Text: Rev 9:1-12
OT Text: Joel 2:1-11 Featured Verse: Rev 9:4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. Main Idea: Even the demonic powers from the "bottomless pit" are constrained by the purposes of God. Their malevolent actions cannot harm God's people who are sealed by his Spirit. We saw yesterday that the seven trumpets have a great deal of similarity to the 10 plagues of the Exodus where God brings judgment on Egypt and deliverance for his people. The first woe continues this trend with the plague of locust. However, the OT minor prophet Joel also has an expanded section on a locust plague which also shapes this passage. It is particularly helpful to read Joel 2:1-11 to see the OT background for this sort of prophetic imagery. Analysis With the fifth trumpet we enter into one of the most provocative images that we have seen yet in the book of Revelation. John describes a judgment that uses OT imagery from the Exodus plagues (Ex 10) and the prophet Joel (Joel 1-2.) The locust plague in the Exodus was directed at the Egyptians, the locust plague in Joel was directed at Israel, and the locust plague in this vision is expanded to shake the whole world. How should we understand the references to the locust? What are they, actually? It is important to note that John indicates that he was having a hard time relating this vision to actual things that people were familiar with. He repeatedly uses the phrase "they were like" then gives a more common description. The challenge for us is to try to put all of these things together into one coherent vision. Are these meant to be understood as actual locust? Or do we think of them as being related to ancient warfare?* Or modern warfare?** There is actually another option which seems to match well with the language of the passage. It seems likely that John is describing demonic powers by comparing them to things that people are familiar with. Since the origin of these creatures is from "the shaft of the bottomless pit" (9:1), and since the king who is over them is an "angel of the bottomless pit" called Apollyon, it makes the most sense to regard these creatures as malevolent spiritual beings - that is demons. In conclusion, we may simply point out that because demons are not something that people see in the physical realm, it would make perfect sense that John would struggle to describe them and would necessarily compare them to things we have seen before. (Locusts like battle horses, with hair like women's hair, teeth like lion's teeth who came with a noise like many chariots.) Conclusion and Application The Bible tells us that there are spiritual powers that seek to harm humans. We know little about the world of demons, but the Bible tells us what most people in most cultures have believed about the world - that there are dark spiritual powers that mean us harm. However, the Bible offers to followers of Christ complete protection from demonic powers. In this vision we are specifically told that these locust could not harm the people who had been sealed in the vision from chapter seven. (See 7:1-4 and 9:4) In a similar manner, the Bible tells us that Jesus has won a complete victory over the spiritual powers of evil (Col 2:15) and that if we resist the devil, he will flee (1 Peter 5:8, James 4:7) Modern, Western cultures are prone to dismiss spiritual powers as superstitious or uneducated. It is not so in the rest of the world. In a recent adult Sunday School class a missionary from Africa reminded us that nearly all Africans believe in a spiritual world and Christianity on that continent brings powerful explanatory power to this part of their observed experience. Most importantly, Christianity teaches us that we need not fear demonic powers because Christ has power of a higher magnitude. In the visionary sequence of the seven trumpets we are reminded that the demons are limited in power and only allowed to operate within God's predetermined limits. The authority of the Lamb of God to open the scrolls binds and directs all of the actions within. That does not reduce the evil found in these forces, or their intent to harm humans. But it reminds followers of Christ that his victory on the cross places us beyond the power of the devil. Sealed by the Holy Spirit, our souls are safe in Christ. We suffer in this life, and we may even follow Jesus into losing our lives in our earthly pilgrimage. But nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8) To be sealed is to be spiritually safe, knowing that our eternal destiny is secure. Notes: * The prophet Joel also describes a locust plague, but does so in a way that makes the locust plague seem like a marching army. Scholars are unsure if he is describing a locust plague that acts like an invading army, or an invading army that acts like a locust plague. Sometimes, it is not easy to tell which way the figurative language is meant to go. ** As you may imagine, passages like this are ripe for imaginative connection to modern circumstances. Interpreters who see the visions of Revelation as primarily representing the future are prone to connect these visionary images to modern warfare, such as tanks or helicopters. While it is certainly possible that God could bring a fulfillment of this in that manner, it seems to take us far afield from the concerns of the early church.
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Revelation Text: Rev 8:6-13
"The Seven Trumpets as History Retold" The text for today will be covered in the sermon during the morning worship service which is Livestreamed on YouTube and recorded on our channel. Note A: "The opening of the seals and the sounding of the trumpets point us to the same great reality but from different perspectives. The seals view the unfolding of the redemptive purposes of God from the point of view of God’s people those who are sealed [under the altar, crying “how long”.] the trumpets view this same reality from the point of view of the unsealed, those who are NOT the people of God. The opening of the seals brings consolation to the people of God. The sounding of the trumpets brings great woes upon those who are not the people of God. The seals are comforting; the trumpets are warnings.” - Derek Thomas, Let's Study Revelation Note B: Comparison of the Seven Trumpets to the 10 Plagues of Exodus
The Fifth Trumpet describes a horde of demons that look like super scary locust. The eighth plague in Exodus was a plague of locust. The Sixth Trumpet describes a vast multitude of "mounted troops" who are pursuing humanity and seeking their annihilation. This catches echoes of Pharoah's army which pursued the Israelites to the edge of the Red Sea, seeking their destruction. Finally, Revelation is a clear parallel to a scene from Exodus after the Red Sea Deliverance. Rev 15:2-3 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb… Exodus 14:30, 15:1 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore...Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, "I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea." Text: Rev 8:1-5
OT Text: Zeph 1:7-18 Featured Verse: Rev 8:4 and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Main Idea: The profound silence of heaven prepares the scene for the final verdict of the judge. The silence is broken only by the prayers of the saints which always come into the presence of God. Analysis We have now returned to the seventh seal. Given all of the chaos that has happened before, we may expect more mayhem when the seal is opened. But instead, we are ushered back into the throne room of heaven where we hear the most startling thing of all - absolute silence. For a half hour.* That is a long period of time. We sometimes have a "moment of silence", which may occasionally stretch to a minute. Also, we usually pause for silent prayer during the worship service at City Reformed. In my experience, people get antsy after 30 seconds. If I am conducting the service I will wait for 45 seconds, but I have to look at my watch because it feels uncomfortable to wait that long. Can you imagine the impact of this in the vision. 30 minutes of waiting for something to happen. So what is going on here? First, silence is the prelude to the judgment of God. Just as the courtroom is silenced before the arrival of a judge, the silence in heaven prepares the way for the final verdict of God. If you read the background Scripture from Zephaniah, you will see that the long description of the "Day of the Lord" and the judgment of God begins with the command, "Be silent before the Lord God." (Zeph 1:7) Second, the end of this passage uses the language of judgment that is found at the end of each series of seven.** This shows that what is being portrayed here is one perspective on the final judgment of God. Third, this is an extension of the the sixth seal. While seals 1-5 seem to cover the entirety of church history, the sixth and seventh seal cover the final judgment. They are two sides of the same coin. The two features that go together in final judgment throughout the book of Revelation are (a.) the destruction of God's enemies - 6th seal, and (b.) the courtroom scene of God as judge - 7th seal. These features are particularly strong at the end of the book in chapters 19-20. Two other features interrupt this scene of final judgment in the throne room of heaven. The seven trumpets are introduced. They will offer a recapitulation of the scope of the seven seals, but will be more intense. As we will see tomorrow, the impact of the judgments will be increased from one fourth to one third. Also, the presence of incense is highlighted in the throne room. In particular, the incense is connected to the prayers of the saints, which "rise before God" (8:4) in the throne room of heaven. Conclusion and Application Maybe it seems weird to think of your prayers being stored in a golden bowl and lifted by the hand of an angel into the presence of God. Again, we recognize that these symbols are meant to convey spiritual truths. When we let the vision ruminate in our minds, the picture becomes really encouraging. John shows us that our prayers are stored before God. They may not be immediately answered - God's timing is not our timing - but God hears us and God will act. In this case, the prayers of the saints in 6:10 - "how long oh Lord?" - are finally answered. But we can also take encouragement from the vivid picture of prayers being lifted before God like incense rising in wafts of smoke.*** When we pray we don't literally see or hear God. Sometimes, in our weakness we wonder... is God even listening? This vivid picture shows us through visionary means the confidence we can have in prayer. When the throne room is silenced and all of creation hangs on the final word from God... it is the prayers of God's children which "break the silence." Yes, God is the sovereign king of heaven, and yes God is working all things according to his purposes. But he delights to receive the prayers of his children and he determines to use their prayers as part of the chain of events which complete the redemption of the world. I will close with a quick story that some at church have heard before. My father was an attorney and worked hard to establish his practice, often logging fairly long hours in his office. As part of his work he needed dedicated times to focus on cases. But he made it a point to tell his secretaries and his receptionists that he always wanted to be interrupted by his children. I didn't realize this at first, but when a new receptionist was added while I was away at school they might not recognize my voice or know me by name. But once I was properly identified, the doors were open, his meetings were interrupted, and I was taken off of hold (on the phone.) While his work was important, it was clear that for my father, family was more important and he delighted to be interrupted. (This is something that I really appreciated about my father.) But John's vision shows us a picture of a far greater heavenly office, where God is enthroned and the cases of all humanity are tried. However, the ruler of the universe is our Heavenly Father. He delights in being "interrupted" by his children. In the words of the old song, "what a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer." So, find some quiet time today. Sit in silence, then let your prayers interrupt our heavenly Father. Bring to him your joys, your concerns, your frustrations. He is eager to hear and he promises to act in the appropriate time. Notes *Half hour of silence. Some suggest that this time period is symbolic, and while it may be, it is far from obvious what the symbolism should mean. ** The Seventh Judgment as Final (Similarities) Rev 8:1,5 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal… then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. Rev 11:15,19 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet… Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. Rev 16:17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. *** The offering of incense would become a deadly test of faithfulness for first century Christians as Emperor Domitian required his citizens to burn incense in worship of himself. It is believed that the tribulation many Christians in these seven churches might one day face could hinge on their willingness to worship a counterfeit god in this way. Refusing this idolatry could be costly - even deadly. Even as they suffered, their resistance would have been fortified by knowing that their prayers were rising to the real God in the throne room of heaven. Text: Rev 7:9-17
Parallel Text: Phil 3:8-11 Featured Verse: Rev 7:14b "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb." Main Idea: Just as John "layered" images of the royal lion and the slain lamb (5:5-6), he also pictures the followers of Jesus as a marching army and an international multitude of martyrs. The church will "conquer" the same way Jesus conquered - through steadfast endurance and costly sacrifice. Analysis The connection between this vision and the prior vision (144,000 sealed) opens up one of the more interesting features of the book of Revelation. In chapter 5, John "layered" images of Jesus to show his true identity. In the vision, he heard "the Lion of the Tribe of Judah", then he turned and saw "a lamb standing as though slain." What he heard and what he saw are the same person, but portrayed very differently. Both things are true of Jesus. He is the conquering lion. The conclusion of this book will show him returning in power and majesty to defeat his enemies and to establish his church. But his first arrival was characterized by humility and sacrifice. It was through his atoning death that he "ransomed people for God, from every tribe and language and people and nation, and made them a kingdom and priests to our God and they shall reign on the earth." (5:9-10) When we take the two visions of chapter seven together, we see a similar picture of the church. On one hand, John hears of the tribes of Israel marching in their battle formation.* They are 144,000 strong, ancient Israel in its ideal form, and sealed by God for protection in their spiritual conflict. But when he actually sees the people of God, they look very different. "After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,... 'These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.'" (7:9-14) Notice four important connections: - First, they are the international people whom Jesus ransomed as the slain lamb. (v.5:9-10) - Second, they are the same victorious army previously depicted as being the sealed tribes of Israel. - Third, they have "come out of the tribulation**." Like Jesus - the lamb slain - they are steadfast in the face of persecution, even when facing death. Also like Jesus, they are victorious over death and join him in the heavenly throne room. - Fourth, they receive the same comfort that will one day be extended to the entire church in the New Jerusalem. (21:1-7) Conclusion and Application The Christian life doesn't always feel very glamorous. Living faithfully for Jesus in a fallen world sometimes involves moments of brave defiance. But it also has lots of moments of drudgery. Sometimes we see the power of the Holy Spirit working in us and through us. And sometimes we feel like we are dying daily. Slow, small daily deaths. Often, living for Jesus means carrying a cross and joining him in a cruciform life. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul said that he shared in the sufferings of Jesus. (Phil 3:11) But looks can be deceiving. The exact moment in which the church looks most like a slain lamb is the moment when they are most victorious. The moment in which they cling to Christ and forsake the world is the moment when they conquer. The moment in which they are marked by the trials of the lamb of God, they are also sharing in his victory as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. * In his book, Climax of Prophecy, Richard Bauckham showed that the numbering of the twelve tribes is related to the OT practice of taking a census as the army prepared for battle. (See Numbers 1:21, a numbering of "all who were able to go to war.") With this OT practice in the background we see that God's people are here portrayed as a conquering army, moving in perfect assembly. It is, in a sense, like a military parade - showing the power of the conquerors. Here we see God's people with the image of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. We know from the parallel vision that their victory will not be one of military conquest, but from steadfast obedience in the face of opposition. They will conquer in the footsteps of the lamb who was slain. ** What or when is the "tribulation? References to "the tribulation" often make people think of a great period of testing just before Jesus returns. It seems likely that there will be an intensification of persecution in the future, but the dominant use of the term "tribulation" in the Bible refers to the present difficulties that are faced by the church. For example, John understood his own experience in exile as being something that made him "partner in the tribulation" which is characteristic of all who are in Christ. (Rev 1:9) Jesus also warned his disciples that the common experience of those who follow him is that they would have "tribulation" in the world. (John 16:33) When we read the description of the great multitude as those who have "come out of the tribulation" we understand that to be a reference to all Christians who have suffered throughout the age of the church. Which is all Christians, because we all suffer. We may not all become martyrs, but it is characteristic of every follower of Jesus that they would pick up their cross. In his book, Let's Study Revelation, Derek Thomas writes, "What John seems to depict here is the story of the church, emerging throughout history from one tribulation after another. It has always been so, and it very will be until Jesus Christ brings it to a close by his coming." Text: Rev 7:1-8
Parallel Text: Eph 1:13-14 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Featured Verse: Rev 7:4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000 from every tribe of the sons of Israel. Main Idea: God seals his people with the Holy Spirit to preserve their faith in the midst of trials. Analysis It is not immediately clear how this passage relates to the others around it. Remembering that prophecy does not follow a linear trajectory of sequential events helps us to follow the actual flow of the argument. We finished the sixth seal yesterday, which ended with the question: The great day of the wrath of God (and of the Lamb) has come, who can stand? The vision of God's people being sealed on their foreheads (7:3) is meant to show protection for God's people in the midst of the judgment of God. This vision is therefore not something that happens sequentially after the six seals. Instead it is an answer to the question about who can stand in God's judgment. We begin by seeing four angels holding back the four winds. It may be the four winds are meant to be connected with the four horsemen of 6:1-8. The picture is one of protection. The background imagery is taken from Ezekiel 9:4-6 in which the OT prophet sees God sealing his faithful followers for protection prior to the invasion of Babylon and the fall of Jerusalem. In that vision, those that resist idolatry are sealed for protection. We know from the rest of Revelation that the followers of Jesus are not protected from all physical harm. Instead, they are called to follow Jesus in the way of the cross. They are celebrated as "those who do not love their lives unto death." (Rev 12:11) The naming of the 12 tribes reminds us of the OT origins of the Church. Like most numbers in Revelation it makes the most sense to think of the number 144,000 as being the combination of several symbols. Later in the book, the 12 tribes and the 12 apostles together are portrayed as being foundational in the renewed city of God. (21:12-14) Rather than refer to a literal number of people, it seems best to regard this as a symbolic way of representing the people of God in their completeness. (12 OT tribes x 12 NT apostles x a "complete" 1000 = 144,000.) As we will see tomorrow, the surrounding context of this passage further supports this interpretation. Conclusion and Application In this vision, John sees spiritual protection for the church in the face of various trials. We saw a picture of suffering during the church age as the four horsemen brought death and destruction to the world. We also saw a picture of the final judgment and heard the question, who can stand? The answer is that God seals his people so that they can endure suffering in this age and so that they can stand in the day of judgment. Other parts of the NT speak of God's people as being sealed with the Holy Spirit. (Eph 1:13-14, 2 Cor 1:22) Baptism is a picture of this sealing. It shows that we belong to God and that his Spirit is active in everyone who calls on the name of Jesus. As we face difficulties now, and recognize the reality of coming face to face with God after death we take comfort in God's gracious salvation. All who are in Christ are spiritually protected by God himself. When the judgments of God shake the world people respond in different ways. Humans that choose to cling to their independence are hardened by suffering. They may even blame God for their circumstances and entrench themselves in their rebellion. But God's grace empowers his people to respond differently. Those same trials which harden the unrepentant can be used by God to refine the faith of his followers. (James 1:1-2, 1 Pet 1:7) Sorry for the delay, I accidentally set this to post at 5:00 PM, instead of 5:00 AM.
Text: Rev 6:12-17 OT Text: Isaiah 2:12-19 Featured Verse: Rev 6:12-13 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. Main Idea: There will be a day of judgment, when God will bring perfect justice to rebellious human systems. Analysis We have reached a point at which our interpretation of this passage will create a massive shift in how we read the rest of the book. When someone first reads this section, including words like, "the sun became black...and the stars fell from the sky" it sounds like the end of the world. I think that is exactly what John is portraying here*, but that creates a host of problems. If we think that the sixth seal pronounces the end of the world, then how do we understand all of the other visions that happen in chapters 6-19?** Do things happen after the end of the world? These chapters are structured around a series of judgments that come in groups of seven (seven seals, seven trumpets, seven visions, seven bowls). We will discuss this more in coming weeks, but for now it is helpful to see that the questions we wrestle with here naturally relate to the other parts. Our fist inclination is to assume that the series of judgments in chapters 6-19 are events which happen in linear consecutive order. (This creates problems because it is hard to see how the sixth seal could be the end, and then we still have other judgments to come.) If Revelation were written like a history book this would be a normal way for us to read it. But Revelation is a book of prophecy, and does not necessarily present events in linear order. It is not uncommon for prophetic images to come out of sequence or to repeat key events from different vantage points. (I am thinking particularly of the book of Isaiah.) In fact, growing consensus has emerged that it is better to think of the sets of seven judgments listed above as being parallel descriptions of the same type of events and not separate events in a series. I argued previously that the first four seals (four horsemen) were meant to be understood as events which were initiated by the resurrection and ascension of Jesus and characterized all of the church age. That is, God is shaking the heavens now, as he builds his eternal kingdom (seals 1-4). But, the fifth seal shows a period of waiting, as the saints under the altar ask how long until God brings perfect justice. The answer is - until the suffering of Christians is complete. That will only happen at the end of history. The sixth seal then begins to show the final judgment of God on earth, thus completing the timeline. If the sixth seal is showing the end of the world, then the whole sequence of seals, from one through seven, is depicting the entirety of the church age. This argument has picked up a great deal of steam in the Evangelical and Reformed world in recent years. It is clearly articulated in Greg Beale's massive Revelation Commentary and further advanced in other popular commentaries like Tim Chester's "Revelation for You." Here is how the argument goes: The seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls have similar language. They all end with a very similar description of what appears to be the end of the world.*** They also have very similar features in the first four seals. While they are not meant to be exactly the same there is clear repetition. What changes is the increased magnitude of the judgments. For example, the six seals impact 1/4 of the earth, the seven trumpets impact 1/3 of the earth, and the seven bowls of wrath impact all (1/1) of the earth. There is a clear amplification as the series is repeated, but all are essentially showing a similar thing. That is, they are depicting the work of God through history (shaking and building his church), culminating with the final judgment and the end of the world. Conclusion We've already done more than is reasonable for a single blog post, and that is after I downloaded some information into the nerdy footnotes down below. I'm spending time on this because this interpretive decision is crucial to how we understand the rest of the book. More application will follow in coming days. Today I want to end with an illustration. The use of recapitulation to tell a similar story from different vantage points may strike us as odd, but even modern culture uses this more than we realize. When an important news event happens, the TV channels will air the event again and again. This happened after the attack on the world trade center on 9-11-01. There were two planes involved in the event, but the video was shown repeatedly. A person who was not familiar with the way TV works might think that there were more than two planes hitting two towers. They might think that there were dozens of planes. But, a careful look at the buildings involved would make it clear that this was a one series of events, shown repeatedly from different angels and perspectives. Sometimes the video would be longer or sometimes shorter, but always it was dealing with the same fundamental series of events. For those of us who lived through it, it was a life changing event and one that would have resounding consequences for years to come. While Revelation takes a much longer view of history, it is dealing with something that is without doubt the most consequential series of events in the history of the universe, following the death and resurrection of Jesus. So, it is not a surprise that the work of God throughout the church age as it leads up to the end of the world is worth looking at from various angles. Notes * First "nerdy footnote": The reference to the stars falling from the sky is actually harder to interpret than what we may think at first. That language is used in the Bible to describe the destruction of earthly kingdoms that have already occurred in history. (See Matt 24:29, Is. 34:4.) There is a pattern in the Bible in which all judgments of God in history are linked to the final judgment at the end of history. As a result, it is can be difficult to know if a particular prophetic passage is pointing to God's judgment in the midst of history (like the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC and 70 AD), or the final judgment at the end of the world. In this particular case, however, the repetition of similar phrases in Revelation seems to show that this is the end of the world. The language of "the sky rolled up like a scroll" and "every mountain removed" (6:14) really seems to leave little room for any human history to happen after this. **Second "nerdy footnote": In chapter 20 we see the clearest description of the final judgment followed by the re-creation of the earth as God comes to live among his people for all eternity. People who disagree about how to best understand chapters 6-19 can still come to agreement as the closing chapters bring the story to a close. ***Third "nerdy footnote": Compare the following sections which are either the 6th or 7th in a series of judgments. In either case the final judgment is either after this (as in the seventh seal), or part of this event in the series. Either way this appears in all cases to be the end of the world. The similarity of language is a strong argument that all of these series of judgments are essentially ending by looking at the same thing from a different angle. - Rev 8:1,5 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal… then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. - Rev 11:15,19 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet… Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. - Rev 16:17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. |
AuthorMatt Koerber (unless otherwise noted). Because this devotional links so closely with the sermon series, the preacher for a given week will also write the daily devotionals. Archives
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