God Loves You

Revelation 9:13-21 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14 It said 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 kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. 17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury. 20 The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood – idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
 
THIS is overwhelming, isn’t it? But let’s work through the vision to learn how it applies to each of us today.
   The sixth trumpet blows, and the second woe is released. Against man’s great sin comes God’s greater judgment. A voice either from God or from one to whom he has given authority speaks, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” These angels are demons bound until this time. God’s angels are neve bound.
   God’s purpose is threefold: 1) to encourage his persecuted church 2) to inspire his church to teach salvation and 3) to warn the sinner of this great death.
   God has always been about these purposes. He first spoke blessing and warning to Adam: Genesis 2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”  Since sin entered Eden, God has repeatedly promised life blessing for the obedient and warned of sin’s death curse for the disobedient. Whether this plague symbolizes God’s judgment over time or describes one particular day in the future, the message is clear. Sin kills. We pray for those who do not know this.
   How good it is to thank God he has made a way out of the curse. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. (Galatians 3:13) Believe this and be saved from this awful judgment.
   This vision is, indeed, for you today. God is speaking right now of sin’s curse and his life promise. Are you hearing him?
 
Prayer: Move my heart, Lord, to love others so much I tell them of sin’s curse and your eternal salvation. Amen.