No More Tears!

Reading:  Revelation 21
My Verse:  "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.  He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away"  (21:3,4)

What amazing things!  You, LORD God with us!  No more tears!

First, to have You before us in perpetuity!  You ever before us.  We, mankind,  enabled to gaze upon Your face to our hearts content!  We, enabled to commune with You as we so desire.  Psalm 8 comes to my mind here.  ". . . what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?"  It is almost too much for me to comprehend.  I thank You, LORD God that You will transform me, to enable me to realize this wonderful truth.  You will enable me to truly know You.  I John 3:2 says, " . . . for we will see him as He really is . . . "

That there will be no more tears, pain, death, mourning, sorrow is difficult indeed to wrap one's mind around.  We are so not capable of realizing a life of this sort. For this is all we know.  We live with these things constantly.  They drag on us and make us weary.  It will be an amazing thing indeed to be totally free of such burdens.    I love how Isaiah predicted this so very long ago.

Isaiah 25:8 "He will swallow up death forever; and the LORD God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people He will take away from all the earth, for the LORD had spoken."

Isaiah 35:10  "And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."


How beautiful is that!?  Wow!  You, LORD God will completely reverse the tremendous devastation brought into the world by sin - by that one act of rebelliousness by Adam.  You will put things back to the way You intended upon creation.

That there will be no sorrow is the hard one for me.  Does that mean we will not remember the things that happened here on earth?  Will we not remember loved ones that do not come to You?  These are questions that I cannot answer.  I can only trust what You say in Your Word, which is Truth.  I think of my Mom, the pain she suffered from her disease of cancer.  Before that the pain she suffered in the death of three of her children.  She is in Heaven now.  She has no sorrow, the pain and sorrow are both gone forever for her.  For that I am thankful.

No, I do not understand how this can be but I believe that there will be a time for us when we will no longer suffer the way we do here on earth.  I believe because this is what You tell us here. We will no longer be suffering from the many consequences of sin.  So there will be no more tears!  Thank You, LORD Jesus!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Taking Part in the First Resurrection!


Reading:  Revelation 20
My Verse:  "Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years" (20:6)

There is so much here to understand, LORD God.  I have read this so many times and yet each time I do so with trepidation because there is much I do not fully understand.  The depth of meaning packed into each chapter, verse, phrase, word is amazing and one cannot read this lightly.  Here in this fifth blessing of Revelation You tell us those who take part in the first resurrection will be blessed.

I had to remind myself what the first resurrection was.  It is good to understand that we are eternal beings.  We have a physical body that will die but we also have souls that do not die but will be resurrected at some time in the future.  Daniel speaks of this in Daniel 12:2.  "Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."  This clearly states that all will be raised from the dead but not to the same future.

This first resurrection is that of the believers, those that follow You.  You, Jesus paved the way for us in this by resurrecting from the grave on the third day.  Then You resurrected the Jerusalem saints, "and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised."  Finally, of course, that glorious event that we, the followers of today look forward to with great anticipation.  "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air"  (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17).

It is then that we will reign with You Lord Jesus.  We "will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years."  Cannot even imagine what this will be like.  But I do look forward to that glorious time.

Unfortunately, this mention of a first resurrection does indicate that there will be a second resurrection.  This second resurrection has no power over believers but in 20:12-15 the dead that are part of this are described.  They are the unbelievers.  "both great and small . . . they stood before the throne . . . This is the second death, the lake of fire.  And if anyone's name was not found recorded in the Book of Life, he was hurled into the lake of fire."  There is the eternal damnation - eternal separation from You, LORD God.  Physical death ends all recourse, there is no longer the opportunity to change ones mind - to turn to You. The parable told by You in Luke 16:19-31 clearly speaks to this.  "Now is the day of salvation" (I Corinthians 6:12).

I am so thankful to be one of those that will take part in that first resurrection, whether I am raised up from the dead or caught up to heaven, I will be there!

Ditat Deus- God Enriches!

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb!


Reading:  Revelation 17, 18, 19
My Verse:  "And the angel said to me, "Write this; Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb."  And he said to me, "These are the true words of God"  (19:9).

Here is the fourth blessing of Revelation.  That beautiful picture of a marriage supper.  That most joyous event filled with the anticipation of the joining of the bride with the groom.  The forward looking to an eternity of sweet fellowship and communion.  Oh, LORD God, the pictures You give us to understand what You have in store for us are beautiful indeed.  Those of us invited to this great supper and who accept this invitation are truly Blessed!

Many passages in Scripture speak of this great feast.  Isaiah predicted it hundreds of years ago in 25:6.  "On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast . . ."  You, Jesus told us a wonderful parable of this feast.  That parable is sad in so many ways because of those who refused to come. ". . . and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come" (Matthew 22:3).  And it is sad too because some try to enter the feast without doing as You require - wearing the garment You provide,  Your gift of forgiveness and righteousness.  They try to come in on their own terms but are refused.  "But when the king came in to look at the guest, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. .. . then the king said to the attendants, "Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness . . . " (Matthew 22:11,13).

Luke speaks of the excuses man makes for not accepting Your gift LORD Jesus. (Luke 14:15-24)  In the reading of it, some excuses seems so flimsy but we continue to make the same excuses!  Our eyes stay on the ground.  We only see what is immediately before us.  We become so short sighted and dumb and blind to Your great Truth.

Yes, these are words of truth.  "These are the true words of God."  You, LORD God are truth and in You is no darkness.  "This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all" (I John 1:5).

Yes, we the elect, the invited and the ones that accept Your invitation are truly blessed.  It all seems as fantasy but it is truth.  Your invitation is out there for all to accept.  Those that accept Your invitation will enjoy a truly glorious marriage supper!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Keep Alert!


Reading:  Revelation 15, 16
My Verse:  "Behold, I am going to come like a thief!  Blessed is he who stays awake (alert) and who guards his clothes, so that he may not be naked and seen exposed! (16:15)

Here is the third blessing of Revelation.  Amidst all the amazing things that are happening here, time out is taken to issue this warning in the form of a blessing.  Again I am brought back to the flood, how people there were caught unawares.  It is so easy to get caught up in the daily busyness of our lives and push You out LORD God.  You appeal to us here to stay awake to what is happening around us, stay awake to our spiritual needs and Your call to us.

You are coming like a thief.  No one knows the hour, only You.  This does not mean that we put all aside and sit and wait.  No we must live our lives as You would have us to - full abundant lives.  "I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance" (John 10:10).

And yet we must live worshipful lives.  You must be a vital part of our life.  It is only by living for You that we can live truly abundant lives and at the same time be alert to and ready for Your return.  For without You in our lives we are as the dead.  You teach us this throughout Your Word.  I Timothy 5:6 says. "Whereas she who lives in pleasure and self-gratification is dead even while she lives."  Ephesians 5:14 says.  "Therefore He says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and He shall shine upon you and give you light."  Yes, You LORD God are "the way, the truth and the life"  (John 14:6).

What does  "guards his clothes"  mean?  I take this to be the things that I must do to keep alert and ready for Your return, Lord Jesus.  I must examine my heart daily, lay myself bare before You and seek Your guidance through my day. This could be through the reading of Your word, through prayer, and through fellowship with other Christians.  I know that I fall short here.  I do not always set aside time for this reassessment of where I am spiritually.  Help me, Lord, to prioritize this.

Finally, it speaks here of being caught naked and exposed!  No one wants their sins exposed to the world!  We are so sure that on one else knows all those little slips and missteps we commit along the way.  You must have to smile at that because You see all and know all.  We are so bare before You.
It is so less stressful to live in Your Light!  No worries about someone finding out my latest mishap!  Help me Lord to be clean before You.  Help me to be that person in Psalm 24:4. "He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully."

Thank You, LORD God for this blessing.  I know that with Your help I can stay awake and be alert until Your return.

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Blessed Are Those Who Persevere!


Reading:  Revelation 14
My Verse:  "And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this; Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on."  "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!"  (14:13)

Here is the second blessing of Revelation.  The first blessing spoke of how those that "read and listen to and heed" Your Word would be blessed.  Here we are told that those that persevere in the faith even to death will be blessed.

Perseverance is that characteristic that is greatly admired in our society.  It is that ability to persist on a course one has taken.  Perseverance overcomes many obstacles and difficulties.  Throughout scripture this characteristic is spoken of as forbearance, endurance, patience, or long suffering.

You, My dear Lord and Saviour have taught us much about perseverance in Your Word.

"Wait for the LORD, be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!" (Psalm 27:14)

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer" (Romans 12:12).

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).

Paul spoke of it in this way.  "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).

"He that endures to the end shall be saved" (Matthew 10:22)

"Blessed is the man that endures temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him" (James 1:12).

These are all wonderful encouragement.  It is so easy to doubt, all kinds of little doubts can creep in.  Oh, LORD God thank You for this teaching, for these reminders.  I understand why it is so important to have Your word imprinted on the forefront of my brain! For I do have doubts, many that sometimes crowd into my brain to push You out.

You tell us, "All things can be to him who believes!" (Mark 9:23).  But all I am able to do is cry out to You like the father of the poor boy.  "I believe!  [Constantly] help my weakness of faith!" (Mark 9:24)

I love Paul's prayer in Colossians 1:11.  "(We pray) that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise ] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy."

Yes, I know that with Your help I can persevere to the end.  That is something I can hang onto.

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Listen Up!


Reading:  Revelation 13
My Verse:  "And all the inhabitants of the earth will fall down in adoration and pay him homage, everyone whose name has not been recorded in the Book of Life of the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world.  If anyone is able to hear let him listen." (13:8,9)

I truly struggle as I read this, LORD God.  It seems too much for me.  I find it hard to grasp the awfulness of what is spoken of here.  I know that You reveal to me that which I need to understand, that which is needed for my spiritual growth and in my understanding of my walk with You.  What pops out of this passage for me is Your plea to us. "If anyone is able to hear let him listen."  Oh how we need to listen up to You!

The consequences of not listening to You are spelled out here in horrendous graphic detail.  So many refuse to bow to You because they think they are independent of any need for a higher power, You.
They think they are strong enough and smart enough to do without Your help. And yet here we are told that in the end "all the inhabitants of the earth will fall down in adoration and pay him homage."  In the end there are no options, if they have not given themselves to You then they will bow down to Satan and the beast.  There will be no choice.  All will worship.

Throughout the ages it has been pointed out that man does worship whether he admits it or not.

"A person will worship something, have not doubt about that.  We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of  our hearts, but it will out.  That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character.  Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is so scriptural.  You tell us throughout Scripture that You created us to glorify You.  You created us to fellowship with You.  There is that deep deep need in each of us and unfortunately, we attempt to fill that need with many things instead of You.  Yet, we long for You.

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When can I go and meet with God?"  (Psalm 42:1-2)

"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water"  (Psalm 63:1).

"People need more that bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God" (Matthew 4:4).

Dear LORD God, time is ephemeral.  It is something we so take for granted.  We make plans and live as though we have so much of it.  Yet, time can end in a second for each of us.  We can be face to face with eternity in the blink of an eye.  Now is the time to decide.  Now is the time to allow You to cleanse us, heal us, forgive us and save us from an eternity without You.

Oh, LORD God, I pray for loved ones here.  I pray that You open up the eyes and ears of their hearts that they may be enabled to see and hear You.  I pray that they listen to Your call to them.  "I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him . . ." (Revelation 3:20).

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Satan, The Defeated Accuser!

Reading:  Revelation 12
My Verse:  "And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God" (12:10).

How Revelation reveals the true nature of Satan.  Oh, LORD God, You have defeated him long ago.  Jesus, Your death on the cross was the final victory, as You stated, "It is finished." (John 19:30) All else is simply the denouement, the final resolution of these matters.  Satan, our accuser, faces certain and final defeat.

"Now war arose in heaven, "Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon.  And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.  And the great dragon was thrown down, "that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world - "he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him" (12:7-9).

Yes, the devil is our accuser before You, Lord God, as he did even with Job. "Then Satan answered the Lord, Does Job fear God for nothing?  Have You not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side?  You have conferred prosperity and happiness upon him in the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land.  but put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to Your face" (Job 1:9-11).  Of course we know the outcome of this story.  Job did go through tremendous trials but remained steadfast through all, even after losing all that he had, even his health.  What a wonderful story for us, Your followers to be able to read and meditate upon.

We are only able to stay steadfast with Your enabling, we must ever cry out to You to hold us, to keep us.  Satan tries so hard to first keep us from submitting to You, to repenting of our sins and asking You to be our Lord.  Then after we do submit to You, he is constantly trying to keep us defeated in our walk.  Oh, LORD God, what a glorious day that will be when he is no longer able to accuse us.

Help me to be ever mindful of the fact that You, Lord Jesus,  have already defeated him.  I can live a life of victory through You and Your finished work upon the cross.  And because You will keep me until that day, I do not need to fret.  "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).

"Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders? (Exodus 15:11)

LORD God, You are the conquerer. And I can be a conquerer through You and what You have done for me.  "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).  I thank You and praise You for loving me, for saving me, for keeping me!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Come Up Here!

Reading: Revelation 11
My Verse:  "But after three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.  Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here!" And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them" (11:11,12)

As I continue to read this book of Revelation I am struck by the great Majesty of You, LORD God.  You created man with so many abilities, so much potential - we are after all created in Your very own image!  And yet we have squandered all the beauty and greatness that You meant for us.  Here in this passage the two witnesses do tremendous things in Your name.  You allow them to be killed.  The tragedy here is what the people do when that happens.  For three and a half days they gloat over the dead bodies of these men.  They rejoice that they are no longer tormented by them.  They do not realize their sin.  Then in horror they watch as You bring the two men back to life.  They watch as You call them to heaven in Your great voice, "Come up here!"  They watch as the men ascend  "up to heaven in a cloud."  Then You allow a great earthquake to occur in the city and seven thousand die.  Only then do the survivors acknowledge You.

I do not pretend to understand all that is happening here.  But I can see that You LORD God are a mighty God.  You are a holy God.  But most of all You are a loving God and You do all that is needed to bring people to You.  The day of judgement is coming and so many are lost.  I keep coming back to 2 Peter 3:3-10, where Peter reminds us of how You revealed all this to Your prophets. And he speaks of how people in the end times just like before the flood will scoff.

"First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.  They will say, "Where is this 'coming' He promised?  Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."  But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.  By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.  By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.  But do not forget this one thing, dear friends; With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.  The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare."

Yes, all of scripture points to Your return.  It also points to the need for man to repent of their sins, to turn to You for salvation.  It will be wonderful to be able to respond to this call,  "Come up here!"

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

No More Delay




Reading:  Revelation 10
My Verse:  "Then the [mighty] angel whom I had seen stationed on sea and land raised his right hand to heaven.  And swore in the name of Him Who lives forever and ever, Who created the heavens and all they contain, and the earth and all that it contains, and the sea and all that it contains.  [He swore] that no more time should intervene and there should be no more waiting or delay" (10:5,6).

Wow, these passages are so amazing!  The imagery is so vivid and fantastical!  It is exciting and yet, and yet, there is a scary frightening side to all this, for You, LORD God do have a time schedule - not as we fully understand but there is coming a time when as the angel said there will be "no more delay."

LORD God, I am so amazed at how Your Word consistently and constantly points to this, Your return.
Each passage further delineates how this is to come about.  There can be no excuse, indeed.  You provide us with ample warning that there is coming a time when it will be too late to repent, to turn to You for the salvation we all need.

Ephesians 1:7-10 says this. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the remission of our offenses, in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor.  Which He lavished upon us in every kind of wisdom and understanding.  Making known to us the mystery of His will.  In accordance with His good pleasure which He had previously purposed and set forth in Him. He planned for the maturity of the times and the climax of the ages to unify all things and head them up and consummate them in Christ, things in heaven and things on the earth."  Here were are told that, yes, there is coming an end, but it is in Your time, not ours.  There will be a "maturity of the times and the climax of the ages."


"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalms 8:3,4)  You love us so much.  I think of when You, Lord Jesus wept for Lazarus and over Jerusalem.  Each of us are before You.  You long for each of us to turn our face to You and let You love us as You long to do.  You do not want to exert Your holy wrath upon us on that day of Your return.  You want it to be a most joyous day for as many as have repented and turned to You.

So many wonderful passages speak to Your return:

"For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end - it will not lie.  If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay" (Habakkuk 2:3).

"For in just a very little while, 'He who is coming will come and will not delay.'" (Hebrews 10:37)

So we can only look up and wait with great expectancy as David in the Psalms admonishes.

"Wait for the LORD, be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD" (Psalms 27:14).

Yes, there is coming a day, a day when there will be no more delay.

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Worshipping Things That Cannot See, Hear or Walk!

Reading:  Revelation 9
My Verse:  "The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts" (9:20,21).

Dear LORD God, my heart just breaks at this.  You go to such great lengths to bring mankind around to YOU, to Your love, to Your desire to forgive and love us.  And yet, even with all the horror of those final days people still will not repent.  They will continue to refuse admitting You are our creator God.  They will continue clinging to the idea that they don't need to be saved, that they don't need forgiveness.  They choose instead to worship that "which cannot see or hear or walk."  Idols can be many things but basically it comes down to the fact that we do all end up worshiping something, something manmade.

Listening to the radio the other day I heard a discussion of the most common argument for Your existence.  That is the moral argument.  We all of us have an innate moral law within that cannot be explained away.  We all know that certain things are wrong.  So the question becomes if we are evolved from mud puppies where did this innate law come from?

Paul speaks of this innate law in Romans 2:14-15. "When Gentiles who have not the (divine) Law do instinctively what the Law requires, they are a law to themselves, since they do not have the Law.  They show that the essential requirements of the Law are written in their hearts and are operating there, with which their consciences also bear witness; and their moral decisions will accuse or perhaps defend and excuse [them]."

Various studies have been done that indicate the truth in this.  One such study was done at Yale University.  In it they used babies six to eight months old.  The lead Professor, a Paul Bloom has concluded thus.  "A growing body of evidence suggests that humans do have a rudimentary moral sense from the very start of life.  With the help of well designed experiments, you can see glimmers of moral thought, moral judgement and moral feeling even in the first year of life.  Some sense of good and evil seems to be bred in the bones."  And this is a secular study!  It is rather fascinating to read some of the studies and research papers done on this idea.  Most cannot get away from the idea that everyone seems to have some kind of innate moral sense.  Just as Paul said.  "They show the essential requirements of the Law are written in their hearts and are operating there, with which their consciences also bear witness."

So LORD God, this makes it all the more sad that we find it so hard to admit our sin, admit our need of You.  We know in our hearts we are sinful, because we know what is right and what is wrong.  You created us so.  We also, each of us knows in the very deepest part of our heart that You are the God and  creator of all.  You continually draw us to You.  Oh, LORD God, thank you for drawing me to You.  Thank You for saving me from worhsiping things that "cannot see or hear or walk."

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Woe! Woe! Woe!

Reading:  Revelation 8
My Verse:  "Then I [looked and I] saw a solitary eagle flying in midheaven, and as it flew I heard it crying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the rest of the trumpet blasts which the three angels are about to sound!" (8:13).

Revelation is a fascinating book.  There is much in it that I do not understand, LORD God.  But the one thing I do understand is how Your incredible wrath will be unleashed upon the earth when You return.  You are a holy God.  You cannot abide sin and the rejection of people to Your blessed Son, Jesus Christ.  You cannot abide their rejection of His amazing sacrifice on the cross for us, the spilling of His blood, the anguish He suffered as He took on every sin ever committed or imagined by mankind.  No, at the end of time Your Holy Wrath will spill forth and rebellious mankind can only cry in utter despair.  For earth will be a dreadful place when Your wrath is poured forth upon it, as the eagle says, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth. . ."

This gives me such a sense of urgency.  Oh, LORD God, so many I know do not know You.  Have I done all that I can do to point them to You?

It is a hard thing to get people out of their complacency, out of their busyness, and their denial of spiritual needs.  We are each of us sinful - no one wants to admit that.  "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).  "All we like sheep have gone astray.  We have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6)  We should all be crying out like Isaiah. "Woe is me!  For I am undone and ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" (Isa. 6:5).  Yes, when we see You, everyone will at that time be unable to deny You any longer.  Each and everyone will see their sinfulness in its full and glaring reality and ugliness.  " . . . so that at  the name of Jesus every knew should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. . ." (Philippians 2:10).

You are returning.  We do not know when but throughout the Holy Scriptures this is foretold.  Your great wrath will be felt but You are a loving God.  You continually appeal to man to turn to You.

"Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while his is near" (Isaiah 55:6).

"From that time Jesus began to preach, crying out.  Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Matthew 4:17).

"Therefore also now, says the Lord, turn and keep on coming to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning [until] every hindrance is removed and the broken fellowship is restored.  Rend your hearts and not your garments and return to the Lord, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness; and He revokes His sentence of evil[when His conditions are met]" (Joel 2:12,13).

No, You do not want to condemn man to an eternity of suffering.  "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and loving-kindness" (Psalm 145:8).  But it is up to man to turn to You.  Yesterday's reading spoke of the multitudes that will turn to You and I am so thankful for that.  Today we are reminded of the multitudes that will not.  Oh, LORD God, I pray for wisdom and compassion and courage to be a witness for You in my daily life.  I do not want those I know and love to be a witness to Your holy wrath.

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Vast Host

Reading:  Revelation 7
My Verse:  "After this I looked and a vast host appeared which no one could count , [gathered out] of every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.  These stood before the throne and before the Lamb; they were attired in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.  In loud voice they cried, saying, [Our] salvation is due to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb [to Them we owe our deliverance]!"  (7:9,10).

I love this passage, LORD God.  Not only because there will be such a diverse multitude that will stand before You in heaven but that there are so many!  It is so encouraging that so many will be there, so many will have turned to You, so many will have acknowledged You as Lord of their lives!  Yes, it will be "a vast host . . .  which no one could count"!  


These hosts will be "attired in white robes."  What does this signify?  Rev. 3:4-5 says, "but you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with Me in white, because they are worthy.  In the same way, the victor will be dressed in white clothes."

Rev. 3:18 You say this.  "buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, and white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed . . ."

Another place that speaks of proper clothing is the parable You told of the wedding banquet in Matthew 22:1-14.  A person was thrown out because he was not properly dressed, he refused to wear the white robes provided all guests.

It seems counter intuitive but verse 14 says these robes have been "washed . . and made white in the blood of the Lamb."  Only through You, LORD God, through what You did on the cross can we be saved.  Only through the blood of the cross can we be made clean and be able to wear the robes of white.

These hosts will also be holding "palm branches in their hands."  I am not a great scholar, LORD God, but I know there is a rich history of the use of palm branches.  They signify Your peace and fulfilled promises.  I like what Psalm 92:12-14 says on this.  "The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God.  They still bear fruit in their old age; they are ever full of sap and green."

I look forward to praising You in the midst of the vast hosts that will stand before You, one day.

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

It Is Inevitable!

Reading:  Revelation 6

My Verse:  “Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him Who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (6:15-17).

All the way back into the Old Testament this Day of the Lord is predicted.  You, Lord God, have given us ample warning to the coming of this great day.  And yet even with that so many will be taken unawares, because they have closed their minds to Your Truth.  They refuse to attend to the spiritual needs of their souls.

I love how all of Your word is so connected.  The Bible is so many books but it is really one book and the main topic is You. 

Isaiah predicted this day.  “Enter into the rock and hide yourself in the dust from before the terror of the Lord and from the glory of His majesty” (Isaiah 2:10).

Malachi 3:2 says, “But who can endure the day of His coming?  And who can stand when He appears?”

Joel 2:10 also speaks of this day.  “The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble.  The sun and the moon are darkened and the stars withdraw their shining.  And the Lord utters His voice before His army, for His host is very great, and strong and powerful who execute [God’s] word.  For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible and who can endure it?”

Yes, that great day is coming!  For those of us who love and worship You, it is our great hope and we look forward to it with anticipation.  For those that refuse You, well, it will not be a good day.  But You plead with them.  “Therefore also now, says the Lord, turn and keep on coming to Me with all your heart with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning [until every hindrance is removed and the broken fellowship is restored] (Joel 2:12).

O, LORD God, I place before You, those loved ones that do not yet know You.  Open up the eyes of their hearts that they may see You, that they may see Your love for them, and how You desire to love them and fellowship with them.  Draw them to You, dear Lord.

For that great day of Your return is coming – it is inevitable!

Ditat Deus – God Enriches!