Revelation 15:2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are Your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are Your ways, King of the nations. 4 Who will not fear You, Lord, and bring glory to Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”

===
This year’s Lent Devotional Series “Revelation in 40” resumes tomorrow after today’s Sabbath rest to meditate and worship, thanking God for His righteousness revealed.

As we continue our study of the Book of Revelation in 40 vignettes during Lent, we see the world stage being set for the battle to beat all battles…the war to beat all other wars.

Revelation 16:12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.

There were few finer roads in the Bible era than a dried-up riverbed.  And so, the “kings from the East” or alternately translated “kings from the land of the rising of the sun” (no comment) would head to the War of Armageddon and the Great Day of the Lord of Heavenly Armies (verse 14). 

This War is demonically inspired by the “unholy trinity”
of the dragon, beast, and false prophet.

Revelation 16:13 Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty … 16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

Thoughts for today:

When God is in control of plagues and the Last Things of this age, why would God prepare the way, make it easier for the kings from the East (or inhabited world v 14) to arrive for the final battle of good and evil?

No one really knows where the final battle of Armageddon will take place.  Places often suggested are the Jezreel valley, the City of or Mount Megiddo (a Hebrew word that carries over to the Greek for our New Testament word Armageddon).  Other suggestions are Jerusalem, Mount Zion.  All of those locations are in what we call the Middle East.

Have you ever wondered why Israel and particularly Jerusalem are so central to the world’s political affairs when Israel is such a tiny nation, roughly the size of New Jersey?

===

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2022 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.

The bowls are being poured out and the wrath is intense. 

Revelation 16:8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.

They know God has control over it but instead of coming to their senses and begging God to take them back, they curse His name.  They dig in and double down.  They seethe with hatred and refuse to repent.  They disdain His glory and will never acknowledge it. 

There’s no ignorance here.  It’s in-your-face rebellion with no shame. 
So, the wrath continues.

Revelation 16:10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.

This is one of the saddest portrayals in all of Scripture.  People so hardened to the very end that they won’t even seek relief for their own sakes … if it comes from God.  Such is their spiteful hatred of Him.

Thought for today:

If there are any people you know like this today, pray for them.  Reach out to them. Implore them. There’s still time to repent.

===

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2022 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.

Every few days, it’s good to recap because “Revelation in 40” risks glossing over the Bible’s timeline.  The seven churches were given words of encouragement and warning to overcome.  Seals were opened, 1-6 and then 7.  Trumpets were sounded, 1-6 and then 7.  The sixth trumpet sounded in Revelation 9, “And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.” 

Do you remember?

“Revelation 9:18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths … [but] 20 The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood– idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

The seventh trumpet didn’t come with a plague but heralded the reign of Christ
It acted as a preface to today’s passage with a lengthy discussion
of who the adversaries of Christ are and
why they deserve every last bit of wrath coming to them. 
Consider it like reading the charges
and justifying the sentence upon the unrepentant.

Now come the bowls.  Seven of them…seven as a number of perfection … and with them, God’s wrath poured out is complete.  Yet, the remaining chapters of Revelation show plenty of destruction before final judgment.

Thoughts for today:

Here are the seven bowls of God’s wrath:  Revelation 16:1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”

1. Revelation 16:2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
2. Revelation 16:3 The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.  
3. Revelation 16:4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.  5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: “You are just in these judgments, O Holy One, you who are and who were; 6 for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.”  7 And I heard the altar respond: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.”
4. Revelation 16:8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire.  9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.
5. Revelation 16:10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.
6. Revelation 16:12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East… to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
7. Revelation 16:17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake.

It is not done yet, even in the flow of Scripture.  We still have chapters 17-22 to come. 

In what way do these unresolved, “to be continued,” or cliffhanger events (e.g., the battle of Armageddon, the Return of Christ, the completion of God’s wrath) provide an organizing outline—a seventh bowl period—to be resolved in what remains of Revelation?

In what way does this chapter act as a season-ending “Who shot JR?” or Paul Harvey’s “now you know the rest of the story” to propel the narrative?

===

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2022 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.

Revelation 15:5 After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple– that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law– and it was opened. 6 Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever.  8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed. 16:1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”

A few points bear mentioning.  First, there is the somewhat elusive “tabernacle of the covenant law” sometimes translated the sanctuary or the tent of witness.  Various translations all try to arrive at the precise meaning, but words somehow fail us.  It was the location of the ark of the Covenant or the ark of the Testimony, often translated the Holy of Holies.

One cannot really grasp the power of this scene without comparing it to Hebrews 9

Hebrews 9:1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.  2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place.  3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,  4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.  5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover.

The presence of God was found most powerfully there. 

While v 6 “priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry”… 8 “The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning.” …

 11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. …

24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.  25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.  26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

Any earthly Holy of Holies was just a copy
of the one the Apostle John sees here which is not closed off. 
It’s open because Jesus opened the way forever. 
The smoke from God’s holiness, power, and glory fills it.

Thoughts for today:

When we think about God’s fury, His wrath, how often do we cheapen it by imagining it as a temper tantrum or a momentary loss of self-control?

God has been patient for thousands and thousands of years.  He’s been delaying judgment over His creation since that time.  Wrath like that which God poured out in the flood to cleanse the world of sin isn’t something God does lightly.  He’s not looking for opportunities to unleash wrath.  And certainly not on this scale.  He grieves.

Finally, the time has come, and the seven bowls of judgment will complete the task of satisfying God’s holiness.  Why do you think no one could enter “tabernacle of the covenant law” while the smoke was there, and the angels were still pouring out their bowls?

===

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2022 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.

In Revelation in 40, we’ve now arrived at the great climax of the conflict between good and evil.  There will be no more interludes or pauses as there were with the seals (1-6 and then 7) or the trumpets (1-6 and then 7).  Once God gets started with bowls of wrath, He isn’t going to stop until all is accomplished.  God will bring this age to a close.

We have a bit of context as chapter 15 opens with a sign and a song.   Revelation 15:1 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.

Vindication, at long last, for the saints who persevered to the end. 

Revelation 15:2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. 4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

As part of a commissioning ceremony, it is natural that those who are about to be vindicated would worship the One who would vindicate them and issue justice so long overdue.

Revelation 15:5 After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple– that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law– and it was opened.  6 Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

Thought for today:

Why does true justice from the hand of God inspire worship?
How does vindication at the end of a long wait make the gratitude greater?
Why could no one enter the temple until the plagues were completed?

===

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2022 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.

Let’s recap for a moment in our study of “Revelation in 40”.  Seven churches received warnings and encouragement for the Last Days.  They were instructed to overcome.  And there were those who did so, overcoming “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” (Revelation 12:11)

Revelation 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” 14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.

Uh-oh.  A sharp sickle.
First, the one like a “son of man” takes a whack.

Revelation 14:15 Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

This, however, doesn’t seem so bad.
More like a reaping of a fine harvest at the end of the age.

But then an angel does it. And this harvest is ripe but not good.
That’s because they’re grapes destined for the great winepress of God’s wrath.

Revelation 14:17 “Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” 19 The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.”

Thoughts for today:

This horrific and graphic picture of the scale of a harvest for wrath says a lot about the Last Days.  The distance of 1,600 stadia is approximately 180 miles.  Just to help us visualize it, that’s about the distance from Chicago to Indianapolis.  The height of a horse’s bridle is around 4-6 feet.  The amount of blood is astronomical…more than the population on the earth, I’d imagine.

When we’re told in Scripture about the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13-14) and how “not many” will enter, how many of us think that just about everyone we know will be going to heaven and the idea of any being left out is casually ignored? Do you think of destruction on this scale?

At this point in Revelation when the earth is harvested, it appears only to reflect those living at the end of the age, either to glory with Christ or to the winepress of God’s wrath. What about all humanity who ever lived?  Does one’s death insulate a person from the wrath of God? 

Those who are already dead don’t have anything they could do about it prior to the harvest.  What about you?  As long as you have breath in your body and Jesus has not returned, you still have a choice.  That Eternal Choice.

===

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2022 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.

Psalm 27:1 Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation– whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life– of whom shall I be afraid?  2 When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. 3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.

4 One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.  5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. 6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.

7 Hear my voice when I call, LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. 8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek. 9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. 10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.

11 Teach me your way, LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. 12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. 13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

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This year’s Lent Devotional Series “Revelation in 40” resumes tomorrow after today’s Sabbath rest to meditate and worship, thanking God for His mercy and protection.

Some choices you can walk back pretty easily. 
You buy.  You regret.  You return.  Simple enough.

Not so the eternal choice which comes with an expiration date
and a point of no return.

Revelation 14:1 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.  2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.  3 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.  4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.  5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

Theologians all agree that those purchased by the Lamb are exemplary and sing a new song of the redeemed.  On this next verse, there is far less agreement.

Revelation 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth– to every nation, tribe, language and people.  7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

What is this eternal Gospel that doesn’t specifically name Jesus? 
Is the angel preaching it to the unredeemed as one last chance? 
Or is the eternal Gospel not actual salvation offered but only as evidence for judgment? 

The arguments delve into the pixelated view which defeats the purpose.

We are not at that point of no return…yet. 
Maybe it’s in Scripture as a warning that God’s gracious offer expires. 
For some, it’s warning for their death before Christ’s return
and others who will die to face Judgment.

Maybe the answer of salvation or Judgment is “yes,” holding them both in tension.  If there was one last chance for those who have no intention of taking God up on it…wouldn’t that just be added evidence for Judgment Day?  I think it’s fair to say that the Gospel cuts both ways and its function, in this instance, is determined by each person’s response.  It leads to eternal life were any to have accepted it, or its rejection leads to eternal damnation.

Perhaps it’s like Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

The big picture is the Gospel has been offered to all,
no indication follows that anyone loved God and was saved.
Rather the nations (so blindly engaged in idolatry and so drunk on sensual pleasures) were discovering what they truly loved was now somehow fallen. 

The party’s over.  There is no after-party,
and the hangover is one helluva doozy.

Revelation 14:8 A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”

Thoughts for today:

What is Babylon the Great?  Big picture: the allure of rejecting God to pursue a godless life.

How is Babylon the Great fallen?  What Babylon is or was or represents is speculation, therefore how it’s fallen is a mystery.  Remember this is still in the future.  Big picture: The identity is a mystery.  Her outcome is not.  She falls and fails.

The Eternal Gospel (the New Covenant cup of Christ) … or … “Babylon’s wine of adulteries” which comes with “wine of God’s fury”—is the choice really that hard?  It’s not like Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail where it’s a movie and guess-and-check, but here in Revelation, the Eternal Choice is clearly offered.

As much as people might prefer the idea that, at Judgment, one just ceases to exist (i.e., annihilationism), this passage offers no chance for that.

Revelation 14:9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

Worshiping the beast and its image, receiving the “mark of its name,” by choice or by force leading to capitulation, does not lead to a happy ending.  Don’t do it.

Patient.  Endurance.  Overcoming!  You’ve been warned.  Please, friends, choose like saints.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2022 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.

That whole alliance of evil—the dragon, the first beast, and the second beast—are all about a twisted mimicry and mockery.  Of those actions, none has attracted more attention through the ages than “the mark of the beast.”

The false prophet (second beast) isn’t satisfied with simply tricking people to worship the antichrist, it now engages in downright intimidation on those who refuse to follow the crowd.

Revelation 13:16 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, 17 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.

All people. 
Great and small.  Rich and poor.  Free and slave. 
Don’t miss the universality of that
in all the curiosity about what is the mark of the beast. 

There are some who think that their political power will protect them.  It won’t.  There are some who think their money will insulate them from it.  It won’t.  There are those who believe their freedom will be enough to prevent it.  But if COVID has taught us one thing, it’s that plenty of free people will follow the crowd with very little consideration to the long-term dangers.  They fail to see that one step beyond the precipice leads only one way: down.

Christians in our age fear the thought
that they cannot buy or sell unless the receive the mark. 
Their attempts to protect themselves lead them to specialize in acquiring
gold and food storage and ammo. 

I hate to break it to them
but when the End Time to beat all end times is upon us,
Christians can’t outlast it in their own strength,
with their own planning, or with their own stockpiles. 
There is no surviving this storm by having a secret stash.

What Christians truly need to survive is the seal of the Holy Spirit guaranteeing our inheritance.  Ephesians 1:13 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession– to the praise of his glory.”

This is where the mark of the beast is no joke–it’s a mark mockery of that God-given seal.  A mark is a seal of ownership either to the beast (bearing the mark of the beast) …or for those that refused it (empowered by the Holy Spirit’s seal, committing that they belong to God). There’s evil … there’s good … and there’s no place in between. No fence-sitting. No neutrality like Switzerland. You will have a mark. Which will it be?

Thoughts for today:

Revelation 13:18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.

Thinking about mimicry and mockery, in what way does the number of a man (666) display an evil trinity with 6 being one short of holy perfection? 

There’s mockery of the deliverance from slavery.  Exodus 13:3 “Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the LORD brought you out of it with a mighty hand….9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”

And a mockery of God and His Word. (See Deuteronomy 6, especially verse 13 “Fear the LORD your God, serve him only.) 

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2022 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.