[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (KD) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]
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"When He opened the seventh
seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour."
This is the famous text some people
use to prove that heaven is only for men, not for women! π Because it is
said that when 2 or more women come together, they can't stop gossiping around.
They always talk and talk! π
And in heaven according to this
verse, there was a silence for about half an hour, which means women were not
there, because it is impossible for women to maintain silence! What do you think so @_______? πππ
I think it's true yaar! ππ
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"And the rest of mankind, who
were not killed by these plagues, πππ
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of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold
and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor
hear nor walk. And they πππ
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of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their sexual immorality nor of
their thefts."
The pathetic state of the wicked
world. Even in the midst of fearful judgment, they did not repent. If they
don't repent now, they won't repent even if they see a miracle or judgment.
When a lump of clay is dry you
cannot reshape it again. A lump of clay
must be moulded into any shape one likes before it is not hardened. Someday every
heart will be hardened, and there will be no repentance and will perish in the
judgment of God.
Praise God for us and our friends
who have repented now, and we must ask people to repent of their sins and turn
to Jesus in faith now. Or else, their hearts will be hardened!
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"And I took the little scroll
out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and
when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. And they *said to me, “You
must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”
The scroll was sweet and bitter.
The news of judgment against wicked people is welcome news for righteous
people. But when we really understand what that means, it's sad.
Yesterday, as I was teaching about
heaven in Gopalpur Bible Study Group, I attempted to bring out the greatness of
Heaven by comparing [contrasting] it to the miseries of life on earth. Suddenly
one person got sad and asked, "What will happen to my mom?" Her mom
had passed away a few months ago without knowing the Lord.
When we think through the reality
of the fate of non-Christians whom we know and love, the judgment of God, the
consequence of the Gospel is also bitter, it’s not only sweet.
That's why John and all of us must
continue to share the Gospel and pray for our unsaved friends all the more.
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"And the twenty-four elders,
who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,
saying, "We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who
were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. And the
nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be
judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints
and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who
destroy the earth."
God is lovely and beautiful when He
saves us, and He is equally lovely and beautiful when He damns some. The 24
elders confirmed that truth.
On the last day, there will be judgment
for the unbelievers and rewards for the believers, what a contrast! Do I really
deserve any reward? Salvation is His gift. Even all my good work is His doing.
What rewards should I be expecting? That's why the 24 elders laid down their
crown in chapter 4:10, knowing everything belongs to God.
In a sense, I really appreciate and
agree with some theological illiterate when they say, "I will be so happy
to sit in the corner of heaven; I don't need rewards." Actually, they
don't know what they are saying π but they are saying something
profound to deny something profound!
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"Then I heard a loud voice in
heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has
been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. "
Satan stands before God, day and
night, accusing us. Wow!
But in 1 John 2:1, we see Jesus
also standing before God as our advocate.
Now, if we don't have Jesus as our
advocate, wouldn't the devil ask God for the maximum punishment against
sinners? And so, will be!
Not only Jesus is in Heaven. Satan
is there too. We read that from the book of Job. But he will be thrown down
soon!
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"All who dwell on the earth
will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation
of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain."
What a terrifying chapter! But what
a wonderful verse inserted in this!
Believers are protected by the
power of God. They won't bow down!
Daniel didn't bow down to the
King's edict. His three friends didn't bow down before the image.
The land of Goshen was spared when
Egypt was plagued!
God did it and He will do it again!
God knows how to preserve His
people! What an assurance that believers will not fall away!
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"And he said with a loud
voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has
come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of
waters.”
God is not losing the battle when
sinners rejected Him. He was equally glorified in the condemnation of sinners
as in the justification of believers. Both Hell and Heaven shall glorify God. We
are created for the glory of God. Everyone will glorify God either in Hell or
Heaven.
I prefer to glorify God in my
salvation than in my condemnation. I prefer to confess Him, Lord, now and be in
heaven than to reject Him now and confess Him in Hell. For Philippians 2 says
that one day, every knee will bow and confess that He is Lord. There's even a
song from that verse!