Revelation 12-15  These chapters describe the signs that will appear in the heavens prior to the last 7 judgements and the return of Jesus.  First there is the woman who is in labor and gives birth to the male child. Then the dragon, Satan, and the war with Michael the angel.  The beast rises from the sea, another beast from the earth.. the mark of the beast is initiated, and the 144000 witnesses are presented. 

What is made clear from these events is that those who worship the false christ will perish and those who persevere and remain faithful to Christ Jesus  will be blessed.  There is victory to the overcomer. There is hope for those who trust in Jesus. 

A song is sung in chapter 15.. "Great and marvelous are Thy works O Lord God, and the Almighty. Righteous and true are Thy ways, Thou King of the nations. Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou alone art holy; for all the nations will come and worship before Thee, for Thy righteous acts have been revealed." ( v3-4) 

As the final bowls of wrath are prepared to be poured out on the earth, the temple of God is filled with His glory and power. 

Father in heaven, Your Word is true and these things will happen. They are mysterious to us, but we put our hope and faith in Christ our Lord, who has conquered death and who will rule forever.  We know that Your wrath is to be poured out and that all who defy You will be sent into the fiery pit.  Our hearts break to think of those we love.. who refuse to repent and trust in Jesus. We plead for their salvation, Lord God. Let the power of Your Holy Spirit move among them even now. We call on Your name, interceding for the lost ones. May Your kingdom come to them today! We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the King forever. Amen. 

Psalm 17  This  earnest prayer from David reveals his heart...so honest and open and humble...  He is pleading for God to hear him for his cause is "just" and "not from deceitful lips." 

This needs to be my basis of prayer also.. To ask for what is right and truthful.  And like David, I need to look to God's judgement or vindication.   He alone looks at my heart "with equity".  He alone has "tried my heart" and "tested me".  When I come into His Presence in prayer.. I must come with full surrender and humility.. holding nothing back. I examine my own heart.. but I also yield to His examination too!

David has determined to live in this attitude of full surrender.. 

"I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.. " 

"I have kept from the paths of the violent... " 

"I have called upon Thee.. " 

Three vows or promises that David chooses to order his path of life so his feet will not slip...A great example for us all:

 To control our mouths.... for our words matter!

 To hedge about or protect our way of living.. to control our actions. 

and to pray always!  

David's prayers include asking for the Lord's ear to be inclined towards him; for the Lord to show him lovingkindness; keep him "as the apple of the eye"; and to "hide [him] in the shadow of Thy wings".  

All of these requests refer to intimate closeness with the Father.. May He be so close that His ear hears our whispered pleas.. that His loving arms surround us.. that we see our own reflection in His eyes.. and that we are completely covered by His wings.  Remember how Jesus lamented over Jerusalem?  "How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.." (Matthew 23:37)  David's prayer shows a heart more than willing!  He longs to be right there.. hidden in His Lord. 

David prays about his circumstances and his problems.  He is being oppressed by the wicked.  He is surrounded by enemies.  He is hated.  He is threatened.  His prayer is simple.. "Arise, O Lord, confront him, bring him low; Deliver my soul from the wicked with Thy sword."  He puts it all in the Hands of the One who will deal justly. 

 "As for me, I shall behold Thy face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Thy likeness when I awake."  This is David's statement of faith.  His hope is in the Lord.  He knows that no matter what happens in life.. there will be a day when he will be with God forever.  It is always his final thought in prayer.. "And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."  Amen!

Father in heaven, may we learn how to pray like Your servant David,  with earnest and honest.. humble and surrendered hearts that seek You.. that climb right up into Your lap and rest in You. We, so  often, pray our list of requests without truly coming into Your Presence.  Teach us to pray, Lord.  Walk with us through this day and fill us with Your Spirit that we might know You more... that we will truly dwell with You moment by moment and day by day.  We ask this in the Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who  has gathered us under His wings. Amen. 

 Revelation 11 In this chapter the Lord reveals the ministry of the two witnesses.  They will be given great authority..  "and I will grant authority to my two witnesses and they will prophecy... these have the power to shut up the sky.. power over the waters.. and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. "

These two will be overcome and killed by the beast, lay dead on the street for 3 days, and be resurrected and taken into heaven.  " And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven." ( v13) 

Then.. the seventh trumpet sounds.  An announcement is made.. "the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever."  Again, worship breaks out in heaven!  "We give Thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty who art and who wast, because Thou hast taken Thy great power and hast begun to reign." 

When the temple of God opens in heaven there are "flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm." 

We recently witnessed on the news the power of a tornado. It was devastating.  It gives us a tiny glimpse of the power that God will release when the things mentioned above begin to happen. The reign of our Lord will be ushered in by a display of God's power that we can't even begin to fathom.  The whole earth will know it.  Every nation will be brought to its knees.  It will be then, verse 18 tells us, that "the time  came for the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to Thy bondservants the prophets and to the saints and to those who fear Thy name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth." 

Psalm 99:1 says "The Lord reigns, let the people tremble;  He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake."   We are called to recognize.. to acknowledge the power of our God. To praise His "awesome name"... to exalt Him.. "and worship at His footstool; Holy is He."  Our God hears the prayers of those who call upon Him.  He forgives and redeems those who bow before Him. But in the end He will "execute justice and righteousness.. "  Those who do not repent and put their trust in Jesus Christ who will reign forever and ever.. will be destroyed.. to suffer an eternal hell.  His power will be displayed and we will all know it. 

Father, we pray for those who are lost.. walking in darkness and sin.  Open their eyes Lord, to see the awesome power of Your hand and the loving grace that is extended to them even now.. while they still can call on You to be saved.  Thank You for being the God who saves, who forgives, who redeems, and who sets us free! We are Your people.. the sheep of Your pasture. We come into Your presence with thanksgiving and praise, for You are good and Your lovingkindness is everlasting.  May Your kingdom come and Your will be done we pray. In Jesus' name. amen. 

Psalm 16:5 "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; Thou dost support my lot." 

 Verse 8 "I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."  

Verse 11 "Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; in Thy presence is fulness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever." 

Father God, You are my God.. my Lord.. my Refuge. You are the only good that I have.  I will bless Your Name.   You are my inheritance.. my allotment.. my ration, and my destiny.. You are all I need and all I want.  I will set my heart and my thoughts and my mind on You.  Since You are with me always and will never forsake me.. I will not be moved. Help me Lord to know this with every ounce of my being.  I am trusting You to lead me in Your paths of righteousness for Your Name's sake.  I want to find joy in Your Presence and pleasure at Your feet.  I give myself to You and pray that Your will be done.  In Jesus' name Amen. 

 Psalm 15  " O Lord, who may abide in Thy tent?"    

This question leads to a sort of check list.. Do I qualify? Do I:

Walk with integrity?

Work righteousness?

Speak truth in my heart?

Slander with my tongue?

Do evil to my neighbor?

Take up a reproach against my friend?

Despise the reprobate?

Honor those who fear the Lord?

Swear to my own hurt?

Charge interest to those who owe me?

Take bribes against the innocent?

Lord, You know my heart.  You know how often I have failed to have the attitude of Christ, who humbled Himself... "emptied Himself taking the form of a bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." ( Phil. 2:7-8)  I trust not in my own ability to complete this checklist.. but I trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.. for He alone is the One who will "never be shaken".  Oh, Thank You for such a wonderful Savior!  "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts ; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way." (Psalm 139:23-24)  In Jesus name, I come. Amen. 

 Revelation 10  John saw an angel, "coming down out of heaven clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire."  This angel was large enough that his one foot stood on the sea and the other on the land.  Yet, John was instructed to go and take a book out of his hand. 

John was then instructed to eat the book.  And, just as he was told, it tasted like honey, but hurt his stomach.  "And they said to me, 'You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings." 

Was the book meant to strengthen him.. or give him the words to prophesy?  There are mysteries that we will not know until eternity.. but John heard them.. "And when the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying,'Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them." 

There will be a day, John is told when "the mystery of God is finished.."  But until then, he was commissioned to keep speaking forth the Word. And likewise, that is our commission.. to "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo I am with you always even to the end of the age." ( Matt. 28:19-20)

Father in heaven, fill us with the Living Water and the Bread of Life.. let Your Word be like honey on our lips and Your Truth fill our hearts and minds.  We need You to give us the Spirit of power and love and sound minds, that we might do the work that You are calling us to do.  We look to You Father and pray for Your name to be hallowed, for Your Kingdom to come and for Your will to be done in us today. In the Name of Jesus our Lord we pray. Amen

 Psalm 14   Here is a great truth  -  "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God'".  

Romans 1:18-21 comes to mind here.. "for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened." 

Fools are unbelievers.. they are wicked, they despise God and others, they are ignorant and egotistical. Proverbs talks a lot about the fool.. ( just to quote a few..)

1:7 "...Fools despise wisdom and instruction.." 
10:8 and 10 ".. but a babbling fool will be thrown down.." 
10:23 "Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool.." 
18:2 " A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind"
20:3  ".. but any fool will quarrel.."
28: 26 "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool.. " 

 In Ecclesiastes 2:12-14  Solomon wrote, "And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. The wise man's eyes are in his head but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one fate befalls them both." 

 Proverbs 1 reminds us that " The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..."  The wise man will "hear and increase in learning and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel.. "

David's psalm also tells us that a fool is corrupt, wicked, without understanding, and will face the judgement of God.  The only hope for a fool is a new heart..  a heart that will fear God.. willing to listen to the Word of God... ready to lay down his stubborn self.. and seek the One who saves. 

God will be a refuge to His own.  He will restore the captives. He will bring salvation.. "out of Zion".  Hallelujah!

Father, this is the message that we must proclaim.. You are God alone!  You are God of heaven above and the earth below and there is no other!  Oh, may we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord.. that we are saved by faith because of Your great love and grace poured out on us through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.  We do not want to be fools, Lord, but to be wise, listening to Your voice, trusting Your Word, and obeying Your will.  We do not fear men, but we fear and live for You, Father God, by the power of Your Spirit in us and in the Name of Christ the Lord. We pray for those who are trusting in themselves, who have been deceived, and who are living in darkness.. and we ask Lord Jesus, that You would come and shine the light of salvation into our world today, that many more will seek You with all their hearts and find You.   Amen. 

 Revelation 8-9   The seventh seal is broken by Jesus and "there was silence in heaven for about half an hour."   This ushers in the 7 angels who will sound their trumpets.. each a terrible judgement on the earth. Before that happens another angel lifts up the censer of incense added to the prayers of the saints. 

I have been reading in my devotional book by Andrew Murray about the power of intercession.  It is our privilege and our responsibility to join our prayers of intercession with those of our Savior who is even now interceding for us at the right hand of the Father.   Murray says, " The Father has bestowed the Holy Spirit to breath the very Spirit of His Son into our hearts. Our Lord would have us yield ourselves as wholly to God as He did; to pray like Him that God's love should be made manifest on earth at any cost."  

Perhaps.. it is those prayers, prayers of intercession for the lost that are lifted up before God, so that some might still be saved before these terrible judgements fall upon the earth.. 

Even before the first trumpet sounds the angel throws the censer full of fire from the altar of God.. bringing thunder, lightning and an earthquake. 

The first trumpet brings "hail and fire, mixed with blood.. and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up."

The second trumpet sound is accompanied by a "great mountain burning with fire.." thrown into the sea, turning a third of it to blood and killing a third of the sea creatures and destroying a third of the ships.

The third trumpet is sounded and  "a great star from heaven, burning like a torch" fell from heaven and poisoned rivers and springs. 

With the fourth trumpet a third of the sun, the moon, and the stars were darkened.

The fifth trumpet brings the terrible locusts/scorpions/army of creatures that cause terrible pain for 5 months.. but only to those not having the seal of God. 

The sixth trumpet brings an army of 200 million horsemen riding on horses who have heads like lions and tails like serpents.. who kill another third of mankind with fire, smoke, and brimstone.

Yet, even with all of this, John is told.. "And the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries, nor of their immorality nor of their thefts." 

Father in heaven,  You have called us to the work of intercession.. and too often we fail to be faithful to this vital calling. Forgive us.  You have given us the Spirit of Christ, that we might join Him in this ministry before the day of judgement comes.  Help us Lord to know, to believe, and to DO the work that You have granted us.. that Your Kingdom Truth will ring out across the earth and our prayers will rise like the incense in heaven before Your throne.  So many.. lost and without hope.. Father, send forth Your workers into the harvest fields. Spirit of God, breathe "God's own desire into us" and enable us to intercede for others. We are willing Lord..   In the Name and power of our Lord Jesus we pray. Amen. 

 Psalm 13 "How long...? "  We are like David... wondering why God sometimes makes us wait for the answer to our prayers.  We become discouraged or even despair in our weariness of waiting on the Lord. David dares to question the Lord.. even demanding an answer.. "Consider and answer me, O Lord, my God;" 

One of my favorite authors is Andrew Murray. He wrote a little book called Waiting on God that is so deep and so encouraging.  He says this.. "Dear Christian, do you not begin to see that waiting is not one among a number of Christian virtues, to be thought of from time to time, but that it expresses that disposition which lies at the very root of the Christian life? It gives a higher value and a new power to our prayer and worship, to our faith and surrender, because it links us, in unalterable dependence, to God Himself. And it gives us the unbroken enjoyment of the goodness of God: ' The Lord is good unto them that wait for him.'" 

This is the heart of David, after all: "But I have trusted in Thy lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me." 

Father in heaven, help us learn to wait on You, to trust in You.. to know that You are acting with great love and kindness towards us.. even if we cannot see it.  May we learn to wait on You, to learn our own powerlessness, to realize Your great faithfulness.. to rest in You, completely and continually.  May we truly believe that You are watching over us.. that You know exactly where we are and what we are facing and that You will strengthen us by Your grace, which is sufficient for us.. Thank You for reminding us that You are able to do the work in us that You desire for us.  All glory and praise and blessing we give to You, O Lord our God.  amen. 

 Revelation 7  I write, not as a scholar, but as one who is listening to the Shepherd's voice.. The book of Revelation is difficult and I am not in any way trying to teach from it.. I am simply listening and writing this as a devotional.  Just thought I needed to say that.. :)

After the sixth seal is broken and the tribulation continues... John observes a pause as he sees four angels "standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree."  Complete stillness over all the earth.. can you imagine?

Two significant groups of people are introduced.  The first is the remnant of Israel. 144,000 sealed people from the 12 tribes of Israel.  The second is a great multitude, "which no one can count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands." 

Whereas the sealed ones remain on the earth, the great multitudes are in heaven and are worshipping before the throne of God.  They "have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."  They came out of the great tribulation, giving their lives to follow Jesus.  ".. for the Lamb in the center of the throne shall be their shepherd and shall guide them to springs of the water of life; and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes." 

Regardless of who these groups are or might be.. what stands out the most to me is the greatness of God who still chooses to use His people, the Jews, to do His work, even after all they did.. failing so often to truly worship Him.. turning to idolatry.. and even killing Jesus, the Lamb of God, slain for them.  And then.. He saves multitudes of people from every nation, tongue, tribe and people.. through the great tribulation.. "Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb"!!!!

Even to the end, our God is full of mercy and grace.. He is patient and kind.  His love never diminishes and His gift of salvation is for any who will turn to Him in repentance and put their trust in Jesus, the Savior of the world. 

Father, there is a time coming when it will be too late for sinners to come to You.  Our hearts yearn to see our loved ones, our friends, our neighbors.. and yes, even our enemies, turn from sin and death and hell and find life through Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain.  May they wash their robes in His blood that they might be clothed in the white robes of heaven. Word of God, run rapidly through our land and through the nations, and be glorified.  May the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ be found in every place where Your servants walk. Open doors and give the words to Your servants to speak forth the gospel of Christ, before it is too late. Move in us, Your church, to stand up and proclaim the Truth. We ask these things in the Name of Jesus, who is All and Who will forever be our Lord and our King. Amen.

 Psalm 12  This psalm is a prayer for help.  Like David, we get overwhelmed at times with the wickedness of our world.  There is truly.. nothing new under the sun.. 

There are still people who speak lies.. who flatter "with a double heart".. who boast of great things. and believe that their words "will prevail".. who "strut about on every side.. who exalt vileness.. They think they will not have to answer for their sinfulness.. .  But, God says otherwise... 

" 'Now I will arise' says the Lord; 'I will set him ( the afflicted and needy) in the safety for which he 

longs.' " (v5) 

These words we can trust!  "The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times. Thou, O Lord, will keep them; Thou wilt preserve him from this generation forever." 

Father in heaven, You see that we live in a place where evil is threatening from every side, where so many have turned away and gone their own direction. We call upon You, even as Your servant David did, to let the evil of the wicked come to an end.  We pray that You will bring righteousness.. that Your Kingdom will come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  We long for Your Presence, Lord God. We desire to walk according to Your pure Word and to bring glory and honor and praise to Your great Name. You are our Rock, our Hope, and our Salvation, Lord Jesus.  It is in Your Name that we pray. Amen. 

 Revelation 6  - "And I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals.. "  It is Christ the Lord who takes the scroll and begins what we call the tribulation.  He is worthy to begin this final act of the story of life on earth that began at the dawn of creation.. 

It is interesting that God chooses to use the enemy to accomplish His plans.. everything is under His control! Hallelujah!

At the breaking of the first seal, John sees a white horse "and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him; and he went out conquering, and to conquer."  

At the breaking of the second seal, John sees a red horse.. and this one "was granted to take peace from the earth." 

The third seal brought a black horse and a rider who "had a pair of scales in his hand."  Famine is released upon the earth. 

The fourth seal is broken and "an ashen horse" is released. "and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence any wild beasts of the earth." 

Four horsemen will be released to take one fourth of all living beings and kill them. 

The fifth seal is different. This time John is led to see souls underneath the altar of God.. "those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained."  These souls were crying out to God for justice.. for judgement upon the earth.  They were given white robes and told to rest a little longer.  More martyrs would join them soon. 

The sixth seal is broken and an earthquake, so powerful that it causes the sun to become black, the moon to become red, the stars to fall, the sky to be split apart.. and all men and women to run and hide... "for the day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?" 

Every detail is revealed to us here.  We know that God is patiently waiting.. for He does not want any to perish but to come to salvation through Jesus Christ.  Yet, that great day is coming. We believe it could be soon. More than ever we need to pray for the Lord to send forth workers into His harvest field.  More than ever we must do the work of being intercessors for the lost. 

Father in heaven, we exalt and worship You, our Gracious Lord and God.. for You are long-suffering and full of mercy and love. Thank You for allowing us to see Your glory and grace.. to know the salvation that Jesus Christ has provided through the shedding of His blood.  We pray for the lost and perishing, that You would open their eyes and hearts to receive the Truth.. the Good News of Jesus.  Give us words to speak and open doors to share the gospel with those around us. Give us boldness and power by Your Spirit to be witnesses in our world today. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

 Psalm 11  With David, we take refuge in the Lord.  We are soldiers in the spiritual battle and the enemy has drawn out his bow.. ready to "shoot in darkness at the upright in heart".. 

David asks, "What can the righteous do?"  What a good question!  What are we supposed to do in response to the threats of the evil one?  Like David, we must point to the the One who is on the throne!

"The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men."  

This is our message: 

The Lord, our God sees every heart.  He proves or tests every individual.  Those who are righteous, will "behold His face", for He loves righteousness.  Those who are wicked will face "fire and brimstone and burning wind.. " 

We are His or we are not... there is no middle ground.  In Revelation 6 and following.. that is made clearer than ever.  Jesus is about to open the book and judgements will be poured out to those who refuse the righteousness that only Jesus is able to provide.  

A conquerer will come. 

A war will break out.

A famine will fall upon the whole earth.

Death will surround any left after that.. 

And that is just the beginning. 

Our God and King, we put our faith in the Holy One of God, on Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain for the sins of the world.  We choose to follow Jesus. We choose to worship You. We seek Your will and proclaim Your kingdom come!  You are in Your holy temple.. You are on the throne.. and You see us. May Your grace and mercy surround us and fill us with the Living Water that we might share the Good News of salvation to the world around us.  We are intercessors, willing to stand in the gap for those who are lost.  We pray for Your Word to run rapidly and spread freely through the land. We pray for open ears and hearts that many will hear the truth and be saved.  We ask this is the name of Jesus, according to His promise. Amen.