SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/1/2015
9:06 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
The Vengeance of God
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Revelation
15:2
Message of the
verse: “2 And I saw something like a
sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast
and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding
harps of God.”
Just a reminder that although we are going to look at
three motives for the final outpouring of God’s wrath in our next SD’s the
first verse in Revelation 15 sets the stage for these three motives: “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and
marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God
is finished.” This is one of my
favorite verses in the book of Revelation mostly because of the part that I
have highlighted, for by looking at that portion I can see that I do not
worship a vindictive God, but a God who will not stand for sinfulness and
because of that a part of His attributes is wrath, wrath that is just and must
be fulfilled, but when it is done it is done.
We are also looking at the time when the seven angels will bring about
these last seven plagues which will satisfy the wrath of God. However the death of Jesus Christ on the
cross also satisfied the wrath of God for those who will repent of their sins
and trust Jesus Christ as their Savior and their Lord, which is far better than
going through these seven last plagues which also satisfy the wrath of God.
John writes in this verse about a “sea of glass”
something that he has written about before:
“Re 4:6 and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass,
like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures
full of eyes in front and behind.” This
is speaking of heaven, where God dwells, so we know that this sea has no h20 in
it. When we look forward to Revelation
21:1 it says of the new heaven and earth “Then I saw a new heaven and a new
earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no
longer any sea.” MacArthur writes “What
John saw was a transparent crystal platform before God’s throne, shimmering and
glistening like a tranquil sunlit sea.”
One more verse to look at from the OT “and they saw the God of Israel;
and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the
sky itself (Ex. 24:10).” This speaks of
what Moses saw.
Now as we look further as this sea we see that it was “mixed
with fire.” This is the fire of God’s
judgment that was about to come upon the earth for those who have rejected the
wrath that He had already taken out on the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross for their
sins. We need to look at two verses from
the book of Hebrews: “Heb 10:27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and
THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.’” “Heb 12:29 for our God is a consuming fire.” Here is a list of verses that speaks of God’s
judgment associated with fire: Num.
11:1; 16:35; Deut. 9:3; Pss. 50:3; 97:2; Isa. 66:15; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; 2 Pet.
3:7.
Next we look at who was there with the Lord as John saw “those
who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name.” Now we also see this in Rev. 6:9-11 “9 When
the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those
who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony
which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying,
"How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and
avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" 11 And there was
given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest
for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their
brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.” In Rev. 7:9-17 “9 After these things I
looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every
nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and
before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;
10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God who
sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." 11 And all the angels were standing
around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they
fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, "Amen,
blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
be to our God forever and ever. Amen." 13Then one of the elders answered,
saying to me, "These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and
where have they come from?" 14 I said to him, "My lord, you
know." And he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the
great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb. 15 "For this
reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in
His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.
16 "They will hunger no longer, nor
thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will
be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God
will wipe every tear from their eyes."”
Rev. 12:11 says of these who were standing before the throne of
God: “"And they overcame him
because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their life even when faced with death.” Rev. 14:1-5 says “1 Then I looked, and
behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and
forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on
their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many
waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like
the sound of harpists playing on their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before
the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one
could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had
been purchased from the earth. 4 These are the ones who have not been defiled
with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow
the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first
fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And no lie was found in their mouth; they are
blameless.” Rev. 14:12-13 “12 Here is
the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith
in Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write, ’Blessed are
the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’" "Yes," says the
Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow
with them."” These verses speak of
all those who had been saved during the Tribulation period and were now
standing before the throne because they did not take the mark of the beast and
did not worship his image as they were victorious over the beast. In chapter 20:4-6 we will see that this
describes their resurrection and their reward.
Remember back in the seal judgments that are mention
above in Rev. 6:9-11 where these saints asked the question: “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You
refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the
earth?"” Well we said at that time
that it was about to begin and it did with the trumpet judgments and it will
now end with these seven bowl judgments as the vengeance of God will be
fulfilled.
Next we see these tribulation saints holding harps of God
indicating that they are rejoicing and singing praise to God. MacArthur writes “Harps were also associated with
praise earlier in Revelation (5:8; 14:2), as they are frequently in the Old
Testaments (cf. 2 Sam. 6:5; 1 Chron. 13:8; 15:16, 28; 1 Chron. 5:12-13; Neh.
12:27; Pss 33:2; 71:22; 144:9; 150:3).”
He continues to write:
“The appearance of the Tribulation saints makes the point that God sends
His wrath as an act of vengeance on those who mistreat His people, Jesus warns:
‘5 “And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; 6 but whoever
causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better
for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in
the depth of the sea.
7 “Woe to the world because of its
stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to
that man through whom the stumbling block comes! 8 "If your hand or your foot causes you to
stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life
crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal
fire. 9 “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you.
It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be
cast into the fiery hell. 10 "See
that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their
angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven (Matt. 18:5-10).’ Unbelievers will be condemned to eternal hell
for mistreating God’s people, because that mistreatment reveals their evil
impenitent hearts: ‘41 "Then He will also say to those on His
left, ’Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been
prepared for the devil and his angels; 42
for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you
gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a
stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick,
and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44
"Then they themselves also will answer, ’Lord, when did we see You
hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not
take care of You?’ 45 “Then He will answer them, ’Truly I say to you, to the
extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it
to Me (Matt. 25:41-45).’”
As we continue to
look at this subject we can look at what the apostle Paul wrote about how, we
as believers are to act, when it comes to vengeance: “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but
leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I
WILL REPAY," says the Lord (Rom. 12:19).”
Next we will look at some various verses from the book of Psalms on this
subject: “1 O LORD, God of vengeance, God of vengeance, shine forth! 2 Rise up, O Judge
of the earth, Render
recompense to the proud. 3 How long shall the wicked, O LORD, How long
shall the wicked exult? 4 They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly; All who
do wickedness vaunt themselves. 5 They crush Your people, O LORD, And afflict
Your heritage. 6 They slay the widow and the stranger And murder the orphans. 7
They have said, "The LORD does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob pay
heed." 8 Pay heed, you senseless among the people; And when will you
understand, stupid ones? 9 He who planted the ear, does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does He not see? 10 He
who chastens the nations, will
He not rebuke, Even He who teaches man knowledge? (Psalm 94:1-10). Next we will look at verses 21-23 of this
Psalm in conclusion: “21 They band
themselves together against the life of the righteous And condemn the innocent
to death. 22 But the LORD
has been my stronghold, And my God the rock of my refuge. 23 He has brought
back their wickedness upon them And will destroy them in their evil; The LORD
our God will destroy them.”
MacArthur concludes “The believers pictured here will
have undergone the terrors of the Tribulation and suffered painful, violent deaths
as martyrs. Yet despite having endured
the most intense persecution the world will ever know, their faith, which is a
gift from God, will endure. Eventually,
they will stand triumphantly before the throne of God, watching as God takes
vengeance on their persecutors.”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I don’t see
anything wrong with praying along with the psalmist from the 94th Psalm
as he prayed to the Lord to take His vengeance upon those who were doing evil,
for we have much evil going on in our country which is headed by those who have
made laws that go against our constitution.
I pray for the believers in our government to act and live like they are
believers and stand up to the evil that is going on in our country, and also
for the Spirit of God to confuse the unbelieving members of our government so that
they will not be able to continue to do evil in our government.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
Remember what Paul wrote in Romans 12:19 “Never
take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is
written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.”
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Babylon” (2 Kings 25:27).
Today’s Bible
question: “Who was the perfect and
upright man whom God allowed Satan to test?”
Answer in our next SD.
8/1/2015 10:04 AM
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