Thoughts From the Bible

Read Revelation 8:   7-13- As I read through this chapter and the activities described, I was stopped by the awesome events mentioned.  I cannot really imagine what type of devastation is really going to happen. Verses 12-13 say, “Then the fourth angel sounded; and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened.  A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.  And I looked, and I heard an angel flying thr ough the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!” As I read through these different calamities, I know people will be in terror and chaos.  They will not fully realize the coming of the God of the universe is at hand.  They will live in fear because they did not see the importance of God in their lives.  We have a chance before th...

Read Revelation 8: 1-4  It is written in Revelation 8:1, "When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour." What causes anything to stop and go silent for 30 minutes? As the seals were opened the other key thing was this what was written in verse 4, "And the smoke of incense with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand."   The prayers of the saints are holding a honored place in the whole unveiling of the end time. We need to realize our prayers are something that are very important to God and He honors our prayers.  We need to take that idea seriously and know the importance God places on prayers. 

Read Revelation 7: 13-17 These short four verses show God's love for those who choose Him and His reward to those who endure greatly for His name.  In verses 13 and 14 we see God reference a specific group of believers, "Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, 'Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?' and I said to him, 'Sir, you know.' So, he said to me, 'These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.'"  Things are hard in our world today.  There is a lot of hatred and violence.  Even with what we know now, the Tribulation will hold even greater horrors for people.  In spite of this, there will still be those who will believe in Jesus Christ, and they will be given a great reward.  They will sit in the presence of Jesus.  They will not hunger or thirst.  Jesus' compassion will be with them for eternity.  We need to know and accep...

Read Revelation 7: 10- 12- We have so much happening in our lives and so much happening in our society.  It is so easy to get caught up in all the activities and all the conversations about a myriad of issues or beliefs. We need a daily reminder of what our priority should be each day. “...saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.’”   Our daily , first priority , is to acknowledge God and to be liberal in our praise to God.  After we have gotten our praise in focus and directed appropriately, the rest will take care of itself.  God will take care of the rest.