Amazing Hope. . . .

So far, this has been a challenging week with concern for friends, odd health issues, spiritual lessons that seem impossible to learn and apply, interruptions to almost every task, and a long to-do list, meetings and appointments, and new information flying at me like angry wasps. I felt abandoned at times, like Jesus had other more important things to deal with and the battles were mine alone.

Today’s reading is like warm oil. It begins with: “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” (Revelation 22:4)

When John wrote of his experiences in exile, he saw a sealed scroll and was concerned that no one could open it and he began to weep. However. . . .  

One of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Then Jesus appeared between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, standing as a Lamb as though it had been slain. He took the scroll and the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before Him, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Then John heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders. These angels numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands. They said with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

Not only that, every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, were saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped. (Revelation 5:1–14)

The Bible does not tell us much about heaven, but this is awesome. I will have a clear vision of Christ. Everything which now hinders my sight of Him will be removed. My many sins, earthly cares and sorrows will be gone, and like the song that blesses me, there will be nothing between me and my Savior, nothing to rival Christ or distract me from all that is in Him.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:1–3)

This is full redemption — seeing the face of Jesus with all evil and every fleshy impulse totally eradicated. I long for that complete transformation when my will and heart are totally one with His will and heart. No more battles with sin. Total bliss.

PRAY: Jesus, thank You for such a wonderful hope, particularly when the days are long and filled with so much of the struggles that will not be in heaven. What a great blessing to know that when I at last see Your face, I will be perfectly satisfied. In the meantime, thank You also for the challenge to purify myself as You are pure, doing this by obedience to another truth from John: “If I confess my sins, You are faithful and just to forgive my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Truly, You are a worthy and awesome God.

Christ’s Inheritance

 

Today’s devotional begins with this truth: Since Jesus is the Son of God, He is the heir of all that God possesses, based on this verse: “In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” (Hebrews 1:2)

My Bible program has hundreds of books so I did a word search on “inheritance” and was surprised to find most of the hits were about our inheritance as God’s children and all we receive because God the Son died for us. Commentaries speak of what Christ inherits but I could not find any illustrations or quotes about that, only about what I inherit. I’m glad that MacArthur’s thoughts are not about God’s gift to us but first focus on His blessing on His Son. He begins by pointing to all that Jesus gave up when He came to earth:

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. (Luke 9:58)

Jesus had nothing for Himself. This Galilean carpenter was crucified like a common criminal, naked and bleeding on a cross outside the city of Jerusalem. Even His clothes were taken from Him when He died, and He was buried in a tomb that belonged to someone else. Yet He is King of kings and Lord of lords. How can that be? It is because He is the Son of God and heir of all that God possesses.

All that exists was created by Him and for Him: “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16) The OT predicted this would happen:

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. (Psalm 2:8)

And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. (Psalm 89:27)

And the NT backs this up: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15) The term “firstborn” is about legal rights including authority and inheritance.

This term shows that Christ will completely and eternally inherit all things. Yes, those who trust in Him will be joint heirs with Him and possess all that He possesses. His inheritance will be ours as well.

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

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:16–17)

PRAY: Jesus, the first thing, that You inherit all things and that all things are Yours is easy to understand. You are God the Son. The second thing, that I am a joint heir with You is mind blowing. I cannot wrap my mind around that, even though Your Spirit assures me that it is true. All I can grasp is that You died, and because of Your death, Your last will and testament makes me and all Your children Your heirs — yet You still retain ownership and authority over all that You bequeathed to us. How utterly amazing!

PONDER: Revelation 5:1–14 shouts that Jesus is “worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Revelation 11:15–18 declares, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 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.”

This too will be eternal joy for me and for all who trust in Him!

 

 

What on earth is going on?

Ezekiel 14:1–15:8, Revelation 5:1–14, Job 33:29–33

There are floods in the Carolinas, shootings in Oregon, bombing in Syria, massive pileups on freeways, our neighbor is suddenly killed, children have cancer, people are murdered, the world if filled with violence and sorrow. Many people refuse to trust God. “How can He allow all these things?”

In the OT, God brought disaster on His people to judge them for their sin. I cannot say this is the reason for the trials and struggles of today, but am comforted to read that one day I will see and understand what He is doing.

God was judging His people because of the seriousness of their sin. He pointed to three righteous men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, saying if they were there, they would be spared, but no one else. Then He told Ezekiel: “For thus says the Lord God: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast! But behold, some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out; behold, when they come out to you, and you see their ways and their deeds, you will be consoled for the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, for all that I have brought upon it. They will console you, when you see their ways and their deeds, and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, declares the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 14:21–23)

All that I can think from that is when it was all over, the prophet would understand because God would show him the seriousness of their sin. Again, the disasters of today may or may not be evidence of God’s wrath, but that is not my point. I am touched and relieved that God will make known the motivations and reasons behind things that happen. I don’t have a clue now, but someday He will show me.

Job’s young friend Elihu jumped the gun. He looked at the disasters that befell Job and figured the older man had sinned, was not confessing it, and God was disciplining him. He rashly said, “Behold, God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man, to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be lighted with the light of life. Pay attention, O Job, listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. If you have any words, answer me; speak, for I desire to justify you. If not, listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.” (Job 33:29–33)

God was not doing that at all. He was proving Job’s faith and had not shown even Job the reasons for his troubles, never mind showing it to his ‘friends.’ They had jumped to conclusions based on the idea that if life is going well, God is blessing us, but if not, He is angry at our sin. The point is, what does mere man know about the motivations of God?

In the Revelation of Jesus Christ, John wrote about being taken upward to see a vision of the Lord, seated on a throne holding “a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.” A mighty angel shouted, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”

No one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or see what was on it. John began to weep, but was told, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

John then saw “a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain” who “took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.” At that, those present sang a new song: “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:1–10)

They were joined by “myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands” angels who said, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

Then “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them” said, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.” (Revelation 5:11–14)

Reading these passages one after the other put my heart in an awesome place of submission to Almighty God. He hides what I do not need to know and reveals what I do need to know. This is not about what, where, when or even why. It is about Who — Who is in control, the One who makes no mistakes, the One who is worthy, the One whom I worship, not because I understand His working in the world, but because He has shown me enough about Himself that I can totally trust Him.