Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 70
Romans 8; Romans 9; Romans 10
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the
Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For
what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature,
God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin
offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order
that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not
live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. 5 Those
who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that
nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds
set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is
death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the
sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do
so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. 9 You,
however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the
Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,
he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your
body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of
righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus
from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also
give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. 12 Therefore,
brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live
according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful
nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the
body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the
Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a
spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of
sonship. And by him we cry, ""Abba," Father." 16 The
Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now
if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ,
if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his
glory. 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth
comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The
creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For
the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the
will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation
itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the
glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 We know that the
whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the
present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the
firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption
as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we
were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he
already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we
wait for it patiently. 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us
in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit
himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And
he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit
intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. 28 And
we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who
have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God
foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he
predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified,
he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to
this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did
not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along
with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any
charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who
is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to
life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or
persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As
it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are
considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For
I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither
the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height
nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from
the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 I speak the truth in Christ--I am not lying, my conscience
confirms it in the Holy Spirit-- 2 I have great sorrow and
unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I
myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those
of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption
as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the
temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs,
and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever
praised! Amen. 6 It is not as though God's word had failed.
For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor
because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the
contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be
reckoned." 8 In other words, it is not the natural
children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are
regarded as Abraham's offspring. 9 For this was how the
promise was stated: "At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will
have a son." 10 Not only that, but Rebekah's children had
one and the same father, our father Isaac. 11 Yet, before the
twins were born or had done anything good or bad--in order that God's purpose
in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who
calls--she was told, "The older will serve the younger." 13 Just
as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." 14 What
then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says
to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I have compassion." 16 It does not, therefore,
depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. 17 For
the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose,
that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in
all the earth." 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he
wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. 19 One
of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists
his will?" 20 But who are you, O man, to talk back to
God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me
like this?' " 21 Does not the potter have the right to
make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for
common use? 22 What if God, choosing to show his wrath and
make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his
wrath--prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this to
make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he
prepared in advance for glory-- 24 even us, whom he also
called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25 As
he says in Hosea: "I will call them 'my people' who are not my people; and
I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one," 26 and,
"It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are
not my people,' they will be called 'sons of the living God.' " 27 Isaiah
cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like
the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved. 28 For the
Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality." 29 It
is just as Isaiah said previously: "Unless the Lord Almighty had left us
descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like
Gomorrah." 30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles,
who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by
faith;31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not
attained it. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith
but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling
stone." 33 As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a
stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one
who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
1 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the
Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify
about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on
knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness that
comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's
righteousness. 4 Christ is the end of the law so that there
may be righteousness for everyone who believes. 5 Moses
describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who
does these things will live by them." 6 But the
righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will
ascend into heaven?' " (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 "or
'Who will descend into the deep?' " (that is, to bring Christ up from the
dead). 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you; it
is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are
proclaiming: 9 That if you confess with your mouth,
"Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from
the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that
you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and
are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts
in him will never be put to shame." 12 For there is no
difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly
blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 How, then, can
they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the
one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone
preaching to them?15 And how can they preach unless they are sent?
As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good
news!" 16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good
news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" 17 Consequently,
faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word
of Christ. 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they
did: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends
of the world." 19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand?
First, Moses says, "I will make you envious by those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding." 20 And
Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed
myself to those who did not ask for me." 21 But
concerning Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a
disobedient and obstinate people."
Ecclesiastes 9
Ecclesiastes 9 (New International Version)
Ecclesiastes 9
A Common Destiny for All
1 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him. 2 All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, [a] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them.
3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. 4 Anyone who is among the living has hope [b] —even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!
5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, [c] where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
11 I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.
12 Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.
Wisdom Better Than Folly
13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: 14 There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it. 15 Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. 16 So I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." But the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.
17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
Ecclesiastes 9
A Common Destiny for All
1 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him. 2 All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, [a] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them.
3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. 4 Anyone who is among the living has hope [b] —even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!
5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, [c] where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
11 I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.
12 Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.
Wisdom Better Than Folly
13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: 14 There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it. 15 Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. 16 So I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." But the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.
17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
Revelation 19
Revelation 19 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 19
Threefold Hallelujah Over Babylon's Fall
1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
"Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants."
3 And again they shouted: "Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever."
4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: "Amen, Hallelujah!"
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his servants,
you who fear him, both great and small!"
6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God's holy people.)
9 Then the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" And he added, "These are the true words of God."
10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus."
The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter."[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small."
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
Revelation 19
Threefold Hallelujah Over Babylon's Fall
1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
"Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants."
3 And again they shouted: "Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever."
4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: "Amen, Hallelujah!"
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his servants,
you who fear him, both great and small!"
6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God's holy people.)
9 Then the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" And he added, "These are the true words of God."
10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus."
The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter."[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small."
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
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