NT: “After this I heard something like the loud voice of a vast multitude in heaven, saying, Hallelujah! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God, because his judgments are true and righteous, because he has judged the notorious prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality; and he has avenged the blood of his servants that was on her hands. A second time they said, Hallelujah! Her smoke ascends forever and ever! Then the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who is seated on the throne, saying, Amen! Hallelujah! A voice came from the throne, saying, Praise our God, all his servants, and the ones who fear him, both small and great! Then I heard something like the voice of a vast multitude, like the sound of cascading waters, and like the rumbling of loud thunder, saying, Hallelujah, because our Lord God, the Almighty, reigns! Let us be glad, rejoice, and give him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself. She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure. For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These words of God are true.” Then I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters who hold firmly to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭19:1-10‬ ‭CSB)

At the essence of the human systems of the world is lust and pride. The father of lust and pride is Satan himself. All that Satan has inspired and empowered is fueled by lust and pride. Lust and pride are not fruitful. Lust and pride do not create life. They can only feed off of life – like an evil parasite gorging on the life of its host – producing emptiness and death. Lust and pride, left to its own devices will eventually cannibalize all its resources and destroy itself – which is exactly what happened in John’s vision. With no more earthly resources to use and abuse, Satan and his beast destroyed the systems of the world themselves and devoured them.

At the final destruction of the lust-and-pride-fueled systems that waged war against the righteous purposes of God, all of heaven rejoiced. Heaven did not rejoice over the atrocities that occurred that brought about Babylon’s fall. Heaven rejoiced that justice was finally served and that God’s righteousness would now rule and reign over the earth. The blood of the servants of God was avenged. The Lord God, who rules in omnipotence in heaven would now rule and reign unhindered over the affairs of the earth.

At the sound of the last trumpet, Christ claimed His bride (the church) from the earth and carried her to His Father’s house to prepare for their wedding. As the earth was self-destructing, the church stood before the judgement seat of Christ and was made ready for her wedding day. The time had now come. The bride was fully clothed in the righteous acts of the saints and the evil systems of the world had been destroyed. The Bridegroom could now marry His bride and claim His inheritance.

John had waited in hope all his life for this day. He had witnessed the horrible crucifixion of His Lord. He had experienced incredible loss as all of his partners in the faith – the other eleven disciples were martyred. He had seen his brothers and sisters in the Lord undergo intense persecution. He himself had been tortured, survived, and then exiled on an island in the Mediterranean. As he saw all of his hopes fulfilled before his eyes, he was so overcome by joy and gratitude that he fell down and worshiped the messenger that had delivered the good news. However, it is not the messenger that should be worshiped, nor is it the message itself. True prophecy does not lift up the messenger. True prophecy involves a messenger and a message that exalts and glorifies Christ. Hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns… and He shall reign forever and ever. Hallelujah!

Psalms: “Hallelujah! How good it is to sing to our God, for praise is pleasant and lovely. The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem; he gathers Israel’s exiled people. He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; he gives names to all of them. Our Lord is great, vast in power; his understanding is infinite. The Lord helps the oppressed but brings the wicked to the ground… He is not impressed by the strength of a horse; he does not value the power of a warrior. The Lord values those who fear him, those who put their hope in his faithful love.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭147:1-6, 10-11‬ ‭CSB)

Hallelujah means praise the Lord. It is halal to Yah. Halal is a Hebrew word that describes a loud, raucous, fanatical celebration. Yah is a short form of Yahweh (YHWH), the name of the Lord God. Hallelujah is not a quiet, subdued and respectful pronouncement of God’s goodness. It is a loud celebratory roar over God’s victorious exploits. If soccer fans (futbol fans to the rest of the world) can scream at the top of their lungs when a goal is scored, how much more should we the people of God, lift up a roar of praise to our Lord and Savior for all that He has accomplished and won?

The psalmist wrote that loud celebratory praise is pleasant and lovely. Not only that, it is completely appropriate. Our God is omnipotent… He is all powerful… beyond our understanding. In His omnipotence, He heals the broken-hearted, helps the oppressed, and brings the wicked to justice. In His omnipotence, He is not impressed with any strength or power that we may have… or any strength or power that His enemies may have, for that matter. The Lord values those who set aside their own strength and power to place their faith, trust, honor and hope fully on Him. One of the ways we express our trust, faith, honor and hope in the Lord is by shouting Hallelujah with abandon.

Prayer: Lord, You are omnipotent. You are all-powerful. You are also all-good and righteous. I am so thankful that it is You who will stand as the victorious King over all. What a glorious day that will be when Your righteousness is finally allowed to fully rule and reign. Until then, I place my trust, my faith, my honor, my respect and my hope fully on You. Rule and reign over all my life as my Lord and King and fill my life with Your righteousness. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any longer —  cargo of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; all kinds of fragrant wood products; objects of ivory; objects of expensive wood, brass, iron, and marble; cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; wine, olive oil, fine flour, and grain; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and slaves — human lives. The fruit you craved has left you. All your splendid and glamorous things are gone; they will never find them again. The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls; for in a single hour such fabulous wealth was destroyed! And every shipmaster, seafarer, the sailors, and all who do business by sea, stood far off as they watched the smoke from her burning and kept crying out, “Who was like the great city?” They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning, Woe, woe, the great city, where all those who have ships on the sea became rich from her wealth; for in a single hour she was destroyed. Rejoice over her, heaven, and you saints, apostles, and prophets, because God has pronounced on her the judgment she passed on you! Then a mighty angel picked up a stone like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, In this way, Babylon the great city will be thrown down violently and never be found again. The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters will never be heard in you again; no craftsman of any trade will ever be found in you again; the sound of a mill will never be heard in you again; the light of a lamp will never shine in you again; and the voice of a groom and bride will never be heard in you again. All this will happen because your merchants were the nobility of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. In her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all those slaughtered on the earth.” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭18:11-24‬ ‭CSB)

In John’s revelatory vision, as Babylon fell, the merchants, shipmasters and sailors of the world wept loudly and mourned over her demise. They didn’t mourn because they cared that much for Babylon. They wept and mourned for their own material loss. It didn’t matter to them that Babylon was a hot bed of illicit, immoral and downright evil activity. All that mattered to them was the money that lined their pockets as they did business with the city.

In the early 1990s, the US was experiencing an economic recession under the leadership of President George H W Bush. A young and unknown Governor from the state of Arkansas, named Bill Clinton, was running for President. One of his advisors made a quip, “It’s the economy, stupid,” that became the mantra for the Clinton campaign. Clinton won the presidency, and his first year in office was fraught with scandals and blatant immorality. However, Clinton won a second term because that phrase ended up being true. The American people didn’t care that Clinton had acted disrespectfully in office. All they cared about was that the economy was good and they were doing well financially. That unfortunate truth about American society became evident during the Trump presidency as well. People who normally stood for morally impeccable character in a president, looked the other way when Trump came on the scene because he promised and delivered a bustling economy.

Desiring a good economy is not wrong. In fact, God promises a good and fruitful economy to those who trust in Him and walk in His ways. However, when you make prosperity and financial gain your top priority, and compromise righteousness for wealth – that is selfish and evil at its core. If your hope, joy, and satisfaction is found in a bustling economy, then ultimately you will find yourself weeping and mourning over the loss of all that brought happiness to your life. James 1:17 states that every good and perfect gift comes from above and originates from the Father of Lights. The only reason we have anything good in this worldly life to enjoy is because God provided it. If we end up worshipping the gifts and reject the Giver, then eventually the Giver will sever us from His presence and the gifts will be lost. That is what John saw occurring over the face of the earth as Babylon met its ultimate demise. However, if we seek first the Giver and grow to be content in Him, then the glorious gifts that He gives will never be taken away.

Psalms: “Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them. He remains faithful forever, executing justice for the exploited and giving food to the hungry. The Lord frees prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord raises up those who are oppressed. The Lord loves the righteous. The Lord protects resident aliens and helps the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. The Lord reigns forever; Zion, your God reigns for all generations. Hallelujah!” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭146:5-10‬ ‭CSB)

True and lasting happiness and blessing does not come from a vibrant economy. True and lasting happiness and blessing comes to those whose hope is in the Lord. He remains faithful forever, and His economy never fails. Instead of exploiting the weak, needy and outcast of the world, He executes justice for them and raises them up from their oppression. He ultimately frustrates the ways of the wicked and eternally blesses those who follow His word, will and ways. God is the Maker of heaven and earth. His resources and ability to create and produce never come to an end. Don’t place your hope and trust in the economy. Place your hope and trust in the Lord God. Content yourself in what He gives and provides – and you will live in true and lasting happiness.

Prayer: Lord, You are the source and giver of all good things. You are never in lack and Your economy is never in danger of failing. I thank You that You provide everlasting blessing and happiness to me as I place and keep my faith and hope in You. Help me to not become more enamored by the gifts You give than I am enamored and full of love for You. Help me to not take my prosperity, well-being and satisfaction into my own hands – but to always satisfy myself in You and the blessings You provide. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “After this I saw another angel with great authority coming down from heaven, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. He called out in a mighty voice: It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen! She has become a home for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, and a haunt for every unclean and despicable beast. For all the nations have drunk the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath. The kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from her sensuality and excess. Then I heard another voice from heaven: Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins or receive any of her plagues. For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Pay her back the way she also paid, and double it according to her works. In the cup in which she mixed, mix a double portion for her. As much as she glorified herself and indulged her sensual and excessive ways, give her that much torment and grief. For she says in her heart, “I sit as a queen; I am not a widow, and I will never see grief.” For this reason her plagues will come in just one day — death and grief and famine. She will be burned up with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is mighty. The kings of the earth who have committed sexual immorality and shared her sensual and excessive ways will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke from her burning. They will stand far off in fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city! For in a single hour your judgment has come.” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭18:1-10‬ ‭CSB)

The three arenas of warfare for the living believer and follower of Christ are the world, the flesh and the devil. The flesh refers to our own corruptible mortal bodies in which we must live until we either die, or we are caught up to meet the Lord in the sky. Babylon is symbolic of the second enemy that we wage war against: the world.

Babylon was an actual ancient city that grew in power and ultimately became a powerful empire that ruled over the known world. We can find the beginnings of Babylon in Genesis 10. Babylon of old was founded by Nimrod, a descendant of Noah’s son Ham. It was in this ancient city where it’s population said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let’s make a name for ourselves… (Genesis 11:4)” Therefore, Babylon became symbolic of mankind’s rebellion against God and all of humanity’s efforts and systems deployed over the ages to “make a name for itself.” All-in-all, Babylon is the symbol of independent sinful humanity and its capacity for self-delusion, ambition, sinful pride and depravity. It is the world culture in rebellion against the word, will and ways of the Lord. John would later write in 1 John 2:16 that ultimately everything in the world boils down to lust and pride: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

In Revelation 17, it was revealed that Babylon, the great harlot – the humanistic systems of the world, were undergirded by the beast – the Antichrist, and ultimately by the dragon – Satan himself. Our desire for self-governance, for independence, to become self-made, to rise to power and influence through our own efforts, to make a name for ourselves – all of that is ultimately anti-Christ and a device of Satan to lure us away from the worship and dependence of God. In Revelation 17:16, it was revealed that Satan and his beast merely used humanity’s attempt at self-exultation as a ruse for his own purposes… that in actuality, he hated everything about humanity and its systems – and when the world’s usefulness was spent, Satan and his beast devoured the systems of the world and burned them with fire.

Babylon, by design, is a flawed and ultimately failed system. At best, it is mortal and short-sighted in its scope. At it’s worst, it is selfish, self-absorbed and cannibalistic. It will never last. Yet, it is amazing how committed people are to a failed system rather than committing themselves to a way and a kingdom that will last for eternity. We see this played out in a small way with how committed some are to socialism and communism. Those two ‘isms’ in their purest form are fatally flawed and have never proven to be successful, yet time and time again, people believe that if they give it one more chance… if they do it right this time, it will succeed. Ultimately all ‘isms’ (capitalism included) are flawed and will ultimately fail, yet we put our faith in them instead of the God who will never fail.

In its fall, the angel declared that Babylon had become a home for demons and a haunt (prison or cage) for foul spirits and everything unclean. Hell is the home of demons and Gehenna will be the eternal prison for all that is unclean. Therefore, in its eventual collapse, the systems of the world will become a literal hell on earth. The call that went out, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins or receive any of her plagues,” is a call that has reverberated through the pages of scripture for millennia. Though we are called to live in the world for a time, we are also instructed to not be of the world. In light of this revelation, a question to ask ourselves is this: How much trust do we place in the world? Do we trust ‘isms’ more than we trust the word, will and ways of God? Are we more focused on making a name for ourselves than glorifying the name of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ? When we exalt ourselves, we ultimately will be humiliated. If we humble ourselves, the Lord Himself will exalt us. People of God, come out of Babylon and place your lives in the hands of Christ.

Prayer: Lord I thank You that You are the King of a kingdom that will never fail. Your ways are founded on truth and righteousness, and they will prevail and endure for eternity. It can be easy to fix my eyes on the things of this world instead of the eternal things of heaven. Help me, in everything, to be heavenly-minded – to build up treasure in heaven instead of accumulating wealth, influence and prominence on earth. If I am to be exalted, may You be the one doing the exalting and not myself. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The bow of war will be removed, and he will proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion will extend from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.” (‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭9:9-10‬ ‭CSB)

Centuries before Zechariah was alive, Isaiah prophesied these words: “Look, the Lord has proclaimed to the ends of the earth, “Say to Daughter Zion: Look, your salvation is coming, his wages are with him, and his reward accompanies him.” And they will be called the Holy People, the Lord’s Redeemed; and you will be called Cared For, A City Not Deserted (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭62:11-12).” God gave Zechariah more details to further refine the words He spoke through Isaiah. The long awaited salvation of God’s people would come in the form of a righteous and victorious King. However, that king would not come on a high and mighty steed… at least not at first. He would come humbly, riding on a young donkey.

Centuries after Zechariah shared his vision and gave his words of prophecy, Jesus entered Jerusalem, riding on a young donkey. The account is recorded in the gospel of Matthew 21:1-11. John also wrote about Jesus’ fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy in John 12:12-15. John went on to say in verse 16, that while those things were happening, they had no idea – it never crossed their minds that Jesus was fulfilling prophecy. It wasn’t until after Jesus was resurrected and ascended into heaven that they realized that Zechariah’s prophecy had been fulfilled through Christ. In fact, that was the case with most of the messianic prophecies written in the law, the prophets and the psalms. It wasn’t until the resurrected Jesus opened their minds (Luke 24:45) and the Holy Spirit was given to lead them into all truth, that they finally saw and understood. That is often the case with Biblical prophecy. We don’t recognize fulfillment until afterwards, as we look back with the clarity of hindsight and the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

Not all of Zechariah’s prophecy in 9:9-10 was fulfilled in Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Zechariah 9:9-10 is an example of “prophetic compression,” where two or more stages of fulfillment are mentioned in one prophecy. The first part of this prophecy declared in verse 9 was fulfilled at Christ’s first coming. The rest of this prophecy – the part described in verse 10 – will not fully be realized until Christ comes again. Then, at the end of this age, Christ will come again as the Victorious King. At that coming, all the enemies of Christ and His people will be utterly destroyed, and He will establish His everlasting dominion, centered and starting from the New Jerusalem, and extending to the ends of the earth. As believers in Christ and faithful followers of Jesus, we can say that our King has indeed come and won the battle over sin… but He is most definitely coming again to bring the fullness of His righteousness and justice to bear on the earth forever. That future inevitability is our present hope, joy and peace.

Psalms: “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful love. The Lord is good to everyone; his compassion rests on all he has made. All you have made will thank you, Lord; the faithful will bless you. They will speak of the glory of your kingdom and will declare your might, informing all people of your mighty acts and of the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; your rule is for all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words and gracious in all his actions. The Lord helps all who fall; he raises up all who are oppressed. All eyes look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all his acts. The Lord is near all who call out to him, all who call out to him with integrity. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry for help and saves them. The Lord guards all those who love him, but he destroys all the wicked. My mouth will declare the Lord’s praise; let every living thing bless his holy name forever and ever.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭145:8-21‬ ‭CSB)

This promised King who has come and is coming again… what is He like? David described Him in this psalm that has been passed down from generation to generation over the millennia. “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful love. The Lord is good to everyone; His compassion rests on all He has made.” In fact, it is because of this mercy, faithful love and compassion that so much time has transpired from His first coming to His second. The word of God says that the Father has delayed Christ’s second coming because it is His desire that all would be saved. The gospel message must be preached to every nation, language and people group on the earth before the Father will be ready to bring an end to this age. All who call on the Lord in faith will be saved. All who love Him by keeping His words in faith-filled and loving obedience will be preserved, protected and provided for. And as we have seen in our daily reading from Revelation, all who remain committed to wickedness will eventually be destroyed. So, as David proclaimed thousands of years ago: “Let every living thing bless His holy name forever and ever!”

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful love. I thank You that in Your first coming, You did not come as a victorious and vengeful king, but you came as a lowly servant riding on a donkey. I thank You, that through Your compassion and faithful love, You gave your life for me while I was still a sinner and an enemy of God. Because of that, I am now Your sanctified son through faith in Your Only Begotten Son. And now, I look forward to Your second victorious coming when all will be made right and peace will rule the world. Until that day, help me get Your glorious message of good news to all who will hear – that they may be saved as well. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me: “Come, I will show you the judgment of the notorious prostitute who is seated on many waters. The kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and those who live on the earth became drunk on the wine of her sexual immorality.” Then he carried me away in the Spirit to a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls. She had a golden cup in her hand filled with everything detestable and with the impurities of her prostitution. On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Detestable Things of the Earth. Then I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭17:1-6‬ ‭CSB)

God’s final judgement on the world was revealed to John from different perspectives. The first was a high-level perspective, shown to him as a reaping of the earth. The second perspective was mid-level, shown to him through the pouring out of seven bowls of wrath. With Revelation 17 begins a detailed, ground-level description of the final defeat of the enemies of God and His people.

In his vision, John is carried away into the wilderness where he is able to view the final days of a notorious prostitute with whom all the nations of the world were involved with. Written on the forehead of the prostitute was her identity: Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and the Detestable Things of the Earth. Babylon’s history goes all the way back to the ancient city of Babel, where humanity became so confident in their abilities, that they attempted to build a tower to reach God. Babylon is therefore symbolic of all human-made systems and institutions that seek to remove the need for dependence on God. Those systems include the man-made religious systems, economic systems, governmental and political systems of the world. It is amazing, especially in the days we live in, to see how ready and willing people are to jettison their reliance and submission to the Lord God for the flawed and often failed systems of the world.

Undergirding the prostitute was the beast – also known as the Antichrist. Ultimately behind the rejection of God for the systems of the world is the antichrist spirit birthed from the lies and deception of Satan. Further reading of the book of Revelation will reveal that Satan has no loyalty or affinity for the lures of Babylon – he simply uses them as a ruse to lure people away from the worship of God in order to worship him.

Psalms: “I exalt you, my God the King, and bless your name forever and ever. I will bless you every day; I will praise your name forever and ever. The Lord is great and is highly praised; his greatness is unsearchable. One generation will declare your works to the next and will proclaim your mighty acts. I will speak of your splendor and glorious majesty and your wondrous works. They will proclaim the power of your awe-inspiring acts, and I will declare your greatness. They will give a testimony of your great goodness and will joyfully sing of your righteousness.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭145:1-7‬ ‭CSB)

Surrounding, and often infiltrating the nation of Israel were the pagan, human-based and Satan-inspired religious and political systems of the world. Israel stood as a lone beacon of truth and light in a world filled with deception and darkness. David was not willing to give in to or compromise with the pagan worship that surrounded him. He boldly stated, “I exalt You, my God the King… I bless Your name forever and ever…. Every day, I will bless you and praise Your name – the great and unsearchable God.” However, David knew that the worship and praise of God could not start and end with him. For Israel to ever fulfill its calling and purpose, the worship of the living Lord God must far outlive him.

The enemy of our souls never stops in his quest to rob worship from God. He never stops with his lies and deception to lure people away from the God of life, and trap them in dead-end self-reliance and idol worship. At any given point in time, we are always one generation away from becoming a godless society. Therefore, not only was it David’s goal to lift up praise to God; it’s was his goal to proclaim the praises of God to the next generations. He was not willing to allow the exploits and goodness of God to merely become the things of myth and legend. Each generation needed to have a living testimony of God’s goodness and faithfulness to continue the prophetic call that was on God’s people. The same is true for us. It isn’t enough for us to have a faith in God. We must pass down our faith and the praise of the Living God and His Christ to the generations that come after us – so that they will not fall to Satan’s schemes and become clientele of the systems of Babylon.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for Your love, mercy, and great faithfulness to me. You are my God and King and I will praise You. However, it is not enough for your worship and praise to start and end with me. Help me to put priority in proclaiming Your praises to the generations to come. May the authentic praise and worship of Father God and the Lord Jesus Christ be my legacy to those who come after me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

NT: “The sixth 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. Then I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming from the dragon’s mouth, from the beast’s mouth, and from the mouth of the false prophet. For they are demonic spirits performing signs, who travel to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for the battle on the great day of God, the Almighty. “Look, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who is alert and remains clothed so that he may not go around naked and people see his shame.” So they assembled the kings at the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. Then the seventh poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done!” There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder. And a severe earthquake occurred like no other since people have been on the earth, so great was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the Great was remembered in God’s presence; he gave her the cup filled with the wine of his fierce anger. Every island fled, and the mountains disappeared. Enormous hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell from the sky on people, and they blasphemed God for the plague of hail because that plague was extremely severe.” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭16:12-21‬ ‭CSB)

When the sixth bowl of wrath was poured out, the Euphrates river completely dried up, removing a natural barrier for Israel and providing a way for an army to assemble and invade the land. Influenced and motivated by foul demonic spirits from the Satanic trinity, the remaining kings and people left alive on the earth gathered for battle against the Lord and His people. As the world-wide army gathered, a voice thundered from the throne of God, declaring, “It is done!” The Devil, in all his arrogance and pride, along with all those who, knowingly or not, lived their lives submitted to his evil ways would experience utter defeat and destruction – beginning with a world-wide cataclysmic earthquake that shook the entire planet to its core.

Psalms: “God, I will sing a new song to you; I will play on a ten-stringed harp for you  — the one who gives victory to kings, who frees his servant David from the deadly sword. Set me free and rescue me from foreigners whose mouths speak lies, whose right hands are deceptive. Then our sons will be like plants nurtured in their youth, our daughters, like corner pillars that are carved in the palace style. Our storehouses will be full, supplying all kinds of produce; our flocks will increase by thousands and tens of thousands in our open fields. Our cattle will be well fed. There will be no breach in the walls, no going into captivity, and no cry of lament in our public squares. Happy are the people with such blessings. Happy are the people whose God is the Lord.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭144:9-15‬ ‭CSB)

At the beginning of this psalm, David declared that it was the Lord God who trained his hands for battle and his fingers for warfare. Then David went on to say, “God, I will sing a new song to You…” One of the ways that David waged effective warfare against his enemies was through worship. Though the singing and playing of music is one of the ways we express worship to the Lord, worship itself goes far beyond just singing songs and playing instruments. Our songs and music, in order to be worship, must express the heart and posture of worship. Worship is an attitude and posture of humility, adoration, exultation, faith and trust. By saying that God is the one who gives victory to kings… that God is the one who frees His servants from death, David was expressing an attitude of humility, praise, faith and trust. It was through his worship of God that David found ultimate victory.

Yes, David did experience military victories over his physical enemies – but the greater victory that David experienced was against his spiritual enemies that desired to ensnare him in paralyzing fear and anxiety, compromise, disobedience and unfaithfulness. It was because David won the war against his spiritual enemies that he was able to confidently go to war and defeat his physical enemies. When we live our lives in worship to the Lord God, we no longer have to fear or worry – because the Lord Himself preserves us, provides for us, and blesses us with everything we need for a prosperous and satisfying life. Will our lives always be easy? No. But our lives will be supplied with sufficient grace, and through the Lord we will live abundantly and be at peace.

As we see in Revelation, the ultimate winners and losers are not determined by might or strength. The ultimate winners and losers are determined by who you worship. There are many battles that we face in life – some that we win and some that we lose. But the ultimate war is won through faithfully worshipping the Lord God and submitting yourself to His word, will and ways. By doing that, even if we lose battles, we will always be victorious in Christ.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You are the victorious King. The war has already been decided, and You are the overwhelming winner. You have conquered and You will ultimately conquer all Your enemies. I take courage knowing that as I remain in You faith expressed through and attitude and posture of worship, I too will stand victorious over my true enemies – in this life and the life to come. Help me to keep that truth and hope ever before my eyes as I follow You in faith. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.” The first went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and severely painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped its image. The second poured out his bowl into the sea. It turned to blood like that of a dead person, and all life in the sea died. The third poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. I heard the angel of the waters say, You are just, the Holy One, who is and who was, because you have passed judgment on these things. Because they poured out the blood of the saints and the prophets, you have given them blood to drink; they deserve it! I heard the altar say, Yes, Lord God, the Almighty, true and just are your judgments. The fourth poured out his bowl on the sun. It was allowed to scorch people with fire, and people were scorched by the intense heat. So they blasphemed the name of God, who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory. The fifth poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues because of their pain and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they did not repent of their works.” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭16:1-11‬ ‭CSB)

The sin, evil and unrighteousness in the world had fully ripened, the redeemed in the Lord had been caught up into heaven, and the just and due time for the wrath and vindication of God had come. In rapid succession, the seven holy angels of God poured out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth. The first bowl plagued the entire remaining population of the world with painful and torturous sores that covered their bodies. The second bowl turned all the oceans and seas of the world into blood, killing all remaining sea life. The third bowl tuned all of the freshwater resources of the earth into blood, leaving nothing on the earth to drink. That was a just punishment for all that the enemies of God had done to the righteous people of God – the martyrs who were gathered around the altar of incense all agreed that the punishment was deserved. The fourth bowl brought a scorching sun to an earth with no drinkable water, and the fifth bowl brought complete darkness to the kingdom of the beast. Instead of recognizing the greatness and worthiness of the Lord God, the remaining people of the earth – those who repeatedly rejected opportunity after opportunity to repent – blasphemed God and languished in their inconsolable suffering. Many times, people joke about hell being a party – but being separated completely from the mercy and goodness of God, and being subjected to the fullness of His wrath is far from fun and enjoyable. I would not wish that on anybody.

Psalms: “Blessed be the Lord, my rock who trains my hands for battle and my fingers for warfare. He is my faithful love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him; he subdues my people under me. Lord, what is a human that you care for him, a son of man that you think of him? A human is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. Lord, part your heavens and come down. Touch the mountains, and they will smoke. Flash your lightning and scatter the foe; shoot your arrows and rout them. Reach down from on high; rescue me from deep water, and set me free from the grasp of foreigners whose mouths speak lies, whose right hands are deceptive. God, I will sing a new song to you; I will play on a ten-stringed harp for you  — the one who gives victory to kings, who frees his servant David from the deadly sword. Set me free and rescue me from foreigners whose mouths speak lies, whose right hands are deceptive.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭144:1-11‬ ‭CSB)

David was a victorious king in battle, over and over, time after time winning battles and wars over his enemies and those who stood against the word, will and ways of the Lord God. Though David was successful, he didn’t attribute his success to his own strength, skill and strategies. He was nothing but a lowly and outcast shepherd. God was the one who called him from the sheep fields, anointed him, trained him and led him to be the first king of a united Israel. It was God who preserved him. It was God who protected him. It was God who provided for him. It was God who united the twelve tribes of Israel together under his kingship. God was David’s rock… God was the firm and unshakable foundation under David’s feet… God was the source of David’s success.

Some have suggested that this psalm may have been used in the training of Israel’s troops. When training to engage in war with the enemy, it is key to learn and remember that true victory does not come from military strength, might, or skill, but through the favor and grace of the Lord. In the New Testament, we are taught that our true enemies are not flesh and blood, but are spiritual. Our physical strength and determination will not and can not assure us victory over those enemies. How much more, then, must we put on the armor that God has provided for us through faith in Christ, and trust our victory to Him as we submit ourselves through worship to His Lordship.

David knew with the Lord God fighting the battles, his enemies wouldn’t stand a chance. God merely had to touch the mountains, and they would smoke, God merely had to flash His lightning and the enemies would scatter. No one stood a chance against the Mighty God. As we see in Revelation, God will – when the time has fully come –  become completely and utterly victorious over His enemies… and those who are faithful to the Lord will be saved and avenged. Will we make the Lord our rock, or will we suffer the fate of His enemies?

Prayer: Lord, You are my rock, my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. I thank You that You train me for battle. You provide me with truth, righteousness, faith and the gospel of salvation to protect me from the onslaughts of the enemy. You provide me with powerful weapons for the pulling down of strongholds. You give me precise words from Your word that disables and dispatches the enemy’s taunts and lies. Grace me through faith in You to be victorious over my enemies now and one day stand with you in ultimate victory at the end of the age. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Psalms: “Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails. Don’t hide your face from me, or I will be like those going down to the Pit. Let me experience your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in you. Reveal to me the way I should go because I appeal to you. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I come to you for protection. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me on level ground. For your name’s sake, Lord, let me live. In your righteousness deliver me from trouble, and in your faithful love destroy my enemies. Wipe out all those who attack me, for I am your servant.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭143:7-12‬ ‭CSB)

The United States has been under the oppressive weight of a global pandemic for nearly 22 months. Other parts of the world have been under that weight even longer. What many thought would only last a few months has lasted almost two years. Beyond the pandemic is the economic and political instability and uncertainty that has ensued. Everyone, regardless of what side of the political spectrum they stand in, feel like they have been lied to in some way. We’ve gone from forced shutdowns, to mask mandates, to vaccine mandates – none of which has brought an end to the threat as promised. People are getting weary and stretched thin. Patience has long been exhausted, and trust in others is at an all-time low. Tempers are flaring. Looting is occurring in cities around the nation. Supplies are dwindling and prices are rising.

This past month, my daily reading has brought me to the book of Revelation and the prophetic visions John had of a time of great tribulation. The seal judgements, the trumpet judgements, and finally the bowl judgement. Tribulations come both to the righteous and the unrighteous alike – because of the ongoing presence in the world of sin. Much like a virus that refuses to die and keeps mutating, so sin lives on in the world – and nothing we do in our own strength, understanding, or skill can do anything to get rid of it. One thing the tribulation does is separate the righteous from the unrighteous, the godly from the ungodly, those who fully trust in God from those who trust in themselves and other man-made institutions. Before the pandemic hit, the Lord gave my pastor a word. He said that the world would soon be humbled, and in that humbling, things would be brought out in the light and exposed for what they truly were. There would be things that would be exposed as good and true, and other things that would be exposed as sinful, carnal, worldly and the like. For those things that were good, turn them to praise. For the other, the opportunity would be there to confess, repent and return to righteousness.

King David went through many challenging times in his life. Instead of growing bitter and resentful, he allowed the challenges to expose things in His life and then repent – placing his life in the hands of the Lord. This psalm was written during one of those times. This psalm is often categorized as a penitential psalm because of David’s penitent language in the midst of his lamenting. David wanted to make sure that his trial would used effectively in his life to grow him, mature him, and draw him even closer to the Lord that he loved and trusted. In his prayer, he asked God to not abandon him, but to answer him… answer him with His presence… answer him with His faithful love… answer him with His wisdom and direction… answer him by teaching him His ways… answer him by leading him out of trouble and into peace. David knew that if he took matters in his own hands he would not experience the deliverance he needed and desired. Therefore, he humbly placed his life in the Lord’s hands and trusted Him for deliverance… and God undoubtedly heard his cry and answered his prayer.

Have we allowed these 22 months to work effectively in us, exposing what is good and what is not, praising the Lord for the good and repenting from where we are wrong? This time of tribulation is separating the godly from the ungodly. It is highlighting those who truly walk in faith and obedience to the word, will and ways of the Lord from those who merely say they do but ultimately trust in themselves. What side of the line do you fall? The opportunity to repent is still open. Like David, pray to the Lord and ask Him to reveal the way you should go. Ask Him to teach you His ways. Ask him to lead you from error into righteousness. He will answer you, and in the midst of this oppressive pandemic, He will give you peace.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that when I humble myself, place my trust in You, and ask according to Your will, You hear me and answer me. Even in the midst of trying times – especially in the midst of trying times, when I place my trust fully in You, You answer me, teach me, and lead me. Help me to not ignore the things You expose in me, but confess them, repent of them, and allow You to cleanse me of them and make me more into Your image. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “The word of the Lord came to me: “Take an offering from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go that same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. Take silver and gold, make a crown, and place it on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. You are to tell him: This is what the Lord of Armies says: Here is a man whose name is Branch; he will branch out from his place and build the Lord’s temple. Yes, he will build the Lord’s temple; he will bear royal splendor and will sit on his throne and rule. There will be a priest on his throne, and there will be peaceful counsel between the two of them. The crown will reside in the Lord’s temple as a memorial to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen son of Zephaniah. People who are far off will come and build the Lord’s temple, and you will know that the Lord of Armies has sent me to you. This will happen when you fully obey the Lord your God.”” (‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭6:9-15‬ ‭CSB)

The word of the Lord came to Zechariah to gather silver and gold from some of the exiles, and use it to construct a crown for Joshua the High Priest. That was an unusual directive because priests wore turbans. They didn’t wear crowns, which symbolized the authority of a king. The Lord was doing more in His directive than just crowning Joshua. He was painting a prophetic picture of what was to come.

Zerubbabel and Joshua were providing leadership for the building of the new temple. However, there would come a day when a Branch would sprout up from the root of David. The Branch would hold the title and position of both High Priest and King. He would branch out from Jerusalem to build a temple for the Lord through people who were both near and far off. That Branch is Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest who is also the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  He has built a temple, a house for the Lord made up of living stones from every tribe, nation, tongue and people… and in Him, there is peace.

NT: “Then I saw another great and awe-inspiring sign in heaven: seven angels with the seven last plagues; for with them God’s wrath will be completed. I also saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had won the victory over the beast, its image, and the number of its name, were standing on the sea of glass with harps from God. They sang the song of God’s servant Moses and the song of the Lamb: Great and awe-inspiring are your works, Lord God, the Almighty; just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Lord, who will not fear and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All the nations will come and worship before you because your righteous acts have been revealed.” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭15:1-4‬ ‭CSB)

After John’s vision of the reaping of the earth, he saw another great and awe-inspiring sign in heaven as the angels prepared to pour out the completeness and completion of God’s wrath on the world below. The sign John saw harkened back to the Exodus, when God’s people were delivered from bondage through the blood of lambs, and were saved from destruction by crossing through the Red Sea.

Just as was recorded in Exodus, John saw the people of God standing on the shores of a vast sea that looked like glass mixed with fire. The multitude consisted of all who had won victory over the beast through the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and not loving their lives even to death. Just as God’s judgement and wrath was literally poured out on the Egyptian armies, those in God’s company were about to see God’s wrath and vengeance poured out on the enemies of God: the Dragon, the beast, and all who worshipped them.

A prelude is defined as an introductory piece of music – a short musical opening to a longer and more complex piece of work. During the exodus, the people of Israel sang after their enemies were defeated. In John’s vision, God’s people lifted up a prelude to God’s final work of vengeance and victory. The song of Moses, recorded in Exodus 15, begins with, “I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; He has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation…” The song went on to describe how God utterly defeated their enemies and saved them. In John’s vision, as God’s redeemed from the world stood safe in heaven on the shores of the vast sea of glass and fire… as they looked across the sea and saw their enemies gathering their forces… as they looked up and saw the angels gathering seven bowls full of God’s wrath, they began singing a song of praise to their victorious God and Lord whom all the nations would soon acknowledge as sovereign over all.

Prayer: Lord, I praise You for who You are: Lord God the Almighty who is just and true in all Your ways, King of kings, Lord of lord, and the Great High Priest for all who have been redeemed by Your blood. I thank You for delivering me from the bondages of sin and ultimately saving me from Your wrath to come. May I never take lightly what You have done for me, and may I always walk in humility and gratitude as one of Your chosen people… one of Your living stones that has been brought together with the rest of the body to be Your glorious temple. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and one like the Son of Man was seated on the cloud, with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one who was seated on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap, for the time to reap has come, since the harvest of the earth is ripe.” So the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. Then another angel who also had a sharp sickle came out of the temple in heaven. Yet another angel, who had authority over fire, came from the altar, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vineyard of the earth, because its grapes have ripened.” So the angel swung his sickle at the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. Then the press was trampled outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press up to the horses’ bridles for about 180 miles.” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭14:14-20‬ ‭CSB)

In Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus told a parable that described what would happen at the end of days. A landowner sowed good seed in his field, but then an enemy came and sowed bad seed along with the good seed. When the plants sprouted, there were weeds growing up amongst the wheat. When his workers asked how to remedy the situation, the landowner said to let the wheat and the weeds grow together until harvest time. Then at harvest, the wheat would be spared and collected, and the weeds would be reaped and burned. That scene described by Jesus in His parable is exactly what John saw played out before him in Revelation 14:14-20.

At this point in the tribulation, the church of Christ had already been caught up and the redeemed of the earth had been gathered in the “barns” of heaven. The time to reap the weeds had come. In John’s vision, he saw two reapings: the reaping of the earth, and then the reaping of the grapes of wrath. Many Biblical scholars see both reapings as a high-level summary of the wrath that will be described later in detail. The reaping of the earth is representative of the seven bowls of wrath and the final collapse of Babylon the great. The reaping and crushing of the grapes is representative of the slaughter that will occur at the battle of Armageddon.

In interesting fact about this passage of scripture. The announcement from heaven was that the harvest of the earth was ripe, and that the grapes from the vineyard of the earth had ripened. Though the word in English is the same word (ripe), there are two different words used in Greek. The word used in reference to the harvest of the earth was xeraino, which means dried up and whithered – or over-ripe and useless. The word used to describe the grapes was akmazo, which means fully ripe. The harvest of the earth is the resources of the earth. The grapes are the culmination of all of mankind’s iniquity and evil. God, because He desires everyone to hear the gospel and have the opportunity to be saved, has delayed the outpouring of His wrath. When that final reaping comes, it will come when all that is good has been saved from the earth, and all that is left is a wasted planet full of spiritually dead and withered people who gave their life to the beast instead of to Christ. God will stay the reapers sickle until mankind’s sin and evil has fully ripened and God can not justify waiting any longer. Then, the vengeance of our God and the final destruction of evil will begin. What a testimony to the love and mercy of God that He has kept the reapers from their job for so long, but we mustn’t see His mercy as Him being ok with our sin… and we shouldn’t see His patience and long suffering as something that will last forever. The final reaping will come.

Prayer: Lord I thank You for You patience and longsuffering. I thank You for Your love and mercy. I thank You that I had the opportunity to hear the gospel, respond in faith, and be saved from the wrath to come. Help me to not see the final reaping as something that will never come but as something that will surely come. And with that knowledge, compel me with Your love to make Your gospel known to as many as will hear. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.