OT: “The angel who was speaking with me then returned and roused me as one awakened out of sleep. He asked me, “What do you see?” I replied, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top. The lampstand also has seven lamps at the top with seven spouts for each of the lamps. There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” Then I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my Lord?” “Don’t you know what they are?” replied the angel who was speaking with me. I said, “No, my Lord.” So he answered me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength or by might, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of Armies. ‘What are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. And he will bring out the capstone accompanied by shouts of: Grace, grace to it! ’” Then the word of the Lord came to me: “Zerubbabel’s hands have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Armies has sent me to you. For who despises the day of small things? These seven eyes of the Lord, which scan throughout the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the ceremonial stone in Zerubbabel’s hand.”” (‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭4:1-10‬ ‭CSB)

In another of Zechariah’s prophetic visions, he saw a golden lampstand and two olive trees. Oil from the two olive trees was continuously dripping into the bowl of the lampstand so that the seven lamps could burn without ever running out of oil. When Zechariah asked what the vision meant and what the lampstand and olive trees stood for, the angel gave an odd response. It seemed like the angel didn’t even answer his question – but gave a seemingly unrelated declaration about mountains and capstones.

The issue at hand during Zechariah’s ministry was the rebuilding of the temple. Haggai brought the initial word that called the rebuilding process to commence and Zechariah brought encouragement to keep the project going. I have led numerous projects in my line of work that span months. I also know how it feels after those projects drag on and on and it seems like you aren’t making significant progress. You feel discouraged. You feel like you don’t have what it takes to see the project to completion. You feel like giving up. I imagine that Zerubbabel was feeling those same things. The word of the Lord to Zerubbabel was a vision of a lampstand and two olive trees. Why? The angel first gave Zechariah the accompanying message, and then explained the vision. The message was that the temple would be completed during Zerubbabel’s lifetime. Those mountains that stood in the way of completion would be flattened like a plain. The same man who began the work would be the man who set the final capstone in place. In fact, heaven rejoiced to see Zerubbabel at the helm of the project holding the plum line – but the work would not be completed by Zerubbabel’s strength and might. Completion would come by grace from the anointing and empowering of the Holy Spirit of God.

After that encouraging message, the angel finally explained the lampstand and two olive trees. The olive trees that were producing the oil for the lamp were the “two anointed ones that stood by the Lord.” The two anointed ones were those who had been anointed by the Lord to lead His people both politically and spiritually. At that moment in time, the two anointed ones were Zerubbabel the Governor of Judah and Joshua the High Priest. God had anointed them to lead the rebuilding of the temple, and it was through that Holy Spirit empowered anointing of grace, as Zerubbabel and Joshua partnered together, that the temple would be completed… not by strength nor by might, but by the Spirit of the Lord with shouts of “Grace!”

NT: “Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads… They sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, but no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth… Then I saw another angel flying high overhead, with the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the earth — to every nation, tribe, language, and people. He spoke with a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” And another, a second angel, followed, saying, “It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen. She made all the nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath.” And another, a third angel, followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is poured full strength into the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb, and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or anyone who receives the mark of its name. This calls for endurance from the saints, who keep God’s commands and their faith in Jesus.”” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭14:1, 3, 6-12‬ ‭CSB)

At the beginning or Revelation 7, John described 144,000 who were sealed with the seal of God. Those 144,000 was symbolic of God’s remnant of faithful Jews who were left on the earth. The important thing to see about that 144,000 is that they did not have the mark of the beast on their heads, but had the name of God the Father and the Lamb on their heads. Despite all the trials and tribulations… despite all the threats and hardships, the 144,000 did not give themselves over to the worship of the Antichrist, but actually ended up giving themselves to the worship and service of Christ. Those 144,000 who were sealed by God came to faith in Christ during the tribulation and were redeemed. How did they survive the tribulation with their faith not only intact, but strengthened? They endured and persevered by grace as they kept their faith in the Lord God and eventually placed their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.

To those on the earth who continued to reject the salvation offered by the Lamb, they received a 3-part warning from 3 different angels. The first angel flew overhead proclaiming the gospel message. In part the proclamation of the gospel may have been a last ditch effort to save some – but more than that, it was a reminder of the message that the people had heard, but had rejected. It was a reminder that they were given a chance at salvation but did not take it. That message of good news became a message of judgement. The second angel came with the message that Babylon the great – the world system that everyone placed their faith in – had fallen and could not save them from the wrath to come. The third angel came with the third and final warning: anyone who had given themselves over to the worship of the beast and had been marked with its name would soon drink the fullness of God’s wrath. Everything up to that point had been measured – but the time had come when judgement and wrath would be measured no more. How do we remain among those numbered with the redeemed and not those subjected to the fullness of God’s wrath? Not by strength or might, but with spirit-empowered endurance by grace through faith in the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for Your anointing of grace. I thank You that as I remain in You by faith, I remain under Your anointing. You are not an anointed one. You are THE Anointed One. As I remain in You and Your word remains in me, my life is filled with the life-flow of Your grace for every challenge, trial and tribulation I face. Help me to not rely on my strength and might, but to rely on Your Holy Spirit empowered grace that comes through faith. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “Then he showed me the high priest Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord, with Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! May the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Isn’t this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” Now Joshua was dressed with filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. So the angel of the Lord spoke to those standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes!” Then he said to him, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with festive robes.” Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So a clean turban was placed on his head, and they clothed him in garments while the angel of the Lord was standing nearby.” (‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭3:1-5‬ ‭CSB‬)

Satan is known as the accuser, and that is what he does. He accuses God to us. He accuses us to God. He accuses us to one another. He does that to break down trust, sow doubt and destroy unity. In the prophetic vision that Zechariah had, he saw Joshua the high priest – the representative of the people of God – being accused by Satan before God. Judah was guilty of the most heinous of sins and Joshua stood there before the Lord clothed in filthy clothes… and Satan was accusing Joshua and the Jewish people of their obvious guilt. However, the Lord’s response to Satan’s accusations was quite amazing.

The Lord rebuked Satan, and then reiterated the fact that He had chosen Jerusalem and had rescued His people from the fire of exile. The Lord took off Joshua’s filthy clothes… and by taking off his filthy clothes, He was removing the people’s iniquity. Then Joshua was clothed with new clothes and a clean turban was placed on his head. That is what the Lord does for us when we repent from our sin and iniquity and place our faith and trust in Him. Though Satan accuses us of our guilt, The Lord removes the stain of sin, clothes us in white robes and gives us a new life in Him.

NT: “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast on its behalf and compels the earth and those who live on it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. It also performs great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in front of people. It deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs that it is permitted to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. It was permitted to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And it makes everyone — small and great, rich and poor, free and slave — to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast’s name or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, because it is the number of a person. Its number is 666.” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭13:11-18‬ ‭CSB)

Not only is Satan the accuser, he is also a master counterfeiter and deceiver. He takes the good things of God, counterfeits them, and passes them off as the real thing. I often hear people talk about how the religions of the world are so similar… and that is by design. Satan takes bits and pieces of God’s truth and mixes it with lies of his own making to deceive people into thinking that there are many ways to God… many ways to find wholeness… many ways to find everlasting life and satisfaction.

Satan did the same thing with his beast from the sea and beast from the earth. With those two beasts, he created his own counterfeit trinity: Satan the father of lies, the Antichrist, and the counterfeit Holy Spirit known as the False Prophet. Just as the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ, leads us into all truth, and reminds us of the things Christ said, the beast from the sea – the False Prophet – glorifies the Antichrist, leads people into all deception, and convinces people to give their lives to the beast in worship. Just as the Holy Spirit empowers signs and wonders that testify to Christ, the False Prophet works with Satanic power to deceive people away from Christ and toward the Antichrist. Many will fall into the deception of the beast from the sea… and many of those who don’t will be killed for their faithfulness to the Lord. What do we do to remain faithful to the Lord and not receive the mark of the beast? Take refuge in the Lord, live by the blood of the Lamb, hold fast to our testimony, and not love our lives more than we love the Lord… even unto death. If we remain faithful to the Lord, even in death He will preserve us and make us white as snow.

Psalms: “Lord, set up a guard for my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips. Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing or perform wicked acts with evildoers. Do not let me feast on their delicacies… But my eyes look to you, Lord, my Lord. I seek refuge in you; do not let me die. Protect me from the trap they have set for me, and from the snares of evildoers. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭141:3-4, 8-10‬ ‭CSB)

This prayer of David is a good prayer for us – especially as the days grow darker and more and more people give into the deception of the antichrist spirit. Instead of looking to the world for satisfaction, if we keep our eyes on the Lord – the author and finisher of our faith – He will be a refuge for us and will not let us die. For though we may die in the flesh, in Him we will live in the abundance of life for eternity.

Proverbs: “The fear of mankind is a snare, but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭29:25‬ ‭CSB)

If we fear mankind more than we honor and respect the Lord, we will end up falling in a snare – a snare set by Satan himself. However, if we trust the Lord completely and place our faith fully on Him, we are ultimately protected.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that in You, I am safe. As I remain in You through faith, I am safe from Satan’s accusations, safe from Satan’s deceptions, and safe from all the things he can threaten me with. For though he may be able to take my physical life, as I remain in You, he can never take my everlasting spiritual life. Help me to keep my eyes on You and to seek refuge in Your word, will and ways. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “I looked up and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem to determine its width and length.” Then the angel who was speaking with me went out, and another angel went out to meet him. He said to him, “Run and tell this young man: Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls because of the number of people and animals in it.” The declaration of the Lord: “I myself will be a wall of fire around it, and I will be the glory within it.” …For the Lord of Armies says this: “In pursuit of his glory, he sent me against the nations plundering you, for whoever touches you touches the pupil of my eye… “Daughter Zion, shout for joy and be glad, for I am coming to dwell among you” — this is the Lord’s declaration. “Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day and become my people. I will dwell among you, and you will know that the Lord of Armies has sent me to you.” (‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭2:1-5, 8, 10-11‬ ‭CSB)

What a beautiful scripture and a beautiful picture of God’s willingness to not only forgive, but to redeem, reconcile and restore. The nation of Judah became unfaithful to the Lord who had been so faithful to Him. They introduced pagan idol worship into the holy temple of God and refused the hear the voice of the prophets calling them to repent. Because of their unrepentant unfaithfulness, God gave them over to be invaded and carried into exile by the Babylonian empire. For seventy years they remained enslaved in a foreign nation – until finally, God saw fit to allow them to return to the land and rebuild. This word from Zechariah was given to the people of Judah in the midst of their struggles to rebuild and reestablish the worship of God in the land. Despite Judah’s past unfaithfulness and rejection of God, He still treasured them as His people… His bride. They were to Him, the pupil (or apple) of His eye.

The phrase, “the apple of my eye” refers to the central aperture (or pupil) of the eye and is used to describe something or someone that is cherished above any other person or thing. Though Judah had been completely unfaithful to the Lord, He was willing to forgive them, reconcile them, and restore them to most-favored status. This prophecy was initially and partially fulfilled as the temple was rebuilt under Zerubbabel and the walls of the city rebuilt under the leadership of Nehemiah. This prophecy was more fully fulfilled as Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to fill and dwell within His covenant people the church – His holy nation of royal priests that He redeemed from sin and reconciled completely to God. This prophecy will ultimately be fulfilled at the end of the age, when all evil is destroyed, heaven and earth are made new, and God and the Lord Jesus Christ live in the New Jerusalem with those who were redeemed by faith and remained faithful to Christ until the end.

As we remain in Christ by faith, we are among God’s most cherished and favored people. He protects us and preserves us, just as one would preserve and protect that most vulnerable and sensitive area of the eye. Though trials and tribulations will come, as we remain in Christ and faithful to His purposes and word, He will be a wall of fire around us and will avenge us against those who try to destroy us – and when it is all over, He will dwell among us and we will be His for eternity.

NT: “And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads were blasphemous names. The beast I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority. One of its heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but its fatal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against it?” The beast was given a mouth to utter boasts and blasphemies. It was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It began to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name and his dwelling — those who dwell in heaven. And it was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. It was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. All those who live on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen. If anyone is to be taken captive, into captivity he goes. If anyone is to be killed with a sword, with a sword he will be killed. This calls for endurance and faithfulness from the saints.” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭13:1-10‬ ‭CSB)

After the dragon (Satan) was cast to the earth, John saw a vision of a beast coming out of the sea. The beast that John saw was a composite of the four individual beasts that Daniel saw in his vision (Daniel 7:1-8). The four beasts of Daniel’s vision symbolized four great empires that would rule the world. The lion was symbolic of Babylon, the bear was symbolic of Media-Persia, the leopard was symbolic of Greece, and the seven-headed beast was Rome. As such, the beast that John saw represented the incarnation of politico-social evil. As John explained, the beast was given power and great authority by Satan the dragon to rule over every tribe, people, language and nation. Not only that, the beast was allowed to not only wage war against the saints, but (for a time) conquer them. John also said that the beast uttered blasphemies, not only against God and heaven, but against the saints who had died and now dwelt in heaven. Blasphemy is irreverent speech that calls what is human “divine,” what is evil “good,” and what is good “evil.” That sounds very familiar to what we experience on the earth now.

The beast that rose from the ocean is referred to as the Antichrist. The antichrist spirit has been prevalent in the earth since Christ ascended into heaven. Since then many evil, socio-political leader antichrists have arisen in different eras of history. Will there be an ultimate Antichrist that comes to power during the great tribulation? It appears so. That may seem frightening to many believers in Christ – especially after the warning that John gave saying that some will be taken captive and some will be killed. One important truth to keep before us it this: the Book of Revelation is not called the revelation of the Antichrist. It is called the Revelation of Jesus Christ… and at the center of all the things that are described in the book is a throne that is forever and always inhabited by the King of kings and Lord of lords. Those who are redeemed through faith in Christ and remain faithful to His testimony through every trial and tribulation – even the ruthless rule of the Antichrist – are treated as the apple of God’s eye. And though it may seem for a time that the beast is victorious, Christ stands victorious over it all. Those who remain in Christ, though they may even lose their earthly lives, will be victorious in the end.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that though I may at times act unfaithfully toward You, You are always faithful to me. What an incredible thought to know that You see me as the apple of Your eye, and as such, You do everything to protect, preserve and perfect what You have established in me through faith. Help me to persevere and remain faithful through all the trials and tribulations that come as I keep my faith placed solidly on You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been thrown down. They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; for they did not love their lives to the point of death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you with great fury, because he knows his time is short. When the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent’s presence to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, times, and half a time. From his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river flowing after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. But the earth helped the woman. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. So the dragon was furious with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring  — those who keep the commands of God and hold firmly to the testimony about Jesus.” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭12:10-17‬ ‭CSB)

To some degree (we are not clear as to how much) Satan has had access to heaven; and he has used that access to accuse people to God. We see that in Job 1:6-11 and Job 2:1-5, where Satan stands before God after roaming the earth and accuses Job of unrighteousness. At some point, after the resurrection and ascension of Christ, Satan (along with his fallen angels) is cast down to earth and locked completely out of heaven. The heavens rejoice over Christ’s victory over Satan the accuser, but woe comes to the earth as a furious and desperate Satan does all he can to destroy God’s people and plans, and maintain his power and position. In his anger and fury, Satan uses all his resources to try and destroy God’s covenant people, and wages war against the faithful in Christ.

There are different schools of thought on when these events actually occur. Some believe that Satan was cast down and began waging war at the moment Christ ascended into heaven. Others believe that Satan still had access to heaven as the church was caught up in the midst of the tribulation, and stood before God and Christ to accuse them at the judgement seat of Christ. We will probably never have clarity on all of this until after Christ comes again. The important truth, regardless of what school of thought you fall into is this: 1) Satan is a defeated foe and his days are numbered, 2) in his rage and desperation, he has waged war against those who hold firmly to the testimony of Christ, and 3) we conquer Satan the accuser through the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony, and our willingness to sacrifice our lives for the sake of the kingdom.

Satan is the accuser of the brethren – those who are children of God and brothers and sisters in Christ. Just as he has accused people before God in heaven, he does the same here on earth – attempting to destroy the word of our testimony to the people of the earth. The great flood that Satan spewed from his mouth could very well be a great flood of accusation, slander, and misinformation levied against those who call themselves followers of Christ. Christ said that the world would know that we are His through the love that we have for one another – yet, increasingly, Christians are accused of being hateful, unforgiving, intolerant people that need to be canceled. Who are we now, and who will we be in the midst of that great flood that is spewed against us? Do we, through the things we say and do, give credence to Satan’s accusations? Or do we walk by the blood of the Lamb in complete integrity of heart? Do we willingly lay down our lives… our desires… our comforts… our preferences for the sake of showing the love of God to others? Do we hold fast to our testimony of Christ without wavering? If we walk in all that Christ’s blood has afforded us… if we hold fast and sincerely walk according to the word of our testimony… if we do not love our lives even to the point of death, Satan will have no power over us and we will come out the other side as conquerors.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You are my victorious Savior. You have conquered Satan the accuser. Through Your victory, the power of God and the authority of Christ has been released in my life. Though Satan has waged war against me, I know that in You and through You, I am able to more that conquer. Help me to live my life by the blood of the Lamb, hold fast to my testimony, and not love my life even to the point of death. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo: “The Lord was extremely angry with your ancestors. So tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: Return to me — this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies — and I will return to you, says the Lord of Armies. Do not be like your ancestors; the earlier prophets proclaimed to them: This is what the Lord of Armies says: Turn from your evil ways and your evil deeds. But they did not listen or pay attention to me — this is the Lord’s declaration. Where are your ancestors now? And do the prophets live forever? But didn’t my words and my statutes that I commanded my servants the prophets overtake your ancestors? ’” So the people repented and said, “As the Lord of Armies decided to deal with us for our ways and our deeds, so he has dealt with us.”” (‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭1:1-6‬ ‭CSB)

Haggai and Zechariah both began their prophetic ministry in Judah the same year: 520 B.C. Haggai was an older, seasoned prophet and minister of the Lord, while Zechariah was a younger man. Both Haggai and Zechariah were post-exilic prophets that exhorted the returned exiles of Judah to return and remain faithful to the Lord. Zechariah, like Haggai, challenged the people to not give up on rebuilding the temple of God, but to actually complete it by God’s grace. Zechariah went even further to encourage the people by pointing to the day when God would send His Messiah to rule from the temple that they were to rebuild.

The name Zechariah literally means “Yahweh Remembers.” That was the message that Zechariah gave to the people who had returned to rebuild and resettle the land. Their ancestors had been unfaithful to God and rejected His ways, and because of that, they were exiled in Babylon for 70 years. However, God never forgot the covenant He made with His people. The first words that He uttered through Zechariah were, “Return to Me, and I will return to You… turn from your sinful ways and turn to Me, and I will honor the covenant that I made with You once again.” God is ever and always faithful to His covenant. His covenant always includes blessing that come through our faithfulness to Him, as well as the consequences of not being faithful… and even in our unfaithfulness, He is always faithful and holds out an opportunity for repentance and restoration… all the way to the end.

NT: “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in labor and agony as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven crowns. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth it might devour her child. She gave birth to a Son, a male who is going to rule all nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, to be nourished there for 1,260 days. Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was thrown out — the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭12:1-9‬ ‭CSB)

One thing that often trips people up with Biblical prophecy is that they expect prophecies to point to one fulfillment and to be given in a specific chronological order. Often times, prophecies are specific enough to allow someone to know when they have been fulfilled, and general enough to apply to more than one fulfillment. Biblical prophecies often have an immediate fulfillment, subsequent fulfillments, and then a final ultimate fulfillment. I personally believe that to be the case with the prophetic sign that John saw of the woman, the child, and the dragon.

Most biblical scholars agree that the woman in the sign (to some degree) is symbolic of Israel. The child is symbolic of the promised Messiah. The dragon, as John pointed out, is symbolic of Satan. While this sign may point to a specific event in history, I believe that it generally points to a story arch that occurs over and over again, and will have its ultimate fulfillment at the end of the age. I believe that this story arch began in the garden of Eden, when humanity fell into sin and God made a covenant promise with Eve and the Serpent (Genesis 3:15). Ever since that day, God’s covenant people have been “pregnant” with the promise of Messiah and Satan has made every effort to snuff that promise out. Over the millennia, there have been deliverers that have come to save the people of Israel and preserve the promise, and Satan has made every attempt to snuff out the life of those deliverers and kill the promise. Every time, God delivers the deliverer and the hope of Messiah lives on… and God continues to preserve a faithful remnant of His covenant people on the earth. Finally, the Holy Spirit came upon the Virgin Mary, and she conceived the Son of God. Motivated and animated by Satan, Herod attempted to have the Christ child snuffed out before His life could even begin – but God delivered them. Then it seemed that Satan was finally successful in his quest when Jesus was put to death on the cross, but Christ’s death wasn’t the end… it was only the beginning of God’s complete and utter victory over the dragon, that serpent of old. God raised Jesus up on the third day and called Him up to heaven to sit at His right hand until the final day of judgement.

For the most part, the Jews (God’s covenant people) have rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah. There will come a day, in the midst of the great tribulation, when Christ will call His faithful followers home. The Jews who have rejected Jesus will still be left on the earth – but the ever-faithful God will still remember them and the covenant He made with them so long ago. Just as He made clear to His people through Zechariah, God remembers His people and the covenant that he made with them. In His faithfulness to them, He will preserve them in the midst of the final days of the tribulation, and there will be opportunity for them to return to Him once again and put their faith in Jesus, the crucified and resurrected Christ.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You are ever faithful to Your covenant promises. Even when I drift into unfaithfulness, You remain faithful and keep an opportunity open for me to repent and return to faithfulness in You. I know that because You are faithful, I can be faithfulness, for Your faithfulness dwells within me through Your Holy Spirit. Help me to be faithful as You are faithful, and help me to never write someone off as unsavable, but to always be willing to receive them as they fully receive You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “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 will reign forever and ever. The twenty-four elders, who were seated before God on their thrones, fell facedown and worshiped God, saying, We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry, but your wrath has come. The time has come for the dead to be judged and to give the reward to your servants the prophets, to the saints, and to those who fear your name, both small and great, and the time has come to destroy those who destroy the earth. Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and severe hail.” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭11:15-19‬ ‭CSB)

One common tradition of the Christmas season is the performing of Handel’s oratorio “Messiah.” One of the most well-known pieces from that work is the Hallelujah chorus. Though sung during the Christmas season, the text for that song does not come from the advent scriptures, but from this declaration in Revelation 11:15, and a subsequent declaration in Revelation 19:6. This is the culmination of the nativity story: Christ humbled Himself and came to earth as a lowly baby born in a dirty manger that He may save humanity from its sins, claim His inheritance, and become the victorious King of kings and Lord of lords.

Revelation 11:15-19 is the beginning of the fulfillment of Psalm 2, where the psalmist prophetically saw the nations rage, the peoples of the world plot in vain, and the kingdoms of the earth take their stand against the Lord and His Anointed One. The result of those vain efforts against the Lord God is that the Son of God, the Anointed One will be given the nations (or the kingdoms) of the world as His inheritance. The sounding of the seventh and last trumpet is the beginning of the end for those who have rejected God and His Son, and it is the beginning of an eternity of fulfilled promises for those who have given their life to and for the Lamb of God.

When the 24 elders declared that the time had come for the dead to be judged and for rewards to be handed out, they were referring to the righteous dead. Paul explained in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, that when that final trumpet is sounded, the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet our Lord. At that point, the righteous dead and the faithful who were still alive will stand before the judgement seat of Christ. In Romans 14:10-12 and 2 Corinthians 5:10, Paul explained that those in Christ will one day stand before the judgement seat of Christ and give an account for how they stewarded their life in Christ. It is then that our righteous rewards (as referenced by the 24 elders) will be handed out.

The elders stated that the nations were angry, meaning they had become exasperated in their railing against the Lord to the point of anger. However, the time for God’s wrath (justifiable indignation, vengeance and punishment) had come. The seal judgements and the trumpet judgements were merely precursors to the full outpouring of God’s wrath upon those who have made themselves His enemies. Those who are faithful to God’s covenant are not subject to God’s wrath – and as a sign of His unyielding faithfulness, the temple of God in heaven was opened and the spiritual ark of His covenant with His people was revealed. God’s ultimate plan for His people is to dwell with them and bless them with His life-giving and sustaining presence, and for them to rule and reign with Him forever. To those who are faithful, God will be faithful, guaranteed.

Psalms: “For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began… Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:13-16, 23-24‬ ‭CSB)

The God who stands victorious at the end of time as King and Lord of all is the same God who carefully and lovingly created us and knit us together, cell by cell, in our mothers’ wombs. That same God who intentionally crafted us has a detailed plan for our lives written out in His book – a plan full of significance, purpose, and fulfilling satisfaction. We can either submit to His plans, or we can reject His plans for our own. At its barest essence, sin is the rejecting of God’s master plan for the extremely limited and short-sighted plans of our own design. We are always tempted to make a name for ourselves, but if we submit ourselves to God, He will search us, test us, know us and reveal any sinful way in us, give us the opportunity to repent, and lead us in His everlasting way.

Proverbs: “Without revelation people run wild, but one who follows divine instruction will be happy.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭29:18‬ ‭CSB)

Without the revelation of God that comes through faith in Christ and submitting ourselves to His word, will and ways, we would run wild – railing against the very loving and purposeful God who created us. In the end, as we see in Revelation 11, outside of Christ, we end up angry and unsatisfied. However, when we submit to the Lord and follow His divine instruction, we are blessed with peace, satisfaction and happiness for eternity.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that I have been remarkably and wondrously made. I thank You that You have a master plan for my life – a plan full of blessing, peace, joy, contentment, purpose and satisfaction. I thank You, that though it is my natural tendency to resist Your word, will and ways, You have made a way through Your life, death, and resurrection for me to fully walk in faithfulness to You. I thank You that in You, I am not appointed to your wrath, but will instead share in Your blessed inheritance. Search me, know me, test me and lead me in Your everlasting way. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest: “The Lord of Armies says this: These people say: The time has not come for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.” The word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” Now, the Lord of Armies says this: “Think carefully about your ways: You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough to be satisfied. You drink but never have enough to be happy. You put on clothes but never have enough to get warm. The wage earner puts his wages into a bag with a hole in it.” The Lord of Armies says this: “Think carefully about your ways. Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house; and I will be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the Lord. “You expected much, but then it amounted to little. When you brought the harvest to your house, I ruined it. Why?” This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. “Because my house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.” (‭‭Haggai‬ ‭1:1-9‬ ‭CSB)

Haggai ministered to the Jews who returned from exile in Babylon to rebuild and repopulate the land of Israel. He was a contemporary of the prophet Zechariah. When the Jews returned from exile under the leadership of Zerubbabel the appointed governor and Joshua the high priest, they initially began rebuilding the temple of the Lord – but then got sidetracked from that very important work. Years went by as the temple site lay abandoned. The Jews were much more occupied with getting their own lives in order than reestablishing the worship of God in the land. God sent Haggai to address the issue and get the Jews refocused on what should have been their primary task.

It has been said, and is born out in scripture, that when you focus on primary things, you get both the primary and secondary things added to your life – but when you focus on secondary things instead, you lose both the primary and secondary things. That was happening to the Jews that had returned from exile: their focus had been turned from primary things to secondary things, and they were coming up short in both the primary and secondary things. The Jews became focused on building up and supporting their own quality of life to the detriment of their spiritual life – and in doing that, the harder they worked the less satisfied they became. Through Haggai, God told them that if they focused first on rebuilding the House of God instead of their own houses, God would be glorified once again through their lives, and in turn, He would bless them with an abundance of secondary things.

Jesus taught that we are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness… and if we do that, all the secondary things of life will be added to us. Yet, how often do we ignore those words of Jesus and become more like the Jews who had returned from exile? Often times we focus all of our energies on building up our lives, and put off building the kingdom until we get to the place where we feel comfortable. I know personally, I have been guilty of that. Having the “American dream” of home ownership, a nice car, plenty of food on the table, fashionable clothes and a padded bank account has, at times, taken my focus away from my primary call of fulfilling the great commission. Perhaps that is a big part of the reason why we are 2,000 years removed from Christ’s commission and it has yet to be completed. Do we truly trust the Lord’s words, that if we make the kingdom and His righteousness a priority, then all the things that we need to have a fulfilling life will be added to us? Could part of the reason we feel the need to keep adding to what we have be because we aren’t allowing ourselves to be satisfied by doing the work of the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ (John 4:34)?

NT: “I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies; if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. They have authority to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy. They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every plague whenever they want. When they finish their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war on them, conquer them, and kill them… Those who live on the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. But after three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them. At that moment a violent earthquake took place, a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming soon!” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭11:3-7, 10-14‬ ‭CSB)

Before John reported on the sounding of the seventh trumpet, he described another scene that he saw in his prophetic vision. The scene that he described is not a scene that was playing out in heaven, but was simultaneously being played out on earth. Up until this point, John was reporting the tribulation from heaven’s point of view. In chapter 11, he changed his perspective and described a vision of things happening on earth during that same time of tribulation.

In his earth-bound perspective, John described two witnesses of God who were prophesying on earth for a period of time during the tribulation. Because they prophesied on behalf of the Lord, their message was unpopular with the people who were of the earth. Once their time of testimony was over, they were killed by the anti-Christ and their death was celebrated the world over… until the power of God raised them back to life and called them up to heaven.

There is no clear consensus on who those two witnesses are. Based on some of the biblical references in John’s description, some think they are Moses and Elijah, others think they are Zerubbabel and Joshua, while others see them as a symbol of the church. Aside from the mysterious identity of the two witnesses, the important truth to take from this vision is this: during the tribulation, in the midst of the ever-darkening state of the world, there will be a present witness for Christ on the earth. To some degree, whether these two witnesses are specific people or not, I believe them to be symbolic of the church’s ongoing, Spirit-empowered witness (with accompanying signs and wonders) for Christ. As the world grows darker and the anti-Christ spirit grows stronger, the church’s witness will become increasingly unpopular. At some point in history, the anti-Christ spirit in the world will become so powerful and invasive, that it will seem that the church is once-and-for-all defeated and that God’s witness on the earth is finally snuffed out. But in one last earth-shaking powerful testimony to His Lordship, God will resurrect His church and call them home.

Ever since Christ left this earth and ascended to heaven, job-one for the true disciple of Christ… job-one of the global church has been to be His witnesses, to proclaim the gospel, and make disciples of those who respond in faith to the gospel message. Souls saved and disciples made, until we die, or until Christ calls us home – that is our priority. As we make first things first, God will be glorified – even in the midst of an increasingly hostile world… and as we seek His kingdom and His righteousness first, the Lord will provide for and preserve our lives until the time for our testimony comes to an end and He calls us home.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You are always 100% committed to Your plans and purposes. I thank You that You are 100% committed to fulfilling Your plans and purposes in and through me as I remain faithfully committed to You. Help me, as You lead and empower me by Your Holy Spirit, to keep first things first and be primarily about establishing and extending Your kingdom on earth. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “Then the angel that I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. He swore by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, “There will no longer be a delay, but in the days when the seventh angel will blow his trumpet, then the mystery of God will be completed, as he announced to his servants the prophets.” Then the voice that I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take and eat it; it will be bitter in your stomach, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” Then I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach became bitter. And they said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭10:5-11‬ ‭CSB)

After the sixth trumpet sounded, and before the sound of the seventh trumpet, there was a brief interlude – during which, a mighty angel came down from heaven with a small scroll in his hand. Apparently, written on that scroll is the completion of the mystery of God. As the angel stood in a conquering stance on the earth, he proclaimed that the completion of God’s mystery would no longer be delayed… that during the seventh trumpet blast, God’s mystery would be completed.

What is the mystery of God? The Greek word for mystery is mysterion. That word does not refer to a mystery that must be solved – like a detective solving a murder mystery – but to something that was once hidden that has now been revealed. Jesus told His disciples (in Matthew 13:11, Mark 4:11 and Luke 8:10) that the secret (or mystery) of the kingdom of God had been given to them. In Romans 16:25, Paul referred to the proclamation of the gospel as being the revelation of God’s mystery. The completion of God’s mystery is the fulfillment of the gospel of Christ: that in Christ, we are not appointed to wrath, but will be caught up with Christ when He returns to be with Him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Because of this series of events in Revelation 10, many biblical scholars have come to believe that the rapture of the church will occur during the seventh trumpet blast, before the wrath of God is fully poured out on the earth.

John is then instructed to take the little scroll from the angel’s hand and eat it. The completion of God’s mystery is both a sweet and bitter thing… just as the gospel is both a sweet smelling fragrance to some and the stench of death to others. As John ate the scroll, it tasted sweet on his lips but became sour in his stomach. The truth of what is to come is bitter indeed. For those who are in Christ and sealed with His seal, the fulfillment of the gospel will both be sweet victory as they are caught up with the Lord, but a bitter reality as they watch those who rejected the gospel be subjected to the full wrath of God. John, as the one who witnessed all these things, had the unenviable task of proclaiming, not just the good news – but the inevitable judgement to come. What will be your fate when the seventh trumpet sounds? Will you be saved from wrath, or will you undergo the fullness of God’s righteous judgement?

Psalms: “If I walk into the thick of danger, you will preserve my life from the anger of my enemies. You will extend your hand; your right hand will save me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. Lord, your faithful love endures forever; do not abandon the work of your hands.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭138:7-8‬ ‭CSB)

When we fully follow the Lord by following His word, will and ways, He will most likely lead us into dangerous places. King David experienced that. There were many times, in the course of serving the Lord and obeying His will, that David was led into dangerous places to do dangerous things. But David knew that even in the think of danger, God would preserve his life as the Lord fulfilled His purposes through him. The same is true of us. We have a saying in the church that I attend: the safest place on earth is the middle of God’s will. The servant of God who obeys the Lord in faith is indestructible until God’s purposes for his life are complete. And even then, if we do die on earth, we will be alive with Christ for eternity. The Lord’s faithful covenantal love towards us endures forever. Neither life nor death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. His purposes will be fulfilled in us and through as we we walk faithfully in His word, will and ways. In that truth, we can have peace and assurance as we remain faithful to the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You are faithful to Your word – that Your loyal covenantal love towards me will never end – that nothing can separate me from Your love as long as I remain in Christ by faith. Help me to be one who does not shrink back in fear, but boldly follows You wherever You go in faith, knowing that Your good purposes for my life will be fulfilled, and that You will preserve my life until that fully comes to pass. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Psalms: “I will give you thanks with all my heart; I will sing your praise before the heavenly beings. I will bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your constant love and truth. You have exalted your name and your promise above everything else. On the day I called, you answered me; you increased strength within me. All the kings on earth will give you thanks, Lord, when they hear what you have promised. They will sing of the Lord’s ways, for the Lord’s glory is great. Though the Lord is exalted, he takes note of the humble; but he knows the haughty from a distance.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭138:1-6‬ ‭CSB)

When I was in Kenya, sitting under a mango tree teaching a group of people about worship, I was asked an interesting question: what is so important about singing? Why do we sing? I began those teaching sessions by explaining that worship is far more than the songs we sing to God – for often times we equate our singing with worship. While worship is far more than singing, singing is a key way that we express our worship to God and to one another.

To answer their question, I asked them a question: What role does singing play in our worship services? After they thought about that question for a minute, I answered the question by saying a primary function of singing in a worship service is to bring unity amongst all the people in the congregation. People will walk into a worship service from all kinds of situations. Some may have quarreled with their family on the way to church.  Some may be experiencing a financial set back and are wondering where they will get the money they need to meet their needs that week. Some may be going through a physical trial. Some may be experiencing God in a most profound way. Some may be wondering if God even exists. But when the music starts playing and we all start singing the same words together, the things that we came in with vanish away and we are all unified (to some degree) as our attention is turned heavenward to extol the Lord our God in song.

Singing does more than unite a congregation. Singing also unites our hearts individually as well. David the psalmist wrote, “I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing Your praise before the heavenly beings.”  He went on to say, “When the kings of the earth hear of what You have promised, they will sing of the Lord’s ways.” For David, thanking the Lord and praising Him with all his heart involved singing. I often tell people that singing is both a right-brained and a left-brained activity. Singing involves the logical side of our brain by using words to communicate truth, concepts and ideas, and it also involves the creative and expressive side of our brain by expressing those words through music. Jesus taught the Samaritan woman in John 4 that true worship is both spirit and truth. There is a rational, logical, thought provoking side of worship where we declare what is true, and there is a spiritual side of worship that transcends the rational things that we can express through words to include those visceral and spiritual convictions and unctions that cannot be expressed through words. Singing songs helps us with that by connecting the rational to the visceral and spiritual to form a whole-hearted way of expressing our worship to God.

As we stop to consider the goodness and greatness of the Lord God, and those considerations lead to feelings of thankfulness and humble gratitude for all that God has done for us – let us, like David, lift up a song of praise to the Lord and worship Him with all our heart.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for the goodness that You have shown me and continue to show me. I thank You for loving me so much that You gave Your life that I may have life in You – free from sin and abounding in all the blessings of heaven. I also thank You for the gift of song that allows me to fully express my thanks and praise to You with my whole heart. May my life be a continuous song of praise, whole heartedly lifted up to You as I humbly bow down before You in worship. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “The sixth angel blew his trumpet. From the four horns of the golden altar that is before God, I heard a voice say to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels who were prepared for the hour, day, month, and year were released to kill a third of the human race. The number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number. This is how I saw the horses and their riders in the vision: They had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. A third of the human race was killed by these three plagues — by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came from their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, because their tails, which resemble snakes, have heads that inflict injury. The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see, hear, or walk. And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭9:13-21‬ ‭CSB)

The golden altar that was before God was the altar of incense. It was that altar that held the prayers of the saints that cried out to God for justice and vengeance. As the sixth trumpet sounded, a voice came from the altar of incense that instructed the angel to release four angels that had been bound. The fact that they were bound suggests that they were fallen angels – not angels devoted to the service of God. As Jesus taught in John 10:10, the devil desires only to steal, kill and destroy. If Satan was able to fully have his way, he would kill all of humanity and destroy all of God’s creation – but Satan is not able to fully have his way… and these four fallen angels have been bound since the dawn of creation until the exact and specific time of God’s just judgement. When the four fallen angels are released, they lead a two hundred million strong swarm (either a physical army, a demonic army, or a combination of both) that brings death over the face of earth.

When the 5th trumpet sounded, an army was released that brought pain and torture to those who had not given their lives to the Lord. So great was the torture, that the inflicted people desired to die, but could not. When these four fallen angels are released to do what they desire, one third of those tortured people are killed by fire, smoke and poisonous sulfuric gas. The torture and death that will be released on the earth will come because of sin. It will come because humanity refused to humble themselves and submit to the word, will and ways of God. It will come because humanity rejected God’s offer of salvation through the death of His Son and chose to take their destiny into their own hands.

One would think that after word-wide devastation, five months of horrendous torture and suffering, and one-third of the worlds population suddenly dying, that the vast majority of humanity would cry out for mercy, humble themselves and finally give their lives to the Lord Christ in faith. However, John reported that those who were left alive after God’s initial judgement will refuse to repent.  In Luke 16, Jesus told a story about a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus that both died. The rich man went to hades and Lazarus went to the abode of the righteous dead. The rich man in torment cried out in misery and asked that Lazarus could be sent back to warn his friends and relatives of the constant torment that awaited them. Abraham replied to him, “If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.” It is frighteningly amazing how strong a person’s will can become – especially when they have hardened their heart. Pharaoh hardened his heart so much that he was willing to allow his entire nation to suffer ruin before he was willing to humble himself and surrender to the word, will and ways of the Lord God. That is the way men and women will be the closer we get to the end of days – they will so harden their hearts that they would rather suffer torment and complete devastation than humble themselves and surrender in faith to the Lord God. Hardening your heart is a terrible thing with horrifying consequences. Don’t allow yourself to get to that point. Instead, cultivate a broken and contrite heart before the Lord and place your faith in Him, and escape the death and devastation to come.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You have provided a way for me to escape the judgement of my sin. By accepting the penalty of sin that was levied on You and placing my faith in Your finished work of salvation, I am marked with Your seal and saved from the judgement to come. Help me to always maintain a contrite heart before You as I remain filled with Your Spirit and humbly and lovingly walk faithfully according to Your word, will and ways. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.