When Will You Repent? Revelation 8 and 9.

A woman once told me she had never been spanked, that she was so sensitive, a strong word from a parent was enough to change her behavior. I could not relate to that. As a child I heard strong words every day. I ignored them.

I was a strong-willed child. Nothing would deter me from doing what I wanted except the threat of physical pain. I needed a regular dose of corporal punishment to remind me of the rules. But I am not interested in discussing punishment. What I am interested in is that moment of repentance.

What does it take for you to repent? How greatly must you suffer before you change your ways?

In Revelation 9, God begins to pour out His wrath on the earth. As you read this list of judgments, try to predict at what point the people will repent of their sinful ways.

  1. “The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire, mixed with blood, were hurled to the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up” Revelation 8:7. (Did people repent? No.)
  2. “The second angel blew his trumpet… a third of the sea turned to blood, a third of the creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed” Revelation 8:8-9.
  3. “The third angel blew his trumpet … a third of the water became wormwood, so that many people died” Revelation 8:10-11.
  4. “The fourth angel blew his trumpet … a third of the day was without light” Revelation 8:12.
  5. “The fifth angel blew his trumpet” and released something like flying scorpions (Abaddon or Apollyon) to torment people for five months. “In those days people will seek death and will not find it” Revelation 9:1-6. (Is anyone repenting yet?)
  6. “The sixth angel blew his trumpet” and released an army of 200 million horsemen to kill a third of the human race. From the mouths of the horses came fire, smoke, and sulfur, and the tails of the horses resembled the mouths of venomous snakes and they inflicted injury, Revelation 9:13-19.

Would you be ready to repent? I would. But the End Times will be characterized by hearts grown cold and unrepentant:

“The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshipping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood … And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts” Revelation 9:20-21.

God, never let our hearts grow hard and calloused. May we have tender hearts before you, and humbly repent of every sin you bring to mind. Help us love you more every day.

ΑΩ

The Throne of God. Revelation 5.

My wife encourages her middle school Bible students to draw a picture of God’s throne and symbolically placing all their problems at the foot of the throne. She has found it to be a helpful way to release her troubles into His hands.

I just read Revelation 4. There’s a lot to God’s throne. There is God’s throne, then there are 24 thrones surrounding it, each occupied by one of the “24 Elders.” And there are seven torches of fire. And lightning and thunder flashing and booming. And four “living creatures” covered with eyes, and each creature has six wings. And “day and night, they never stop saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come’” Revelation 4:8.

Can you imagine standing before this throne?

And then Jesus shows up:

“Then I saw One like a slaughtered Lamb standing between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth” Revelation 5:6.

And the creatures and the elders sing about Him: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” Revelation 5:12.

John continues. Imagine this moment of thunderous praise and worship:

“I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and dominion to the One seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!'” Revelation 5:13.

Dear God, teach us to worship you with true AWE. Remind us to read your word so we will be reminded of your infinite power and holiness and GLORY. Teach us to pray and praise you with boldness, to be overwhelmed by you and your love and power and provision and beauty. Don’t let us be lazy in prayer, or get so comfortable that we forget whom we are talking to. May we be amazed and moved and blown away by the privilege of bringing our needs to you. Teach us to pray as we should. May we never lose a sense of awe about you and your amazing throne room. Be glorified in us today.

ΑΩ

COOL COFFEE. Revelation 3:15-17.

Ever had cool coffee? Not cold coffee—not “iced coffee.” That’s a whole thing. I mean coffee that should be hot but cooled down to a degree less than warm, but not quite cold. Cool coffee. It’s not great, right?

Or what about when you put leftovers in the microwave? A big plate of spaghetti with meat sauce, you heat it, you carry it across the room and get all situated. The first few bites are good. And then you hit a cold spot. It’s awful, isn’t it? Disgusting. Everyone knows that feeling.

In Revelation 3, Jesus addressed the church of Laodicea—which many believe represents the church TODAY:

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. But because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spew you out of my mouth. Because you say [and doesn’t this sound like the American Church?] ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked….” Revelation 3:15-17.

Are we hot or cold or lukewarm? Cold people have no heart for God. Hot people are passionate about Him. Lukewarm people are what—KINDA into God? Like the rock singer who sings, “Jesus is just alright[1] with me, Jesus is just alright, oh yeah”? That song was made famous by the Doobie Brothers. I don’t know them personally, but Wikipedia describes the Doobie Brothers as “not religiously inclined.” Yeah. Lukewarm.

Why are people lukewarm? Consider the rest of the passage: they consider themselves rich and self-sufficient. But Jesus says their lives are a wreck, lacking everything that matters. So be thankful when you are poor and suffering—when you cannot think of yourself as “wealthy and [in] need of nothing.” Because when you FEEL ‘wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked,’ that is often when you are the most on FIRE for God. He uses adversity to shake us out of a complacent, lukewarm state. So welcome suffering. Talk to Jesus about it.

Dear God, use my struggles today to ignite passion for You. Don’t let me be lukewarm.

ΑΩ

[1] “Alright,” while tolerated in song lyrics is not a word and is actually ALL WRONG. Instead, use two words: ALL RIGHT.

RENEW YOUR VOWS. Revelation 2:4-5.

My father frowned on the notion of married people renewing their vows. “When you renew your vows, it implies you broke those vows—or at least that you didn’t take them seriously the first time.” Daddy took vows seriously. There was no way he would need to renew his—not when those vows shaped his life like a spine.

But the leaders of Israel understood human nature: not everyone has the backbone of an Ernie Wales. Serious sin calls for repentance and restoration—often more than once.

THE FROG IN THE POT.

If you throw a frog in a pot of hot water, it will quickly jump out. But if you put a frog in cool water and slowly turn up the heat, he may sit there until he is cooked, never noticing the gradual change. Have you been that frog?

Sometimes our lives are like that. We are ‘fat and happy,’ ‘at ease in Zion,’ (Amos 6:1) and we gradually drift further from God and closer to sin. Soon, sin and bad habits heat up the circumstances around us until we begin to really suffer. Then what?

Repent! Turn from sin. Turn back to God. Stop those bad habits. Re-kindle the good habits. Get back into the word. Get plugged in at church. Get involved with Christian ministries.

“You have lost your first love. Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen. Repent, and do the deeds you did at first” Revelation 2:4-5.

Nehemiah 8-11 reports on the nation’s month-long repentance and worship following their release from captivity. Though the people officially committed themselves to God after slavery in Israel, it needed to be done again after exile in Babylon. (Where to us it’s just another Bible story—‘Hey, don’t all these people know each other?’—the truth is 1,000 years had passed! The Exodus was ancient history by now, and the nation had fallen from God in the intervening years.)

So they renewed their vows. May we do the same, every time it’s needed!

ΑΩ

HISTORY’S GREATEST WELCOME HOME. Revelation 2:7-3:21.

Imagine a soldier returning from war—what a party! Even the Prodigal Son received a ring, a robe, and a fatted calf. What will God do for you?

“I will give the victor the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in God’s paradise” Revelation 2:7.

“The victor will never be harmed by the second death [hell]” 2:11.

“I will give the victor … hidden manna. I will give him a white stone and on the stone a new name is inscribed that no one knows except him” 2:17. (Jesus will give you a new name—your special secret—carved in stone!)

“I will give him authority over the nations… I will give him the morning star” 2:26.

“The victor will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before My Father and his angels” 3:5.

“I will make him a pillar in the sanctuary of My God. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God… and My new name” 3:12.

“I will give the victor the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also won the victory and sat down with My Father on His throne” 3:21.

What a list! Jesus will shower you with blessings:

  1. Eat from the tree of life (interesting how the story returns to the Garden of Eden) and be untouched by hell.
  2. Eat hidden manna.
  3. A secret name carved in stone by Jesus—that only the two of you know.
  4. Authority over nations.
  5. Possession of the morning star.
  6. White clothes.
  7. Your name listed forever in the Book of Life
  8. Jesus will proudly name you before his Father and the angels.
  9. You will be a pillar in God’s house, with names of God’s city, God the Father, and God the Son written on you.
  10. Sit with Jesus as a fellow-victor on his throne.

When you are discouraged, remember the blessings–and the INCREDIBLE HOMECOMING waiting for you!

ΑΩ

YOUR PRAYERS ARE THE INCENSE OF HEAVEN. Revelation 5:8.

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The book of Revelation reveals an amazing picture of Heaven. John sees “One like the Son of Man” in a long robe, gold sash, head and hair white as wool, eyes like fire, feet like polished bronze, and the voice of a waterfall. In his right hand, Jesus is holding—what? Stars. Seven stars. His face was like looking at the sun at noon. So what does John—who spent three years with Jesus—do next?

“I fell at His feet like a dead man. He laid His right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades” Revelation 1:17-19.

Soon John is brought to the throne room. God the Father is seated on the throne and appears made of jewels. A rainbow surrounds the throne. There are 24 additional thrones bearing 24 elders dressed in white and wearing golden crowns. But lightning and thunder flashes from God’s throne! The “floor” is a sea of crystal. Seven winged creatures with animal faces are flying about, who night and day never cease to say, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty.” John sees Jesus again, the “Lion from the tribe of Judah,” but now He looks like a slaughtered lamb standing before the throne. Beyond the Lamb were angels, living creatures, and elders, numbering thousands upon thousands also praising God. What worship!

You and I are not mentioned. Revelation calls us saints, not angels, creatures, or elders. We appear to be elsewhere. HOWEVER—we CAN be present at God’s throne, even now.

How can we join the worship at God’s throne? PRAYER.

“Each [elder] had a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints” Revelation 5:8.

We know God by FAITH. We see NOTHING.

Perhaps that explains why OUR PRAYERS ARE SO SPECIAL TO HIM, THAT THEY ARE THE INCENSE THAT BURNS IN THE THRONE ROOM OF HEAVEN. Imagine!

KEEP PRAYING!

ΑΩ

INFANT LOWLY. Revelation 1:13-16.

Some think of Jesus as a baby. Consider the songs: “little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head,” “I played my drum for him… then he smiled at me,” “Sweet little Jesus boy, born in a manger way down.”

Others think about Jesus the man, but emphasize only his suffering. Indeed, we call him “the Suffering Servant.”

Those casting actors to play Jesus look for men with compassionate faces. Mel Gibson cast Jim Caviezel because of “a light in his eyes.”[1]

Finally, there’s the effeminate nature of not only modern costuming and makeup, but of art over the centuries. Creative types are forever portraying Jesus as androgynous, sometimes leaving him nearly beardless, with both the face and body of an adolescent boy.

WE LIKE OUR JESUS TO BE A BABY IF POSSIBLE, AND ALWAYS SOFT, NON-THREATENING, AND SWEET.

No one wants to see power, strength, anger, or wrath. But Jesus is more than a suffering little lamb. He is the LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH. When the Apostle John saw him, he “fell at his feet as a dead man.”

Imagine:

“I saw One like a Son of Man. His head and his hair were like white wool—white as snow—and his eyes were a fiery flame. His feet were like fine bronze, fired in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters [like a waterfall whose noise swallows you up]. He had seven stars in his right hand; a sharp, double-edged sword came from his mouth, and his face was shining as bright as the sun at noon on a summer day. When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man” Revelation 1:13-17.

Imagine standing before Jesus. He is not comforting, soft, or effeminate. He is powerful, majestic, and TERRIFYING. And He would be terrifying even to born-again believers.

If seeing him left John on the ground “like a dead man” though John had known Jesus on earth, both before and after the resurrection, then seeing Jesus would certainly terrify you and me.

Is that who you worship? Do you cherish that level of fear and respect in your heart?

ΑΩ

[1] Gibson did many things right. He sought Caviezel because he considered him to be tall, and “a big guy,” rather than a small man like the actors in previous films.

TWO GREAT BOOKS. Revelation 1:3.

Great stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Genesis (Hebrew for “in the beginning”), is literature’s greatest story of beginnings—no religion or culture has an “origin story” to match it. Likewise, Revelation is literature’s greatest story of endings—unmatched by anything in the world’s greatest libraries.

Revelation is the essential “final chapter.”

It ties up ALL loose ends—not only from the Bible, but from my life and your life, and every story in fiction and non-fiction. It resolves every conflict and delivers justice, mercy, and closure. Evil is punished. God’s great creation is restored, His kingdom conquers all enemies, and His children are welcomed into the joy of His glorious presence for eternity. We see Jesus face-to-face. Not only do His children get new bodies, but even the earth itself is made new.

Use any measure you like: popularity, sales records, how often the books are read, studied, and spoken of—there is nothing to compare to Genesis and Revelation. These two bookends of the Christian Bible are the quintessential greatest beginning and ending stories ever written.

Genesis is probably read more often. Not only is it page one of Hebrew and Christian Bibles, but it contains the amazing stories of Adam and Eve, the Garden, the Serpent, Noah, Abraham, and more. And Revelation, being a book of prophecy, is difficult to read. No one reads Revelation without feeling perplexed by the symbolism and mystery. The first time I finished it, I told my dad I had a Post-It note full of questions. He said, “I’m surprised you could get all your questions on a Post-It note!” Touché.

Prophecy is full of difficult mysteries. But God promises to bless you if you read it:

“THE ONE WHO READS THIS IS BLESSED and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it are blessed, because the time is near!” Revelation 1:3.

You don’t have to understand it all—but read Revelation out of obedience. God will bless you!

ΑΩ

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST JOY? 3 John 4.

Pictured: Willie Wales, 1897 – 1985.

What is your greatest joy? Good grades? Good friends? Traveling? Winning? Achieving? Finishing?

The question is easier if you are a parent—because a parent’s greatest joy concerns children. You will have other joys—but children will dominate the top of the list.

The Apostle John probably wrote the letter of Third John in the city of Ephesus in 100 A.D., the year he died at age 96.

What would a man of 96 consider his greatest joy in life? Particularly a man who was a disciple and apostle of Jesus? What would his wisdom value as life’s greatest joy? The aging saint’s greatest joy should probably be ours as well.

“I was thrilled when brothers came and testified to your faithfulness—how you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are walking in the truth” 3 John 4.

At the end of his amazing life, John’s greatest joy is to know his children are walking in the truth.

They read the word, study the word, believe the word, obey the word, and submit their views on every subject to the word of God. These are not people who got saved and forgot about Jesus. These are servants of God. They are devoted, dedicated believers who will take on any challenge to walk with Christ. As Hebrews says, “men of whom the world was not worthy” Hebrews 11:38.

The last time I saw my grandfather (‘Paw Paw’), he was 88. He looked at Dennis and me from his sick bed and said, “Well. You boys be good.”

It was a simple blessing, but I’ll never forget it. Our short, weekend visit was ending and he knew we would not see him again in this life. And he also knew what mattered. And in his own Southern, down-home way, he was saying “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

I feel exactly the same way!

ΑΩ

P.S. The opposite is probably true: a parent’s greatest sorrow is to see his children walking in lies, and slowly destroying themselves.

A Stranger in a Strange Land. 1 John 2.

Have you ever felt like a refugee or a fugitive? Those words aren’t just for the nightly news: it can happen to anyone. European Jews moving to America to escape Nazis? Fugitives. People in Mexico, on the run from the government of Honduras? Fugitives. Russians in the U.S. on the run from the Soviet KGB? Fugitives. Cubans in Florida desperately trying to escape the Communist regime of Fidel Castro? Fugitives. Mary and Joseph raising a family in Alexandria, Egypt, on the run from Herod? Fugitives. Abraham moving from Ur where he was raised to the land that would one day be named after his grandson, Israel? A fugitive.

The Bible often uses the term “pilgrim” where contemporary English might employ the word “fugitive” or “refugee.”

And the Bible says we are pilgrims, strangers in a strange land. Refugees and fugitives. Why? Because we are citizens of Heaven, merely visitors—vacationers—on Earth.

And how does it feel to be on the road? It can be fun, of course. But it is unsettling. You never sleep in your own bed. You have none of the comforts of home. You drink someone else’s coffee. Someone else prepares your meals. Travel and money dictate your schedule, your stops, and so many other things. You never truly relax. You sleep, of course, but not the way you do at home. You sleep with one eye open, alert in some way, keyed up and distracted by the day you had and the day ahead. And if anything goes wrong—car trouble or a medical emergency—being on the road can quickly become a nightmare.

As Christians, our whole lives are spent as pilgrims, strangers in a strange land. We are always on a road trip. We think about Heaven, we know Heaven is our real home. We are just passing through this world of woe (to quote an old song).

But it is easy to forget these things as a teenager. When you are young, you want so desperately to fit in. All young people long to be accepted and affirmed—and if the world will affirm you, you’ll take it, because you want affirmation so badly. But God warns us about that.

“Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away and all of its lusts. But the one who does the will of God abides forever” 1 John 2:15-17.

What does the Bible mean by “the world” and “worldliness”?

So what is the world? What is it that you are not supposed to love? I think of the “world” as the culture created by lost people: their music, their fashions, their bling, their values, their influences, their beliefs, their philosophies, their entertainment—movies, shows, albums, art, books, magazines, YouTube channels, Twitter feeds, Instagram, and on and on. Any culture created by lost people becomes another piece of the world. Is it all bad? Of course not. But should we consume it carefully? Definitely.

John later explains, “We know that we are of God, and THE WHOLE WORLD IS UNDER THE SWAY OF THE EVIL ONE,” 1 John 5:19. And we already read above that “the world and all its lusts is passing away” (2:17). We are warned throughout the New Testament to be careful about the world. Don’t love the world. Don’t be deceived by the world. Don’t be lured and taken in by the world.

“Do not love the world or the things of the world. Because if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” 1 John 2:15.

Do you love the world? Think about it. Search your heart.

God, speaking through John, says that if you love the world, love for the Father is not in you.

You must make a choice: do you love the Father or do you love this fickle lost world (that will never love you back)? You cannot love both.

To put it in more practical terms, can you reject the world’s culture in favor of the Father? I know you can—I’m sure you answered that question with a yes. Read it again: Can you reject the world’s culture in favor of the Father?

Yes, you can. Next question: do you?/will you?

Think about it. Do you turn off the phone to spend a few minutes with Jesus? Will you shut off the car radio to pray on the way to school or work? Will you turn off all your media options and give the first few minutes of the day to the Bible?

Don’t be too loyal to the world. In fact, I want to encourage you to be disloyal to the world. REBEL against the world. FIGHT its influence. REJECT the world as many times a day as you can. Turn things off. Go on an internet fast. Power down your cell phone. Fight your own tendency to be enslaved by these things.

Why would I encourage rebellion? Because the world hates you. It does. The world hates you now and it will hate you forever. You will always be a refugee and a fugitive. You will NEVER fit in.

Don’t believe me? Consider 1 John 3:3: “Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.” And Jesus said the same: “You will be hated by EVERYONE because of me” Matthew 10:22. (Do you ever feel hated by everyone? It hurts so bad. But be loyal to Jesus—He will always love you.)

Finally, remember that the Devil has been given temporary reign on this earth. “The whole world is under the power of the evil one” 1 John 5:19. HOWEVER, “greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world” (4:4). Love Jesus. Rebel against the world.

Dear God, help us to love you more and to love the world less. I know the world will always reject Christians. Help us to rebel against the pull of the world, to hate the world, and to love Jesus instead. Help us to love you deeply, desperately, passionately. Draw us to you with a pull, a magnetism with which the world can never compete. May our love for Jesus eclipse completely the shallow, meaningless attractions of the world.

ΑΩ