Old Testament reading: Nehemiah 1-2
Nehemiah is truly one of the great characters of the Bible. The book bearing his name provides us with his personal account of Jerusalem’s reconstruction. This period coincides with Ezra, though the events of Nehemiah generally precede those in Ezra, focusing on the rebuilding of Jerusalem, while Ezra describes the rebuilding of the temple some sixteen years afterward. A thought in this reading is the power of positive living. Though a slave, Nehemiah served Artaxerxes with joy (2:1-2). It was obvious to the king that Nehemiah’s heart was filled with sorrow after he had received the report of Jerusalem and her inhabitants (1:2-4). Nehemiah was of such character so as to gain the king’s friendship and concern, even as a lowly cupbearer. He serves as a living example of Paul’s admonition in Colossians 3:22, where we are to serve, “not with eyeservice, as menpleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.”
New Testament reading: Revelation 16-18
Of note is the world’s sorrow over their loss, which will be followed by the saints’ rejoicing over their gain. By way of reminder… Though I am an early date advocate of the writing of Revelation, I do not hold (as some brethren have in the past) that all the things in Revelation were fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. A case in point is Revelation 17-18, which marks the fall of Babylon. I believe the fall of Babylon to be a reference to the fall of Rome, which did not take place until A.D. 476. I believe the Roman empire is represented by the woman introduced in verse 3. This woman sits on seven hills or mountains (v 9). The seven hills of Rome are well known and their names precede Christianity by more than 400 years. Thus, the hills stand as a representation of the city of Rome itself. Some faithful brethren hold a “middle date” of authorship, somewhere in the late 70s to early 80s based on the description of the seven kings found in Revelation 17:10-12 and the relationship these may have to the emperors of that particular time. Again, knowing the date of the book’s writing is not necessary to understand its overall message of hope for the faithful child of God. God’s message of victory for His faithful children in any and every circumstance remains unchanged (cf 1 Cor 15:58).
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