Work
Who do you work for? Typically, when we hear this question we answer with the name of our company. However, the real answer should be what’s buried in our hearts. Let me share a real story with you that will help explain. I’ve worked at the same company for almost ten years. I’ve had three different bosses, titles, and various responsibilities. I’ve also had three VP’s, all of who have wanted to make changes and leave their mark. I’ve worked hard and smart. I tried to become a great people leader, to build a team that is unified, that works together, having team-first attitudes, and simultaneously building quality programs we could all be proud of.. While doing this I’ve had a prize I was aiming for, a title I’ve strived for. And every so often it would seem just within grasp and then “Poof! Gone again.” A few years ago, the “poof” moment came again but hit a little harder. The VP made changes. Our department was reorg’d. My role changed. Significantly. It was presented as an opportunity for me, even being told: “I should be excited.” To say the least, that viewpoint vastly differed than mine. Let me be real with you and share: I cried the entire day. I came home and cried at the unfairness of it, shouted at how hard I had worked, telling my husband I felt I had been stripped of every piece of hard work over the last several years. Throughout the entire evening, I battled between feeling wronged and the ridiculousness of my reaction. The absurdity that I would let something at work wreck me so much when there are real issues in life. At one point in the midnight hours, I was drafting my resignation letter in my head, while saying, “God if it’s not your best I don’t want it” and yet recognizing my words and actions didn’t match my words. At some point I resolved with a more heartfelt prayer to the effect of “Lord, tomorrow is a new day, please give me a word that shines light on this situation. Help me be focused on You above all else.” The next morning when I sat in my prayer chair this is a summary of the devotional I read. “The Enemy’s Plan Against You” For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world. 1 John 2:16 There was a 3-pronged attack Satan tried against Jesus in Matthew 4:1-11. Physical gratification – (make us crave something to the point we are preoccupied. Sex, food, drugs, alcohol) Matthew 4:3-4 Materialism – (make us want to acquire things to the point we lust for more and more stuff) Matthew 4:8-10 Boastfulness- (make us boast about what we have or do. Keeping us distracted by status and significance) Matthew 4:5-7 Ouch. Is this what I’ve been doing? Have I been so concerned with elevating myself to something the world calls worthy? Have I been working for the approval of others? Was having the title more important than what it should be? Back to the original question, “Who do I work for?” My answer should have been Jesus. I say “should have” been because the truth is, I wasn’t. I was working for a lot of other reasons…for myself/pride, for others/approval of others, for the glory of title/self-worth. I felt deeply frustrated, hurt, and unsure. Which doing good work and feeling those emotions in and of itself isn’t bad but allowing those desires and emotions to be more important than Christ, and allowing my emotions to rule my words and actions is. My focus veered off of God, and became “why me?” Ever done that? Instead of pausing, praying, and asking “God what can I learn here and use for Your glory?”, I let my emotions run wild at least for a time. But God… comfort came in the intimate word He gave to me, clearly showing up with His living word and truth. So, while I processed my hurt and questions, I ultimately clung to what He shared finally understanding… It’s a matter of surrender. It’s a matter of trusting the Lord with it all. To surrender everything, to trust Him with all things, including my work. Psalm 90:17 And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and establish the work of our hands for us, yes establish the work of our hands. Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men. Lord, thank you for showing up so clearly in the Word. Thank you for caring and being in the details. Help me remember it’s not the world I want approval from but You alone. Help me stay focused in my everyday life, including my job, to serve an audience of One. Lord, help me answer the question “Who do I work for?” as Jesus, no matter the job or task. May my work be pleasing to You and focused on being the salt and light wherever you place me. In Jesus Name. Amen. This week’s playlist: All About You Tauren Wells Letting Go Ryan Proudfoot Rejoice Andrew Ripp Written April 2, 2019
Who & What
Who do you believe yourself to be? What truth do you need to believe about yourself? Your belief or God’s? Your truth or God’s? Which is it?
The Great Harlot: Fate of Religion During Tribulation
The Church has been raptured, leaving behind all the counterfeit religions, including the apostate church. The religions left behind will culminate into one false religion, which will wield massive power and control over the world. But as we forge ahead to Revelation 13, we discover the fate of false religion during the Tribulation. False Religion Throughout the Book of Revelation, several chapters are considered interludes; they don’t necessarily fit neatly into the Revelation timeline, but they give us valuable information to understand better what is happening. Revelation 17 is one of those interludes, and the events it speaks of occur during the first 3.5 years of the Tribulation. Many think the events of Revelation 17 occur chronologically between Revelation 5 and 6. We will discuss them here. After the Church’s rapture, many who have professed their faith outwardly in Jesus but inwardly are far from Him will be left behind. As a result, an apostate church will emerge and grow in power and influence. Revelation 17 describes this false religious system and its fall. In Chapter 17, we are introduced to a harlot named “Babylon the Great.” By looking at the chapter’s context, we can conclude that the woman is not a literal woman but a symbol of religious idolatry and apostasy. Babylon is mentioned 287 times in Scripture and is associated with idolatry, blasphemy, and the persecution of God’s people. We know that ancient Babylon is the birthplace of false religions, beginning with the Tower of Babel. At Babel, the people of earth substituted their wisdom for God’s wisdom and rebelled against Him, worshiping their own achievements instead of Him. From Babylon emerged all kinds of false religions, ranging from the worship of idols to the worship of systems to the worship of men. Paul in Romans 1 sums up the birth of false religion like this: “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” As we read on, we find out other details about this woman. First, she is described as a great harlot (v.1). Throughout the Bible, prostitution symbolizes spiritual adultery or religious apostasy. We see this use in Jeremiah 3:6-9, where Israel is referred to as a harlot and is accused of committing adultery with stones and trees (idols). We also are told that the harlot sits on many waters, which the angel interprets for us in v. 15 as “peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.” This symbolizes that she has power over many nations and is universal in character. Next, we find out that “the kings of the earth committed acts of adultery with her. (v. 2).” This means that political leaders ally themselves with her, using her to gain power and control. At. In verse 18, we are told by the angel that the woman is the great city that reigns over the kings of the earth. Some believe the “great city” is a literal city, most likely Rome. Others think this is not a reference to a literal city but refers to the religious system established by man, not God. Whether a city or a religious system as a whole, we are told that her influence extends beyond the kings to the masses who are being made drunk on her immorality (v. 2). This religious system will appear attractive and spiritual; it will lure the masses in. Then, we see the harlot sitting on a scarlet beast which is the antichrist (v. 3). “Her position, that of riding the beast, indicates on the one hand that she is supported by the political power of the beast and on the other that she is in a dominant role and at least outwardly controls and directs the beast (Walvoord). She is dressed in purple and scarlet, the colors of royalty, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls (v. 4). All of these adornments are meant to lure the nations into her grasp. She has a name written on her forehead: “Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and the Abominations of the Earth.” Roman prostitutes often wore headbands with their names imprinted on them. This reminds us that despite her allure, she is not what as she appears. From her title, we can conclude that she embodies all false religions and their evils, lies, and deceits, culminating in a powerful, unified religious system. Next, we see the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and the witnesses of Jesus (v. 6). False religion has killed millions of saints throughout history. “False religion is always the worst enemy of true religion” (Walvoord). Think about the religious persecutions in the early church and the inquisitions that killed hundreds of thousands of protestants during the Middle Ages. Add to this the continuing persecution of Christians today and the persecutions that will happen at the hands of this post-Rapture religious system. The blood on the harlot’s hands will not go unavenged, however. The Fate of the Harlot In Revelation 17 v. 8, we learn more about the beast (the antichrist) the harlot was riding on. We are told that the beast has “seven heads and ten horns (v. 3).” In verses 9 and 10, we find out that the beast’s seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. Some believe that the seven mountains refer to Rome since Rome sits on 7 hills. Interestingly, in 1st Peter 5:13, Peter refers to Rome as Babylon. Still, others conclude that the seven mountains represent the seven kings and their seven kingdoms described in v. 10. They believe that these seven kingdoms are
Life
Life. It’s made up of rollercoasters and winding roads. There are rarely straight paths. No matter where life takes me, One goes with me. And His name is Jesus.
Comparison
I’m not sure exactly how or when it happens but during at least one chapter in our lives most of us have compared ourselves in one form or another to someone else. Measuring ourselves in comparison with others is not what God wants for us.
Seal Judgments & the Olivet Discourse
The Book of Revelation describes three waves of God’s judgment of earth’s inhabitants, each wave progressively worsening. The judgments begin with the seven seal judgments, continue to the trumpet judgments, and end with the bowl judgments. Here we will discuss the first six seal judgments: First seal (Rev 6:1-2) white horse, antichrist comes to conquer Second Seal (Rev 6:3-4) red horse, open warfare breaks out Third Seal (Rev 6:5-6) black horse, world famine Fourth Seal (Rev 6:7-8) death to ¼ of earth Fifth Seal (Rev 6:9-11) martyrdom, believer call for vengeance Sixth Seal (Rev 6:12-17) physical disturbances, earthquake, sun blacked out, etc. The first four seals occur in the first half of the Tribulation, the fifth seal stretches from the first into the second half, and the sixth occurs during the second half. But before we plunge in, let’s get a little background: We see in Revelation 5 that Jesus, the Lion of Judah, the Root of David is the only one who has overcome and is worthy to open the book of judgment and break its seals. Before we move to Revelation 6, let’s jump back a bit to Matthew 24 where Jesus, in one of the most important prophetic passages in the Bible, the Olivet Discourse, outlines the general course of end times and specifically the Tribulation. While many of the characteristics in this prophecy describe the whole of the present age, we see in Revelation 6 that these characteristics escalate the closer we get to the end. Interestingly, the Olivet discourse generally follows the order of Revelation 6. This book detail Jesus breaking the first six seals of God’s book of judgment, and unleashing God’s wrath and judgment on sinful mankind. The purpose of this judgment is to prepare the earth for the establishment of the Lord’s kingdom which will be explained later in Revelation. Finally, we will examine Chapter 7 of the Book of Revelation which is like a parenthesis between the sixth and seventh seal. Let’s dive in! First Seal When Jesus breaks the first seal, the first horseman of the apocalypse is released. This horseman rides a white horse, carries a bow, and is given a crown. His purpose is conquest. The white horse represents peace, but we know through other prophetic scriptures that this will be a false peace. Many confuse the first horseman with Christ because later, we see Christ riding a white horse. But the first horsemen is not Christ; he is a counterfeit Jesus. In Matthew 24:4-5, Jesus warns His disciples of counterfeits such as these. He says not to be misled because many will come in His name, saying that they are the Christ. Observe this about the first horseman: he has a bow, but no arrows are mentioned, and he is given a crown; he does not forcefully take the crown. These facts imply a bloodless peace through diplomacy or some other means and, like the white horse, support Daniel’s prophecy of a covenant of peace with Israel. Second Seal When Jesus breaks the second seal, the second horseman of the apocalypse is released. This horseman rides a red horse, and the rider is granted the power to take peace from the earth. The red horse represents war. The rider is given a great sword. Violence and slaughter will be common during this time. Jesus warned His disciples, saying that there will be wars and rumors of wars, nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom (Matthew 24:6-7). Although the horseman will take power peacefully, this is not a lasting peace. Once nations begin to understand the deception and control, they will rise up against the antichrist and each other. Third Seal When Jesus breaks the third seal, the third horseman on a black horse is released. The rider has a pair of scales, and John hears a voice saying, “a quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not damage the oil and the wine.” The scales imply that food will need to be measured and rationed; there just won’t be enough for everyone. One day’s wages will only be able to buy enough wheat for one person or enough barley for a small family for a day. There will be no money left over for necessities like oil and wine (considered necessary for cooking and purifying). Again, Jesus warns of famine in Matthew 24:7. This famine will undoubtedly be a result of the continuous wars the second seal unleashes. Fourth Seal When Jesus breaks the fourth seal, the fourth horseman on an ashen horse with a rider named Death is released. Hades follows him. The ashen color is pale like death. This rider is given authority over one-fourth of the earth to kill with sword and with famine and pestilence. Twenty-five percent of the earth’s population will die. Let’s put that in perspective. The current world population is 7.8 million. This number would be reduced by the Rapture, of course, but that still means that possibly 100,000,000 people die when the fourth seal is broken. Jesus tells us all of this is merely the beginning of birth pangs (Matthew 24:8). Fifth Seal When Jesus breaks the fifth seal, John sees the souls of martyrs who have been slain because of the Word and their testimony. They cry out for justice, wondering how much longer they must wait before God avenges them. They are each given a white robe and told that they should rest a bit longer until the number of their fellow martyrs reaches completion. In the prophetic Olivet Discourse, Jesus warns the disciples that as the Tribulation unfolds, believers will be hated and killed. This corresponds with the opening of the fifth seal. Sixth Seal The sixth seal is different from the first five. God will not use man to accomplish His judgments but will directly intervene by initiating cataclysmic earthquakes, which cause volcanic eruptions that make the sun black and the moon like blood. He will cause comets to fall from the sky, and the sky as we know it will disappear. This will be the first time