Celebrate Jesus Today’s passage: Luke 2:1–38 Focus verse:“I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2:10) Joseph and his pregnant fiancée travel to Bethlehem for a mandatory census. Unable to find a place to stay, they hunker down in a barn. There, among the stench and filth of […]
Worship God Today’s passage: Revelation 22:7–11 Focus verse: “Worship God!” (Revelation 22:9) John identifies himself as the author of Revelation in the opening sections of the book. In case we forgot, he reminds us that he’s still here and this is his vision, which he’s dutifully recording for us to read. Overwhelmed by what he’s experiencing […]
The Bride of Christ Today’s passage: Revelation 21:9–27 Focus verse: “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:9) An angel—one of the angels who carried a bowl filled with one of the seven plagues—invites John to come with him. The messenger has something exciting to share. The angel whisks John […]
Hallelujah Today’s passage: Revelation 19:1–10 Focus verse: “For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.” (Revelation 19:7) How many times do you think the word hallelujah appears in the Bible? Like me, you may have guessed many times, even hundreds. Yet hallelujah only shows up four times throughout all […]
The Lamb Will Overcome Today’s passage: Revelation 17 Focus verse: “They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” (Revelation 17:14) With God’s final wrath complete, we can now move steadily […]
A Thief in the Night Today’s passage: Revelation 16:1–16 Focus verse: “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.” (Revelation 16:15) A voice bellows out from the temple, commanding the seven angels to go forth and unleash their […]
Seven Plagues to Complete God’s Wrath Today’s passage: Revelation 15 Focus verse: I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. (Revelation 15:1) Revelation 15 seems out of order. In it seven plagues of God’s wrath are unleashed even though his harvest already […]
The Harvest Today’s passage: Revelation 14 Focus verse: “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” (Revelation 14:15) A heading later added to Revelation 14:6 in some Bibles says, “The Three Angels.” Yet a careful reading of this chapter reveals seven. The first angel […]
The End Is Near Today’s passage: Revelation 10 Focus verse: “There will be no more delay!” (Revelation 10:6) John’s vision takes a bit of a diversion before the seventh and final trumpet. After the sixth trumpet blast, we’d expect people to repent of their wrongdoing. They don’t. They persist in their sinful behavior. At this point, […]
Some Still Will Not Repent Today’s passage: Revelation 9 Focus verse: The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands. (Revelation 9:20) After the opening of the scroll’s seventh and final seal, seven angels receive seven trumpets. The first four have already blown their […]