It’s been 15 long weeks since our last study in Revelation. In that study, we ended with thoughts from these verses from Psalm 13:
But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me. (Psalm 13:5-6)

If you remember, we were thinking about the tribulation saints singing after losing their lives and worshipping the Lord because they knew that no matter what happened to them on earth, God had already given them victory in heaven. 

And so it can be said of saints today—no matter what might happen to believers here and now, we can be confident in the victory God has already given believers in heaven. 

That is something to remember as we look back and reflect on the past 15 weeks. Little did we know how our lives would be upended. We have gone through just one wave of many waves to come. Waves that will increase with frequency and intensity. And yet, we can still sing and worship because we know that God has already given us victory in heaven. 

So let’s not waste a single wave—with each crest and trough that comes, let’s cling to the Lord as we ask Him these questions: “What do you want me to learn during this time? Of what do you want me to let go? Of what do you want me to repent?”

Make no mistake—the waves will continue to come and we don’t know how our lives will be affected in the next 15 weeks. But this is what we do know—no matter what, God is good, God will be good, and God has been good.

But perhaps in your stubbornness, you still refuse to repent…even now before the day of God’s wrath. Maybe you think you can continue to enjoy the pleasures of sin and repent just before God tips the bowls of His wrath upon humanity. If anything, these past 15 weeks have taught us to ask God to number our days (Psalm 39:4). We are not guaranteed tomorrow. That is why today is the day of salvation! (2 Corinthians 6:2). “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…” (Acts 3:19). 

His Word is clear—if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. You can do that right now! Ask God for forgiveness. Believe that Jesus died for your sin and that God raised Him to life. Trust Him as your Savior and follow Him as Lord.

Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4)

People can be stubborn. Perhaps you have noticed. Sometimes stubborn people need incentive to turn away from their sin, to repent, and to turn towards the Lord. And sometimes, the Lord (in His grace and His mercy) gives people this incentive.

One day, God will give humanity all the incentive we could ever ask for. He will pull out all the stops and pour out all of His wrath for the purpose of producing repentance so that humanity might receive the greatest gift of all: eternal salvation.

This time is described in great detail in Revelation 16. It is the final opportunity God gives people to repent from sin and to receive salvation. And we shouldn’t be surprised to read how intense this time will be when it happens. God, in His great mercy, endeavors to produce repentance because He loves those who will be left at the end of the tribulation. He doesn’t want any of them to perish, but all of them to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

Watch or listen to our study of Revelation 16 and hear how God will pull out all the stops to pour out His wrath for the purpose of producing repentance. Then read ahead in Revelation 17 for our study this Sunday, at the Regency or online.

When we sing to the Lord with willing and eager hearts, we accomplish so much—sometimes without even realizing it. But when we understand what is happening when we sing to Him, it is so wonderful!

The act of singing to God glorifies Him. That’s enough reason to sing! Think about that…we—flawed and broken, frail human beings—bring God glory.

Just consider what happens when we sing to the Lord:
We demonstrate obedience to God; we dig deep roots into the word of God; we build each other up in the Lord; we battle (knowing that the battle belongs to the Lord); we are spiritually strengthened for trials; and we follow a God-designed pathway for joy.

All of this glorifies our great God!

So the next time you shrink back from singing because you think that singing is just not your thing—think again! God wants to hear you. He wants to hear you singing His praises and worshipping Him—telling Him of the wonderful things He has done. Not because He is insecure, but because He loves you so much and wants you to know the great things He has done so that you can enjoy His fellowship forever!

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
– Colossians 3:16

“Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.”
– Revelation 15:1

In the Scriptures, we often see an overview of an event followed by a supplemental account to fill in specific details. As we start in Revelation 15, we take a step back to better understand what was just written in Revelation 14—which ended with a high overview of the Battle of Armageddon.

So far in the book of Revelation, we’ve seen the destruction that will occur with the Trumpet Judgments. We’ve witnessed the devastation of the Seal Judgements. And now, we will preview the deadly Bowl Judgements—seven plagues poured out on the earth.

But before that…there’s singing? In Heaven? Yes! But why? Listen to our study of Revelation 15 to find out!

Revelation 14 moves us closer…closer to heaven…closer to earth…closer to the end. The clock is ticking. Time is running out. 

The eternal destiny of billions will be determined as they make the most important choice: will they worship the world or the One who made the world? Will they worship creation or the Creator?

In an act of mercy, God sends three angels to plead with people in hopes that they will turn to Him.

The first proclaims the everlasting gospel to everyone on earth: “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” (14:7).

The second warns about worshipping the world system: “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” (14:8)

The third adds even more incentive to worship God with a warning about the eternal consequences of receiving the mark of the beast: “He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.” (14:10)

Wrath mixed with mercy. God doesn’t have to plead with hard-hearted people. But He does…again and again and again. 

Ultimately, you must make a choice—who or what will you worship: creation or the Creator? The Lord will not delay His coming. There will be eternal consequences for rejecting Him. This world and all of the world’s systems that stand opposed to God will fall…but He will stand in the end.

“For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2)

The wrath of God has come up many times during our study of Revelation. Our study of chapter 14 was no exception. In it, we read of the promised judgement, the coming fire and brimstone, and by the end of the chapter, the harvest for the winepress of the wrath of God.

Yes, the wrath of God is real and serious. But so is His mercy. In this same chapter, we read of God mixing His wrath with mercy in one last effort to plead with mankind to turn away from their sin—one final chance to turn toward Him before imminent judgement. 

Will mankind repent and relent from the pursuit of sin? More importantly—have you repented? Have you relented from your pursuit of sin? God is extending Him mercy to you right now! Do not wait until it is too late! Turn to Him now and enjoy the peace and security of His mercy.

Listen to our study of Revelation 14 and learn how you can receive the great mercy of our great God.
​
Then, read ahead in Revelation 15 and join us this Sunday at 10am in the Regency Ballroom as we continue our study in the book of Revelation.

We know that we do not live on bread alone, “but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). We need God’s Word to give us spiritual nourishment so that we have the spiritual strength to discern lies from the truth. So that begs the question…do you have an appetite for God’s Word? 

Think about a well-balanced and healthy meal. You know it is good for you—it will give you the strength to make it through the day. But how hungry would you be for healthy food if you had four candy bars right before sitting down to eat? Although good and healthy food is before you, you would have no desire for it.

Do you crave God’s Word like good and healthy food? If you don’t, could it be that you’re stuffed full with what the world is offering you, but isn’t good for you? When you become a believer, you are given a new nature. Your old nature and your new nature constantly war against each other. They fight like dogs all the time. The one that you feed will win. The one that you starve will lose. 

Take a look at your life. Consider your decisions. Think about your spiritual diet. Ask yourself daily, “am I feeding the flesh? Is that why I have no appetite for God’s Word?” It’s time to refrain from the things that feed your flesh and commit to feeding upon God’s Word. 

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.
–Galatians 5:16

In Revelation 13, we find prophecies concerning a coming one world ruler, one world government, one world religion, and one world currency. While these things are yet to come, they seem plausible right now. With each new world crisis, we’re moving toward these 4 realities as individual rights and liberties erode. 

But we aren’t looking for these signs or waiting for the beast (the antichrist). We are looking and waiting for Jesus Christ! He is on the throne and nothing can thwart His plan or His return. While we look up and wait for His glorious appearing, we need to look around and invite others into the same spiritual security we enjoy through a living relationship with Jesus Christ.

Listen to our study of Revelation 13 as we unpack these 4 prophecies and provide the answer to the question, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?” (Revelation 13:4).

Revelation 12 begins with a great sign in heaven, involving a woman, a dragon, and a child. It might seem like a science-fiction story—but it is not fantasy! This is a true account of thousands of years of Biblical history. 

So what on earth (or in heaven) is going on?

The Old Testament helps us understand what we read in Revelation 12. The woman is Israel (see Genesis 37:1-11), and the dragon is Satan (see Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28). From these Old Testament passages, we see that Satan’s fate is sealed. He is a defeated foe…but he is also a deceived foe. He first deceived himself into thinking that he could thwart the plan of God. Since then, he seeks to deceive and devour as many as possible.

He tried to devour the child born to the woman (Jesus), but failed. So, Satan tried to devour the children of Israel to stop the first coming of Jesus—but he still failed! Though the devil is still deceived (and will fail again), he is still trying to devour the children of Israel to stop Jesus’ second coming. Why? Because the collective repentance of the nation of Israel will trigger the second coming of Jesus!

​But God has a way of protecting His people and preserving a remnant for His purposes. Don’t wait until times of tribulation to call out to Him—TODAY is the day of salvation! God’s word is clear—if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. You can do that right now! Ask God for forgiveness. Believe that Jesus died for your sin and that God raised Him to life. Trust Him as your Savior and follow Him as Lord!

It’s been said that the story of the Bible can be summarize in 6 words: Kill the dragon. Get the girl. 

But who kills the dragon? Who saves the girl? And who is the hero of this true story?

As we peer ahead into the future as described in Revelation, we also look back to fully appreciate what is being written about. Even though Revelation is the last book of the New Testament, it is a very Old Testament book in the imagery described and references made. 

This past Sunday, we flipped through many pages of our Bibles in our study of Revelation 12 to understand this description of a dragon and a woman…and what it means for us today.

​Listen to our study of Revelation 12 and hear the echoes of God’s powerful promise and witness His inevitable victory from creation through ancient prophecies and to the end of this age.