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December 25 Merry Christmas!
Zephaniah 1–3 [The main theme of the book is the Day of the Lord] What is the sub-theme in Chapter 1? What is the sub-theme in Chapter 2? Memorize 3:17!
Revelation 16 What judgments come from the first six bowls?

December 26
Haggai 1–2 What is the main theme of Haggai? What is the main idea of 2:20-23? [Zerubbabel was the first prince of the returning nation of Judah.]
Revelation 17 [This chapter is a vision of the spiritual warfare that goes on] Whom does the scarlet woman represent (17:1-6)? How is the history of the world represented in 17:15?

December 27
Zechariah 1–4 What is the point of the vision in 1:7-17? What about 1:18-21? What is the point of 2:1-13? What about 3:1-10? Of Whom is Joshua a sign in 3:8? What is the point of the vision in 4:1-14?
Revelation 18 What is the main event described in this chapter?

December 28
Zechariah 5–8 What is the point of the vision in 5:1-4? What about 5:5-11? And 6:1-15? What does the Lord demand in 7:7 and the surrounding verses? What is the point of the prophecy in 8:1-23?
Revelation 19 Who appears in 19:11-21?

December 29
Zechariah 9–12 When was the prophecy of 9:9 fulfilled? What is the point of the prophecy in 10:6 and surrounding verses? What future event does Zechariah see in 11:13? How many Persons of the Trinity are involved in 12:10?
Revelation 20 What time period is described in this chapter?

December 30
Zechariah 13–14 When was the prophecy of 13:7 fulfilled? Zechariah mentions the Day of the Lord (Chapter 14) as many of the prophets have done; is it a pleasant time?
Revelation 21 What happens in this chapter? Does every saved person live in the New Jerusalem (21:24)?

December 31
Malachi 1–4 Who does Malachi see in 3:1? What does the Lord object to in 3:8-10? What happens in the Day of the Lord (4:1-3)? Which Christmas hymn mentions 4:2?
Revelation 22 Who wins? What happens in 22:12-17, 20?

God’s Blessings in 2012!

ROAD Commentary                                grobrtgraf@gmail.com

December 18
Obadiah Against whom does Obadiah prophecy? What have they done?
Revelation 9 What judgment is released with the fifth trumpet? What judgment is released with the sixth trumpet?

December 19
Jonah 1–4 What lessons do you learn from the life of Jonah?
Revelation 10 What does John do with the little book of the program of judgment?

December 20
Micah 1–3 In addition to destruction throughout Israel, who is singled out for judgment in Chapter 3?
Revelation 11 [Many scholars debate over the identity of the two witnesses] Who do you think they may be?

December 21
Micah 4–5 Who will reign from Zion in Chapter 4? Who will reign in Chapter 5:2-6? Where is that prophecy recalled in the NT?
Revelation 12 Consider the differences between the spiritual battle, which John sees, and the historical outworking, which we observe.

December 22
Micah 6–7 What does the Lord require in 6:8? Is that still required of us?
Revelation 13 [Here we have the description of the spiritual rulers of earth during the Tribulation] Do we really need to know the significance of the number 666?

December 23
Nahum 1–3 Against whom does Nahum prophecy?
Revelation 14 [The grapes of wrath produce a lot of blood when they are trampled out!]

December 24
Habakkuk 1–3 Who survives in 2:4? How? Can we make the prayer of 3:17-19 our own?
Revelation 15 [Another temple is seen, this one in heaven, the pattern for the earthly one] What comes out of the Temple in Heaven?

Merry Christmas!

ROAD Commentary                                                                        grobrtgraf@gmail.com

December 11
Hosea 5–8 What is Israel’s sin (5:4)? What does God desire (6:6)? Can Israel escape judgment (7:12)? What is Israel’s problem (8:14)?
Revelation 2 What are the problems in the four churches?

December 12
Hosea 9–11 Will worshiping God now help them (9:15)? What will happen to the idol of Israel (10:5-6)? Where else is Hosea 11:1b quoted in Scripture?
Revelation 3 What are the problems in these churches? Which church escapes criticism?

December 13
Hosea 12–14 From where does Israel’s help come (13:9)? What is Israel’s confession (14:3)?
Revelation 4 Whom does John see in Chapter 4? What part of the description is most impressive to you?

December 14
Joel 1–3 What destructive image does Joel use in 1:4? What image does he use in 1:15? Is it an image of pleasantness or disaster? Does the image of 2:1-11 correspond to the image in 1:4?
What are the Israelites supposed to do in 2:13? What promise does the Lord give in 2:25? Where is the prophecy of 2:26-29 partially fulfilled in Scripture? What crime have the nations committed in 3:2-3? What happens to Egypt and Edom in 3:19? Where will the Lord dwell (3:21)?
Revelation 5 Whom does John see in this chapter?

December 15
Amos 1–3 How many nations are judged in 1:1–2:5? What are some of the sins of Israel in 2:6-12? Why will the Lord punish Israel particularly (3:2)?
Revelation 6 What judgments are released when the first six seals are opened?

December 16
Amos 4–6 How does Amos describe the wealthy women of Israel (4:1)? [the expression “cleanness of teeth” in 4:6 refers to famine—the teeth are clean because there is no food to chew] How many times is the endline of 4:6 repeated in this chapter? What should Israel do (5:4, 6, 14)? [Amos uses the phrase “the day of the Lord” in 5:18] Does Amos’ view correspond to Joel’s? What does the Lord desire in 5:24? What does the Lord abhor in 6:8?
Revelation 7 What two groups are highlighted in this chapter?

December 17
Amos 7–9 What will happen to Amaziah in 7:17? What sort of famine is envisioned in 8:11-12? Can the Israelites escape destruction in 9:2-4? [Amos 9:13 speaks of a time when the harvest will be so massive that it will not be completed by the time of sowing the next crop.] What is the Lord’s final promise to Israel in 9:15?
Revelation 8 What judgments are released when the first four trumpets are blown?

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December 4
Ezekiel 47-48: The river that flows from the Temple to the Dead Sea does something miraculous in Ezek 47:8. What? What is special about the trees in 47:12? Do they remind you of the Tree of Life that you will encounter in Revelation? What will the name of the city be in 48:35?
1 John 3: Why are Christians misunderstood and even persecuted (1 John 3:1b)? [John gives puzzling statements in 3:5-9, suggesting that Christians do not sin, contrary to his statement in 1:8. He no doubt is referring in Chapter 3 to habitual sin or a life of sin without repentance.] What attitude or activity should characterize the Christian (3:10-23)?

December 5
Daniel 1-2: What were the names of the four Hebrew young men taken into captivity (1:6, 7,11, 19)? What were their Babylonian names (1:7)? How did Daniel determine the content of the king’s dream (2:16-23)? What was the basic content of the king’s dream? What reward did the king give Daniel (2:46-49)? What was the king’s attitude toward the God of Daniel (2:47)?
1 John 4: How can we detect the Spirit of God (4:2-3)? What promise do we find in 4:4? What attitude is recommended again in 4:12-21?

December 6
Daniel 3-4: What was the king’s attitude toward God in 3:26, 28-29? What was the basic content of the king’s second dream? What was the result (4:28-33)? What was the king’s attitude toward God in 4:34-37?
1 John 5: How is love of God demonstrated (5:2-4)? How do we achieve victory (5:4)? What is John’s warning in 5:21? Do we have idols in our day?

December 7
Daniel 5-7: [Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidus, who usurped the throne upon the death of Nebuchadnezzar; Nabonidus soon relinquished power to his son and retreated to his country home to worship the moon God. That is how Belshazzar comes to rule as second in the kingdom (5:1, 7, 16)]. What does Belshazzar see at the banquet (5:5)? What interpretation does Daniel give Belshazzar (5:25-28)? What happens later that night (5:30-31)? Was King Darius pleased with his decree (6:14)? What did the king do (6:16, 19-20)? What did the king write (6:25-27)? [Chapter 7 records an earlier vision which Daniel received while Belshazzar was still ruling]. Does the vision of 7:1-8 correspond to the dream in 2:31-45? What happens to the Son of Man in 7:13-14? Was “Son of Man” a good title for Jesus to use for himself?
2 John: What pleases John in v.4? What does he ask Christians to do in v. 5? How is love demonstrated (v. 6)? Does this sound like 1 John 5:2-4? What is the obvious sin [the Gnostic heresy] in v. 7?

December 8
Daniel 8-10: What do the ram (8:20) and the goat (8:21-22) represent? When will Daniel’s vision materialize (8:26)? Is the short verse of petitions in 9:19 a prayer that we could pray today? [Daniel 9:24-27 speaks of seventy “weeks” which represent seventy sets of seven “years” of 360 days each. The period begins with Artaxerxes’ decree to restore Jerusalem, 445BC. ] How is the prince identified in 9:25? Why was the answer to Daniel’s prayer delayed (10:12-13, 20-21)?
3 John: How does v.4 compare with 2 John v.4? What do the brethren and strangers bear witness to in v.6? What is Diotrephes’ sin in vv.9-10?

December 9
Daniel 11-12: [Daniel 11 recounts the career of a ruler who sounds a good deal like Antiochus Epiphanes, ruler of Syria, (175-163BC), but it may refer to spiritual warfare as well, as was recorded earlier in Chapter 10]. Who is finally victorious in 12:1? What are the two destinies of people, as recorded in 12:2? What will happen to the righteous (12:3)? When will Daniel finally see the fulfillment of his visions (12:13)?
Jude: Whom does Jude identify as enemies in vv.4-19? How can the Christians keep themselves in the true faith (v.21)? What is our final goal (v.24)?

December 10
Hosea 1-4: What is the name of Hosea’s first son, and why (Hos 1:4-5)? What did he call his daughter, and why (1:6)? What did he call his second son, and why (1:9)? What is God’s promise in 1:11-2:1? How is Israel described in 2:2-13? What will happen in 2:14-23? What is the significance of Hosea’s re-marriage (3:4-5)? What is Israel’s main problem (4:1, 11-13, 17-19)?
Revelation 1: To whom is the original book of Revelation addressed (1:4)? How does 1:7 compare with Zechariah 12:10? John walked with Jesus for three years as the Beloved Disciple; how does John describe him now (1:13-16)? How does Jesus describe himself (1:17-18)?

Ezekiel 37-39: Chapter 37 contains the most familiar of the prophet’s visions that of the dry bones representing the dead and divided nation. The Lord commands Ezekiel to prophesy to the wind and the dry bones become a living army signifying the resurrected nation. Following this vision is the reunification of the kingdoms symbolized by the union of two sticks. Chapters 38 and 39 describe a time period before, during and after an invasion of Israel by armies lead by Gog, ruler of Magog. It is thought to be after the rapture of the church but before the tribulation. God destroys the armies and reveals His holiness to the Gentile nations as well as to Israel. The Lord then cleanses the land, calls for a feast (birds and beasts) and demonstrates His compassion.
2 Peter 2:This chapter contains Peter’s denunciation of the false teachers in which he points out their conduct (heretical behavior), their condemnation by God and their characteristics such as arrogance, wickedness and depravity.

This month you will complete the ROAD Challenge. You will be reading the words of thirteen Old Testament prophets and six New Testament letters from three apostles. Because the subject matter is wide-ranging and changing almost daily, the format of this commentary will be different; instead of offering daily teaching in an expository format, I will be asking you observational questions on each day’s readings.
December 1, Ezekiel 40-41; 2 Peter 3.
Ezekiel begins to describe a memorial temple. Where will it be located? Are the dimensions the same as for Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 6)? Do the cherubim in Ezek 41:18 look the same as the creatures in Ezek 10:14-15?
How will the earth be destroyed in 2 Peter 3:10? What do believers look forward to in 2 Peter 3:13? How should we behave (2 Peter 3:14)?

December 2, Ezekiel 42-44; 1 John 1.
Who comes into the temple in Ezekiel 43:2-4? What is the law of the temple in Ezekiel 43:12?
What four verbs does John use to describe his perception of the Word of life (1 John 1:1)? Why does John write this letter (1 John 1:4)? To whom does “we” refer in 1 John 1:1-5? What about in verses 1:6-10?

December 3, Ezekiel 45-46, 1 John 2.
What will be celebrated in the memorial temple in the first month of the year (Ezekiel 45:21)? When will the temple be opened (Ezekiel 46:1)?
Why does John write this letter (1 John 2:1)? Who is our advocate (2:1b)? How should we conduct ourselves (1 John 2:6)?

Ezekiel 35-36:In chapter 35 the prophet pronounces God’s judgment on Edom (Mount Seir) for their pride, greed and anger as they had assisted the Babylonians in the seige of Jerusalem. The next chapter looks ahead with encouraging messages of what God will do in the future. He will restore the land and regenerate His people. They had been guilty of polluting the land and profaning God’s name. Both sins had to be dealt with.
2 Peter 1:The second letter is a remonder of the truth of Christianity as opposed to the heresies of false teachers. The development of faith is expressed in the first chapter in terms of its growth in terms of divine power and its ground in terms of divine inspiration of the Word of God.

Ezekiel 33-34: In chapter 33 the prophet returns to some of his earlier messages as he turns the light of God’s Word on the sins of the entire nation, those of the people left in Jerusalem and those of the exiles in Babylon and he reveals what was in their hearts and lives. In the next chapter Ezekiel exposes the sins of the leaders who exploited and abused the “flock” and then turns his attention to the rescue and protection of the “flock”.
1 Peter 5: In this last chapter Peter encourages fellow shepherds in the grace of serving in humility, submission and self-control to the glory of God in Christ Jesus. The final remarks are a call to remain steadfast in that grace of God.

Ezekiel 30-32:These three chapters contain the last four of seven oracles concerning God’s judgment of Egypt. The third pictures a great storm that shakes the very foundations of the land. The fourth refers to God’s mighty arm crushing the Egyptian Pharaoh’s military arms leaving the nation helpless. The fifth oracle uses the image of a great tree that is cut down to refer to the fall of the boastful Assyrians to the Babylonians as a warning to Egypt. The sixth oracle concerns the monster theme to signify the capture of Egypt (crocodile) and its punishment. The seventh and final oracle describes the people of Egypt descending into Sheol, the place of the dead, along with a multitude of people who would be slain by the swords of the Babylonians.
1 Peter 4:The theme of grace under suffering as a part of God’s will is demonstrated in the life of Christ. How one reacts to suffering is presented as an extension of God’s grace and as a demonstration of faith strengthened by God for His glory.

Ezekiel 27-29:Chapter 27 is a funeral dirge expressing in satirical fashion the rise and fall of the city of Tyre. The extended metaphor compares the city to a ship that eventually sinks and brings grief to merchants and customers alike. Chapter 28 addresses God’s judgment against Tyre’s prince and king for great pride. The prince is referred to as a man and the king as an anointed cherub. Also contained in the chapter are promises to Israel regarding judgment on Sidon and also a regathering/deliverance of Israel from Babylon. Chapter 29 contains the first two of seven oracles given to Ezekiel referring to Egypt. In the first a monster (Pharaoh Hophra) is slain and in the second wages are paid (to Babylon).
1 Peter 3:The message of grace in submission is continued in reference to husband and wife relations as well as harmonious relations among other believers. The subject grace in times of suffering is the next discussion point of the apostle. When suffering is experienced for doing what is right there is blessing.