FROM PRAYERS TO PRAISES!

Posted on August 12, 2016 by randscallawayffm
The Revelation
 
We have all had those times of struggle that lasted seemingly “forever”, then all of a sudden, heaven opens up and the ongoing problem is resolved. What is our first response? As believers, it is hopefully, “Praise God!” and give Him all the glory for helping, teaching, guiding and giving a way to resolve the issue or situation. We cry out to God for help, but when He gives it, do we thank Him and praise Him…First…and Only?
 
Let the Hallelujahs Begin…
During the war with the devil, himself, the devil’s servants the beast and those who worked with the beast to bring “Babylon” to ruin, the devil takes a big hit. He is now defeated by Jesus Christ, Himself. “He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood, and he is addressed as ‘Word of God.'” Cue the heavenly choir, for all of heaven rejoices over the victory. Everyone falls to their knees and worship God on his Throne. The armies of heaven, mounted on white horses, dressed in white linen, follow him. Imagine it! Our King of all kings, LORD of Lords has come to save the world, once again! “Come to the Great Supper!”, shouts an Angel of the Lord.
Yes, let the hallelujahs begin…even now…for our Victory truly is in Jesus Christ our LORD and Savior!
 
Revelation 19, The Message
Revelation 19The Message (MSG)
 
The Sound of Hallelujahs
19 1-3 I heard a sound like massed choirs in Heaven singing,
 
Hallelujah!
The salvation and glory and power are God’s—
his judgments true, his judgments just.
He judged the great Whore
who corrupted the earth with her lust.
He avenged on her the blood of his servants.
Then, more singing:
 
Hallelujah!
The smoke from her burning billows up
to high Heaven forever and ever and ever.
4 The Twenty-four Elders and the Four Animals fell to their knees and worshiped God on his Throne, praising,
 
Amen! Yes! Hallelujah!
5 From the Throne came a shout, a command:
 
Praise our God, all you his servants,
All you who fear him, small and great!
6-8 Then I heard the sound of massed choirs, the sound of a mighty cataract, the sound of strong thunder:
 
Hallelujah!
The Master reigns,
our God, the Sovereign-Strong!
Let us celebrate, let us rejoice,
let us give him the glory!
The Marriage of the Lamb has come;
his Wife has made herself ready.
She was given a bridal gown
of bright and shining linen.
The linen is the righteousness of the saints.
9 The Angel said to me, “Write this: ‘Blessed are those invited to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.’” He added, “These are the true words of God!”
 
10 I fell at his feet to worship him, but he wouldn’t let me. “Don’t do that,” he said. “I’m a servant just like you, and like your brothers and sisters who hold to the witness of Jesus. The witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
 
A White Horse and Its Rider
11-16 Then I saw Heaven open wide—and oh! a white horse and its Rider. The Rider, named Faithful and True, judges and makes war in pure righteousness. His eyes are a blaze of fire, on his head many crowns. He has a Name inscribed that’s known only to himself. He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood, and he is addressed as “Word of God.” The armies of Heaven, mounted on white horses and dressed in dazzling white linen, follow him. A sharp sword comes out of his mouth so he can subdue the nations, then rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the raging wrath of God, the Sovereign-Strong. On his robe and thigh is written, King of kings, Lord of lords.
 
17-18 I saw an Angel standing in the sun, shouting to all flying birds in Middle-Heaven, “Come to the Great Supper of God! Feast on the flesh of kings and captains and champions, horses and their riders. Eat your fill of them all—free and slave, small and great!”
 
19-21 I saw the Beast and, assembled with him, earth’s kings and their armies, ready to make war against the One on the horse and his army. The Beast was taken, and with him, his puppet, the False Prophet, who used signs to dazzle and deceive those who had taken the mark of the Beast and worshiped his image. They were thrown alive, those two, into Lake Fire and Brimstone. The rest were killed by the sword of the One on the horse, the sword that comes from his mouth. All the birds held a feast on their flesh.
 
What do we learn? (With a little insight from Matthew Henry!)
–All of heaven praises Him for the truth of His word, and the righteousness of His providential conduct, especially in this great event—the ruin of Babylon, which had been a mother, nurse, and nest of idolatry, lewdness, and cruelty (Rev. 19:2), for which signal example of divine justice they ascribe salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto our God.
–The effect of their praises: when the angels and saints cried Alleluia, her fire burned more fiercely and her smoke ascended for ever and ever, Rev. 19:3. The surest way to have our deliverances continued and completed is to give God the glory of what he has done for us.
–Praising God for what we have is praying in the most effectual manner for what is yet further to be done for us; the praises of the saints blow up the fire of God’s wrath against the common enemy. Have we ever thought of the deep power of our prayers?
–The blessed harmony between the angels and the saints in this triumphant song, Rev. 19:4. The churches and their ministers take the melodious sound from the angels, and repeat it; falling down, and worshiping God, they cry, Amen, Alleluia.
–John falls down to worship the messenger Angel. The angel rebukes him. The Angel of God directs him to the true and only object of religious worship; namely, God: “Worship God, and him alone.”
 
10292392_10152343384781961_6792993637860813019_n
Dear Heavenly Father, Wow, just wow! Hallelujah! We are reminding of the power of You and wonder why you love us so much. Forgive us our sins and help us to quickly forgive others who merely offend us. Thank you for saving us! Thank you for going to battle for us…and winning! Thank You for Your Presence in our lives right now and throughout the day. Help us see You in every detail of today. In Jesus Name, Amen
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ENOUGH!

Posted on August 11, 2016 by randscallawayffm

The Revelation   As kids, we heard our parents say at the height of our disobedience or messing around, “I have had just about enough!” Because I was “that kid”, my first th…

Source: ENOUGH!

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ENOUGH!

Posted on August 11, 2016 by randscallawayffm
The Revelation
 
As kids, we heard our parents say at the height of our disobedience or messing around, “I have had just about enough!” Because I was “that kid”, my first thought after the shouting was “just about enough”? Does that mean I’ve come close to the line but have a little bit more to go before crossing it? So, we went a little further. Then the boom was lowered with the angry shout of simply, “ENOUGH!” We knew the end had come.
 
Funny, I should think of this as I read how God pretty much says the same thing in the next passage of the revelation. ENOUGH!, He seems to shout as he commands His angel to destroy all that represents sin, all that looks at sin, all that grows their wealth from sin, all that looks with lust at sin, all that partakes in sin and all that worships sin. Enough! The end of darkness, nasty living, idolatry, blasphemy is coming to justice. The cries of God’s people for justice and revenge has been heard. God’s people left it for Him as he commanded in His Word…”Vengeance is Mine.” He delivers.
 
Revelation 18, The Message
 
Doom to the City of Darkness
18 1-8 Following this I saw another Angel descend from Heaven. His authority was immense, his glory flooded earth with brightness, his voice thunderous:
 
Ruined, ruined, Great Babylon, ruined!
A ghost town for demons is all that’s left!
A garrison of carrion spirits,
garrison of loathsome, carrion birds.
All nations drank the wild wine of her whoring;
kings of the earth went whoring with her;
entrepreneurs made millions exploiting her.
Just then I heard another shout out of Heaven:
 
Get out, my people, as fast as you can,
so you don’t get mixed up in her sins,
so you don’t get caught in her doom.
Her sins stink to high Heaven;
God has remembered every evil she’s done.
Give her back what she’s given,
double what she’s doubled in her works,
double the recipe in the cup she mixed;
Bring her flaunting and wild ways
to torment and tears.
Because she gloated, “I’m queen over all,
and no widow, never a tear on my face,”
In one day, disasters will crush her—
death, heartbreak, and famine—
Then she’ll be burned by fire, because God,
the Strong God who judges her,
has had enough.
9-10 “The kings of the earth will see the smoke of her burning, and they’ll cry and carry on, the kings who went night after night to her brothel. They’ll keep their distance for fear they’ll get burned, and they’ll cry their lament:
 
Doom, doom, the great city doomed!
City of Babylon, strong city!
In one hour it’s over, your judgment come!
11-17 “The traders will cry and carry on because the bottom dropped out of business, no more market for their goods: gold, silver, precious gems, pearls; fabrics of fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet; perfumed wood and vessels of ivory, precious woods, bronze, iron, and marble; cinnamon and spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; wine and oil, flour and wheat; cattle, sheep, horses, and chariots. And slaves—their terrible traffic in human lives.
 
Everything you’ve lived for, gone!
All delicate and delectable luxury, lost!
Not a scrap, not a thread to be found!
“The traders who made millions off her kept their distance for fear of getting burned, and cried and carried on all the more:
 
Doom, doom, the great city doomed!
Dressed in the latest fashions,
adorned with the finest jewels,
in one hour such wealth wiped out!
17-19 “All the ship captains and travelers by sea, sailors and toilers of the sea, stood off at a distance and cried their lament when they saw the smoke from her burning: ‘Oh, what a city! There was never a city like her!’ They threw dust on their heads and cried as if the world had come to an end:
 
Doom, doom, the great city doomed!
All who owned ships or did business by sea
Got rich on her getting and spending.
And now it’s over—wiped out in one hour!
20 “O Heaven, celebrate! And join in, saints, apostles, and prophets! God has judged her; every wrong you suffered from her has been judged.”
 
21-24 A strong Angel reached for a boulder—huge, like a millstone—and heaved it into the sea, saying,
 
Heaved and sunk, the great city Babylon,
sunk in the sea, not a sign of her ever again.
Silent the music of harpists and singers—
you’ll never hear flutes and trumpets again.
Artisans of every kind—gone;
you’ll never see their likes again.
The voice of a millstone grinding falls dumb;
you’ll never hear that sound again.
The light from lamps, never again;
never again laughter of bride and groom.
Her traders robbed the whole earth blind,
and by black-magic arts deceived the nations.
The only thing left of Babylon is blood—
the blood of saints and prophets,
the murdered and the martyred.
 
What do we learn?
–Those that are resolved to partake with wicked men in their sins must receive their plagues.
–When the sins of a people reach up to heaven, the wrath of God will reach down to the earth.
–Though private revenge is forbidden, yet God will have his people act under him, when called to it, in pulling down his and their inveterate and implacable enemies, Rev. 18:6.
–God will proportion the punishment of sinners to the measure of their wickedness, pride, and security, Rev. 18:7.
–The pleasures of sin are but for a season, and they will end in dismal sorrow.
–All those who rejoice in the success of the church’s enemies will share with them in their downfall; and those who have most indulged themselves in pride and pleasure are the least able to bear calamities; their sorrows will be as excessive as their pleasure were before.
–What was the cause of their mourning; not their sin, but their punishment. They did not lament their fall into idolatry, and luxury, and persecution, but their fall into ruin—the loss of their traffic and of their wealth and power.
–The spirit of antichrist is a worldly spirit, and their sorrow is a mere worldly sorrow; they did not lament for the anger of God, that had now fallen upon them, but for the loss of their outward comfort.
–The fall of Babylon was an act of God’s vindictive justice. God was then avenging his people’s cause. They had committed their cause to him to whom vengeance belongs. They did not take pleasure in the miseries of any, yet they had reason to rejoice in the discoveries of the glorious justice of God.
–An angel from heaven took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, “Thus shall Babylon be thrown down with violence, and be found no more at all; the place shall be no longer habitable by man, no work shall be done there, no comfort enjoyed, no light seen there, but utter darkness and desolation, as the reward of her great wickedness, first in deceiving the nations with her sorceries, and secondly in destroying and murdering those whom she could not deceive,” Rev. 18:24. Such abominable sins deserved so great a ruin. — Matthew Henry, Commentator
be a difference
Dear Heavenly Father,
Have you had enough of the sins of this world? Is Your judgement coming closer? I ask myself this question as I lament over children being sold into sex trafficking and slavery, as leaders squabble over what will make them richer, not for helping others, as leaders worship themselves instead of You, for broken families because of all kinds of sins of self satisfactions, and for churches that are failing to look outward and insisting on looking only inward for maintaining traditions of the past. And then I look inward at myself. Am I all I can be in Your eyes? What am I holding on to, worshiping instead of totally committing myself to You? May Your Holy Spirit lead us in every detail of our lives today. Help us to be all You want us to be.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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THE WAR GOES ON…BUT…

Posted on August 10, 2016 by randscallawayffm
The Revelation
 
The battle for our souls is an ongoing war. It will not stop until Jesus comes back for His own. Know that. Be alert. “Don’t drop your guard. Use your head.” as the next part of the vision reveals our Victor.
 
Here is a war begun between the beast and his followers, and the Lamb and his followers. The beast and his army, in worldly eyes, appear much stronger than the Lamb and his army: one would think an army with a lamb at the head of them could not stand before the great red dragon. But…
 
Here is a victory gained by the Lamb: The Lamb shall overcome. Christ must reign till all enemies be put under his feet; he will be sure to meet with many enemies, and much opposition, but he will also be sure to gain the victory.
 
Revelation 17, The Revelation
 
1-2 One of the Seven Angels who carried the seven bowls came and invited me, “Come, I’ll show you the judgment of the great Whore who sits enthroned over many waters, the Whore with whom the kings of the earth have gone whoring, show you the judgment on earth dwellers drunk on her whorish lust.”
 
3-6 In the Spirit he carried me out in the desert. I saw a woman mounted on a Scarlet Beast. Stuffed with blasphemies, the Beast had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, festooned with gold and gems and pearls. She held a gold chalice in her hand, brimming with defiling obscenities, her foul fornications. A riddle-name was branded on her forehead: great babylon, mother of whores and abominations of the earth. I could see that the woman was drunk, drunk on the blood of God’s holy people, drunk on the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.
 
6-8 Astonished, I rubbed my eyes. I shook my head in wonder. The Angel said, “Does this surprise you? Let me tell you the riddle of the woman and the Beast she rides, the Beast with seven heads and ten horns. The Beast you saw once was, is no longer, and is about to ascend from the Abyss and head straight for Hell. Earth dwellers whose names weren’t written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will be dazzled when they see the Beast that once was, is no longer, and is to come.
 
9-11 “But don’t drop your guard. Use your head. The seven heads are seven hills; they are where the woman sits. They are also seven kings: five dead, one living, the other not yet here—and when he does come his time will be brief. The Beast that once was and is no longer is both an eighth and one of the seven—and headed for Hell.
 
12-14 “The ten horns you saw are ten kings, but they’re not yet in power. They will come to power with the Scarlet Beast, but won’t last long—a very brief reign. These kings will agree to turn over their power and authority to the Beast. They will go to war against the Lamb but the Lamb will defeat them, proof that he is Lord over all lords, King over all kings, and those with him will be the called, chosen, and faithful.”
 
15-18 The Angel continued, “The waters you saw on which the Whore was enthroned are peoples and crowds, nations and languages. And the ten horns you saw, together with the Beast, will turn on the Whore—they’ll hate her, violate her, strip her naked, rip her apart with their teeth, then set fire to her. It was God who put the idea in their heads to turn over their rule to the Beast until the words of God are completed. The woman you saw is the great city, tyrannizing the kings of the earth.”
 
What do we learn?
–Sin and the lust of sin is named and the name is even posted on a sign for all to see and partake. How obvious does sin have to be for us to run from it?
–Jesus Christ, our Lord, is the Victor over all!
–Stand firm. Believe. Behave like we say we believe.
Victory in Jesus
Dear Heavenly Father, The battle rages on for our souls and the souls of our family members. We cry out in dismay and discouragement, but then we remember, You are the Victor over all. You are in all. You are alive and living in us. We are more than conquerors in this battle when we are with You. Help us always to remember this Truth.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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THE POURING OUT…

Posted on August 9, 2016 by randscallawayffm

The Revelation   The world was in darkness. The world was a mess. God sent His Son to be Light, Hope and The Way back to God, the Creator. His Son was rejected by many. He was accepted by a few who…

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THE POURING OUT…

Posted on August 9, 2016 by randscallawayffm
The Revelation
 
The world was in darkness. The world was a mess. God sent His Son to be Light, Hope and The Way back to God, the Creator. His Son was rejected by many. He was accepted by a few who spent their lives following Him, establishing His church with Jesus as the Head of the church. This Jesus died to save us, to bring us back to God. He was the sacrificial Lamb, perfect, without blemish and voluntarily, though He had the power to stop it, laid down His life for ours and was nailed to a cross. It had to happen so that our debt of all our sin was paid in full. It had to happen so that a relationship with God, the Father could be established once again. We are heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord because of Jesus’ work, His mission on earth, on that cross. And still many say no.
 
Jesus poured out His life. For those who reject him still, mock Christianity and continue in selfish evil ways, there is a new “pouring out”. God commands, “Begin! Pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on earth!”
 
Revelation 16, The Message
Pouring Out the Seven Disasters
16 I heard a shout of command from the Temple to the Seven Angels: “Begin! Pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on earth!”
 
2 The first Angel stepped up and poured his bowl out on earth: Loathsome, stinking sores erupted on all who had taken the mark of the Beast and worshiped its image.
 
3 The second Angel poured his bowl on the sea: The sea coagulated into blood, and everything in it died.
 
4-7 The third Angel poured his bowl on rivers and springs: The waters turned to blood. I heard the Angel of Waters say,
 
Righteous you are, and your judgments are righteous,
The Is, The Was, The Holy.
They poured out the blood of saints and prophets
so you’ve given them blood to drink—
they’ve gotten what they deserve!
Just then I heard the Altar chime in,
 
Yes, O God, the Sovereign-Strong!
Your judgments are true and just!
8-9 The fourth Angel poured his bowl on the sun: Fire blazed from the sun and scorched men and women. Burned and blistered, they cursed God’s Name, the God behind these disasters. They refused to repent, refused to honor God.
 
10-11 The fifth Angel poured his bowl on the throne of the Beast: Its kingdom fell into sudden eclipse. Mad with pain, men and women bit and chewed their tongues, cursed the God-of-Heaven for their torment and sores, and refused to repent and change their ways.
 
12-14 The sixth Angel poured his bowl on the great Euphrates River: It dried up to nothing. The dry riverbed became a fine roadbed for the kings from the East. From the mouths of the Dragon, the Beast, and the False Prophet I saw three foul demons crawl out—they looked like frogs. These are demon spirits performing signs. They’re after the kings of the whole world to get them gathered for battle on the Great Day of God, the Sovereign-Strong.
 
15 “Keep watch! I come unannounced, like a thief. You’re blessed if, awake and dressed, you’re ready for me. Too bad if you’re found running through the streets, naked and ashamed.”
 
16 The frog-demons gathered the kings together at the place called in Hebrew Armageddon.
 
17-21 The seventh Angel poured his bowl into the air: From the Throne in the Temple came a shout, “Done!” followed by lightning flashes and shouts, thunder crashes and a colossal earthquake—a huge and devastating earthquake, never an earthquake like it since time began. The Great City split three ways, the cities of the nations toppled to ruin. Great Babylon had to drink the wine of God’s raging anger—God remembered to give her the cup! Every island fled and not a mountain was to be found. Hailstones weighing a ton plummeted, crushing and smashing men and women as they cursed God for the hail, the epic disaster of hail.
 
Pause for reflection…
–“You’re blessed if, awake and dressed, you’re ready for Me.”
–Are we ready?
yes-I-believe
Dear Heavenly Father,
Your revelation of Jesus Christ, who will come back for His own is powerful imagery of what You are capable of doing to balance the scales of this corrupted world. May we be alert, dressed and ready when you return. May we be found securely faithful, not leaning to the left or right, but smack dab in the center of Your love with all that is in us. You are my King and Lord of my life.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Posted on August 8, 2016 by randscallawayffm

THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF ANTI-CHRISTIANS   The Revelation   “The greatest deliverances of the church are brought about by awful and astonishing steps of Providence.” –Matthew H…

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THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Posted on August 8, 2016 by randscallawayffm
THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF ANTI-CHRISTIANS
 
The Revelation
 
“The greatest deliverances of the church are brought about by awful and astonishing steps of Providence.” –Matthew Henry
 
God WILL do what He says He will do. We have stood on the promises of His love, mercy and grace and now we see what will happen to those who do not. The beginning of the end of all who oppose Jesus Christ, mock His Name, worship everything but Him, is met by God’s wrath. Evil will not win. Evil will run it’s course and then be executed by God, Himself. The Temple doors will open. Angels of God will come from the Temple of God dressed in clean, white linen over laid with gold vests, like the priests who dressed to go “inquire” of God and get answers from Him.
 
God is answering the prayers of His people for deliverance! The “saved ones” stood on a sea of glass, possibly representing the deliverance of Israel, led by Moses through the Red Sea. Hence the saints singing the “Song of Moses” in praise! This also could represent the “sea” in which the priests ceremoniously washed before entering the Temple. The angels are the ministers of divine justice, and they do every thing in a pure and holy manner.
 
Matthew Henry says, “This wrath of God was not to be poured out all at once, but was divided into seven parts, which should successively fall upon the antichristian party. Now from whom did they receive these vials? From one of the four living creatures, one of the ministers of the true church, that is, in answer to the prayers of the ministers and people of God, and to avenge their cause, in which the angels are willingly employed.
 
Yes, the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb, is a song of final deliverance. Let us also worship Who is and Is to come! The mockery of Christianity, of Jesus Christ who saved us, the Son of the Living God, the Creator of all and who is in all and above all, will not go on forever. Know that. Believe. Live.
 
Revelation 15, The Message
The Song of Moses, the Song of the Lamb
15 I saw another Sign in Heaven, huge and breathtaking: seven Angels with seven disasters. These are the final disasters, the wrap-up of God’s wrath.
 
2-4 I saw something like a sea made of glass, the glass all shot through with fire. Carrying harps of God, triumphant over the Beast, its image, and the number of its name, the saved ones stood on the sea of glass. They sang the Song of Moses, servant of God; they sang the Song of the Lamb:
 
Mighty your acts and marvelous,
O God, the Sovereign-Strong!
Righteous your ways and true,
King of the nations!
Who can fail to fear you, God,
give glory to your Name?
Because you and you only are holy,
all nations will come and worship you,
because they see your judgments are right.
 
5-8 Then I saw the doors of the Temple, the Tent of Witness in Heaven, open wide. The Seven Angels carrying the seven disasters came out of the Temple. They were dressed in clean, bright linen and wore gold vests. One of the Four Animals handed the Seven Angels seven gold bowls, brimming with the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. Smoke from God’s glory and power poured out of the Temple. No one was permitted to enter the Temple until the seven disasters of the Seven Angels were finished.
 
What do we learn?
–“God himself was now preaching to the church and to all the world, by terrible things in righteousness; but, when this work was done, then the churches would have rest, the temple would be opened, and the solemn assemblies gathered, edified, and multiplied.” –Matthew Henry, Commentator
–When all is said and done, the Temple will open the doors wide and God’s people who stood firm will enter. No more persecution from the antichrist and antichristian groups.
 
“Who can fail to fear you, God, give glory to your Name? Because you and you only are holy.”
 
10286829_10152401410281223_5358234182573199913_oDear Heavenly Father, Holy, holy, holy are You and You Alone. I will meditate and give praise all day long to You. In Jesus Name, Amen. I believe.
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WHAT TAKES OUR BREATH AWAY?

Posted on August 5, 2016 by randscallawayffm

The Revelation   Finally, after a hard season of tedious work, a blessing is provided by God that literally takes our breath away. God works like that! When we least expect it, in the middle of bad…

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WHAT TAKES OUR BREATH AWAY?

Posted on August 5, 2016 by randscallawayffm
The Revelation
 
Finally, after a hard season of tedious work, a blessing is provided by God that literally takes our breath away. God works like that! When we least expect it, in the middle of bad stuff and trying times, He takes our breath away, reminding us of His power, love, mercy, grace, strength and ultimately that HE is in control and has been all along. This might be through a tricky problem solved, a rescue provided, an arduous relationship healed, a financial need met, or simply a whisper from God’s Voice to our hearts about who we are in Him.
 
Imagine John, in the middle of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Who is and is to come, having the extreme blessing of SEEING the Lamb standing of Mount Zion, with others with Him. It takes his breath away. Remember what takes our breath away. Does anything like that compare to this revelation of Jesus? I doubt it.
 
The voices from heaven then speak holy words of encouragement for those who stand firm, hang in there, through tough times and good times, who never give up on their faith in the One and Only who saves us.
 
Yes, this morning as I sit here, it takes my breath away, too. It’s harvest time, after the season of preparing, planting, watering, tilling and sweating through it all…it’s time for the Master to harvest.
 
Revelation 14, The Message
A Perfect Offering
14 1-2 I saw—it took my breath away!—the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, 144,000 standing there with him, his Name and the Name of his Father inscribed on their foreheads. And I heard a voice out of Heaven, the sound like a cataract, like the crash of thunder.
 
2-5 And then I heard music, harp music and the harpists singing a new song before the Throne and the Four Animals and the Elders. Only the 144,000 could learn to sing the song. They were bought from earth, lived without compromise, virgin-fresh before God. Wherever the Lamb went, they followed. They were bought from humankind, firstfruits of the harvest for God and the Lamb. Not a false word in their mouths. A perfect offering.
 
Voices from Heaven
6-7 I saw another Angel soaring in Middle-Heaven. He had an Eternal Message to preach to all who were still on earth, every nation and tribe, every tongue and people. He preached in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory! His hour of judgment has come! Worship the Maker of Heaven and earth, salt sea and fresh water!”
 
8 A second Angel followed, calling out, “Ruined, ruined, Great Babylon ruined! She made all the nations drunk on the wine of her whoring!”
 
9-11 A third Angel followed, shouting, warning, “If anyone worships the Beast and its image and takes the mark on forehead or hand, that person will drink the wine of God’s wrath, prepared unmixed in his chalice of anger, and suffer torment from fire and brimstone in the presence of Holy Angels, in the presence of the Lamb. Smoke from their torment will rise age after age. No respite for those who worship the Beast and its image, who take the mark of its name.”
 
12 Meanwhile, the saints stand passionately patient, keeping God’s commands, staying faithful to Jesus.
 
13 I heard a voice out of Heaven, “Write this: Blessed are those who die in the Master from now on; how blessed to die that way!”
 
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “and blessed rest from their hard, hard work. None of what they’ve done is wasted; God blesses them for it all in the end.”
 
Harvest Time
14-16 I looked up, I caught my breath!—a white cloud and one like the Son of Man sitting on it. He wore a gold crown and held a sharp sickle. Another Angel came out of the Temple, shouting to the Cloud-Enthroned, “Swing your sickle and reap. It’s harvest time. Earth’s harvest is ripe for reaping.” The Cloud-Enthroned gave a mighty sweep of his sickle, began harvesting earth in a stroke.
 
17-18 Then another Angel came out of the Temple in Heaven. He also had a sharp sickle. Yet another Angel, the one in charge of tending the fire, came from the Altar. He thundered to the Angel who held the sharp sickle, “Swing your sharp sickle. Harvest earth’s vineyard. The grapes are bursting with ripeness.”
 
19-20 The Angel swung his sickle, harvested earth’s vintage, and heaved it into the winepress, the giant winepress of God’s wrath. The winepress was outside the City. As the vintage was trodden, blood poured from the winepress as high as a horse’s bridle, a river of blood for two hundred miles.
Ive Just seen Jesus
What do we learn?
–It will be worth it all when we see Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!
–Hold this to our hearts, “Meanwhile, the saints stand passionately patient, keeping God’s commands, staying faithful to Jesus. I heard a voice out of Heaven, “Write this: Blessed are those who die in the Master from now on; how blessed to die that way!” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “and blessed rest from their hard, hard work. None of what they’ve done is wasted; God blesses them for it all in the end.”
–GET THIS…None of what we’ve done is wasted. God blesses us for it in the end.
 
Yes, Lord, you still take my breath away…thank you.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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