His will be done

DEVOTION

THE REVELATION

HIS WILL BE DONE

Rev 15:5-8

5 After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened. 6 Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

NIV

At some time during all these last days, when the harvest of the people of God who are brought to the presence of God and the harvest of the people who experience the wrath of God and are thrown into the winepress or his wrath, all this detail is described for us. These seven angels have some sort of special authority in heaven as, they came out of the temple, and they were dressed in clean, shining linen and word golden sashes. They were no ordinary angels, not that any angel is ordinary, but these were of some greater standing then the others. These seven bowls which have been referred to as the seven bowl judgments, were indeed filled with the wrath of God which is going to be poured out on those who live upon the earth. So again if we have already seen or read what John described as the harvest of the wicked who were thrown into the winepress, the wrath of God and their blood flowed for miles, who are these who are going to receive all these plagues, if not the same people? What we are going to see when these bowls are poured out is very close to the same plagues which God poured out onto the Egyptians in order to free his people and thus accomplishing his will. We also see John describing the temple being filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power. This again is similar to the time Moses when into the tabernacle and it was filled with smoke from the glory of God. What is about to happen to all the peoples left on this earth is not to punish them, but to bring them to repentance and accomplish the will of God.

John 1:7-8

7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.

NIV

1 Tim 2:3-4

3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

NIV

These are but a few scriptures which prove God does not desire that any men experience his wrath for punishment, but for repentance. He desires all men be saved, that all men come to a knowledge of the truth. What is about to happen from the bowls of these seven angels is exactly that. God goes the extra mile for the sake of all his creation. Because there are so many who have rejected him and live for their own pleasures, even creating their own form of gods, he has to do something more dramatic in order to get their attention. If they rejected the truth he already gave them within all the testimony of the scriptures, then he has to bring about events, supernatural events which should convince them of the truth. But unfortunately we already know many still will not come to that saving knowledge and they will battle with God to the very end of their existence. Here in lies a truth for us. First we have already acknowledged God and his Son Jesus Christ as our Savior. He was able to get through to us. Some of us believed without any other reason than we saw the truth in the scriptures. Others of us needed some supernatural event from the hand of God in order for us to believe. The point is God will do want ever he needs to do in order for people to believe. He does not want them to perish, he desires for them to believe. The second thing is this is what all this is all about, trying to persuade men to believe. Yet we know some will not no matter what God brings to them. We can learn a truth from this also. Although we have been tasked with telling our testimony, of sharing the gospel message with whoever we can, some will simply reject everything we have to say. This is not a personal rejection of us, but of what we have to say about God and his will for their salvation. Why men continue to refuse God is beyond comprehension sometimes. Yet other times is seems clear they simply want to live their own lives, under they own passions, without any so called standards God has established. This should give us a clue they actually do know about God for he has placed the knowledge of himself in every man. Paul clearly tells us that men suppress the truth with their wickedness and he goes on to say that men will be without excuse. It is just that simple. So what God is going to pour out on them is to get them to repent, but they will not, just as the Pharaoh did not, not matter how terrible the plagues will get. But that does not relieve us of our calling, our responsibility to tell the people about God, and his kingdom. But perhaps instead of telling them about the love of God we might tell them about the wrath of God and that might just scare them into the kingdom. Otherwise what is the point of his telling us about all his wrath which he is going to pour out? Yes, we should tell them about Jesus, and the love God demonstrated by given his Son, but maybe we should include the fact that for those who refuse to accept Jesus from that truth, they are going to experience his wrath instead, and maybe then they will see the truth. Either way every knee will bow, every tongue will confess the Jesus Christ is Lord. This will happen either before we enter his kingdom or before some will perish, all will acknowledge God. Let it be known God is for real and his will be done.