“… the time has come …”
And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
the one who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and have begun to reign.
18 The nations were angry;
and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your saints and those who reverence your name,
both small and great-
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”
(Revelation 11:16-18; NIV. Please read Revelation 10-11.)
When the world is in turmoil …
When the world seems destined for destruction …
May the people of God … the royal priesthood … humble ourselves before His throne … worship Him in spirit and truth … thank Him for all that He has done and will do, including the destruction of our enemies.
ON SECOND THOUGHT: When things get tough in my life … I am ashamed to say that my tendency is to complain … to whine. But in these words from God … I see how I should respond. Rather than looking at my self-interests … I should focus on the wise and wondrous work and will of God. Help me … Lord.
November 9, 2008 at 9:58 am
I am not a bible student nor do I pretend to understand what much of the bible (especially Revelation) says, but this one isn’t that hard … God is going to reward his servants and destroy his enemies, those that destroy what is good.
I believe that when things get tough it is the nature of man to whine and complain and that God understands that. I have been taught that God loves us in spite of our flaws and that it is always okay to cast our cares on God….even if they are whines and complaints. I also believe that if I focus on the wise and wondrous work and will of God then I am looking at my self-interest….because by trying to please God and trying to be what he wants me to be….do what he wants me to do…..I will be the rewarded servant and not be one of the ones he destroys.
I hope I remember God’s words (and my own words) next time I want to do something I know I shouldn’t. I know myself good enough to know I won’t, but I hope my conscience is always tender enough to realize…admit….repent …humble myself before his throne…ask for his forgiveness and help, and then try, try again. Hopefully by trying I will disobey God less and less, so that I can be secure in the knowledge that I will be one of the rewarded servants when he returns.
November 9, 2008 at 4:29 pm
It is terribly difficult for us to look outside of ourselves when we are suffering. It is hard to say thank you to God when all we feel is trouble and pain. If we can manage to look outside of ourselves we can see that it is not all about us. We see that God has a plan and He will use this to make us stronger, draw us nearer and bring glory to His name.
His will shall be done. And those that love him and revere His name (both small and great it says) will be rewarded by Him. I want to live my life in a way that brings glory to His name. I no longer want to be His enemy. Lord help me live in reverence to You..whether in good or bad times…Thank You for reigning with mercy and love.
November 9, 2008 at 6:16 pm
It seems like there is almost a theme to the things I have been learning about God lately. This study in Revelation is certainly connected to those things.
In our ladies bible study, the thing that stuck out to me the most is regardless of what our culture, doctrine, traditions, upbringing may have taught me, my job is to just be obedient to God. Nothing else matters and nothing else is worth my time.
Last night we went to the Mercy Me concert and the lead singer was talking about our attitudes toward adversity. I can’t remember his exact wording, and I may have missed what he was trying to get across specifically. I guess the thing that stuck out to me is that above all God is to be glorified. If he has to be glorified in my life through strife and pain, then that is the way it has to be. I HATE adversity. I HATE the things that are out of my control, but if that is how God needs to be glorified in my life, then I must endure it.
This morning in our study of Luke, I was reminded of how to either prepare, for or repair from the storm. Pain and suffering are a given. Preparing/repairing is what allows God to get the glory from those storms.
What I see from this part of Revelation is that when I deal with the storms, I must still be thankful, prayerful, and glorify the One who is and who was. I can’t do it on my own strength, so I am trusting him to take me through.
November 9, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Last night I was reminded of God’s power and how everything really is underneath His feet … or in His hand. However we want to word it, the picture is that everything belongs to the Lord. He made it … it is His. I forget that so often. It is important for me to remember that it’s all His, because in that, I also remember He has power over it all. He has the power to use the water to destroy … and He can also use it to grow and renew. It is His choice.
I belong to Him as well. He reigns over my life whether I choose to let Him or not. I can fight that reign by not submitting to His will and only submitting to my own. But in the final judgment … He still reigns. I will submit to Him eventually. I can do it now and live a life where my heart feels safe, and then go on to live with Him for eternity. Or I can be made to submit when that final judgment comes and spend my eternity without any hope of ever having a choice to feel safe again.
When my life seems difficult and no relief is in sight, I can know and trust that God still reigns. By recognizing that reign, and submitting to it, I can be assured that whatever struggle I’m having is ultimately controlled by Him … and He will use it to His glory.