The Reading Plan Daily Devotions

One day soon, this world will be burned with fire and completely wiped clean. In its place, there will come down a "new heaven and a new earth," Revelation 21-22 tells us. This means the current earth will be redeemed. Eden will be restored. A new earth and new heavens will come from God for us! It is the new home for every believer of all the ages. Its centerpiece is "the new Jerusalem," and it is stunning. Let the Apostle John give you a little virtual tour around your new home! A heavenly 360! IT'S BUILDER AND ARCHITECT:  God Himself. It is "coming down out of heaven  from  God, having the  glory  of God" (vs. 10) ITS BRILLIANCE:   "Her brilliance is like a very costly stone, like crystal-clear jasper." (vs. 11) ITS WALLS:  are 1500 feet square (half the distance across the United States), 1500 feet high, and 72 yards deep! (vs. 16) ITS MATERIALS:   "The wall is jasper; and the city is pure gold, like clear glass. The foundation stone...

This joyous, wondrous life we share is just a shadowed view, Of what we’ll celebrate above as we are wed to YOU! We live in the shadowlands, as C.S. Lewis said. This present darkness colors everything about this world. It often obscures the view of the reality of what is happening and will happen soon. But what God has planned, and the kingdom He is building, is pictured all around us, merely waiting for the lifting of the veil. And no picture is greater than the marriage of a bride and groom, the picture of our coming marriage to the Lamb. There are 4 “Hallelujahs” in Revelation 19. The vast multitude of heaven cannot contain themselves and break forth in glorious praise for four reasons: HALLELUJAH! Because all power and honor, and glory belong to God. (vs. 1) HALLELUJAH! Because the great harlot has been overthrown. That which has afflicted the work of the kingdom martyred the saints and persecuted the Church … the Almighty God has now reduced her to nothing, and judgment and justic...

Is there an image, a picture, and understanding that would change everything in our lives? Jesus thought there was. He opened up heaven to let the Apostle John (and us) see this life-changing image. After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. (Revelation 4:1-2) A DOOR STANDING OPEN IN HEAVEN God is not hiding. He gave to John (and now, through John, He gives to us) the ability to walk right into the holy of holies to see the most important scene and gain the most essential perspective. He invites us to see what is behind this door. He opens it wide. It is there for all who long to see it. I WILL SHOW YOU God does not hide Himself or His revelation of the future from John nor us. Of all...

There are many things I can do in my Christian life. But all of these pale in comparison to one central issue, which is captured in the ultimate question . Do you love Jesus? Jesus speaks to the church at Ephesus, Chapter 2, applauding them for their "toil and perseverance" and their refusal to let evil men control their fellowship. These believers had "perseverance and had endured for (Christ's) name's sake and (had) not grown weary." But then He adds what, to me, is one of the most arresting statements in the Bible: "But I have this against you, that you have left your first love." (Revelation 2:4) They had fallen out of love with Jesus. If you are married, you realize this possibility. There are seasons where you are overwhelmed with love for your wife, but there are other times when you get consumed with busyness or irritated at each other's faults, or in love with yourself more than your mate. And your affection grows cold. These are the d...

"...from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood—and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." (Revelation 1:5-6) You may have crawled out of bed this morning after a hard day yesterday and wondered what this day holds. You may not be thinking much about yourself or God or His Son. You may be facing a difficult day ahead with multiple problems or overwhelmed by the routineness of life. That's why the Bible was given and why we must read it every day. For in the Bible, we come to thousands of statements like the one above that remind us of who Christ is, what He has done, and how we figure into the grand scheme of things. Just a cursory look into two introductory verses here in the Revelation that Jesus gave to the Apostle John for us changes everything. This Revelati...