Bitter-Sweet Experience (Rev. 10:8-11)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07/18/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Bitter-Sweet Experience

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 10: 8-11

 

Message of the verse:  “8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, ‘Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.’  9  So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, ‘Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.’  10 I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.  11  And they said to me, You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.’”

John again hears the voice for heaven and this time the voice tells him to go and get to book from the angel, and then the angel tells him to eat the little book which will be bitter in his stomach, but sweet in his mouth, and then he is to prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.  What does all of this symbolism mean?  Well this is not the first time that a prophet of God has been told to eat the Word of God, for Ezekiel was also told to do this.  I believe that Jeremiah was also told to do this when he wrote Jer. 15:16  “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.”  From this passage the idea can be seen that this picture of eating the Word of God is reading it and making it a part of a believers life and this is done by spiritually digesting it and assimilating it into your life in the same way that when a person eats food it is first chewed and then digested and then it is assimilated into their body to actually becoming a part of their body.

The question as to why it would be sweet in John’s mouth and bitter in his stomach seems to mean that a person can get very excited about reading and understanding the prophetic Word of God, but after thinking about how wonderful this will be for all of the believers in Christ they also think about how awful it will be for those who have never accepted this grace that God has offered to all and will end up in the Christ-less eternity of hell.  This was the message that John was to pass on and it was very hard for him to do so because of his understanding of its outcome.

 

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think that I have done a fairly good job in reading and studying the Word of God since I have become a believer, but not so good a job in assimilating it into my life especially when it comes to the problem areas of my life where I believe that God’s Word teaches me to memorize these verses that pertain to the problem areas and then meditate on them and have them become a part of my spiritual life.

 

The Word of God has been very, very challenging to my heart as I read it, and it was also very convicting to me too.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I want to begin to memorize the passage in 1 Thes. that I have tried to memorize and meditate on before, and by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit I will do a better job at it this time.

           

Announcment Beforehand by God's Prophets (Rev. 10:5-7)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07/15/2005

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Announced beforehand by God’s prophets

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Revelations 10:5-7

 

            Message of the verse:  “5 Then the mighty angel standing on the sea and on the land lifted his right hand to heaven.  6 And he swore an oath in the name of the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it. He said, ‘God will wait no longer.  (NKJV)  7 But when the seventh angel blows his trumpet, God’s mysterious plan will be fulfilled. It will happen just as he announced it to his servants the prophets.”  (NLT)

            Dr. Wiersbe points out that this section of Revelations is the middle of the tribulation period and when the seventh angel blows his trumpet the last half of the tribulation period will begin and the judgments that will take place then will be even worse that those of the first half of the period.  There is kind of a laul at this point as far as the judgments are concerned and while this is going on this Angel, who is believed to be the Lord Jesus Christ swears by and oath in the Name of the God of creation that God will wait no longer and that the things that will soon be fulfilled have been announced by the prophets of old.  One of the earlier judgments saw those who have been murdered for their faith in heaven asking God how long it will be before He judges those who had murdered them, and the answer to that question is found in Peter’s writings where he writes, “9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”  Actually the whole chapter of 2Peter 3 is a good reference to answer those martyrs questions. 

            I want to focus in on the word “mysterious” of “mystery” as to how it is used in Scripture.  This word is not used in the same way one uses mystery in our English language where it means that the outcome is not know.  The word as used in the Bible means that God’s people know what is going on but those of the world system do not have a clue as to what is going on.  Jesus spoke of God blinding the eyes of some of the Jewish leaders when He was on earth, and it seems that they were blinded so that they could not understand these mysteries that were spoken of by the prophets.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It seems to me that some of what is spoken of in this section is about being patient and be willing to wait for God’s perfect timing, and this is what I have been trying to do when it comes to our investments with Andrew and also the money that Tim owes me.  God has a plan in all of this and it seems to me that part of that plan is to understand how He would want us to use these funds if the do indeed come in, but it also seems to me that God is saying to me that He is in control and I am to exercise my faith in this situation to make it stronger so that throughout all of this I will become more like my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

The Word of God has given me a challenge today as I studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord for His plans are perfect.

 

Memory verse for the week:  Philippians 4:8

 

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

           

God Does Not Tell Us Everything (Rev.10:2a-4; Deu. 29:29)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07/14/2005

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  God does not always tell us everything

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Revelations 10:2a-4

 

            Message of the verse:  “He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; 3 and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices.  4  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.’”

            It could be interpreted that when the angel put his right foot on the sea and his left on the land that He was claiming all of the earth.  The crying out like a lion shows power and as far as having the seven peals of thunder speak this could be God speaking, because the Scripture tells us that God’s voice is like the thunder.  As far as having what the seven peals of thunder sealed up something like this happened in the 12^th chapter of Daniel when he was told to seal up the book of prophecy.  “8  As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, "My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?"

9  He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.”  In the book of Deuteronomy chapter twenty-nine and verse twenty-nine we can learn that God does not tell us everything, however what He does tell us we need to follow:  “"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am sure that there have been some people who have tried to figure out what it was that the seven peals of thunder spoke, but if God would have wanted me to know what it was that they spoke I am sure He would not have sealed it up and so I must trust Him in this just like I must trust Him when He does not tell me other things that He is doing in my life like this situation with my investments. 

 

 The Word of God was certainly a challenge to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord with all of my life including what is going on in Canada and what is suppose to go on in the Middle East that all has to do with our money.

 

Memory verse for the week:  Philippians 4:8

 

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there anything excellent and anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

The Lord Visits the Earth (Rev. 10:1-2)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07/13/2005

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  The Lord visits the earth

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Revelations 10:1-2

 

            Message of the verse:  “1  I saw another strong 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; 2  and he had in his hand a little book which was open.”

            There is some controversy as to who this strong angel is, but some of the authors that I have read have said that this is the Lord Jesus Christ. There are reasons as to why some think this is the Lord and there are reasons as to why some think this is just another angel.  John Macarthur believes this is an angel because of the wording in the Greek for the word translated another, for he says this means another of the same kind.  Dr. Wiersbe’s and Jeremiah say that because of the description of this angel that this is the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is described as being clothed in a cloud having a rainbow around His head, with a face like the sun and feet like pillars of fire.  He also has a little book in His hand which contains more judgments for the earth and it was written in the fifth chapter that only the Lord Jesus Christ had the authority to open the book that contains the judgments that will come upon the earth.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There are some things in the Word of God that seem to cause an argument like this passage.  There are some things in the Word of God that are worth stating your case about, and perhaps this is not one of them.  It is a good idea to stand up for the more meaningful things in the Scriptures like the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the type of baptism to be used, the tongues issue, the issue of not loosing your salvation.  I want to stand for the truth of the Scriptures and not get so upset about some of the things that do not matter as much.

 

The Word of God has challenged my heart today as I read it.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust the Lord to help me get along with my wife.

 

Memory verse for the week:  Philippians 4:8

 

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.       

           

No Repentance is Found (Rev. 9:20-21)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07/12/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  No Repentance

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 9:20-21

 

            Message of the verse:  “20  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; 21  and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.”

            It is very hard for me to understand how the people of this time period, who have seen all of these things happen to their world, and they realize down deep in their hearts that God is the One who has brought all of these things upon the world, will not repent of the evil things that they have been doing, things that are described in these two verses. 

            As I look at our nation and in particular the liberal movement, I can see the very same thing happening, and not only in our country, but others around the world. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I must not look at this verse and see myself as a much better person than these, for if it were not for the grace and mercy of God I too would be in the same position as these people.  I must also learn from this verse that when I sin I need to confess and repent from the sins I have committed. 

 

The Word of God was convicting to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust the Lord with the outcome of what Andrew’s lawyers will accomplish with the judge this week.  It would be difficult to have another setback, however it that is the Lord’s will in all of this, then I must trust Him for the grace to handle it.

 

Memory verse for the week:  Philippians 4:8

 

Finally, brethren whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

More Plagues (Rev. 9:18-19)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07/08/2005

 

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus: More Plagues

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 9:18-19

 

            Message of the verse:  “18 A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths.  19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm.”  (NAS95)  “18  One-third of all the people on earth were killed by these three plagues—by the fire and the smoke and burning sulfur that came from the mouths of the horses.  19 Their power was in their mouths, but also in their tails. For their tails had heads like snakes, with the power to injure people.”  (NLT)

            The population of planet earth is shrinking because of these plagues, but these plagues only affect those who have turned their backs on Christ and have not sought Him out for the forgiveness of their sins even though they all know in their hearts that God is the One who is behind all of these judgments.  One third of mankind will be killed by these demons who are riding demonic horses.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  “A couple of the things that I seen in these verses are that God will judge the ungodly people, even though at this time that I am living in now it does not seem that this will happen, and I believe the reason for this is that God’s cup of wrath is not full yet and it is not the time yet for all of this to happen.  I also see in this that God will take care of His own children, because they will not be affected by these plagues; however there will be many who will be killed by antichrist and his men, but not by these plagues. 

            I am thankful that the Lord is in complete control of all things, including those things in my life that do not seem, at this time, to be going well.

 

The Word of God was challenging to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  As my temper seems to be getting shorter because of all of the challenges that I am facing, I need and want to again completely trust the Lord for His guidance and for His peace that passes all understanding and will guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus.

 

Memory verse for the week:  Philippians 4:8

 

And finally brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Horses and their Riders (Rev. 9:16-17)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07/07/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Horses and Their Riders.

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 9:16 & 17

 

            Message of the verse:  “16  The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.  17  And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone.”

            There has been some debate as to whether these horses and riders were human beings or whether they were some sort of demons like the ones that were described earlier that came up out of the pit and stung people.  Some believe that these are the armies of China, for China has boasted to have an army of two hundred million soldiers as far back as forty years ago. John says in verse 16 that someone gave him the number of two hundred million.  John again uses similes to describe the riders of the horses and also the horses themselves.   

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There are many verses in this wonderful book that I do not understand, yet one thing is for sure and that is God is in control of all of these things that will take place, and He is also in control of all of the things that will take place in my life as well, and I can trust Him.

 

The Word of God was a challenge to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Because I believe that God is in control of all things in my life, I believe that He is also in control of the money that is owed to me by different people, and that He will work this all out for my good and for His glory.

 

Memory verse for the week:  Philippians 4:8

 

Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, and if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 

 

 

The Sixth Trumpet Judgment (Rev. 9:13-15)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07/04/2005

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  The Sixth Trumpet Judgment

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Revelations 9:13-15

 

            Message of the verse:  “13 Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’  15 And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind.”

            John said that when the sixth trumpet sounded, showing that the next judgment was ready to take place, a voice came from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God.  This altar is the altar of incense, which is where the prayers of the saints go up before the Lord God who sits on His throne in heaven. 

            This judgment is letting loose of four angels who are bound at the Euphrates river, and if they are bound then this would indicate that they are not good, but evil angels, for good angels would not have to be bound.  John tells his readers that these angels have been prepared for this very time to kill one third of the earth’s population.  John will go on with this judgment in the succeeding verses.  In Revelations 6:8 we read that one fourth of the earths population have already been killed by that judgment and now in this judgment one third of the earth’s population is killed so that means that there have been on half killed and one half left, so there is only one out of two people left on earth who were alive when the tribulation started, and when it started the people of the world had such great hope that peace had finally came, yet there is no peace unless it comes from the Prince of Peace. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think that from seeing things like killings and other sinful activities on TV, both in fictional and real settings that come from the news, this kind of desensitizes me from really grasping all these judgments that will go on during this time of judgment that will come upon the whole world.  Late last year a great tidal wave killed many, many people in Indonesia, and other countries in the far east, and this will be like a Sunday school picnic compared to these judgments that will send millions of people to there final place of judgment and I would pray that God would allow me to give out the Word to the ones that He brings my way so that they can be saved and not have to go through this awful period of time full of God’s judgments.

 

The Word of God has brought conviction to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I trust that the Lord will give me more opportunities to give out His Word so people can be saved. 

 

 

 

 

 

The End of the First Woe (Rev. 9:12)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07/01/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  End of the first Woe

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 9:12

 

            Message of the verse:  “12 The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.”

            There are many commentators of the Bible that either says that all of these judgments have already taken place in the past, and most of them say that they were fulfilled in the days of Rome, or they say that they will never be fulfilled and are only figurative in scope.  Some say that they will be fulfilled in the future, however that the Church will go through this time of trouble too.  Then there are some who say that the Lord will come in the “rapture” and take His bride home to be with Him and then shortly after that these judgments will begin.  As one reads about these judgments they are at best hard to understand, yet if someone would have read in advance about the judgments that God sent upon Egypt in order to set His people, Israel free they probably would not believed or understood the either.  Just as it was difficult to understand about all of the prophecies concerning the first coming of Christ, so, for some, it is difficult to understand all about the prophecies concerning His second coming. 

            In verse twelve John says that the first woe has passed, and yet there are two more woes to come.  This first woe is the fifth trumpet judgment and the last two are the last two trumpet judgments, of which the last one will begin a whole new series of judgments called the vial or bowl judgments.  John is just announcing that there are two more “woes” coming.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I read this book of revelations I can see that God does have a plan concerning these judgments in order to execute His wrath on the unbelieving world and once His plan is executed it will be complete.  God always has a plan and He has a plan for my life as well, and it seems that part of that plan for my life is in my continued trust in Him for the outcome of our financial woes, and I do trust Him, yet there are times of late when I have become frustrated that nothing has been done for I would find it hard to find a job around here at this point in my life, yet if the Lord finds the job he wants me to have and gives me peace about it then I will obey Him and take it, but I would still hope that He will have my funds returned to me.

 

The Word of God was a bit convicting and also a challenge to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust in the Lord with all of my heart and try not to lean upon my own understanding, in all of my ways acknowledge the Lord as He has promised then to lead my paths through this life here on earth.

 

Memory verse for the week:  1Thes. 4:3-4

 

For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor.

           

King of the Demons (Rev. 9:10-11)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 06/29/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  King of the Demons

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 9: 10-11

 

            Message of the verse:  “10  They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months.  11  They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.”

            Verse ten gives a further description of these locust demons that have a tail like a scorpion which can give a bit that will cause much pain, and in the case of these demon locusts they can hurt men for five months, but will not cause death.

            In verse eleven there can be seen an order of power in the demonic world as it mentions there is a king to rule over these demon locusts and it gives the name in both the Hebrew and in the Greek, and in both cases it means destroyer.  The question arises as to who this king is, and it could be that this king has been kept in this pit for a long time and is probably one of Satan’s most trusted of his demons.  Dr. Macarthur says in his commentary that this is not Satan who is this king that is spoken of here in verse eleven.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I know from reading Scripture that Satan has always wanted to be like God, and that is one of the reasons that he fell from the position that he was in when God created him and so it is no wonder that he copies things that God does and one of them is the levels of beings that are under His control.  In the order of the good angels there are ranks and thus in the order of the bad ones Satan has made ranks too. 

 

The Word of God was a bit confusing to me as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust in the Lord who has the right to rule over me and have Him lead me into the areas in which He wants me to minister and not push to try and go where I want to be.

 

Memory verse for the week:  1Thes. 4:3-4

 

For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor.

The Description of These Creatures (Rev. 9:7-9)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 06/27/2005

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  The Description of These Creatures

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 9:7-9

 

            Message of the verse:  “7 The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men.  8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions.  9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle.”

            As I read through these three verses I cans see that the word “like” is seen some seven times in them and this makes me think that in John’s description of these creatures he could not identify them as to what they were but had to use other things that were familiar to him to help describe them.  As I have studied these verses before I have seen a number of ideas as to what these verses were trying to describe, and one of them was helicopters that would have some kind of gas in them to inflict the pain that is spoken about in this section.  Others have described them as some kind of creature that was very small like a locust that came and stung its victim.

             The point of all of this is that God is sending a judgment upon the unbelieving people who are alive during this tribulation period in order to open the eyes of some of them so that they will look up and see their need for Him and also to take out His wrath upon the sinful people who live upon the earth during this time period where sin will be the order of the day.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I can think of the verses in Hebrews chapter twelve which talk about discipline not being pleasant but necessary from time to time in the life of the believer.  My attitude when going through the discipline of the Lord must be that He is doing it for my good, and learn from the mistakes in the past and correct them.

 

The Word of God was a challenge to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord during this time of troubles that have come into our lives, trust Him to work it out for my good and for His glory as He has promised.

 

Memory verses for the week:  1Thes. 4:3-4

 

For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel with sanctification and honor.

The Demon Locusts Doing their Work (Rev. 9:5-6)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 06/23/2005

 

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  The Locusts at Work

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Revelations 9:5-6

 

            Message of the verse:  “5  And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man.  6  And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.”

            It seems that those who are bitten by these creatures, who are actually demons, will not die nor will they be able to die as verse six reads, “and death flees from them.”  It is not clear but it could be possible that some of these people who that have been bitten by these creatures will be saved.  It is possible that these people will be able to see those who are not affected by the bites and will wonder why and thus accept the forgiveness of the Lord.  I do not know why they will be tormented for five months but that is surely a long time to be tormented by such severe pain which is described in these verses, but it has been suggested that the lifecycle of a locust is five months from May to September.  

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This judgment described in this portion of Revelations chapter nine will happen in God’s timing and not before.  The same holds true for the events in my life, for it is God who brings about the things in my life when He wants them to occur.  As I think about the events in my life that have happened to me over the past two plus years regarding my investments with Andrew Lech. I have to believe that they have been sent to me through God’s gracious hand, even though I do not know all of the reasons why Scripture assures me that God is in control and will work things out for my good and His honor and glory.

 

The Word of God has been a challenge to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To continue to trust the Lord through this difficult situation that He has given to me to follow through by His grace and mercy.

 

Memory verses for the week:  1Thes. 4:3-4

 

For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to process his own vessel with sanctification and honor.

God will Protect His Children (Rev. 9:3-4)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 06/22/2005

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  God will protect His Children

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 9:3-4

 

            Message of the verse:  “3. Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.  4. They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”

            The judgments up to this point have been upon the earth which affected mankind indirectly, however this judgment is different in that it affects only unbelievers which is similar to the judgments that God judged Egypt with, for some of the judgments were directed only upon Egypt and Israel was not affected by them at all.

            It seems that these locusts that came out of this pit are demons and were told that they could only harm the unbelievers that are upon the earth.  The details of how they do this are given in the proceeding verses as it only says in verse three that they are given power like scorpions which gives a hint of how they will harm the unbelievers. 

            Another interesting thing that is brought up in verse four is the mention of the sealing of the believers on their foreheads.  This was mentioned when speaking of God sealing the 144,000 Jewish Evangelists and now is again mentioned hear.  All believers are sealed by the Holy Spirit, but as far as this sealing is concerned there is no mention of if other believers can see this sealing or not however it seems that it will be fairly easy to tell the believers from the unbelievers at this point for the believers will not be able to be stung by these creatures and therefore will not have any of the affects they give out.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  God has always taken care of His children and in this section of Scripture that can be clearly seen.  As a believer I am under the protection of God, however Scripture says that by sinning I can loose that protection, so it is important for me to continue to walk with the Lord so that I can benefit for this wonderful protection.

 

The Word of God was both refreshing and convicting to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust that the Lord will continue to protect me and that He will guide me and direct me through this very difficult time in my life.

 

Memory verses for the week:  1Thes. 4:3-4

 

For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to processes his own vessel with sanctification and honor.

 

 

 

The Bottomless Pit (Rev. 9:1-2)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 06/20/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  The Bottomless Pit

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 9:1-2

 

            Message of the verse:  “1. Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him.

2. He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.”

            This is the beginning of the description of the fifth trumpet judgment which will take twelve verses to describe.  It is also the first “woe” judgment, named that because of how harsh the judgment will be.

            Verse one talks about a star that had fallen to earth, and this is probably Satan, for he is described to have brightness from the name Lucifer which is one of his names.  Isaiah also compares him to the “morning star” in Isaiah 14:12-14, a portion which most Bible commentators refer to as speaking of Satan. 

            This “Star” has a key to the bottomless pit and this is a pit where some of the most awful demons are living unable to come out until it will be opened for them.  When Jesus cured the man who had the legion of demons in him, and when they came out of the man they begged Jesus not to send them into the pit, and this is probably the pit that they were referring to.  This pit is not hell, for hell will be there final judgment place along with all those who have not accepted the forgiveness through Jesus Christ.  Jude also speaks of a place where awful demons reside in Jude 6 “And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.”

            When the star opened this pit smoke came out of it and John describes it like smoke from a great furnace and this smoke made a lot of pollution, so much that it added to the darkness that was already on the earth at this time.  It could be said that these judgments will certainly not make the environments very happy with all of the pollution that they cause.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I read this portion of Scripture I realize that in a sense all of the judgments are to not only judge those evil people that are on this earth, but they are also being use by God to wake up people so that they can understand that there is a God and that He loves them and has already provided judgment for their sins on the cross that Jesus Christ died on.  I can also be thankful that these awful demons are locked up so that they cannot be trying to defile any believers at this time as they will be doing during the time described here in Revelations 9: 1-12. 

 

The Word of God has reinforced the wonderful truth that God is in control of all things, even though at times it may not seem like it.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To pray with my wife about the things that are going on in our lives that are very big problems at this time. 

 

Memory verse for the week:  1Thes. 4:3-4

 

For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, your abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel with sanctification and honor,

 

 

"Earth Dwellers" (Rev. 8:13)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 06/17/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Earth Dwellers

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 8:13

 

            Message of the verse:  “13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, ‘Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!’  (NAS95)  “13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in mid-air call out in a loud voice: ‘Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!’  (NIV)

            I want to point out that different translations of the Bible translate either angel or eagle in the first part of this verse.  It seems to me that most of the more modern translations use eagle while the KJV and the NKJV use angel.  It is possible that this is one of the four living beings that are described in Revelations 4:7 & 8, “and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle.”  (Revelations 4:7b)

            This messenger gives a message as he flies through the heavens where all can see him, and that message is that there is much more trouble coming to those who dwell upon the earth, and that is that the last three trumpet judgments will be called “woes” for they will surely be woeful to those who dwell upon the earth, and they are about to become a reality. 

            The phrase “those who dwell on the earth” seems to be speaking of the unsaved that make earth their home as opposed to believers who realize that earth is not their home, but heaven is their home and they are aliens on this planet doing the will of their God while they are here.  The phrase is found twelve times in the book of Revelations and also Philippians 3:18-21 speaks of the believer’s citizenship being in heaven.  Revelations 13:8 also speaks about this when it says, “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.”  In 1John 2:15-17 John gives another reason to show that there is a big difference between those who dwell upon the earth and those who have their citizenship in heaven.  “15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.  17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think that this portion of Scripture is a wonderful reminder that my citizenship is in heaven and that I am on this earth to accomplish the things that the Lord has for me to do which He will reveal to me through His Holy Spirit and through His Word along with certain circumstances and the preaching of His Word and also through Christian friends.  I am here as an ambassador of my Lord Jesus Christ and I am not to get caught up in the things of this world.  John give a good description of this in 1John 2:15-17 which can be seen above.  This can be accomplished through God’s love, His grace and mercy and staying in His Word each day along with prayer and the support of fellow believers. 

More Trouble in the Heavens (Rev. 8:12)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 06/16/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Trouble in the Heavens

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 8:12

 

            Message of the verse:  “12 The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.”

            The judgment spoken of in this verse can be explained in a couple of different ways in that God could cause the sun, moon, and stars to be blocked out from being seen for a third of the day and night.  There is another possibility and that is that because of the other judgments there has been a lot of pollution upon the earth and because of that the sun, moon, and stars would shine with less intensity by one-third.  The earth and its people will have been going through many terrible things by this time, yet this is not the end for in the next verse there are three “woes” that are announced and they are the three last trumpet judgments.

            This judgment will affect not only the light upon the earth, but it will also affect the food supply and the weather in great ways, and this will bring about many more hardships for those who live upon the earth.  This judgment may not last for the rest of the tribulation for in one of the other judgments it is said that the sun will intensify its heat.  (Rev. 16:18-19)

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The spiritual aspect of this judgment would be the difference from light and darkness as spoken of in the Scriptures.  In the Gospel of John, Jesus said that He was the light of the world and those who did not follow Him would be walking in darkness.  As a believer in Jesus Christ I am in the light, yet there is a part of me, the old nature, that still is in the darkness and wants me to live in that darkness, thus a battle goes on all of the time, and it is up to me to reckon that old nature dead, for it truly is dead.

 

The Word of God was convicting to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust the Lord to keep me in the light, and to also trust Him with our money troubles, and in my prayer life, especially praying with Sandy on a more regular basis.

Dealing with "Bitter Waters" (Rev. 8:10-11)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 06/15/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Bitter Waters

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 8:10-11

 

            Message of the verse:  “10 The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters.  11 The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.”  (NAS 95)

            This third trumpet judgment is upon the fresh waters of the earth as one third of them become undrinkable because of the “wormwood.”  As the second trumpet judgment was on the ocean waters this one is on the fresh waters of the earth and so now the earth has one third of its oceans and one third of its fresh water polluted so much that they only produce death and many will die because of these judgments.  The word wormwood is used a number of times in the OT and it means bitter.  When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt they came to a place where the water was bitter and he did a miracle so that the people could drink the water, but it is doubtful that this will happen now.  As far as how this judgment will take place, again it could be a star that will break up as it enters the earth’s atmosphere and land in the head waters of a third of the rivers or it could possibility be some dirty bombs that fall into these headwaters.  I lean more towards the star because God is the one doing the judgment and thought He can use the things that man has developed if you look back on how God destroyed Egypt He did it Himself.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Just as God is in control of all these judgments that He will bring upon the earth when His time is right He is also in control of the circumstances that surround my life, for He never wastes hardship and pain that He allows to come into a believer’s life.

 

The Word of God has been instructive to me as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  In spite of all of the major problems that I am going through I choose to still trust in the Lord.