The Ken Read Podcast

0905 THE TRUMPETS

SEPTEMBER 5 = REVELATION 8

THE TRUMPETS

Let’s review where we are right now in the book of Revelation. John has been taken up into heaven to see what things must happen soon. A scroll appeared, and the Lamb of God was found worthy to break the seven seals that will open the scroll and complete the history of the earth from a heavenly point of view. Six of the seals have been opened so far, sending economic and natural disasters upon the earth. The day of reckoning is at hand. But before the seventh seal is opened, angels are sent to put the mark of God on the foreheads of each believer on earth. Then, suddenly there is a great multitude of believers from all over the earth, praising God and thanking him.

It’s time now to return, in order to open the seventh and final seal. With all that’s been happening, it is sure to be the biggest, baddest, end of all things, when the earth is judged and Jesus reigns supreme. Well, that’s what we want to happen, anyway.

Instead, here’s what does happen:

When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

This is astonishing! Do you recall how much singing in loud voices was going on just a few verses ago? Something has overcome the crowd, and they hush. No doubt, it is the first silence there has ever been in heaven. And it is so overwhelming that it lasts for half an hour. In heavenly time, that’s close to 21 years on earth, by the way (if you recall, a thousand years is like a day). It seems strange, doesn’t it, that after so much build up there would be this moment?

But what is about to take place on earth is no small matter. Each soul on earth is important enough to God that Jesus died for it. Executing judgment on these souls, however evil they may be, is not a matter to be taken lightly.

And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

Seven seals were broken. Now that the last one is opened, we see seven trumpets? Are we starting over again?

Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.

Golden bowls of incense were the prayers of God’s people earlier in the book. The smoke and the prayers are still related here. The petitions of the people of God are still pleading, and God is readying his answer.

Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

Do you think that your prayers are not effective? Not so! Now I see why there had been silence for half an hour! It’s about to get really nasty down below! Perhaps the judgment is now!

Time for the trumpets:

Trumpet #1: “The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.”

Trumpet #2: Something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Trumpet #3: “and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water—the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

This sounds a lot like global climate effects. And to be sure, a third of the waters turn bitter and many people die from it. This may be climate change, but it is not from the sin of carbon emissions!

Trumpet #4: “a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

“As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!””

0906 THE WOES

SEPTEMBER 6 = REVELATION 9

THE WOES

The previous chapter ended with an eagle calling out in a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth!” Four of the seven trumpets have sounded to this point, and the final three are the three ‘woes’ that the eagle just announced. (Viewer discretion advised.)

Trumpet #5: The symbolism is complicated. It involves a star that had fallen from the sky, who opens the shaft of the Abyss, which releases smoke and locusts. The locusts are there to torture those who did not have the mark of God on their foreheads. People are in torment for 5 months. “During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.” That was the first woe.

Trumpet #6: Four angels who are bound at the “great river Euphrates.” These angels have the power to kill. “And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.” A third of mankind was killed by these horses and riders, through fire, smoke and suffer that came out of their mouths.

This is a brutal time to be living on earth, and it was soon to come in the days of John. Several of the images that John describes sound like they could be first century attempts to discriminate between the saved and the unsaved. But put into our day, I could see John trying to describe Huey helicopters by describing them as locusts, or as the horses being weapons of modern warfare. It doesn’t really matter whether they are manmade or that they are actually locusts and horses, as he describes. Either way, you and I now have been warned by earlier generations, and about the truly final years of mankind on earth.

The destruction of a third of mankind is mentioned for a second time. Which means by this point that over half of the population has been wiped out, either by punishing armies or by more natural means.

It seems pretty unmistakable that these are acts of judgment from God against the earth. But for some of us, even when we are facing God’s judgment, we still refuse to change.

“The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

I find it hard to imagine anyone being so hard hearted that in the midst of all this torture, they still refuse to repent. 

On the other hand, I guess it is happening already right now! People have Bibles, access to religious programming, churches, freedom of religion, and much more. Yet we choose to become agnostic, to live selfish lifestyles, to become angry toward God. We hold on to Humanism, or self-made spiritualism,  or whatever system of doubt we choose. On the other hand, we turn around and blame God (the One we claim we don’t believe in) for our troubles. They are the reason we cannot, or do not, believe.

And that last paragraph is the story of human history, in all its ugliness. God, have mercy on us all. Amen.

0907 THE LITTLE SCROLL

SEPTEMBER 7 = REVELATION 10

THE LITTLE SCROLL

This is a short chapter, but it is packed with things to reflect on. First, as with the seven seals, so with the seven trumpets, there is a pause after the sixth and before the seventh. Last time, there was silence for half an hour. This time, it is announced that there will be no more delay! Let’s dive in and see what the Lord would say.

“And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.””

Why was John not to write down what the seven thunders said? After all the other things he was specifically told to write down, now John is in on something that he is NOT to tell. Makes me wonder what they said, to be sure.

Of course, they are seven because they are complete, representing every thunder everywhere, perhaps for all time. Which makes me wonder. Maybe we already know what the seven thunders have said, when heaven spoke to crowds of people in a loud thunderous voice.

You might say there was thunder at creation, when God spoke everything into existence. That thunder said, “Creator!”

There was, no doubt, thunder at the great flood, with Noah and the ark and the rainbow. That thunder said, “Judge!”

There was God’s thunderous voice at Mount Sinai in the wilderness, when Moses went up and received the Ten Commandments. That thunder said, “Holy!”

There was a multitude of the heavenly hosts at Jesus’ birth, praising God and announcing the coming. That thunder said, “Peace!”

There was a voice, which some thought was thunder, at Jesus’ baptism, when God the Father spoke. That thunder said, “Son!” 

God spoke again on the Mountain of Transfiguration, when he repeated the message to the disciples. It said, “Listen!”

There was the time shortly before his suffering when Jesus prayed, “Father, glorify your name,” and an answer came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” Some thought that was thunder that day, also. He said, “Glory!”

And then there was the sound of a mighty wind (like a tornado, which comes with thunder, right?) at the day of Pentecost. It was saying, “Salvation!”

What do those thunders say, collectively? The Creator is a Judge who is Holy and brings Peace through his Son! Listen to him glorify the Father and bring Salvation!

‭‭“There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.””

We’ve been waiting for this, and now it seems to have come: No more delay! When the final trumpet sounds, the mystery is solved and the prophecies are fulfilled. Judgment is at hand!

There is a short exchange between John and the mighty angel with the open scroll. Take note of these subtle details:

“Go, take the scroll . . ..” 

So I . . . asked him to give me the little scroll. 

He said to me, “Take it . . ..”

What’s the difference between taking something and asking someone to give it to you? Asking seems more polite, especially when dealing with a mighty angel. But John was told to take, not to ask. Sometimes God calls us to be bold. To speak up. To take spiritual authority. To claim something in the name of Jesus. But instead, you and I ask God, “If it be Thy will, would you…?” Yet he has told us to take it! Claim the spiritual authority! Start that difficult conversation! Make that phone call! Pursue that job! In Jesus’ name, be bold!

I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.””

This is how it goes for us in life, too. The Spirit speaks to us, and his word is clear and life giving. At the same time, that very word convicts us of our sin, and leads to repentance and confession. And yet, there is something healing in the pain, seasons of refreshing that come from repentance, and peace in obeying. And so John is told to eat the words, and they are from God, so they are sweet. But they lead to a command to declare that word to others, some of whom are not receptive to the message. There is peace in obeying the command, but not always peace.

We must prophesy. We must declare, you and I. We are to tell the good and the bad news to many peoples, nations, languages and kings. Amen.

0907B ENJOY LIFE WITH YOUR WIFE (SONG OF THE WEEK)

ENJOY LIFE WITH YOUR WIFE (SONG OF THE WEEK)

(Ellen suggested this to be one of my collection of Completely Out of Context Scripture Songs. So, since it was my wife who suggested it, I enjoyed writing and recording it. Taken directly from Ecclesiastes 9:9. Look it up if you don't believe me!)

Enjoy life with your wife

Whom you love all your days

All the days of your meaningless life.

This meaningless life that God has given you

All of your meaningless days.

Enjoy life with your wife

Whom you love all your days

All the days of your meaningless life.

For this is your lot in life

and in your toilsome labor under the sun.

0908 THE TWO WITNESSES

SEPTEMBER 8 = REVELATION 11

THE TWO WITNESSES

This chapter may be the most difficult one to interpret, as it includes several details that are uncomfortable and are not a part of our normal experiences. Lots of symbolism adds to the abstractions, as well.

John is told to measure the temple and the altar, with its worshipers. 

“But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.”

The outer court had always been open to Gentiles. So what does it mean that it has been given to them? And what does it mean that they will trample on the holy city? And why 42 months? 

Let’s go in reverse order: Remember how 7 is a number for completeness, a number of perfection? Seven years would be 84 months. So 42 months is half of completeness. John could have just written the number of years as 3 ½. But when we are living it, one month at a time, 42 months seems longer. So it seems like a long time, but it is an incomplete time.

What does it mean that they will trample the holy city, even though it is a long-but-incomplete time? If Revelation was written in the year 96, it was some 26 years after the fall of Jerusalem at the hands of Rome. Romans had laid siege to the city, had torn down the temple completely, had forced all Jews to leave, and had renamed the city Capitolina and the country they had renamed Palestine (taken from the word Philistine, to remove any Jewish ownership of the entire region). In short, the Romans hated the Jews. And for the time being, these Gentiles had been trampling the city for a long time. But it was not a “complete” amount of time! 

So God had allowed these pagans to have the land. You might say it had been given to them by God, in the sense that he had not stopped them in their conquest.

John was a Jew, writing to a largely Jewish readership. But in this context, he is not really talking about Jews and Gentiles, but about believers and unbelievers. And he’s not really talking about Jerusalem, but about the world system, which we are still living in, by the way. The world is being trampled by unbelievers. But it won’t be this way forever.

That was the topic of the first two verses. Then the attention shifts to two people, whom John calls “witnesses.” John says about them,

“And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.””

At the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter should be established. It’s found multiple times in the Bible. These two are enough to provide a majority opinion for God on earth, you might say. In any case, they prophesy for 1260 days. Guess how long that is? Three and a half years (based on Jewish calendar with 30-day months). These two might be Elijah and John the Baptist. They might be the Old and New Testaments. They might be random unnamed witnesses. 

Remember that John is writing to the persecuted church, to tell them to hang on and be faithful unto death. But these witnesses are not like the persecuted church. They are the conquerors, the aggressors, the ones who are here to carry out God’s judgment on the earth, but in the form of two humans. So they punish, they prophesy, and in the end, they are overpowered and killed. 

Their bodies lie in the public square of Jerusalem, which is called the great city, Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. These names signify the faithlessness of the city that once had been the center of spiritual life for all Jews.

Their bodies lie there for 3 ½ days. Sort of like Jesus in the grave. But more significantly, it is half of a complete week, which happens to be 7 days. Then they are resurrected and called up to heaven.

Then, just to put a bow on it, there is a severe earthquake in the city, which destroys 1/10th of the city and 7000 people are killed (at least they weren’t Jewish!). And those who survived are terrified and give glory to God! Talk about a change in heart, compared to what those who refused to repent were doing just a couple of chapters ago.

All of that was the second woe.

And once again, as with the seventh seal, so with the seventh trumpet, all of heaven sings God’s praises. It is awesome, in the truest sense of the word, and God is glorified.

So, maybe the interpretation of the second woe is not so difficult, after all.

After all, sometimes evil wins. For a brief season, one that seems longer than it is. And sometimes God wins. For a brief season, which seems even shorter than it is. And then, those who belong to him are called up and they finally have victory. Amen.

0909 THE WOMAN AND THE DRAGON

SEPTEMBER 9 = REVELATION 12

THE WOMAN AND THE DRAGON

The imagery and symbolism continue to deepen through the rest of the book of Revelation. Part of the reason is because these are the things that John saw, and he is merely telling us the images without interpreting for us. And part of the reason is because John was in exile on Patmos, and whatever letter he would send out to reach the churches had to be cloaked in imagery that would be unclear to the Roman guards who would be releasing the letter for delivery. (We’ll see some of those more obvious hidden messages soon.)

So, in light of all that, I’m going to try to provide a running parallel commentary that says what John is saying, but uses different imagery. Sort of like I did back with some of the materials in the first four chapters. We’ll see how this works. Starting with verse numbers, so you know where to read.

1-2. God has always had a people for himself. They are to him like a bride, strong and radiant. From these people came a line for Jesus.

3-4. But God’s enemy has also been trying to oppose God’s plan. He rebelled in heaven, and a third of the angels joined with him. They tried to destroy Jesus before he could be born.

5-6. But in spite of the devil trying to destroy the work of Jesus, God protected both his Son and his people.

7-9. This spiritual battle began even before the ancient serpent in the garden. Satan had rebelled in heaven and was defeated, along with all his demons. They were thrown down to earth, where Satan continues to oppose God’s people and lead them astray.

10-12. Praise the Lord! He brings us the salvation and the power and the kingdom of God and of his Christ. He has hurled down the one who is constantly accusing our brothers and sisters before God. We triumph over him by the blood of Jesus and our connection to it. We choose to side with Jesus, all the way to death. So, all of heaven rejoices! But this is bad news for the earth, because the devil does his work down below. He is filled with fury, for he knows that his time is short.

13-16. So now the devil is on the hunt against all the people who belong to God. But God has protected his people, bringing healing and working miracles.

17. The devil is enraged at his defeat. So he has declared war against God’s people. God’s people must keep God’s commands and hold on to their faith in Jesus.

And this, my friends, is where we stand today. We are in the midst of a deadly spiritual war, and those who hold fast to their faith in Jesus will overcome and receive eternal life in heaven. 

But the battle is not over here below. So let us be faithful, even to death. Amen.

0910 THE BEASTS

SEPTEMBER 10 = REVELATION 13

THE BEASTS

The interpretation of this chapter is more contested than any so far. Actually, the interpretation of the beasts is pretty straightforward, as long as you don’t try to actually put a name or a date as to who the beast is.

It begins with Satan (the dragon) standing on the shore of the sea. The sea often indicates a kind of unstable political climate. A beast comes up out of the sea, with horns and heads and blasphemous names. It resembles various animals. One of the heads of the beast has a fatal wound (a knife cut), but was healed. Satan gives his power to the beast, and everyone in the world was filled with wonder. The beast blasphemes God and wages war against the saints and is given power to conquer them for 42 months.

This is one of those hidden messages that John was sneaking past the Roman guards when he wrote to the churches. The Emperor Nero is infamous for having Christians tortured and killed. His obsessed persecution of Christians lasted three and a half years—42 months. And then he committed suicide by slitting his own throat with a knife. 

Some years later, Domitian became Caesar, and he seemed like a shrewd ruler who helped stabilize the economy, spread the empire and reestablish traditional Roman culture. Part of that cultural piece was to enforce pagan idolatry, and to re-establish persecution of Christians, who had a strong impact on changing Roman culture, in the name of Jesus. So you might say that Domitian was a reappearance of Nero, as if Nero were alive again.

“This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.”

The words Caesar Nero in Latin are “Neron Kaisar” in Greek. Translated again into Hebrew, it is “Nrwn Qsr.” A particular feature of the Hebrew language is that their number system uses the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, rather than Arabic numerals. So, guess what the Hebrew name of Nero is, when read in numbers? That’s right. But John was writing in Greek. So who would have had “insight” to “calculate the number” of the beast? Jewish readers! They would know right away that John was saying Nero was not divine, as he had claimed to be. And neither is Domitian, his copy.

That’s just commenting on a few of the hidden details of what John was secretly saying about the emperor.

Then a second beast enters the scene, coming out of earth, rather than sea. The second beast is the public relations specialist for the beast, and he crafts a statue and then makes it seem as if it had come to life. And he makes everyone worship the beast.

““It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.”

Just as God had sealed all believers a few chapters ago, so this beast writes a tattoo on the forehead or hand of every person in the kingdom. If you are a Roman, you had to have the mark in order to buy or sell anything. He forced everyone to worship the beast, and he spoke blasphemies. 

This does, indeed, call for wisdom to know what to do when the beast calls on you. Bow down or die. What would you choose?

He slanders against God's name and all of heaven. He even has the power to conquer all the saints of earth. So listen all you saints who have an ear: Be patient and endure. Be faithful to the end. And do not be deceived by any being who looks innocent but who speaks a dragon’s lies.

So when he orders all to follow him or die, It takes great wisdom to recall that he's a man and not at all a God. His power is but counterfeit. And in the end, our Jesus wins. So this is not the final round at all!"

May we have faith enough to be courageous in the face of the most severe persecution. Amen.

0911 THE FINAL HARVEST

SEPTEMBER 11 = REVELATION 14

THE FINAL HARVEST

In this chapter, the chaos of chapter 13 begins to resolve, in favor of God and Christ. But along the way, there are several details to make note of. Let’s delve into some of those particulars.

“And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. 

The roar of rushing waters is very loud. It is what is known today as white noise, which is basically all of the frequencies of sound given at the same time. You don’t hear an individual pitch, but a big wall of sound. It’s basically the same for a loud peal of thunder. Loud! And yet, he further describes the sound itself as being like that of harpists playing their harps. So the pitches are specific. In fact, they are together and in order, and presented as if it was not amateurs randomly playing pitches, but “harpists” playing “their” harps. So music done excellently is also like the beauty of random noise. What’s more, all that sound becomes a “new song” being sung before the Lord. As a composer, I so much appreciate that this was a new song, done by an ensemble, played at loud volumes. Praise the Lord!

Another detail in this chapter is the quote of an angel:

“ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.” 

Babylon the Great. John is no longer talking about Jerusalem in veiled language. He is talking like Peter, who secretly identified the church in Rome to his readers. Jews knew Babylon well, to be an evil but powerful place. And so, once again, John speaks a secret message to his Jewish readers.

This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus. 

The simple and challenging application of all this information about persecution and punishment of the evil blasphemers is this: patiently endure. Stay the course. Keep the faith. But above all, this calls for patient endurance.

A few verses later, John writes,

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” 

Even while calling his readers to patiently endure, John needs to remind the church that death overtakes all. Whether by martyrdom or natural causes, those who die “in the Lord” are blessed. They are blessed, because they will “rest from their labor.” The difficult work done to remain faithful in an oppressive society is not wasted. It is labor. But you will rest from it. And the good deeds that you did will follow you, in the memories of those you served and in the example you left for others, as well as in the reward that is given to you. So rest, dear one. Rest in him.

The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.”

This gets a little geeky. But it’s something to consider, based on the earth’s current population.

If there are currently 8 billion people on earth, and death has power to kill a fourth of the earth, how many are left? 

6 billion

If then a third of the people on earth are destroyed by angelic troops, how many are left?

4 billion

If blood then flows out of the press in a flood that is 4 feet high for a distance of 1600 stadia (that’s 180 miles). 5280 ft x 180 x 180 x 4 = 684,288,000 x 7.48 = 5,118,829,713. Over 5 billion gallons of blood. Which is almost exactly the total amount of blood in every human on earth at that time, if 4 billion are left.

What do we learn from this? God’s word is true, even in strange little details from a bizarre prophetic book like Revelation. And, you and I had best be on the Lord’s side when the time of his wrath comes.

0912 PREPARING FOR GOD’S WRATH

SEPTEMBER 12 = REVELATION 15

PREPARING FOR THE SEVEN PLAGUES

At last, after all the waiting, we find God’s wrath being poured out on earth. 

“I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed.”

If you are like me, it’s going to feel like too much, if there could be such a thing. Seems strange, after all that waiting and asking how long until you avenge our blood? But it feels over the top because we haven’t seen God doing this sort of thing very often in our lifetimes. Besides, it’s not just OUR blood he is avenging. He is ruling the nations with a rod of iron. He is doing battle against the one who rebelled against him in heaven and who is murdering and ravishing each of his children on earth for thousands of years. He is giving people what they have asked for, what they have chosen for themselves after centuries of his repeated warnings. So, be prepared. It’s going to get ugly before we get to the end of the end of the book. Ready? Here we go!

“And I saw . . . those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb.”

They were victorious! Victorious over the beast who had come up out of the sea, the one who had been given power by the dragon and who had authority over every person on earth, even given power to conquer the saints. 

How had they been victorious? Had they taken vengeance? Had they fought back? Had they spoken like the two witnesses had, so that fire came out of their mouths and devoured their enemies? Did they have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want? Is that how the saints are victorious over the beast?

No. Earlier in Revelation, Jesus said that he who endures to the end is the one who overcomes. Those who are faithful unto death are the ones who overcome. Persevere and endure hardship in his name, and not grow weary. Then you are victorious. Be faithful, even to the point of death. Hold on. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 

So make no mistake about it. Victory in Jesus is done by following in Jesus’ footsteps, suffering as He did, being faithful in spite of difficulty and persecution. Remember, the way up is down, and those who are first will be last. 

Do not take vengeance, but leave room for the wrath of God. Do not become bitter, but make your requests known to God. Do not be angry or anxious, jealous or impatient. Faith means that you believe there is something better than this world has to offer. So make no mistake about it, spiritual warfare does not involve fists and worldly weapons.

But now is the time for God to reveal his wrath. The saints are removed from the battle, at least for the moment. The 144,000 were with the Lamb in the last chapter, standing on Mount Zion, but even then they were not in battle. Not yet.

Here is the beginning of the end:

“Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. . . . seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.”

In the next chapter, we will see the seven plagues as they are poured out. May we be ready to hear the tale of the coming wrath of God. Amen.

0913 HERE WE GO

SEPTEMBER 13 = REVELATION 16

HERE WE GO

And now the seven (complete!) bowls of wrath are to be poured out on the earth. 

“The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. 

How many diseases have spread into what we sometimes call a pandemic? Black Plague, Spanish Flu, Covid, HIV, cancer, etc. Some look to science to save us. Some announce that the reason is for God to punish sin. We never know for certain, from this side of time. But doesn’t it seem coincidental that these sores broke out on those who had worshiped the beast? This is clearly an act of God to punish His enemies.

The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died. 

A third of the sea had been affected before, but this time it kills every living thing. People, fish, sharks, whales, and all of it done on porpoise. (I probably should have resisted that one.) Talk about global climate change!

The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 

And now the land life is affected, as fresh water sources are blood. Note that it is not “like” blood, or even the blood of a dead person, but literally it became blood. Of course, as with so many details of Revelation, the reference to blood may have to do with a reference to warfare or some other source of death. But it is fair to simply report what John said and let the interpretation be for another time.

Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: “You are just in these judgments, O Holy One, you who are and who were; for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.” And I heard the altar respond: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.” 

And now, just about the time that i am starting to get the Heebie-jeebies over all this violence, the angel speaks up to say that it is justified, and they deserve what they get. After all, God’s judgments are “true and just.” If we believe that, then we trust his decisions. And his decision was to give retribution to those who have shed the blood of his holy people and his prophets. If you have shed the blood of a prophet, then you are not only killing someone who represents God, but you are rejecting his message as well. God is just in these judgments, indeed.

The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat …

Once again we see that climate change in the form of global warming intensifies. It is more than just a record heat wave; it is scorching, searing, intense heat. Shall we blame it on our use of energy? On over-population? Has the ozone layer been depleted, and it is our doing that has undone us by means of natural causes? Perhaps. But all that John is mentioning is the unrepentant hearts on earth, refusing to repent.

“…and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him. The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done. 

Here is another vote to say that these punishments are not overdone or too severe: The response of those who are now suffering. They cursed God and refused to repent. God’s goodness in the form of common grace for all those centuries is forgotten. These people have become enemies, and only imagine themselves to be the victims of undeserved punishments. 

SIDE NOTE: It’s tragic that people can take the name of God in vain, blame God for their problems, and then decide that they are atheists. (Should they start saying, “Oh, my nothing!”?)

The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 

These kings from the east could be Iran or Iraq, and certainly anything from farther east would be possible. The Euphrates River is actually located in Iran. They are already enemies of modern-day Israel as a nation, and all these plagues certainly are not helping them to think twice before they come together. The river drying up is from natural causes, of course. It runs low this year because everyone is tapping into the Colorado River, or because of the bowl of God’s wrath that had been poured out on the water.

Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.”

You know, if you build your faith upon signs and wonders, you are in danger. If you came to Christ because you saw a miracle happen, you are susceptible. If in your prayers you ask God for a sign that might strengthen your faith, then you are not strengthening your faith at all. You are dependent on sight, not on faith. And when Satan and demonic spirits go out and perform signs and sound reasonable and positive, then you are, among all groups, most vulnerable. Addiction to signs leads to dependency on sight, and leaves no room for faith in your heart. But wisdom is proved right in her children, as Jesus said.

May you and I walk by faith, and not by sight, today, and every day in the future. Amen.