Beyond Common Sense

Another year finishes today! How in the world?! Anyway, I’ve been reading through the Bible this year, something I try to do every other year, although I am looking into reading the chronological Bible reading plan Blue Letter Bible offers. So, I am finishing Revelation today but got stuck on chapter sixteen. I included the outline at the end of this post, but it seemed a bit dark! To me, the main point of it was this: In spite of all the judgements and horrific destruction, there were two responses:

1. Unbelievers continued to blaspheme God in anger.
2. The angels continually remind us that God is righteous in His wrath and judgment.

That’s a hard pill to swallow in this age of tolerance, but God means what He says and we can bank on it—whether it means testing or blessing! “ The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21) was Job’s response to God’s horrendous trials. So, once again, it comes down to the heart.

As we end a year and start another, it’s a wonderful time for a heart-check and a thankfulness feast! We can praise God…

• That He showed us the way to salvation
• That He loves us more than we can comprehend or ever deserve
• That He is always with us!
• That He is always, only good!
• That He knows our future.
• That “God will only give us what we would have asked for if we knew everything He knows.” Tim Keller

There is so much more, but take a moment to make a list of your own, and then ask, “How’s my heart? How’s my schedule? Is God an active part of it even in retirement? Can I be thankful for where I are and what God has giving me?” I hope you know that those questions are meant for me!!! I just thought I’d share them with you.

And here is the rest of the story, just a few of the wonderful verses in the last chapters of God’s precious Book:

Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him,
both small and great!”
And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude,
as the sound of many waters
and as the sound of mighty thunderings,
saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and His wife has made herself ready.”

Revelation 19: 5-7

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying,
“Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men,
and He will dwell with them,
and they shall be His people.
God Himself will be with them [and be] their God.
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes;
there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.
There shall be no more pain,
for the former things have passed away.”
Then He who sat on the throne said,
“Behold, I make all things new.”
And He said to me, “Write,
for these words are true and faithful.”

Revelation 21:3-5

“Behold, I am coming quickly!
Blessed [is] he who keeps the words
of the prophecy of this book.
He who testifies to these things says,
“Surely I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Revelation 22:7,20

Revelation 16–Seven bowls

V.1 angel sent

V. 2–Sores “the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.” (Some will have the mark simply because they want to eat and buy and sell. (Rev. 13:17)

Mark of the beast: 

• Rev. 13: 17–buy and sell
• Rev. 14:10– “drink the wrath of God”
• Rev. 14:11– “smoke of their torment ascends FOREVER AND EVER”
• Rev. 15:2–defeat!Rev. 16:2– “foul and loathsome sore”
  
• Rev. 19:20–deceived by the beast and false prophet 

V. 3–sea blood “as of a dead man”—black and thick! Ugh!

V. 4–rivers and SPRINGS blood

V. 5–angel’s declaration: “YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS, O LORD…THE ONE WHO IS AND WHO WAS AND WHO IS TO BE, BECAUSE YOU HAVE JUDGED ALL THINGS…

V. 6–WHY? Because of the blood of the saints and prophets!!!—gives the blood to drink

V. 7–“Lord God almighty, true and righteous are You judgements.”

V. 8–sun scorched

V. 9–men blasphemed

V. 10–darkness; “they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.”  THIS IS NOT HELL! THIS IS HERE ON EARTH AT THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM! 

V. 11–men blasphemed; didn’t repent

V. 12–Euphrates dried up

V. 13–Three unclean spirits come out of dragon, beast, false prophet’s mouths

V. 14,16–the gathering: “This battle is not nation against nation, but the nations against God (Psalm 2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed). This is one of three important battles mentioned in prophecy.

• The battle of Gog, Magog and her allies come against Israel (Ezekiel 38 and 39).
• The battle of Armageddon, when the Antichrist leads the world system against a returning Jesus (Revelation 17:12-16, 17:14, 19:19).
• The final battle, when Satan and his allies, after the millennium, make war against God (Revelation 20:7-10).

V. 15–Right in the middle of all this, Jesus speaks: “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed [is] he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” (I love AMP translations helpful editorials: Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is he who stays awake and who keeps his clothes [that is, stays spiritually ready for the Lord’s return], so that he will not be naked–spiritually unprepared–and men will not see his shame.

V. 17–“Done!”

V. 18–noises, thundering, and lightenings, great earthquake (worse than ever)

V. 19–Babylon divided into three parts

V. 20–islands flee; mountains gone

V. 21–great hail (up to 100 lbs. !); “MEN BLASPHEMED GOD”