Month: October 2024

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The Seventh Seal

Reading Time: 3 minutes

When the Lamb broke the seventh seal on the scroll, there was silence throughout heaven for about half an hour. I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.‭‭ Revelation‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

John, seeing these unimaginable scenes of heaven and earth’s final moments as the end of all things temporal are finalized.

The seals. The seven seals are one of a series of end-times judgments from God. The seals are described in Revelation 6:1–17 and 8:1–5. In John’s vision, the seven seals hold closed a scroll in heaven, and, as each seal is broken, a new judgment is unleashed on the earth. Following the seal judgments are the trumpet judgments and the bowl or vial judgments. [Link]

I like the way Wikipedia [Link] describes the scrolls as an ancient “rolled out parchment,” with each segment having its own wax stop-lock which had to be broken to continue. “Important documents were sent written on a papyrus scroll sealed with several wax seals. Wax seals were typically placed across the opening of a scroll, so that it was known to be authored by the proper person, when the document was opened in the presence of witnesses. This type of “seal” is frequently used in a figurative sense, in the book of Revelation, and only the Lamb is worthy to break off these seals.”

What a powerful picture of end-times judgments and reckoning coming into view with THE only one holy and perfect, capable opening the seals of judgment – Jesus, the lamb of God. Secular and religious interpretations both seem to agree that there will be a finality of the end of the earth. Oddly enough, there are those that believe that the book of Revelation is not an end of days document, it is rather a roadmap of what has happened since the time of Christ on earth!

Contrarily, current followers of Jesus all agree that these events described in the seven seals has not happened yet – but will definitely happen. The bigger theological question is when? Will this happen? Before the parousia (catching away), the rapture of the Church or after? Will believers go through the judgments along with all others, or will they be spared to come back and fight in the final battle against Satan and his hoards of fallen angels? So suspenseful, right?

Every time world goes off its rocker with global wars and unprecedented levels of unchecked evil, our Christian “spidey-senses” start yearning to understand John’s revelation! John wrote the book of Revelation (just one big one, not many mini-revelations) because God told him to. God wanted us to know these things to take comfort in the fact that He knows what He is doing, that justice will prevail in the end, to warn those who do not know and receive His mercy, and give hope for those who believe!

Don’t get too hung up on all the ancient symbolism and mysterious timelines, trying to guess when, who and where it will happen. It’s pretty obvious that it is an epic finality for love to win over evil. But not this misinformed love pitched by our culture. This fake human love of doing whatever feels good, each person determining their own self-defined choices as right and then sticking a “love” label on it. No, this would be God’s love, as He defines it. Self sacrificing, recognizing truth from lies, love that comes only from Him and because of Jesus who displayed perfect love. These scrolls, these seals to yet be broken are coming and the wise will recognize it, repent and depend on the grace of God live in the final days of this earth.

Prayer

​Dad,
In my short time here on earth, I have watched several cycles of projections that turned out to be horrible attempts to figure it out! I have heard the fervent fevered warnings that this is it – the apocalypse is here or your return is eminent. We live in constant cycles, ebbs and flows of evil, yet the end has not come. I still believe it is both real and soon, but not yet. Until that day, may more come to your grace. May more experience your freedom and be wholly, truly loved. Come quickly Lord Jesus! Amen.

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The Curse of Passivity.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Every nook and cranny of Edom will be searched and looted. Every treasure will be found and taken. “All your allies will turn against you. They will help to chase you from your land. They will promise you peace while plotting to deceive and destroy you. Your trusted friends will set traps for you, and you won’t even know about it. At that time not a single wise person will be left in the whole land of Edom,” says the Lord. “For on the mountains of Edom I will destroy everyone who has understanding. ‭‭Obadiah‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Who is Edom and why was God so angry with them? This is what the one chapter spokesperson of God explains to us. [link]. Edom is Esau’s clan! Jacob’s brother and son to Isaac. Although Esau made peace with Jacob, he never did make peace with God. But as a warrior from birth, he was able to capture and keep the hilltop city of Mount Seir. The city that was impossible to conquer. Obadiah himself was an Edomite.

Why was God so angry with the Edomites? Their passivity towards their own people, Israel was unacceptable. A people who wanted peace at all cost, lives with no risk and safety with no conscience. Obadiah spells it out in his prophetic word of destruction towards his own brothers. “Because of the violence you did to your close relatives in Israel, you will be filled with shame and destroyed forever. When they were invaded, you stood aloof, refusing to help them. Foreign invaders carried off their wealth and cast lots to divide up Jerusalem, but you acted like one of Israel’s enemies.” Obadiah‬ ‭1‬:‭10‬-‭11‬.

Under the guise of passivity lies the sins of pride. The ethos of Esau, withdrawing from his family because of perceived betrayal and favoritism. The egregious act of Esau marrying one the arch enemies of Israel, the Canaanites – Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son. Then holding up in a fortified city on the hill, all created a cultural elitism and gloating when Israel was mercilessly attacked time and time again. God declared that enough was enough.

Even though the Edomites believed no one could possibly touch them, in their haven in the heavenly, God declared, “Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down.” And God did. Edomites were driven from their land by the Nabateans, they migrated to the southern part of Israel and became known as Idumeans. [link] Much later in biblical history, Herod the Great, an Idumean, appears on the scene. It was Herod who tried to kill the infant Jesus in Bethlehem—through Herod, the rebellion of Edom continued. In AD 70, the Idumeans joined the Israelites in their revolt against Rome, and they were wiped out when Jerusalem was destroyed. At that point, the descendants of Esau disappeared from human history, just as God had said.

Passivity mixed with pride, safety and peace at the cost of loss of human lives is a horrible combination for any country, any people group. Edomites did so in arrogant rebellion against God. Can you think of countries with similar beliefs? Ever heard of the Bystander Effect? [link]. Edomites were an entire ancient people group that chose to not get involved.

Prayer

​Dad,
Is this us today? Is this the Church trying to be so neutral that it ends up being disengaged with highly controversial, highly contagious social viruses? I don’t want to be like Esau or the Edomites. I also see direct connections to our position on the country of Israel. They are really being targeted and once again there are stirring echoes of hate surrounding the Jewish people! It seems so surreal that this mysterious animosity keeps looping through time lashing out at the Jewish people. Obadiah’s words are eerily relevant today, “The day is near when I, the Lord, will judge all godless nations! As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you. All your evil deeds will fall back on your own heads.” So I pray for the peace of Israel! Amen.

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Wickedness Within.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Confuse them, Lord, and frustrate their plans, for I see violence and conflict in the city. Its walls are patrolled day and night against invaders, but the real danger is wickedness within the city. Everything is falling apart; threats and cheating are rampant in the streets. Psalms‬ ‭55‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

On the run again, David is hiding and being hunted from his own son Absalom. Absalom wins the hearts of the people, plotting to take the throne away from his father. David has to run. At sixty years old, David feels completely exhausted to have to return to a life he had long forgotten – life on the lamb! In David’s mind he wishes he could escape this reoccurring nightmare, ”Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest! I would fly far away to the quiet of the wilderness. Interlude How quickly I would escape— far from this wild storm of hatred.” Yet, within this prayer, is an interesting perspective on the state of Israel.

From David’s view, the city, the kingdom is in trouble – but not from a foreign enemy. He sings, there is “wickedness within.” David’s song makes me reflect on our own country and the condition of its own constituents. What if the enemies within, the rampant evils within are greater than any threats from others? What defenses are prepared to hold off the disunity, the lawlessness and violence within. Since our 9/11 attacks, I wondered if our own enemies have figured out that they do not need to declare war on America. We have tremendous internal divisiveness, coupled with selfish desires to be free in a “self-proclaimed” liberty. We have thrown off OG morality and decency, which alone, is enough to destroy us from within!

Our sacred individualism over community, our personal rights over what’s best for our country, has left us weak and defenseless with our internal struggles. We are just weeks from a highly divided and controversial national election. And what are the debates and the divides, our personal preferences above anything else! Who will guard our independence, interests and individualism? Oh, how desperate we desire to escape the boundaries and restraints of what is good and right, true and just. Forgive us oh God, for we know not what we do! Save us from ourselves. Restore us to yourself. No matter who wins the white-house, may we rise to be one nation under God, indivisible and with justice for all!

Prayer

​Dad,
I can clearly see in Your Word that you care deeply about how we live our life, especially when it comes to subjects like justice and mercy. Maybe true justice IS mercy? Being right and doing right is a mystery of life. Even in all the pain and mayhem that Absalom brought to Israel and his own father, David would not raise his hand to participate in his end! Similar to King Saul, David must have had enormous internal conflicts navigating the extremes. In the end You Oh Lord are the only one capable of delivering justice and mercy! Have mercy on us Lord, but let your justice rise to destroy evils in our land. Amen.

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Biblical standards in a secular culture.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

”But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him. And the husband must not leave his wife.“ ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭7‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Relationships are hard to come by, hard to foster and even harder to keep fresh and alive. The Apostle Paul emphatically writes to the Corinth believers, this is a “command of the Lord,” stay in your marriage! Stick with it. A wife nor a husband must not leave. And, with exceptions under specific circumstances (adultery, abandonment, abuse), let them remain single or be reconciled.

This aligns with Jesus re-affirming the Genesis covenant, “What God has joined together, let no one tear apart.” Whether things are going peachy or putrid, a covenant is a solid promise to see this highly cherished relationship through until death. This promise, this contract, is only valid here on earth and becomes null and void in eternity, for there is no married couples in heaven. This makes marriage a very earth-bound, coveted covenant designed for our health, wealth and happiness.

Corinth was a crazy, “free” culture. In Corinth, men and women were quite equal in wealth and power. There were a few women Paul specifically mentioned as part of his missionary team and critical to the establishing the church in Corinth. One prominent woman, Priscilla, was a wealthy businesswoman, making and repairing tents similar to Paul’s trade. She and her husband, Aquila, were not only one of the leaders in the local church, she was a big donor to Paul’s missionary endeavors. The couple’s house was likely THE biggest church gathering in town – up to 100 people attending each week. Paul was indeed aware of the cultural implications that prominent cities like Corinth had on the churches.

“Marriage in ancient Greece had less of a basis in personal relationships and more in social responsibility.” The goal and focus of all marriages was intended to be reproduction, making marriage an issue of public interest. Marriages were intended to be monogamous. In keeping with this idea, the heroes of Homer never have more than one wife by law, though they may be depicted with living with concubines, or having sexual relationships with one or more women. In Plato’s Laws, the would-be lawgiver suggests that any man who was not married by age 35 should be punished with a loss of civil rights and with financial consequences.

According to scholars, divorce did not seem to be looked down upon in ancient Greece. Any negative reputation attributed to divorce would have been due to related scandals rather than the divorce itself. In ancient Athens, both husband and wife had the power to initiate a divorce. The husband simply had to send his wife back to her father to end the marriage. For the wife to obtain a divorce, she had to appear before the archon, [Wikipedia].

Paul may have used these cultural influences to drive the counter-cultural idea of a life-long, covenant marriages. One where marital fidelity and commitment honored Jesus and set believers apart from others during that time. In our “modern” culture today, I believe several decades of easy, no-fault divorce (first legalized in California in 1969) eventually eroded the loyalty and beauty of the marriage covenant.

Future couples reacted by either shacking up with no real commitment or abandoning the wedding idea altogether. Oddly enough, now many couples sign “pre-nup” contracts protecting their individual assets. Believers today would be committing to a counter-cultural position in marrying young, having children and staying together for the rest of their lives! I love that Paul maintained Biblical standards of love, covenant-commitment, loyalty and guidelines to follow even in a very popular, secular environment.

Prayer

​Dad,
I have always believed that You are truth and Your word is right, true and just. I have also believed you are not just right, you are also practical! Your way works, my way does not work. So obedience has some privileges that come with honoring your Word and its boundaries for living. I am so thankful for the gift of marriage and the security of a covenant contract that binds two “like but opposite” humans, male and female, together. It is good for me, good for my wife, good for our children and now good for our grandchildren! Thank you for breaking generational curses to make this happen and thank you for new generational blessings for our future. Amen.

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Justice Tunes.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness; you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked. Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence, for you hate all who do evil. You will destroy those who tell lies. The Lord detests murderers and deceivers. ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David rocks the justice tunes on a flute. That’s right, a little note at the top of this Psalm says, “accompanied by flute.” This Psalm, like many of them are actually songs! I wonder how many instruments David played? I understand that many of the Jewish songs were sung in minor keys. Apparently, this was yet another way to show the angst of the people waiting for the Messiah. As you know the minor keys are known for their anticipation of completion. This is what makes Jazz so edgy and cool!

At this point David is on the run from his own son, Absalom. Clearly, as David plays this tune, he is thinking of Absalom and those who lead with evil intent. Things started off with a bang in David’s life, especially after slaying Goliath, the giant. He goes from the least in his family, as a shepherd for his father’s sheep, to a hero and working directly king Saul.

David’s life and many of the Psalms parallel the extreme ups and downs of country and culture. I don’t know how many guys journal, keeping a record of their personal and public life. David doesn’t just keep a log, he coverts some of them into songs, published in the book of Psalms! Personally, I think the content of Psalm 5 should be in the “Christian metal” genre of rock, dark and heavy. There currently 50 different “rock” genres since classic rock. Unfortunately, it would be a few thousand years before electric guitars would be invented, so David had to riff on his flute.

Prayer

​Dad,
I am so grateful for the collections in the Psalms. They have been the inspiration for the highest moments of praise as well as the lowest prayers of misery. Psalms has been a good teacher when I have collapsed under the weight of life and bad decisions. It has also been there in extreme times of fear and anxiety. Every time it brought me into your presence, helping me express helplessness and eventually coming around to peace. So Psalms has been an instrument of both praise and peace in life! Thank you for those words to carry me through and lift my soul to heaven. Amen.

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The apostasies.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us. ‭‭1 John‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Apostle John had seen it all, he experienced walking with Jesus, watching him die, then seeing the empty tomb. Jesus had died and resurrected just as he said he would. After seeing him caught up to heaven and hearing his words, John had no doubts – EVERYTHING Jesus said would happen did happen! John must have remembered the words of Jesus, spoken in Matthew’s gospel, ”Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.” Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ And also, “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.” Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭9‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

John believed what he was seeing was the end of days, but they were not. How many cycles of “end times signs” have come and gone? So many. And yet, the day that Jesus spoke of has yet to come. John’s warning is ultra-true, “many such antichrists have appeared.” People left the churches then, they have left the church today. How many cycles of “church hurt,” or forsaking the assembly has happened? Hundreds! Possibly every generation has experienced a falling away.

John sadly surmises, “they never really belonged with us” 😢. Is the Church doing something wrong? Probably. It is because even though we are the bride of Christ, we are still broken, struggling with sin. But also, is there still an epic battle for the souls of humanity? Absolutely. Each cycle, each battle claims victims along the way. Is this cycle THE “great falling away?” We won’t know, just as John did not know.

Though culture’s path widens, beckoning us with ease and promises of all our desires being fulfilled, Christ’s path is still narrow. To be a follower of Jesus still means, death, denial and enslavement in God’s Kingdom. We are bound to God’s grace, mercy and freedom! The terms have not changed. Do you still belong to Jesus and each other, his Church? Whether the wickedness of mankind or the physical removal of believers before the day of the Lord, our eyes should still fixed on our Savior – Jesus!

Prayer

​Dad,
Since the seventies, I’ve seen plenty of wishes and warnings of end times. I’ve seen some who can’t wait to leave this wicked world. Yet, I’ve also seen those who are brokenhearted for more to come to your saving grace. I’m still waiting for the wayward prodigals to come home. I see the ramped up wickedness coupled with lawlessness and throwing off restraints to do whatever people desire. I just know it all ends poorly, never fulfilling their deepest longings. When I pray, come quickly Lord Jesus, it is not the prayer to snatch me from the planet. It’s the prayer to pour out your Spirit on all flesh, penetrating darkness and deceit to experience true freedom! I wait for that day! I pray for that day. Amen.