Finisher

Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished” (Revelation 15:1-3).

Chapters 12-14 of Revelation have set the stage for the final and decisive outpouring of God’s wrath on those who have set themselves up in opposition to Him.  The sides in the battle are clear.  We come to the final grouping of seven that is associated with God’s judgment.  First, there were the seven seals of the scroll (chs. 5-7).  The opening of the seventh seal brought forth seven angels with seven trumpets (chs. 8-11).  In each of the previous “sevens”, the judgment was limited (i.e. “a fourth” or “a third”).  Here in chapter 15, the seven angels with seven plagues bring the final, unrestrained wrath of God.  When the seven golden bowls are emptied, “...the wrath of God is finished.”

Perhaps you have experienced the frustration of a work situation where a fellow employee chronically left jobs unfinished or deadlines unmet.  Not only did it reflect badly upon them but it may have had ramifications for you, even when you had completed your own part of the project.  Or maybe someone close to you was great about making promises but not-so-great in following through on the commitments that were made.  It seems there are always more “starters” than “finishers.”

I’m so grateful to serve a God Who finishes what He starts.  His faithfulness to His promises is rooted in the fact that He is different than us.  “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19).  The best example of God as a finisher is His commitment through Jesus Christ to redeem the world from the devastation of sin and death.  God kept His promise and, as Jesus said from the cross: “It is finished.” (John 19:30).  My God is a finisher!

God loves you!

Mike

A Different Tune

“Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.And they *sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth” (Revelation 14:1–3).

Revelation 13 records the efforts of the dragon\serpent (Satan, 12:9) to gather allies for his all-out war against the people of God.  A beast arises out of the sea as well as from the earth.  These blasphemous and murderous monsters had one purpose: the destruction of the faithful.  Their very presence on a battlefield would be enough to chill the heart of the most courageous warrior.

But all was not lost.  Revelation 14 tell us that the army of God had its own champion -- not a dragon or a beast but a Lamb, who is the Risen Lord Jesus Christ.  And while a Lamb might not seem like a fearsome leader, do not underestimate this One.  He has been in the heat of battle before and emerged bloodied but victorious (cf. 5:5-6,12).  Here, the Lamb takes His stand with fellow overcomers on Mount Zion in opposition to the satanic forces.  The stage is set for the epic conflict to begin.

I find it instructive that, just prior to engaging the enemy, the hosts of heaven have a new song to teach the faithful soldiers of the Lamb.  These believers had suffered so much for the cause, just like their Leader.  But the day had come for a new song of victory.  They knew well the songs of mourning.  But now they would be singing a different tune.

God loves you!

Mike

Cosmic Accidents

“If the solar system was brought about by an accidental collision, then the appearance of organic life on this planet was also an accident, and the whole evolution of Man was an accident too. If so, then all our present thoughts are mere accidents — the accidental by-product of the movement of atoms. And this holds for the thoughts of the materialists and astronomers as well as for anyone else’s. But if their thoughts — i.e. of materialism and astronomy — are merely accidental by-products, why should we believe them to be true? I see no reason for believing that one accident should be able to give me a correct account of all the other accidents. It’s like expecting that the accidental shape taken by the splash when you upset a milk jug should give you a correct account of how the jug was made and why it was upset” (C.S. Lewis, The Business of Heaven, p. 97).

This quote of Lewis highlights one of the strangest facets of the creation vs. evolution debate for me.  Read through it again and think carefully about what he says.  Naturalistic science, which promotes the idea that everything we see and experience in our world today came about due to a series of accidents (beneficial or otherwise), is heralded as the authority in matters regarding origins.  Many who hold to this view look at anyone who questions their conclusions as unlearned or deceived.  But why should I accept the conclusions of the byproduct of a cosmic accident as an authority?  By the way, when I refer to these people who differ with me as “the byproducts of a cosmic accident,” I am only using the necessary conclusions of their own theories.  As a believer in God, I believe they are much more.

Anyway, the point still stands.  Does it take more faith to believe in a universe spontaneously arising out of a series of accidents or in a God with the power and knowledge to create it?  Hint: be careful when getting your answers from accidents.

God loves you!

Mike

More Than Meets The Eye

“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.  He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence.  And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.  He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.  And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life” (Revelation 13:11–14).

The beast spoken of here is one of two allies recruited by Satan in his war against the people of God.  This beast seems to be more subtle than its counterpart (vv. 1-10).  The first beast bellowed out its arrogant and blasphemous words against God and all that is associated with Him.  There was no mistaking what it was trying to do.  This second beast is different.  It relies more on deception.  Not all is as it seems.  This craftiness is seen in appearing like a lamb but speaking like a dragon.  Seemingly innocent yet very dangerous.

Treachery is a key part of how the devil and his minions work.  Speaking of those who were seeking to undermine his apostleship, Paul references their deceptive efforts: “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.  No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light”(2 Corinthians 11:13–14).  Our enemies will use any clever disguise to achieve their ends -- be it a demon masquerading as an angel or a beast who looks like a lamb.

There is only One True Lamb in the book of Revelation -- the risen Lord Jesus Christ.  Don’t be led astray by a counterfeit. 

God loves you!

Mike

Am I A Spectator Or A Participant?

“The greatest evidence of your salvation is not that you repented once but that you continue to repent today. It’s not that you believed once but that you continue to believe today. It’s not that you walked with Christ once but that continue to walk with Him today” (Billy Wendeln).

I ran across this quote in a Facebook group and it resonated with me.  It strikes at the heart of a problem that churches of every stripe experience -- a lack of commitment \ involvement.  Somehow we’ve come to believe that once we are in the “club,” then we can continue to reap the benefits without any (or very little) ongoing participation or growth.  I suppose that even the leadership in some churches has been complicit in the development of the issue.  The increasing competition to put (and keep) people in the pews has caused some to be hesitant of requiring much in the way of visible commitment to the cause.  The fear is that such an approach will prompt the resistant to just move on to another group down the road that doesn’t require as much.

The Bible knows nothing about non-participatory Christianity.  Sure, large numbers took the initial steps of faith in the New Testament and became part of the body of Christ.  That’s great news.  But it didn’t stop there.  Believers were expected to become an active part of a local fellowship of Christians (Hebrews 10:23-25).  They were expected to grow in their faith (Ephesians 4:15; 2 Pet. 3:18).  They were all expected to use their gifting to serve the church (1 Corinthians 12:4-18).  Being an “eye” or an “ear” didn’t excuse anyone from participation.

Some questions are in order.  Am I claiming to be part of something but not participating in it?  Have I been saved but refuse to cooperate with God’s ongoing efforts to save me?  Has my Christianity devolved into punching a time card and keeping a checklist or am I actively seeking to contribute to the health of my congregation?

God loves you!

Mike

A Battle Plan

“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.“  And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death” (Revelation 12:10–11).

The full manifestation of the kingdom of God, ushered in by the coming of the Messiah and all that He made possible, was the difference-maker in the cosmic battle between God and satan, the malevolent accuser of God’s people.  The devil and his demonic forces had launched an attack on heaven itself but soon discovered they didn’t have the strength to defeat Michael and his angelic host.  As a consequence of their defeat, satan and his army were thrown down to earth.  Never one to sit idle long, the devil turned his attention to the earthly members of God’s kingdom, seeking to destroy them.  Would the earthly servants of God have the same success against the accuser as the heavenly defenders?

Thankfully, the answer is “yes.”  The text above attributes their success to three things.  One, the blood of the Lamb.  There would be no victory over Satan if all we had were our own efforts.  First and foremost, we need the blessings that accompany the sacrifice of Jesus and the victory over sin and death it secured before we have any hope of success.  Two, the word of their testimony.  The words and life of these overcomers testified to their loyalty and commitment to their Lord.  In a climate where the pressure was great to compromise to avoid persecution and suffering, these Christians stood firm.  Three, they weren’t afraid to die for their faith.  Nothing, not even martyrdom, could sway these followers of God.

Sounds like a great battle plan to me.  Difficult but effective.  What do you think?

God loves you!

Mike

Ant vs. Elephant

“Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,   “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever”” (Revelation 11:15).

The background of this verse involves God’s efforts to provide a prophetic testimony during a time of great struggle, symbolized in this chapter by the sending forth of two witnesses.  They have great power and authority but eventually the forces of evil, pictured as the beast of the abyss, overcome and kill them.  Those opposed to God dishonor the dead bodies of the witnesses.  The rebels rejoice that their tormentors have been eliminated.

But the victory party is a bit premature.  After a short time, God raises the two witnesses from the dead.  The rejoicing of God’s opponents gives way to great fear as they see the resurrected witnesses are called to heaven, followed by an outpouring of God’s wrath and judgment.  And when the dust settles, the kingdom of God is triumphant over the kingdoms of the world.  Worldly kingdoms do their worst but God always ultimately wins!

This reminds me of the words of the Psalmist: “Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!”  He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain””(Psalm 2:1–6).

Ungodly kingdoms come and go.  Worldly rulers defy the Ruler of the universe and revel in their rebellion, uttering blasphemous words of challenge and defiance.  It’s like an ant challenging an elephant.  And like God, we laugh at such futility.  Do they really think they can take on God and win?

God loves you!

Mike