Frogs in Armageddon

Revelation 16:8-16

The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire.  They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.

The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.

The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east.  And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.  For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.  (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)  And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

Global warming on an extreme scale.  When the Creator decides to end the world, it will become very evident who is in charge of the climate, the elements, and the universe.  God alone, controls the end of time.  Mankind can make bad decisions, and often does, but destroying the planet is not within our purview or authority.  God created the earth, the sun, the moon, the planets, the stars, and the cosmos (ref. Genesis 1) and knows exactly what can/cannot destroy them.

In the seven bowl plagues outlined in Revelation 16, we see God’s control over the sun, the waters, Satan, and even the demonic spirits.  Again, these plagues resemble the plagues in Exodus when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt.  Fire from heaven, sores on their bodies, frogs, and dried-up river beds are similar, but on a global scale.  All of this is to set up the final battle between God and Satan over mankind.  This battle will take place in the valley of Megiddo (Armageddon), in the north of Israel between Mt. Carmel and Mt. Tabor  

Since biblical times, the Euphrates has been a major waterway separating the Middle East from the Far East.  A major trade route and a sustaining water source for the inhabitants of that region.  Today, we see reports about the Great Euphrates River drying up.  Global Climate supporters blame this on global warming and mankind’s abuse of natural resources for political gain.  This has a significant impact on those in the region; farmers, wildlife, livestock, and health concerns are making headlines throughout the region.  In this, we still see mankind even denying the sovereignty and authority of God over all things.  Scientific communities and the media will tell us that these are all natural events caused by man’s abuse of the Earth’s resources.  Some of this is true, but why they refuse to see the biblical connection remains a mystery to me.

John’s vision in the great throne room paints a picture of a hard-hearted community.  Refusing to grasp ahold of the mercy and grace from the Father, they align their loyalties to Satan and his forces.  God grants these remaining individuals what they wish for – eternal separation from Him and instead an eternity of pain and suffering.  The plagues will fall upon them in these last days, and in their anger, they still curse God and deny His authority and sovereignty.  A debased mindset that only sees evil as good.  God’s sovereignty reaches as far as Satan’s throne room and the army he is building in the end days.

Satan’s call goes out to the kings all around the globe to join forces against the almighty Creator.  The stage is being set today as we see the political landscape leaning away from God in all reaches of the globe.  Succumbing to worldly desires, leaders around the globe push agendas focused on removing God from the spotlight and putting themselves into the spotlight.  We are living through the decline of the church age and nearing the entry into the tribulation years.  I hope you are remaining alert and ready for the return of Christ.  Again, we see Christ’s words that His return will be “like a thief in the night, just like in Matthew 24:43.  We must be prepared and ready on that day.

What this means for you and me is to be in the Word.  Daily walking with the Lord, so when He returns to call His children home, you know Him.  Jesus makes himself available to all of us through studying the word, prayer, and loving others.  He is not absent, though many would think so, because they haven’t met the real Jesus yet.  That’s where we come in.  Share your story, tell others about His love, His sacrifice, His grace, and His promise for eternity.  Be active in helping others know who your Lord and Savior is, and why they need to know Him as well.

And then there were Plagues

Revelation 15:1, 5-8

(1)Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished….

(5)After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests.  And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished

Up to this point, we have discussed the seven seals broken by the Lamb of God, the seven trumpets blown by the seven angels, and now we are introduced to seven angels with seven plagues for the end of the great tribulation and seven bowls full of wrath.  The temple of God then becomes off-limits until the end is complete.

His glory filled the temple to the point no other being could enter in.  In the final stages of tribulation, God’s wrath will demonstrate His unmatched omnipotence and power.  He alone has the authority to give these angels the ability to pour out the coming wrath upon mankind.  Every element of His wrath and judgment to this point has demonstrated His authority over all creatures, even Satan.  Despite Satan’s attempt to usurp God’s authority, this ending scenario makes it very clear that Satan is fully beholden to God’s authority.

The angels bring the bowls of wrath upon those who have denied and refused His mercies and grace.  Those who have decided to follow Satan, the Antichrist, and False Prophet will feel this wrath completely.  Do not let the world tell you that this shows that inherently God is evil.  This is 100% based on mankind’s decision to reject Him, and not based on God’s decision to reject mankind.  

Let us not forget that God sent them Jesus Christ as the propitiation of sin, redemption, and salvation.  God in the last days will send them 144,000 Saints to share His word and testimony, to help them repent and turn from their evil ways.  God will send them plagues to demonstrate His authority and omnipotence.  God will send them two witnesses to prophecy and share His mercy and grace with them.  Despite His attempts to bring them back into His love and eternal rest, there will be those who maintain their self-centered, self-righteous denial even to the point of death.  

Pray and share His love with those you meet today.  Help them understand and see His loving mercy and grace.  Each day, our path crosses the path of others struggling in life; help them find God.

Proving He Loves You

Daily Thoughts – September 26^th  

 

“Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens.”–” Genesis 19:24 (in context)

The cities were filled with sin.  Man slept with man and woman with woman.  Rape, incest, murder, evil thoughts and actions were pervasive throughout the population of the city.  The corruptness had become the norm and righteousness was hard to find.  The pleas of Abraham had been for the Lord to show mercy if only 10 righteous people could be found in the entire city (Genesis 18:16-33).  It was not to be and we know the rest of the story.  In an instant the Lord destroyed the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, as no righteousness could be found within their walls, except Lot and his family.  Was the Lord justified in destroying these cities?  How can you answer anything but yes when you are contemplating the actions of the Lord.  He is justified in every action ever taken by His own hand.  He is the designer, creator and author of life, death and all that is in between.  Who can tell Him that He is wrong in His actions?

For I propose to you that the society in which we live, the acceptance of our culture has become so complacent and accepting that unrighteousness once again abounds within the walls of each city.  Should we be looking heavenward for the streaking flares of sulfur raining down upon our cities any day now?  Are you convinced that the population of Sodom and Gomorrah were much worse than the cities of our 21^st century?  Certainly, there are more than 10 righteous people inside of your city walls, and you are likely one of them.  Is this what keeps the Lord from pouring out His wrath upon our very existence?

There is a significant reason that God has not destroyed the earth again, despite the evil, corruption, sadistic and deplorable sinful lives of mankind.  That reason is the one we call Jesus Christ.  For you see, the wrath of our Lord; which was poured out on Sodom, it was poured out on the Philistines, it was poured out on the Egyptians, it was poured out on the entire world in the flood of Genesis 6; was also poured out on the very flesh of God’s own Son.  Take that in for just a moment.  We are no better than those of Sodom and Gomorrah, or those of Egypt, or those that ridiculed Noah.  We as a society in general have turned our back on serving the Lord with everything we have, and we have chosen to pursue the pleasures of the world instead.  The wrath of God that you and I so rightfully deserve for our thoughts, our actions and our sinful nature would be death, devastation and destruction of catastrophic proportion.  This overwhelming wrath of the Lord, the pain and suffering we deserve, was delivered to one man who did live perfectly righteous in every way.

The sacrificial lamb for our sins was slaughtered because you and I deserved to die for what we have done, not because of anything He did.  Jesus Christ bore the extreme wrath of God, something we cannot begin to fathom, so you and I would not have to.  When you read John 3:16; “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever shall believe in Him will have eternal life.”; the words are almost cliché, because we have watered them down to our view of love.  I want you to realize the severity of God’s wrath that He poured out onto His only Son, based on the perspective of His wrath that He poured out on Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt, and the world in the Old Testament.  This extreme wrath was poured out on this one man, so that you and I would be exempt from this punishment in our lifetime.  He loves us that much.  Not a little bit as you and I love each other and our families; but His love was so intense that He chose to destroy His own Son, literally and figuratively, so that we can enter eternity one day.

Is God’s wrath still alive today?  Yes, but we are shielded from that wrath because of the lamb that paid the price for our deplorable sinful nature.  One day, God’s wrath will once again be released upon this earth, for those who have chosen to deny His sacrificial offering.  This wrath will make Sodom and Gomorrah look like a walk in the park on Sunday afternoon.  The fire and sulfur that rained from the sky on these cities will be nothing compared to the depths of Hell that await mankind for their denial of Jesus Christ, and God the Father.  Don’t question the reality of it.  God has given you plenty of warning.  Jesus has pleaded with Him on your behalf and taken your punishment already.  The next step will be utter destruction of this earth as we know it and you won’t be able to avoid His wrath without accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.  Don’t blame it on God, for He provided a path for your escape, just as He did for Lot and his family to escape from Sodom on that night as recorded in Genesis.  Are you telling your friends?  Are you telling your family?  Do you care enough about their salvation to ensure that they are not exposed to God’s wrath one day?  If not, ask yourself why not.  Why is that not the most important thing you have to do today?

Who is pleading with the Lord on our behalf today?


© Sondove Enterprises, 2019

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Proof that He Loves You

Read It, Learn It, Live It, Share It with your Friends

“Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens.”– Genesis 19:24

The cities were filled with sin.  Man slept with man and woman with woman.  Rape, incest, murder, evil thoughts and actions were pervasive throughout the population of the city.  The corruptness had become the norm and righteousness was hard to find.  The pleas of Abraham had been for the Lord to show mercy if only 10 righteous people could be found in the entire city.  It was not to be and we know the rest of the story.  In an instant the Lord destroyed the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, as no righteousness could be found within their walls, except Lot and his family.  Was the Lord justified in destroying these cities?  How can you answer anything but yes when you are contemplating the actions of the Lord.  He is justified in every action ever taken by His own hand.  He is the designer, creator and author of life, death and all that is in between.  Who can tell Him that He is wrong in His actions?

Who is pleading with the Lord on our behalf today?  For I propose to you that the society in which we live, the acceptance of our culture has become so complacent and accepting that unrighteousness once again abounds within the walls of each city.  Should we be looking heavenward for the streaking flares of sulfur raining down upon our cities any day now?  Are you convinced that the population of Sodom and Gomorrah were much worse than the cities of our 21^st century?  Certainly, there are more than 10 righteous people inside of your city walls, and you are likely one of them.  Is this what keeps the Lord from pouring out His wrath upon our very existence?

There is a significant reason that God has not destroyed the earth again, despite the evil, corruption, sadistic and deplorable sinful lives of mankind.  That reason is the one we call Jesus Christ.  For you see, the wrath of our Lord; which was poured out on Sodom, it was poured out on the Philistines, it was poured out on the Egyptians, it was poured out on the entire world in the flood of Genesis 6; was also poured out on the very flesh of God’s own Son.  Take that in for just a moment.  We are no better than those of Sodom and Gomorrah, or those of Egypt, or those that ridiculed Noah.  We as a society in general have turned our back on serving the Lord with everything we have, and we have chosen to pursue the pleasures of the world instead.  The wrath of God that you and I so rightfully deserve for our thoughts, our actions and our sinful nature would be death, devastation and destruction of catastrophic proportion.  This overwhelming wrath of the Lord, the pain and suffering we deserve, was delivered to one man who did live perfectly righteous in every way.

The sacrificial lamb for our sins was slaughtered because you and I deserved to die for what we have done, not because of anything He did.  Jesus Christ bore the extreme wrath of God, something we cannot begin to fathom, so you and I would not have to.  When you read John 3:16; “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever shall believe in Him will have eternal life.”; the words are almost cliché, because we have watered them down to our view of love.  I want you to realize the severity of God’s wrath that He poured out onto His only Son, based on the perspective of His wrath that He poured out on Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt, and the world in the Old Testament.  This extreme wrath was poured out on this One man, so that you and I would be exempt from this punishment in our lifetime.  He loves us that much.  Not a little bit as you and I love each other and our families; but His love was so intense that He chose to destroy His own Son, literally and figuratively, so that we can enter eternity one day.

Is God’s wrath still alive today?  Yes, but we are shielded from that wrath because of the lamb that paid the price for our deplorable sinful nature.  One day, God’s wrath will once again be released upon this earth, for those who have chosen to deny His sacrificial offering.  This wrath will make Sodom and Gomorrah look like a walk in the park on Sunday afternoon.  The fire and sulfur that rained from the sky on these cities will be nothing compared to the depths of Hell that await mankind for their denial of Jesus Christ, and God the Father.  Don’t question the reality of it.  God has given you plenty of warning.  Jesus has pleaded with Him on your behalf and taken your punishment already.  The next step will be utter destruction of this earth as we know it and you won’t be able to avoid His wrath without accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.  Don’t blame it on God, for He provided a path for your escape, just as He did for Lot and his family to escape from Sodom on that night as recorded in Genesis.  Are you telling your friends?  Are you telling your family?  Do you care enough about their salvation to ensure that they are not exposed to God’s wrath one day?  If not, ask yourself why not.  Why is that not the most important thing you have to do today?


             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com
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There’s only One

Read It, Learn It, Live It, Share It

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”  - Exodus 20:3

Who is your god?

In ancient Greece, and to some extent even today there are those who pray to gods of wind, fire, rain, sun, love, sex, good and evil.  There was a god (or goddess) for nearly emotion and/or event that took place in one’s life.  Many still believe in these mythological gods and call upon them periodically for good fortune or for their needs to be met.  The thing is, in many cases their needs are met, and all praise and worship goes to this fictitious god that they claim made it all happen.  These gods exist in the one destined to deliver mankind to the depths of hell – that being Satan, Lucifer – the fallen angel of the God almighty.  He is more than happy to support those that call on any god other than Jehovah.

Some say that all religions are simply different paths to the same god, and that none is more worthy or correct than the other.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  There is but one God, and He has given us His written word to help us understand clearly that He is Lord, Sovereign and unchanging.  His word is our checks and balance against the lies of this world.  He has defined His presence as a triune God – the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost – all in one.  These are not 3 separate entities, but God present in all 3 simultaneously. 

God the Father resides in His perfect heaven and is the creator, the Lord and judge.  The maker of all things, the ruler of all mankind, sovereign, holy and just; defined in the scriptures as “I am”.  God the Son came to the earth in the fullness of all of His glory and lived amongst mankind to demonstrate and to share His love with us personally.  His purpose in doing so was to create the ultimate sacrifice and redemption for the sinful nature of mankind, all knowing that it was impossible for us to achieve it alone.  God the Holy Ghost resides within each of us, that have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. As promised in John 14:16, Jesus tells us that he must go back to the Father, but that He would send the comforter, the Holy Ghost, to reside within each of you.  The Holy Spirit works within each of us to convict us of unrighteousness and strengthen us, guide us and bring us back to the understanding of God’s holiness.  God’s presence is seen through us by the Holy Spirit acting within our flesh, that all glory might be given back to God and not to man.

God is a God of wrath and judgment, as evidenced throughout scripture.  He has completely destroyed civilization for turning their back on Him in carnal acts of the flesh and worldly desires.  God is immutable, and therefore is the same today as He was when He reigned down fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah.  How then has He not reigned down fire and judgment on the world in which we live?  Was their sinful nature more disgusting than ours?  I can’t fathom the wretchedness if that were the case.  No, the reason we still exist is simply because Jesus Christ took that wrath on our behalf.  God did pour out His wrath on mankind, and the disgusting wretchedness that we embody, and put it squarely on His own Son, while He hung on the cross.  Do you not grasp the depth of what Jesus Christ actually did for you and I?  We are here only because of this act of grace from the Father, who, through the sacrifice of His own Son, created a way for our salvation, that overcomes anything Satan or his demonic gods can place upon us.

Face it, God is God, not because we acknowledge His awesomeness, but because He rightfully claimed it and has demonstrated throughout history His worthiness and love for us and our eternal soul.  There is no other representation of a god known to mankind that is willing to live within your messed up, screwed up, filthy dirty heart and cleanse it from within.  My God is unique and far above any other representation the world may introduce.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
For an archive of Daily Thoughts go to: http://www.10minutereader.com

Don’t Make Him Mad

“When I {the Lord} shoot at you with my deadly and destructive arrows of famine, I will shoot to destroy you. I will bring more and more famine upon you and cut off your supply of food.” Ezekiel 5:16

 

Have you ever had one of those days where enough is enough?  Most of us will answer yes to this question.  The bills are piling up and then the car breaks down.  You’re running late on a project at work and your boss comes by to give you yet another project to complete in an even shorter timeframe.  There is only so much we can take before we explode.  There is always that point at which we throw up our hands and lose it.  In most cases someone is going to get the outburst of our frustration, whether they deserved it or not.

We have studied in many past devotionals that God is immutable, never changing.  His love for us today is equal to His love for King David, Moses, Paul, Peter and the other saints from the scripture.  He can neither love us any more, nor any less than He does today. We adhere to this principle, and focus much of our attention on His loving grace and mercy.  It’s important that we do not lose sight of the fact that God is all powerful and capable of unbelievable wrath, like nothing we have ever experienced in our lifetime.  He is truly immutable, but that does not only refer to his loving side.  Here in the 5^th chapter of the book of Ezekiel we read about the city of Jerusalem and His wrath that would fall down upon them. His chosen city, the city set up on a hill, where His temple was built and the Arc of the Covenant was held.  When His wrath is poured out upon this city, devastation, chaos and mourning are heard in the streets. 

I reference this scripture this morning because God is to be feared even today.  It is my hypothesis that we have forgotten just how vengeful and omnipotent God truly is.  He is not this loving Santa Claus that will give us everything we want in life.  He is a Father and fully capable of disciplining His children out of pure love whenever necessary.  You see it is my belief that God has zero tolerance for sin.  Time and time He has demonstrated His wrath over the sinful nature of mankind and their blatant disobedience of His word. This is not a reality show or a game called life, this is living for Him and His Kingdom, and nothing else.  Understand that the only reason you have breath each day is to glorify Him, and to serve Him and build up His Kingdom.

You and I are unbelievably sinful beings.  From the moment we awake until the moment we lay our head upon the pillow, sin fills our thoughts, our actions and our heart.  As a society, the human race has fallen to a place in history where our actions, our wickedness and debauchery far outweigh anything in the scriptures from those societies of old that fully experienced God’s wrath and were completely wiped off the map.  Why are we still here?  There is only one reason that God has not poured out His wrath on you and I.  That one reason is the man Jesus Christ.  When God sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross, the sins of mankind were placed upon Him.  Not just the sins of those standing on the hill in Jerusalem watching that day, no, the sins of all mankind before and those to come after.  God’s wrath that was poured out on Sodom, and the wrath He poured out on Jerusalem, and the plagues He poured out on Egypt are nothing compared to the wrath He poured out onto His own Son, hanging on that cross.  Grasp this, if nothing else when you read John 3:16 from here forward. 

Jesus stands between you and God.  If God were to look down upon the earth He would see the evil and unrighteousness of mankind.  Yet, with Jesus as our Savior and Lord, He sees us as forgiven, washed clean and redeemed.  Imagine Jesus as a filter between you and God, taking away all of the sin that corrupts our lives and heart, such that we are presented fully righteous and worthy of God’s perfect heaven.  Only Jesus can act for us in this manner, for He alone was perfect through His life, death and resurrection.  Perfect in God’s eyes and worthy of God’s loving grace and mercy.  Therefore through Him we are given this same grace and mercy.  The opposite is also true though.  Those without Christ as their Savior will stand before God one day on their own and try to justify the sins of their past and their worthiness, which will fall well short of the perfection required.

 

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
For an archive of Daily Thoughts go to: http://www.10minutereader.com

It’s not Your Fight

“Your hand will be lifted up in triumph over your enemies, and all your foes will be destroyed.”  Micah 5:9

When the sunlight faded into the darkness of night the streaks could be seen from miles away.  Rockets, missiles tracers and artillery fire left distinct images in his mind that could never be erased.  The world had changed from when he was a young boy, and everything he had read in his history books about war was very different while watching it on TV.   It was almost as if watching a movie or television drama, built on the fascination and desire of mankind to see the game.  But, it’s not a game, it’s real life and there’s only one.  The explosions as the missiles strike their target are leaving dead bodies in the rubble.  Some innocent, some with every intent of firing missiles back in return.  There is no winner in war, it’s not a game with a scoring system.  The conflict arises for many different reasons and we have come to a point where humanity cannot simply put aside our differences and rationalize an answer through negotiations.  The reality is that most wars and battles are fought as an act of revenge.

Why are the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Korea, the Middle East, Africa and other areas of the world taking place today?  The original battles may have been fought over cultural, economic, territorial or religious beliefs, but the ensuing battles have been examples of vengeance.  As a human race we are intent on executing our own form of revenge upon our enemies, and to defend against our enemies who may seek revenge against us.  These are not problems we will solve in this manner.  A strike against another country or people will only result in a vengeful return strike from those people in the future at some point.  There is no end to this exercise, there is only more death and destruction.  You see, man’s ability to execute vengeance is only temporary and can only result in more violence.

When the scriptures say “Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord.” (Romans 12:19) there is much truth in this verse.  The Lord will enact true vengeance on mankind and sift the wheat from the chaff.  On that day, He will destroy those that have denied Him, mocked Him and cursed Him.  Between this day and that day, many will die in trying to defend the Lord’s honor against those that do not accept His love or plan of salvation.  In doing so they will do nothing but create anger and hatred for the God they are trying to promote.  We must take a step back and realize that this “Holy War” is rooted deep in the history of the scriptures and can only be resolved when God chooses to do His bidding.  We are to share His love, grace and mercy with the world.  This is one of the things that differentiate followers of Jesus Christ from other religions and cultures. 

There are those religious sects that have determined to enact revenge, death and destruction on any who do not see god the way they do.  This is not the role of the Christian Church in today’s world.  Defending our faith is our calling, but we do not need to defend Jesus Christ or God Almighty.  Their ability to destroy their enemies is legendary and greater than any force imaginable on this earth. God’s ability to invoke wrath is demonstrated throughout the scriptures, but that is not what following Jesus Christ is about.  Christ came that we would learn to love, serve and discover salvation without force and killing.  The only battle worth fighting for is the battle over the souls of those that are lost, and this isn’t accomplished through force or killing.  It is accomplished through love and grace.  Let God hold the final word on who should or should not be eliminated, and trust that He will and if you’re not clear read Revelations 20:11-15 – God lays it out clearly.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
For an archive of Daily Thoughts go to: http://www.10minutereader.com