Tag Archives: Revelation

Unbridled Power

Leave a reply

​They had lived by that river for decades and thought they knew it.  But when the St. Vrain ripped through town, uprooting and destroying rouses, roads and utility plants, they realized they didn’t know the half of it, not really.  Because it happened in the dead of night, most could only hear it.  Sounded like the roar of an enormous frieight train, they said.  The sound of unbridled power.  Like the voice of Jesus. 

Nobody knew Jesus better than the Apostle John.  But he didn’t know the half of Jesus’ power.  And when Jesus gave him more of a glimpse, John collapsed in fear.  He recalled the experience like this:

The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.  (Revelation 1:14-15)
“The roar of many waters…”   That phrase grabs me, stops me, pulls me back to try to grasp what John was expressing.  Hmmm…  Perhaps this: If you think you know Jesus, remember that we cannot know the half of Who He really is, the half of His unbridled power.  

Taproot – Part 1

Leave a reply

What does God want from us?  Actually, it’s what He wants for us.  It’s love.  God loves us; He wants us to really know that love and respond in kind.  His desire is for us to be in a love relationship with Him.  But what does that look like? 

Let’s start with this: He wants us to be with Him.  Love works best when lovers are together.  In the first few pages of the Bible, the humans doubted God’s love and broke the togetherness they had with God.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”  –  (Genesis 3:8-9)

God loves us and wants to be with us, connected by love.  When He announced the coming Messiah, He called Him Immanuel – God with us (Isaiah 7:14).  Jesus came to seek us and make it possible for us to be reconciled to our Father.

Turn from the earliest pages of the Bible to the very end and see this goal of love fulfilled:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  –  (Revelation 21:3)

There’s more to this – lots more.  But keep this thought and chew on it: God loves you and wants to be with you.

How Long?

2 Replies

A few days ago, NASA announced they have found a planet very much like the earth rotating around a star very much like the sun.  “Kepler 452b” (that’s what NASA calls it; not sure what God does…) seems to be a planet capable of sustaining life.  Some have dubbed it “Earth 2.0” and there is a lot of excitement around this discovery.  When asked, “How soon can I move there?” the professor who oversaw the find said, “Now would be a good time to buy, before the rush.”

What if that planet is the place God has prepared to be the new earth described in Revelation?  Too unlikely?  Most scientific observations seem to confirm a “Big Bang” beginning for the universe, which neatly fits the description of the beginning in Genesis.  Is it out of the question for us to scientifically observe what Scripture says God has prepared for the end of the age?

” Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”” (Revelation 21:1-5)

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

By current technology, it would take us millions of years to travel the 1400 light years separating us from “Earth 2.0.”  But suppose God could instantly transport humanity to that place and give us a fresh start.  How long do you suppose it would be before we began claiming territory for ourselves and fighting over it?  How long before we humans figured out how to make obscene amounts of money by catering to the lowest urges of some while enslaving others?  How long before we poisoned the atmosphere?  How long before that new world would resemble the one He has already given us?

In the light of the answers to those questions, you can see why, in God’s revealed plan, the new heavens and earth will be prepared “as a bride for her husband,” a place with no death or tears.  God has made it clear that His “Earth 2.0” will be be populated only by those who have surrendered to Him as their absolute King, who have submitted to be “fixed” by His Spirit.  Which is to say who have completely placed their trust in His Son, Jesus.

How long before we know if Kepler 452b is the place?  I don’t know, but this would be an excellent time to make sure you are included, before the rush.

As Good as His Word

2 Replies

Is God good for His promises?  Does He go back on His Word?  Consider this amazing promise, made 2700 years ago:

“On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 25:7-8)

It might seem as though this is a promise not kept by God.  But notice He says He will do it “On this mountain.”  The mountain referred to is Mount Zion in Jerusalem. the mountain on which Jesus was crucified and buried, the mountain from which He rose in victory over death.  His death and resurrection purchased life for “all people” who would believe in Christ, and it was done on that mountain.

Jesus said:

““I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24)

Later on, God gave John a preview of the “new heaven and earth” that is on its way.  John wrote:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”” (Revelation 21:3-4)

The Lord has spoken.  His Word is good.

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Not Surprised

Leave a reply

As repulsed as we were to see images of 21 Christians, kneeling before their captors just prior to being beheaded, you should understand that God was not surprised.  He saw this coming.  Those martyred men are mentioned in Revelation, a preview of final world events in the Bible.  Among the visions God gave John about what we can expect, He included this:

“… And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4b)

Don’t misunderstand: I am not saying that the final events are happening now, just that when they do, these 21 men will be included among those mentioned in that verse.   They were not missionaries, pastors or workers in orphanages.  They were apparently regular guys, just trying to make a living.  But they did one extraordinary thing: they affirmed their faith in Jesus.  If ISIS followed their recent pattern, they gave the men a chance to convert and be saved.  They must have refused.  They were “beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the Word of God.”   

My point is not that they were the first (or last) to lose their heads (or lives) for their belief in Jesus, but that God knew that those who hated His Son and His Word would do this.  I mourn the deaths of those men and pray for their families and loved ones.  But I take comfort in knowing God is not surprised.  He is in control.  His Kingdom is coming!

The part of Revelation from which this verse is quoted is admittedly confusing.  There are wide differences in how it has been interpreted over the ages.  If you are interested in hearing more about that, I’ve included an audio clip below of how I’ve handled it in a sermon.

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.