November 5, 2008 (WED)

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

 

After these things I heard, as it were, the sound of a great crowd of many people in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation, glory and power belong to our God. His Judgments Are True And Rightous Because He Has Judged The Great Prostitute Who Corrupted The Earth With Her Fornications, And Avenged The Blood Of His Slaves Out Of Her Hand." Rev. 19:1, 2.

Hollywood loves a good revenge story, such as that of the Count of Monte Cristo. In it the count suffers injustice at the hands of an evil antagonist, but in the end he gets even and comes out on top. Many people must like such stories, as the movie industry keeps producing them. Revenge stories conclude when the hero rides off into the sunset, having brought justice into an unjust world. It is human nature to want to see the tables turned on those who have taken advantage of others.

Well, that is exactly what the book of Revelation is all about. Babylon has unjustly juded the people of God(Rev. 18:4-8), and at the end of the book she receives the same kind of punishment that she meted out on them. In Revelation the hero doesnt' head off into the sunset-He returns to the New Jerusalem, where justice and peace will reign for all eternity.

But gaining the upper hand against Babylon is not a pretty picture in the Apocalypse. It requiers powerful earthquakes and giant hailstones, battles and flaming fire, and a great sword that comes out of the mouth of the One who died for human race. Christ now returns as an avenger against those who refused to repent, but instead have tormented others.

The greater the streanght of evil, the greater the force needed to destroy its power and undo the damage it has caused. I have visited places in Africa and South America where people live in cardboard and tin shacks, where gangs roam and pillage at will. In other places rebel armies sweep back and forth, destroying the very people they claim to be fighting for.

I'm not sure what kind of rating Revelation would get if it were a movie-it certainly has plenty of violence and illicit sex in it. The Bible does not mince words when it describes the cesspool of sin that our world has fallen into. God wants us to know just how bad it has been since Satan took over our world. He also desires that we recognize that He is not going to allow things to go on like this forever. An end is in sight. Yes, the book of Revelation is all about turning the tables and evening the score. Soon God wil banish evil from the universe and the prayers for justice will all be answered. What a relief!

Lord, thak You for the going out of Your way to speak our language so we can know that our troubles wil soon be over. Give us courage to endure unitl that day.

If you cling to self, refusing to yield your will to God, you are choosing death. To sin, wherever found, God is a consuming fire. If you choose sin, and refuse to separate from it, the presence of God, which consumes sin, must consume you(TFMB 62).