SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/26/2015
8:08 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Paroxysms of
Rage
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Revelation 11:18a
Message of the
verse: “And the nations were enraged
(Rev. 11:18a).” Definition of the word “paroxysm”
is “any sudden violent outburst.
John MacArthur writes “The seventh trumpet vision reveals
that, no longer afraid (cf. 6:15-17), the impenitent nations were defiant and
enraged at the prospect of Christ’s kingdom being established over the whole
earth. The verb translated ‘were enraged’
suggests a deep-seated, ongoing hostility.
This was not just a momentary emotional fit of temper but a settled
burning resentment against God.
Eventually, they will assemble armies to fight God (16:14, 16,
20:8-9). With no desire to repent of
sin, angry resentment and hostility against heaven (16:11) will drive the
nations to gather for their destruction at Armageddon (cf. Ps. 2:1, 5, 12; Acts
4:24-25).” I would like to look at the
verses just listed above in order to help us better understand what is being
spoken of in this section we are looking at today.
Psalm 2:1, 5, and 12:
“1Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain
thing? 5 Then He will speak to them in
His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying,
12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the
way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in
Him!” And now Acts 4:24-25 “24 And when
they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said,
"O Lord, it is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL
THAT IS IN THEM, 25 who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father
David Your servant, said, ’WHY DID THE GENTILES RAGE, AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE
FUTILE THINGS?”
When we look at all of the divine judgments that the
people who go through the Tribulation Period undergo we realize that God is
doing these things in order to take back His kingdom on earth, but we may fail
to realize that another of the reasons that He is bring judgment on the people of
planet earth is to bring them to Himself, to repent of their sins and to accept
the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord so that they will be saved. However many will not do this and they will
turn against the Lord and desire to fight against Him as we have been learning
in this section. This kind of reminds me
a little bit of the last Democrat convention when it was truly their desire to
take God out of their platform, the things that they believed in. They were fighting against God in doing this
and someday this will be more and more common, especially in the Tribulation
Period. People will refuse to repent of
this sins during the Tribulation Period and will instead have their hearts
hardened: “1 Therefore you have no
excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge
another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2
And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such
things. 3 But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who
practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the
judgment of God? 4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and
tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to
repentance? 5 But because
of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for
yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
6 who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: 7 to those who by
perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal
life; 8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but
obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of
man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace to everyone who
does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Romans 2:1-10).” Another comparison to these people is what
happened to Pharaoh, who could have repented when he saw all of the judgments
that came upon Egypt, but instead his heart became harder and harder until the
point when God judicially fixed his heart in that hardened condition.
The unbelieving world that lives in the Tribulation
Period will be as Pharaoh was and eventually their hearts will be so hard
against God that they will not have a desire to repent. We have seen this in different places in the
book of Revelation where we read things like “they refused to repent.” Eventually we read in Revelation 19:19-21 “19
And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to
make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 And the
beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his
presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and
those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of
fire which burns with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword
which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were
filled with their flesh.”
The following is a song entitled “Over the Deadline
Tonight.”
“When urging an exceedingly wicked man to flee from the wrath to come, I
was met by this statement: I was brought up to honor God, and I have ended by
hating him; I have blasphemed his name, and resisted his Spirit until I can no
longer repent or believe; if there is a dead-line to God’s grace I have drifted
over it, and am lost.”
O sinner, the Saviour is
calling for thee!
Long, long has He called thee in vain.
He call'd thee when joy let its crown to thy days,
He call'd thee in sorrow and pain.
Chorus:
O turn while the Saviour in mercy is waiting
And steer for the Harbour Light!
For how do you know but your soul may be drifting
Over the dead-line tonight?
O sinner, thine ears have been deaf to His voice!
Thine eyes to His glory been dim.
The calls of thy Saviour have so wearied thee,
O what if they should weary Him?
O sinner, the Spirit is striving with thee.
What if He should strive never more?
But leave thee alone in thy darkness to dwell
In sight of the heavenly shore?
O sinner God's patience may weary some day
And leave thy sad soul in the blast!
By willful resistance you've drifted away -
Over the dead-line at
last.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I want to be ready to tell someone the truth
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ before they go over the deadline.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To love the
Lord with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to live in the Lord of
Jesus Christ today.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:
“Some Lepers” (2 Kings 7:3-5).
Today’s Bible question: “What
spirit had the Corinthian Christians received?”
Answer in our next SD.
5/26/2015 8:51 AM
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