Judgment and Plagues

Scripture:
Revelation 8:6-13 (ESV)

Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third ofthe trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.

The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead,“Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”

Devotional:

These judgments brought plagues upon the earth.  A third of the creation is plagued or destroyed.  To think this is only the beginning.  There are three more trumpets with three more judgments.  The destruction and chaos must be tremendous during these times.  I imagine life will become difficult.  When all this happens I can’t possibly imagine how people could not turn their eyes upon God.  To me it would seem obvious that God is real and the Bible is truth.  I know people will be stubborn or hard of hearts.  They will not believe despite the truth being all around them.

Truthfully though God’s evidence is all around us.  We have disasters, wars, and rumors of wars today.  All you have to do is turn on the radio, TV, or browse the Internet.   You can see where earthquakes hit and storms rage when and where they normally don’t.  Violence is all around us.  People walking into schools and movie theaters shooting and killing people.  Someone could take this as a sign the end is here.  Maybe it is, maybe not.

Adam and Eve sinned.  They brought sin into this world.  God cannot abide by sin.  His judgment must be made.  There are consequences to all our actions, even Adam and Eve’s.  Because sin is in the world we will always have bad things happen.  There will always be disasters and plagues that fall upon this world.  God will judge. 

Where do you stand?  We are all guilty, no questions there.  Romans 3:23-24 (ESV) “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” we are guilty.  Who pays the price for your sin?  Are you going to pay it?  You don’t have to.  There is someone there who already has.  Do you believe?  Will you accept?  I pray you already have…

Incense of Prayer

Revelation 8:1-5 (ESV)

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Devotional:

When reading these verses I can imagine the incense floating up toward God.  I can almost hear a multitude of voices being lifted up.  I see an image of all our prayers being lifted to God.  To me it is a reassuring image of God hearing our prayers.  They do not fall upon deaf ears.  1 John 5:14 (ESV) “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”

God hears our calls.  He listens to us when we cry out.  Take a look at a parent.  When their child cries out in pain or need the parent hears them.  What is amazing is a mom’s ability to single out her child out of dozens upon the playground.  A parent instinctively knows the cry of their baby or child.  It doesn’t matter how many others are there.  It doesn’t matter how many are crying.  A mom knows her child’s cry.

In this same way, only better, God hears our cries.  He hears each one individually.  He reaches out to us.  He answers our prayers.  He tends to us only as the perfect father can.

When you are uncertain that your prayers are being heard just think about that mom on a playground.  Know that God does hear them.  Not only that but he attentively listens to each one and answers them all.

Revelation 7:9-14 (ESV)

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Devotional:

There are times when I sit and wonder what Heaven will be like.  What will it look like when billions of us are all standing around the thrown room of God praising and worshiping Him?  I think that at times Satan slips in my thoughts when I think about it.  My mind drifts and I start to think how boring will it be just standing and kneeling through all eternity adoring, doting, and singing to God.  There are times when singing praises to God here on earth I get tired after the third or fourth song.  I can’t imagine what it would be like doing it for eternity.

When those thoughts creep in I think back to the first song.  I think about what it would be like if I wasn’t in heaven.  Finally I focus on God and realize it won’t be a drag.  It will be the most awesome thing ever. 

Just think about how those people John saw in today’s passage.  They went through tribulation.  Who knows what they suffered through, or how difficult it was.  Yet they persevered and now are in the eternal presence of God.  There are times in our own lives when it will be difficult.  We will be going through our own tribulations.  In the end we must stand firm.  We must persevere so that we too can be in the presence of God for all eternity. 

It will not be easy.  In fact there will be times we are ready to give up.  There will be times when we thing it isn’t worth it.  All I can say is pray and refocus on God.  When doubt creeps in just ask the multitudes in verses 9-14 if they think it was worth it.

There is no room in my mind for Satan to creep in.  I must kick him out.  What about you?

Signed Sealed and Ready for Delivery

Revelation 7:1-4 (ESV)

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

Devotional:

Are you signed sealed and ready for delivery?  Today’s passage speaks about the 144,000 Israelites being sealed during the times of Revelation.  While they are set aside and sealed by the angel we too are sealed.  John 3:16-17, ESV:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Also in Romans 3:23-26, ESV:

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

So as you can see anyone who is a believer in Jesus, accepting Him as God’s son who died upon the cross and rose from the dead, is also sealed.  It is through the redemption of Christ that we are marked for salvation.

Salvation is not just for a select few or the elite.  Salvation is for anyone who is willing to have faith and believe that Jesus is God’s Son.  Jesus is Fully human and Fully God.  Jesus lived a perfect life and died upon the cross.  He is the ultimate sacrifice for all.  Three days later Jesus rose from the dead and IS alive.  He ascended into heaven where He is now.  He is waiting to return and fulfill the prophecy given to us in Revelation.

Do you believe?  Are you signed, sealed, and ready for delivery?  If you wait to see the other side to decide it will be too late.  The decision will be made for you.  You will not be included in the book of LIFE.  Are you in the book of Life?  Are you signed, sealed, and ready…