Very good

Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Genesis 1:31

 

So God finished His creation. Every day He had said ‘it is good.’ On the sixth day though God said, ‘it is very good.’

 

That’s the kind of world that God left us. His creation was the epitome of perfection. There was nothing wrong with it. It was pristine. As beautiful as it is today is was more beautiful by multitudes when God said ‘it is very good.’

 

That’s the creation that God left us with, a very good world. No storms. No earthquakes or tornadoes or tsunami or volcanoes. The was the perfect setting for Adam and Eve.

 

More later, but the problem is that man broke it. It’s not prefect today. And the cause was and is sin.

 

One day we will have that earth again. The new heavens and the new earth will be spotless and pristine once again and all the things we have to deal with will be gone. 

Have dominion

 

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” - Genesis 1:26-28

 

One of the things that frustrates me about some parts of the contemporary church is the tendency to turn against anything the world takes interest so that we are not tainted by association with it.

 

One of those things is the concept of environmentalism. Starting about 100 years ago folks began to realise that we can’t keep abusing this world. Non-christians led the way and that we resulted in a lot of them worshipping the creation instead of worshipping God.

 

In reality, we should have been first. God clearly gave us this world and clearly intended for His people to care for it. Environmentalism may have some things messed up and some may use it for their own agendas at least it is away that we can’t keep abusing this old world.

 

I once heard a Christian say that he was going to celebrate Earth Day by burning a bunch of tyres. That kind of attitude is part of what destroys our testimony. I don’t have to be a ‘tree hugger,’ but I do need to realise my responsibility to do my part to care for this marvellous creation and limit the damage that I do to it.

Be fruitful

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” - Genesis 1:26-28

 

God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and to multiply and to fill the earth.

 

In other words God wanted the world to be full of His people. He did not create the world to be an empty place or a place only to be enjoyed by a few select people. He created a wonderful world and He wanted it to be enjoyed. Not only that, believe it or not, God wanted people to fellowship with.

 

So He told Adam and Eve to go out an start reproducing and filling the earth through bearing children. Thus began the blessing of children and families.

 

But if all we do is have kids and don’t try to produce fruit in their lives all we are doing is carrying on biological functions. As we fill the earth with children we Christians must always strive to produce spiritual fruit in their lives. John wrote that he had no greater joy that to see his children walking in the truth.

 

So, we pray and we teach and we lead and we try to guide them into the truth and hope and pray that they will bear fruit in their lives and fill the earth with truth.

In His image

 

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” - Genesis 1:26-28

 

What does it mean when we read that man and woman were created in His image? We might be tempted to think that we physically look like God. The truth is though that God is a spirit and He does not have a body like man.

 

We are made in God’s image though. We are different from any other of God’s creatures. We alone were created with eternity in our hearts. We alone are made with eternal souls which will live somewhere forever. We are created with a will and a conscience and emotions and the ability to love. We have an intellect and wisdom and a free will and volition.

 

Without any sense of pride we can say that we are God’s special creation. As we will see later God breathed into us the breath of life. We alone have the capacity to know God.

 

What do we do with this specialness? Are we going to respond?  Adam and Eve broke things when they sinned, but we are so special that God had a plan for that.

 

As  Christians we are to show God to the rest of the world. Jesus came to save us, but He also came to show us his to live in such a way that we show the world a glimmer of what God is like

Let there be light

 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. - Genesis 1:3-5

 

Let there be light – and there was light. The light was good and it divided from the darkness.

 

That’s some heavy stuff. There is an awful lot there

 

First – all there was was darkness. That’s it, a shapeless, empty, deep void in total absolute darkness. And then there was light. There is no greater contrast than darkness and light. Darkness is death and light is life. Darkness means fears confusion and life means clarity. Darkness is blindness and light is life. Darkness is where evil dwells and light is where God dwells.  The world is a kingdom of darkness and heaven is a kingdom of light.

 

In the beginning God said let there be light.  In the beginning there was spiritual darkness. Into that darkness God sent the light of His Son.

 

Both times everything changed. Both times light conquered darkness. This first light was the light of the glory of God. The sun wasn’t created yet. The light in John was also the glory of God in Jesus Christ.

 

So now we can walk in the light instead of in darkness. We have been translated from the kids from of darkness into the kingdom of light.

 

God’s first words were ‘let there be light’ and at the very end of His word God’s light will once again and there will be no more need for the sun.

 

So, let us walk in the light

The Spirit of God

 

The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. - Genesis 1:2

 

God created the earth, but at the beginning it was formless and void and dark. The only sign of life was God’s Spirit moving over the shapeless void.

 

The eternal Spirit of God. He was there at the very beginning and He is still here today.

 

That ought to give us great comfort since the Spirit of God lives in us today. Think about that for a second. The Holy Spirit floating over Creation lives in me.  I am His temple.

 

So is anything going to catch Him off guard? Is anything too hard for Him?

 

And He is in me every day in every situation no matter what. What a joyous truth!

God created

 

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters - Genesis 1:1-2

 

In the beginning God created…

 

How did all of this get here? Look around and see this world and all that is in it and ask yourself how it got here. We really only have two options – either everything came from nothing all by itself, or someone designed and created it.

 

Nothing comes from nothing. Nothing ever could. Nothing could explode in a great big bang and stir up substance from nothing. Nothing could not take on the form of life and nothing could stir that nothingness to life. Life has to come from life and there was only one life in the beginning.

 

Creation is one of the things that Satan wants to throw into disrepute. And it is working. If you talk about Creation today it is like you have two heads. The whole world has become convinced that the world got here spontaneously and life sprung forth the same way.

 

Once the world accepts that it can easily reject God. If no one made all of this, then there is no need for Him. If there is no God there is no accountability. Man can do whatever is right in his own eyes.

 

And that is why we have the mess we have today. Standards mean nothing. There are really no rules if there is no God.

 

A God rejecting world depends on the goodness of man. As we here the vernacular – ‘how’s that working out?’

In the beginning God

 

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. - Genesis 1:1

 

In the beginning God…

 

That’s quite a start to the word of God. There is no argument for God’s existence. We are simply told that when the beginning began God was already there.

 

These three words lay the foundation for all the rest of the word of God. Without ‘in the beginning God’ there would be no use for the Bible. The Bible simply states it as a fact. It is not open to conjecture.

 

God has put the truth of eternity in the heart of mankind. We are all born knowing there is more to life that just what we have here. That knowledge of eternity has always driven man to want to know more about eternity. As a result most cultures have had a desire to make sure they are okay for eternity and that has led to a search for the one who would control it. Man has always done his best to find a way to God and as a result all kinds of god have been created.

 

Man knows that God exists no matter how hard he tries to fight that knowledge. God is there and that doesn’t change even if man refuses to acknowledge Him.

God is outside of time. Before the beginning He was I AM/ Today He is still I AM. FOrever more He wil be I AM 

 

In the beginning God.

Even so, come

 

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! - Revelation 22:20

 

We are blessed to have God’s patient grace giving mankind a chance to be saved. I am grateful for that and I ought to be doing all I can while I am here to serve God and share the message of grace.

 

But at the same time I would have to agree with John’s sentiment here – ‘even so come Lord Jesus.’ I think we all long for the day when we see Jesus face to face. This old world is broken and defiles and sin-cursed and it seem bent on destroying itself.

 

Jesus is coming back one day. He is coming back to pour out His grace fully and to pour out His wrath justly. When that day comes we will understand for we will be like Him. It will all make sense then

 

And then we will be with Him. From day one all of our trials and troubles will be over. I hate to sound selfish but I really long for that day because when the time comes I can rest that God is acting justly, mankind has made its choice either for or against Him, and I can enjoy eternity with Him.

 

Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Come and drink

 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. -Revelation 22:17

 

Water is a constant theme in the word of God. Isaiah wrote of the merchant calling out in the  marketplace ‘everyone who is thirsty come and drink freely.’ Jesus offers the woman at the well everlasting water from which she will never thirst. New Jerusalem will have a river of fresh water flowing through.  And here we read of the water of life flowing freely for eternity.

 

Water is the most precious of all resources. We can go a long time without food. We can go days or even weeks without eating.

 

But we can’t do without water. After a single day our bodies are seriously affected. After 2-3 days our bodies will shut down. That is why it is such a precious commodity. We also can’t survive long spiritually without spiritual water. We become weak and dry and useless without it.

 

The day is coming when we will all be able to be refreshed by the water of life constantly. We will never be thirsty again. 

Blessed are those who keep

Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” - Revelation 22:6-7

 

At the beginning of Revelation we read the words ‘whoever reads these words and hears them will be blessed.’ The same thing is repeated at the end except it says that he who keeps the words of this prophecy will me blessed.

 

We need to remember that this book was written to prepare the world for the coming of Christ. Here John has a little note for us that those who keep the words of the book , or take them to heart, will be blessed.

 

Revelation is not just a great story about the end times full of mystery and fantastic happenings. It is more than can be novelised. The purpose is to remind us of then great fact that the wrath of God is coming and while we wait we ought to be sharing with others how they can escape His wrath.

 

Blessed are we if we need the words of Revelation and act on them.

Face to face

 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. Revelation 22:3-4

 

What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see. When I look upon His face.

 

When my lifework is ended, and I cross the swelling tide,

When the bright and glorious morning I shall see;

I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side,

And His smile will be the first to welcome me.

 

There are a lot of hymns and songs about the day when we get to see Jesus face to face. I can understand why – what a marvellous day that will be. We only catch glimpses of Him as we read His word. Though there are thousands or maybe millions of depictions of Jesus we have no idea what He looks like. But then, we tend to think of physical characteristics. When we see Him face to face I think we are going to see not so much that, but we are going to see the love and compassion and holiness and purity that His face will display. There will never be a doubt again when we see Jesus face to face.

It’s nice to see loved ones on video-chats. They are a blessing, but it is kind of like the biblical ‘through a glass darkly,’ but then – it's not the same as being there in person. In the same way will only know Him fully when we see Him face to face (For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. – 1 Corinthians 13.12)

The Lamb will be the Light

 

The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honour - Revelation 21:23-24

 

In heaven there will be no need of sun or moon or stars. There will be no darkness. It will be the opposite of the first creation where there was only darkness.

 

The glory of God will be the illumination. The Lamb of God will shine in glory and all of the saved of all time with bask in it. On the new earth all men and all kings will bring their glory and their honour to Him.

 

There will be no dark corners to fear. There will be no hidden unknowns. Everything will be out and in the open. All the saved will walk in the Light of truth and knowledge and God’s glory.  

 

The water of life

 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. Revelation 21:6

 

I am done!

 

That’s what Jesus says here. It is the culmination. Eternity is here.

 

And Jesus offers the fountains of the water of life so there will be no thirst. It is all done and we are eternally nourished and refreshed. All the stuff we hate will be gone.

 

No more thirst is a wonderful promise. I have only once or twice been really thirsty to the point of literal dehydration. There are some folks in the world to who thirst is an everyday part of life and where they spend a good part of their days. Water has always been a source of conflict in dry lands. We need water. We cannot survive without it. There is nothing like a cool drink of water to bring perfect refreshment.

 

When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well in the desert He promised her that if she would trust Him He would supply water that would never run out. He would meet her spiritual thirst.

 

Here we see the final fulfilment of that promise. Right along with God’s statement that He is done we see that from now on there will never be thirst again as we all partake of the living water from the fountain of the water of life.

 

What a joyful time of eternal refreshment. 

What a day that will be

Of all the wonders to come after the return of Christ this has to be the most exciting. We are going to be able to start with a new slate. This old tired, broken, sin cursed world will be done away.

 

God will recreate the heavens and earth from scratch. The Garden of Eden Mark 2 if you will.

 

The broken will be razed and replaced. There will be no more earthquakes of tornadoes or hurricanes or volcanoes because the world will be perfect. No tears, no death, no sorrow, no crying, and no pain. No illness, no goodbyes, and no financial woes. 

 

What a day that will be

When my Jesus I shall see

And I look upon his face

The one who saved me by his grace

When he takes me by the hand

And leads me through the Promised Land

What a day, glorious day that will be

 

There'll be no sorrows there

No more burdens to bear

No more sickness and no more pain

No more parting over there

But forever I will be

With the one who died for me

What a day, glorious day that will be

 

What a day that will be

When my Jesus I shall see

When I look upon his face

The one who saved me by his grace (but when he)

When he takes me by the hand (takes me by the hand)

And leads me through the Promised Land

What a day, glorious day that will be

 

Oh, what a day that will be

When my Jesus I shall see

When I look upon his face

The one who saved me by his grace (but when

When he takes me by the hand (he takes me by the hand)

And leads me through the Promised Land

What a day, glorious day that will be

 

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Jim Hill

What A Day That Will Be lyrics © Ben Speer Music

The Great White Throne

 

And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books… And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. - Revelation 20:12,15

 

Judgement is coming for the world. Those who are in the Book of Life have been judged based on the finished work of Christ at the Bema seat. We have been declared righteous by Jesus’ righteousness and our place is secure.

 

But now its time for the world’s judgement at the great white throne. Now is the time for judgement on all those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Our judgement will be based on the finished work of Christ. The world’s judgement will be based on their works.

 

Heartbreaking news because all of men’s work will fall short because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

 

It won’t be much of a judgement. Everyone will be found guilty. The penalty? Eternal separation in the Lake of Fire.

 

That’s serious. We can see why God gives man chance after chance to have their guilt  covered by the blood of Christ.

 

That’s why our task of sharing the gospel is so important. We have the way to escape this judgement. We have the message of Christ. We must share that message before it is too late.

The thousand years

 

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. - Revelation 20:4

 

The thousand year reign of Christ and with Christ does not get much of a mention here in Revelation. Obviously, not being God, I can’t know why, but I think it is because it is mentioned all throughout the prophets.

 

This 1000 years is going to be a whole different world.

 

Jesus will reign

The whole earth will be filled with His glory

There will be pilgrimages to sees Him

There will be no war

We will reign with Him

Animals will live in peace

Crops will be fruitful

Lifespans will be greatly extended

Illnesses will be willed

And so much more

 

And all of this is just setting the stage for the new heavens and earth. What a time to look forward to.

It's over

 

And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. - Revelation 19:19-21

 

Finally, Satan and his armies are defeated. In a silly and vain last attempt to overthrow God, Satan musters all of his forces against God and His armies, or so Satan thinks. Every army on the face of the faith is finally united against one common enemy. Their guns and tanks and nuclear weapons and whatever weapons will be developed are pointed toward heaven and they really think they have a shot.

 

But BOOM, its all over. God speaks His word and everyone dies. Done and dusted. Sinn sinn.

 

After this we get a kind of reboot, but this current world system is at an end. The beast and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire.

 

All the rest are killed by the word that comes out Jesus’ mouth. Once again He could say ‘it is finished.’

 

The world seems pretty confident that victory is theirs, but it is all in vain.

 

When things get tough today we can rest in the confidence that the battle is not ours, but the Lord’s. One day our day will come. To borrow a phrase from Irish - Tiocfaidh ár lá

The Bride's garments

 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. - Revelation 19:7-8

 

I have never noticed this passage of scripture until we were studying it in our Revelation Bible  study. I love the imagery of the Brides clothing being the righteous acts of the Saints. That means that everything we do today for God makes up them wedding clothes of the Bride of Christ. And that's us! That’s our works.

 

This is a lovely little note in the midst of all the stuff in Revelation. The church is the Bride of Christ.

 

Think about weddings for a minute. The bride will do all she can, in most cases, to look her very best for her wedding. In many cases thousands of euro will be spent on the perfect dress and the perfect hair and the perfect make-up and the perfect nails and so on and so on.

 

Its lovely and I’ll never forget that day that Mary came down the aisle. We had very little money. The setting and the surroundings were simple. We didn’t even have indoor toilets.

 

But Mary and that dress. The image still takes my breath away.

 

Okay, back to the great wedding of Christ and His church. The church is arrayed in clothing of the finest linens. Though made pure by the blood of Christ, the works of the saints, add to the glory of this image.

 

Think of how a bride prepares for wedding. That is the kind of preparation we should be doing now for our future wedding to Him. 

Our God reigns

 

And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! - Revelation 19:6

 

The Lord God omnipotent reign. The thing that God’s people have been looking for for thousands of years has come to pass. The Almighty God has come to rule on the earth.

 

For all of history Satan has had some authority in the broken sin cursed world we live in. He is called the Prince of the Power of the world and the form of this world. Demonic forces roam the word seeking to destroy God’s people. Wicked leaders this world. Revelation is going to be Satan’s last hurrah. Then it is all going to change.

 

God Himself will come to earth, first to establish a literal kingdom and then a new heaven and a new earth. He will one day reign in all 0f His power and majesty and every knee will bow and tongue confess that he is Lord. All enemies will be destroyed and we will live under His almighty power in security an holiness. All fear will be gone and we can finally enter His perfect peace and rest.

They did not repent

 

And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory. - Revelation 16:9

 

Judgements continue. The full wrath of God is being poured out, and still men refuse to turn to Him. They see an escape from judgement, but they won’t repent. They love their sin too much.

 

You would think this incredible, but we already see it happening today. Men love their sin more that they love eternity. The turn from God and not only that they turn away from God. Men love darkness more than they love life.

 

At this point, even though they clearly see the consequences of their choices, they still persist rather than submit. Satan has huge sway over the world and by this time he has persuaded the world that all of this is God’s fault. He has convinced them that He know better.

 

The end is coming, and they are still not persuaded.

Great and Marvellous

 

And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying:

“Great and marvellous are Your works,

Lord God Almighty!

Just and true are Your ways,

O King of the saints!

Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?

For You alone are holy.

For all nations shall come and worship before You,

For Your judgments have been manifested.” Revelation 15:2-4

 

At the end of all this we are going to see the wonder and glory and marvel of the Lord as He cleans things up and re-establishes His creation.

 

 

His works are great and marvellous

Just and true are His ways

How can we not fear and glorify him?

He alone is holy

And one day, just as foretold in Philippians, every knee will bow in worship

 

Our promised victory over Satan has come. Our deliverance is finally assured. God is going to reveal Himself in all of His glory. We are going to see His left justice and see the wonderful truths of all that He has said. We may fear Him in part but we see Him all of His awesome power. We will see all the peefection of His holiness.

 

And every knee will now and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. We will do it with joy, but the world will do it knowing that everything they have feared is here.

 

Oh want a wonderful day that will be!

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord

 

Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” Revelation 14:13

 

None of us likes to think about death. It is the one thing that is certain though. It will happen. We are told here that the dead who die in the Lord are blessed.

 

I think of the great passages that have been of comfort when loved ones have died. Death has no victory. The grave has no sting. Death has been crushed to death. Blessed are those who die in the Lord. Precious in the sight of the Lord are the death of His saints.

 

I don’t really want to die. I know it is coming, but I don’t relish the notion.

 

But at least I know that on the other side is the blessed rest we have been longing for. Even though I don’t like it – I need not fear it. Instead I can look forward to His blessings.

 

Patience of the saints 2

 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Revelation 14:12

 

So here we have more about the patience of the saints as it was seen in their patience and faith. Here we see it seen in keeping commandments and faith. While we are waiting and while these Revelation saints are waiting we can’t just sit back at ease, God’s patience means that in the meantime we need to be obeying Him and following His commandments.

 

I like what Paul said when he wrote to Thessalonica about waiting for Jesus. He’s not worried about the time, but he does say that while we are waiting we need to busy about living for the Lord, serving others, and serving Him.

 

To these Tribulation saints the time was short. They knew it.

 

We have no idea when Jesus is coming back. So while we patiently wait for Him we need to walk in faith and obedience. 

144,000 preachera

 

They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God. Revelation 14:3-5

 

God’s patient grace talked about in Isaiah is really seen here in the Book of Revelation. Over and over we see God at work giving people a chance to be saved. First He sent two supernatural witnesses to preach to the world for 3 ½ years. Now we see Him sending out 144,000 preachers into the world.

 

These 144,000 Jewish gospel preachers will spread out over the whole world preaching the blessed gospel of Christ and more will be saved. Those who get saved now do so at great peril. Chances are excellent that they will die for their faith. When they make this choice, they know what they are getting themselves into. Still they see eternity of more importance than their temporal lives.

 

God still is not done showing His patient grace. If not for that He would have wiped things out a long time ago. These preachers are going out into a world what hates them and is going to try to stop them with all their power.

 

God wants to turn the world to Him. His patient grace continues.

The Mark of the Beast

 

He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. - Revelation 13:16-18

 

Perhaps nothing catches attention about the book of Revelation like the Mark of the Beast. People, including well meaning Christians, are intrigued, mesmerized, and terrified of the Mark. Everyone tries to guess what it is so they can avoid it.

 

In my lifetime I have seen so many things described as the Mark. Magnetic strips on credit cards, chips on credit cards, barcodes, implanted chips, injections, etc, etc declared to be the Mark and Christians warned about using them. People still live in fear of getting tricked into taking the Mark.

 

The word of God is clear that Christians have nothing to fear about this insidious mark. It is not going to be snuck in in a vaccine. They are not going to slip it in to your credit card. An information chip is not going to be the Mark of the Beast. Those things may have their own issues, but they are NOT going to be the Mark.

 

The Mark of the Beast will be a voluntary act of worship and devotion. It’s not going to sneak up on us.

Patience of the Saints 1

 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. - Revelation 13:10 

 

It seems like a big part of our lives is given over to patience and waiting and longsuffering and endurance. It something that we just must learn to deal with. A lot of our life is waiting.  

 

But we have to  wait because of what Isaiah refers as God’s patient grace. Isaiah writes that God patient is that He can be gracious to His people. That’s why His return is taking so long. He desires all men to come to salvation.  

 

His patient grace continues into the Tribulation. It is going to seem like an eternity to those waiting for His return. As their persecution continues, they all their reserves of patience and faith are going to be called on. They, and we, need to remember God’s ultimate plan, which is to gather in as many sheep as will come.  

 

This is the supreme rest of patience and faith. With what they will be called on to do surely we can exercise patience and faith in our day.