An eagle appears and indicates the progression is now to the inhabitants…mankind.  “As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!” (Revelation 8:13)

Revelation 9:1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.  2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.  3 And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth.  4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

I don’t know about you, but I’d really want to be one of those
with the seal on my forehead. These locusts are nasty.

Revelation 9:5 “They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes.”

Thought for today:

Surely God would not allow torture!  I know. It’s hard to understand.  What if this is a preview, a movie trailer, or a sample taste of what hell is going to be like? 

How does an anthropomorphic view (making a man) of God Almighty make torture seem unthinkable? 

When we overlay human views/sentiments over God’s, we are likely more than a few degrees off of true center.  God knows everything.  We know only in part.  We’re likely to be wrong in our judgments.  God never is.

A star falls and is given a key to the Abyss.  That’s the home of demons.

Like the torture God allowed of Job (by Satan importantly), there is limit (not allowed to kill) and the result is one wishing he could die and get it over with. Compare Job 6:8-9 “Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for, 9 that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut off my life!”  And “During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.” (Revelation 9:6)

Now might also be a good time to address “locusts” like horses with faces –the whole image is weird.  Professional theologians take thoughts of tanks and drones as being fantasy and dismiss this as missing the theological importance of John’s writing as it relates to persecution by Rome. Maybe I’m too simple, but I’m not ready to ignore that a first century John is trying to describe events that haven’t happened for us yet.  Imagine how hard it would be to describe technology you’ve never seen that blows your mind.  Do you think the locusts are actual locusts when they don’t eat plants?  It’s figurative in some sense, but in fighting over images, we lose the big picture: there is a legion of evil and the spiritual battle is real.  Some people will be casualties. War always does.

How is the authority over life and death connected to the authority to judge?  Read John 5:21-27.  ” For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. ” And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. (John 5:26-27)

I confess, I’m among those who wish for the Return of Christ.  Passages like this one disturb me for my loved ones.  What about you?

===

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 trumpets do not bring judgment, only herald it.  The angels do not inflict judgment on their own choice.  As created beings, they cannot be the source.  You see, it’s a holy war and only God has the authority to send judgment upon mankind.  Everything else is created by God and therefore has no authority in this holy war.  Creation must solely obey God who commissioned them.

Revelation 8: 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.   6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

And there came. “There came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.”  It repeats.  The first was in 4:5 when we entered the throne room and saw “From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder” (Revelation 4:5).  God is the source.  It’s here in 8:5, again in 11:19, and it is repeated one more time in 16:18-21.

That’s John’s Jewish background, his reluctance to mention God, or permit any man-like resemblance to God the Father.   But “there came” tells us the Almighty is the source.  It tells us that all the judgment is coming from the same divine holiness from 4:5—God’s holiness—which must judge evil. 

There is no other way to remain holy than to wage war against evil.  God can do no other.

The trumpets herald plagues that point the reader
toward the plagues upon Egypt
which became progressively more intense and dire: 
water turning to blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock pestilence, boils, hail, locusts,
darkness and finally, the killing of firstborn children.

Thunder from heaven.  Plagues like Egypt. 

Worth noting is that so far, the destruction announced by trumpet blasts, shofar of the holy war, harms only creation apart from mankind.  Humanity, the pinnacle of creation, is reserved for last.

The first 4 trumpets result in 1/3 level destruction.

Trumpet #1  Hail and fire mixed with blood, Result: 1/3 of the earth and trees were burned, and all the green grass.

Trumpet #2 Huge mountain ablaze thrown into the sea.  1/3 of sea became blood, 1/3 of sea creatures died, and 1/3 of the ships were destroyed.

Trumpet #3 Great star blazing like torch falling from sky.  Result 1/3 of rivers, springs of waters turned bitter.

Trumpet #4 Celestial events 1/3 of sun, moon, stars turned black.  1/3 day without light and 1/3 of night starless.

Then the 1/3 destruction notation pauses as an eagle appears and called to the earth’s inhabitants. 

“As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!” (Revelation 8:13)

To be continued…

Thought for today:

In the days of Moses in Egypt, the plagues only hardened Pharaoh’s heart.  What is served by having 1/3 of creation apart from man afflicted?

See Exodus 8:15,32; 9:12, 34; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:8

Why would God reserve the most severe of judgments, delaying until the last? 
In the flood, He reserved a remnant.  Why would destruction of man, wiping man off the face of the earth, be so grievous to God?

If you read the accounts in Exodus above you will see that Pharaoh hardened his own heart, but the Lord also hardened his heart.  How is that possible?

Think about that pattern of hardened hearts.  How does that inform that 1/3 destruction? 

===

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 shofar, or trumpet as it’s often translated, was sounded repeatedly in Scripture.  It was used for many reasons such as sounding an alarm, announcing a battle, engaging in spiritual warfare, honoring holy days like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, worshiping God, heralding the Return of Christ, and proclaiming Judgment to come.  Often it was associated with God’s victory, whether past, present, or anticipated.   What else would you expect from God, the Alpha and Omega, “who is and who was and who is to come” (Revelation 1:8)?

In Revelation, there are seven shofars or trumpets announcing 7 plagues.  They don’t get sounded until the seventh seal is broken.  I try to picture it like nested boxes or those matryoshka dolls where smaller ones are nested inside the bigger one.  Only the closer to the core of this nesting, the power is more destructive.  

Seals 1-6 have been opened and then heaven stands silent in holy awe upon the judgments about to be commissioned from the throne. 

Revelation 8:1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.  2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them…5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.   6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

I can’t say it any better than Richard Bauckham in his book “The Theology of the Book of Revelation”.  He writes,

“There are three series of judgments, the seven seal-openings…the seven trumpets…and the seven bowls.  As seven is the number of completeness, in some sense each series completes God’s judgment on the unrighteous world…
…The three series are so connected that the seventh seal-opening includes the seven trumpets and the seventh trumpet includes the seven bowls. Thus each series reaches the same end, but from starting points progressively closer to the end. This is why the three series of judgments are of progressive severity: the judgments…a quarter…a third… and those of the bowls are unlimited.” 

And evil, in the end, is utterly destroyed as a final act of divine judgment.

Thought for today:

The seventh seal has not been opened in our human timeline.  The seven trumpets have yet to sound. Are you ready for Judgment Day?

===

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.

Heaven is filled with praise of God. Scripture says, “Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” (Revelation 4:8). 

Praise never stops and no one minds the sound of praise because God is deserving of every bit and more.  Like a Dolby Atmos surround sound of heaven or the beat of our hearts, it’s with us, around us, and its rhythm and melody fill heaven’s sounds all the time. 

It’s always praise in the air. Constant. Joyous!  Except once.

There is one occasion when Heaven Stood Silent.

The Lamb of God (Jesus) who alone is worthy to open the seals has already opened 6 of them releasing the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, comforting the souls under the altar, and cosmic signs portending the End Time to beat all end times is upon them. 

Now, there is a final, seventh seal.  It was a solemn moment in which the prayers of God’s people are offered as a sacrifice to God and the final Judgment comes.  Grave, serious, ominous.  There will be no do-overs.  It’s the moment of dread that the unrepentant—in their unbelief—thought would never come.  Some had done genuine evil to those of faith.  Others just fools to be pitied, arrogantly believing they’d outsmarted God by diminishing His existence in their own minds.  It was a moment of such solemnity that heaven stood silent.

Revelation 8:1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.  3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. (Revelation 8:1-4)

Thought for today:

Where will you be when heaven stands silent?

===

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 7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.  2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:  3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 

4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel …

13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes–
who are they, and where did they come from?”

14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16 ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'” (Revelation 7:1-4, 13-17)

What is the Great Persecution…and how do the faithful ones survive it?

 It’s an unprecedented time, never to be repeated.

Matthew 24: 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 

It will be filled with liars and deceivers and false messiahs.

4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.  5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.

It will be filled with war, pestilence, natural disasters, and famine.

 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

It will be marked by widescale killing of Christians, enough so that some will fall away and turn on those who hold the faith.

 9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,  11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,

While liars lie, deceivers deceive, and haters gonna hate, there is hope for the one who perseveres by faith as Daniel did in Babylonian captivity. Jesus agrees.

 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.  14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel– let the reader understand– 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Daniel’s life tells us not to look back.  Hold onto your faith! Persevere.  Pray.

 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house.  18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now– and never to be equaled again.

It’s going to get very bad, but those who persevere in faith will overcome, keeping their eyes fixed on Christ Jesus who told us this would happen.

 22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

You’ll know it when you’re in it.  You’ll recognize His coming. He told us so.

 26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Thoughts from Revelation for today:

God’s angels are holding back the four winds until the time of destruction.  The 144,000 are sealed to preserve them from harm.  The Gospel will be preached and then, “He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” (Matthew 24:1-31) Be planning now to persevere if it happens in our lifetimes.  Not with food storage or ammo, but sealed with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God hidden in your heart so you can pray.

Revelation 7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.

Who are the 144,000?  Well, a sure sign of a cult is to claim, not only that you know exactly who they are, but that you’re among them.  Is it figurative?  I don’t know, but that’s the kind of detail that bogs down in a pixelated reading of Revelation.  The big picture is that salvation belongs to our God.

What do I know?  First, God knows if it is figurative language of completion or if there will be 144,000 Messianic Jews who are sealed and it’s before everything hits the fan.  Second, He knows who the 144,000 individuals are, even their Jewish lineage though it may have disappeared from human record-keeping.  Third, the point is they are sealed as servants of God and the harm will not befall them.  And fourth, John was Jewish, and it was his worldview through which he viewed everything.  Therefore, he may have had the same thing in mind as the Apostle Paul who was also Jewish. 

“If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.” (Romans 11:16) 

A portion, a remnant, representation has always been God’s way.  Adam sinned.  He represented all men into sin.  Jesus came to save sinners.  He represented all humanity into forgiveness by faith in His salvation.  Only a subset of world inhabitants survived the flood: Noah and his family.  Only a subset of residents of Egypt survived the Passover: the Jewish ones who obeyed God.  Only a subset of the Hebrew people entered the Promised Land: those who took God at His word.  Only a subset of humanity will ever be saved…not because that’s what God wants, but because that’s how people are. 

What does Scripture say?  “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

This 144,000 is divided out among the tribes of Israel into groups of 12,000, a number of completion and the elder specifically outlines 12 tribes of Israel.  I’m inclined to think he meant 12 tribes and specifically among Jews who are sealed.  God knows.  But after John sees that, what does he notice?  Not 144,000, but “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”  (Revelation 7:9-10)

Thoughts for today:

Is salvation limited to Gentiles?  Let me answer that.  NO.  Jewish people will be grafted back in. That’s what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 11 (specifically verses 5 and 25).  Salvation belongs to our God.

In what way does this 144,000 represent firstfruits of a multitude?

If the 144,000 are specifically Jews who were sealed before the Great Tribulation and the zoom forward in time shows more than 144,000 wearing white robes, how might that fulfill Isaiah 51 which speaks of a light to the nations or the light to the Gentiles as fruit of the ministry of the Servant and a restored remnant of Israel?

Or the prophecy of Simeon “My eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” (Luke 2:30-32)

What do all the white robes tell you about the number of people who will be persecuted in the end times?

Knowing what you know about doing laundry, is it possible by human effort alone to wash something white by washing it in blood?  What does that tell you about the picture of holiness and forgiveness by washing clean in the blood of the Lamb?

===

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.

“Each of the four living creatures had six wings
and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings.
Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne
and who lives for ever and ever, 
the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne
and worship Him who lives for ever and ever.

They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for You created all things,
and by Your will they were created and have their being.” 

Revelation 4:8-11

This year’s Lent Devotional Series “Revelation in 40” resumes tomorrow after today’s Sabbath rest to meditate and worship as they are presently doing in heaven.

On TV, one political figure was outlining all the terrible consequences that were about to befall the world.  My son sent me the video and quipped, “All that’s missing are the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.”  Indeed, they are legendary.

And scary as all get out.  They’re scary because together, they form the catalyst for all the destruction to follow.  The scroll’s seals are broken and with each one of the first four, the picture is made complete: judgment is beginning, and the horsemen are among those commissioned by God to do it.

Revelation 6:1 I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. 3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword. 5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” 7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

The four together engage in conquest as people kill each other,
famine and disease kill people
and even the animal world turns on mankind in a singular act of judgment. 
Even so, there’s only a 25% mortality rate.

But there are 3 seals left to go. 

Revelation 6:9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.

This appeal to God, “How long until You judge?” acts as a transition from faithful witness/ martyrdom of the first 6 chapters to the final two seals which release conflict—a battle against evil—and judgment to avenge the martyrs, just as God promised.

Thoughts for today:

Revelation 6:12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

There are times when God’s work is hidden, and times when it’s unmistakable and people finally get it.  In what ways do signs in the heavens and nature become a universal wakeup call?

Revelation 6:15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

The named people groups in verse 15 speak of elites.  How might these people have deluded themselves that their money or power made them safe from harm’s way?  

Everyone else, slave and free are in the same boat as the rich and without excuse for having rejected the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ.

No forewarning.  No getting ready to look one’s best.  No preparation for what was ahead.  Just a door standing open and a command to come on up.  Perhaps nothing could have prepared John for what he would see.

Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”  2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.

His was a glimpse into the very throne room of God.  Clearly, he writes as one grasping for visuals, any words to describe the indescribable.   Looked like.  Had the appearance of.  Eyes everywhere.

He sees God on the throne (which his Jewish background would have told him that you can’t see God and live).  Was his heart pounding?  The living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks!  Elders throw themselves on the ground in worship!  It’s like John is frozen by what he’s seeing.

A mighty angel appears and asks who will open the scroll?  But no one can.  John stands in stunned silence as the whole of his theology about the redemption and vindication of Israel hangs in the balance and all seems lost.  No one can! Unable to control his grief, he weeps.

Then he sees the Lamb of God, Christ Himself.  He is worthy.  Worship extends to the Lamb in a seven-fold echo sung by multitudes of everyone everywhere.  There is complete worship of Christ by all creatures He has made.

Thoughts for today:

Read Revelation 4-5. 

This final scroll would usher in judgment and the consolation of Israel.  The chosen people have been waiting for this a long time.  The thought that the scroll would remain sealed, and all his hopes dashed—it was too much for John.  How do you feel when your hopes are utterly destroyed?

How does this form a pivot of worship from God the Father to include worship of Jesus Christ? 

Read what it says about Jesus in Philippians 2:6-11, “9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

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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.

Continuing on, in Revelation 1:4-5, it is written, “John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.”

How simple is this!  It’s a letter with an address label.  To: 7 churches.  From: God the Father, (arguably to complete the Trinity and symbolized as perfect 7) the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ.  John is simply the commissioned scribe.

The contents of the letters to the 7 churches are being given to John.  “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.  The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” (Revelation 1:19-20)

What you have seen (past), what is now (present), and what will take place later (future).  Scripture is that way.  It’s history.  It’s instruction for today.  It’s prophecy.

Not completely a form letter to each of the 7 churches although they all follow a pattern, the contents can be found in Revelation 2:1-3:22.  Jesus walks among the churches and the angels are there, too.  Jesus sees what’s going on.  So, He sends—to varying degrees and personalization—His words of praise and encouragement, caution and warning, and words of displeasure and judgment. 

Thoughts for today:

Read aloud Revelation 2:1-3:22.

Jesus and His angels are among the churches today.  What do you think they see?  Faithful witnesses and persecuted believers?  People who are Sunday club churchgoers unless there’s football or basketball on TV, or a child’s sports league, or breakfast out, or a bike ride on a nice day?

If Jesus were to write a letter to your church, what would He write about its witness and perseverance?

Most of the churches among the 7 (which are thought to be actual churches of Asia Minor, BTW) had bad stuff going on.  There were two churches about which Jesus had only praise: Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-10) and Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13).  What can you learn about how to live from these two positive examples?  What cautions should we take from the rest of them? 

How many of them had work to do?  (Trick question).

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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.