READING FOR DECEMBER 15, 2025: ISAIAH 4, REVELATION 9, PSALM 122 ISAIAH 4 In Isaiah 3:16-26, the prophet focuses upon God’s judgment upon the “daughters of Zion.” Isaiah 4:1 continues that theme and suggests there will come a time when the women of Judah will be desperate to find husband to remove their disgrace. Men will be in very limited supply because of God’s judgment against them described in chapter 3. Isaiah 4:1, however, concludes the description of this then future time of judgment. Starting with verse 2, hope bursts on the scene: “the Branch of the Lord.” This expression is found several other places in scripture and seems to be a clear prophetic reference to Jesus: “Now listen, Joshua, you high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you—indeed they are men who are a sign: for behold, I [God] am going to bring in My servant the Branch” (Zech. 3:8).
As this branch appears, there will be the opportunity for holiness and the cleansing of sins (vs. 3-4), as also stated in 1 John 1:7: “If we walk in the Light as He Himself [Jesus] is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Verses 5-6 also point to this future time (for them) as one of guidance and protection, something like what the exiles leaving Egypt experienced with the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. Consider this from Hebrews: “He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?’” (Heb. 13:5-6).
REVELATION 9: Chapter 8 explained the results of the first 4 trumpets being sounded. It is hard to imagine the chaos that will come over the earth after these first four trumpets, but the chapter ends with an eagle crying out this warning, “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!" (8:13). Chapter 9 reveals two of the remaining three 7 trumpets. (The seventh trumpet will sound in chapter 11.)
Fifth Trumpet: What John could only describe as an unusual type of locust will emerge on the earth that will inflict intensely painful stings upon humans for five months.
Sixth Trumpet: Four angels will be released to kill one-third of the earth’s remaining population via plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that comes through an army of 200 million.
We don’t know if these images are to be taken literally or figuratively. Either way, it depicts a
scene of chaos and destruction on the earth. In today’s world, verse 18 would mean over 2.5
billion people are killed in a short amount of time. One would think such a display of God’s wrath would lead to repentance, but the opposite is portrayed next. “The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts” (Revelation 9:20-21).
READING FOR DECEMBER 15, 2025 CONTINUED: REVELATION 9, PSALM 122
Repent is an important word in the Bible. It is mentioned over 70 times. According to the NIV Bible Dictionary, repentance is “a profound change of mind involving the changing of the direction of life.”Key word is “change.” To repent means to change or to turn around. God has no desire to pour out wrath upon sinners. Rather, he desires for everyone to turn around and repent BEFORE the time of judgement comes:
- “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9)
- ” Now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).
- “This is what the LORD says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.' But they will reply, `It's no use. We will continue with our own plans; each of us will follow the stubbornness of his evil heart' " (Jeremiah 18:11-12).
Let’s ask God to search our hearts for anything for which we need to repent.
PSALM 122 As the people traveled to Jerusalem, they experienced joy being together with their family and friends on their way to the House of the Lord. Even though they were following a required commandment or ordinance (vs. 4), this did not detract from their joy in obeying God. Is this how we feel about obeying God and going to Yorktown Methodist Church with our fellow believers? Though these travelers were not from Jerusalem, they committed to pray for the peace of the city (vs. 6). They also prayed for the inner peace of its residents (vs. 8). Modern Jerusalem is clearly not at peace today in any sense of the word. The city and the entire region need our prayers.
Obviously, many other countries are also lacking peace. Paul urges us in 1 Tim. 2:1-2 to pray for all leaders so that peace might spread: "First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” The following three verses suggest a prime reason for this is so that we might share the Gospel in these countries: “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” Pray for all leaders, not just those in America. We need peace so that the world might hear and understand the one true Gospel.
