John's vision of the Throne of God

Passage for today

1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.
3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.
4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.
5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits[a] of God.
6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

Revelation 4:1 – 6

 

New International Version

Sunday 07Sep2025, Wesley Methodist Church Kampar.
Notes written from my observations of the Vision of the Apostle John recorded in Revelations chapters Four and Five.

John was in the Spirit when he saw a vision of the Throne of God in Heaven (Rev 4:22).

On the Throne

One seated on the throne

having the appearance of jasper and carnelian (Rev 4:3)

Encircling the Throne

a rainbow

resembling emerald (Rev 4:36)

Surrounding the Throne

24 other thrones

24 Elders seated on those thrones

each wearing white clothes and a gold crown (Rev 4:4)

Coming from the Throne

flashes of lightning

rumbling and peals of thunder (Rev 4:5)

Before the Throne

7 Lamps, blazing (Rev 4:5b)

they are the 7 Spirits of God

a crystal clear Sea of Glass (Rev 4:6)

Around the Throne

in the centre (inner circle) (Rev 4:6b)

4 Living Creatures

covered with eyes, front and back

resembling Lion, Ox, Man's face, Eagle

each having 6 wings, covered by eyes

the 4 Creatures constantly say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come" (Rev 4:8)

each time followed by the 24 Elders who fall down and worship the One sitting on the Throne (Rev 4:9-11)

In the Hands of the One who sits on the Throne

a Scroll written on both sides, sealed with 7 Seals (Rev 5:1)

no one could break the Seals, nor look into the Scroll (Rev 5:4)

Standing in the Centre of the Throne

(innermost circle)

encircled by the 4 Living Creatures, and by the 24 Elders

is the Lamb that had been slain

having 7 Horns and 7 Eyes (Rev 5:6)

Encircling the Throne, the 4 Living Creratures, and 24 Elders

(outermmost circle)

a Host of Angels, thousands upon thousands, ten thousands upon ten thousands (Rev 5:11)

Beyond all these

every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth,

and upon the sea, and all things in them (Rev 5:13, 14)

saying, "To him that sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb, blessing, and honour, and glory, and might, to the ages of ages"

at which the 4 Living Creatures said, "Amen"

and the 24 Elders fell down and worshipped.

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Please visit the following links for my thoughts about the worship of God Almighty who sits on the Throne, written over the past eleven years:

• Thou art worthy to take the Book and open its seals (2022.03.15)
• The Lamb took the Scroll from the Right Hand of God (2021.09.19)
• Let us draw near to the Throne of Grace (2021.12.20)
• Worship Him who sits on the Throne (2014.08.04)
• The Throne of Sapphire (2021.09.05)

A different Gospel?

Passage for today

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel
— which is really no gospel at all.

Galatians 1:6 - 7

 

New International Version

When we read through Galatians 1:1 - 7, we see that the Apostle Paul preached the following Gospel of the Lord Iesus:

• God the Father raised Iesus from the dead (v1b)
• Grace and peace comes from both God our Father and from our Lord Iesus the Anointed (v3)
• God is our Father, and to Him belongs Glory forever (v4b, 5)
• the Lord Iesus gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age (v4) — according to the will of our God and our Father (v4)

Sadly, we read in verses 6 and7 that the Galatian Christians have deserted God and have turned to a different gospel (v6).

Question:

What Gospel are we believing today?

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Taking the Lord's Supper

Passage for today

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

1 Corinthians 11:23 - 26

 

New International Version

Sun 31Aug2025 Wesley Methodist Church Kampar

In what manner should we take the Lord's Supper?

(A) We should avoid the Unworthy Manner

When we look closer into the short passage from verse 18 to verse22, and comparing them with verse 22, we see that taking the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner can be characterised by the following behaviour in the Assembly of believers

• showing divisions in the assembly (v18), having differences with one another (v19)
• not waiting for one another to take the supper together (v21)
• some believers take too much, and get drunk, while others remain hungry because they do not get their share of the bread and wine (v21b)
• such a manner of taking the Lord's Supper despise the Assembly of God and humiliates those who have no food to eat (v22)
• those who do so have sinned against the body and blood of the Lord Iesus (v27)

(B) We should adopt the Worthy Manner

Verses 23 to 25 of today's passage go on to tell us about the worthy manner in which all believers should partake of the Lord's Supper in the Assembly:

• take it in the same manner as shown and as given by the Lord Iesus (v23 - 25)
• compare with Luke 22:19 - 20; Mark 14:22 - 25; Matthew 26:26 - 29
• the proper manner or order of taking the Lord's Supper was received from the Lord and was passed on to the believers in the Corinthian Assembly (v23), as follows:
  1. Take bread, give thanks, and break it (v23, 24)
  2. Recount the words of the Lord Iesus, "This is my body, which is for you, do this in remembrance of me" (v24)
  3. After taking the bread, take the cup in the same way i.e. give thanks, then distribute the wine to everyone (v25a)
  4. Recount the words of the Lord, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me" (v25)

Why is it necessary to take the Lord's Supper in a Worthy Manner?

We read in today's passage that both the bread and the cup is to be taken for one solemn purpose — to do it in remembrance of the Lord Iesus (v24b, v25b).

Each time we take the Lord's Supper together, eating the bread and drinking the cup, we are taking no ordinary bread and wine. Instead, we are proclaiming the death of our Lord Iesus.

Conclusion

The Lord's Supper is no ordinary supper. It is to be taken in the same manner as first given by the Lord Iesus to His disciples.

Each time we take it together, we do so in remembrance of our Lord. We proclaim His death.

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The following are my thoughts on related topics, written over the last eleven years on this blog:

• A Final Commandment (2022.07.30)
• King of Righteousness, King of Peace (2021.09.06)
• Melchizedek, Priest of Most High God (2014.08.02)

Iesus at the home of Simon the Pharisee

Passage of the Day

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
Luke 7:36 – 38  New International Version

The account in Luke 7:36 – 50 about our Lord's having dinner in the household of a Pharisee named Simon, shows us at least two failures on the part of Simon when he saw the sinful woman weeping at our Lord's feet and said to himself,

If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is – that she is a sinner. (verse 39)

His failure to do

Simon the Pharisee failed to wash Iesus' feet with water whereas the sinful woman washed His feet with her tears

He failed to greet the Lord with a kiss whereas the woman kissed His feet unceasingly.

And he failed to anoint the Lord's head with oil whereas the woman anointed His feet with costly perfume.

His failure to see

Simon saw an ugly sinner when he looked at the woman weeping at the Lord's feet. He couldn't see a beautiful person loved by God.

He only saw the woman's sins. He didn't see her remorse and her penitence.

He saw her unholy hands touching the Lord's feet. He couldn't see God's holy hands touching the woman's heart.

Conclusion

In the end it was the woman, not Simon the Pharisee, who received forgiveness, salvation and peace from the Lord.

Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ (verse 48).
Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’ (verse 50).

Brothers and Sisters in the Anointed One, let us look at people with compassion like our Lord did that day in the house of Simon the Pharisee. Let us see the beautiful person loved by God our Father. Let us pray for their hearts to be touched by the hand of God. Let us pray for sins to be forgiven. Amen.

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Two years ago I wrote a short comment on seeking forgiveness from God our Father, link below:

• If My people who are called by My Name

3+1 God's appointed time

Passage of the Day

Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig-tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, “For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig-tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?”
‘ “Sir,” the man replied, “leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig round it and fertilise it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.” ’
Luke 13:6 – 9  New International Version

The significance of the number 4 in the Old Testament

These notes were first written five years ago on 01 September 2019 09:36 hrs

The number 4 symbolises the "appointed time" of God, starting from the 4th day of creation when sun moon and stars were completed, to divide day from night, and to indicate months and years, and seasons. In other words, God's appointed times began from Day 4.

And towards the last days, it is by the 4th Trumpet that the prophecy is given in Revelation 8:12 – 13 — that Three Woes will be coming upon the world. These Three Woes will be heralded by the 5th, 6th and 7th Trumpets respectively.

See my notes on The First Four Trumpets.

Link: The meaning of numbers in the Bible

In addition, Jewish tradition looks at 3+1 as the fulfilment of God's plans, e.g. in Amos chapter 1, we see a pattern of 3+1, where we read of God's impending judgment on Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, and Ammon, "For three sins, and for four".

Link: Judaism numbers

This allusion to the number 4, particularly to 3+1, of God's appointed times sheds light on the Parable of the Fruitless Fig Tree in Luke chapter 13, verses 6 to 9.

In this Parable, the fig tree was fruitless for 3 years, and the vineyard keeper asked the owner to give it one more year to bear fruits. It implies that the fruitless tree will suffer judgment at God's appointed time of 3 + 1 years.

Note that this parable was told in the context of the Lord Iesus warning in Luke 13: 1-5 about the peril of not turning away from sin. In this passage, the Lord warned his people, that regardless of whether one dies peacefully in his sleep, or in a violent death like the Galileans who were slaughtered by Pilate's men, or like those who were crushed by the falling tower at Siloam, they would all perish unless they repented.

unless you repent, you too will all perish. Luke 13:5

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord Iesus, let us take heed of God's appointed time. Let us repent.

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Below is a link to a post I wrote two years ago about bearing fruits worthy of repentance, a call by John the Baptist:

• He who has two coats

Do you believe this?

Passage of the Day
John 11: 1 – 44

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25 – 26  New International Version

The followers of the Lord Iesus did not believe that the Lord could bring a dead person to life again.

In verse 11 of today's passage, having waited for two days after receiving news from Bethany that Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha, was sick, our Lord finally told his disciples that Lazarus had "fallen asleep" and that He was going to wake him up.

The disciples only thought that Lazarus was literally sleeping. (v.12)

The Lord Iesus then told them plainly that Lazarus had in fact died and He asked them to go with Him to visit Lazarus.

One of the disciples, Thomas (the Twin), could only think of the Lord's invitation as going to die with Lazarus. (v.16)

Upon arriving in Bethany, Lazarus had already been dead and buried for four days. Martha came out to meet the Lord outside the village (v.30). Our Lord told her that her brother would rise again.

Martha could only believe that Lazarus will rise again in the final resurrection at the end of the world (v24).

Martha went home to tell Mary about the Lord's arrival outside the village (v.30). Mary went out to meet the Lord and told Him,

Lord, if you had been here
my brother would not have died.

Mary could only believe that the Lord Iesus was able to heal her brother from his illness and to prevent him from dying.

None of the disciples in all the above account could imagine, much less believe, that Iesus could raise Lazarus from death and bring him back to life again.

When our Lord finally called out,

Lazarus! Come out!

— it was a sign, a glorious sign, that Iesus was indeed the Resurrection and the Life.

Brothers and Sisters in the Anointed One, do you believe this? Do you believe in the Lord Iesus the Anointed One?

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Nine years ago, I wrote about the verse from 1 Corinthians 15:19, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.", link below:

• If in this life only we have hope

Why was Jacob loved, and Esau hated?

Why was Jacob loved and Esau hated?

I first wrote these notes four years ago, on 18 August 2019 14:45 hrs GMT+8.

Today, I have decided to post them here as part of my devotional blog collection.

The following are references that I have gleaned from the books of Genesis and Numbers, as well as from some of the books of the Prophets, that I have grouped under two headings:

1. Notes about Jacob's obedience to his father Isaac, in remembering YeHoVaH.
2. Notes about Esau's disobedience to his father Isaac, in turning away from YeHoVaH

Jacob obeyed his father and remembered YHWH

Genesis 27:46
Jacob obeyed his father Isaac by going to Laban's house in Mesopotamia to marry one of Laban's daughters.

Genesis 28:20-22 (First visit to Bethel)
Jacob set up and dedicated a memorial stone at Bethel to YHWH and promised to take YHWH as his God if he returns safely from Mesopotamia.

Genesis 32:10-12 (cf Genesis 28:14)
Jacob crossed the River Jordan with only a walking stick but eventually returned from Laban's household with two large families. He remembered the promises of YHWH.

Genesis 33: 10-11
Jacob reconciled with Esau and did his best to regain Esau's favour.

Genesis 33:16,17
After Esau had returned to Edom, Jacob went on to Sukkot (lit. booths), where he built a booth (sukkah) for himself and for his cattle. He arrived safely in Shechem, bought a field from the descendants of Hamor for 100 silver, set up an altar and named it after El - the God of Israel.

Genesis 35: 1-4, 7 (Second visit to Bethel)
At the command of Elohim (v.7), Jacob returned to Bethel, built an altar there and told his family to remove all foreign Gods and purify themselves before going)

Genesis 35:14 (Third visit to Bethel?)
Jacob set up another memorial stone again at Bethel.

Esau disobeyed his father and turned away from YHWH

Genesis 25: 27-34
Esau sold his birthright, with a vow, in return for a mere bowl of lentils. He despised what YHWH has ordained for him.

Genesis 26: 34-35, 27:46
Esau married Hittite wives and became a heartache to his mother.

Numbers 20:14-21
His descendants - EDOM - refused safe passage to Israel who were sojourning in the wilderness on their way to Kadesh.

Amos 1:11-12
The Edomites sinned repeatedly and hunted down their Israelite brothers, showing no mercy, unrelenting and unlimited anger. God will destroy city of Teman and the fortress of Bozrah.

Isaiah 34:5-17
YHWH will strike Edom and destroy them with his sword, likened to a great sacrifice at the city of Bozrah - to rescue Zion and to take vengeance on her enemies. V.11 tells us that its land will be barren wasteland again like before creation!

Isaiah 63:1-6
YHWH will come dressed in red, in power and strength, trampling the Nations like one who tramples grapes - from Bozrah - to save His people and to punish His enemies.

Jeremiah 49: 7-22
Again, Bozrah city will become a horrifying sight, a desert, a permanent ruin at which all will shake their heads, comparable to Sodom and Gomorrah. Likewise the city of Teman (v.20)

Ezekiel 25:12-14
Edom had been cruel to Israel. Their guilt endures. Israel will take revenge on Edom - from Teman to Dedan. Edom will feel the fury of YHWH

(Note: Edom is located in a high mountainous area.)

Ezekiel 35: 1-5
Adonai YHWH declares himself an enemy of Edom. He will make Edom (on the mountains of Seir) a desolate wasteland and because Edom was Israel's constant enemy, they will pay for their anger, jealosy and hatred towards Israel.

Obadiah 1 - 14
YHWH will pull Edom down from its high mountain fortress. Teman will be terrified. v.15 - Edom will receive retribution for what she has done, a bitter cup of punishment.

Malachi 1: 2-5
Edom's attempts at rebuilding their towns will be futile. She has become a nation with whom YHWH is angry forever.

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Brothers and Sisters, let us remember the example of Jacob and be warned not to follow the footsteps of Esau and his descendants Edom.

Malachi 2: 1,2
This command is for you: you must honour Me (My Name) by what you do.

Worthless physicians, miserable comforters

In the course of being badly criticised, falsely accused, and recklessly judged by Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, Job described his three friends as "worthless physicians" and "miserable comforters":

As for you, you whitewash with lies;
all of you are worthless physicians.
Job 13:4  New Revised Standard Version

I have heard many such things;
miserable comforters are you all.
Job 16:2  New Revised Standard Version

Also in chapter 19 verse 20, Job described himself as one who had escaped by the skin of his teeth.

My bones cling to my skin and to my flesh,
and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
Job 19:20  New Revised Standard Version

The Great Reset

King Josiah ben Amon, the 16th king of Judah, ascended to the throne when he was only eight years old. His mother was Jedidah bat Adaiah of Bozkath. Josiah was a god-fearing king. He reigned 31 years from the city of Jerusalem.

King Josiah brought about a great reset of the Kingdom of Judah. He removed deep-rooted idolatry and pagan worship throughout the kingdom, idolatry and wicked practices that had become entrenched among the people under 55 years of the reign of the evil King Manasseh ben Hezekiah followed by another 2 years under his son King Amon ben Manasseh.

The following passage from 2 Kings chapter 23 tells of the Great Reset that King Josiah brought about in the Kingdom of Judah:

4Then Josiah ordered the High Priest Hilkiah, his assistant priests, and the guards on duty at the entrance to the Temple to bring out of the Temple all the objects used in the worship of Baal, of the goddess Asherah, and of the stars.
The king burnt all these objects outside the city near the valley of the Kidron, and then had the ashes taken to Bethel.
5He removed from office the priests that the kings of Judah had ordained to offer sacrifices on the pagan altars in the cities of Judah and in places near Jerusalem — all the priests who offered sacrifices to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the planets, and the stars.
6He removed from the Temple the symbol of the goddess Asherah, took it out of the city to the valley of the Kidron, burnt it, pounded its ashes to dust, and scattered it over the public burial ground.
7He destroyed the living quarters in the Temple occupied by the temple prostitutes. (It was there that women wove robes used in the worship of Asherah.)
8He brought to Jerusalem the priests who were in the cities of Judah, and throughout the whole country he desecrated the altars where they had offered sacrifices. He also tore down the altars dedicated to the goat-demons near the gate built by Joshua, the city governor, which was to the left of the main gate as one enters the city. 9Those priests were not allowed to serve in the Temple, but they could eat the unleavened bread provided for their fellow-priests.
10King Josiah also desecrated Topheth, the pagan place of worship in the Valley of Hinnom, so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter as a burnt offering to the god Molech.
11He also removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the worship of the sun, and he burnt the chariots used in this worship. (These were kept in the temple courtyard, near the gate and not far from the living quarters of Nathan Melech, a high official.)
12The altars which the kings of Judah had built on the palace roof above King Ahaz' quarters, King Josiah tore down, along with the altars put up by King Manasseh in the two courtyards of the Temple; he smashed the altars to bits and threw them into the valley of the Kidron.
13Josiah desecrated the altars that King Solomon had built east of Jerusalem, south of the Mount of Olives, for the worship of disgusting idols — Astarte the goddess of Sidon, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Molech the god of Ammon.
14King Josiah broke the stone pillars to pieces, cut down the symbols of the goddess Asherah, and the ground where they had stood he covered with human bones.
15Josiah also tore down the place of worship in Bethel which had been built by King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin. Josiah pulled down the altar, broke its stones into pieces, and pounded them to dust; he also burnt the image of Asherah.
2 Kings 23:4 - 15  Good News Bible

The sins of Israel - the Northern Kingdom

6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria; he carried the Israelites away to Assyria. He placed them in Halah, on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
7This occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

• They had worshipped other gods
• 8 and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had introduced.
• 9 The people of Israel secretly did things that were not right against the LORD their God.
• They built for themselves high places at all their towns, from watch-tower to fortified city;
• 10 they set up for themselves pillars and sacred poles on every high hill and under every green tree;
• 11 there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the LORD carried away before them.
• They did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger;
• 12 they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, ‘You shall not do this.’

13 Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, ‘Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the law that I commanded your ancestors and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.’

• 14 They would not listen but were stubborn, as their ancestors had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God.
• 15 They despised his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their ancestors, and the warnings that he gave them.
• They went after false idols and became false;
• they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do as they did.
• 16 They rejected all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves cast images of two calves;
• they made a sacred pole, worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
• 17 They made their sons and their daughters pass through fire;
• they used divination and augury;

and they sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger. 18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight; none was left but the tribe of Judah alone.
2 Kings 17:6 - 18  New Revised Standard Version

To him that overcometh

Monday 14Mar2022

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In my reading of the Letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 today, I observed that our Lord promised a reward "to him who overcomes" after he has praised and reproved each assembly. I have listed these rewards briefly below:

(1) To the angel of the assembly of Ephesus ("thou hast left thy first love" Rev 2:4):

Revelation 2:7  NWB  Noah Webster Bible
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

(2) To the angel of the assembly in Smyrna ("I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)" Rev 2:9):

Revelation 2:11  NWB
He that overcometh, shall not be hurt by the second death.

(3) To the angel of the assembly in Pergamos (some hold the doctrine of Balaam and of the Nicolaitans Rev 2:14, 15):

Revelation 2:17  NWB
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, he excepted, that receiveth it.

(4) To the angel of the assembly in Thyatira ("thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit lewdness, and to eat things sacrificed to idols." Rev 2:20):

Revelation 2:26 - 28  NWB
And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works to the end, to him will I give power over the nations: (And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers:) even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning-star.

(5) To the angel of the assembly in Sardis ("thou hast a name, that thou livest, and art dead." Rev 3:1):

Revelation 3:5  NWB
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

(6) To the angel of the assembly in Philadellphia ("thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name." Rev 3:8):

Revelation 3:12  NWB
Him that overcometh, will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

(7) To the angel of the assembly of the Laodiceans ("thou art luke-warm, and neither cold nor hot" Rev 3:16):

Revelation 3:21  NWB
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me on my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father on his throne.

Back in November 2020, I also wrote my observations on the titles given to our Lord in the letters to the Seven Churches, link below:

• The Amen, Faithful, True Witness, Head of God's Creation

Brothers and Sisters in the Anointed One, let us strive to be among those who have overcome, that we may receive the rewards promised by our Lord in His Letters to the Seven Churches.

Places of Rebellion in the Wilderness

Sunday 30Jan22 12:25 hrs GMT+8

Deuteronomy 9:8
- Horeb

Deuteronomy 9:22
- Taberah
- Massah
- Kibroth Hattaavah

Horeb (Exodus 32:18 - 19)

- Aaron made golden calf
- Moses threw down the two tablets and shattered them

Taberah (no cross reference)

- place of burning,
- possibly synonymous with Kibroth Hataaavah

Massah (Exodus 17:7), a.k.a. Meribah

- Massah means "testing"
- a place near Rephidim
- where children of Israel murmurred against Moses
- because of lack of water
- Meribah means "quarrelling"
- there is a slightly different account of Meribah
- in Num 20:2 - 13, where Moses disobeyed the LORD
- by striking the rock instead of commanding water to flow from it

Kibroth Hattaavah (Numbers 11:34)

- graves of craving
- children of Israel craved meat
- Yehovah sent quails
- destroyed those who craved, with a plague

Two Tablets: engraved on Front and Back

Saturday 08Jan2022

Shabbat Shalom. Today is the Seventh Day of the Biblical Week. It is Sabbath. Let us rest from all our work in keeping the Fourth Commandment.

From my Old Testament readings today, the accounts in Exodus chapters 24, 31, and 32 tell us that God gave Moses two tablets of stone after Moses had spent forty days and forty nights on the mountain to which God had called him and his helper Joshua. (Exodus 24:18)

From Exodus 24:12, we learn that the stone tablets contain the law and commandments which God had written for the instruction of the children of Israel.

Exodus 24:12, 13, 15 - 18  NRSV  New Revised Standard Version
12The LORD said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.’ 13So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God.

15Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. 17Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 18Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

Further on, Exodus 31:18 tells us that the two tablets were called "tablets of the covenant", and were written with the "finger" of God.

Exodus 31:18  NRSV
18 When God finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

And finally in Exodus 32:14, we can read that the two stone tablets were written on both sides, on the front and on the back. This verse also states that the writing on the tablets was the writing of God Himself, engraved upon the tablets.

Exodus 32:14 - 16  NRSV
15 Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, tablets that were written on both sides, written on the front and on the back. 16The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved upon the tablets.

Are your eyes evil because mine are good?

Wednesday 05Jan2022 16:12 hrs GMT+8

In my New Testament from Matthew chapter 20 today, I am reminded of the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. In the parable, our Lord tells of how a householder promised to pay a shilling to each worker from a group he hired early one morning to work in his vineyard. Later in the morning, then at noon, and again in the evening, as late as five o'clock, he hired more workers that he came across in the market place. At the end of the day, he decided to pay all of them a shilling each, regardless of how many hours they have worked that day.

Naturally, the group of workers who agreed to work from early morning for a shilling became unhappy. "These who came last have done only one hour's work, and you have put them on a level with us who have worked the whole day and have borne the scorching heat." they complained to the householder (Matthew 20:12).

Matthew 20:13 - 16  KJV  King James Version

13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

Matthew 20:13 - 16  WNT  Weymouth New Testament

13 ''My friend,' he answered to one of them, 'I am doing you no injustice. Did you not agree with me for a shilling?
14 Take your money and go. I choose to give this last comer just as much as I give you.
15 Have I not a right to do what I choose with my own property? Or are you envious because I am generous?' 16 'So the last shall be first, and the first last.'

The term "evil eye" is a Hebrew expression that means envious, or greedy, or jealous. Similarly, the term "good eye" is a Hebrew euphemism that means generous. When the householder asked the disgruntled workers, "Is thine eye evil because I am good" (Matthew 20:15 KJV), he actually meant "Are you envious (or greedy) because I am generous?". This is how Weymouth New Testament renders this verse in the passage above.

The following lists Matthew 20:15 from several other English translations for comparison.

• NIV v15 Are you envious because I am generous?
• NRSV v15 . . . are you envious because I am generous?
• GNB v15 . . . are you jealous because I am generous?
• ESV v15 Do you begrudge my generosity?
• RSV v15 . . . do you begrudge my generosity?

Brothers and Sisters in the Anointed One, let us endeavour to have good eyes. Let us beware of having evil eyes.

I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End

Tuesday 28Dec2021

In today's New Testament reading, I come across two passages containing the words of God Almighty saying, "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end".

In Revelation chapter 21, these words are attributed to the one "who was seated on the throne" (Rev 21:5 - 8).

Revelation 21:5 - 8  ESV  English Standard Version

5And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.
7The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
8But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.”

Later in Revelation chapter 22, similar words, "I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" are conveyed by the angel who was speaking to the Apostle John, and these words are attributed to one who is "coming soon" and who will "repay each one for what he has done", clearly referring to the rewards and punishments from God Almighty described earlier in Rev 21:5 - 8 above.

Revelation 22:12 - 15  ESV

12“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.
13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
14Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.
15Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practises falsehood.

Following this, the angel who was speaking to John conveyed the words of our Lord Iesus in Rev 22:16, describing himself as "the root and the descendant of David" and "the bright morning star".

Revelation 22:16  ESV

16“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

Over the past seven years, I have written short notes on the worship of God who sits on the throne, and distinguishing the titles given to God from those given to the Lord Iesus in various chapters of the book of Revelation. See links given below.

• Worship Him who sits on the Throne, August 2014
• Titles of God vs Titles of Iesous, November 2020

Oak trees at Shechem and Hebron

Friday 2021.12.17

In Genesis chapters 12, 13 and 18 from my Old Testament reading today, I came across instances where oak trees (in some versions terebinth trees) are mentioned, particularly in two places: Shechem and Hebron.

Genesis chapter 12 gives an account of Abram, Sarai and Lot leaving their hometown of Haran and going to the land of Canaan at the LORD's command. In Canaan, they came to the "oak of Moreh" (literally the Teacher Oak) in the town of Shechem where Abraham built an altar to the LORD.

Genesis 12:4 - 6 ESV English Standard Version
4So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

Later, in Genesis chapter 13 we read that after Lot separated from Abram and settled in the region of Sodom, Abram moved to Hebron where he settled by the "oaks of Mamre". Again, he built an altar to the LORD.

Genesis 13:18 ESV
So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD.

Genesis 18 tells us that one day the LORD appeared to Abram by the oaks of Mamre as Abram was sitting at the door of his tent.

Genesis 18:1 - 2 ESV
And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth . . .

The Law of the Spirit of Life

Sunday 2021.11.21

Today's Passages:
1 Chronicles 10:1 - 12:40 GNB (101 verses)
Romans 6:1 - 8:39 NKJV (87 verses)

About eighteen years ago, in March 2003, I wrote and delivered a sermon entitled, "The Three Spiritual Laws" to the Chinese Methodist Church in Kampar, the town where I worked and stayed. This sermon is based on the teachings about the Law of God, the Law of Sin and the Law of the Spirit written by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, chapters 7 and 8, linked below:

• The Three Spiritual Laws

This morning I pondered over the Law of the Spirit of Life as explained in Romans 8:1 - 6, and it occurred to me that this Law of the Spirit involves three steps.

First step: the Spirit dwells in our bodies

Romans 8:9 - 10 KJV says,"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness."
It is also written in 1 Corinthians 3:16 KJV, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
Similarly in 1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"

Second step: the Spirit directs our lives

Romans 8:13 - 14 KJV says,"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."
Likewise, Galatians 5:25 KJV tells us, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

Third step: the Spirit delivers us from death

In Romans 8:10 - 11 KJV we read, "And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord Iesus, let us allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, to direct our lives and to deliver us from death to life.

In the Beginning was the Word

Friday 2021.10.29

Today is the Sixth Day of the Biblical Week. It is Preparation Day. Let us make preparations to rest for the Seventh Day Sabbath which will begin after sunset this evening.

In the New Testament today, I began reading the Gospel according to John, covering the first two chapters.

The Gospel of John begins with a detailed description of the origin, advent, and purpose of the Word of God. The first eighteen verses of chapter one tells us at least eight things about the Word of God.

(1) The Word was with God in the beginning.

John 1:1 - 2 ASV American Standard Version

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.

(2) All things were created through the Word.

John 1:3 ASV

3 All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.

(3) Life and Light was in the Word

John 1:4 - 5 ASV

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.

(4) The Word came into the world but the world did not recognise him. His own people rejected him.

John 1:9 - 11 ASV

9 There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and they that were his own received him not.

(5) Whoever received him by believing on his name was given the right to become children of God.

John 1:12 - 13 ASV

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

(6) The Word came into this world physically, "in the flesh".

John 1:14 ASV

14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.

(7) John the Baptist bore witness of the Word and the Grace and Truth of God that came by the Word.

John 1:15 - 17 ASV

15 John beareth witness of him, and crieth, saying, This was he of whom I said, He that cometh after me is become before me: for he was before me.
16 For of his fulness we all received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

(8) The Word was in the bosom of God the Father, was the Only Begotten Son of God, and had declared God to us.

John 1:18 ASV

18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Three things, and four

Tuesday 2021.10.26

This afternoon I read through Proverbs 28 to 31 for my Old Testament reading using the New International Version.

Proverbs chapter 30 is written by Agur ben Jakeh. It contains a set of utterances meant to be read in the hearing of Uthiel. Among the most notable words of wisdom in this chapter are classifications of things in life that come in sets of four, namely

1. Four things that never say enough v.15 - 16
2. Four things too amazing to understand v.18 - 19
3. Four things that make the earth tremble v.21 - 23
4. Four things small but exremely wise v.24 - 28, and
5. Four things that are stately in stride v.29 - 31

Proverbs 30:15 - 16 NIV

‘There are three things that are never satisfied,
four that never say, “Enough!”:
---- the grave
---- and the barren womb;
---- land, which is never satisfied with water,
---- and fire, which never says, “Enough!”

Proverbs 30:18 - 19 NIV

There are three things that are too amazing for me,
four that I do not understand:
---- the way of an eagle in the sky,
---- the way of a snake on a rock,
---- the way of a ship on the high seas,
---- and the way of a man with a young woman.

Proverbs 30:21 - 23 NIV

Under three things the earth trembles,
under four it cannot bear up:
---- a servant who becomes king,
---- a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,
---- a contemptible woman who gets married,
---- and a servant who displaces her mistress.

Proverbs 30:24 - 28 NIV

Four things on earth are small,
---- yet they are extremely wise:
ants are creatures of little strength,
---- yet they store up their food in the summer;
hyraxes are creatures of little power,
---- yet they make their home in the crags;
locusts have no king,
---- yet they advance together in ranks;
a lizard can be caught with the hand,
---- yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

Proverbs 30:29 - 31 NIV

There are three things that are stately in their stride,
four that move with stately bearing:
---- a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing;
---- a strutting cock,
---- a he-goat,
---- and a king secure against revolt.

To suffer, be killed, be raised from the dead

Tuesday 2021.10.05

For my NT reading today, I read Matthew chapters 16 and 17 using the American Standard Version.

Both chapters 16 and 17 of the Gospel of Matthew contain accounts of our Lord telling his disciples that he would go to Jerusalem, to suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, then to be killed and eventually to be raised by God from the dead.

Matthew 16:20 - 21 ASV

20 Then charged he the disciples that they should tell no man that he was the Christ.
21 From that time began Jesus to show unto his disciples, that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up

Matthew 17:22 - 23 ASV

22 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be delivered up into the hands of men;
23 and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised up. And they were exceeding sorry.

The disciples were told again by our Lord of his impending suffering, death and resurrection in Matthew chapter 20, while they were on the way to Jerusalem.

Matthew 20:18 - 19 JND

18 Behold we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be delivered up to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death;
19 and they will deliver him up to the nations to mock and to scourge and to crucify, and the third day he shall rise again.