Tag: judgment
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A Final Word Before the Fall – Exodus 10:27-29
Exodus 10:27-29 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die. And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy…
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A Darkness You Could Feel – Exodus 10:19-22
Exodus 10:19-22 And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go. And the Lord said…
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When the Wind Brings Judgment – Exodus 10:12-15
Exodus 10:12-15 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left. And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt,…
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Hearing What Pride Wants to Hear – Exodus 10:7
Exodus 10:7 And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed? By this point, even Pharaoh’s own servants could see what he refused to face. Egypt was already…
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When Pride Will Not Bow – Exodus 10:3-6
Exodus 10:3-6 And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me. Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I…
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Love Them and Let God Judge – Genesis 50:18-19 Genesis 50:18-19 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? Now the brothers come themselves. They fall down before Joseph’s…
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When the Lord Deals Decisively – Genesis 38:7
Genesis 38:7 And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord slew him. That is a hard verse for people. They read it and say, “How brutal of God to slay a man for being wicked.” But that reaction usually comes from not thinking deeply enough about what wickedness…
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Do Not Look Back – Genesis 19:23-26
Genesis 19:23-26The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But…
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When Nobody Takes You Seriously – Genesis 19:12-14
Genesis 19:12-14And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and…
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The Judge Who Always Gets It Right – Genesis 18:23-25
Genesis 18:23-25 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous…
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Judgment That Is Never Rash – Genesis 18:20-22
Genesis 18:20-22 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now… and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned…
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Not Yet Full – Genesis 15:15-16
Genesis 15:15, 16 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. The Lord tells Abram that he will die in peace and be buried in…
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Slime Pits and Slippery Men – Genesis 14:8-10
Genesis 14:8-10 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim; With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king…
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Mercy in the Confusion – Genesis 11:7
Genesis 11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. What looks severe at first is actually mercy. The Lord saw where this united rebellion was headed, and He stepped in before it ran farther. Men were not gathering to seek Him. They were…
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Lifted Above Every Refuge – Genesis 7:19-23
Genesis 7:19-23 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of…
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When Violence Fills the Earth – Genesis 6:11-13
Genesis 6:11, 12, 13 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the…
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When God Is Grieved – Genesis 6:5-7
Genesis 6:5-7 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.And the Lord said, I will destroy man…
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The Fallen Ones and a Corrupt Age – Genesis 6:4
Genesis 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. This is one of those verses that makes you stop…
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The Spirit Will Not Strive Forever – Genesis 6:3
Genesis 6:3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. This is a sobering verse. The Lord says there comes a point when His Spirit will not keep striving with man indefinitely. That does not…
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As It Was in Noah’s Day – Genesis 6:1-2
Matthew 24:37-39 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,And knew not until the flood came,…
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From Creation to Catastrophe – Genesis 5:32
Genesis 5:32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Genesis is turning a corner here. Up to this point, we have been moving through beginnings. The beginning of creation. The beginning of man. The beginning of sin. The beginning of family life, labor, sorrow, death, and promise. Now…
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A Warning Wrapped in a Name – Genesis 5:21
Genesis 5:21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: Methuselah means dying he shall send. That is an astonishing name. Every time Methuselah’s name was spoken, a message was being preached. Every time his mother called him in for supper, every time his father spoke his name, there was a quiet prophecy…
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Greater Than I Can Bear – Genesis 4:11-13
Genesis 4:11-13 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. And Cain said unto the Lord, My…
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Still Crawling – Genesis 3:13-14
Genesis 3:13-14 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field;…
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Judged at the Wood, Not the White Throne – Revelation 20:11-13
Revelation 20:11-13 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled awayand there was found no place for them.And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before Godand the books were openedand another book was opened, which is the book of…
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The Last Circle Around Jerusalem – Revelation 20:9-10
Revelation 20:9-10 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the…
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The Last War Turns the Wrong Way – Revelation 19:19
Revelation 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. This is the insanity of sin at full bloom. The beast gathers the kings of the earth and their armies together for war.…
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Two Suppers – Revelation 19:16-18
Revelation 19:16-18 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together…
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The King Wins by His Word – Revelation 19:15
Revelation 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. I have seen paintings of this scene where Jesus has a literal sword…
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So Be It, Praise the Lord – Revelation 19:3-4
Revelation 19:3-4 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. Heaven is not embarrassed by the judgment of God. That is what stands out here. Babylon…
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Two Tables – Revelation 19:1-2
Revelation 19:1-2 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the…
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Silenced in a Single Hour – Revelation 18:21-23
And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at…
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When Earth Mourns and Heaven Rejoices – Revelation 18:17-20
And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great…
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Watching from a Distance – Revelation 18:9-10
Revelation 18:9-10 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city.for in one hour…
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One Day Changes Everything – Revelation 18:8
Revelation 18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. Babylon says, I sit a queen. God says, I see a city ready for judgment. Babylon says, I shall see no sorrow. God…
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The Cup Comes Back Full – Revelation 18:6
Revelation 18:6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. Babylon has spent centuries pouring out corruption, seduction, cruelty, and rebellion. She handed a poisoned cup to the nations, and the nations drank deeply. She enriched…
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What Really Reaches Heaven – Revelation 18:5
Revelation 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. There is something striking here. Back in Genesis 11:4, the builders of Babel said they would build a tower whose top would reach unto heaven. Man has always wanted to climb upward on his own terms, make a name for…
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Drunk on Babylon’s Cup – Revelation 18:3
Revelation 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. Babylon is never just a local problem. That is the point. Her influence…
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Babylon Falls Twice – Revelation 18:1
Revelation 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. Revelation 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every…
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The King Who Rules Over Kings – Revelation 17:17
Revelation 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. This verse pulls the curtain back and shows us something we need to remember when the world looks completely out of control. These kings…
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Stoned by Their Own Sin – Revelation 16:21
Revelation 16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talentand men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail for the plague thereof was exceeding great. This judgment is staggering. Hail falls from heaven, and each stone weighs about a talent, around a…
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When the Earth Gives Way – Revelation 16:18-20
Revelation 16:18-20 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell and great Babylon came in remembrance before…
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Pain Without Repentance – Revelation 16:11
Revelation 16:11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores and repented not of their deeds. This verse is astonishing. These men are in such pain they can barely speak. Their bodies are broken down by sores. Their tongues have been gnawed in agony. Darkness has fallen on the kingdom…
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Still Unrepentant – Revelation 16:9
Revelation 16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues and they repented not to give him glory. This verse is terrifying, not only because of the judgment itself, but because of the response to it. Men are scorched with great heat. Their bodies…
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Burned by What They Chose – Revelation 16:8
Revelation 16:8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. Now the judgment reaches up into the heavens. The sun itself becomes an instrument of wrath, scorching men with fire. Whether this involves some kind of cosmic upheaval we would struggle…
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When the Water Turns – Revelation 16:4
Revelation 16:4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. If the second bowl was horrifying, this one is even more personal. Now it is not only the sea that is struck. The rivers are hit. The springs are hit. The fountains are hit.…
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When the Sea Dies – Revelation 16:3
Revelation 16:3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea and it became as the blood of a dead man and every living soul died in the sea. This second bowl is staggering. The sea, which men have always looked to for food, trade, beauty, travel, and life, is struck so severely…
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The Pain of a Chosen Mark – Revelation 16:2
Revelation 16:2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. The first bowl falls, and with it comes a terrible affliction. Painful sores break out on…
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The Voice That Says Go – Revelation 16:1
Revelation 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. Now the command is given. Up to this point, John has seen the angels, the vials, the smoke filling the temple, and…
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Broken Near, Drawn Near – Revelation 15:7-8
Revelation 15:7, 8 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power and no man was able to enter into the temple, till…
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The Holy Precision of Judgment – Revelation 15:5-6
Revelation 15:5-6 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was openedAnd the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. John now sees the temple opened in heaven,…
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When the Bowls Are Full – Revelation 15:1
Revelation 15:1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plaguesfor in them is filled up the wrath of God. By the time we come to chapter 15, we are not at the beginning of the Tribulation. We are deep into it. The church has already been…
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Two Bloods – Revelation 14:19-20
Revelation 14:19-20 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the cityAnd blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a…
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The Ripeness of Rebellion – Revelation 14:17-18
Revelation 14:17, 18 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather…
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A Loud Warning from Heaven – Revelation 14:9 to 11
Revelation 14:9 to 11 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup…
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The Fall of Babylon – Revelation 14:8
Revelation 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. This is a strong word, and it comes with absolute certainty. The angel does not say Babylon might fall. He does not say Babylon could fall. He says, Babylon…
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The Final Call to the Creator – Revelation 14:7
Revelation 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. What a word this is in the middle of a world gone mad. The angel does not…
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Angry at the Shaking – Revelation 11:18
Revelation 11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.…
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Shaken to the Core – Revelation 11:13
Revelation 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. This moment is not only emotional. It is physical. The resurrection of the…
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Prepared for the Appointed Moment – Revelation 9:15
Revelation 9:15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. This verse is brief, but it lands with terrifying force. The four angels are loosed, and when they are released, one third of humanity…
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Trumpets and Locusts – Revelation 9:3-4
Revelation 9:3, 4 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which…
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The Fallen Star with the Key – Revelation 9:1
Revelation 9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth… John does not describe a star newly falling in that moment, but one which had already fallen. That matters, because this is not simply a blazing object dropping out of the sky. This is a person. This…
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Three Woes in the Sky – Revelation 8:13
Revelation 8:13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! By the time we reach this verse, the…
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Darkened Skies – Revelation 8:12
Revelation 8:12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. The…
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Bitter Water and the Tree – Revelation 8:10-11
Revelation 8:10, 11 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became…
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A Fire in the Sea – Revelation 8:8-9
Revelation 8:8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.…
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When Men Become Their Own Judgment – Revelation 8:6-7
Revelation 8:6, 7 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. And the first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. There is…
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When Prayers Come Back – Revelation 8:5
Revelation 8:5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. What a scene this is. In the verses just before this, the prayers of the saints rose before God. They went up…
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The Silence Before the Wind – Revelation 7:1
Revelation 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. After the terror at the end of chapter 6, this verse almost feels…
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When the Sky Rolls Back – Revelation 6:14
Revelation 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. This is one of those verses that makes you stop and just stare at the page for a minute. John says the heaven departed as a scroll when it is…
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When God Shakes the Earth – Revelation 6:12-13
Revelation 6:12-13 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is…
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When Heaven Says Rest – Revelation 6:9-11
Revelation 6:9-11 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge…
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When Sickness Rides Out – Revelation 6:7-8
Revelation 6:7, 8 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part…
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Luxury Untouched – Revelation 6:6
Revelation 6:6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. There is something startling in that last line. Bread is scarce. Barley is rationed. The…
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When Sin Comes Home – Revelation 6:1
Revelation 6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. As we come to chapter 6, we are still in the third and final section of the divine outline given in Revelation 1:19.…
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The Storm Before the Silence – Revelation 4:5
Revelation 4:5“And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” John is still standing in that throne room scene, and what he notices now is not softness, but severity. Out of the throne come lightnings…
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The Church That Continues – Revelation 2:18
Revelation 2:18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass. Now we come to Thyatira. In Thyatira, we see a church emerge around A.D. 600, a church that would exert…
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Big Words, Small Souls – Jude 14-16
Jude 14-16 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly…
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When Worship Turns – Jude 6
Jude 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Jude now moves to his second example, and it is a staggering one. Not only can the delivered fail to keep themselves in the…
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Boldness Born of Love – 1 John 4:16-17
1 John 4:16, 17 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we…
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When He Lets Go – 2 Peter 3:10
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Peter turns now from the…
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Stored for Fire – 2 Peter 3:7
2 Peter 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. Peter says the same word that once brought judgment by water will one day bring judgment by fire. That is a sobering…
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What They Choose to Forget – 2 Peter 3:5-6
2 Peter 3:5-6 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. Peter says the scoffers are not merely uninformed. They are willingly ignorant.…
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Kept Before the Wrath – 2 Peter 2:9
2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. Peter now brings all of his examples to a powerful conclusion. Angels were judged. The old world was flooded. Sodom was turned to ashes. Lot was delivered. And…
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Ashes Are a Warning – 2 Peter 2:6
2 Peter 2:6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly. Peter keeps reaching back into history, and every example says the same thing. God is not casual about corruption. He is not indifferent to rebellion. He…
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No Angel Gets a Pass – 2 Peter 2:4
2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment. Peter now raises the stakes. He has been warning about false teachers, greed, looseness, and corruption. And now he says, in essence, “Do not imagine…
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Hard for Everyone, Hope for the Church – 1 Peter 4:17
1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? Peter says judgment begins at the house of God, and that can sound unsettling until you follow…
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When You Stop Running with the Crowd – 1 Peter 4:4-5
1 Peter 4:4-5 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. Peter says that when your life changes, people notice. And not always kindly. When suffering has…
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The Lord Heard It – James 5:4–6
James 5:4–6 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your…
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Rot in the Closet – James 5:1–3
James 5:1–3 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped…
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That Is Not Your Job – James 4:12
James 4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? James brings us back to a truth that can straighten out a whole life in just a moment: there is one lawgiver. One. Not me. Not you. Not the loudest voice in the room. Not…
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One Life, One Death, One Judgment — Hebrews 9:27
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. This is one of those verses that clears the air fast. We do not move through endless cycles of lives, coming back again and again in different forms, hoping eventually to work our way upward. Scripture does not…