Month: December 2018

“And the beast was seized and overpowered, and with him the false prophet who in his presence had worked wonders and performed miracles by which he led astray those who had accepted or permitted to be placed upon them the stamp (mark) of the beast and those who paid homage and gave divine honors to his statue. Both of them were hurled alive into the fiery lake that burns and blazes with brimstone.  And the rest were killed with the sword that issues from the mouth of Him Who is mounted on the horse, and all the birds fed ravenously and glutted themselves with their flesh.” Revelation 19:20-21 ->me: This is so final – Just before these verses there is an angel that calls all the birds of the air together to be ready for “God’s great feast”.  Then it talks of a ‘Braveheart’ like moment where the opposing armies face each other for war.  Then these 2 verses – notice how no battle is spoken of actually occurring…at one moment they are facing each other down and then next ‘the beast and his false prophet are seized and overpowered’…and then all of the rest of the armies of the earth are killed by ‘the WORD of God’ -> Jesus.  When God is ready to dole out justice, His action is swift.  When He goes before me I have nothing to fear – satan has no power to himself.  What he has is only what God allows him to have, and only for a time.  What is even more crazy is that this power spoken of here is something I have through the armor of God -> the Sword of the Spirit (God’s Word).  I have not memorized any new verses lately (sharpening my Sword before battle); something I plan to change starting today.

“From His mouth goes forth a sharp sword with which He can smite (afflict, strike) the nations; and He will shepherd and control them with a staff (scepter, rod) of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath and indignation of God the All-Ruler (the Almighty, the Omnipotent) and on His garment (robe) and on His thigh He has a name (title) inscribed, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelation 19:15-16 ->me: These 2 verses from the passage here in Revelation depicting our Savior on His white horse coming with His angel armies is so awesome. Rather than try to take this apart piece by piece I will just tell you what I take away. The Word of Jesus (God) has the power to smack down nations of people and He has absolute authority…He cannot be resisted. In the previous verses it talks about His angel armies behind Him but they have no weapons because their leader alone is the one that conquers. When Jesus returns it will be clear Who He is and the Sovereignty that comes with. Today my prayer of humility and strength continues. This visual makes it very easy to come before my King in meekness and weakness knowing He comes in all power to wage war on those who resist Him. This life on earth is a place to grow strong in perseverance and character as we await my risen King. The knowledge and understanding won’t come without experience and practice standing up to the evil desires and distractions of this world. In this job, God has given me a great training ground but I must not let the evil one use it for his own purposes to sidetrack my life.

“Then [the angel] said to me, Write this down: Blessed (happy, to be envied) are those who are summoned (invited, called) to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me [further], These are the true words (the genuine and exact declarations) of God. Then I fell prostrate at his feet to worship (to pay divine honors) to him, but he [restrained me] and said, Refrain! [You must not do that!] I am [only] another servant with you and your brethren who have [accepted and hold] the testimony borne by Jesus. Worship God! For the substance (essence) of the truth revealed by Jesus is the spirit of all prophecy [the vital breath, the inspiration of all inspired preaching and interpretation of the divine will and purpose, including both mine and yours].” Revelation 19:9-10 ->me: ‘Blessed are those who are summoned’ – this phrase just rings over and over in my head. You are blessed when you are called because you are given access to Jesus (John 6:65). Jesus then gives us access to the Father through the shed blood of His Son. Then when John falls at the feet of the angel (big no no) the angel corrects him – Worship God alone! The meat of the truth spoken by Jesus is the undertow of all prophesy. So, when we listen to the call of the Father and follow His Son we are in the divine plan of God.

“Rejoice (celebrate) over her, O heaven! O saints (people of God) and apostles and prophets, because God has executed vengeance for you upon her! Then a single powerful angel took up a boulder like a great millstone and flung it into the sea, crying, With such violence shall Babylon the great city be hurled down to destruction and shall never again be found.” Revelation 18:20-21 ->me: Tonight I finished chapter 18. The whole chapter is on the final destruction of the harlot -> Babylon (civilized man apart from God). This voice from heaven asks all the Saints and all for heaven to rejoice because God has avenged us by destroying and hurling all the putrid things of this world into the sea like a great stone…never to be heard or seen ever again. This is the final act that cleanses the earth of iniquity, setting up the scene for the reign of the Almighty. What a day that will be when the world is no longer a welcome place for anything other than our God and His heirs. The one thing that this chapter really taught me is that God sees sin and worldly living as corrupting force that until it is gone, will be a threat to all who flirt with her. Such a strong message – a married man should NEVER place himself in a situation where might even be the hint of impropriety — So as the bride of Christ we (I) should apply same logic.

“I then heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out from her, my people, so that you may not share in her sins, neither participate in her plagues. For her iniquities (her crimes and transgressions) are piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her wickedness and [her] crimes [and calls them up for settlement].” Revelation 18:4-5 ->me: This passage has me chewing. This follows the description of the harlot (the representation of civilized man apart from God). This appears to be an indictment by association. ‘Come out of her’ – remember my QT from the 8th – RUN AWAY!. ‘that you may not share in her sins’ – I take this to mean that we have very little power within ourselves to withstand the temptations of this world when we allow ourselves to be rubbing shoulders with her. We must run away to our Father in Heaven to stay pure and holy. ‘God has remembered her wickedness’ means that if I don’t get away I could find myself in harm’s way as God’s wrath comes down on her. I don’t think John is talking about a physical closeness but a heart and treasure one. As part of our reading this month for my men’s study at church we have been reading The Treasure Project. This book really focuses on redirecting our treasure building forward, no investment here (earth)…at all. In the verses before this one it talks about the businessmen becoming rich with the wealth of her excessive luxury and wantonness – such a powerful warning and association with our dealings with the world to make money. How can I possibly think that unless I am steeped in God’s word and communal prayer with Him (this is how I define ‘to come out from her’) that I stand any chance of making any right decisions on my own. Without the Holy Spirit actively drawing me to the right decisions and life choices, I am doomed to participate in the harlot’s sinning and plagues. I put myself at risk of her evil and despicable wickedness rubbing off on me.

“They will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will triumph over them; for He is Lord of lords and King of kings—and those with Him and on His side are chosen and called [elected] and loyal and faithful followers.” Revelation 17:14 ->me: This is a topper to the message by Pastor Steve, phone call with my best friend, and the last week on this new project.  When Pastor Steve told us to ask ourselves what we were needing right now -> Courage or Strength; it was an automatic answer for me…STRENGTH!  This last week has been full of distractions, pressure, stress, hurriedness, and excitement…none of these things are bad unless they draw you away from the Almighty.  I was talking Teague (my best friend) on the phone this evening and explaining how quickly distant I had become from the Lord by just being…Busy.  I need the Lord’s strength to stay true to my ultimate hope which rests in Him.  God has given me the skills and job that I have, but He also deserves my obedience, focus, and surrender to Himself.  When I am in these places of structured focus work towards an objective, I can quickly start to use my own strength and know how to get the job done but God is the main focus of my desire and He should receive all the glory for the work I do…not me.  God has the end-all-be-all power in the Universe; the same power that will defeat satan and these rulers (the ‘they’ in the beginning of the verse today).  I need the Lord’s strength to remember Him through every moment, meeting, conversation, and work situation that is to come over the next months.

“This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated” Revelation 17:9 ->me:  Revelation 13:18 also uses this same requirement for understanding “This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six”.  Putting this together with “Keep awake” in Rev. 3:2, 3:3, and 16:15; it is a call to how we should live in these last days.  God is the Giver of wisdom and the start of that wisdom begins with fearing God -> The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord brings instruction in Wisdom (Proverbs 15:33).  I must remain alert and awake, not going into the sleepy dream state of this world around me.  Even though I operate in this world I must live every moment awake in the Lord.  With a reverential and worship filled heart I must fear the Lord (fear disappointing him, fear of looking bad before Him, fear of losing my time with Him).  It is through living in this way that the wisdom required here, is possible.  I am reading a lot of commentaries and petitioning the Lord for understanding but I can rest without fear or worry knowing He is in control regardless of whether I understand the things in Revelation or not.

“I also saw that the woman was drunk, [drunk] with the blood of the saints (God’s people) and the blood of the martyrs [who witnessed] for Jesus. And when I saw her, I was utterly amazed and wondered greatly.” Revelation 17:6 ->me:  This is so vivid of the brutality of the world in persecuting the Saints/Martyrs.  The fact that she was drunk means that the blood flowed freely and that the amount was great in quantity.  It also implies that she enjoyed the process.  When she persecuted the church she did not think of herself as performing a distasteful but necessary duty…She rejoiced in it as a drunkard rejoices in his wine.  So when we turn to entertain the ways of this world and the signals it so enjoyably sends our way to coax us in, the world stands ready to pounce, to slay without thought, and even out of enjoyment.  The world longs to consume and squash the spiritual lives of those Saints she is able to pull in, pull in with false doctrine, pull in with poor company/friends, pull in with demands of work, pull in with pornography and sex addiction.  This seems to paint a bleak picture for one who is caught up in her schemes…the amount of blood is so great it appears that few get away.  RUN AWAY BEN! Do not open yourself even a little bit; the speed and violence of her grip is true to even the smallest target!

“The woman was robed in purple and scarlet and bedecked with gold, precious stones, and pearls, [and she was] holding in her hand a golden cup full of the accursed offenses and the filth of her lewdness and vice and on her forehead there was inscribed a name of mystery: Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes (idolatresses) and of the filth and atrocities and abominations of the earth.” Revelation 17:4-5 ->me:  Well, today’s quiet time after 2 days missed is quiet appropriate and I feel even more convicted because of the content of my QT on Dec 3 (the last one).  Why?  Because I have been consumed with earthly work under the sun…worse, is that it is work that I sincerely enjoy meaning that my dedication to my job overrode my dedication to the Lord through setting aside time for quiet times.  Am I crazy busy, more so than anytime in the last 24 months? Yes, but I have learned over and over that when I give God time first He always helps me get what need done completed or gives me the strength and rest in less time than it would usually take.  The verses today talk about how seductive the world is, but she also has her name stamped on her forehead so when you chose her over they time with the creator of the earth you know exactly who you are choosing.  So, moving forward, even though I will be working 14 to 16 hour days (at work + work at home) for the next 7 weeks, I am committing to giving God the first fruits of my time.  Lord, forgive me for turning to work and leaving you out during the last 2 days.  My relationship with you is more important to me than all these things and I have not demonstrated that.  Give me the strength and prodding of the Holy Spirit to turn to You and pray throughout the day even when I am in meetings or walking between buildings.  I love You and You have never failed me.

“And [the angel] bore me away [rapt] in the Spirit into a desert (wilderness), and I saw a woman seated on a scarlet beast that was all covered with blasphemous titles (names), and he had seven heads and ten horns.” Revelation 17:3 ->me:  This verse comes from the account of John being taken by one of the seven angels who had the bowls to see the doom that would become the great harlot.  The great harlot -> Babylon – civilized man apart from God, man in organized but godless community.  What I am about to say is what came to my mind as I read this passage – something I know God has revealed to me for me, but not necessarily all that there is to this passage to be taken away.  The angel swept John up ‘in the spirit’ and took him into the wilderness…and there he was then able to see the true power behind the prostitute…the beast.  Isn’t this what God has done for us that seek Him daily in His word and follow Him?  This world and all of its identities it wants me to take for myself, to define me, are found in the city and as long as I live there I cannot see the harlot for who she is and who she represents.  It is when I am chosen by God and whisked to the wilderness that all of the influences of the city are removed and I can see the prostitute and her steed.  I can see the wickedness in idolatry of possessions, self-worth, secular identity, and who “I” wanted to be.  Now, in the wilderness alone with God, my mind is clear to understand that He is Who I live for—looking to Him, not others in the city, for my identity and purpose.  I am not my own – I am His and can now see the idols for what they are->intoxicating immoral wine from the prostitute I can easily become intoxicated on if I don’t stay retreated to the shelter of God’s sacred tent for me in the desert.