The Bible In A Year: Day 348
Now That I'm Catholic
by Charles Johnston
3M ago
Readings: Revelation 22 John sees a river flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb, this is an allusion to the river in Eden and what Ezekiel prophesied when he saw the water flowing from Jerusalem in his visions. He also mentions the tree of life, and that hasn’t been mentioned since the beginning of Genesis when Adam and Eve were cast from the garden of Eden. This points to the garden being a mirror of heaven on earth. A single stream issues from the throne of God, and that is the grace of the Holy Spirit in the stream of the Scriptures. That stream has two banks, the Old Testament and t ..read more
Visit website
The Bible In A Year: Day 347
Now That I'm Catholic
by Charles Johnston
3M ago
Readings: Revelation 21 John sees the final vision of Revelation and it takes up the last two chapters of the book. He sees the end of all, after the battles, after the millennium, after the beast and the harlot, after the dragon is cast into the lake of fire. He sees the final consummation of all time and matter into the reality of perfect creation that was God’s plan from the beginning but was spoiled by sin. The sea being erased in this new creation is a metaphor for the end to death and destruction. In Hebrew poetic literature, both biblical and extra biblical, the sea represents death, mo ..read more
Visit website
The Bible In A Year: Day 346
Now That I'm Catholic
by Charles Johnston
3M ago
Readings: Revelation 20 The main topic and theme of this chapter is something called the Millennium or Millennial Reign. Interpretation of this 1000 year period is broken down into three main camps. 1. Premillennialism is the belief that this 1000 year period is a literal time period during which Jesus will reign as the restored Davidic king over Israel. This comes after the second coming and the battle of Armageddon. This is usually coupled with dispensationalism and a pre-tribulation rapture. Their believed timeline usually runs rapture, tribulation, Armageddon, second coming, millennial rei ..read more
Visit website
The Bible In A Year: Day 345
Now That I'm Catholic
by Charles Johnston
3M ago
Readings: Revelation 19 John hears a large choir of voices singing a song of praise, and it begins with a word not found very often in the New Testament, but commonly used in the Old Testament, and especially prevalent in the psalms that are sung as part of the Passover liturgy. Because of this fact, many biblical scholars believe the Passover liturgy is the backdrop for what John witnesses here. By celebrating the Last Supper with his apostles in the course of the Passover meal, Jesus gave the Jewish Passover its definitive meaning. Jesus’ passing over to his father by his death and Resurrec ..read more
Visit website
The Bible In A Year: Day 343
Now That I'm Catholic
by Charles Johnston
3M ago
Readings: Revelation 16 Now we come to the last set of judgments being poured out, these ones aren’t to spur repentance but to dole out justice and divine wrath for persistence in sin. Five of the seven bowls mirror the plagues of Egypt during the exodus. Sores, frogs, darkness, water to blood and hailstones. Just as the Egyptians were punished for their hardness of heart, so now is the wicked city (called Babylon in these chapters). As we read earlier in Revelation, when John speaks of Babylon he is referring to Jerusalem. The temple authorities had sworn allegiance to Caesar when they said h ..read more
Visit website
The Bible In A Year: Day 342
Now That I'm Catholic
by Charles Johnston
3M ago
Readings: Revelation 14-15 John sees the Lamb on Mount Zion, this hill in Jerusalem is traditionally identified with the Temple Mount, but also is used throughout the Old Testament as another name for Jerusalem. Many passages about the messianic age, the life of the world to come, and other eschatological themes use Mount Zion as a focal point. The name of God is written on the forehead of the 144,000 that represents the people that make up the church. This is instead of being marked with the numerical name of the beast for those worshiping the beast and dragon. It says these 144000 are virgin ..read more
Visit website
The Bible In A Year: Day 341
Now That I'm Catholic
by Charles Johnston
3M ago
Readings: 2 Maccabees 14-15 Revelation 13 2 Maccabees 14-15 This chapter starts with Demetrius landing up around what’s now modern day Lebanon and the former high priest comes up and starts getting in his ear about Judas Maccabee and convinces him to send an army again to Jerusalem. Then anyone who had a problem with the new regime in Jerusalem joined up with Nicanor to fight Judas for various personal reasons. Nicanor and Judas make a peace between them, but the king isn’t satisfied and orders Nicanor to break this treaty and deliver Judas in chains. But Judas catches on to what’s happening a ..read more
Visit website
The Bible In A Year: Day 340
Now That I'm Catholic
by Charles Johnston
3M ago
Readings: 2 Maccabees 12-13 Revelation 12 2 Maccabees 12-13 After the peace made in the previous chapter the people of Joppa and Jamnia decided they don’t want to abide by its terms and again begin murdering Jews. This reignited the war and Judas takes his army to many cities to both punish the oppressors of his people and to rescue some of the communities under siege. All the while the writer makes it absolutely clear that the victories that are achieved by this Jewish army are not due to tactical genius or superior numbers, it’s due to the “Sovereign” of the universe. This title also shows t ..read more
Visit website
The Bible In A Year: Day 339
Now That I'm Catholic
by Charles Johnston
3M ago
Readings: 2 Maccabees 10-11 Revelation 11 2 Maccabees 10-11 These chapters recount events we’ve already read in 1 Maccabees, but again the writer here focuses not just on recounting history, but on giving the why and not just the what and who. Even towards the end of chapter 10 it says how the small group of men were enraged at the blasphemy and that was their motivation to go behind enemy lines and open the city gates from the inside. It was righteous zeal for the things of God, not personal gain or glory. Some of the final battles of Judas Maccabaeus’ career take place and he prays for divin ..read more
Visit website
The Bible In A Year: Day 338
Now That I'm Catholic
by Charles Johnston
3M ago
Readings: 2 Maccabees 7-9 Revelation 10 2 Maccabees 7-9 The story of the woman and her seven sons is gut wrenching and difficult to get through because it’s just a taste of the horrors the people went through in those days when Antiochus decided to wipe out the religion of the Jews. The cruelty it would take to kill a child in front of their mother, while she watched, is unimaginable, then multiply that by seven. The sons bravely go to their death for a couple reasons, first of all they believe in the resurrection of the dead, that God will raise them up at the last day. This is a belief that ..read more
Visit website

Follow Now That I'm Catholic on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR