Burunche’s Blog

Isaiah 43:1 – 2 “Now this is what the LORD says— He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

In the center of a candle flame, there is a small still area of peace. And in the midst of our troubles, we can have peace as well. Peace is not a passive emotion but an active one. If we are to have peaceful spirits, we must guard our hearts against the things that can destroy our peace.

Does this mean that we have to be ostriches with our heads stuck in the sand? Far from it! True people of peace realize that there are problems; the question is this: Where is your focus? Are you obsessing about all the things going wrong in your life? Are all your energies engaged in trying to avoid unpleasantness? Life happens, and no matter how hard we try, we will have problems. But we also have the promises of God, promises of hope and promises of peace.

Do you feel isolated and frustrated? God is there. Do you feel that you are carrying heavy loads with no help in sight? God is there. Do you feel that nothing will ever go right in your life? God is still there.

It sounds like a cliche to say that God is only a prayer away, but it is still true. “But,” you say, ”I don’t know how to pray.” Well, fortunately, God hears the cries of our hearts. And even if your prayers consist of “God, help me! I’m in a mess and I can’t get out!” that is a very valid prayer.

Remember when Jesus taught about the two men who went to the temple to pray? The religious leader prayed a long elaborate prayer, praising himself. The poor tax collector, overwhelmed by a sense of his own sin, simply said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” That simple prayer from the heart reached the Throne of God.

PRAYER: Father God, help! We are stuck in all kinds of problems. Our money is dwindling. Our businesses are failing. Christmas is coming and we aren’t sure how to care for our families. But you have promised to be with us. You said that one of Jesus’ names is Immanuel, “God with us.” Lord, be with us and help us. Amen.

 “Revelation 15:5 – 7 “After this I looked, and the temple—the tabernacle of the Testimony—was opened in heaven. And out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, dressed in clean and bright linen and girded with golden sashes around their chests. Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.”

Originally, Moses took his tent and pitched it away from the camp as recorded in Exodus: 7-11. But later God gave Moses the plans for the tabernacle in the wilderness and the priestly garments. (Exodus 35-40) These blueprints that were later modified to build Jewish temples throughout the world. It was always understood that the original tabernacle was a model and a forerunner of what would come later on. As a Jewish believer, John would have been extremely well acquainted with these scriptures. Now John is having “AHA!” moments; after years of reading these scriptures, he sees the heavenly tabernacle and is amazed!

Here is Barclay’s description:

It is from within the tabernacle that the seven avenging angels come forth. In the center of the Holy Place within the tabernacle lay the Ark of the Covenant, the chest in which were contained the tables of the ten commandments, the essence of the Law. That is to say, these angels come out from the place where the Law of God rests and come to show that no man or nation can with impunity defy the Law of God.

They are clothed in a shining white robe and are girt about the breasts with a golden girdle. The robes of the angels are symbolic of three things. (a) Their dress is priestly dress. The robe of white fine linen and the gold embroidered girdle about the breast is the dress of the High Priest. The High Priest might well be called God’s representative among men; and these angels come forth as the avenging representatives of God. (b) Their dress is royal dress. The white linen and the high girdle are the garments of princes and of kings; and these angels come forth with the royalty of the King of kings upon them. (c) Their dress is heavenly dress. The young man at the empty tomb of Christ was clothed in a long white garment (Mark 16:5; Matthew 28:3); and the angels are the inhabitants of heaven, come to execute God’s decrees upon earth.

It is one of the four living creatures who hands them the bowls of the wrath of God. When we were thinking about the four living creatures when they first emerged on the scene (Revelation 4:7) we saw that the first was like a lion, the second like an ox, the third like a man, and the fourth like an eagle; and that, they may well symbolize all that is strongest and bravest and wisest and swiftest in nature. if that be so, it is fitting that one of them should hand the bowls of wrath to the seven angels. The bowls of wrath are to bring disasters in nature to the world; and the symbolism may well be that nature is handing itself to God to serve his purposes.

15:8 “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels had been completed.” Time after time in the Bible, when the Glory of the Lord fills a place, the place is filled with smoke. When Solomon dedicated his magnificent temple, the Glory filled the temple. While the Glory of the Lord filled the temple, nobody could approach. 1 Kings 8:10 – 11 “And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD so that the priests could not stand there to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.”

Barclay comments: There is the idea that the purposes of God will often be clouded to men, for no man can see into the mind of God; and there is the idea that the holiness and the glory of God are such that man in his own right can never approach God.

But in addition, there is the fact that no man could come into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels have been completed. God’s timing is perfect. When the time has come for judgment to be executed, nothing can stop it.

There is a legend about King Canute, who was King of England, Denmark, Norway, and parts of Sweden (995 – 1035 A.D.) King Canute was a believer. Canute set his throne up on the seashore and allowed the tide to come in, apparently to prove a point about Kings and God: ‘Let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings, for there is none worthy of the name, but He whom heaven, earth, and sea obey by eternal laws.’ The legend continues that once Canute had carried out this demonstration, he hung his crown on a crucifix and never wore it again in honor of Almighty God.

“God Is Working His Purpose Out”

Source: Ancient and Modern: hymns and songs for refreshing worship #646

God is working his purpose out, as year succeeds to year,
God is working his purpose out, and the time is drawing near;
nearer and nearer draws the time, the time that shall surely be,
when the earth shall be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.

God is working His purpose out. The question for us is will we work with God or attempt to oppose Him? King Canute was right; we can no more oppose God than we can order the tide to stop coming in. God loves us and wants us to love Him and to serve Him, but He will never force us.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you that you have given us guidance ever since the beginning of time, if we will only listen to you. Lord, help us to hear your voice and to let you have your way in our lives. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Isaiah 26:3 – 4 “You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You and hopes confidently in You. So trust in the Lord, for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock.” (NKJV Amplified)

In 24 hours last December, my Facebook prayer groups exploded with pain! A thirteen year – old dying with septic shock. Two young mothers dying with heart failure. Law enforcement officers who wanted nothing more than to serve and protect and to celebrate Christmas with their families – all gone! U. S. military dying thousands of miles from families and friends. Facing such horrible losses, it seems ridiculous to speak about peace. How can we have peace in the face of these tragedies? And yet, the Bible tells us that God wants us to have peace and that Jesus came as the Prince of Peace.

Social media is great for connecting people, but it also allows us to hear about suffering in places we have never heard of before. Is there more suffering now than there was in the past? Probably not. But the difference is that now we hear about all of this misery in a concentrated form.

There have always been wars. There have always been refugees. There has always been starvation somewhere in the world. Climate change is not actually new; floods, droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis – all have shaken the earth since time began. Even Jesus once told his disciples that they would face tribulation in this world. So, if having peaceful spirits depended on earthly events, peace would be an impossibility. And yet, God promises us peace in His word. How can we achieve this peace?

1. We must “stay our minds” on the Lord; we must constantly focus on the Lord and not on our problems. Worrying about problems only eats up your stomach lining and constricts the blood vessels in your heart.

2. How are we to “stay our minds” on the Lord? We must commit ourselves to the Lord, praying, and listening for His Voice and studying His Word, the Bible.

3. We must lean on the Lord and hope confidently in Him. Here “leaning” means to put all the weight of the cares that upset us and torment us on the Lord.

4. We must trust the Lord, who is our Rock. Here the idea is of a huge monolith such as the Rock of Gibraltar, something solid, dependable, unmovable, and unshakable, a place of refuge and safety. David the Psalmist wrote “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge..”(Psalm 18:2)

PRAYER: Father God, your children need you! We need your protection! We need your comfort! We need Someone we can lean on and trust completely! But most of all, Lord, we need your peace! Please help us to keep our minds fixed on you and give us that peace that passes all understanding, so that we can face the threatening things in our lives without fear. In the matchless Name of Jesus. Amen.

Revelation15:1-2 “And I saw another sign in heaven, great and wonderful–it was seven angels, with seven plagues which are the final ones, because in them the wrath of God reaches its climax. And I saw what I can only call a sea of glass intermingled with fire; and I saw standing beside the sea of glass, with the harps of God, those who had emerged victorious from their struggle with the beast and with his image and with the number of his name.”

“The storm is passing over! The storm is passing over! The storm is passing over! Hallelujah!” The choir from an inner city church sang those words triumphantly, and I have never forgotten them. So many have weathered terrible storms – physical, spiritual, emotional, and financial attacks that have left them reeling. Despite their faithfulness, they suffered martyrdom. But now the time has come for these persevering saints to be rewarded. Jesus said: “Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25).Barclay states: The real victory is not prudently to preserve life but to face the worst that evil can do and if need be to be faithful to death. “May God deny you peace,” said Unamuno the Spanish mystic, “and give you glory.”

15:3-4 ”and they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: Great and wonderful are your works, O Lord, God the Almighty; Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Who shall not fear and glorify your name, O Lord? Because you alone are holy; Because all the nations will come and worship before you; Because your righteous judgments have been made plain for all to see.”

These victorious martyrs sing two songs: the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. Moses first sang his song when the Children of Israel were delivered from the Egyptians at the Red Sea, and it is found in Exodus 15:1-19. The short version of the Song of Moses is “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation…. Who is like thee, 0 Lord, among the gods, who is like thee, majestic in holiness, terrible in glorious deeds, doing wonders?… The Lord will reign for ever and ever.”

The Song of the Lamb is one that only these martyrs can sing and is made up of quotations from the Psalms. “Great and wonderful are your works, O Lord, God the Almighty; Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Who shall not fear and glorify your name, O Lord? Because you alone are holy; Because all the nations will come and worship before you; Because your righteous judgments have been made plain for all to see.” Notice that these martyrs don’t mention themselves at all; they are lost in their praises of the magnificence of the God whom they have served and for whom they have died, the God who has redeemed them. All suffering is past and now those who have suffered can see how that suffering has contributed to building the Kingdom of God.

Many times, people become discouraged and begin to hate God when bad things happen. “If God were REALLY a God of love, my child wouldn’t have died of a drug overdose!” “If God were REALLY a God of love, my elderly parent wouldn’t have died by himself in a nursing home isolated from the rest of the family by COVID restrictions!” “If God were REALLY working in my life, I wouldn’t have lost my [job/house/car/business/family/money]! We easily forget that we are living in a fallen sinful world, one in which all of us are subject to things going wrong. God has created us as beings with free will, not as puppets; and when we or others make bad choices, then terrible things can result. St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that we see “but a dim reflection as in a mirror;” in other words, we only get a small part of the big picture.

Bad things can happen. The question is, how will we respond? Will we blame God or will we allow God to use the bad things that happen in our lives to mold us and to perfect us into the men and women God wants us to be? Moses said in Psalm 90:10 “The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty if we are strong— yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” Our lives are only moments in eternity. The suffering that seems to go on forever will pass; the question is, how will we respond? Will we allow God to mold us or will we become increasingly bitter?

PRAYER: Father God, thank you that our suffering does not go on forever! Thank you that no matter what we are facing, you are always there watching, encouraging, and shaping us. Lord, help those who read these words to turn to you so that you will be able to shape them into the glorious beings you want them to become. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Isaiah 9: 6 – 7 “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end… The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

When God was giving the Prophet Isaiah this prophecy, there was no such thing as peace. The Jews were steadily moving further away from God and leaving His commandments. It’s possible that wicked King Manasseh, the most wicked of the kings of Judah, ordered Isaiah’s murder. And yet, God gave this prophecy. And this prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

When Elizabeth and Mary come together, John, Elizabeth’s baby, leaps for joy in the womb and both Elizabeth and John are filled with the Holy Spirit. When the Angel Gabriel went to Mary and to Joseph individually and greeted them, it is likely that the first thing the Angel said was “peace be with you.” And when the angels appeared to the shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem, they proclaimed “peace on earth, good will to men.” In each of these situations, the Holy Spirit was there, and the mark of the Holy Spirit is peace. In Galatians 5: 22 – 23 we are told, ^“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control.”

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He proved that He was truly the Prince of Peace. Whether calming storms on the Sea of Galilee or casting out demons, Jesus spoke peace into situations and brought peace to those who were troubled. And this peace wasn’t just some kind of “feel good” temporary manipulation. This peace was deep and abiding.

Peace is something that many people pursue, but sometimes it seems that the more one pursues peace, the more elusive it becomes. There are many methods touted as ways to achieve peace, but peace is not a thing. Peace is found in the person of Jesus Christ. Philippians 4: 4-7 tells us “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Today, we don’t need one more program or one more diet to achieve peace, even though programs and diets can certainly be useful. But the “diet” we need is a diet of our thoughts.

1. Rejoice in the Lord always! Notice, there are no restrictions placed on this rejoicing. We are not advised to merely rejoice when we feel like it, but to rejoice always, trusting that God will work things out for us.

2. Let your gentleness be evident to all…why? Because the Lord is near. If the Lord is really near, you don’t have to force because the Author of the Universe, the Supreme Authority, is near.

3. In every situation, in prayer and thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

4. And what is the result of these practices? The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, sometimes we feel as if you are very far away and we are lost children, desperate for peace. Please, Lord, send your Holy Spirit peace into our hearts and minds and spirits. Help us to remember that you are very near indeed, closer than our heartbeats. And thank you for sending your Son Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Amen.

Revelation 14:12- 20 “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”

2020 has been one of those years nobody wants to live over again! So much suffering! So much loss! And yet, throughout all of these problems, there have been those who have persevered and whose faith has shown brightly. Thanks to Facebook, I have been following the saga of a missionary family in Senegal. Four weeks ago, the husband/father was doing some home repairs when he fell three stories to a cement floor! The family had to send this man to a small local clinic, from which he was transferred to a hospital in Dakar, then to a hospital in Paris, and finally to Jacksonville, Florida. Miraculously, this man escaped with rib fractures and minor damage to his spine and some other injuries that are resolving. But reading the wife’s posts has been incredibly uplifting! Despite all the fear and all the life – threatening possibilities, this family’s faith has been a beacon of hope. Truly, those who live in the Lord leave deeds that live on and inspire others. This does NOT mean that we earn our way into heaven. Barclay says,“When you leave this earth, all that you can take with you is yourself. If you come to the end of this life still one with Christ, you will take with you a character tried and tested like gold, which has something of his reflection in it; and, if you take with you to the world beyond a character like that, blessed are you.”

Revelation 14:14 – 20 “And I looked and saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. Then another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the One seated on the cloud, “Swing Your sickle and reap, because the time has come to harvest; for the crop of the earth is ripe.” So the One seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Still another angel, with authority over the fire, came from the altar and called out in a loud voice to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because its grapes are ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes of the earth, and he threw them into the great wine press of God’s wrath. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and the blood that flowed from it rose as high as the bridles of the horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia. (184 miles or 296 kilometers.)

For thousands of years, the prophets have been foretelling a time when God would bring a final judgment. The prophet Joel said, “Let the nations be roused and advance to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit down to judge all the nations on every side. Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the wine press is full; the wine vats overflow because their wickedness is great.” In Mark 4:26-29 Jesus tells his disciples, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. …And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Now John sees these prophecies being fulfilled.

Jesus is the Son of Man with the golden crown. In Matthew 24:36 Jesus tells his disciples,”No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Now an angel comes from the heavenly temple and gives Jesus the permission to to gather his own people who love him. At the same time, an angel with a sickle is also given a similar order by an angel with authority over the perpetual fire in the heavenly temple. This angel is to harvest those destined for judgment.

Why the description of the blood? This amount of blood is sufficient to fully cover the nation of Israel. This judgment will include the whole land and will be absolutely complete.

What are we to do with these visions? These visions have stood the test of time and of scholarship. You can choose to believe or to ignore these visions. But remember that Jesus warned his disciples that the Kingdom of Heaven would come like a thief in the night, without any warning. None of us knows how much time we have left; the only time we have is now. The Book of Revelation is full of warnings and promises: warnings to those who refuse to worship God and promises for those who do choose to follow Him. Joshua gave a challenge to the Children of Israel, “Choose this day whom you will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for loving us so much that you sent Jesus to us as a baby, to live and die as a sinless man, the perfect blood offering for our sins. Lord, help each one who reads this to choose to serve you! In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Luke 2: 8 “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And ^[c]behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid….¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill^[e] toward men!”

Caesar Augustus ruled the Roman Empire. At that time, the Empire stretched out for roughly 10,000 kilometers. The Pax Romana, Roman Peace, was in full evidence, enforced by the Roman legions. And as a good conscientious administrator, Augustus wanted to know exactly how many citizens his empire contained. So, the decree went out from Rome – all over and every man had to return to his family’s place of origin, bringing his family along with him. The roads must have been clogged with people! Bethlehem was only a short distance from Jerusalem, so its citizens were used to travelers, but nothing like these crowds! Bethlehem was anything but peaceful! The noise of all those people and animals must have been deafening. The shepherds might have been thankful that they were out in the fields away from the insanity.

It’s a quiet night on the bleak hills outside Bethlehem. Someone has started a small fire and everyone has had their bread and cheese and wine for supper. All that can be heard is the night wind as it sighs through the grass. The sheep have bedded down and are quiet, only making occasional snuffling noises. Perhaps the shepherds have already decided who will be watching during which part of the night and are searching out comfortable places to sleep close to the sheep in case of attack by wild animals.

Suddenly the night sky blazes with heavenly light! The shepherds throw themselves flat on the ground or try to hide beside some big rocks. And then the angels deliver their incredible message! “Peace? Goodwill to men?” The first reaction of the shepherds must have been the Aramaic equivalent of “Say what???” At this point, the shepherds must have been in shock. But there was something about the angelic message that penetrated their panic, the word “peace.”

As the angels spoke the word “peace,” that peace must have actually entered the shepherds’ hearts and calmed their spirits. This peace could only have come from the Holy Spirit. And somehow that peace gave the shepherds the courage to go into Bethlehem and find the Baby Jesus.

This Christmas season has been one of many losses. Only recently we learned that a long – time friend had lost his battle with cancer and received his heavenly promotion a few days ago. We have friends who have lost loved ones to COVID and other problems. Our hearts go out to all of these families, particularly to any young children involved. A grieving husband told us recently that his young daughter keeps praying for God to send her mother back by Christmas; each time he hears her, his heart breaks all over again. For griefs as deep as these, there are no words. Only the peace of the Holy Spirit will be sufficient.

PRAYER: Father, many of us are grieving and hurting. We have pains in places that nobody can reach. Will you please send your Holy Spirit peace into our hearts and minds to heal us? In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus, Amen.

Revelation 14:4 – 5 “These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And no lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.”

There have been all kinds of speculations about the mention of virgins, including references to various schools of philosophy that taught that the body was sinful, etc., etc. Barclay even goes so far as to suggest that perhaps a mistake was made when the passage was copied. I would like to suggest a different option.

Remember that the age in which John received this vision was one in which every sexual perversion imagineable was being practiced. Sexual perverts even preyed on small children. And consider the concept of first fruits. Offering first fruits meant offering the first part of the harvest, with no guarantee that there would be more. It was an act of faith. Men redeemed their first born sons by offering a lamb or turtle doves without blemish. Now think about Christian families who have been martyred recently in Africa and India and Asia. Even the children were killed. So it is not inconceivable that this group referred to might be child martyrs who have died for their faith. If you have ever encountered children who believe in Jesus, their faith is some of the purest faith you will ever witness. I feel that these are the children murdered by terrorists in the churches of Northern Nigeria and Sudan. These are the children murdered by extremists in rural India. Even when Jesus was here on earth, children were always flocking to Him. Why wouldn’t they surround Him in heaven? Now these precious little ones are safe and they are following the Lamb for whom they and their parents died.

Revelation 14:6-7 “Then I saw another angel flying overhead, with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and the springs of waters.”

2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.” The earth is nearing its very end and yet God is still sending an angel to preach the Gospel one last time! Mankind is being given one last chance to turn to the One True Living God and to escape hell. Truly, God does not send anyone to hell; people choose to go there!

Revelation 14:8-11 “Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.” And a third angel followed them, calling out in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives its mark on his forehead or on his hand, he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. Day and night there is no rest for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” Here is a call for the endurance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”

Throughout history, there have been all kinds of arguments about the identity of Babylon – is it Rome? New York? But the concept of Babylon is bigger than an individual location. The point here is that throughout the earth, men who have become intoxicated with money or power or things and have worshiped the beast and have taken his mark and have not repented will suffer eternal torment. Those who have remained faithful to God throughout all these trials will be with Him forever. But as Barclay observes, “Behind all this remains the eternal truth that the nation or the man whose influence is to evil will not escape the avenging wrath of God.”

What are we to do with these verses? God is a loving Father who sent His only Son to die for our sins. The message of Christmas is that Jesus was and is Immanuel, “God with us.” But God does not force anyone to believe. We must choose to believe that Jesus has died for our sins and confess that we are sinners. We must then follow God throughout the rest of our lives. And we must be mindful of times and seasons. As things stand now, we could see the mark of the beast being encouraged or forced on the world within the next few years.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for sending Jesus to live as a man and to die for our sins. Thank you that Jesus conquered death and the grave and that He rose again and is with you in heaven. Thank you for loving us so much that it is not your will that any of us should perish spiritually but that each one of us should have eternal life. Lord, help this to make sense to every one who reads this. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.

Luke 2:15 “So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made [f]widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”

If you are a shepherd and you have seen angels and you have told everybody you could find about the angels and the baby lying in a manger, what do you do when you return to your sheep? One of our friends, Pastor Doug Hardin, recently wrote a piece called “One Lone Shepherd.” A practical – minded farm boy, Pastor Doug realized that somebody must have had to stay back and mind the sheep while everybody else ran into Bethlehem. How did they choose who stayed back? There must have been a discussion; probably the youngest shepherd had to stay while the other shepherds got to go into Bethlehem and then they allowed him to go in and see the Baby after they got back. But what must the shepherds have done after that?

First comes the question of credibility. How many people in Bethlehem believed the shepherds in the first place? After all, shepherds weren’t exactly upper class. And then perhaps some people thought the shepherds might have been drinking, except that they couldn’t smell any alcohol on their breath. Did the shepherds attempt to inform any religious leaders? And if the shepherds informed any religious leaders, did the religious leaders believe the shepherds? After all, this is the middle of the night. Perhaps the shepherds had simple friends and relatives they could trust and they informed those people, but if that’s the case, we never hear about more visitors to the Baby Jesus.

Perhaps the people who heard the shepherds’ story believed them, but their thinking might have gone like this: “Hey, Miriam! How much longer is this census supposed to last? Can you believe these huge crowds? These strangers are flooding into our small town of Bethlehem! I never knew there were so many people claiming to be descendants of David! Where have all these people come from? And how much longer are they planning to stay? The inns are full, food and water are running short, and even getting fodder for donkeys and camels is becoming a problem. And the Roman soldiers are plain ridiculous, marching down the center of the narrow streets like they own the place! Meanwhile, my next door neighbor just told me this weird story she heard from her crazy brother who is a local shepherd….Huh! Angels? Babies in stables? Incredible! Who knows? Perhaps we can check it out in a few days when things settle down.”

I like to think that there were people who visited Mary and Joseph and the Baby Jesus. Certainly, the children of Bethlehem were probably running all over the place, getting into things they weren’t supposed to. Little kids would have been fascinated by a baby lying in a manger in a cave that served as a stable. And children would have no problems believing in angels. Perhaps some of those children later followed Jesus in His ministry and even became some of the first Christians. We will never know this side of heaven.

And meanwhile, the shepherds have had to return to their stupid stinky sheep. Instead of angelic voices, all the shepherds are hearing now is “Baaa!” But for the shepherds, the angelic visitation was life – changing. For the rest of their lives, the shepherds would remember that night and glorify and praise God. And when they died, they would find that Baby now all grown up, welcoming them into heaven. All because they believed and remembered and continued to praise and glorify God.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please help us to have the same faith the shepherds had. Help us to search for you, to find you, and to hold fast to you. Thank you for coming, for living, for dying for us, and for rising to give us eternal life. Amen.

Revelation 14:14:2-3 “And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the voice of great thunder, and the voice I heard was like the sound of harpers playing on their harps. And they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders, and no one was able to learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased for God from the earth.”

William Barclay describes this song:

(i) It was like the sound of many waters. Here we are reminded of the power of the voice of God, for there is no power like the crash of the mountainous waves upon the beaches and the cliffs. Waves pounding on a seashore make a thrilling sound that can be heard long before the ocean comes into view.

(ii) It was like the voice of great thunder. Here we are reminded of the unmistakableness of the voice of God. No one can fail to hear the thunder-clap.

(iii) It was like the sound of many harpers playing on their harps. Here we are reminded of the melody of the voice of God. There is in that voice the gentle graciousness of sweet music to calm the troubled heart. The mark of the Holy Spirit is peace, and that peace would certainly pervade such music.

The Lamb’s company were singing a song which only they could learn. Here there is a truth which runs through all life. To learn certain things a man must be a certain kind of person. The Lamb’s company were able to learn the new song because they had passed through certain experiences.

(a) They had suffered. There are certain things which only sorrow can teach. As someone made the poets say: “We learned in suffering what we teach in song.” Sorrow can produce resentment but it can also produce faith and peace and a new song.

“I don’t want to hear one more thing from someone who has not earned their Ph.D. in suffering!” I huffed to my friend. It was 1990 and we had been through some hellish experiences. Unfortunately, all too many acquaintances had offered meaningless platitudes that gave no comfort and only served to illustrate how little they understood our situation. The friends we learned to treasure the most were those who had also suffered great losses. That suffering had taught them humility and a willingness to listen rather than to jump to conclusions.

(b) They had lived in loyalty. It is clear that, as the years pass on, the leader will draw closer to his loyal followers and they to him; then he will be able to teach them things the unfaithful or spasmodic follower can never learn. Recently, one of our long – time friends died. This lady’s constant prayer was that she become closer to Jesus each day than she was the day before. Even though this lady had followed Jesus for most of her life, she continued to be a humble learner, grateful for any new insights that others might bring.

(c) That is another way of saying that the company of the Lamb had made steady progress in spiritual growth. A teacher can teach deeper things to a mature student than to an immature beginner. And Jesus Christ can reveal more treasures of wisdom to those who day by day grow up into him. The tragedy of so many is static Christianity. Growing closer to Jesus Christ is an ongoing dynamic process. Married couples with strong relationships testify that a good marriage takes work and commitment; it is the same with our relationship with Jesus. When couples first marry, they are sure that they can’t love each other any more than they do on their wedding days. But after years of living together and facing challenges, these couples realize that the love they have now far exceeds the love they had originally because now their love has stood the test of time. If we are to follow Jesus, we must study God’s Word and pray. God has promised that when we pray, He will give us knowledge and understanding.

PRAYER: Lord, please deliver us from static Christianity! Help us to grow daily in our faith. Give us a desire to know you better and more deeply. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.