“the serpent of old who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” (Revelation 12:9)

            ‘Devil’ means ‘accuser’, and ‘Satan’ means ‘adversary’.  He’s also called a snake and a deceiver.  So, to sum up – Satan is a deceptive snake that lies, accuses, and deceives… and since he has been thrown out of heaven, he’s an angry snake, too.  Don’t underestimate his desire to ruin your life.  He will tempt you with things, throw roadblocks up, and do everything in his power to keep you out of the place he was been cast out of.

            Beware his schemes and his tricks.

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“…and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.” (Revelation 11:13b)

            Many places in the Bible remind us that fear is a galvanizing emotion.  Proverbs tells us that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.  In Acts 5, the death of Ananias and Sapphira led to a fear in the church that was healthy and kept them from irreverence and sin.

            Fear reminds us we are small, and it clarifies who has authority.  Our weakness in moments of terror can lead us to seek refuge in God.  He is the Rock in the storm.  From health scares to middle-life crises… uncertainty can be our moment to return and give glory to God.

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“Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” (Revelation 10:9)

            In the apocalyptic vision of Revelation, John is given a book to eat.  His eating the book is symbolic of taking in the truth that God’s Word is going to reveal to him.  God’s Word is both sweet and bitter.  This was true for John, and it is true for us, too.

It is sweet to hear, “Love your enemies.”  It is often a bitter pill to actually do that.

It is sweet to hear God will cause all things to work together for good.  It can be a bitter taste to go through trials which eventually make us better people.

It is sweet to hear forgiveness is a gift, but it can be bitter to offer forgiveness when you are the one it costs something to offer it.

            The Scriptures contain lovely truths which often lead us to difficult life choices.  They are sweet to talk about, but the journey of obedience can often feel bitter.  Stay the course – the end of obedience is a sweet fruit, too!

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“He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.” (Revelation 9:2)

            This chapter of Revelation is describing how God will unleash upon the world the wickedness that it so desires.  Mankind worships what is evil, and God is granting that which they worship to be unleashed upon them with the hopes that the consequences will lead to repentance (see Rev 9:20-21).

            There is darkness in this world, and there is darkness in the spiritual realm, too.  We cannot pretend otherwise.  Walk in the light and fight the darkness.

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“Another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer, and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.” (Revelation 8:3)

            In multiple places, Revelation states that incense represents the prayers of God’s people.  They are burned before Him as both a sweet-smelling aroma and a pungent odor to grab His attention (see Revelation 5:8).

            Notice that the above verse says that an angel was given MUCH incense.  Many prayers were burned before God before He sounded the trumpets and moved to action.  He listened and He heard, but He waited for much incense.

            Many prayers make for a mighty bowl of incense before God.  Sometimes it will be many years and many prayers before God answers us.  He isn’t ignoring us; He is waiting for the right time.  Remember the persistent widow of Luke 18.  Always pray, and do not lose heart.

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“Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” (Revelation 7:3)

            The book of Revelation was written to bring comfort to the early Christians in the face of worldwide persecution they were about to see.  It is a book about the sovereignty of God in a world that seems so crooked that it can never be straightened.  Within Revelation, there are many warnings of the judgment and wrath which God is about to visit upon the Roman empire due to their idolatry and evil.

            In the midst of this judgment language, which would bring great anxiety to the saints to read about, God provides a message of comfort.  Before judgment, God would have each of His servants marked for protection.  The angels who would enact God’s wrath would also know who to spare and protect from the vengeance about to be unleashed.  God knows who are His, and He made sure the angels knew, too.

            Our faith seals us and marks us before God.  He treats His children differently than He does those who do not belong to Him.  We are sons and daughters of the Almighty.  The storms may engulf us, but they will not destroy us.

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“I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the Word of God and because of the testimony which they had maintained…” (Revelation 6:9)

            A life that confesses Christ and faces persecution for that confession is a worthy sacrifice to God – hence the depiction of the souls as being under the altar in Revelation.  To stand by God and confess Jesus Christ is a sacrifice at times.  For most of us, it will not lead to our death, but it might affect our relationships, our jobs, or our finances.

            Notice how the verse says that they maintained their testimony.  Confessing Christ is not something that is done on occasion or as a singularity – it requires regular, consistent maintenance.  We maintain our faith through the years.  We continue to work at it and grow in it, and past boldness is not a guarantee of future boldness.  We must maintain our course of faith each day.  Our confession of Christ is a living sacrifice renewed every day.

            What will today look like for you?

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“…and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Revelation 5:8b)

            Smells are powerful things.  A skunk along the highway will get every motorists’ attention, and the wafting scent of baking bread draws crowds toward the local bakery.  Smells are hard to ignore, and they have a way of permeating things.

            We are told that our prayers are like the smell of incense to God.  They fill His senses, and they reach Him all the way up on His heavenly throne.  Our painful cries for help are pungent smells which get His immediate attention, and our words of thankfulness bring joy to the air He breathes.

            In short, your prayers matter to Him.  They are heard, and they will not be ignored.

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“He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God…” (Revelation 3:12a)

            The church is being built up together as a temple for God to dwell in, and we, like living stones, are each part of its construction.  Those who overcome stand as pillars within that temple.  Pillars stand for strength and for beauty.  They are both beautiful and functional.

            Their lives preach a lesson we all need to hear: the brother battling cancer, the sister struggling with the trials of old age, the couple mourning their lost child, and the family enduring through a layoff and season of scarcity.

            Live a life of perseverance, and you serve a purpose in the household of God as well as a beautiful reminder of God’s faithfulness.  The world needs more overcomers.  Christians who endure through trials and suffering stand as a testament to the sovereignty of God.  They endure and trust in Him.  The church needs pillars like that to hold the rest of us up.

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