The Great Tribulation is not about purifying the church. The church, as we learned in Ch. 4, is no longer on Earth. They've been caught up to heaven. The Tribulation is about God's judgment on a Christ-rejecting world. So, is there an end to God's patience? I know the Bible says God is patient and I know that He can't deny His nature, so I believe His patience never ends, but He does come to the point of making righteous decisions to move His kingdom forward. In Gen. 15, when God had promised Abraham He would get his promised land, God allowed the Canaanites and Amorites 400 years in their folly. I'd say that's a long time. Still they wouldn't repent and straighten up their act. Finally, God sent the Israelites to wipe them out. Was that fair? Was that cruel and evil and indicate that God isn't good all the time? No! Everything He does is right and true, whether we agree with it or not.
The first six seals are opened in the first three and a half years of the Tribulation. The seventh seal includes the seven trumpets and the seven bowls. They cover the last three and a half years. That's where we are in our study today. Chapter 15 is the preface to the final series of judgments. They will be the most intense and devastating of all the judgments thus far. The great news is if you have trusted Jesus as your Savior, you won't be going through this! That's why I picked the Third Day song, "I Trust in Jesus". Maybe by knowing what the unsaved will have to go through will inspire us to be better witnesses while we still have the opportunity. It was said of John Moody that he personally reduced the population of hell by 2 million, such was the impact of his ministry and witness. What do we want?
Jesus said if you lose your life, you will find it. That's how you win in this life and the next. John saw a picture of this in heaven when he observed all the saints around the throne as victors and conquerors who had overcome the Beast. They rocked out the Song of the Lamb in worship of Jesus. Yes, Leland, that's you with a guitar in your hands! How are we doing with our call to worship the Lord? I hope we are experiencing freedom from the preconceived notion of what the church culture deems as worship. I don't know about you, but I'm not much of a hand raiser or shouter or dancer. Sometimes I don't get caught up in the worship songs. Sometimes I'm silent and contemplative. I hope for us to find freedom in worship- that worship can look differently. Maybe it's in your creativity or in thought or in service or in nature or in prayer or in bible reading or whatever. I just have to believe worship is more than standardized, institutionalized conformity. I believe He simply wants me to be real. He knows my heart. He wants me to worship Him in spirit and truth.
Notice there is order in this chapter. Before the temple was opened, there was worship. Maybe we should take note of this. Have you had trouble drawing close to the Lord? Have you struggled to sense His presence? Maybe it's time to put into practice worshipping Him. I believe that's where we can get our Mo-glo on. Remember Moses glowing after being in the presence of God? That's what the angels look like as they come out of the temple. Why? They've been hanging with God. And you know, the more you hang around someone, the more like them you become! Let's make sure to hang around the right folks. Let's make time to worship our God and allow His Spirit to shine through us. What are we looking like? How are we representing Him in the world?
From Chapter 12 to the return of Jesus, is a series of events which are related. They are not in a chronological order, but a logical order of retracing the same events with added detail each time. This method is the personal signature of the Holy Spirit, seen first in the accounts of Creation in Gen 1-2. It's known as the Law of Recapitulation, or "recap", and is seen throughout the Bible. Discovering this helped clear up some confusion for me, as I can get lost in thinking of the flow of chapters in chronological order.
Do we believe nothing is random- that nothing happens by chance? Can you afford to believe that God won't allow anyone to cross your path or anything to happen to you without having a godly purpose? I hope we can expand our belief in God's sovereignty to include the possibility that He is completely in control and only operates with purpose and direction as our Good Shepherd. May we make the most of every opportunity He allows us to walk through- whether it's people we encounter or circumstances to walk out.
Remember, Revelation is completely and purely Christ-centered. It's all about Him. Don't get distracted by the many mysterious elements. Keep focused on Jesus. He is our Lord. He is the One who is going to finish this deal. He is the Lamb who took the title deed to us from the Father. He has purchased us with His blood. He owns us. He is worthy of praise and worship for that. He is deserving of our proper fear and reverence. He is the rightful target of our love and devotion. He is the only One that should receive the glory.
Perhaps we've been caught up in a "love" attitude too long, where we only think of God being love. Amen for God being love, but this can lead to a lifestyle of continually doing as you please. This may explain why we don't experience victory in our lives. This may be why we keep only going to improvement plans, or step programs, or method books, which are not bad things at all, but what we ultimately need is the person of Jesus Christ Himself! We may have forgotten that God is light also. His light dispels darkness and reveals shadows. It's cuts like a knife to the heart of our sin. It is powerful and purifying. It comes with judgment and conviction to draw us back into right relationship with God.
I hope we will catch on to this "fear of the Lord" thing. It's an awareness that He's here, living inside us and all around us. It's the "awareness of His thereness". Think about what impact this might have on our lives. Defensively, it helps us resist temptations and fight more victoriously against evil. Offensively, it ushers in the fruit of the Spirit and allows us to experience the blessings God promises from the relationship He offers. Ah, and there's so much more. It's good. Let's not offend or grieve the very One who perfectly loves us. Let's be thankful and worship Him. Let's allow His presence to change us. Let's be about bringing Him glory for the little time we still have left. Let's be able to pray and live out Jesus' words in John 17:4, "I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do."
