JOURNEY THROUGH THE WORD
2009-2010

I would like to invite you to join us once again as we take another walk through the Word. This trek through the pages of the Book will be quite different than our last trip. I will be using the One Year Chronological Bible. Although it says that it's designed for one year, once again we are stretching it over two years. The one year schedule has reading for every day. Our schedule is only Monday through Friday and we skip all major holidays. (I apologize to those who live outside the U.S.A, but I've incorporated July 4, Labor Day, and Memorial Day as major holidays)

I am posting two reading schedules for the first quarter in 2009. One schedule is for those who will also be using the One Year Chronological Bible. The other schedule is for those who will be using a different Bible.

Right now, the One Year Chronological Bible is on sale at Family Christian stores and also on Christian Book Distributors. (christianbook.com) I am sure that most Christian books stores have them on sale, so check the one nearest you.

If you need any more information, please let us know.

READING SCHEDULES

For those using the Chronological Bible:
READING SCHEDULE
2009
1ST QUARTER

JANUARY 2009
Date Pages Read up to, but not including
Fri 2 1-5 Cain, Able, and Seth
Mon 5 5-8 The Flood Covers the Earth
Tue 6 8-12 Descendants of Shem
Wed 7 12-16 Abram Rescues Lot
Thu 8 16-20 A Son Promised to Sarah
Fri 9 20-23 Abraham Deceives Abimelech
Mon 12 23-27 Isaac Marries Rebekah
Tue 13 27-31 Isaac’s Descendants
Wed-14 31-35 Jacob Flees to Paddan Aram
Thu 15 35-39 Jacob’s Wealth Increases
Fri 16 39-43 Jacob Sends Gifts to Esau
Mon 19 43-46 Jacob’s Return to Bethel
Tue 20 46-50 Joseph’s Dreams
Wed 21 50-54 Joseph in Potiphar’s House
Thu 22 54-57 Joseph Made Ruler of Egypt
Fri 23 57-61 A Feast at Joseph’s Palace
Mon 26 61-64 Jacob’s Journey to Egypt
Tue 27 65-67 Jacob’s Death Draws Near
Wed 28 67-70 Jacob’s Death and Burial
Thu 29 71-74 Job’s First Speech
Fri 30 74-78 Job’s Second Speech: …

For those using a different Bible

December 22-31, Song of Solomon

Do not arouse or awaken my love,
Until she pleases.
Song of Solomon 8:4

Wow! What a lovely journey we have had!!! I have thoroughly enjoyed the past two years together. Didn't you just love finishing our time walking through the song of all songs, which is Solomon's. I can identify with that young lady (except the young part, but I do remember!) One minute she is walking on cloud nine, and the next she is stumbling in the darkness or just plain giving up! Thank God for the pursuit of her Bridegroom who doesn't allow her to sit in her gloom.

Did you notice how the story built? With each narrative, the bride sees more qualities in her Beloved and her description of Him gets longer. And as she grows, His description of her more closely resembles her description of Him. Obviously, she is growing into His image!

Did you also notice that three times in this short book, the Bridegroom tells the daughters of Jerusalem not to "arouse my love, until she pleases"? He will not force her to love Him; He desires the free flowing myrrh that comes from her heart. Some folks want a relationship with Him to keep them from eternal hell. Others want a relationship with Him so they will see their loved ones when they die. But then there are those who want a relationship with Him because they have fallen in love with Him! Each time she matures with a greater revelation of who He is, her love grows. That's the kind of relationship that captures His heart.

Ahhh, yes!!!! What a beautiful book! Can't wait until our next journey takes us through it's pages. I hope you will join us as we make our way through the Word once again. I will post a second blog that gives you all the details.

Thank you for walking with me through this precious Bible. I hope you have grown in your love for it, and are eager to continue in the privilege of making it a part of your daily walk. May 2009 be filled with revelation of the Bridegroom, and may He grant you wisdom and understanding in the days to come. May you experience His touch on your life that brings you health and happiness, and may He faithfully provide your every need.

In His love,
Shirley

December 15-19, Revelation 7-22

The Spirit and the bride say,"Come."

And let the one who hears say, "Come."

And let the one who is thirsty come;

let the one who wishes

take the water of life without cost.

Revelation 22:17

Some of you who have sat through hours and hours AND HOURS of my teachings on Revelation are aware that the best we can do is give you the "red bus tour" through this complex book. You know the "red bus" tours, don't you?" If you ever want to see all of London in a day, hop on the red bus. If you want to see New York in a day, hop on the red bus. I think every major city has one. The most you will get is an overview, but you can say you've seen it all.

It is my belief that Revelation is often misunderstood because people read through it, assuming that it is written in chronological order. Remember when you read through Genesis. Genesis 1 told us about the days of creation. Chapter 2 elaborated on chapter 1, but it was still the same event. At this stage in my studies, I am persuaded that the book of Revelation does the same thing. If you compare the seven trumpets with the seven bowls of wrath, I think you will understand more clearly why I lean this way. I believe the sound of the trumpets precede the pouring out of the bowls. Chapter 12 follows the blowing of the last trumpet. This is a strategically placed chapter. It is an overview of all that has happened from the time of the Old Covenant, and all that has and will take place in the New Covenant. The woman with the crown of twelve stars that gives birth to the Man Child, is Israel. The church is the rest of her offspring. There is such rich imagery in this chapter and we could camp here for a long time. But we really need to keep moving. When we hit chapter 13, we find ourselves back in the darkness that we felt in the time of the trumpets. Only this time, we are given far more details of that epoch in time.

What is the beast that has ten horns? Who is the false prophet? Who is the second smaller beast that has two horns? People have been trying to guess these answers through the ages. I'm sure if I had lived in the time of Hitler, I would have been thoroughly convinced that he was the anti-Christ. For sure, he had the spirit of anti-Christ, but he was not THE anti-Christ. Although I can't give you the answers to these questions, I can briefly give you some of my thoughts. Here it goes. I hope you can follow my thinking!

We see at the end of Revelation that the bride, the New Jerusalem comes down from God. The city covers 1,500 miles. If you take a map of the area surrounding Israel, use the scale of the map to cut out a 1,500 equivalent, you will find that the nations incorporated in the 1,500 mile perimeter are quite surprising. Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Southern Russia (aka called Magog in the Bible), and Libya. Ten key nations are represented. Hmmm! Are you seeing a common denominator. Are these the ten horns of the beast in Revelation? I personally think so. Is it any wonder that that there has been tension and uprising in this region for as long as it has existed? But what about the seven heads?

In 1945, after World War II, the British began their preparations to leave Israel, the land they had occupied since their victory over the Turks in 1917. Their victory over the Turks was largely due to the help of a Jewish chemist, Cheim Weizman, and Lord Balfour made the declaration that Israel should be returned to the Jews. In an effort to unify the Arab nations with the view of "driving the Jews into the sea," once they took occupation of the land, the Arab League of Nations was birthed. It was ratified with the signatures of SEVEN nations: Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Yemen, Jordan, Egypt, and Syria. This organization was also built to establish peace among the Arab nations. Obviously, that didn't happen!!! There are two things all these nations have in common, Islam and their hatred of Israel. Through these seven heads, a league was formed that now envelops the ten horns found within the territory of the future bride of Christ, the New Jerusalem. Is all this coincidence? Not hardly!!!

What an exciting time we live in. Watching the evening news is like watching Bible prophecy unfold. When you begin to fear, settle yourself and hear the call of the Spirit and the Bride. Better yet, be one of the ones who hears and let your voice join theirs and cry out to others, "Come! Come and drink of the waters of life! It's free!"

December 8-12, Daniel 11-12, II Thessalonians, Jude, Revelation 1-6

"But when these things begin to take place,
straighten up and lift up your heads,
because your redemption is drawing near."
Luke 21:28

The most difficult part of any race is always near the finish line. And one thing about a marathon is that each runner finds his own pace. For most of the participants, the goal is not to be the first across the line, but to finish the race. I know that we have individuals at all different places on the course. We've heard from some who have crossed the finish line, some who are right on track, some who gave up somewhere on the course, and others who are lagging behind but determined to finish. For those who are done - CONGRATULATIONS!!! To those who gave up at one point or another, I encourage you to begin to prepare yourselves for the next challenge. For those who are right on track, keep it up, your almost there. And for those who are lagging behind, don't give up! You can do it!!!!!!

This week our course takes several turns. We finish up Daniel with the encouragement that, "the end is still to come at the appointed time." We need to take to heart God's words to Daniel when He said, "Many will be purged, purified and refined; but the wicked will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand." If we are looking for the world to get better, politicians to be more pure, and people to act more godly, we are going to be extremely disappointed. Folks it's about to get a lot darker!!! We ain't seen nothing yet!

We finished our time with Daniel on Monday just in time for another mail call. We see that the Spirit through Paul wrote words of warning to the last-day saints, and once again the picture is pretty bleak. While some Christians are watching for a great revival to come to usher in Christ's return, Paul tells us He will come after a great falling away. Some believers are excited about the preparations being made by some zealous Jews who are making plans to build the Temple, but Paul tells us that it will be the man of lawlessness that sit in it. Deception, deluding influences, false signs and wonders; all of these will be the harbinger of Christ's coming.

In the recent elections in the USA we've seen the sky grow darker. At the end of the democratic convention when Obama won the nomination to represent the democratic party in the presidential election, I watched in horror as Dr. Joel Hunter, an "evangelical" pastor from Florida, led those at the convention to pray to all gods. Yes, the democratic convention was literally offered to the gods!!!! When I opened my eyes the next morning and my spirit was troubled, I heard these word, "I will not share my glory with another." Will God overrule their prayers? Eventually, but not until He's allowed them to run their course. The night Obama won the election, he promised to make this a better nation for all people both young and old, for all races and for THE GAYS. Don't be surprised in the days to come when, in an effort to be politically correct and to be accepting of all religions, Christians and Jews are singled out as the trouble makers. How dare we believe that Jesus is the only mediator between God and man! How dare we believe in only one God! For sure, the sky is getting much darker!!!

If ever we needed to take heed to Paul's prayer, today we need to listen to his words when he said, "To this end also we pray for you always that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power;" (II Thess. 1:11) Folks, this is not the time for complacency or compromise if we are going to be counted worthy of our calling! Paul's final word is, "Finally, brethren, pray...." My heart is crying out, "Oh God, teach me the power of prayer!" It seems like there are so many things that crowd in to rob my time. The Word and prayer must take greater priority in our lives. You may get tired of hearing me preach this same message, but I believe it is even more urgent today than ever before!

On Wednesday we met up with Jude. His message reiterates everything that Daniel and Paul have said. His description of people in the last days is pretty dreary: "In the last time there shall be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts, These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit." Days without sunshine can be depressing. Thank God for the promise that, "The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn growing brighter and brighter until the full day." This is the time we obviously need to keep looking up and in if we are growing in the Spirit and He is increasing in us.

We end this week with John as he shares with us the revelation he received from Jesus. But before God revealed to him the end times, Jesus evaluated their present lives. He weighed out their good traits with their bad. With each letter to each church, He closed by saying, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Did you notice that Jesus used the word "churches" and not "church." We cannot pick and chose which letters we embrace and leave the others as though they are for someone else. We are to hear all the letters to all the churches. I pray that you will evaluate your life in light of each letter. If we are going to overcome, we need to have revelation of each facet and know how to apply it to ourselves. Is it any wonder Jesus said, "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near."

Yes, it is getting darker in this world, but remember, "When these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near!"

December 1-5, Daniel 1-10

I saw a dream and it made me fearful; and these fantasies as I lay on my bed and the visions in my mind kept alarming me.
Daniel 4:5


I'd like to introduce you to our new traveling companion for this week. His name is Daniel, aka Belteshazzar. He was from the royal line of David. He was just a young fellow when he was carried away to Babylon. Couldn't have been more than fifteen years old. Good looking! Intelligent! But above all his attributes, he loved God. He had been given the name "Daniel." That's an interesting name, considering the time he was born. Literally interpreted, it means "my Judge is God."

If ever there was a person who would have had a right to be afraid of the dark, Daniel would certainly have qualified. His visions of the night were so traumatic that they left him weak, sometimes ill, and often perplexed. The prophetic messages of his visions and dreams were so accurate that some godless people find it difficult to believe they were written before the events took place. If we were to study out each verse, we would hear the predictions of the Medes and Persians, Alexander the Great, and the Roman Empire. We would learn about Egypt and her fate, and much more.

But the subject that seems to intrigue readers the most, is the mystery of end-times. To a Jew, end-times refers to the culmination of events that ushers in the Messianic reign. As you listen to Daniel share the words he received, there is one calculation that is really exciting, but often misunderstood. On Friday, you will hear Daniel praying. He has been reading Jeremiah's writings and sees that he, as well as his nation, missed the message Jeremiah brought them. Children are usually influenced by their parents opinions, and I imagine Daniel was no different. When he read what Jeremiah had spoken and saw that his words were true, Daniel didn't excuse himself because he had been a youth; he embraced their error as his own. Rather than wasting time trying pin the blame on someone, he began to intercede. The result was that God sent the angel Gabriel to give him insight. Keep in mind that this was the same angel that came to Mary. This is where the calculation gets interesting. He tells him that they will remain in captivity for 70 weeks. The word translated "weeks" actually means units. We know that the unit was not a week, but was really a year, equaling the seventy years they were in captivity. Why seventy? Because they would remain in captivity one year for each year they failed to give the land its sabbath rest. The land was to be given a sabbath rest every seven years. They failed to do this for 490 years. It goes on to say that after the 7 "weeks" there will be 62 weeks. Remembering that the unit of measure is 7 years, the equivalent of a sabbath for the land, that calculates to 434 years. The 70 years were to make up for the sabbath rests they didn't keep; the 62 "weeks" was God's response to their sins. The years between the rebuilding of the Temple and the coming of Christ were dark years. They were the years of God's silence! You will find no book in your Bible written in that period. The Temple, although rebuilt, never had the shekinah dwelling in the Holy of Holies. The nation did not regain its former glory.

It says that after that time the Messiah would come. It goes on to say that He would be killed and that the city and the sanctuary would be destroyed. If you do the math from the time of their captivity, the 70 years, the years that would follow their release, and the time Messiah would come, you discover that that is exactly what happened. Messiah did come, born in a manger. He was killed, and the Temple that had been rebuilt was once again destroyed.

It's interesting to read what the Jewish teachers say about this period of time. Listen to these words.

"Had the Jews not sinned again during this period, the complete redemption would have occurred upon it completion." (Book of Daniel, Artscroll Tanach Series, pg 260)

The truth is, it was completed!!! This brings even greater light to the words Jesus spoke when He hung on the cross, "It is finished!" Israel's years of punishment were ended. The full price for sin had been paid! Jesus paid the price for us individually and He completed the debt the nation Israel could never pay! How amazing is God's grace!!! And that's why Jesus went about preaching the good news of the KINGDOM!!! How cool is that?!?!?!?!