260 in 2012 DEVOS - Day 253 - Revelation 15: Preparing to Pour Out God’s Final Wrath

What do you & I worry about? The future? Finances? Our kids be ok? Terrorism? Aging? Political problems? Moral decline? Global Warming? As God prepares to unleash His wrath, what should worry sinners most is what He will do! God has given plenty of warnings throughout the Bible. This chapter fulfills things already spoken of in 6:17, 11:14, 11:18, 14:10 & 14:14-20. “I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed.” Seven is the number of perfection & completion in the Bible. Our marvelous God fulfills what He promises. The plagues are the bowl judgments of the next chapter. John’s vision is of the throne room of God and he sees “what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious…” It’s not a sea (21:1) but seems to be some kind of platform before God’s throne. These people are the believers who were saved during the tribulation (through much pain & violence) and are now victorious! God gives them instruments so they can sing a “song of Moses.” When the Israelites crossed the Red Sea they sang a song of victory – same here. It’s about the Lamb’s faithfulness, deliverance & judgment. We conclude with a glimpse of God’s holy, eternal & majestic presence. Like all times in the Bible when we read of God’s presence, it’s awesomeness is too much for man to be near due to our sinfulness. SO WHAT?! *What is your favorite worship song? Take a moment today and sing God that song of worship. Meditate on the words and give thanks. *God’s way are not always understandable. John MacArthur says, “It’s an amazing paradox – that God is busily saving sinners…..from His own wrath!”

Christmas Present Ideas for JESUS!

Each year when Christmas arrives and I reflect on Jesus' birthday, I always think it's the most awkward birthday party ever. Think about it: Everyone arrives, we may or may not take time to talk to the guest of honor, then we all rip into HIS presents. Ok, maybe I'm just a bit weird, but to me that's awkward. So, a few years ago, as I became more frustrated with this awkward party, I began searching for ways to help it be less awkward. Here are some ideas to help us all: Christmas Present Ideas for Jesus! • Visit hospital patients who can’t go home for the holidays. Bring gifts, cookies, etc…and share the Gospel. • Give a days wages, $ you saved, etc… to a rescue mission, Salvation Army, a missionary, etc… • Volunteer time/service at your church – cleaning, repairing, etc… • Buy socks & blankets and take them to the homeless with some food. • Visit those unable to get out & about, in nursing homes, jail, etc… • When eating at restaurants, ask the waiter/waitress how you can pray for them. • Pay for the car behind you in the drive-thru line. • Invite friends over for a Christmas party – have games, snacks & a speaker who will share the Christmas story about Jesus. • Write letters of encouragement to those who need a “written hug.” • Wrap gifts up for Jesus (commitments, $ for needy, goals, etc…) – open them first! • Include tracts/cards when you pay your bills, when you drive thru fast food places, when you give gifts, etc… • Sing Christmas Carols at stores, in your neighborhoods, etc… • Don’t let people be “home alone” on Christmas. Invite them to part of your celebration. • Help the elderly/widows with a meal, yard work, etc… • Ask local stores if you can wrap gifts, help carry out packages, etc…. all All for FREE!!! • Bring lunch to a retirement home and share the Christmas story – the Gospel. • Create a birthday card for Jesus. Write in it what you would tell Him if you could hand it to Him in person. • Have a Birthday Party for Jesus or a pinata’ for kids in the neighborhood. • Take your family to a stinky old barn on Christmas morning and read thru the Christmas story. • Get some families together and buy a bunch of NEW cloths, toys, etc.. and have a FREE garage sale in a poorer neighborhood. • Cater in lunch for teachers at your student’s school and leave gift books that tell the story of Jesus. • For every dollar you spend at Christmas, give the same amount to your church, missionaries and other Jesus-centered ministries. • Not much $ - Make a “kind deeds” Christmas book & give it to your parents. Coupons for “I’ll cook dinner”, “I’ll do the laundry”, “free kid-sitting”, etc… • Leave a gift card in the mailbox with the Christmas story for your postal worker. • Take a homeless person to lunch. • Have a Christmas cookie exchange – and a speaker to share the Gospel. • Go to the mall, Look for lonely people sitting on a bench and talk to them about Christmas. • Invite a neighbor, friend or family member to Christmas Eve service. • REMEMBER JESUS EACH & EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR!!! GIVE & LIVE YOUR LIFE FOR HIM!!! “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me.” Matthew 25:40

260 in 2012 DEVOS - Day 252 - Revelation 14: The Lamb, 144,000 & Multiple Angels

In chapters 12 & 13 we see the suffering of believers. In this chapter, we see that their sacrifice is worth it! It begins with the Lamb, Jesus, standing on Mt Zion, as apposed to the dragon standing on the shifting sand. He had the 144,000 witnesses (ch 7) with Him and they were marked as His, sort of a forehead tattoo. “And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.” The singing will only be by those who belong to God because He purchased them with Jesus’ blood. Then an amazing statement is given, “They follow the Lamb wherever he goes.” Then we see four climactic announcements: The Eternal Gospel is offered “to every nation, tribe, language and people.” The motivation to fear Him is “because the hour of his judgment has come.” The Fall of Babylon is pronounced. This can refer to either an actual city on the Euphrates or to the world’s system of evil. Regardless, people did not accept the offer in 6-7 and are judged. This wil be discussed more in chapters 17-18. The Torment of the Beast Worshippers is clear. Those who take the mark and/or worship the beast, as discussed in the previous chapter, will receive from God their due punishment. Those Who Die in the Lord are blessed and “will rest from their labor.” In the end, living for Jesus is totally worth it! The chapter ends with an agricultural bent. Like a farmer harvesting his crops, there will be a separating of the faithful from the unfaithful. I believe the metaphors mentioned here point to a divine judgment that Jesus will bring and is put in terms of a harvest. SO WHAT?! *What response is stirred up within you to know that you are marked by God and are His? Worship is the answer in this chapter! What is your answer? What is mine? *It was said of these believes that they followed the Lamb wherever He went. How would this or does this look like in our lives? *Fear of eternal punishment, torment and hell is not a bad motivation for believing. It’s not the only one, but it’s not a bad one. The very reason I first believed in Jesus was because I didn’t want to be left behind when God returned. What motivates you the most to follow Jesus?

260 in 2012 DEVOS - Day 251 - Revelation 13: The Beasts

Ok, it’s a big fight, it’s round 2, and the bell has rung. In this chapter we are presented with two “beasts.” The Beast out of the Sea (1-10): This is the “antichrist”, the false messiah, who is given political power (seen in description) and spoken of in 1 John 2:18. “One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?” This world leader will be powered by Satan, will deceive, be seen as a savior and be loved by all for the first half of the tribulation period. He will be proud, arrogant and will speak against God and His people. “This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.” The Beast out of the Earth (11-18): This second beast is elsewhere called the “false prophet” (16:13, 19:20, 20:10) and is given power to do miracles, but “Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth.” Now we’ve gone from a savior of a leader to being forced to follow him or die! “It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name……666.” People will now be forced to take the mark or starve! This mark identifies you with Satan and against God! SO WHAT?! *When was the last time you were tricked or deceived? Truth is, most of us have bought into something only to find out later we’d been tricked. It’s livable if it involves a purchase or duty. Buy when our soul is on the line, we’d better know the truth! How are you and I preparing so that we won’t be deceived? Best way spot a counterfeit is to regularly spend time in the REAL thing – God’s Word, and with the Author! Are you? *Jesus told us this would happen in Matthew 24: “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time.”

260 in 2012 DEVOS - Day 250 - Revelation 12: The Woman, The Male Child & The Dragon

The title almost sounds like it should be a CS Lewis book doesn’t it?!~ What we read today is kinda’ like a sketch of the hidden forces behind the climax of the seven bowls to be poured out. It shows the initial rebellion of Satan (Isaiah 14:13-15) and the impact that has had throughout human history. First off, I’ll give my take on the characters: The woman = nation Israel, the male child = Jesus, and the dragon = Satan. The Woman is described as “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” Bible guys smarter than me say these are references to Jacob, Rachel and the 12 tribes. I get the 12 tribes thing. The idea of her about to give carries the idea that this Messiah came from the Jewish nation and the pain being the faithful who are suffering and/or the rejection of Jesus as their Messiah. The Male Child represents Jesus, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter”, the foretold Messiah who was to come and did! The Dragon is clearly Satan (vs 9) whose goal is to finish off this Messiah. The bell has been rung and the fight is about to begin! Historically, the 1/3 stars that the dragon sweeps out of the sky & hurls to earth are the angels who joined Satan’s rebellion and became enemies of God, demons. This dragon’s plan is to kill this male child right after He is born, but God had other plans! This baby is swept up to heaven and the woman is sent into the wilderness for 1260 days (3 ½ years). We then read that war breaks out in heaven between Michael & God’s angels and Satan & his demons. And of course, God wins and the description in 10-12 is awesome! But, it’s not over. The dragon is ticked and what we read next would have made today’s special effects movies seem lame! It reads, “from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.” Now this would have been cool to see! So then, yeah, he gets more ticked and decides to take his anger out on faithful believers. SO WHAT?! *The things we read here and in upcoming chapters are a bitter-sweet. Yes I want Jesus to finally come and conquer evil for good. At the same time, I’m still wanting my friends, my family and my neighbors to come to believe and receive Jesus Christ! So the question of the urgent is, “Am I being intentional to Know Jesus & Make Him Known with my life?” How about you?

260 in 2012 DEVOS - Day 249 - Revelation 11: Measurement, 2 Witnesses, 7th Trumpet

Ok, I think today’s passage is one of the most difficult passages in Revelation to interpret. With that said, here are my thoughts… 1-2: John is told to go and measure the temple, altar & it’s worshippers. Inventory is often taken of one’s possessions and the temple belonged to God. Seems to also be a sense that those measured are secure in God and those not measured are not – most likely unbelieving Gentiles who will oppress the Jews just before Christ returns. The 42 months = 1260 days or 3 ½ years and predicted in the book of Daniel. The main comfort I take from this is that the reign of evil WILL have an end! 3-6: God then sends 2 fire-breathing witnesses. Most likely these are Moses & Elijah. Both were at the transfiguration, Malachi 4:5 says Elijah will appear during this time, “no rain” alludes to Elijah and “water to blood” alludes to Moses. Regardless, anyone who tries to hurt these two witnesses is toast! They will preach repentance, foretell the future and restore Israel to her land. 7-10: The beast here is not Satan himself, but certainly demonic and will kill these two witnesses. Their bodies will be left in the streets for 3 ½ days to enhance the insult. People will be glad they were slain and even celebrate. Somehow (TV/satellite/internet) the whole world will see this. 11-12: When these two come back to life, absolute fear will come upon those who were rejoicing. If murder is the ultimate weapon of mankind and it doesn’t work, that will bring terror! God will then call them up to heaven and everyone will watch them go. Those left behind will be freaking out – wondering what will happen to them next. 13-14: Their fears came true as “there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.” This is not the third “woe”, that is still to come. 15-19: The 7th Trumpet sounds and heaven celebrates the transferring of power from Satan back to the True King! BUT, before the contents of the 7th trumpet are disclosed (Ch 16), there is some lengthy background given (ch 12-15) so we can better understand those coming judgments. SO WHAT?! *God is measuring our hearts right now. More important to God than what we say or do is our heart. How does your heart for God measure up? Do you & I treasure the things of God above all other things? Two big indicators are our schedules and our checkbooks. What do they show? *Being a true witness for Jesus can cost us our lives? But even if it doesn’t, it should cost us something. What have you & I sacrificed for our Lord? *How has God lifted you up because you were obedient. He did it with these two witnesses physically, but how about with us? Lovingly take a stand for God - it’s worth it! *Finally, God is STILL offering hope! Regardless what kind of mess you are in, God is in the restoration and transformation business – and he’s GREAT at it!

260 in 2012 DEVOS - Day 248 - Revelation 10: “No More Delay”

No, I’m not talking about the guilty republican (ha,ha), I’m speaking of what the swearing angels says in verse 6. (good swearing) The content of 10:1-11:14 act as an interlude and the second of two “parenthesis” in Revelation. This one occurs before the 7th trumpet (3rd woe) sounds. This section is preparation for the final trumpet and focuses on God being in control. It’s an announcement of the end to come, a preparation for the future. The Angel’s Announcement (1-7): “Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven.” – the scene again shifts from heaven to earth. This could be Michael or Gabriel but doesn’t have to be. And the description……..amazingly angelic: “robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.” Have your Sunday school students draw & color this one! Then as the angel is about to speak and John is grabbing his pen to write it down, he is told “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.” Ya’ know, sometimes even though you don’t understand, ya’ just obey. The angel raises his right hand & swears to God (really!), “There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.” John Told to Prophecy (8-11): So then the angel tells John to “take the scroll and eat it.” It’s gonna’ make you sick but do it any way! And no, John was not in need of some fiber for his diet! I believe that the bitterness of eating that scroll paralleled the bitterness of the trumpet judgment to soon come. And the sweetness is paralleled with the joy of God fulfilling His plan! “Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” SO WHAT?! *It’s hard to imagine the worldwide devastation that has already occurred and be told it will get worse. Panic & fear will be the daily norm and the psychological consequences of that alone will be huge as well. TODAY is the day to get right with God. Lord forgive me and thank you for paying the price for MY sin so that I could be brought into a right relationship with you! Your love is amazing!!!