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Dear Heavenly Father, Praise Those who conquer the beast will one day stand beside the sea of glass and sing this song: “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed” (Rev 15:3–4). I praise you today as the God who is just and true, and I rejoice because of your judgments (Ps 97:8). Honor and glory to the Holy One! Today in Your Word Today you shared with me more of the revelation of Jesus Christ. After the vison of the two beasts, John witnessed your last call for repentance. Three angels flew over the earth with a final warning before the seven bowl judgments were poured out. The first angel proclaimed “an eternal gospel” to every nation and tribe and language and people. He called on them to fear you, give you glory, and worship you. This teaches me that you desire everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4). No one is overlooked in your effort to save the lost. No nation is too small, no tribe too insignificant, no language too obscure, and no people too unimportant. Everyone will have the opportunity to repent before the last of your wrath is poured out on the wicked. Hallelujah—that’s the kind of God I serve! After the reaping of the earth, John watched as the seven angels poured out the seven bowl judgments. Painful sores broke out on those who worshiped the beast, and the oceans and rivers turned to blood. In the middle of these judgments, the angel in charge of the waters cried out: “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!” (Rev 16:5–6). This teaches me that even your wrath is worthy of praise. You are not some fickle god who is temperamental and unpredictable. You are the sovereign Judge of the world, and when you punish the wicked, they are getting exactly what they deserve. This knowledge leads me to rejoice in your justice and glory in your judgments. As the bowls continued to be poured out, the wicked refused to repent. Indeed, John said three different times that they cursed your name (Rev 16:9, 11, 21). This shows me that people can become so hardened that even the worst judgment only fuels their hatred of you. After the last bowl was poured, one of the seven angels took John aside to see the destruction of “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations” (Rev 17:5). Babylon was the name given to “the great city,” a place of commercial and political power which will dominate the world during the Tribulation. As John watched, the kings of the earth wept and wailed as they saw the smoke of her destruction, and the heavens rejoiced to see the downfall of the city which had killed both prophets and saints (Rev 18:24). This reminds me not to put my trust in any earthly institution or government, for the kingdom of your Son is the only kingdom that will last forever. Reflection I’m shocked at the stubbornness of the wicked who refuse to repent as your bowl judgments are poured out, yet their hardness of heart was not the result of a moment. It happened over time as they again and again rejected your patient mercy. Am I resisting your grace or yielding in obedience? Request Father, I want to be like the 144,000 who stood on Mount Zion with Jesus. Put your name and the name of your Son on my forehead, and stamp your own image deep on my heart. Help me to be like you! Thanksgiving Thank you for your grace and mercy which are displayed so beautifully in Revelation! They encourage me to persevere to the end by faith and to keep your commandments (Rev 14:12). In Jesus’ name, Amen. Suggested Hymn: “The Hand of God on the Wall” – Daniel S. Warner. Meditation Verse: Revelation 14:7. |