Revelation 11 -- The Turning Point

During the first half of the Tribulation, John says the two witnesses will be telling the world about God.  The Jews will be worshipping in the restored Temple.  But as the halfway point of the Tribulation is reached, the two witnesses (who have been given and using awesome powers of judgment by God) are killed.  Their bodies lie in the streets for 3 ½ days before God resurrects them and takes them to heaven.  At this point, a great earthquake occurs, killing 7,000 men and destroying a tenth of the city.  During the last half of the Tribulation that follows, Jerusalem is overrun by Gentiles.

All of this would almost lead one to believe that Satan is winning and ruling overruling on earth.  But in fact, “Christ is enthroned in heaven and ruling over a spiritual kingdom even now.  And in that future day, He will reign over the nations of the world and rule with a rod of iron.  No matter how difficult the circumstances might be, or how defeated God’s people may think they are, Jesus Christ is still King of kings and Lord of lords, and He is in control.  One day, we shall triumph!” my commentary said.

Father, I see much of this happening even today.  People are angry at You for no reason.  You’ve been good and gracious to them and have provided their needs.  You’ve graciously postponed judgment, bringing more people to Yourself.  You offer them forgiveness and salvation.  Yet they’re angry because they want their own way.  “Like adolescent children, the nations want to cast off all restraint, and You permit them to do so.  I pray that those I love will wake up to this reality and come to You in repentance before it is too late.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Revelation 10 -- The Mighty Angel

A mighty angel coming down from heaven caught John’s attention.  Although it doesn’t directly say it, the descriptions offered sound so much like Jesus Christ.  The rainbow around his head, according to my commentary, indicates what it did in Genesis – that “Even in wrath, God remembers His mercy.”  We also read of a face like the sun and a voice like a lion.

John was given a little book and told to eat it.  My commentary said, “This should remind us of our responsibility to assimilate the Word of God and make it a part of the inner man.  It is not enough for John to see the book or even know its contents and purpose.  He had to receive it into his inner being … God will not thrust His Word into our mouths and force us to receive it.  He hands it to us and we must take it.  Nor can He change the effects the Word will have in our lives; there will be both sorrow and joy, bitterness and sweetness … The faithful minister will declare all of God’s counsel.  He will not dilute the message of God simply to please his listeners.”

Father, even when Your Word calls me out for sinning, it is sweet to hear, and it helps me to know in my heart that You care what I do and want me to live an abundant life by obeying You.  Help me to take into my heart what I hear and read, and to make it a part of my entire being.  Use it to shine light on my sin and to help me rid sin from my life.  Thank You for speaking to me, Father.  I remember all too well those years when I seemed to never hear from You.  You used that silence to get my attention.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Revelation 9 -- The Hard-To-Imagine

My commentary started this chapter by saying, “It is probable that, apart from the exact identification of Babylon in chapters 17 & 18, the meaning of the two judgments in this chapter represents the most difficult major problem in the Revelation.”  Okay, sounds like imagination time.

A bottomless pit holding a demon army is mentioned, and a “star” fell from the sky to earth and was given the key to open it.  Smoke from this pit further reduced the sunlight reaching earth, then demon locusts came out to go worldwide to sting but not kill those unmarked as God’s for five months.  The pain is so terrible that people will want to die but won’t be able to die.  This is the fifth trumpet judgment.  The sixth trumpet sounds, leading to the freeing of four angels from near the Euphrates River, commanding a demon army of 200 million tasked with killing a third of all people remaining on earth.  (Already a fourth have died, so this would leave earth’s population reduced by half, my commentary said.)

Amazingly, all of this death, suffering, and destruction fails to change the hearts and lives of those remaining on earth.  They are still wicked.  “The most frightening thing about Revelation 9 is not the judgments that God sends but the sins that men persist in committing even while God is judging them – demon worship and idolatry … murder and theft … sexual immorality … drug use … It will be an age of lawlessness with every man doing that which is right in his own eyes … But God is working out His plan, and neither the sins of mankind  nor the schemes of Satan will hinder Him from accomplishing His will,” my commentary said.

Father, please open the hearts, minds, and eyes of those I love to Your promises of judgment here.  Change their hearts and minds before we ever get to this period so they will not have to suffer so in their sin.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Revelation 8 -- The Trumpet Judgments Start

In the last chapter, resounding praise and worship was occurring in heaven, but when that seventh seal was broken, fully opening the scroll which represented God’s plan for the earth, there was dead silence in heaven for almost half an hour!  “Perhaps the heavenly hosts were simply awestruck at what they saw,” my commentary said.  Then a special angel “put incense on the altar (presented the prayers before God) and then cast the coals from the altar to the earth! … this symbolized God’s judgment,” it continued.

With the first trumpet, hail and fire mixed with blood targeted green vegetation – grasses, crops, and trees.  This would wreak havoc on the food supply for both animals and mankind.

With the second trumpet, a third of the sea became blood, and third of the life in the sea died, and a third of ships were destroyed.  This would devastate shipping.

The third trumpet targeted inland fresh water and its sources, making a third of it too bitter or poisoned to drink.

The fourth trumpet affected the entire world, because sunlight was reduced by a third.  Temperatures, growing seasons, and more would be affected by such a drastic change.

A flying messenger then gave the equivalent of, “If you think this has been terrible, just wait!” my commentary concluded.

Father, these kinds of changes will be unimaginable and will drastically alter life as we know it on earth.  I’m so thankful that those who have accepted Christ before the Rapture won’t have to worry about it, because You’ll have taken us out of the world.  Help me to help those I love to see the importance of placing their trust in the sacrifice Your Son made for them, so they won’t have to worry about it either!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Revelation 7 --Hope For The Lost

John doesn’t know who he’s seeing and has to be told by the angel.  144,000 Jews are being marked by God for protection during the Tribulation so they can be His special witnesses for Christ to the Gentile world.  The verses parallel Matthew 24:14 and show that the next vision John sees in the second part of this chapter amounts to the results of their witnessing:  multitudes of people saved during the Tribulation.

Those people are described as accepted by God, for they are before His throne; joyful, for they are singing praises to Him; and rewarded, having the privilege of serving Him.  My commentary added:  “When God’s people get to heaven, there will be work to do.  We shall be able to serve Him perfectly.  The Lamb will shepherd us and satisfy us with every good thing.”

I was reminded of the treasure hunts I’ve put together for our youth group over the years as I read this chapter.  They lasted from 4 to 8 hours, and interwoven with some hidden clues that most never understood until the end when it all came together.  I think that’s what we’ll  discover about some of the questions we might have in this chapter.  We’ll say, “OH!  THAT’S why Joseph is mentioned instead of Ephraim!  That’s why Dan is missing!  It was right in front of us!  How could we not see that!”

And lest anyone try to let their intellect take them down the wrong road away from God as I did for years, the four corners of the earth doesn’t mean they had no clue that the earth was round and not flat, indicating an error in the Bible.  That simply means from every direction the wind stopped blowing, and the way it’s blowing outside my windows in West Texas this morning, I believe God is reminding us of just what power He has to hold back the wind (and for Him, that’s not even an afterthought!).

Father God, I’m so thankful that in Your mercy You have already provided for those who will remain on earth after the church is raptured – that they will still have a way to know about salvation through Christ, and that untold multitudes will be saved during those years.  I pray for those I love – that they will accept Your offer of salvation now and not have to endure those times.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Revelation 6 -- What's Coming

Wow!  My commentary says, “The worship described in Revelation 4-5 is in preparation for the wrath described in Revelation 6-19.  It seems strange to us that worship and judgment should go together, but this is because we do not fully understand either the holiness of God or the sinfulness of men.”  It also said that Revelation isn’t just prophecy.  It dramatically reveals the character of God and the principles of His kingdom.

Boiling it all down, it identifies the four riders and their horses as Antichrist, War, Famine, and Death, and points us back to Christ’s words in Matthew 24 where He mentioned them in this same order, including the martyrs and the worldwide chaos that will follow!

Regarding the martyrs, it said, “God made clear to these martyrs that their sacrifice was an appointment, not an accident, and that others would join them.  Even in the death of His people, God is in control; so there is nothing to fear … It appears that the enemy is winning, but God will have the last word.

The end of the chapter mentions impenitent people from all segments of society trying to hide from God’s wrath.  My commentary said, “If men and women will not yield to the love of God and be changed by the grace of God, then there is no way for them to escape the wrath of God.”  That’s something every nonbeliever needs to know!  It will never pay to refuse to submit to the will of God!

Father, please open impenitent hearts to Your love.  Remove Satan’s blinders so that people can see where they stand before You and just how much You love them!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Revelation 5 -- Worshiping The REDEEMER

John is shown a sealed scroll representing both “Christ’s title deed to all that the Father promised Him because of His sacrifice on the cross,” and God’s plan to set us free from the bondage of sin, which could never be accomplished without Jesus’ sacrifice.  “The redeemer had to be near of kin, willing to redeem, and able to redeem.  Jesus Christ meets all of the qualifications.  He became flesh, so He is our Kinsman.  He loves us and is willing to redeem, and He paid the price, so He is able to redeem.”

The chapter centers on worshipping Him because of who He is (“the Lamb is God the Son, Christ Jesus”); because of where He is (“in Heaven, on the throne, the center of all that transpires in heaven”); because of what He does (He was able to open the scroll and complete redemption); and because of what He has (all power, all riches, all wisdom, all strength, all honor and glory, and all praise).

Worshipping the Redeemer is not something everyone can do.  “While an unconverted person could praise the Creator, he certainly could not sincerely praise the Redeemer,” for he’s never been redeemed.

Father, I thank You for choosing to redeem me before the foundation of the world, and for pursuing me so that I could ask for such redemption.  Help me to not let sin inhibit my ability to offer praise and worship to my Redeemer.  Keep me focused on Him and what He’s done for me.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford