http://scrantonrevivalbaptist.org/

Scranton Revival Baptist Church, 2020 N Main Avenue, Scranton, PA (2026)

09/09/2026

Daily Bible Reading & Devotional — September 9, 2026
Song of Solomon 3-4 (morning manna); Psalm 70 (noon); John 10 (evening meat)

Femininity feeds upon sincere compliments from masculinity. Thus, the bridegroom tells his bride of not only her beauty, but he also describes it with similes she can relate to and appreciate. He describes her eyes, her hair, her teeth, her breasts, her lips, and her neck adorned with her jewelry (4:1-7). Femininity is moved by specific, favorable descriptions of her beauty given to her as positive feedback. His ardent appreciation and desire for each part of her will be richly rewarded. God made the woman to be a responder. She likes to be assured by the ardent appreciation of her beauty in all of her particulars in the eyes of the man she finds attractive.

He concludes his compliments on the specifics of her beauty and its desirability in his eyes with the phrase, “Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee” (4:7). Applying this truth spiritually, we — as the bride of Christ — need to be reminded that the Lord has given us a beautiful righteousness with no spot in it. Through Christ Jesus, we are now all complete in our spiritual blessing of a perfect righteousness bestowed upon us. With that beautiful white dress paid for by the Bridegroom, He now looks at His Bride and says of her, “All fair.”

After all of his sincere and ardent compliments, the man then speaks of her desirable smell, her kissable lips, and of taking her virginity. He describes it as a “garden enclosed” (4:12-15). This is language that should be saved for the wedding night during the couple’s honeymoon. Sadly, such language is used today insincerely by male predators to take from young ladies their most cherished gift — their purity, which should be given to their future husbands once they marry. That purity should be saved for him despite all the charlatans who would try to steal it from her before her wedding to her true man.

His love, his language of love, and his desire is richly rewarded. She responds with an invitation for him to make full physical love to her for the first time. She invites him to come and take her as she whispers, “Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out (her desire for him has been stirred and awakened and cascades forth with her own ardent response to all of his advances). “Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits” (4:16). This physical love is holy and is only for bride and bridegroom for their first time on their wedding night. Be faithful to Christ — your heavenly Bridegroom.

09/08/2026

Daily Bible Reading & Devotional — September 8, 2026
Song of Solomon 1-2 (morning manna); Psalm 69 (noon); John 9 (evening meat)

Along with Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, the Song of Solomon is part of the poetry contribution to the canon of Scripture actually penned by King Solomon. It is a romantic love poem written by Solomon to his one true love, a young Shulamite virgin. It was written early in his reign when he had his first love and before many foreign wives turned his heart away from the LORD. It is highly likely that the young bride is Naamah, the mother of his son Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 12:13). Rehoboam is the only child of Solomon whose name is recorded in the Bible. Rehoboam was born a year before Solomon became king. Solomon reigned for 40 years, and Rehoboam was 41 years old when he became king (2 Chronicles 9:30). Since Solomon was about 19 or 20 years old when this love poem was written, this lovely Shulamite girl was the wife of his youth. His passionate, romantic love for her is analogous to the love of Christ for His spiritual bride, and our love for the Lord in return.

This young bride, an Ammonite girl named Naamah, is working in the family vineyard when Solomon — while tending his father’s sheep — sees and meets her. She is deeply tan from working long hours outside (1:6). She most likely had been won to the faith in the true God as happened to Ruth, the Moabitess. Thus, she would become his first wife and was unlike his later many pagan wives. In Song of Solomon 2:15, Naamah is searching for him, and this reminds us of a young believer out of close communion with the Lord and seeking restoration through confession of sin and cleansing (1 John 1:9).

The bridegroom calls his young bride his beloved. He speaks of both her strength and her beauty (1:8-10). She then speaks of him as her beloved. She speaks of how wonderful their relationship is and perhaps of their wedding night (1:12-14). She is the delight and desire of the eyes of Solomon, and he expresses that in Song of Solomon 1:15-17. How Christ loves and prizes us as His spiritual bride. The banner of the bride is the love of her bridegroom for her. Thus, you and I should be assured of the love of Christ and of our eternal union with Him (2:4).

09/07/2026

Daily Bible Reading & Devotional — September 7, 2026
Ecclesiastes 11-12 (morning manna); Psalm 68 (noon); John 8 (evening meat)

The wise man speaks of casting your bread upon the waters and finding it after many days. Ecclesiastes is one of the five books of poetry. Here is a poetic way of saying that if you sow the grain from which comes the bread that we eat, you will not do so in vain. Also, it is to be “cast” upon the “waters.” That is, you should cast it in many different places and into the hearts of many different people. Notice that he includes the especially important phrase “… thou shalt FIND IT after many days.” Not only should we be giving the gospel of Christ to many different people this week, but we should follow up with those who have professed faith. The verb “shalt find” implies that you are seeking to find the results of your sowing so that you may cultivate that seed sown into the bread that may be made and eaten. This seeking to find fruit and making bread reminds us of the need for a diligent follow-up of the spiritual seed you have sown into the hearts of people — young and old, rich and poor, black and white.

As we do this spiritual sowing of the gospel seed, we are to keep in mind that we must, after all our best efforts, leave the results to a sovereign God. The wise man says in Ecclesiastes 11:6, “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether they shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.” When I taught at a Christian school in Florida, one of my fellow teachers told me of an experience he had as a pastor in North Carolina. He said that when he led an evangelism visitation night, they would share the gospel here and there; and often God would reward their efforts by bringing people to the church and down the aisle to profess their faith. These converts would, in many cases, be drawn from some other place than of those from their visitation night. The Lord was rewarding their work, but also reminding them that He was the One Who was actually doing the saving of souls and changing of lives. Therefore, keep in mind both Ecclesiastes 11:1 and 6 as you work for the Lord this week and every week during your time here on Earth.

09/06/2026

Daily Bible Reading & Devotional — September 6, 2026
Ecclesiastes 9-10 (morning manna); Psalm 67 (noon); John 7 (evening meat)

Solomon wrote these gems of wisdom from the viewpoint of “life under the sun.” In most of the book, he is not considering further revelation found in other books of the Bible about such things as Heaven, Hell and life over and beyond the sun. Regarding life here “under the sun,” he gives the following gem of wisdom about how you are to face the challenges of daily life and how you are to approach any work you do. He says, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest” (9:10). Solomon is making the point that we only have one short lifetime; and in the grave, we can do no work at all. Thus, here on Earth, we should work and seek to have a meaningful contribution while we can. My father-in-law used to give us gifts while he was still alive. He would say, “I want to give it now while I am here and can still see the smiles on your faces and so enjoy the impact of my gift to you.” From the standpoint of life lived “under the sun,” people should do all the good they can while they are still alive and can enjoy its benefit.

One may wonder why he should contribute and try to make an impact with his inferior abilities if others who have gone before were greater or more gifted. Here the wise man reminds us that “For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion” (9:4). This gem of wisdom inspires us to live, give and work with a full effort while we can. Since the dead who have gone before us cannot do anything here on Earth anymore, you are the best there is here right now.

However, there is also for us the higher truth of an afterlife and the rewards for how you lived your brief life here that will be given at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Colossians 3:23-24 says, “And whatsoever ye do, do it HEARTILY, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the REWARD of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” Therefore, you have a double reason to live your life today to make the maximum impact. You have the wisdom of Solomon from the standpoint of your brief time “under the sun.” However, you also have the wisdom of the Apostle Paul to encourage living your new life in Christ for an eternal reward to come.

09/05/2026

Daily Bible Reading & Devotional — September 5, 2026
Ecclesiastes 7-8 (morning manna); Psalm 66 (noon); John 6 (evening meat)

All evil is sin, but sin is not always evil. Evil is a conspiracy to do sinful things that bring harm to others. In Ecclesiastes 8, the wise man says, “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11). In the eyes of people on Earth, the phrase: “Justice delayed is justice denied” rings true. For example, in America after World War II, an unelected shadow government that President Eisenhower called “the military-industrial complex” arose. Today it is popularly called the “Deep State.” It is a conspiracy to control America by globalists who are not really American nationalists, but have world-ruling designs. I think of men like George Soros and Bill Gates when I think of such an evil system. There has been an evil shadow government controlling much of American life. When I think of this controlling shadow government, I think of people like the Clintons, Jeffery Epstein, Barack Obama and many others. Unfortunately, these people have long gotten away with their sins that are evil.

In Ecclesiastes 8, the wise man says, “… and a wise man’s heart discerneth both TIME AND JUDGMENT, therefore the misery of man is great upon him” (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6). Wise believers, leading up to and since the election of Donald J. Trump, have discerned that we in America are in a time when the God of Heaven and the God of our founding fathers is judging the systems of evil that have been controlling America since World War II. Before rendering judgment, evil must first be brought to light. God is able to do that as well. The Bible wisely says, “Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: But it shall not be well with the wicked …” (8:12-13). This reminds me of Abraham’s prayer for S***m. He told God that it was not like Him to judge the righteous with the wicked. He argued before the LORD to spare S***m if He could find just 10 righteous people in that place. I have prayed and believed God has found enough righteous, God-fearing people in America to delay judgment upon the evil that has become a stench of corruption in the nostrils of God. Yet, the God of justice can also spare a righteous remnant in the nation for now while judging the systems of evil that have been dominating our land. Thus, He can give us more time, If He wills, to do exploits for the God of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Take advantage of God’s judging evil and sparing the righteous and their nation for a time in these momentous days.

09/04/2026

Daily Bible Reading & Devotional — September 4, 2026
Ecclesiastes 5-6 (morning manna); Psalm 65 (noon); John 5 (evening meat)

One of the blessings of life is to get a good night’s sleep. Here the wise man says that one of the negatives of having a lot of wealth is that it may hinder the wealthy person from getting a good night’s sleep (Ecclesiastes 5:12). Thus, one of the basic blessings of life under the sun is a good night’s sleep. Likewise, doing a good day’s work goes along with getting a good night’s rest. I have known the pain of people who struggle with insomnia. It is one of the most tormenting maladies to have. It can be torturous to have thoughts that are anxious and seem to be worse at night. It is understandable that the insomniac has sleep envy. And here the wise man says that a good day’s work and a good night’s sleep is way better than to be rich and to be hindered from this blessing due to one’s wealth. He says, “The sleep of the labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep” (5:12).

For the believer in Christ, death is called sleep. The Bible tells us that when Christ returns, “… even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him” (1 Thessalonians 4:14). We are saved to do good works for the Lord (Ephesians 2:10). After a life of labor for the Lord, the rest of death is sweet. God says, “… Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours: and their works do follow them” (Revelation 14:13). For the believer in Christ, a life of fruitful labor for the Lord followed by death makes the “sleep” of the believer all the sweeter, because those labors will be followed by rewards. Our work will be rewarded in the morning.

With this in mind, look for good works to do for the Lord today. It will impact others, and the Lord will reward you at His judgment at His second coming. Make goals, win souls, labor for the Lord. It will make the sleep of death a blessing indeed, and your rewards that follow at Christ’s return will
be forever.

09/03/2026

Daily Bible Reading & Devotional — September 3, 2026
Ecclesiastes 3-4 (morning manna); Psalm 64 (noon); John 4 (evening meat)

I left church quite late one Wednesday night. After handing out treats to the children, counseling and talking with others, I drove up the street to go soul winning about 10 p.m. I spotted three men in front of a tavern. They were discussing drinking and driving. I gave them church tracts, introduced
myself, and asked permission to ask them two brief spiritual questions. They agreed, and I asked the two spiritual questions, which help me diagnose what is the true foundation of one’s trust for going to heaven. Then I proceeded to give them the gospel of Jesus Christ. They were joined by a fourth man. As I spoke of sin, death and hell, my audience began to leave one by one. Finally, I was left with a man named Robert. He received the message gladly and prayed to receive Christ right then and there.

When I think of the above incident, I think of Ecclesiastes 3:11, “… also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.” Since man rejected his Creator in the Garden of Eden, God has allowed the god of this world to blind the minds of men to God’s eternal plan of salvation (2 Corinthians 4:3-6). God has allowed Satan to use this world’s system to keep mankind continually diverted and distracted from God’s plan of salvation. It may be bars, friends, Facebook, work, money, the opposite s*x or any or all of those pursuits. Whatever the diversion, it has to do with this present, evil world that is all around us. Any of these diversions too shall all pass away. Then it will be too late to receive eternal life. As the prophet put it, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:20).

09/02/2026

Daily Bible Reading & Devotional — September 2, 2026
Ecclesiastes 1-2 (morning manna); Psalm 63 (noon); John 2-3 (evening meat)

The word “Ecclesiastes” means “a speaker (preacher) who addresses an assembly.” The theme is the vanity (meaninglessness) of life under the sun. A Bible teacher once said that this book offers wise conclusions that serve to guide how a person should live. The following are these wise conclusions: 1. Find not the words of human philosophers by which to live, but live by every word of God (see Matthew 4:4); 2. Do not get caught up on too many books, but focus on THE BOOK (Colossians 2:3); 3. Fear the God of the Bible rather than men or what one will face in this life (Ecclesiastes 12:13; Matthew 10:28); 4. Prepare every day for a day when you will give an accounting to God Himself for your personal conduct — good or bad, private or public (Ecclesiastes 12:14). In other words, the preacher (i.e., the writer of the book) reaches those wise conclusions by first showing the vanity of life lived without respect to the true God of all creation and revelation.

The writer was a king over Jerusalem (1:12). The writer is Solomon, the king over Jerusalem. He had the greatest wealth, power, knowledge, number of women, or any other possible pleasure under the sun (1:14). He is writing as an old man and saying that whatever he did in life to find meaning in all these things without a higher meaning was a total waste. He found it to be always unsatisfying. Ecclesiastes 1:15 says, “That which is crooked cannot be made straight …” An old Puritan wrote a book on this one verse called “A Crook In The Lot.” The book speaks of things in this life that cannot be changed. Yet, it speaks of people vainly trying to change such divinely placed crooks. The book tells how a godly saint is to deal with such crooks in one’s lot. We may argue with this crook in our lot; however, no matter what, this crook (in God’s plan for us) will stay crooked. We must live with it and leave it to God. Are you leaving your earthly, unchangeable crooks to God? These crooks will not be straightened until Jesus Christ returns and makes all of our “crooked ways straight.” Trust in His wisdom in leaving you this crook in your lot.

As one reads this book, we should see all of man’s philosophies as vanity versus the godly substance of living in the fear of the one true God. Thus, when you read the final chapter, the aforementioned conclusion is the one listed as whole purpose of the book. May we learn not to seek those pursuits that vain people seek in this sin-darkened world. Instead, let us seek a personal relationship with God through the wisdom of Christ Jesus, Wisdom incarnate. May we learn to live each day to do His will and to put a smile on His lovely face. Ecclesiastes lets us know that nothing else will bring us true meaning, success and satisfaction.

09/01/2026

Daily Bible Reading & Devotional — September 1, 2026
Job 41-42 (morning manna); Psalm 62 (noon); John 1 (evening meat)

In Job 41, the LORD God spoke of another great reptile, the leviathan. This was a sea dwelling dragon or dinosaur likely called today a plesiosaur. Some of these dragons could breathe gasses that would be combustible when they came out into the air (Job 40:19-21). Around the throne of God in Heaven are four beasts. Each one represents different parts of God’s creation (Revelation 4:6). These creatures are like the “cherubims” described in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:5-25; 10:1-22) and like the “seraphim’s” of Isaiah 6:1-7. These high-ranking ones are the highest in rank of God’s angelic beings. “Cherubims” are first mentioned as guarding the earthly entrance to the Garden of Eden, God’s holy temple at that time (Genesis 3:24). The cherubim and seraphim seem to be of the same order of the highest-ranking angelic beings associated with God’s throne. Satan — in his place as Lucifer before his fall — was called “the anointed cherub that covereth” (Ezekiel 28:14,16). This shows that his place was to cover God’s throne. In describing these four beasts that surround God’s throne, Revelation 4:7 says, “And the first beast was like a lion (indicating he represents all the wild animals of the Earth), and the second beast like a calf (indicating he represents all the domestic animals of the Earth), and the third beast had a face as a man (indicating that he represents all of human life on Earth), and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle (indicating he represents all the fish and feathered fowl of the Earth).“

In the above heavenly scene, there is no fifth beast to represent the great reptiles of the Earth, including those great dinosaurs or dragons. Could this be the position formerly held by Lucifer, who fell through his sin of pride and rebellion, thus is no longer included? He may have been the fifth beast. Hence, Satan may have been that fifth beast and likely uses the pentagram to represent himself. In Job 41, when God describes this dragon that man cannot face, He says, “He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride” (41:34). God could be saying that Satan has. come up against Job, but that God is in sovereign control of Satan and is still working out His purpose in allowing the king of the reptilians to attack Job. Let us remember that we are all in the LORD’S hands and that He is all-wise, all-good, all-loving, and all-powerful. Therefore, fear God and serve Him and do not bow to that dragon, Satan.

08/31/2026

Daily Bible Reading & Devotional — August 31, 2026
Job 39-40 (morning manna); Psalm 61 (noon); Luke 24 (evening meat)

God Almighty spoke about His creation. He spoke to Job about animals that are in existence today and of others that are now extinct. This history of Job occurred shortly after the universal flood of Genesis. The harsher conditions of the post-flood Earth would take many more generations to take their toll upon the survivors of the universal, climate-changing Genesis flood. God spoke of the unicorn, which is now extinct. He spoke of the behemoth, which appears to be a great land dinosaur such as a tyrannosaurus. The word behemoth simply means a “huge beast.” The further description by the Creator of this beast fits that of the dinosaur, which was one of the dragons of ancient times.

Modern man has been willfully ignorant (which means dumb on purpose) of the Genesis flood. Thus, he has brought into the world the fanciful theory of evolution. God describes such people who simply reject His existence as fools. “The fool hath said in his heart there is no God.” Why do people do that? They know that they have sinned against the Creator. They intuitively know that Judgment Day is coming. They have a guilty conscience, but they want to ignore it. They want to be distracted
from it. How many times have I been hung up on or asked to call back. However, when I do call back, the person ignores the call. He or she will not answer. Why? It is that I have been witnessing to them with the gospel of God. Man is guilty before the Almighty Creator and does not want to be confronted with His existence. Man and His Creator are at war, and mankind is running from Him.

Before a man can be saved by the grace of God through the gospel of Christ, he must see himself as Job saw himself. When Job was confronted by the Almighty and only Creator, he said, “Behold, I am vile, what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth” (Job 40:4). So many times I talk to people, and they go on spouting about their good deeds, their knowledge of their own religious beliefs or of their scientific knowledge. However, each man must be humbled before Almighty God. When that happens, he is ready to be quiet and listen to God’s solution to his sin problem. Lord
give us people like that today. May you respond today to the God of the Bible that way.

Scranton Revival Baptist Church

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