,260 days.”

These two prophets are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of all the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire flashes from their mouths and consumes their enemies. This is how anyone who tries to harm them must die. They have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall for as long as they prophesy. And they have the power to turn the rivers and oceans into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.

When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit[a] will declare war against them, and he will conquer them and kill them. And their bodies will lie in the main street of Jerusalem,[b] the city that is figuratively called “Sodom” and “Egypt,” the city where their Lord was crucified. And for three and a half days, all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will stare at their bodies. No one will be allowed to bury them. 10 All the people who belong to this world will gloat over them and give presents to each other to celebrate the death of the two prophets who had tormented them.

11 But after three and a half days, God breathed life into them, and they stood up! Terror struck all who were staring at them. 12 Then a loud voice from heaven called to the two prophets, “Come up here!” And they rose to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched.

13 At the same time there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people died in that earthquake, and everyone else was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second terror is past, but look, the third terror is coming quickly.

The Seventh Trumpet Brings the Third Terror

15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven:

“The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,[c]
and he will reign forever and ever.”

16 The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him. 17 And they said,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty,
the one who is and who always was,
for now you have assumed your great power
and have begun to reign.
18 The nations were filled with wrath,
but now the time of your wrath has come.
It is time to judge the dead
and reward your servants the prophets,
as well as your holy people,
and all who fear your name,
from the least to the greatest.
It is time to destroy
all who have caused destruction on the earth.”

19 Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared, and there was an earthquake and a terrible hailstorm.

Footnotes:

  1. 11:7 Or the abyss, or the underworld.
  2. 11:8 Greek the great city.
  3. 11:15 Or his Messiah.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 139

Psalm 139

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!

I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me,[b] O God.
They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!

19 O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!
Get out of my life, you murderers!
20 They blaspheme you;
your enemies misuse your name.
21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
for your enemies are my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Footnotes:

  1. 139:8 Hebrew to Sheol.
  2. 139:17 Or How precious to me are your thoughts.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 30:15-16

15 The leech has two suckers
that cry out, “More, more!”[a]

There are three things that are never satisfied—
no, four that never say, “Enough!”:
16 the grave,[b]
the barren womb,
the thirsty desert,
the blazing fire.

Footnotes:

  1. 30:15 Hebrew two daughters who cry out, “Give, give!”
  2. 30:16 Hebrew Sheol.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


12/18/2018

Habakkuk 1:1-3:19, Rev 9:1-21, Ps 137:1-9, Pr 30:10

Today is the 18th day of December. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian and it is always a pleasure, always an honor, always a joy to be here with you in your presence, and us together in the Lord’s presence centered around the rhythm of the Scripture. It’s always a joy, always a pleasure. So, we read in its entirety the book of Nahum yesterday and I mentioned that we might be observing a rhythm and that is the fact, that we’re reading basically a book a day. And we’ve been doing this for a while. We’ were reading through the letters in the New Testament and some of those are short. And now that we are in the minor prophets in the Old Testament we’re kind of moving through those rapidly because there short and today is no different. We will read the 8th of the minor prophets in its entirety today, the book of Habakkuk.

Introduction to the book of Habakkuk:

Habakkuk, like a lot of the other minor prophets, almost nothing is known about Habakkuk’s life and in this case maybe less than any other biblical writer. There is a Jewish tradition that speaks of him as the son of the Shunamite woman who was resurrected through the prophet Elisha back in the book of second Kings. There’s another tradition found in the apocryphal book Bell and the Dragon that depicts Habakkuk ministering to Daniel while he was in the Lions den. Of course, these are traditions and scholars find particularly the last one about Daniel to be the stuff of legend. But many verses in Habakkuk are very well known. One in particular, “but the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.” That’s often repeated in the writings of the apostle Paul, right? “The righteous will live by faith but the just to live by faith.” And this is also expounded on in the book of Hebrews. So, this is a core doctrine of the Christian faith that finds some of its roots in the Old Testament book of Habakkuk. As far as the tone of this book, because it’s poetic, because it has kind of a lyrical form, especially as it closes, there’s like a closing Psalm or hymn, some have assumed that Habakkuk was possibly a temple musician. The book of Habakkuk is unique in that it contains a pointed conversation between the prophet Habakkuk and God, a conversation that moves from doubt all the way to worship. And we’ll see this in the second when we read it. Habakkuk begins by simply saying out loud what he was seeing in the world, “I’m surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. The laws become paralyzed. There is no justice in the courts. The wicked outnumber the righteous and justice has become perverted.” Habakkuk wanted to understand why God kept on allowing every evil imaginable almost as if he wasn’t paying attention at all. And then, God responded, but cryptically, that he would use the evil Babylonians to punish His own people, which left Habakkuk confused and perplexed. And, so, he’s crying out, God, rock You sent the Babylonians to correct us for our many sins but You’re pure, right? You can’t stand the sight of evil, are you gonna wink at what they’re doing to us? Are you gonna be silent while the wicked swallow up people who are more righteous? And then God responded that although the Babylonians would punish His people, they would not go unpunished in the end, they would be completely destroyed. And, so, this reveals that God wasn’t indifferent or that He wasn’t, like, you know, caught sleeping at the wheel, He wasn’t unaware at all, but that His sovereign plan was true and just. And, so, this ultimately led Habakkuk into worship. And, so, we begin and we’ll read to the end. Habakkuk chapter 1 verse 1 through 3 verse 19 today. And we’re reading from the new living translation this week.

Prayer:

We thank You Father, once again, for the community that You have established here that we call the Daily Audio Bible and we thank You for the image that we have in our minds of this global campfire, that we’re never alone, that whenever we push play we’re not alone, someone else somewhere is also listening. We’re coming around the global campfire for warmth and guidance and light but also for community and we thank You for this. And Father as we continue to move deeper into this holiday season, this being the last week of the Advent season, we continue to contemplate, we continue to embrace and acknowledge the longing in our souls that pulls us forward, the longing that tells us that there’s more to the story because there is. And as the children of Israel, as Your people of old were waiting for a savior to arrive, we are too, we’re waiting for Your second arrival, for Your return, for all things to be made new, for all things to be made right. And, so, as we continue to embrace this season, we invite Your Holy Spirit to come, lead us where our hearts need to go. There’s plenty of distraction, there’s all kinds of noise. Lead us where our hearts need ago. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, its where you find out what’s going on around here.

So, it’s Christmas time and we’re just days away from Christmas…I mean…look at the calendar. What is one week from today? Christmas day. So, we’re in the thick of Christmas and our Daily Audio bible family Christmas will be coming up later this week. And that is always a joyful time to spend around the global campfire with the Daily Audio bible community. And that just leads us right into all of the events of Christmas. So, yeah, let’s just breathe and enjoy these final days of the Advent season. Andyou know, for some people this is sort of the end of the flurry of activity, and all the gifts are kind of under the tree and everything is just settling in for the next few days and then other people are just getting started and it’s frantic. And whichever version of that or combination of that you are try, try to find some moments of just contemplation, slow the world down, this is a big deal that God came to rescue the earth. And this is why the earth celebrates in such a grand way, even though we’ve kind of forgotten the plot of the story. But let’s make sure that we stay connected to the plot of the story and the story of Christmas as we move into the season fully.

Remind you, if you are in the flurry of activity trying to figure what you’re gonna do for Christmas out for everybody, for the woman in your life, you may want to look at the More Gathering for women. And you get all the details at moregathering.com. So, check that out

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible here in these remaining days of the year, thank you profoundly for your partnership in the holiday season. There is a link on the homepage of dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the 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.

12/17/2018 DAB Transcript

Nahum 1:1-3:19, Revelation 8:1-13, Psalms 136:1-26, Proverbs 30:7-9

Today is the 17th day of December. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It is a pleasure and an honor to be here with you today as we launch into our work week and march our way toward Christmas week, which is next week. So, today in the Old Testament, we are going to read, in its entirety, another book of prophecy, the book of Nahum, which is the seventh book in the minor prophets. And you’ll see a pattern emerging. We’re kind of moving through a book a day very often as we move through this part of the year and this part of the Scriptures.

Introduction to the book of Nahum:

Nahum, I mean just about nothing is known about Nahum’s life historically other than that his name means comfort and that he was from Elkosh, but whether that was a town or whether that was a village, like, where Elkosh actually is is unknown. Now, dating when Nahum might’ve lived or when he might’ve prophesied, this is a little bit easier because of the references within the prophetic book to specific historical events. So, for example, Nahum mentioned the Assyrian conquest of Thebes, which is in Egypt. Well this is historically known. So, this happened in 663 B.C. So, we know that Nahum was written after this date. And he also foretold the fall of Nineveh, which also is historically known and happened in 612 B.C. So, Nahum was likely fulfilling his prophetic calling within the years between those two events, right, between 663 B.C. and 612 B.C. And the reason for this prophecy was to foretell what we just talked about, the destruction of Nineveh, which was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire at that time. And if we’ll remember just a couple days ago we read the book of Jonah. And we have to remember like that harrowing journey to Ninevah to deliver a message of judgment and the Ninevites repented when Jonah prophesied. They repented for a time. Nahum’s prophecies against Nineveh happened almost a century and half after Jonah. And this Assyrian repentance didn’t last. And they were more brutal and evil than ever. And I mean, they're…just…contempt and mistreatment of people they had conquered was legendary, just their brutality. And by the time of Nahum’s prophecy they had destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel and carried those 10 tribes of people into exile where they disappeared from history as like cohesive tribes. So, Nahum’s prophesying against the Ninevites the Assyrians and the city of Nineveh, but he wasn’t sent to the city as Jonah had been. Actually, many scholars believe Nahum prophesied from Jerusalem and that his prophetic work was actually intended for the inhabitants of Judah because a prophecy of the destruction of her enemies, especially after what Judah, which would been in the southern kingdom, especially after what they had just seen happen to their brothers and sisters in the northern kingdom. But then they would’ve received this prophecy as an encouragement and as words of comfort. So, Nahum reveals, and we’ll see this because we’ll read the whole thing here in a second, reveals that God is very merciful and patient but He is not a pushover any won’t stand for a nations sin forever. And, so, we begin and will read in its entirety Nahum. Chapter 1 verse 1 through 3:19 and we’re reading for the New Living Translation.

Prayer:

Thank You Father for Your word. Thank You for all that it brings into our lives and the way that it touches and move’s us forward. And we take to heart what was told to us over and over and over repeatedly in this ancient liturgical prayer in the Psalms, “Your faithful love endures forever”. 26 times in that Psalm alone, we were told this pounding and pounding and pounding into our hearts and against our doubts and against all the upheaval and chaos that the world can throw at us -  “Your faithful love endures forever.” There’s nothing we can do about that. We can stop it, we can’t increase it. It’s perfect, “Your faithful love endures forever.” So, yes, we indeed can ignore that fact, but it doesn’t change it. And, so, we don’t ignore it anymore, we embrace it fully, “Your faithful love endures forever”, and that means that Your faithful love for us endures forever, and that means that You love us each. That means that You love us each forever because Your faithful love will endure and it will endure whatever it has to endure so that it can love us forever. And, so, we see Father that not only are we being taught to endure in the Scriptures, but You are willing to endure with us. So, come Holy Spirit’s because we can endure anything if we’re inside Your faithful love. Come Jesus we pray. In Your precious name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, it is home base, it is where you find out what’s going on around here.

And it’s been kind of wall-to-wall Christmas time not only here but pretty much everywhere. For the last several weeks and so we’re no different, today is the shipping cut off date for the Daily Audio Bible family Christmas Box 2018 if you are in in the United States. So, yes, you can order tomorrow and yes, we will ship out to you right away and yes it may arrive for Christmas but we think today is safe. So, if you’ve been procrastinating or whatever, today would be the day to order your Daily Audio Bible Christmas Box and it will arrive in time for Christmas. So, if you are in the hustle and bustle of the last-minute gift giving flurry that happens this week for most people then take a look at what’s in the Christmas Box. There are resources that you’ll want to keep for yourself and there are resources that you’ll want to give away. And, yeah, we pray over these Christmas Boxes. This is our opportunity to pull together a lot of the resources that we have and make them as affordable as we can possibly…as we can possibly give them to you for in hopes that that’s what will happen, is that they will make their way into all kinds of lives and stories and that God will bless them and that they will do what they were intended to do, which is to serve the body of Christ and to be a companion on the walk. So, you can check that all out at dailyaudiobible.com in the Christmas section.

And there are some other Christmas resources available too, like the Daily Audio Bible family Christmas album. If you haven’t streamed that on Spotify or Aple Music or whatever or maybe you want a CD, you can get that from dailyaudiobible.com. It is a great companion into the Advent season and the Christmas season that we’re in. And it rose up from within this community. And so, it’s the kind of album that you want put on with a hot cup of cocoa or coffee or whatever and turn on the Christmas lights, maybe a candle, it is making the aroma just right and the lights are off and you just take, you know, a little time to breathe and drink in the wonder of the Christmas season. The music on family Christmas album is kinda made for that environment. So, check it out.

We’ve also been talking about the More Gathering for women get all of the details for that moregathering.com or in the Initiatives section of dailyaudiobible.com. And we do this because…I mean it’s quite an effort to put on the More Gathering every year. It takes a lot of people and a lot of sacrifice, but what we’ve seen over the years is so worth it because we’ve seen transformation and isn’t that what we’re after and isn’t that why we have the rhythm of the Scripture in our life every day, is that that we can be transformed, that we can be changed, not only that we can get more knowledge but that we can change from the inside out as we daily become more and more like Christ our Savior. The More Gathering for women is centered around that. That’s why we do the effort every year. And, so, so yeah, if that is something that’s calling to you then you can check it at moregathering.com.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link, it’s on the homepage. If you’re using the 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.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday December 19, 2018 (NIV)

Zephaniah 1-3

The Lord gave this message to Zephaniah when Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah. Zephaniah was the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah.

Coming Judgment against Judah

“I will sweep away everything
from the face of the earth,” says the Lord.
“I will sweep away people and animals alike.
I will sweep away the birds of the sky and the fish in the sea.
I will reduce the wicked to heaps of rubble,[a]
and I will wipe humanity from the face of the earth,” says the Lord.
“I will crush Judah and Jerusalem with my fist
and destroy every last trace of their Baal worship.
I will put an end to all the idolatrous priests,
so that even the memory of them will disappear.
For they go up to their roofs
and bow down to the sun, moon, and stars.
They claim to follow the Lord,
but then they worship Molech,[b] too.
And I will destroy those who used to worship me
but now no longer do.
They no longer ask for the Lord’s guidance
or seek my blessings.”

Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign Lord,
for the awesome day of the Lord’s judgment is near.
The Lord has prepared his people for a great slaughter
and has chosen their executioners.[c]
“On that day of judgment,”
says the Lord,
“I will punish the leaders and princes of Judah
and all those following pagan customs.
Yes, I will punish those who participate in pagan worship ceremonies,
and those who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.

10 “On that day,” says the Lord,
“a cry of alarm will come from the Fish Gate
and echo throughout the New Quarter of the city.[d]
And a great crash will sound from the hills.
11 Wail in sorrow, all you who live in the market area,[e]
for all the merchants and traders will be destroyed.

12 “I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem’s darkest corners
to punish those who sit complacent in their sins.
They think the Lord will do nothing to them,
either good or bad.
13 So their property will be plundered,
their homes will be ransacked.
They will build new homes
but never live in them.
They will plant vineyards
but never drink wine from them.

14 “That terrible day of the Lord is near.
Swiftly it comes—
a day of bitter tears,
a day when even strong men will cry out.
15 It will be a day when the Lord’s anger is poured out—
a day of terrible distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and desolation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness,
16 a day of trumpet calls and battle cries.
Down go the walled cities
and the strongest battlements!

17 “Because you have sinned against the Lord,
I will make you grope around like the blind.
Your blood will be poured into the dust,
and your bodies will lie rotting on the ground.”

18 Your silver and gold will not save you
on that day of the Lord’s anger.
For the whole land will be devoured
by the fire of his jealousy.
He will make a terrifying end
of all the people on earth.[f]

A Call to Repentance

Gather together—yes, gather together,
you shameless nation.
Gather before judgment begins,
before your time to repent is blown away like chaff.
Act now, before the fierce fury of the Lord falls
and the terrible day of the Lord’s anger begins.
Seek the Lord, all who are humble,
and follow his commands.
Seek to do what is right
and to live humbly.
Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you—
protect you from his anger on that day of destruction.

Judgment against Philistia

Gaza and Ashkelon will be abandoned,
Ashdod and Ekron torn down.
And what sorrow awaits you Philistines[g]
who live along the coast and in the land of Canaan,
for this judgment is against you, too!
The Lord will destroy you
until not one of you is left.
The Philistine coast will become a wilderness pasture,
a place of shepherd camps
and enclosures for sheep and goats.
The remnant of the tribe of Judah will pasture there.
They will rest at night in the abandoned houses in Ashkelon.
For the Lord their God will visit his people in kindness
and restore their prosperity again.

Judgment against Moab and Ammon

“I have heard the taunts of the Moabites
and the insults of the Ammonites,
mocking my people
and invading their borders.
Now, as surely as I live,”
says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,
“Moab and Ammon will be destroyed—
destroyed as completely as Sodom and Gomorrah.
Their land will become a place of stinging nettles,
salt pits, and eternal desolation.
The remnant of my people will plunder them
and take their land.”

10 They will receive the wages of their pride,
for they have scoffed at the people of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
11 The Lord will terrify them
as he destroys all the gods in the land.
Then nations around the world will worship the Lord,
each in their own land.

Judgment against Ethiopia and Assyria

12 “You Ethiopians[h] will also be slaughtered
by my sword,” says the Lord.

13 And the Lord will strike the lands of the north with his fist,
destroying the land of Assyria.
He will make its great capital, Nineveh, a desolate wasteland,
parched like a desert.
14 The proud city will become a pasture for flocks and herds,
and all sorts of wild animals will settle there.
The desert owl and screech owl will roost on its ruined columns,
their calls echoing through the gaping windows.
Rubble will block all the doorways,
and the cedar paneling will be exposed to the weather.
15 This is the boisterous city,
once so secure.
“I am the greatest!” it boasted.
“No other city can compare with me!”
But now, look how it has become an utter ruin,
a haven for wild animals.
Everyone passing by will laugh in derision
and shake a defiant fist.

Jerusalem’s Rebellion and Redemption

What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem,
the city of violence and crime!
No one can tell it anything;
it refuses all correction.
It does not trust in the Lord
or draw near to its God.
Its leaders are like roaring lions
hunting for their victims.
Its judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time,
who by dawn have left no trace of their prey.
Its prophets are arrogant liars seeking their own gain.
Its priests defile the Temple by disobeying God’s instructions.
But the Lord is still there in the city,
and he does no wrong.
Day by day he hands down justice,
and he does not fail.
But the wicked know no shame.

“I have wiped out many nations,
devastating their fortress walls and towers.
Their streets are now deserted;
their cities lie in silent ruin.
There are no survivors—
none at all.
I thought, ‘Surely they will have reverence for me now!
Surely they will listen to my warnings.
Then I won’t need to strike again,
destroying their homes.’
But no, they get up early
to continue their evil deeds.
Therefore, be patient,” says the Lord.
“Soon I will stand and accuse these evil nations.
For I have decided to gather the kingdoms of the earth
and pour out my fiercest anger and fury on them.
All the earth will be devoured
by the fire of my jealousy.

“Then I will purify the speech of all people,
so that everyone can worship the Lord together.
10 My scattered people who live beyond the rivers of Ethiopia[i]
will come to present their offerings.
11 On that day you will no longer need to be ashamed,
for you will no longer be rebels against me.
I will remove all proud and arrogant people from among you.
There will be no more haughtiness on my holy mountain.
12 Those who are left will be the lowly and humble,
for it is they who trust in the name of the Lord.
13 The remnant of Israel will do no wrong;
they will never tell lies or deceive one another.
They will eat and sleep in safety,
and no one will make them afraid.”

14 Sing, O daughter of Zion;
shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment
and will disperse the armies of your enemy.
And the Lord himself, the King of Israel,
will live among you!
At last your troubles will be over,
and you will never again fear disaster.
16 On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be,
“Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid!
17 For the Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.[j]
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

18 “I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals;
you will be disgraced no more.[k]
19 And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you.
I will save the weak and helpless ones;
I will bring together
those who were chased away.
I will give glory and fame to my former exiles,
wherever they have been mocked and shamed.
20 On that day I will gather you together
and bring you home again.
I will give you a good name, a name of distinction,
among all the nations of the earth,
as I restore your fortunes before their very eyes.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Footnotes:

  1. 1:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  2. 1:5 Hebrew Malcam, a variant spelling of Molech; or it could possibly mean their king.
  3. 1:7 Hebrew has prepared a sacrifice and sanctified his guests.
  4. 1:10 Or the Second Quarter, a newer section of Jerusalem. Hebrew reads the Mishneh.
  5. 1:11 Or in the valley, a lower section of Jerusalem. Hebrew reads the Maktesh.
  6. 1:18 Or the people living in the land.
  7. 2:5 Hebrew Kerethites.
  8. 2:12 Hebrew Cushites.
  9. 3:10 Hebrew Cush.
  10. 3:17 Or He will be silent in his love. Greek and Syriac versions read He will renew you with his love.
  11. 3:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Revelation 10

The Angel and the Small Scroll

10 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face shone like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire. And in his hand was a small scroll[a] that had been opened. He stood with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. And he gave a great shout like the roar of a lion. And when he shouted, the seven thunders answered.

When the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Keep secret[b] what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down.”

Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand toward heaven. He swore an oath in the name of the one who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and everything in them, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it. He said, “There will be no more delay. When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, God’s mysterious plan will be fulfilled. It will happen just as he announced it to his servants the prophets.”

Then the voice from heaven spoke to me again: “Go and take the open scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

So I went to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. “Yes, take it and eat it,” he said. “It will be sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn sour in your stomach!” 10 So I took the small scroll from the hand of the angel, and I ate it! It was sweet in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach.

11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”

Footnotes:

  1. 10:2 Or book; also in 10:8, 9, 10.
  2. 10:4 Greek Seal up.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 138

Psalm 138

A psalm of David.

I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will sing your praises before the gods.
I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.
I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;
for your promises are backed
by all the honor of your name.
As soon as I pray, you answer me;
you encourage me by giving me strength.

Every king in all the earth will thank you, Lord,
for all of them will hear your words.
Yes, they will sing about the Lord’s ways,
for the glory of the Lord is very great.
Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble,
but he keeps his distance from the proud.

Though I am surrounded by troubles,
you will protect me from the anger of my enemies.
You reach out your hand,
and the power of your right hand saves me.
The Lord will work out his plans for my life—
for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.
Don’t abandon me, for you made me.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 30:11-14

11 Some people curse their father
and do not thank their mother.
12 They are pure in their own eyes,
but they are filthy and unwashed.
13 They look proudly around,
casting disdainful glances.
14 They have teeth like swords
and fangs like knives.
They devour the poor from the earth
and the needy from among humanity.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.