Rv22

The last chapter of the Bible encourages us to live expecting Jesus' return! I believe those who received this letter personally assumed that Jesus would return in their lifetime. How much more should we expect the day is drawing near? Jesus said, "Yes, I am coming quickly."

God definitely thinks about time differently than we do. His patience has meant life to millions who have believed. His patience today continues to give opportunities for others to believe and for those who believe to live for His kingdom. As we close out 2014 and begin thinking about the possibility of another year, let us consider living as though this could likely be the last year... ever.

Live expectantly. Live intentionally.

troy

Rv21

Heaven will be awesome! There is nothing to compare it to on earth! God's glory will illuminate the city. God's presence will be the most vivid reality! Nothing profane or vile will be there. All the news will be good news.

Not so much today. We open every day with another report of bad news. Lives that are lost. Tragedy that has struck. Brokenness and pain abound. Today we will be surrounded by God's glory, but most everyone will miss it. Most of us will only have passing thoughts of God and His glory.

We will be caught up in the daily grind of life in the midst of sin. We will see glimpses of God's glory, but it will not be the focus of the day! 

Heaven will be awesome. Just saying.

Rv20

There is nothing more exciting than knowing that your name is written in the Book of Life. Everyone will be judged according to their works. Anyone who is pardoned will be pardoned by grace through faith!

I have often pondered the final day of judgement. These images are gripping. I wonder if one will be able to hear the collective beating of millions of nervous hearts standing before the judge? I wonder if all of us will be gripped with fear or if some will be calmed by the reality of the Holy Spirit is us?

Jesus told his disciples, "rejoice that your name is written in the book of life"! Now this is something to celebrate. 

Rv18

As we enter Christmas Eve, let this chapter sink deep into our souls. It is a warning against using wealth for our own luxury rather than using what God has given us for His good.

Every year there is a hesitation in my soul during Christmas. I love the celebration, the gathering of family and the exchanging of gifts. I love the times of worship and laughter. My hesitation is simply a question, "Is God pleased with me?" Have I used what He has give me in a way that honors Him?

I often wonder how the money we exchange each Christmas through gifts compares to our overall giving to God's kingdom each year. I am not a grinch at Christmas. I do think it is something to consider.

May God be pleased with all of us.

Rv17

There is no sin like sexual sin! It grips the soul and ruins one's conscience from the inside out! Even in the final judgement, sexual sin is the prominent enemy of mankind.

Keep yourself free from all moral sins. Everyone has to battle regularly with this beast! Whether it is lust of the eyes or the temptation to be unfaithful to marriage, sexual sin is always lurking. No one is free from it's temptation. There is no sin that is more shameful or gripping. 

It is so critical that we have accountability in our lives! Have you been completely honest with your spouse and others who care for your soul? Are there secret sins in your life? Being free from sexual sin begins with honest confession. Being free from sexual sin enables one to have joy in their faith and freedom in their life.

Fight hard for purity! It matters.

Rv16

We stand in awe of the lack of repentance in the last days, but I wonder what things God would call me to repent from today? It is easy to look at the failures of others and difficult to examine ourselves.

We all justify sin at some level. My prayer is that Christmas will be a time to celebrate Christ in full repentance and faith. To tolerate any sin is to forget the price that Jesus paid to set us free from sin.

Let's focus on making this Christmas about serving Christ.

Rv15

The songs of heaven will be riveting and powerful! To hear the survivors singing praise to God will be a moving experience. I can't imagine what that will sound like.

Singing in heaven will be amazing! Everyone will participate. Everyone will have a story to tell. Everyone will be engaged and focused on true worship. Oh that God's people would enter into worship fully before they get to heaven. I am saddened to see how many engage more at sporting events than they do in worship. I believe it is a reflection of what they truly worship.

Let our mouths proclaim true worship this season. Sing songs to the Lord with others who will gather in His name. Don't let silence be the expression of our worship to God! Give to God a gift of unhindered praise.

Rv14

We might not be able to fly or have the thunderous voice of an angel, but we can "proclaim the eternal gospel" to anyone who will listen! During this Advent season take advantage of every opportunity to talk about Jesus.

Invite a friend to worship. Take time to read Luke 2 with your friends and family. Seize an opportunity to pray with others who will gather in your homes. Make the most of these moments. When the angel of this chapter takes his turn to "proclaim the gospel", it will be too late for many.

Make the most of today.

Rv13

When Christ came at Christmas, the vast majority of the world had no clue that God's redemptive work had begun. God took on humanity and began the process of salvation for all, yet almost no one knew! The first Advent was humble and quiet.

It feels odd reading about "the beast" of Revelation 13 during Advent. My mind struggles to envision what the last days will actually be like. Will they be radically different from today? Will God be doing something supernatural again and most of the world have no clue that it is actually God doing it? Is that possible?

Jesus came the first Christmas in the most humble of ways. I don't believe His second coming will be anything like His first! People will still reject Him, yet no one will miss His final coming to earth.

Rv12

Knowing his time is short, Satan works hard to bring about destruction to God's creation…especially believers! Prepare yourself for battle today. Your enemy is looking to destroy everything that is good.

I think about the spiritual battle that is raging far too seldom. Reading Revelation reminds me of the truth of this spiritual battle, but still I am lulled into thinking it is not that big of a deal. When I think that way, the battle is being lost.

There is a real battle raging. There is a real enemy. Fight for your life and the lives of those you love today.

Rv11

As I read this chapter, I am again amazed at the terrifying nature of its detail. God's patience has run out and He continues to pour out His judgement on the earth.

Today we are living in God's patience. Let's take advantage of His goodness and kindness…especially at Christmas. For God sent Jesus into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world could be saved through Him.

Celebrate Christ today.

Rv10

Massive scary angels are the agents of God's righteous judgement! Nowhere in scripture are angels described as babies with wings and harps! Where did we get this idea? Angels are awesome creatures! Whenever men encounter them in scripture they are terrified. 

The angel of this chapter is no exception. Try to envision this angel standing on the sea and land as though both are solid ground. Imagine his size! Imagine the volume of his voice proclaiming, "The time has come!" It will be terrifying.

As I watch the news, I believe our world is preparing for Christ coming and God's judgement. In a sense, I am anxious for it to happen. In a sense, I am hoping it doesn't. Either way the thought of the end of time as we know it should cause us to live differently today.

Live with the end in mind! It might be today.

Rv9

"And the people still did not repent!" These are amazing words to me in this chapter. Even after all this judgement and wrath being poured out, people continued to worship idols and did not repent and turn to God! Wow.

Are we bull headed like them? What does God need to do to get our attention? What will it take for us to fully repent and follow Him. I pray I will never see this judgement! I pray even more that if I do, I will call others to embrace Christ and turn from following idols.

How are you liking Revelation? Crazy convicting stuff.

Rv8

Many people rarely read Revelation because of the awful destruction that is described for those who reject Christ! It will be devastating and complete. God's loving patience will someday come to an end and sin will totally be annihilated. 

I am grateful to be on the right team. I believe Jesus is the only way to God. I believe the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit and that every word will come true. I believe God's judgement is real and that He will devastate His own creation in order to satisfy His righteous anger toward sin. It will be horrific!

Do you believe this? Many do not. They choose to believe only what they want to believe. They pick and choose sections of the bible to embrace and sections to reject. As my dad says, "They believe the bible is inspired in parts and they are inspired to know which parts are inspired." Mostly, they reject anything that is difficult for them.

But it is Advent. It is not time to fear God's wrath. It is time to embrace His mercy and grace which came at Christmas.

Eminent bad news makes the good news even better.

Rv7

In heaven all racial and religious tension will be gone! With one voice we will all sing to the King of kings! People from every nation, tongue and race, with the angels and all created things, will be worshiping together. It will be awesome. Nothing will separate us then because we will be without sin and in the presence of God.

For today, we have so much tension. As believers, we should seek to have unity together and love for those outside the family of faith. The church should be leading the way for ethnic and racial unity. I pray that Cornerstone will be a church were true hospitality is lived out daily. Where "loving strangers" is a focus of all we do.

Work for unity today.

Rv6

When God unleashes His judgement, it will be violent and unrelenting! The seals will be opened and God's time of patience and mercy will be done!

I used to read this chapter with fear. Now it causes me to want more urgency in my life. Is today the day? This week in our Advent service we talked about peace. The peace that Jesus came to bring to all people. The peace of God which declares us no longer enemies but sons and daughters. This chapter describes that peace coming to an end!

We have a saying, "When all hell is unleashed!" None of these things will come from hell! It will be the releasing of God's heavenly judgement. When the skies are rolled back and God's righteous anger toward sin is totally unleashed! It will be a horrendous and overwhelming thing to experience.

Live with urgency today! It will all come to be.

Rv5

I cannot wait to hear the song of heaven! Every creature in heaven and earth and under the earth and in the sea will be singing with all of their might! They will sing, "Blessing, honor, glory and power to the Lamb." It will be amazing.

Imagine it! Every created thing, including us, will be singing a worship song to Jesus. Millions of people, and who knows how many angels and created things, singing together. It will be loud. It will be awesome. It will be free from comparison and insecurity. All out unhindered worship to the King! Now that is exciting.

And this is just a picture of a worship song in heaven. If the singing is this amazing, imagine what the rest of the time without time will be like.

Think about it.

Rv4

Outside of a the loss of a loved one, do we ever think about the reality of heaven. It is the eternal goal that we all seek, but rarely do we contemplate its reality.

I think more about upcoming sports seasons than I do about heaven! I think about future trips and vacations more than I think about heaven. I think about retirement more than I think about heaven. I think my thinking is messed up! How is your thinking? How often do you think about heaven?

I guarantee that after John saw this vision of heaven, he could not stop thinking about it! He likely never got the thought completely out of his mind. It was likely the topic of most of his subsequent conversations. His description of what he saw is totally amazing and literally "out of this world".

Heaven will be awesome. We need to think and talk about it more.

Rv3

Do we listen to what God is saying? Are our ears tuned in to the voice of the Spirit? It is tragic to not listen to the voice of God.

We constantly have voices that compete for our attention and affection. I don't know about you, but those who know me accuse me of not being a great listener. They likely wouldn't even call me a good listener! In fact, some actually say I am a bad listener. 

Listening is a great quality to have. It communicates love and value for the one speaking. Listening takes the attention off of self and puts it on to someone else. James, the brother of Jesus, said that we are to be "quick to listen".

How much more should listening apply to the voice of God? Are we listening? Are we taking the time to read God's word, to hear His voice and to obey what He says? Only fools don't listen to God.

Be a listener today.

Rv2

There is no question. God knows what is going on in our life. He sees from the inside out and His eyes are always on us. These letters to the churches are full of both commendation and rebuke. The challenge to every church is to not stray from what they know and to persevere to the end.

If your church were to receive a letter today from the apostle John, what do you think would be the commendation? What do you think would be the rebuke? What if the letter was written to you personally?

These are great questions to ponder. As we think about Advent and also anticipate Christ's return, we should be about the business of God's kingdom. Live today like we will give an account of our lives. We all know we will.

Rv1

What image comes to mind when you think about Jesus? Is it a gentle Shepherd or a mighty mighty King? The depiction of Jesus in this chapter is awesome! He is coming. Let's be among those who are waiting and ready.

For years I avoided reading and studying Revelation. I don't know why. Maybe it was the mystery, maybe it was the imagery. Maybe it was the arguments that often ensued. But whatever the reason, I have gotten over that now. I look forward to reading this book every time we get here!

I pray as we read this book together that God will give us several things:
1. A great desire for His return.
2. An eager heart to follow His ways.
3. An urgency to share His truth with those who don't know yet.

Join me in these prayers.