Scripture:
V7 And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
Observation:
Angels are preaching and warning people of impending judgement. Even up to the last minute, the angels are preaching the simple truth and giving people and opportunity to worship our God. God provides a “last call” to those on earth to worship Him and give Him glory. Our God is a God of judgement but also of love and second chances.
People living during the tribulation will find life difficult. Believers even more so. But people will still be faced with making a clear choice; Persevere through faith, even if it means loss of money, home, family or life, or receive the mark of the beast. I am not sure many of today’s Christians realize the difficulty that some believers will endure. No food, job, home, torture, etc. It will be a real test of one’s faith. They will need to persevere.
Applications:
I may not be tested in the same way but I still have the same choices. I can choose God or I can choose the world. I need to persevere and continue to choose God. Do my decisions worship God or worship the world? What am I willing to give up to give in to God’s desires? Easy to say but it is harder to do. It can range from the small (do I call it a Holiday party or Christmas party?) to the tough (say no to a promotion or job that may keep me from attending or serving at a local church).
As a Christian, I cannot be afraid nor can I be silent. I still have the opportunity to spread the Gospel. I have freedom of speech and freedom of worship and need to take advantage of those freedoms to pronounce the simple truth. The angels were spreading it up to the last minute. What is stopping me from spreading the good news today? Am I ready and prepared to take advantage of opportunities to spread the Gospel? That requires regular reading, journaling, worshipping and living according to his word.
Prayer:
Help me to be a bold disciple. Give me the courage to speak, live and spread your Gospel no matter what the circumstances or consequences. Allow me to seize the opportunities to share the word to non believers and to strengthen our brothers and sisters in Christ.