Make The Wise Choice

People without a Savior will beg to die instead of living for Him.

Revelation 9:3-6 Then locusts came from the smoke and descended on the earth, and they were given power to sting like scorpions. 4 They were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were told not to kill them but to torture them for five months with pain like the pain of a scorpion sting. 6 In those days people will seek death but will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them!

Revelation 9:20 But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood--idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk!

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In the last blog post we saw the incredible amount of trouble that was reserved for the unbelievers during the Great Tribulation. So far the earth has been subjected to all kinds of catastrophic events that have affected the people, these events are similar to what happened in Egypt when Pharaoh wouldn't let God's children go.

That is about to change as the misery becomes a result of physical torture that is applied directly to the unbelievers. The first few rounds of torture were the result of events that take place on the earth. (earthquakes, famine, water becoming blood)

The agents to administer this torture are released when the key to the bottomless pit is handed over to their leader. The bottomless pit is opened and its demons receive their orders, they are released but they are restrained, they are told what they must do and they cannot do anything else.

For five months the unbelieving world will have non-stop stinging pain like a scorpion inflicts. The pain will be so extreme that the people will wish to die but God does not grant them their wish, man has always had the ability to self destruct, but in the Great Tribulation suicide will not be an option.

The seals and trumpets are a gradual start of God's judgment that allows people some more time to change their minds but instead they are still rebellious even after being constantly tortured for five months. That's 216,000 minutes of non-stop, extreme suffering without any hope of relief.

To live without hope is a very sad place to be, you would think that this misery would be enough to get them to turn from their wickedness but instead of changing their ways they prove that they love their sinful ways and just seek to die. (Proverbs 2:14, 26:11, @ Timothy 3:1-5

Instead of seeking life they seek death but how is dying without a Savior going to make things better?

After five months of torture one-third of the earth's population gets their wish. God allows another group of wicked angels to be released and there is another outbreak of demonic activity that will bring widespread death to the people that were so anxious to die.

Again, I must ask you, even if you are being tortured continuously for 216,000 minutes, how does dying without a Savior improve your sad condition?

Back in Revelation 6:8 one fourth of the earth have already died and now another one third of the population dies in Revelation 9:15. There are thousands upon thousands of bodies lying around that needed to be disposed of, there are great wars, famine and evil demonic torture. No wonder mankind's only hope is to die.

It is unnecessary to try to “spiritualize” these symbols, or to interpret them in light of modern means of warfare. John is heaping image upon image to force us to feel the horror of this judgment.

-Warren Wiersbe

Again, I must ask you, even in these terrible conditions, how does choosing to die without a Savior improve your sad condition?

There must be another option, there must be time to make the right choice and accept the Savior, otherwise why would John tell us that man refused to repent. It seems to be implied that they have a choice but they refuse to choose wisely. (Revelation 2:21, 9:20)

You know that Cain and Abel must have heard their parents tell them about life in the garden and that God judged them for sin. When Noah and his family left the Ark they all immediately run back to their sinful ways.

Deuteronomy 30:15, 17-18 Now listen! Today am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. 17 But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, 18 then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.

When you read about it in scripture it seems like the correct choice is so obvious. After everything that happened on the way to the promised land God's children should have been able to make the right choice. They suffered severe consequences that are as big as some of the events in Revelation and many of them refused to repent just like the people in the end times.

Proverbs 1:22 "How long, you simpletons, will you insist on being simpleminded? How long will you mockers relish your mocking? How long will you fools hate knowledge?

We are all just one step from stupid. We can all be known as a simpleton that enjoys his own rebellion and pride. The chances of success in this area are greatly increased when we truly love God and his book of instruction that he has given to us. 

Trouble Ahead

The day is coming when God will bring mans rebellion to an end.

Revelation 6:10-11 They shouted to the Lord and said, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before You judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?" 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters--their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred--had joined them.

Revelation 6:15-17 Then everyone--the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person--all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?"

Revelation 8:13 Then I looked, and I heard a single eagle crying loudly as it flew through the air, "Terror, terror, terror to all who belong to this world because of what will happen when the last three angels blow their trumpets."

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So far most people are okay with the Book of Revelation, we have met the glorified Jesus and we have received his instruction on how to do church, then in the next chapter we see the church in Heaven where they meet the Creator and then the Redeemer.

We don't mind talking about meeting Jesus and getting our rewards but we don't like to think about the events that are about to start now that Jesus has called the church home and now he has taken the sealed scroll from God's right hand. It is now time for mans rebellion to be brought to an end.

This information about the end times isn't completely new to John, he has already heard Jesus teach about what will take place, Revelation six looks a lot like what Jesus predicted in Matthew 24 when he was teaching the disciples from the Mount of Olives.

The wrath of God begins with the opening of the seals of God's scroll:

False Christ - Matthew 24:4-5, Revelation 6:1-2
War - Matthew 24:6-8, Revelation 6:3-4
Famine - Matthew 24:7, Revelation 6:5-6
Death - Matthew 24:7-10, Revelation 6:7-8
Martys - Matthew 24:14, Revelation 6:9-11
Cosmic Changes - Matthew 24:29, Revelation 6:12-23

To the people that are subject to God's wrath it looks like complete chaos but John shows us from his perspective in Heaven that everything is in order as each seal is opened and nothing is happening without God's approval.

There are two groups of people that react to the trouble on earth. There are the martyrs that cry out for their blood to be avenged, and even though their prayers are heard in heaven, they do not bring an end to the suffering. The other group is the unbelievers that want to he hidden from all of the calamity. It is interesting to note that they know the reason for their suffering but they love their sin more that they love Jesus. (Revelation 6:9-17)

God will continue to deal with the relentless rebellion on the earth, the seventh seal brings the next round of his wrath via the seven trumpets. Each of these judgments comes with greater intensity than the six seals. (Revelation 8:1-11:19)

Revelation 9:20  But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God.

It is difficult to comprehend that these people will know that their punishment is from God yet they will continue to refuse to turn to him. God is willing to accept them but instead of repentance the vast majority of the world will lash out at God's people and make more martyrs.

God's children throughout all of the ages are like those martyrs that ask "How long?" Even those of us that are not martyrs ask the same question as we long to be in a better place. Maybe the problem is that we live for the next minute, maybe the next day, but to wait for God to move may not come until generations later.

God will relieve his people of this sinful world and fulfill their longing for his righteousness kingdom to be established but until then it is my responsibility to bring his kingdom into my world. When I yield to the reign of Christ and surrender my throne to him then "thy kingdom come" happens in my life and it has an affect on the world around me.

Will you be a part of this new kingdom and escape God's judgement?

RELATED ARTICLES

The Six Seals (bible.org)
The Cross Absorbed The Wrath Of God (billygraham.org)
What Is The Kingdom Of God (desiringgod.org)

Be Ready For Jesus Return

We don't know when so we need to be ready continuously for the return of our Savior.

Matthew 24:42-46 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.

Matthew 25:1-6 “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, 4 but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. 5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’

Matthew 25:14-15 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

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Given the seriousness of the events that will take place in the end times, Jesus makes it very clear to his disciples that they need to be ready. (Signs and Wonders of The Antichrist and The Great Tribulation) Jesus tells them that things are going to go crazy in this world and that we need to keep alert and be ready at all times. As Jesus so often did, he told them some parables to illustrate his point, he wanted there to be no confusion about something so serious.

The parable of the wicked servant (Matthew 24:45-51)

The wicked servant may have started out okay but when the master delays there is the temptation to be selfish, lazy, disobedient or immoral. It is a very natural reaction, our carnal nature takes charge, it's like your parents telling you not to do a certain thing while they are away from the house, you may think you can get away with it, but there is always a chance that they will arrive home early.

Jesus had already scolded the leaders in the previous chapter for mistreating the people that were under their care. (Matthew 23:1-36) God gave them their position as leaders in the church and they should perform their service with an eye toward the fact that Jesus may return at any moment.

The parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)

I never really understood this parable before studying it today, I didn't realize that a wedding procession in Palestinian from the bride's home to the groom's house usually took place at night, the bridesmaids are outside the bride's home waiting for the groom to get there to escort her to his home.

In traditional Palestinian weddings, messengers may repeatedly announce the bridegroom's coming, yet it can be delayed for hours. Delays occur while the bride's relatives haggle over the value of presents given them, emphasizing the bride's great value and thus the wisdom of the groom's selection .
- Inter Varsity Press Commentary

This parable tells of the tragedy of experiencing the second coming of Christ unprepared. It didn't matter that the virgins fell asleep the tragedy was in the fact that they knew about delays yet they didn't prepare for them and they needed to go get ready after the groom came, it's too late.

Both of these parables refer to the delay of Christ's coming and warn us that we must beware that the long wait for the return of Jesus does not lead to apathy and carelessness.

The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30)

Christians are required to be active. How can you be a Christ follower if you are sitting in a recliner all of the time? Christians who refuse to use the gifts and the money that God has given them to use for his work will encounter harsh judgment when Christ returns. We have the opportunity to invest our time and money in ways that will help to multiply the kingdom.

Don't be discouraged by the delay.

2 Peter 3: 8,10,14 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.

Think about how surprised the people outside of the ark were when water started pouring down from the sky, they thought that they could go on ignoring God but the day of judgment came and caught them off guard. Nobody expects a thief to break-in, we take safeguards against, we prepare our homes because we know that it will be a big surprise when he comes in.

Jesus is on the way, don't worry about the delay, the delay gives more people the opportunity to prepare for his coming.

I want to be ready constantly, Lord help me to be found faithful to the end.