Corona Devo 3182
Raise your right hand (to heaven).
Swear.
Swear by him who lives for ever and ever.
Swear by him who created the heavens and all that is in them.
Swear by him who created the sea and all that is in it.
Swear to God.
~~~
Can we raise our right hand to heaven and swear by God that we have received the Word of God?
Have we?
Have we read it? (The Bible?)
Yes, we have...and we are doing so right now. We are ingesting God's Word.
Some parts are sweet, like the part about our (Holy) God calling (sinful) us to be His cleansed children by sacrificing His (sinless) Son to pay our sin-debt on the cross, so that we might share in eternity with Him (if we choose Him).
That part is sweet, as sweet as honey in our mouth, if we side with our Savior.
But receiving salvation is a choice that not everyone makes. The offer and payment from God stands available to all, but receiving Him...that's a personalized invitation and choice, and many refuse to accept it.
God's offering to them stands....but so does His penalty to those who refuse.
What is sweet news to some will be sour news to others.
Throughout the Bible and throughout the Book of Revelation, God always provides a promise to those willing to become His children, and it is sweet.
But throughout the Bible and throughout the Book of Revelation, God ALSO clearly warns of the sour (unsweet) consequences for those who reject God.
One life-choice (choosing the Lord and His will and ways for our lives) will taste as sweet as honey in our mouth, but the other life (and death) choice will turn our stomach sour.
Yes, news of those rejecting God and being damned will turn our stomach sour.
We understand both options and truths. And sweet or sour, our calling is to share the truth of God with others so that they can decide for themselves: sweet or sour?
~~~
Raise your right hand (to heaven).
Swear.
Swear by him who lives for ever and ever.
Swear by him who created the heavens and all that is in them.
Swear by him who created the sea and all that is in it.
Swear to God.
Can we, will we believe and swear to God, as the apostle John did?
Can we picture what John saw?
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. (2) He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, (3) and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. ~Revelation 10:1-3
Do we believe what John saw (from God) about the mighty angel coming down?
Rainbow above his head, and a face that shone like the sun. Legs that were like pillars of fire. And in his hand a little opened scroll.
Can we envision him (the angel) standing there with one foot in the sea and one on the land)?
Can we believe it? We can. We will swear to believe it because it is in the Bible and we trust God's Words. We must trust God's words. We will trust in God's Word when it is beyond our experiences or our knowledge, such as John eating a scroll from an angel in heaven.
Believe it?
Yes...we raise our right hand to heaven and we swear that we do:
(5) Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. (6) And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! (7) But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”
(8) Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
(9) So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’ ” (10) I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. (11) Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” ~Revelation 10:5-11
We believe God, and we believe His complete and connected plan (with Him at the center) for you and for me and for every person, dating back to Adam and Eve, the first two people that He created. And that includes the prophets to whom God gave visions and knowledge about what will come.
But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.” ~Revelation 10:7
Including you and me today, as we read the Bible of what God announced to his servants the prophets, it is both sweet and sour. We love the (sweet) eternity-with-God part (accept Him into your heart, everyone!)
But the part about separation-from-God for those who have chosen to live their lives separated from Him...that is sour. It turns our stomachs to think about it, and God knows this, and this is why He gives us a special, last-days assignment: Go and tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere!
- Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” ~Revelation 10:5-11
- But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ~Acts 1:8
~~~
Will we believe (and receive) what God is saying (and has said)?
I am raising my right hand, (like John)---won't you join me?
I am swearing by him who lives for ever and ever, are you?
We believe You, Lord. The past has come true, so many prophecies have of old have come to fruition, and we believe You about what's to come. Amen.
It is a sweet and sour message. We delight in Your salvation, Lord, and we lament for those who are lost.
Blessings,
sarah
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