Loud Voices In Heaven

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.“”
Revelation‬ ‭11:15 NLT

Once again, an angel with a trumpet readied himself for his task. I’m reminded this morning of a regimental bugler, playing in a military campaign, sounding a call to change the events in a battle. his clear tones penetrating across the noise of the battle to ensure all the troops hear the message. This angel, the last of the seven, sounded a clarion call preceding the final terror, the final woe. 

And after he sounded his note, there was a response. John, in his vision, heard, “loud voices shouting in heaven”. And what he heard marked a significant change in the status of the world. The ”loud voices” said, ”The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever”. The message cannot be clearer. Finally the time has come for the Kingdom of God to be established on earth. God’s Kingdom, to be ruled over by His Son, Jesus. 

Jesus taught much about the Kingdom of God, (or the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew’s Gospel). All through His ministry He, by means of parables and illustrative stories relevant to His generation and the peoples around Him, taught what the Kingdom of God would be like. In Luke 17:20-21 we read Jesus’ response to a question offered by the Pharisees, “One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you””. So in this season of God’s grace we are in a time when we pilgrims are enjoying the benefits of His Kingdom. But it is obvious that the world we live in is not God’s Kingdom. Rather, the world as we know it is still under the curse of sin and the devil still rules. So we pilgrims are in the apparently anomalous situation of being citizens of God’s Kingdom but living in a world’s kingdom. Paul wrote in Philippians 3:20, “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Saviour“. And the second part of this verse is connected to our verse from Revelation today. One day Jesus will return as our Saviour to reign for eternity. We will be familiar with the verses from Isaiah 9:6-7, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” Zechariah prophesised that Jesus will reign from Jerusalem (Zechariah 8:3). 

So when will the “Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ” be established? The details appear at the end of the Book of Revelation so we will consider them in due course. In today’s verse, however, the “loud voices shouting in Heaven” declare its arrival is imminent. 

Dear Lord. We look forward to that day when You will come to rule and reign in a time when this world becomes Your Kingdom. In faith, we welcome You this day and every day, for the rest of our lives. Amen.

The Two Witnesses (3)

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“But after three and a half days, God breathed life into them, and they stood up! Terror struck all who were staring at them. Then a loud voice from heaven called to the two prophets, “Come up here!” And they rose to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched. At the same time there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people died in that earthquake, and everyone else was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second terror is past, but look, the third terror is coming quickly.” 
Revelation 11:11-14 NLT

Can you imagine the scene? Two dead bodies lying in Main Street, Jerusalem. The world’s media would have been represented, video cameras rolling, interviews with the locals continuing. There would have been some conjecture about what should now be done with the corpses. But God had a plan. He solved the worldly problem by resurrecting the two witnesses, and they stood up. Can you imagine the ensuing chaos? The account talks about terror gripping the observers. It was the stuff of nightmares. No plot in a zombie film could match what would happen that day.

Then a loud voice from Heaven addressed the two resurrected prophets. Three, easy to understand, words. “Come up here!”. Said with a loud Heavenly voice that everyone could hear. But the terror the people felt was compounded because the prophets were surrounded by a cloud and ascended to Heaven before their very eyes. There was no dispute. This was no optical or magical illusion. This was happening in broad daylight. And while they were staring at this scene before them, the whole place shook with an earthquake so fierce, so terrible, that a tenth of the city was destroyed, and seven thousand people with it. 

The next piece of John’s narrative is interesting. The remaining terrified people “gave glory to the God of heaven”. To give glory to someone, perhaps for a significant sporting event, means that their achievement has been acknowledged. As I write this, the English Women’s Football Team is glorying in their win over Germany in the Women’s World Cup. But to give glory to God is much more than that. The phrase “give glory to God” was an old Jewish oath, inviting the person giving it to tell the truth before God. We see this is John 9:24 after Jesus healed the blind man, “A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. ‘Give glory to God by telling the truth,’ they said. ‘We know this man is a sinner.’” But that wasn’t what was happening here. People on earth had just witnessed two prophets give uncomfortable messages about the future for a period of three and half years. Then, to their initial relief, the devil killed them in an act of war. The people thought their troubles were now over. No more rivers turning to blood, or lengthy periods of drought. No more fire pouring from the prophets’ mouths, burning up any who opposed them. Two corpses lying in the street. But the next events – resurrection, ascension, earthquakes and destruction – finally convinced them that God was behind all this and they had no option other than give Him the glory for what had happened. But did they finally repent and turn from their wicked ways?

Do we pilgrims give God the glory for all He has done for us? Sadly, we have a tendency to take our many blessings too much for granted. Do we thank Him enough for the food on our tables, the air we breath, or our health? Do we take for granted our salvation through Jesus’s sacrifice for us. But when things are not quite what we would like, do we, like Paul, always have a thankful attitude, regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves? Or do we grumble? In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul wrote, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” He also wrote in Philippians 4:12-13, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” In everything we are about today, we mustn’t forget to give God the glory for all the great things He has done. And, like Habakkuk, if things don’t go our ways, and we fall upon hard times, we are full of joyful praise, glorying God anyway. We read in Habakkuk 3:17-18, “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord ! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!“

Dear Father God. Please forgive us for forgetting to thank and praise You enough. And please forgive us for those times when we grumble and complain. You have truly done great things in our lives and we give You all the glory today. Amen. 

The Two Witnesses (2)

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them, and he will conquer them and kill them. And their bodies will lie in the main street of Jerusalem, the city that is figuratively called “Sodom” and “Egypt,” the city where their Lord was crucified. And for three and a half days, all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will stare at their bodies. No one will be allowed to bury them. All the people who belong to this world will gloat over them and give presents to each other to celebrate the death of the two prophets who had tormented them.”
Revelation 11:7-10 NLT

John’s vision continues. It was much like a video or film, moving from one scene to the next. So the two witnesses brought their prophecies to the people for three and a half years, and no-one could touch them. The vision doesn’t say to what extent their gifts were used and how much grief was caused to the sinful and wicked people of that time but I can just imagine them underpinning their prophetic words by turning the local reservoir into blood. Or bringing on a resurgence of Covid or some other plagues to the population. Stopping the rain would not have been much of a blessing either. And we read in verse ten, that the people had a big party when the devil killed the witnesses. They gloated, gave presents to each other and felt a great sense of relief that their torment had ended – for now. But notice that it wasn’t just the inhabitants of Jerusalem that were happy about the death of the witnesses. This became global news, with parties everywhere. 

Today’s verses start with the message that their testimonies had come to an end. We pilgrims need to make use of the age in which we live, because there will come a time when our testimonies, our messages of hope, will not be required any more. Our messages will be complete. And we read that God then allowed the “beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit” to kill them. It wasn’t a trivial task, it seems, because it involved a war, not just a murder. In the vision, their bodies are just allowed to lie in the street. But who was this “beast”? it can only have been the devil himself. Mankind at that time couldn’t touch the witnesses because they were too powerful and God protected them. And that protection would have continued, even with the devil’s attacks, but their tasks were complete. The bodies were allowed to lie there for three and a half days, which perhaps indicated the lack of respect offered them by the locals. You can just imagine people from all over jetting in to have a look, such was their notoriety with the global population. A damning indictment of mankind at that time.

In his vision, John pulled no punches in his naming of Jerusalem. Jesus wept over this city, but here we are seeing it renamed as Sodom and Egypt. What happened in the city of Sodom? It was destroyed because of the extreme immorality that occurred there. And to the Jews, the country of Egypt would represent their time of slavery. So it seems Jerusalem because a city corrupted by, and in league with, the devil. People living there were enslaved in a place of immorality. John made special mention that Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem, an act that the devil thought was a win for him, but soon found it was him who was the loser.

To us pilgrims, we must always be on our guards, because the devil will always seek to corrupt and enslave us. And he gets very upset if we continue to share our testimonies with those around us. We must constantly pray for God’s protection over our lives and families. 

Dear God. We don’t really have any idea what this time will be like. But we’re so grateful that You have everything under control. Amen.

The Two Witnesses (1)

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in burlap and will prophesy during those 1,260 days.” These two prophets are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of all the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire flashes from their mouths and consumes their enemies. This is how anyone who tries to harm them must die. They have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall for as long as they prophesy. And they have the power to turn the rivers and oceans into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.”
Revelation‬ ‭11:3-6‬ ‭NLT

We are still in the part of John’s vision between the second and third terrors or woes. And he was busy. John has just finished measuring the spiritual well being of the Church when he noticed two figures arrive, dressed in burlap, which is a very coarse, hessian-based cloth. Straight away I am reminded of John the Baptist, who appeared out of the desert dressed in clothes made of coarse camel hair. So these two people, referred to as “witnesses”, were dressed in the traditional way of Old Testament prophets. Perhaps the implication of wearing what was effectively sackcloth was to demonstrate, in the Jewish way, the importance of repentance.

And prophets they were. John said so. And they prophesied for 1,260 days, which is, more or less, the 42 months we read about in previous verses. There has been some speculation about who these two prophetic witnesses were. The most popular suggestion was that one of them was Moses, because of the reference to turning rivers into blood (Exodus 7:17) and that the other was Elijah, who commanded no rain to fall, coincidentally, for 42 months (1 Kings 17:1, James 5:17). But the Scriptures do not say specifically who the two witnesses were.

The reference to “the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of all the earth”  is underpinned by the writings of the prophet Zechariah. We read in chapter 4:11-14, “Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on each side of the lampstand, and what are the two olive branches that pour out golden oil through two gold tubes?” “Don’t you know?” he asked. “No, my lord,” I replied. Then he said to me, “They represent the two anointed ones who stand in the court of the Lord of all the earth.” So in John’s vision he saw the culmination of another prophesy, made many years before. An olive tree represented fruitfulness and the source of the Holy Spirit, and the lampstand declared the light of God to those around.

John was told that the two witnesses, the two anointed ones, prophesied for three and a half years. I wonder what they said. We might get some help from Scripture. 2 Peter 1:20-21 says, “Above all, you must realise that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God“. So a genuine prophet is someone who communicates, via the power of the Holy Spirit, what God wants people to hear. In John’s vision the two witnesses had some fearsome abilities to defend themselves from harm, so it can be concluded that what they were prophesying was not always a blessing to their listeners. The signs used by Moses and Elijah were used to back up the witnesses’ prophetic words, and I suspect that the two prophets were also using their power to draw people’s attention to what they were saying, lending weight to their messages.

What do we think of prophecy today? One thing for sure, there are many counterfeit prophecies. People claim to be able to see into the future and make declarations of things to come, usually far enough away to avoid any repercussions if they turn out to be in error because they will be long dead. And a common aberration is the use of horoscopes. But such devices are not of God. We pilgrims must always beware of getting caught up by counterfeits from the devil. We are told to test prophecies (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21). And take note that no prophetic message will contradict what God has said in His Word, the Bible.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your prophets, men and women who are prepared to stand up and declare Your message to us. And we thank You for caring so much about us that You send us direct messages. We are so grateful. Amen.

Measuring Stick (2)

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Then I was given a measuring stick, and I was told, “Go and measure the Temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers. But do not measure the outer courtyard, for it has been turned over to the nations. They will trample the holy city for 42 months.”
Revelation‬ ‭11:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We spend a second day musing over these two verses in Revelation. John was out and about in his vision with a “measuring stick”. Looking over the Church and assessing its spiritual health and well being. If he was roaming over our increasingly secular Western societies, would he find a Church full of life and vigour impacting the very fabric of our culture, or would he find a sick and anaemic group of Christians huddled together in ever-reducing numbers, holding onto the remnants of their faith like drowning men clutch a straw. If John’s measuring stick was able to assess the quality of the worship of God in the Church, would he have found the worshippers going through liturgical motions or was there a meaningful connection with God? Spirit to spirit. Would he have found worshippers more concerned with the flowers on the altar rather than the praise and worship of our loving Heavenly Father? 

Having looked for fruit in the Church, John moves on to measure the altar. When someone mentions the word “altar” a picture emerges in our minds of an ornate, cloth covered table located right at the front of a church building. The church-goers treat it with respect and often go through a process of genuflection, as though publicly declaring that God is somehow located there. But the altar is a place of consecration and it is where we meet God, declaring anew our faith in, and love for, Him. A place where we confess our sins but it needn’t be a physical place or object; for most people it is in their hearts, a place of spiritual significance in the lives of every pilgrim. It’s a place where we pause in our worldly, work-a-day thoughts and prayerfully lift our spirits into His presence. So what would John have measured here?

We consecrate our lives to the worship of God, sacrificing the other less important issues on our altars. On the altar in the Old Testament Temple, a painful and final act took place – an animal was killed as part of an expression of the covenant between God and His people. The sacrifice cost something. And the worship of God in our lives today is also a costly act. It costs us our time. It may cost us financially. But above all, it costs us our independence. A pilgrim sacrifices his or her worldly and sinful ways on God’s altar, expressing our allegiance to our loving Heavenly Father. Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” And amazingly, as Jesus said to His disciples in John 8:32, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Sacrificing ourselves on God’s altar frees us from a life of sin and death – true freedom indeed. We now have the freedom to do what we should, not stuck in a life enslaved to the devil’s ways.

The next task John had to do was to count the number of worshippers. Why should that matter? In our times of dwindling church congregations, we try and rationalise events by saying it is all about quality not quantity. But deep down we mourn the loss of our friends who move on to, at best, another church, or, as so many do, fall away from the faith into more secular activities. So why count the worshippers? Perhaps God is asking John to make sure that no-one is missing. I’m reminded of Jesus’s parable about the Lost Sheep, where He diligently searched for the one that was lost. It is reassuring to know that God wants no-one to be missed when it is the Time of the End.

Finally in these two verses, John is told not to bother with the outer courtyard. When thinking of this, I pictured a place full of spiritual tourists, people with no idea of who God is and with no appreciation of the awesomeness and majesty of God. On a recent visit to Salisbury Cathedral, I was touched spiritually when a member of the cathedral’s clergy asked everyone to be respectful while he offered up the morning prayers to God, joining in if they wished. But sadly, most ignored the moment, instead continuing to wander around chatting and commenting on the artefacts on display. They were the tramplers, visitors to the outer courtyards of the Church, and John was told the trampling would continue to do so for forty two months, three and a half years. The mention of the trampling of the Holy City was perhaps a reference to the verses from the prophet Daniel. We read in Daniel 7:25, “He will defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time“. And Daniel 12:7, “The man dressed in linen, who was standing above the river, raised both his hands toward heaven and took a solemn oath by the One who lives forever, saying, “It will go on for a time, times, and half a time. When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened.”” Perhaps God’s people were to be persecuted for forty two months by the Gentiles, the unbelievers, present on the periphery of the Church. 

At a time like this, having read of such events, we pilgrims can only shudder, fascinated yet appalled by the implication behind John’s vision. And we do what the Psalmists did. We pour out our concerns before God. I turned to Psalm 7 this morning and read, “I come to you for protection, O Lord my God. Save me from my persecutors—rescue me! God is my shield, saving those whose hearts are true and right. I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭7:1, 10, 17). A couple of pages further on we read, “But the Lord reigns forever, executing judgment from his throne. He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness. The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭9:7-10). The Psalms are full of the musings and cries, the prayers and praises, of pilgrims just like us. God’s love just pours from every page, an unstoppable tide of His grace and mercy. And we can’t leave this moment without reading Psalm 46, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!” And somehow, as we put our future in God’s hands, we receive the strength we need. 

Dear Lord God. We once again express our gratitude that You are our loving Heavenly Father, who cares for us. Amen.

The Measuring Stick (1)

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Then I was given a measuring stick, and I was told, “Go and measure the Temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshippers. But do not measure the outer courtyard, for it has been turned over to the nations. They will trample the holy city for 42 months.”
Revelation‬ ‭11:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Apostle John was still in his vision. And he was given a job to do, which was to go and measure the dimensions of the Temple and count how many people were worshipping God there. Strange? Possibly, until we start to unpack what might be happening. 

Why would God want to measure His Temple? He knows it’s physical dimensions of course. But what other dimensions does it have? So John must have been transported there in the Spirit but …. hang on a minute … wasn’t the temple destroyed in AD 70? And the scholars reckon the Book of Revelation was written in AD 96. So what Temple was John measuring? The Jewish Temple in Jerusalem was nothing more than a pile of rubble.

Perhaps we need to consider that the “Temple of God” in this verse was the Church, and the “measuring stick” wasn’t a ruler calibrated in metres or yards, but something with spiritual dimensions marked off. After all, John was still “in the Spirit” in his vision. So perhaps John was tasked with assessing the spiritual well-being of the Church, using a set of measurements that we can find in the Bible.

Here’s my suggestion for calibrating the “measuring stick”. First of all, we are Jesus’ disciples. Jesus said in John 15:4, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” So our status as a follower of Jesus could be the first mark on the ruler. Here’s another suggestion for the second. Are we friends with Jesus and obedient to His commands? “You are my friends if you do what I command.” it says in ‭‭John‬ ‭15:14. Number three. Are we fulfilling the Great Commission? “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28:19). Number four. Have we been rebirthed into being a new person? “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:17). Number five. Are we allowing God to perfect our faith? “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne.” (‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:2).

Perhaps the “measuring stick” has got a reverse side (most rulers are two-sided). How are we impacting  our societies as “salt and light”, as Jesus taught about in Matthew 5:13-16? And in James 1:27 we read about our responsibilities in our societies. “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” James only singled out the most disadvantaged in his society but each generation has its own challenges. What are we pilgrims doing to bring God’s light into our dark societies, helping those who seem unable to help themselves?

But before we know it we have invented a checklist. The temptation is to start ticking the boxes and find out how good we are as Christians. And if we manage to tick all the boxes then … But of course we can’t do that, and our spiritual ruler cannot be a serious contender for John’s mission if it’s wielded in our hands. Isn’t it amazing that we can be very good at assessing the good and bad points of others but are unable to come up with an honest assessment of ourselves. If John visited our churches today with his “measuring stick”  what would He find? Thankfully, only God Himself can assess how we are shaping up as Christians. We can only humbly bow before Him with repentant hearts, accepting His love, encouragement and grace. 

We live in increasingly secular times. Jesus, in His explanation of the End Times in Matthew 24, stated that “… many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24:10). The Christian life is not an easy choice, particularly as the challenges to practising our faith are increasing. But before we give up we remember. There was a time two thousand years or so, when “… God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (‭‭John‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭NIVUK). We pilgrims remember that priceless act of love, that melted our hearts and turned us around from a life devoted to sinful ways to a life devoted to serving, to loving, to embracing the One who gave Himself for me.

Father God. We are so grateful for Your grace. You are a loving Parent who wants us to become more like Your Son, Jesus. We pray today that through You we have that opportunity. Amen.

Sweet and Sour

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Then the voice from heaven spoke to me again: “Go and take the open scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. “Yes, take it and eat it,” he said. “It will be sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn sour in your stomach!” So I took the small scroll from the hand of the angel, and I ate it! It was sweet in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach. Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.””
Revelation‬ ‭10:8-11‬ ‭NLT

A voice from Heaven jolted John in to action. He was told to go and get the small scroll from the angel and eat it. And he was warned that although the scroll would taste sweet, it would give him heart burn. What was all that about?

John was told that the scroll’s taste would be as sweet as honey. We heard much about this product of the honey bee in Israel’s history – their promised land reputedly would be found to be flowing with milk and honey. Moses was told by God in the Burning Bush episode, “So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live”. (Exodus 3:8). To the Israelites, the presence of honey would be a sign that the land was full of natural resources. A wonderful place to be.

But more than that, honey has a spiritual significance. We read in Psalm 119:103, “How sweet Your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey“. So perhaps John accepted and ate the scroll, enjoying the sweetness of God’s Word. But then in some way he found that the words written on it were not the sweet platitudes full of love and grace that he expected to find, but instead the consequences of the third terror or woe that was still to come. And the sweetness turned bitter to the very pit of his stomach. There is a huge gulf between the sweetness of God’s Word and the bitterness of our wicked and sinful world. The one provides nourishment to our souls. But the other leaves a sour taste in our mouths. There is nothing sweet about the sinful world in which we live. 

The last verse of Revelation 10 had an instruction for John. He was to prophesy again, “about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.” But what was he to say? Perhaps it was to make known what was written on the small scroll that he had just eaten. Perhaps he had to communicate God’s mysterious plan, that we read about earlier. Perhaps he was to prophecy what would happen when the final trumpet sounded. John would not have been lacking material about his forthcoming prophetic announcement.

We pilgrims prophecy. Not just by words but by our lives. The ways in which we set an example to the world around us. We are prophetically counter-cultural in all we do. As an example, a group of us Christian men had breakfast together in a local restaurant recently. We had not long finished when the fire alarm sounded and we had to leave, to assemble in the car park. The manager said we were free to go and there was nothing to pay. But we insisted on paying for our meal anyway. That was a counter-cultural prophetic statement, declaring to the rest of those in the car park that God and His ways are true and righteous. The world’s ways are not God’s ways. We are called to live holy lives. 1 Peter 1:14-15 reads, “So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy“. 

Dear Father God. You are holy and righteous in all Your ways. Thank You that through Jesus we too can be righteous and holy, as You are. Please help us to declare You and Your ways in our families and communities. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God’s Mysterious Plan

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand toward heaven. He swore an oath in the name of the One who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and everything in them, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it. He said, “There will be no more delay. When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, God’s mysterious plan will be fulfilled. It will happen just as He announced it to His servants the prophets.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭10:5-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We return to the picture of the huge angel standing astride the sea and land. He raises his hand to Heaven and swears an oath in the name of God. And he then made an announcement, that “God’s mysterious plan will be fulfilled”. Do we swear oaths in the name of God? I suppose the nearest we get to such an event is in a court of law, when we take the witness stand. And raising a Bible in our right hands, we declare an oath, “I swear by Almighty God that the evidence I shall give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”. There is something significant and solemn about such an occasion. And the angel declared an oath in God’s name, affirming without doubt that “God’s mysterious plan will be fulfilled“. This event was to take place when the seventh trumpet is blown.

In Ephesians, Paul wrote about what God intends to happen one day. Paul called it a “mysterious plan”  and that description continues in John’s writings. Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:9-10, “God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfil his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.” So the angel’s announcement that “God’s mysterious plan will be fulfilled” implies that this must be the “right time” referred to by Paul. All those End Times prophecies in both the Old and New Testament are about to be completed.

We all make plans but they are hardly a mystery. We plan our holidays. We plan our lives. We plan the week ahead. And once the plan has been made, we communicate it to those around us, those who will be affected by it. Before the foundation of the world, God made a plan. We read in Ephesians 1:4, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” God could see that one day sin would enter the perfect world that He had made and He needed to make provision for mankind to be reconciled to Him. And the plan was absolutely amazing. Who would have ever thought that the Creator of the Universe would plan to allow His Son to come to this earth as a human being and end up being crucified on a Roman cross, to redeem the sins that had so blighted the world He had created? God didn’t tell anyone about this part of His plan right at the beginning, but instead revealed that the Messiah would come through His prophets, warning the peoples of their times about what was to come. And their prophetic voices continued with what would happen after the Messiah had returned to Heaven. The Book of Daniel is a fascinating read.

Paul revealed more about God’s “mysterious plan” in Ephesians 3. We read “God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:10-11‬). God’s plan didn’t end with the coming of Jesus. As mankind embraced His Son, the plan continued with the creation of the Church, to be His Son’s bride, holy, spotless and unblemished, free from sin and wickedness. And at the Time of the End, the Kingdom of God will finally reign supreme. Jesus spoke much about His Kingdom during His time here in Planet Earth. He taught during His short time here on earth that His Kingdom was near. Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, “And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.” Isn’t it both humbling and amazing that pilgrims like us are instrumental in bringing about the end times through our sharing of the Gospel? Through sharing our messages of hope, our testimonies, with our neighbours and friends. In our communities and nations.

But we look around us in our wicked and war-torn world, and wonder if the End Times have already started? Hmmm..

Father God. We thank You that Your plan for mankind is still in process and that You have graciously allowed us time to become part of Your family. Once again I pray that we would have more opportunities to share Your Good News with those around us, giving them the chance of joining Your family as well. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Secrets

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“When the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Keep secret what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down.””
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭10:4‬ ‭NLT

“But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.” 
“But he said, “Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means.””
Daniel‬ ‭12:4, 9-10‬ ‭NLT

The Apostle John was about to write down what the “seven thunders” were saying when he was told that he had to keep them secret. Keeping something secret happened once before, when the prophet Daniel was in discussion with an angel, though for him he was told to seal up the book about what he knew “until the time of the end”. In both cases, there was something that God wanted kept out of the public domain until the time was right to reveal it, if at all. And the secrets died with the person who was privileged to receive them, John or Daniel. Why did God even allow mention of the fact that these secrets existed? And what was so secret that it had to be kept hidden?

Before we think further about the secrets disclosed by the “seven thunders” perhaps we should pause and ask what or who they were. In the Bible thunder is often associated with God, and His judgements. For example in Psalm 18:13 we read, ” The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded amid the hail and burning coals.” In Exodus 9:23 we read, “So Moses lifted his staff toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed toward the earth…”. But why “seven thunders” and not just one? Apart from the fact that seven is a number representing completion and perfection in the Bible, we don’t have a specific answer.

But back to our questions about the secrets and what they were. I must confess that I don’t really have a clue, and neither does anyone else, as far as I can see. If anyone knew what the secret was, then it wouldn’t be a secret anymore. There has been speculation of course, but nothing that can be supported by Scripture. The only hint I can see from the verses today as to why these secrets existed is that the knowledge needed to understand them doesn’t yet exist. The words themselves were obviously able to be recorded, but what they meant was to be a secret. There is always the possibility that the words of the “seven thunders” was kept secret because they were too terrible to be disclosed.

Usually secrets exist because they hide information about someone or something that is embarrassing or illegal or to protect a national interest. Technology companies have gone to great lengths in recent years to provide ways to protect data, such as pictures, videos or conversations, from public scrutiny. For example, we have WhatsApp with its “end to end” encryption that is unable to be read by anyone other than the originator and the recipient. Over previous years, before modern encryption methods had been invented, people stayed awake at night dreaming up ways to make messages secure. And we have the much publicised efforts of the code breaking team and their successes at Bletchley Park in the Second World War. But it begs the question as to why such extremes should be followed for the average person having a conversation with a relative or friend. Paranoia? But then I don’t live in a Marxist environment where the authorities wish to control the very actions of their peoples. Where a wrong word, or phrase can lead to a knock on the door.

So what do we pilgrims make of John’s and Daniel’s secrets? We know that one day all will be revealed – I don’t believe that there will be any secrets in Heaven. Until that day we are in a position where we must trust and have faith in our wonderful Creator God. Only He knows the beginning from the end. From the writings in the Bible we have been given a glimpse of what is to come at “the time of the end”. But that is all that it is – a glimpse.

Father God. We rest in Your grace and love today, secure in the knowledge that You know what is best for each one of us. We put our faith and trust in You today and every day. Amen.

Power and Imagination

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face shone like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire. And in his hand was a small scroll that had been opened. He stood with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. And he gave a great shout like the roar of a lion. And when he shouted, the seven thunders answered.
Revelation‬ ‭10:1-3‬ ‭NLT

The Apostle John’s eschatological vision continues with the appearance of another angel. A mighty angel. This angel was surrounded by a cloud and had a rainbow positioned over his head. And John was struck by the brightness of the angel’s face and he also noticed that the angel’s feet were like pillars of fire. The angel obviously had something to say, related to the scroll he was carrying. And he must have been huge, to be able to stand astride on sea and land. He gave a “great shout like the roar of a lion”  and received a response from the seven thunders.

What is all that about, was my first thought. Do we accept the picture that is forming in our minds at face value or do we try and make sense of it, interpreting the vision in a way that imparts a meaning? Firstly, this episode takes place between the sixth and seventh trumpets. An interlude perhaps? Did the people still alive see this angel – something that big wouldn’t have been hard to miss – or was this a spiritual event portrayed for John’s benefit, and ultimately ours as well?

We can draw some associations between what we see and what has been written in the Bible. For example, we remember that God led the Israelite slaves through the wilderness during their exodus from Egypt from within a cloud. And Psalm 104:3 reads, “You lay out the rafters of Your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds Your chariot; You ride upon the wings of the wind.” So the angel’s message from a cloud perhaps means that it has God’s backing, His seal of approval. Also we know about rainbows. In Genesis 9:13, God said, “I have placed My rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of My covenant with you and with all the earth.” We also have a Biblical precedent for a bright face. When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, we read in Matthew 17:2 that “His face shone like the sun”. Regarding the “feet … like pillars of fire” we remember that God led the Israelites at night in the wilderness with a pillar of fire. So we, at the very least, can assume this “mighty angel” was someone of great importance. In fact, some have even suggested that He was Jesus Himself.

Regarding the mighty shout, we read in Hosea 11:10. “For someday the people will follow me. I, the Lord, will roar like a lion. And when I roar, my people will return trembling from the west.” In Joel 3:16 we read, “The Lord’s voice will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth will shake. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a strong fortress for the people of Israel.” John didn’t record in his vision what the great angel shout was about, and neither do we really know what the seven thunders represent. But we do know that when God responded to Jesus’s prayer in John 12, some people thought it had thundered. But, everything considered, this event in Revelation was a momentous event. God was about to say something very important and significant through the mighty angel.

Is there a message in this vision for us pilgrims today? Not many of us, if any at all, will have received such a vision as John did that day. But that is not to say that God has overlooked us and has failed to deliver an important word, tailor-made just for us. Over the years I have received several important messages from God – one of them delivered with His audible voice. Something intensely personal and encouraging. God is always listening to our prayers, to our petitions, to the anguished cries from our hearts, and He will graciously and lovingly always provide the answers and encouragement that we need. 

Jesus said that when He left this earth, He would send the Holy Spirit as His representative. And through Him we will have access to the same power that Jesus had. In Acts 1:8 He said to His disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…”. Today we pilgrims are Jesus’s disciples with the potential to be powerful for God through His Spirit. I know that many claim that the power of the Holy Spirit was just for the original disciples and their generation and that it disappeared when they all died. But that is not my experience, and neither can I find any Scriptures that explicitly say that this is what happened. 

I have always been challenged with what Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:20, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Paul wrote that to a church fellowship located in the city of Ephesus. He didn’t pick out the apostles and the favoured few who knew them. This was written to all those in the fellowship of Ephesian believers. And I firmly believe today that it applies to us as well, and we all have that accessible power deep within us. Just waiting to be tapped. In the power of this Spirit, we can dream. We can allow our imaginations to be led by the Holy Spirit. There is no limit to what can be achieved through the power that is within us. So there may be a pilgrim reading this today who feels inadequate and is lacking confidence in who they are. They might be feeling inferior and incapable. But God wants to encourage us all today. In Ephesians 1:19-20 we read, “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honour at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.” So let’s press in today, flexing our spiritual faith muscles, believing God for more of that Holy Spirit power to touch us and touch those around us. In Jesus there is no limit to what we can achieve, if we only believe.

Dear Father God. We confess that we feel most of the time like fragile clay jars. But we declare today our confidence in You, the One who uses such ordinary vessels as us to do great things for You. Thank You. Amen.