It's High Time

Daniel 2
Courtsey Pixabay.com

 I started the Book of Daniel this past week but couldn't read every day as I usually do. I had to go to my sister's to help her and take her to her infusion appointment every day. This will go on until September. 

Today I finished the eighth chapter and will start on nine tomorrow if all goes well. Daniel is an interesting book. If you've read it, you know the story of the Hebrew children in the fiery furnace and of Daniel in the lions' den. But for me, it's the visions Daniel has that fascinate. 

The image at right depicts the sort of statue mentioned in Daniel 2. His other visions were even more complex. They all relate to the same historical events that happened over centuries. They're all connected, but you don't get that at first. The Medes and Persians, Grecians, Romans, and modern Europe. The return of Jesus will shatter the feet and bring down the statue. I always get confused about the interconnectedness of the visions until I read them. 

Today in Chapter 8 I realized that what I'd heard all my life was here. I mean, I realized what the elders had spoken of for over 100 years was here, and I was now witness to the unfolding of an ancient prophecy. Come on. You've always known it, but have you truly realized it? It's more than 1000 years since Daniel saw it. 

I thought about it for a few minutes, and then I remembered something else. I remembered how all of us had prayed for God to save our loved ones. How we've asked for just more time for them to come to him and turn their lives over to him. We've prayed for more time to make things right within ourselves, too. Just a little more time, Lord! Please. Not yet! Just a little more time. 

Every day, every year, very decade of our lives we've prayed this. You haven't? Well, I'm honest enough to tell you I have. Today I had a revelation. 

Time is not the problem. We have plenty of time. Really, we do. We have just enough time to make our hearts right with God. There's just enough time to fix our problems and create a sanctified life. We have just enough time to create a better world, to reach a broken and dying world. Time abounds. 

The problem isn't time. The problem is me and you and them. We are the problem. Our lives are mapped out before we ever arrive. Every potential ability and gift is in place for us to make an impact. Even scripture records that a special clock plots our lifetime. Psalms 90:10 says that our life is 70 years or, if we're strong, 80 years. We know people who live much longer, but that's the exception, not the rule. So you have at the least 70 years to make an impact. We can both admit that life is not perfect and that many people die before the promised time. Health, accidents, and murder are life events. However, it takes only a moment to fix a soul. 

So, why do we need more time to find God? Why do our loved ones need more time? What makes us think there has not been enough time?

I've had plenty of time to find God and live a life pleasing to him. Micah 6:8 in the Amplified Bible says:

He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you Except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion), And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?

That's under the law. Once Jesus came, he gave us a plan. It's outlined in the New Testement. On the day of Pentecost, the Jews ask Peter in Acts 2:37.

 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

They realized that their time had arrived. Jesus gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom, and he used them right then to open the Kingdom doors.

 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

 The clock for the Jews' salvation started that instant. Your clock started the day you first heard the Gospel message. It's ticking. You have time. 

Romans 13:11 (NKJV) says:

"And do this, understanding the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed"

But time will end. We're almost there. If you can't see it, pray for revelation. If you are afraid, you should be. If you're not ready. Time is running out. Get dressed. 

There's going to be a party afterward.

Next Stop Corinth!

  
 I made it out of Rome! I'm now in Corinth. Well, 1st Corinthians. I reached Chapter 12 today. I wasn't able to read for the last two days because life and fatigue got in the way. 

This book is easier in some ways, but I'm still referring to the Amplified Bible a lot. The Corinthians were a mess, I think. Apparently, disunity, immorality, and false teaching were problems for the Corinthian Church. Paul had to step in and re-school them. It did not go well.

When reading Corinthians, you need to keep in mind that this congregation would not have been Jewish members only. Paul stayed in the city for a year and a half preaching to Greeks and Jews, and likely anyone else who passed through. The founding of this church is in Acts 18, and from the start, Paul had trouble with the Jews there.  

In Acts 18:6 you find Paul reaching the end of his tether. 

" And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles. "

Based on my research, Corinth was a cosmopolitan city located west of Athens on an isthmus. The location made it a perfect spot for commercial and transportation endeavors in the region. Think about modern port cities with people from all over the known world going in and out, bringing their habits and beliefs with them. This environment would have exposed citizens to more materialist and immoral influences. Paul had his work cut out for him. 

I haven't read 2nd Corinthians yet, but since we have two letters, I suspect the problems didn't go away. I'll let you know.

The Rough Roman Road

 I lived in Italy in the very early 1980s. The army stationed us at Camp Darby outside Livorno. That's where you'll find the Leaning Tower.  Yes, I got to climb the tower, and I visited a beautiful church and baptistry there. I even walked some Roman roads. For a month, I stayed in Rome with Leroy and Hazel Gee, missionaries to Rome. 

This week I began reading the Book of Romans. I say this with a touch of pride. Let me explain. Twice in my life, I've read the entire Bible. I entertained the idea of a third reading, however; I elected to concentrate on the substance of the text rather than the number of readings. 

For a long time, I've read either devotionals or some kind of study guide. Honestly, I learn a lot more doing this than wading through a required daily list of chapters. This past month I started reading the letters to the Church. My goal is to pay close attention and grasp a thorough understanding of them. I mean, they're written to Christians. We need to understand them. 

I started with the shortest letters first. One thing I know about myself is that I get bored/tired quickly reading scripture. Bless your heart, if you don't. But let's face it, the book of Numbers is a lot like counting sheep. I began with Jude. It's actually good, so no problem. 

Here is where I'll tell you why I'm proud I began Romans today. I dread reading Romans. I will avoid reading if I can. 

Why? Because Paul was verbose and the KJV translators made amazing strides in translating every single word. Furthermore, they did it in the King's English and a grammatical structure that requires an English PHD to make sense of. The text's complex structure demands multiple readings. 

Look, I have a BA in history and I studied journalism. I graduated with a 3.8 GPA. If I had to guess, I've read close to a million books and the complete works of Shakespeare and several classics!  Shakespeare, for heaven's sake. Have you read Shakespeare? 

I was a few pages into Romans when I pulled out my online Amplified Bible. I've been using it off and on when I ran across something that I wanted a bit more clarity on. I love it, so much so that I'm considering buying one. It has provided tremendous help, and it's a lifesaver in Romans. 

Yesterday I reached the 13th chapter of Romans. I've read this chapter and heard it preached many times. It contains the most favorite passage of ministers everywhere. I will let you look it up and see if you've heard it. Please, please do let me know with a comment!

When I began the chapter, I thought, "Oh, I know what this is. I won't need the Amplified Bible." 

Wrong. I needed it; and I pulled it up. And I'm so glad I did. Because as I read it, I realize that this scripture is not what I made to understand it to mean. I read it twice to be sure I was reading it right. I compared verses. And since I'm using my new Thompson Chain Bible, I read the index at the side of the scriptures. 

The first heading in the side index said "Duty of Government". "Authority of Government" follows this. Next is "Duties of Citizenship". This all covers the first seven verses of the chapter. And then, a light goes off in my head. 

Paul is writing this letter to the church in Rome. They are Roman citizens. I really wanted to beat my head at this realization. I studied Roman history for an entire semester! Stupid! Paul is talking to a group of "Roman Citizens". I should know this! Cindy, what is Rome known for at this period of history regarding government and citizenship? 

I could tell you, but let's use the KISS  method. Here is the excerpt from a Google search: How did Romans feel about citizenship? 

Roman citizenship in Biblical times was highly valued and carried significant legal and social privileges. It was a status that provided protection, rights, and opportunities that non-citizens did not have. (Google AI)

The concept of citizenship was central to Roman identity, and it evolved over time, expanding from a narrow definition focused on the city of Rome to a broader, more inclusive system that incorporated people from across the empire.

This chapter is speaking to Romans about the proper attitude toward their government and how they are to behave in that respect. Verse 7 sums it up nicely. Devoted Roman citizens were to live in accordance with the laws of Rome but as Christians. Paul reinforces teaching on morality and various other topics. But my point for this post is that this chapter is not about church authority. You can get that elsewhere. Romans 13 is to Romans about obedience to government leaders, something Jesus was very clear about as well in Matt. 21:22. 

Can you use this chapter to press home church authority? I guess so. It has been all my life. No one ever said it's about how citizens were to behave themselves to their government and one another. It wasn't taught that this was to Roman citizens who became Christians and had some confusion on whether their Christianity trumped the Caesar. 

Reading these letters this month has taught me a lot about the use and misuse of scripture. I've experienced that issues. Forty years ago, I had a conversation with a minster who asked me about a private matter. I told him I couldn't tell him about that because it was private and I didn't gossip. He told me that he was my head and I had to obey him. I very politely pointed out that my husband was my head. 

He informed me, "Well, I'm his head." 

I said, again politely, "No, the Bible says Christ is his head." 

He said, "Well, I'm the head of the church." 

"No sir," I said, "Christ is the head of the Church." 

His final statement was that I might as well tell him, since the Lord had already told him. 

I responded, "Well, in that case, I don't need to tell you anything. You already know." 

This was a very toxic situation and the only thing that helped me was my knowledge of the Word. He misused the Word to manipulate me into revealing a personal matter. Specifically, the scriptures in Romans and this one in 1 Corinthians,  

1 Corinthians 11:3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

The Bible tells us that Satan is like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. If we're not armed with the Word, which is our sword, we will not survive the attack. The enemy will attempt to deceive us by misusing the Word. The Bible gives us examples of the devil using scripture. He always prepares for an attack. So should we.

We can use every reading plan out there, and there are many, to read the Bible through in any amount of time. They will make you familiar with the Word, but not knowledgeable. After the second read through of the Bible, I was very dissatisfied. I wanted depth. You only find depth by diving into deep water. I want to swim in it. 

I will reach the end of the Roman Road this week, and I'll be glad. It's a rough trip, but I'm enjoying it. But please pray for me. I still have 1st and 2nd Corinthians and Hebrews to finish. I don't know where I'll head then, but I hope the roads are better.