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"Sovereign Unseen" June 27 Readings: Esther 6-10

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Esther 6-10 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Esther is a strange book. It recounts some strange behavior from Esther and Mordecai; actions hard to square with the Law of God. Perhaps the oddest thing is that from the first verse to the last God's name is not mentioned a single time. How strange that a book of the Bible, inspired by God, free from error, should fail to even once mention the God who is over all. Though God is not mentioned in the book, he is certainly present on every page. He is working behind the scenes, in th...
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"Flawed Servants" June 26 Readings: Esther 1-5

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Esther 1-5 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     There are so many questions that surround the book of Esther. It was written for the purpose of explaining the Feast of Purim, but there is a deeper purpose behind the book. It is one of two books in the Bible that does not even mention God (Song of Songs is the other), but it is a book in which the hand of God is seen from start to finish. Daily Devotional:   Flawed Servants Esther is a great story, but as you scratch below the surface, there are a few things that are pretty ha...
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"The Jesus of Prophecy" June 25 Readings: Zechariah 8-14

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Zechariah 8-14   In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     After the prophecy of chapter 8, chapters 9-14 conclude Zechariah's book with two great oracles from God (9-11, 12-14), each of which contains familiar messianic prophecies. They focus on the great victory of God over Israel's sin. Daily Devotional:   The Jesus of Prophecy It is dangerous to delve into the end times in a devotional such as this since people have such varying views. However, a passage such as today's reading almost demands it. Chapter 9-11 contains the...
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"He Defends the Guilty" June 24 Readings: Zechariah 1-7

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Zechariah 1-7 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai, and his prophecies are likely dated to about 520 to 518 BC. Zechariah is of the priestly tribe, and his name means "God remembered" - God did not forget Israel in Babylon. His message dovetails with Haggai's. Daily Devotional:   He Defends the Guilty What a powerful vision Zechariah had - not really a vision but an insight into reality. In Zechariah 3:1-5, we see a man named Joshua, a priest, the chief priest in fact, who was standing b...
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"Curse of Misplaced Priorities" June 23 Readings: Haggai 1-2

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Haggai 1-2 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Today's reading is unusually short but powerful. (Tomorrow's will make up for the shortness of today's - seven chapters of Zechariah.) Take a little extra time to meditate on the message of Haggai. It is written within the time period of Ezra and Nehemiah. He prophesied in 520 BC. The decree of Cyrus went out in 538 BC and nearly 20 years later the procrastinating Israelites were still making excuses as to why the Temple had not been rebuilt. Haggai challenged them to "give careful t...
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"When Enemies Attack" June 22 Readings: Ezra 1-6, Psalm 137

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Ezra 1-6, Psalm 137 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Several of the books of the Hebrew Old Testament seem to have originally been one book and were divided into two. This is true of 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, which were likely divided because of the length of the scrolls. It seems that originally Ezra and Nehemiah may have been one book and were later separated, though that is less clear. Ezra is of priestly descent and his task is to bring Israel back not just to the LAND but to the LAW. They had ...
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"War of the Angels" June 21 Readings: Daniel 9-12

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Daniel 9-12 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     The last four chapters of Daniel contain visions of the future - some of the most significant in the Bible. Daniel 9:24-27, the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks, is a template for all future prophecies regarding the End Times. The prophecies of chapters 11 and 12, while having some historical content, also look forward to the great battles of the last days, which we often loosely call Armageddon, and tell us much about the Antichrist, modeled on the evil man known as Antiochus Epiphane...
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