In The End...

Scripture:

Revelation 9:1-12 (ESV)

And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.

In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.

 Devotional:

When I read these passages I wonder what the locusts look like.  Some people think they are modern warfare equipment such has helicopters or military aircraft.  Other people think they are creatures or monsters that we have not seen before.  One thing we know is that they come up out of a bottomless pit that is opened after the fifth angel blew his trumpet.

In the end it really doesn’t matter what they are.  If you have the seal of God on you then you will be safe.  If not, you will wish you were dead.  These locusts will torment you to no end for five months. 

Ok, now I do have a question for you.  Have you ever felt tormented?  Did it seem to go on and on?  Maybe it only lasted a short while.  Regardless all of us goes through some sort of affliction in our lives.  Sometimes they seem unbearable and to go on forever.  Let’s face it, Satan has control of this earth.  At the moment this is his world.  We are a fallen race full of sin and torment. 

We are not exempt from hardship, trials, and troubles of all kinds.  James 1:2-4 (ESV):

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Look at everything Paul went through.  He was beaten, shipwrecked, and put in prison.  He had good times as well as hard times.  Face it in this world there will always be suffering.  But the good news just as it is in today’s scripture reading these times are only temporary.  They too will pass.  When the time comes you say I fought the good fight and ran the good race.  2 Timothy 4:7-8 (ESV):

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

I want to be able to say this when the end is near.  Hardships will come.  Due to man’s fall we live apart from God.  Because of this there will be judgments, hardships, tribulations throught out lives.  Revelation is about God’s judgment being poured out.  However, we do not have fret or stress for God is with us.  God will prevail.  He has won.  We can endure…

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?