citizens of the future

Posted on June 6, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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citizens of the future

Revelation 7:1-8:5

Revelation 7:1 After this I saw four agents standing at the four corners of the land, restraining the four winds of the land so that no wind could blow on the land or on the sea or on any tree.
Revelation 7:2 Then I saw another agent rising up from the east, who had the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four agents who were allowed to wrong the land and the sea:
Revelation 7:3 “Don’t wrong the land or the sea or the trees until we seal the slaves of our God on their foreheads.”
Revelation 7:4 And I heard the number of the sealed: 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the Israelites:
Revelation 7:5 12,000 sealed from the tribe of Judah, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
Revelation 7:6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
Revelation 7:7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
Revelation 7:8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 sealed from the tribe of Benjamin.
Revelation 7:9 After this I looked, and noticed a vast crowd from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands.
Revelation 7:10 And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!
Revelation 7:11 All the agents stood around the throne, and along with the elders and the four animals they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God,
Revelation 7:12 saying, Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength be to our God for ages and ages. Amen.
Revelation 7:13 Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these people in white robes, and where did they come from?”
Revelation 7:14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” Then he told me: These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Revelation 7:15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple. The one seated on the throne will shelter them:
Revelation 7:16 They will no longer hunger; they will no longer thirst; the sun will no longer strike them, nor will any scorching heat.
Revelation 8:1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in the sky for about half an hour.
Revelation 8:2 Then I saw the seven agents who stand in the presence of God; seven trumpets were given to them.
Revelation 8:3 Another agent, with a golden incense burner, came and stood at the altar. He was given a large amount of incense to offer with the prayers of all the devotees on the golden altar in front of the throne.
Revelation 8:4 The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the devotees, went up in the presence of God from the agent’s hand.
Revelation 8:5 The agent took the incense burner, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the land; there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

citizens of the future

Revelation 7:1-8:5. The future will be populated by those redeemed “of the sons of Israel” (the 144,000 representing Jews saved during the first century) and also “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.” Their eternal destiny is sure in spite of the fact that harm will come to the earth and the sea. God’s promise to them (us) is that they we will no longer hunger; they will no longer thirst; the sun will no longer strike them, nor will any scorching heat.

He also promises that he will hear their prayers. The prayers go up to him like incense at the altar.

LORD, we trust you to make our dreams of the future a reality, and to shepherd us during this dark and trying age.

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the age before the future

Posted on June 5, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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the age before the future

Revelation 6:1-17

Revelation 6:1 Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four animals say with a voice like thunder, “Come!”
Revelation 6:2 I looked and noticed a white horse. Its rider held a bow; a crown was given to him, and he went out as a conqueror in order to conquer.
Revelation 6:3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second animal say, “Come!”
Revelation 6:4 Then another horse went out, a fiery red one, and its rider was allowed to take peace from the land, so that people would slaughter one another. And a large sword was given to him.
Revelation 6:5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third animal say, “Come!” And I looked and noticed a black horse. Its rider held a set of scales in his hand.
Revelation 6:6 Then I heard something like a voice among the four animals say, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, but do not wrong the oil and the wine.”
Revelation 6:7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth animal say, “Come!”
Revelation 6:8 And I looked and noticed a pale green horse. Its rider was named death, and Hades was following after him. They were given authority over a fourth of the land, to kill by the sword, by famine, by plague, and by the wild animals of the land.
Revelation 6:9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the throats of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and the testimony they had given.
Revelation 6:10 They cried out with a loud voice: “Lord, the one who is sacred and true, how long until you judge those who live on the land and avenge our blood?”
Revelation 6:11 So they were each given a white robe, and they were told to rest a little while longer until the number would be completed of their fellow slaves and their brothers and sisters, who were going to be killed just as they had been.
Revelation 6:12 Then I saw him open the sixth seal. A violent earthquake occurred; the sun turned black like sackcloth made of hair; the entire moon became like blood;
Revelation 6:13 the stars of the sky fell to the land as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a high wind;
Revelation 6:14 the sky was split apart like a scroll being rolled up; and every mountain and island was moved from its place.
Revelation 6:15 Then the kings of the land, the nobles, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
Revelation 6:16 And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,
Revelation 6:17 because the great day of their wrath has come! And who is able to stand?”

the age before the future

The four chariots of Zechariah 6 represent spying out the land, but the four horses of Revelation 6 are war horses. They represent attacks against the whole earth. This chapter parallels Jesus’ descriptions of this age of tribulation that will continue until his second coming. The saints are not delivered from this tribulation, but endure it. Those who pay the ultimate price for their faith (martyrdom) are told to continue resting (in their graves) until the whole number of martyrs should be complete (11). This age ends with the population hiding in fear from the wrath of the Lamb. The future will be a time of blessing for those ransomed by the Lamb, but a time of wrath and destruction for all others.

LORD, give us the wisdom and courage to reach out to the enemies of the Lamb, so that they do not have to face his terrible wrath.

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a certain future

Posted on June 4, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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a certain future

Revelation 5:1-14

Revelation 5:1 Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides, sealed with seven seals.
Revelation 5:2 I also saw a mighty agent proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”
Revelation 5:3 But no one in the sky or on land or under the land was able to open the scroll or even to look in it.
Revelation 5:4 I wept and wept because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or even to look in it.
Revelation 5:5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Notice, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered so that he is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Revelation 5:6 Then I saw one like a slaughtered lamb standing in the midst of the throne and the four animals and among the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven breaths of God sent into all the land.
Revelation 5:7 He went and took the scroll out of the right hand of the one seated on the throne.
Revelation 5:8 When he took the scroll, the four animals and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and golden bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the devotees.
Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and you purchased people for God by your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation.
Revelation 5:10 You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the land.
Revelation 5:11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many agents around the throne, and also of the animals and of the elders. Their number was countless thousands, plus thousands of thousands.
Revelation 5:12 They said with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!
Revelation 5:13 I heard every creature in the sky, on land, under the land, on the sea, and everything in them say, Blessing and honor and glory and power be to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, for ages and ages!
Revelation 5:14 The four animals said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

a certain future

John sees a scroll – a picture depicting all the events that must take place for all creation to be reconciled to God. The only one worthy of opening the scroll – thus revealing the future – is the Lamb. He was slain, and by his blood has ransomed people for God. That is why we have a certain future. It is certain, and we can know it because it is written on the scroll. The Lamb is revealing it to us. What is certain about our future?

We will be ransomed because of Christ’s death on the cross.
We will be a kingdom of priests.
We will reign on the earth.

LORD, thank you for giving us a destiny, and revealing it to us in your word.

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a Christo-centric future

Posted on June 3, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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a Christo-centric future

Revelation 4:1-11

Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and noticed in the sky was an open door. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
Revelation 4:2 Immediately I was in the Breath, and noticed a throne in the sky and someone was seated on it.
Revelation 4:3 The one seated there looked like jasper and carnelian stone. A rainbow that looked like emerald surrounded the throne.
Revelation 4:4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white clothes, with golden crowns on their heads.
Revelation 4:5 Flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder came from the throne. Seven fiery torches were burning before the throne, which are the seven breaths of God.
Revelation 4:6 Something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal, was also before the throne. Four animals covered with eyes in front and in back were around the throne on each side.
Revelation 4:7 The first animal was like a lion; the second animal was like an ox; the third animal had a face like a human; and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle.
Revelation 4:8 Each of the four animals had six wings; they were covered with eyes around and inside. Day and night they never stop, saying, Sacred, sacred, sacred, Lord God, the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come.
Revelation 4:9 Whenever the animals give glory, honor, and thanks to the one seated on the throne, the one who lives for ages and ages,
Revelation 4:10 the twenty-four elders fall down before the one seated on the throne and worship the one who lives for ages and ages. They cast their crowns before the throne and say,
Revelation 4:11 Our Lord and God, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because you have created all things, and by your desire they exist and were created.

a Christo-centric future

John’s picture of the future continues with a picture of the redeemed universe. He sees…

24 elders on 24 thrones that make a circle around the perimeter of the scene. The represent redeemed humanity of all time.

Forming a smaller circle around the throne in the center are the four animals. They represent – wait for it – all the animals of the future. They have both diversity and unity. The unity is focused on the final element of the scene.

In the center of the universe of the future is Christ on his throne. He will be eternally praised because he both created all things and brought redemption.

LORD, you are the center of the universe. May we so live as to witness to that reality to a world that has forgotten it.

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the future of overcomers (2)

Posted on June 2, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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the future of overcomers (2)

Revelation 3:1-22

Revelation 3:1 “Write to the agent of the congregation in Sardis: Thus says the one who has the seven breaths of God and the seven stars: I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead.
Revelation 3:2 Be alert and strengthen what remains, which is about to die, for I have not found your works complete before my God.
Revelation 3:3 Remember, then, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come upon you.
Revelation 3:4 But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothing, and they will walk with me in white, because they are worthy.
Revelation 3:5 “In the same way, the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothing, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his agents.
Revelation 3:6 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Breath says to the congregations.
Revelation 3:7 “Write to the agent of the congregation in Philadelphia: Thus says the Sacred One, the true one, the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens:
Revelation 3:8 I know your works. Notice, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have only a little power; yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
Revelation 3:9 Notice: I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying — I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have cared about you.
Revelation 3:10 Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the land.
Revelation 3:11 I am coming quickly. Hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown.
Revelation 3:12 “The one who conquers I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never go out again. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God — the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of the sky from my God — and my new name.
Revelation 3:13 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Breath says to the congregations.
Revelation 3:14 “Write to the agent of the congregation in Laodicea: Thus says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of God’s creation:
Revelation 3:15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot.
Revelation 3:16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth.
Revelation 3:17 For you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
Revelation 3:18 I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see.
Revelation 3:19 All those as I like, I rebuke and discipline. So be passionate and repent.
Revelation 3:20 Notice! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:21 “To the one who conquers I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
Revelation 3:22 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Breath says to the congregations.”

20250602 the future of overcomers (2)

Christ promised a future for those who persevered against the difficulties that they would face and stayed true to him:

For overcomers in Sardis, Christ promised the white robes of victory and celebration (1-6; 19:7-8).
For overcomers in Philadelphia, Christ promised stability and a new name – associated with God and his new creation (7-13; 21:10-11).
For overcomers in Laodicea, Christ promised authority and glory represented by sitting on his throne with him (14-22; 20:4).

LORD, help us to persevere through the trials of the present so that we might realize the future you have promised.

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the future of overcomers (1)

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

20250601 the future of overcomers (1)

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Revelation 2:1-29

Revelation 2:1 “Write to the agent of the church in Ephesus: Thus says the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who walks among the seven golden lampstands:
Revelation 2:2 I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars.
Revelation 2:3 I know that you have persevered and endured hardships for the sake of my name and have not grown weary.
Revelation 2:4 But I have this against you: You have abandoned the care you had at first.
Revelation 2:5 Remember then how far you have fallen; repent and do the works you did first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Revelation 2:6 Yet you do have this: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Revelation 2:7 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Breath says to the congregations. To the one who conquers, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Revelation 2:8 “Write to the agent of the congregation in Smyrna: Thus says the First and the Last, the one who was dead and came to life:
Revelation 2:9 I know your tribulation and poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan.
Revelation 2:10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Notice, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will experience tribulation for ten days. Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Revelation 2:11 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Breath says to the congregations. The one who conquers will never be wronged by the second death.
Revelation 2:12 “Write to the agent of the congregation in Pergamum: This is what the one who has the sharp, double-edged sword says:
Revelation 2:13 I know where you live — where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding on to my name and did not deny your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness who was put to death among you, where Satan lives.
Revelation 2:14 But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block in front of the Israelites: to eat meat sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.
Revelation 2:15 In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
Revelation 2:16 So repent! Otherwise, I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Revelation 2:17 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Breath says to the congregations. To the one who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it.
Revelation 2:18 “Write to the agent of the congregation in Thyatira: Thus says the Son of God, the one whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like fine bronze:
Revelation 2:19 I know your works — your care, faithfulness, service, and endurance. I know that your last works are greater than the first.
Revelation 2:20 But I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and deceives my slaves to commit sexual immorality and to eat meat sacrificed to idols.
Revelation 2:21 I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality.
Revelation 2:22 Notice, I will throw her into a sickbed and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation. Unless they repent of her works,
Revelation 2:23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the congregations will know that I am the one who examines minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works.
Revelation 2:24 I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who haven’t known the so-called “secrets of Satan” — as they say — I am not putting any other burden on you.
Revelation 2:25 Only hold on to what you have until I come.
Revelation 2:26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works to the end: I will give him authority over the nations —
Revelation 2:27 and he will rule them with an iron scepter; he will shatter them like pottery–
Revelation 2:28 just as I have received this from my Father. I will also give him the morning star.
Revelation 2:29 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Breath says to the congregations.

20250601 the future of overcomers (1)

Christ does not promise a future for mere attenders . He required his churches to produce overcomers. Each church had a danger that it faced. For those within these four churches who overcame – Christ had special promises:

For overcomers in Ephesus, Christ promised the tree of life (1-7; 22:2).
For overcomers in Smyrna, Christ promised the crown of life (8-11; James 1:12).
For overcomers in Pergamum, Christ promised the hidden manna and a new name (12-17; John 6:48-50).
For overcomers in Thyatira, Christ promised authority over the nations (18-29; 20:4).

LORD, grant us the strength to do spiritual warfare wherever you send us – so that we can overcome and inherit all your promises.

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Jesus and the future

Posted on May 31, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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Jesus and the future

Revelation 1:1-20

Revelation 1:1 A revelation from Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his slaves what must quickly take place. He made it known by sending his agent to his servant John,
Revelation 1:2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, whatever he saw.
Revelation 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it, because the time is near.
Revelation 1:4 John: To the seven congregations in Asia. Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven breaths before his throne,
Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead and the ruler of the kings of the land. To him who cares about us and has set us free from our sins by his blood,
Revelation 1:6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father– to him be glory and dominion permanently. Amen.
Revelation 1:7 Notice, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. And all the tribes of the land will mourn over him. So it is to be. Amen.
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 1:9 I, John, your brother, and partner in the tribulation, kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
Revelation 1:10 I was in the Breath on the Lord’s day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet.
Revelation 1:11 The voice said, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven congregations: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
Revelation 1:12 Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me. When I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,
Revelation 1:13 and among the lampstands was someone like the Human Son, dressed in a robe and with a golden sash wrapped around his chest.
Revelation 1:14 The hair of his head was white as wool — white as snow– and his eyes like a fiery flame.
Revelation 1:15 His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of cascading waters.
Revelation 1:16 He had seven stars in his right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth, and his face was shining like the sun at full strength.
Revelation 1:17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last,
Revelation 1:18 and the Living One. I was dead but notice — I am alive for ages and ages, and I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Revelation 1:19 Therefore write what you have seen, what is, and what will take place after this.
Revelation 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the agents of the seven congregations, and the seven lampstands are the seven congregations.

Jesus and the future

Is this book a Revelation of Jesus Christ, or is it a prophecy about the future of the world? Yes.

Jesus is the key to our destiny, and the future of the world.

He is the firstborn from among the dead (5), who died, is alive forever, and has the keys of death and Hades (18). You can trust him with your personal destiny.
He is the ruler of the kings of the earth (5) who holds the stars in his right hand (16). We can trust him with the world’s future.

LORD, give us the wisdom to trust Christ to work out your will in the cosmos, and in our personal lives.

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you shall see

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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you shall see

Malachi 3:13-4:6

Malachi 3:13 “Your words against me are harsh,” says Yahveh. Yet you ask, “What have we spoken against you?”
Malachi 3:14 You have said: “It is useless to serve God. What have we gained by keeping his requirements and walking mournfully before Yahveh of Armies?
Malachi 3:15 So now we consider the arrogant to be fortunate. Not only do those who commit wickedness prosper, they even test God and escape.”
Malachi 3:16 Those who feared Yahveh spoke to one another at that time. Yahveh took notice and listened. So, a book of remembrance was written before him for those who feared Yahveh and had high regard for his name.
Malachi 3:17 “They will be mine,” says Yahveh of Armies, “my possession on the day I prepare. I will have compassion on them as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.
Malachi 3:18 So you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
Malachi 4:1 “You see, notice, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and everyone who commits wickedness will become stubble. The coming day will consume them,” says Yahveh of Armies, “not leaving them root or branches.
Malachi 4:2 But for you who fear my name, the righteous sun will rise with healing in its rays, and you will go out and playfully jump like calves from the stall.
Malachi 4:3 You will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says Yahveh of Armies.
Malachi 4:4 “Remember the instruction of Moses my servant, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.
Malachi 4:5 Notice, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of Yahveh comes.
Malachi 4:6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

you shall see

The final dispute in this arbitration that has been going on is found in these verses, the last in the Old Testament. The LORD accuses his people of speaking hard, harsh words against him. What are the hard words? “It is vain to serve God.” The LORD’s response to those words is this: he promises a day that will burn like an oven and destroy the wicked, leaving them neither root nor branch. Only those who fear the LORD will be spared on that day. Their names are recorded in his book of remembrance. On that day, all the others who complained will see that serving the LORD was not vain, or empty.

LORD, we plead with you, not to let us rest until we have reconciled with you. We stand condemned before your judgment. Rescue us through Christ.

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robbing God

Posted on May 29, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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robbing God

Malachi 3:1-12

Malachi 3:1 “Notice, I am going to send my messenger, and he will clear the road before me. Then Yahveh you seek will suddenly come to his temple, the Messenger of the covenant you delight in – see, he is coming,” says Yahveh of Armies.
Malachi 3:2 But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will be able to stand when he appears? He will be like a refiner’s fire and a launderer’s bleach.
Malachi 3:3 He will sit like a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then, they will present offerings to Yahveh in righteousness.
Malachi 3:4 And the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please Yahveh as in days of old and years gone by.
Malachi 3:5 “I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the hired worker, the widow, and the fatherless; and against those who deny justice to the resident alien. They do not fear me,” says Yahveh of Armies.
Malachi 3:6 “Because I, Yahveh, have not changed, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.
Malachi 3:7 “Since the days of your fathers, you have turned from my statutes; you have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says Yahveh of Armies. Yet you ask, “How can we return?”
Malachi 3:8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me!” “How do we rob you?” you ask. “By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions.
Malachi 3:9 You are suffering under a curse, yet you– the whole nation– are still robbing me.
Malachi 3:10 Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,” says Yahveh of Armies. “See if I will not open the floodgates of the sky and pour out a blessing for you without measure.
Malachi 3:11 I will rebuke the devourer for you so that it will not ruin the produce of your ground and your vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit” says Yahveh of Armies.
Malachi 3:12 “Then all the nations will consider you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land,” Says Yahveh of Armies.

robbing God

The arbitration continues between the LORD and his people, with Malachi as the go-between. It is now the LORD’s turn to voice his complaints and hear the people’s response. But before the Lord voices a complaint, he expresses his desire to see reconciliation. To that end, he plans to send his messenger, who will refine and purify – particularly the priesthood and the temple. The New Testament identifies this messenger as John the Baptist (Matt. 11:10-11).

The LORD’s complaint he voices in this formal dispute is that the people have turned aside from his statutes and have not kept them, thus nullifying the covenant. He pleads with them to return to the covenant, and to him. The people ask how they should return. God says that they have been robbing him. They ask “how have we robbed you?” The LORD’s reply: “in your tithes and contributions.” The LORD does not need the offerings, but the people need to give them because giving declares the relationship. Refusal to give declares that the relationship is unimportant or severed.

LORD, make us cheerful givers, because we have a relationship with you, and because the world is watching to see if we put our money where our mouth is.

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faithless to one another

Posted on May 28, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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Photo by ICSA on Pexels.com

faithless to one another

Malachi 2:10-17

Malachi 2:10 Don’t all of us have one Father? Didn’t one God create us? Why, then, do we act treacherously against one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?
Malachi 2:11 Judah has acted treacherously, and a detestable act has been done in Israel and Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned Yahveh’s sanctuary, which he cares for, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.
Malachi 2:12 May Yahveh cut off from the tents of Jacob the man who does this, whoever he may be, even if he presents an offering to Yahveh of Armies.
Malachi 2:13 This is another thing you do. You are covering Yahveh’s altar with tears, weeping, and groaning because he no longer respects your offerings or receives them gladly from your hands.
Malachi 2:14 And you ask, “Why?” Because even though Yahveh has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, you have acted treacherously against her. She was your marriage partner and your wife by covenant.
Malachi 2:15 Didn’t God make you one and give you an equal portion of breath? What is the one seeking? Godly offspring. So watch your breath carefully so that no one acts treacherously against the wife of his youth.
Malachi 2:16 “If he hates and divorces his wife,” says Yahveh, God of Israel, “he covers his garment with injustice,” says Yahveh of Armies. Therefore, watch your breath carefully, and do not act treacherously.
Malachi 2:17 You have wearied Yahveh with your words. Yet you ask, “How have we wearied him?” When you say, “Everyone who does what is evil is good in Yahveh’s sight, and he is delighted with them, or else where is the God of justice?”

faithless to one another

Malachi serves as a kind of go-between in an ongoing conflict between the people and the LORD. He has already brought the LORD’s response to two complaints the people had, and in today’s text he reveals another. The people are asking “Where is the God of justice?” Malachi’s answer is that the God of justice is against his own people, not only because they have forsaken him for other gods, but also because they have been faithless to one another. They have broken their marriage covenants, and divorced the wives of their youth. The LORD intended for those marriages to demonstrate mutual love and faithfulness to him, as part of the divine covenant. Instead, the peoples’ faithlessness has covered their garments with violence, producing cruel, broken homes, further shaming the LORD in the eyes of the nations.

LORD, forgive us for our faithlessness toward one another. Restore our homes and our relationship with you, for your name’s sake.

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