The Dragon Awaits

Scripture:
Revelation 12:1-6 (ESV)

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

Devotional:

The dragon, or Satan, has done all he could to be God.  He even went as far as to try to thwart Jesus.  From birth to resurrection Satan did all he could.  In this scripture, we have an image of Jesus being born.  The dragon waited in an attempt to devour the baby at birth.  He has tried many different things to stop Jesus.  He used temptation, which Jesus denied him three times.  He used others, the Sadducees and Pharisees to thwart his ministries.  In the Satan tried to conquer Christ with death.  However, Jesus has the victory through His resurrection.  Jesus will reign for eternity.  Satan has lost.  In this case, you are on one of two sides.  Either you are a follower of Jesus and assured a place in heaven, or you are not in which you go to hell.  The choice is yours and yours alone to make.  Just do not take too long to choose.  Because once this life is over it is too late to change your mind.  The decisions here decide where you will spend eternity. 

Have no fear God is always near.  God is always with us if we choose Him.  He will protect us and give us all we need.  Look at Israel.  For forty years, they lived in the wilderness.  Not once did their clothes wear out.  They never went hungry.  God protected them.  He went before them into the Promised Land.  God does the same for each of us.  He provides and protects us every day.  We do not have to fear the waiting dragon.  He will try to pounce upon us but will fail. Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” ESV. 

Don't Be Hoodwinked

Scripture:
Revelation 11:15-19 (ESV)

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was,
for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.
The nations raged, but your wrath came,
and the time for the dead to be judged,
and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
and those who fear your name,
both small and great,
and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

Devotional:

God’s judgement will come.  Everyone will eventually acknowledge who God is.  Romans 14:11-12, ESV:

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.”

So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Paul makes it clear that we will all confess who Christ is, who God is.  Even Satan and his demons believe and know.  However, Satan has done a marvelous job at deceiving the world.  What better way to thwart God by convincing people that He doesn’t exist?  Satan doesn’t care if you believe in him or not.  What counts is that you do not believe in God. 

Without that belief, without Christ, we are doomed.  Our eternal destination will not be heaven but hell.  Scriptures are clear everyone will acknowledge who God is.  You can do so here and spend eternity in heaven with Him.  The alternative is to deny He exists until it is too late.  Then you will spend eternity in hell.  Make no mistake God is real.  Heaven is real.  Hell is real.  Don’t let Satan hoodwink you.

The Enemy Can't Touch You

Scripture:
Revelation 11:4-13 (ESV)

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Devotional:

When I read this bit of scripture I am given hope.  I know it sounds strange but look at the events.  Two men can’t be touched.  All who try are consumed by fire.  For nearly three and half years no one can harm them.  Talk about protection, God certainly is watching over them.  God is protecting them and He is with them.  God gave them power so that they may complete their God given tasks.  Then even when the enemy seems to prevail they rise in triumph. 

How does this apply to us?  Last time I checked I couldn’t hold back the rain or rise from the dead.  There are many times I feel defeated or overwhelmed.  I look at others and think I am not so smart or great.  I am just one person trying to etch out a life in this world.  What I say and do doesn’t matter.  But you see, I am wrong.  Those are lies told by the enemy.  God is with me.  God provides for me and protects me.  I may not be able to hold back the rains or make them come on call.  But then I have prayed for rain and it has rained.  I have prayed for the rains to hold off for just a little while, and they did.  Maybe not every time I prayed.  Maybe not right away.  However, prayers were answered, not just rainy days either.

Psalm 121:7, “The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life” (ESV).  Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (ESV).  God will provide and He will protect.  There is more than hope.  We have the final victory in Jesus who died for us upon the cross.  We have final victory in Jesus who rose from the dead and is now with God in heaven.  They enemy cannot touch you as long as you are in Christ and he is in you…

Life & Freedom

Scripture:
Revelation 11:1-3 (ESV)

Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

Devotional:

Two witnesses to prophesy for over twelve hundred days.  That is three and half years these two will prophesy about God.  No one will be able to harm them in anyway.  But when it is done they will be killed and left dead in the street.  There will be people that will mock their bodies and rejoice at their deaths.  Imagine their shock when they all of a sudden just stand up.  “But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them” Revelation 11:11 ESV. 

As I ponder these verses I wonder about Jesus’s time.  Imagine how the Pharisees and the others might have felt when Jesus rose from the dead after three days.  I wonder at the fear they might have felt.  I wonder how many became believers after seeing Jesus.  There were over five hundred who witnessed Jesus being alive after the crucifixion.  “Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep” 1 Corinthians 15:6 ESV.  The fact is Jesus is alive.  He will not be victorious.  He is victorious.  Jesus already won the war.  He conquered death and sin.  Through Him we have life and freedom.

But It Tastes So Sweet

Revelation 10:8-11 (ESV)

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

Devotional:

As I read chapter 10 I couldn’t help but think how things appear to be good but in the end aren’t.  John was told to take and eat the scroll.  The scroll would taste sweet but once swallowed it would make his stomach sour.  How many times do we make decisions that seem like a great idea but turn out bad?  The immediate gratification is there.  We are immediately happy.  However, as we progress we find it isn’t so great.  What decisions have you made that started out great but didn’t end so well?  The best way to avoid these scenarios is to seek God first in all you do.  What is His will?  Not all decisions we make will be good ones.  Not everything will turn out picture perfect.  We do make mistakes and make the wrong decision.  We can best minimize it by seeking God’s council…