Archive for Devotional Companion to Revelation

You Are in Full Control

2019-01-04 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A prayer response to Revelation 20:1-10,
Satan bound, freed, and cast into the lake of fire

Father, You bind and You loose the forces of evil
as suits Your purpose.
You give them just enough rope to
hang themselves.

When Jesus was being tortured and killed,
it seemed that evil had a free hand to do
anything it wished to the Son of God.
But even then, You were sending signals
reminding us that You were in full control:
Prophecies given long ago
were being fulfilled.
Pilate unwittingly testified to Christ
by his sign on the cross,
“Jesus the Nazarene,
the King of the Jews,”
The repentant thief acknowledged
who Jesus was.
As Your Son died,
You shrouded the world in darkness.
You tore the veil of the temple.
Even in those dark hours, You were still sovereign, loving God,
faithfully working Your loving will and
fulfilling Your timeless plan.

In the tumultuous last days,
when it seems that evil has a free hand to do
anything it wishes to Your dear children,
You will still be in full control.
You will still be sovereign God.
All will happen according to
Your loving plan.
You use even those who rebel against You
to bless Your people
perfectly and
completely.

Praise to You, sovereign Father!
We are always secure in Your care!

Listen and sing:
Hymn: God Blesses His People
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In the End

2018-12-28 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A reflection on Revelation 19:17-21,
the doom of the beast

In the end,
the rage of hatred will be swept aside by
joyful, self-giving love.

All that is false will vanish completely in the
beautiful, blazing light of the truth.

Evil will be crushed under the full weight of
all that God is.

In this wicked world,
the slaughter of all wickedness will be
vast,
profound, and
sobering.
Its end will be
total,
final, and
forever.

Those who have separated themselves from
the Source of all good
will be left as
empty shells,
fit only for consuming flames.
All that is not of God will be
burned away.
All that remains will glow with
the radiant reality of
His immediate, glorious presence. 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: God Will Be Exalted
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This Is Our Champion

2018-12-21 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A reflection on Revelation 19:11-16,
the vision of the warrior Christ

See Jesus Christ for all He is.
He is more than a baby in a manger.
He is more than a gentle healer and teacher.

He is a Mighty Warrior who leads
all the forces of Sovereign God
against the armies of evil.
His enemies are
many,
vicious, and
determined.

He not only teaches and heals.
He judges and wages war.
He is no longer clothed like a peasant.
He is a great conqueror
who wears a robe dipped in the blood of His enemies.
His name is still Prince of Peace,
but it is also King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
He carries not only a shepherd’s staff
but a rod of iron to shatter any who oppose Him.

He rides a white horse.
His eyes are a flame of fire.
On His head are many crowns, and
He treads the wine press of
the fierce wrath of Almighty God.
He is Yahweh Sabaoth,
Lord of all the armies of heaven.
From His mouth comes a sharp, double-edged sword:
the eternal truth and
sovereign authority of the One High God.
With it He will make a slaughter of the enemies of
truth,
love, and
justice.

Satan and all His followers are arrayed against us.
But this is our Savior!
This is our Deliverer!
This is our Champion,
Jesus Christ! 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Psalm 2
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Our Wedding Day Is Near

2018-12-14 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A reflection on Revelation 19:7-10,
the marriage supper of the Lamb

No matter what our current situation,
our future is bright in Jesus Christ.

We are engaged to the sovereign Lord of all that is.
He loves us and
always will.
He has given Himself to us completely, with
all He is and
all He has.

In Him, our future is love,
rich and all-encompassing.
Our future is deep and total fulfillment.
Our future is joy and
belonging.
Our future is unbroken union with the Source of all
wisdom and
goodness.

We are destined to become creatures
more radiant,
more marvelous
than anyone could ever imagine.
Together, we will be the Bride of the Creator,
lovely,
pure,
highly honored, and
magnificent in all His glory.
All the universe will celebrate our eternal joining.

The Father, Son, and Spirit are preparing us
even now.
As our wedding day approaches,
let us keep ourselves pure.
Let us give ourselves to our Bridegroom alone. 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: See Christ, Your Bridegroom
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You Are Good

2018-12-07 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A prayer response to Revelation 19:1-6,
the four-fold hallelujah

Father, we join the song of
all the saints of
all the ages:
You are right and good, and
everything You do is right and good.

You are good when You bless and
good when You punish.
You are good when You give and
good when You take away.
You are good when life is bathed in light and
good when all is darkness.

You are good when we understand You and
good when our minds and hearts are too small.
You are good in our abundance and
good in our need.
You are good when we laugh and
good when grief overwhelms us.

Father, through every season
in every situation,
You are good.
You are good, and
Your love endures forever. 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: You Are Good
Recording
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What Will Matter Then?

2018-11-30 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A reflection on Revelation 18:9-24,
the laments over the fall of Babylon

It’s easy to become infected by the values of this world:

  • The signature of a famous person is worth thousands.
  • A vase is worth a year’s salary.
  • A single painting is worth $100,000,000 or more.
  • For the applause of people, many will gladly invest an entire life.

But when the world is on fire,
how much will they be worth?
When you are drawing your final breaths,
what will matter then?

Those who have disposed of
the belongings of a departed loved know that
the physical goods they leave behind,
belongings they may have treasured,
are now just stuff.
Getting rid of it is a chore, a burden.

The Bible mocks those who worship false gods:
False gods can’t carry us.
We have to carry them.

Trust,
love, and
serve
the God who will
carry you. 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: The Rich Young Ruler
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Children of This Age

2018-11-23 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A reflection on Revelation 18:1-8,
the fall of Babylon.
See also Matthew 5:3-12.

See a picture of the people who displease God,
the children of Satan,
the people whom God will destroy.
See them
glorifying self,
serving self,
lusting for comfort and luxury,
clinging to this world,
seeking their meaning and security in this world,
self-centered,
self-assured,
self-sufficient.

See a picture of the people whom God blesses,
the people who will rule the earth forever,
the people who will inherit all His eternal riches.
Hear Jesus describe them.
They don’t grasp for earthly possessions, but are
poor in spirit,
meek and gentle.
They mourn what God mourns and are
hungry to be like Him.
They are merciful, and
they make peace.
They joyfully follow Christ, even when it brings persecution.

Such people are not children of this age,
doomed to pass away.
They are children of the living, everlasting God,
His heirs,
His treasure. 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Beatitudes Hymn
Recording
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Evil’s False Power

2018-11-16 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A reflection on Revelation 17:7-18,
the Lamb’s victory over the beast

Just as the appeal of evil is a lie,
so its power is a lie.
All reality has only
one Master,
one Creator,
one King.

Evil is built on
a truth,
a world,
a good,
a reality
outside of God, and
no such reality exists.
No such good exists.

Evil is self-deceived, and
in the end,
it will self-destruct.
It will unwittingly serve the purposes of
the one Master,
the one Creator.

Outside of Him, everything is only
a lie,
a shadow,
a false hope,
without substance,
emptiness,
nothingness.

All truth,
all good,
all power
is in God alone. 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Great Lord of All Reality
Recording
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Evil’s False Face

2018-11-09 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A prayer response to Revelation 17:1-6,
the doom of Babylon

Temptation comes
appearing to be alluring beauty,
pretending to provide something good,
offering pleasant and harmless stimulation.

But Father, help me to see evil for what it
really is and
always is:
destructive,
ugly,
cruel,
corrupt, and
deadly.
Its appeal is a pretense,
always shallow and
always a lie.
It is unable to give anything
good or
lasting.
It is impotent,
unwise,
unbeautiful, and
unloving.
The tempter is a sworn enemy of all that is good.
His purpose is always to
steal,
kill, and
destroy (John 10:10).
Following him always leads to
disappointment and
failure.

But Father, I cannot handle temptation on my own.
When it comes, help me to immediately
turn to You and
trust You to deliver me.
And when I fail,
help me to repent immediately,
knowing that You are always eager to
forgive and
restore completely.

You are good, Father, and
Your love endures forever! 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Soldiers of Christ, Arise
Recording
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Stay Ready

2018-11-02 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A reflection on Revelation 16,
the pouring out of the bowls of wrath

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
(2 Peter 3:9, NASB)

Our loving God is so patient.
He seems to
delay and
delay and
delay His return,
anxious for all to repent and come to Him.

But our patient God will not delay forever.
He warns us that after delays that seem endless,
the end will come suddenly.
The God who has waited for so long will move
quickly and decisively.
That is His way.
He will come unexpectedly,
like a thief in the night.

Turn to Him
now.
Give yourself completely to Him
now.
Whatever good you know to do,
do it now.

The only way to be ready for
that unknown day and hour is to
stay ready.
Stay busy at your assigned task.
Stay faithful.
Keep your hopes and desires focused on
Him alone. 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Christ Is Coming! Lift Your Eyes!
Recording
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