Saul of Tarsus (the future Apostle Paul) was the berserker, who wreaked havoc on the Early Church, but the churches “were multiplied” (Acts 9:31 KJV); nonetheless, because persecution grew the Church. Likewise, a “great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues” (Revelation 7:9 KJV) will respond to the Gospel witnessed by the 144,000. That multitude will be those martyred by antichrist. “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (7:14). A seeming paradox is the blood of Christian martyrs grows the Church. Tertullian (155-240 AD) defended the Christian faith before the governors of the Roman Empire. He said, “The oftener we are mown down by you, the more in number we grow; the blood of Christians is seed” (The Apology, 50.13). Though the Vanity Fair approach has been enormously successful in limiting Spiritual Christianity, even such measures will become unnecessary during the final end game of the Tribulation Week. LORD, grant unto Your children the patience of faith of Christ, Stephen, Antipas, and Your Two Witnesses that we may, too, witness a good confession for You, even unto death. In Jesus’ name, we ask it. Amen.
Author: Ken
God Votes His Conscience
Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever” (Daniel 2:4 KJV) is probably as close to “Abraham Lincoln for President” (1864) as OT political slogans go. Should Christians take sides in political contests? Especially in political democracies, Christians may be divided on political issues much as they may differ on matters of church doctrine and polity. For the sake of the Body of Christ, Christians should especially seek solidarity with Christians. Paul advocated Christians to allow themselves to be defrauded rather than taking a brother or sister to a secular, civil court to gain justice (1Corinthians 6:1-7). Participation in politics lends itself to the acrimony of manipulation and maneuvering for advantage well known to survival of the fittest earth dwellers. Can a candidate be known as a seeker of the common good? Was the expression, Honest Abe, only apocryphal? Joseph, Naaman the Syrian general, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Esther, Mordecai, the Ethiopian eunuch, and Cornelius the Roman centurion saw a measure of godly leadership in secular government. “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it” (1Peter 3:10-11 ESV). Our God will enthrone whomsoever He will to accomplish His purposes; and consistent with this, He simply demands on our part an honest hearted faithfulness of voting our conscience. LORD, You are the Judge of our hearts. Establish truth seekers and truth speakers in the land. Cause us to vote our conscience, and to be accountable to You, since our loyalties belong to You. O Lord, return quickly, in Jesus’ name. Amen. “Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him” (Psalm 140:11 KJV).
Alone, Yet Not Alone
We are not without God. There is no circumstance, where God’s children can be without the presence of God. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4 KJV). When we are walking with the LORD, we can be assured, “The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot” (Psalm 16:5). We may not know how to organize our way out of our circumstances, but God is able to “make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1Corinthians 10:13).
The following, Alone, Yet Not Alone, was a hymn sung by Joni Eareckson Tada, from the movie of the same name (2013) about the 18th century captivity of Barbara and Regina Leninger, who were taken by the Lenape (Delaware) Indians from the wilderness of western Pennsylvania. The hymn was sung to them as children and was used to verify Regina’s identity, when restored to her mother.
I’m alone, yet not alone
God’s the light that will guide me home
With His love and tenderness
Leading through the wilderness
And wherever I may roam
I’m alone, yet not alone
I will not be bent in fear
He’s the refuge I know is near
In His strength I find my own
By His faithful mercies shown
That so mighty is His shield
All His love is now revealed
When my steps are lost
And desperate for a guide
I can feel his touch
A soothing presence by my side
Alone, yet not alone
Not forsaken when on my own
I can lean upon His arm
And be lifted up from harm
If I stumble, or if I’m thrown
I’m alone, yet not alone
When my steps are lost
And desperate for a guide
I can feel his touch
A soothing presence by my side
By my side!
He has bound me with His love
Watchful angels look from above
Every evil can be braved
For I know I will be saved
Never frightened on my own
I’m alone, yet not alone
Father, You alone are our certainty. Keep our hearts with the confidence of Your presence. Rebuke the devourer who seeks to separate us from You. Be our Strong Tower for all those, who put their confidence in You. And, return quickly and deliver us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
144,000 Israelites Are Sealed (Revelation 7:3)
Revelation 7 depicts an unearthly calming of the “four winds of the earth” (Revelation 7:1 KJV) in order to seal 144,000 “servants of our God in their foreheads” (7:3). These Jewish Tribulation Believers later appear in Heaven towards the latter part of the Tribulation Week (14:1), apparently unscathed and are living testament to the grace of God even in times of “great tribulation” (7:14). These represent a continuation of Jehovah’s harvest of Israel, in keeping with Paul’s desire and prayer. “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved” (Romans 10:1). The LORD’s reclamation of Israel will climax with the spiritual rebirth of the nation at the Second Coming of Christ. “Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children” (Isaiah 66:8). LORD, we love Israel, not because of their rejection of You, but because You have chose them with an everlasting love. Redeem the 144,000. Save Israel. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Heart Opened By God
God opens hearts. “And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul” (Acts 16:14 KJV). We may not know the intricacies of your particular situation, but God opening a human heart — including our own — is able to transform any situation. We need to give God the opportunity to do what He is capable of doing. When our hearts are in a good place, He can teach us. “Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures” (Luke 24:45). We may prefer a more dramatic miracle, but a heart opened to the LORD can accomplish all that is needed. We were made to walk with God and obey Him. Father, may Your Spirit fill us and reveal to us Jesus that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Do all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Great Earthquake (Revelation 6:12)
The sixth seal judgment of the Book of Revelation is a “great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood” (Revelation 6:12 KJV). This is an apocalyptic shaking of the entire earth. Here, interpreting the “stars of heaven [that] fell unto the earth” (6:13 KJV) as Fallen Angels (compare Job 38:7) prepares for the Mid-Tribulational worship of Antichrist as God at the Abomination of Desolation (Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14; 2Thessalonians 2:8). We live what we believe, and what we believe about prophecy affects our decisions today. If apocalyptic shaking of the planet and strange displays in the cosmos are scheduled for the future, then we should be more concerned about our heart’s interaction with God. After all, that alone we control. LORD, may all our understanding of Your judgments cause us to walk righteously before You, and cause us to warn others. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Slain for the Word of God (Revelation 6:9)
The fifth seal judgment of the Book of Revelation is the “souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held” (Revelation 6:9 KJV). A Pre-Tribulational Rapture would leave a significant number of newly converted Tribulation Christians in its wake. Their martyrdom will be just as common then, as martyrdom is uncommon now. The world will not be saved, but God will reap the greatest harvest possible. LORD, be merciful to our brothers and sisters of the Tribulation. Make all of our testimonies to count. In Jesus’ name, amen.
It’s Not Whether You Win or Lose, But How You Play the Game
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36 KJV). Grantland Rice (1880-1954), a well known, American sportswriter is famous for the quote, “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.” Sports is about winning. Life also is about winning. “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Corinthians 15:57). If we already have achieved the victory through Christ, then it is only how we conduct ourselves in our daily lives that matters. Faith realizes the preeminence of Christ’s gracious, finished work on the Cross for our salvation, and the Holy Spirit applies the reality of that belief to how we conduct our daily lives. “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death” (Philippians 3:10). Perhaps all of this sounds familiar, yet unless it compels us to follow hard after Christ, then we have probably misunderstood or underestimated the role of the Holy Spirit: (1) to make us willing to obey God’s commandments, i.e., “And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27), and (2) to reveal Jesus to us to make us more like Him, i.e., “He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew [shō] it unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall shew it unto you” (John 16:14-15). Father, we desire to know You better. Take of Your Spirit and show us Jesus. Teach us the delicate balance of “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work” (John 5:17). Show us how even our faith is a gift from You (Ephesians 2:8). Help us to exercise patience, so we will live out the reality of the Game of Life, which You already have won for us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
When I Am Old
David died at the age of 70, but before he died he said, “Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed [shōwed] Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to every one that is to come” (Psalm 71:18 KJV). David retired from his throne possibly as much as four years before his death. Retirement is normally the process of handing down responsibilities to succeeding generations. What are some goals for retirement? First, do not wait until retirement to be happy. Practice happiness now or blessedness today. “Blessed [Greek, makarios, happy] is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing” (Matthew 24:46). Second, do not look at retirement as doing nothing, instead look at it as an opportunity to serve the Lord in ways not possible before. “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13). Third, look at retirement as a gift from God that you do not deserve and carries responsibilities unique to your new circumstance. “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48). Fourth, relish the opportunity to get to know the LORD better, especially through prayer and the Word. “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). Fifth, use your time to better serve elderly parents and take care of your family circle. “Honour thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12). “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also” (2Timothy 1:5). Father, may we aspire to retire to be better know and serve You. In Jesus’ name, we ask it. Amen.
Pale Horse of Death (Revelation 6:8)
The fourth horseman of the Apocalypse rides a “pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:8 KJV). Concentrated, unprecedented, unavoidable, unnatural death for every fourth person on planet earth gets everyone’s attention. God the Judge is only beginning to deal with humanity’s rejection of Himself. LORD, You are the one to be feared because man’s death cannot be worse than God’s death. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
We Need A Miracle 
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