FBC Daily Devotions

Read Revelation 19:1-8.

Hallelujah! The word occurs four times in our passage. It means “praise ye the Lord!” and it seems to be the emphasis here (in fact, these are the only occurrences in the entire book). The praise shouts forth from what seems to be a great multitude in heaven (v. 1) and the twenty-four elders who sit around the throne (v. 4). What is their praise for?

• His salvation
• His glory
• His power
• His judgments
• His condemnation
• His vengeance
• His reign
• The uniting of His people with Him (i.e. Lamb & bride)

As I ponder these things, the thought that God would go to such great lengths to battle on behalf of fallen people in this world is amazing. It is easy to forget that in the unseen realm is a reality that is stronger, more dangerous, relentless, and eternal. We are so blinded to it in this world. We live in such a small fragment of reality that it’s sometimes difficult to see the need for such drama and power to save our souls from the fate of our fallen existence. Thinking of the great film trilogy Lord of the Rings, one might never imagine that the world portrayed there might actually resemble the truer spiritual reality of our time. It is no wonder that there is such a shout of glorious praise by the countless multitudes in heaven – they can see the reality of God’s awesome work right before their very eyes. Think on that today. Think on everything He is doing and has done on our behalf. Imagine the infinite magnitude of the work in which He is involved. Say together with the multitudes:

Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
And his bride has made herself ready.

Amen, Hallelujah!

-Mike

Read Revelation 18:21-24.

Imagine a place where there is no music. No musical instruments. No one to play them even if there were. No whistling. No TV jingles. No radios. No humming.

Imagine a place where there were no workers. Nothing to create. Nothing to produce. Empty warehouses. Empty offices. Machinery collecting dust. No hands put to work. No goods. A ghost town when it comes to the economy.

Imagine no electricity. No generators. No batteries. No lamps. No fires. Only darkness at night.

Imagine the joy of bride and bridegroom never to be seen or heard from again. No loving relationships. No celebrations. No beauty. No hopes and dreams.

This is the future of our world. It is a bleak picture with not an ounce of anything encouraging to look forward to. (For some reason the movie Mad Max comes to mind…) As this picture is slowly painted in my mind, I cannot help but be thankful for those “little things” that are a part of our lives today. I am thankful we have music – even when it is annoying at times! I’d rather live with the annoyance than to not have any music at all. The ability to work… it is a privilege to create and produce and make use of our hands. Even the most menial of labor is better than no labor at all. Praise God for the ability and providence of work. To be able to enjoy nights at home. Living in the northwest when it gets dark so early in the winter months, to have light and fire is a beautiful thing. And finally the joy of loving relationships. The ability to celebrate (even midlife birthdays!). The ability to enjoy life with others and dream dreams. We really do have much to be thankful for in light of the gloomy future depicted in this passage!

Today, rather than complain about the little inconveniences, consider what life would be like without the thing that gives you such great comfort and convenience and pleasure. I think we can all say that any inconvenience is worth it.

-Mike

Read Revelation 18:9-20.

Many will weep when Babylon falls. The city (or spiritual force) that so many came to depend on will bring tears to her followers. According to the passage, her destruction will come quickly, those who depended on her will be unable to sell any of their goods, their livelihoods destroyed. All that the world had to offer through her merchants will be of little or no value under these terrible conditions.

Two thoughts come to mind in this passage. First, is it not true that when there is a great disaster such as that seen in the destruction of Babylon, the things we once valued are really found to be of no value at all? Gold, silver, precious stones, silk and scarlet cloth, etc. – what are these in light of disaster? Merchants will be unable to sell their goods because they will be of no real value in light of the circumstances. Difficulty has a way of revealing the true value of things.

The second thought is weeping at the loss of Babylon – the source of these worldly goods. I wonder how I would react if my company went under (I’m not thinking about church, but a former company!). How would I react if the source of my future riches fell apart? I don’t want to be insensitive to those who are looking for work, so forgive me if this comes across that way. But would I weep if I could not maintain my current standard of living? Would I mourn the loss of the things of this world?

When I consider both of these ideas, what stands out is that when all material wealth is lost, when the material future looks bleak, one thing will or at least should remain intact, and that is our relationships. Will I mourn the loss of things? It’s hard to say, but when hard times hit, it will not be the material things that keep us going (how could they?). It will be relationships. That says to me that I need to put more stock in people rather than things. If I feel sadness over the loss of things, I suspect it will be because I did not prize my relationships.  

Think about this today: How much time do I spend building my kingdom versus building my relationships?

-Mike

Read Revelation 18:6-8.

After reading this passage, I wonder if the thought ran through your mind, “Whatever happened to loving your enemy? What about Jesus’ command to turn the other cheek?” To hear the angel say, “pay her back double for what she has done” just doesn’t sound Christian, does it? Is the angel wrong to say these things?

I think the answer is no. I admit that it may seem that we are being held to a double standard here. While Jesus says we are to love our enemies, we must also remember that God says “vengeance is mine, I will repay.” (Rom. 12:19) Just do a word search for “vengeance” in the Bible, and you will see just how strongly God feels about it. Vengeance is always God’s prerogative even when it is administered through people. So where does loving our enemies apply? Well, we are called to love our enemies. That is our part. Loving our enemies is meant to prevent us from seeking revenge. When we are wronged, there is a part of us that wants to get revenge. We want things to be even. But Jesus tells us to love our enemies just as God loved us while we were yet His enemies. In doing so, we show the same forgiveness that we experienced in Christ. It would be hypocritical for us to be forgiven by God and not show forgiveness toward those who offended us.

But wait a minute. You just said it was okay for the angel to wish God’s vengeance on His enemies. Ah, there’s the distinction. These are God’s enemies, not ours. We may seek God’s vengeance on His enemies, but to wish God’s vengeance on our enemies, well that might be taking things too far. To call those who offended us enemies of God is probably an attempt at revenge. God’s vengeance against His enemies is permissible, but revenge on our enemies under the guise of vengeance is not.

So is it okay to wish God’s vengeance upon His enemies? I think yes provided we know who God’s enemies are. In this case, Satan, the Antichrist, the false religion of the beast are all clearly enemies of God. There is no question about it. When God’s name and glory are being threatened, then God’s vengeance is necessary. But be careful here, when our name and our glory are being threatened, that is no reason to seek vengeance from God. That is revenge, not righteous vengeance.

How do you react toward enemies of God? I must admit that I take a rather passive stance on the whole thing. I know that God is bigger than all of His enemies; He can take care of Himself. But I also suspect I may be more tolerant of evil than I ought. When God’s name and glory are maligned, I ought to be angered by it. I ought to seek for truth to prevail for His sake (not my own).

How do you react toward those who offend you? Do you seek retribution and revenge? Remember, our enemies may not be His enemies; therefore, we are to love them even when it is uncomfortable.

-Mike

Read Revelation 18:1-5.

Looking at chapter 18, we move to a new aspect of the revelation. Another angel appears on the scene, glorious to the point of illuminating the earth. The angel announces the good news that Babylon the Great has fallen. This must refer to no other than the woman, the harlot of ch. 17, who was destroyed by the beast of the sea, the Antichrist (17:16-18). Whether this refers to a physical city of Babylon or a spiritual one is not clear. The description of and reaction to her destruction is more fitting of a physical city, but regardless, her destruction is a point of sadness and terror for the inhabitants of the world. The bulk of this chapter concerns the reaction of three groups of people: the kings of the earth (v. 9), the merchants of the earth (i.e. land, v. 11), and the merchants of the sea (v. 17). These were people who “grew rich from her excessive luxuries” (v. 3). The literal translation is that these people grew rich from the “power of her excessive straining.” She will use all of her power to break free from anything that prevents her from getting what she wants. That Babylon will use her power to get more and more of it in an attempt to satisfy her unquenchable desires will no doubt influence the world. The world will seek what she seeks, and will benefit from her pursuit. I suspect the followers of the Antichrist will be guilty of straining with her with all their might to gain the riches of this world.

But God says of His people: “Come out of her… so you will not share in her sins” (v. 4). As God’s people, we are not to be drawn into her pursuits. We are not to be straining with all of our might to gain the world, but rather gain the riches of God by seeking first His kingdom. The world may be filled with enticements and unhealthy/ungodly attractions, but really, what God has to offer is so much better! “Oh, what peace we often forfeit” in our pursuit of things so temporary. Consider your pursuits today. Consider what you are hoping to achieve, accomplish, and attain in your life’s pursuits. And if you are found wanting more of the things of this world, pray that God would open yours eyes to the glorious and incomparable riches of His kingdom.

-Mike