MacArthur Daily Bible Reading Plan - December 12th - Polycarp The Christian Atheist..

Joel 1:1–3:21 Psalm 140:6–13 Proverbs 29:24 Revelation 2:1–29
- 2 Hear this, you elders, And give ear, all you
- MacArthur's Notes: 1:2 Hear . . . give ear. The gravity of the situation demanded the undivided focus of their senses, emphasizing the need to make a conscious, purposeful decision in the matter. The terminology was commonly used in “lawsuit” passages (Is. 1:2; Hos. 4:1), intimating that Israel was found guilty and that the present judgment was her “sentence.” the elders should have been leading Israel toward repentance.
- For the day of the LORD is at hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty.
- Joel 2 - Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand: 2 A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains.
- 12“Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” 13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.
- I am the LORD your God And there is no other.
- There is only 1 God,
- 28 “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
- Peter quotes this on Pentecost... Acts 2
- Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. 32 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.
- Compare this to Revelation
- As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.
- The LORD calls his people,
- Psalm 140: 7 O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle.
- God is the strength of our salvation
- Proverbs 29:24 - 24 Whoever is a partner with a thief hates his own life; - it will come back on you in God's judgment and consequences
- Revelation 2 - The Church in Ephesus has left their first love, - theme of repentance,
- MacArthur's note -2:4 left your first love. To be a Christian is to love the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:21, 23; 1 Cor. 16:22). But the Ephesians’ passion and fervor for Christ had become cold, mechanical orthodoxy. Their doctrinal and moral purity, their undiminished zeal for the truth, and their disciplined service were no substitute for the love for Christ they had forsaken.
- Jesus then addresses the Church in Smyrna, "The First and the Last, who was dead and came to life:
- Jesus promises they will not be hurt by the second death... again notice the constant emphasis on judgment throughout Joel and now in Revelation...
- 16Re-pent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
- cult. Fifty years after John’s death, Polycarp, the pastor of the church in Smyrna, was burned alive at the age of 86 for refusing to worship Caesar. A large Jewish community in the city also proved hostile to the early church.
- Interesting about Polycarp - apparently the fire would not kill him,
- “Have respect for your old age, swear by the fortune of Caesar. Repent, and say, ‘Down with the Atheists!’” Polycarp looked grimly at the wicked heathen multitude in the stadium, and gesturing towards them, he said, “Down with the Atheists!” “Swear,” urged the Proconsul, “reproach Christ, and I will set you free.” “86 years have I have served him,” Polycarp declared, “and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?” - Christian History Institute
- Legend says the fire could not consume him...
- MacArthur's Notes - The theme of Joel is the Day of the Lord. It permeates all parts of Joel’s message, making it the most sustained treatment in the entire Old Testament (1:15; 3:14). The phrase is employed 19 times by 8 different Old Testament authors (Is. 2:12; 13:6, 9; Ezek. 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Amos 5:18 [2x],20; Obad. v. 15; Zeph. 1:7, 14 [2x]; Zech. 14:1; Mal. 4:5).
- where it speaks of the Babylonian conquest and destruction of Jerusalem. As is common in prophecy, the near fulfillment is a historic event upon which to comprehend the more distant, eschatological fulfillment.