Judgment – Feed 4 Sheep

HIGHLIGHT

Revelation 15:3–4 (ESV): 3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! 4 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

EXPLAIN

Revelation 14 begins with the 144,000 now in Heaven with the Lamb, who is standing. Three angels then fly overhead with messages of warning for the inhabitants of the earth.

Then, in Revelation 14:14 we see one who would appear to be Jesus?, who looks like a son of man, seated on the cloud with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. It is time to harvest the earth.

In Revelation 15, seven angels come with seven plagues which are the last and which consummate God’s wrath. But before the first plague is poured out, we see all those who resisted the beast and its image, but instead remained faithful to Christ standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands.

They sing the song of our highlighted text.

APPLY

Truly, God’s acts are amazing. Whether you think of Creation, of Calvary, of God’s dealings with humanity between those events or since, we must say that God’s ways are much higher than our ways. God deserves all our glory and praise.

But at the end of time, as God proves himself holy and sovereign and carries out judgment on sinful humanity, surely we will glorify God – we must glorify him – for He will prove himself much greater, wiser, and holier than we.

I am reminded of the line in C.S. Lewis’ allegory, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in which the children quiz one of Narnia’s creatures about Aslan, the lion who represents Christ. The creature describes Aslan with terrifying imagery. The children are afraid and seek reassurance. Is Aslan good? Yes, the creature assures him, though Aslan is terrible, fearsome to behold and mighty in his acts, Aslan is very, very good.

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, thank you for your great grace that redeems us from sin, adopts us into your family, and prepares us for eternity. May I always approach you with reverence and gratitude, assured of your goodness and love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

HIGHLIGHT

Acts 28:6 (ESV): 6 They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

EXPLAIN

The ship carrying Paul to Rome, after being blown about in the sea for days, finally shipwrecked at the island Malta. The native people were very kind to the people coming off the ship and built a fire to help them get warm.

Paul gathered some sticks to add to the fire, but a snake came out of the heat and bit him. The people expected him to die, assuming that he was a murderer and deserved such. When Paul did not die, however, they changed their minds and called him a god.

APPLY

This mindset is very similar to the thinking expressed by Job’s friends in my reading from the Old Testament. Because calamity had befallen Job, he must have sinned somehow. Job needed to repent, they thought.

In reality, Job had not sinned, nor was Paul a murderer. Neither was Paul a god, nor was Job, at the end of his story, perfect. Job had to repent of speaking too boldly of God and God’s ways.

Both men were followers of God allowed by God to suffer difficulty.

We should not be hasty in attributing sinfulness to those who suffer or godliness to those who achieve success in life.

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, thank you that neither the difficulties I experience in life necessarily are a sign that I have displeased you nor the successes I experience are proof that I am extra-spiritual.

Thank you for your grace that accepted us when we are sinners but changes us to be saints, reflecting the image of Jesus. Amen.

Tag: Judgment

Terrible but good

Don’t be so quick to judge