The future is far from pretty . . . at least at first . . .

 

 

READ Revelation 11–14

Many people would like to know the future, mostly for personal planning and personal gain or to prepare themselves so they can deal with whatever happens next. Sometimes I plan my day and become frustrated with interruptions rather than expecting them.

God knows what tomorrow holds and hides most of it. Yet in the grand scheme of history, He does reveal the final chapters with a big-picture look at the events leading up to judgment. His revelation came to the Apostle John when he was exiled for his faith to the island of Patmos.

After telling John the state of affairs in seven churches, God takes him into glory where he sees a scroll that had been sealed. Those seven seals are opened, revealing the future. The last seal reveal seven angels blowing seven trumpets. The drama of John’s vision continues as the seventh trumpet releases three woes. The second woe involves two prophets with a powerful witness for Him, then are killed but not buried. They rise from the dead and are taken to heaven. Then a great earthquake destroys a tenth of the city where they had been and seven thousand people died.

As the seventh trumpet blew, loud voices in heaven said, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)

And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. (Revelation 11:16–19)

Then John saw visions of historical realities concerning the life of Christ and the opposition and downfall of Satan, calling him “the deceiver of the whole world . . . the accuser of our brothers . . . who accuses them day and night before our God.” Yet we “conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of (our) testimony” because we are willing to die for our faith. Yet this evil devil still attacks us “because he knows that his time is short!” (Revelation 12:9–12)

The passage goes on to talk about beasts and dragons who are allowed authority even though they blaspheme God. Those whose names are not in the book of life and who worship and follow these beasts face a horrible end. John also sees those who are redeemed, saved from the same fate.

Three angels follow, proclaiming the gospel, announcing the fall of Babylon, and pronouncing judgment on those who worship the beast. A voice and the Holy Spirit says:

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus . . . “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (Revelation 14:12–13)

After this, another angel calls to “one like a son of man” who has a sharp sickle to And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. And the “blood flowed . . . as high as a horse’s bridle” for about 184 miles. (Revelation 14:15–20)

There is more, but today’s reading ends with this bloody image of judgment and death. For some, it produces horror. For those of us who long for justice and evil to end, this produces a sense of rightness, even though we cringe at the scene and want the numbers of those who die reduced.

By that I mean my heart’s longing for hundreds, thousands, even millions of people to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and escape the horror of God’s wrath. Saying NO to Jesus puts people I know and love on a terrible slippery slope, as well as millions that are not personally known yet need to hear the Gospel and cross over to the bliss of knowing this: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1–2)