one day in the future

Posted on June 16, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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one day in the future

Revelation 18:1-24

Revelation 18:1 After this I saw another agent with great authority coming down from the sky, and the land was illuminated by his splendor.
Revelation 18:2 He called out in a mighty voice: It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen! She has become a home for demons, a haunt for every unclean breath, a haunt for every unclean bird, and a haunt for every unclean and despicable wild animal.
Revelation 18:3 For all the nations have drunk the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath. The kings of the land have committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the land have grown wealthy from her sensuality and excess.
Revelation 18:4 Then I heard another voice from the sky: Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins or receive any of her plagues.
Revelation 18:5 For her sins are piled up to the sky, and God has remembered her crimes.
Revelation 18:6 Pay her back the way she also paid and double it according to her works. In the cup in which she mixed, mix a double portion for her.
Revelation 18:7 As much as she glorified herself and indulged her sensual and excessive ways, give her that much torment and grief. For she says in her heart, “I sit as a queen; I am not a widow, and I will never see grief.”
Revelation 18:8 For this reason her plagues will come in just one day — death and grief and famine. She will be burned up with fire because the Lord God who judges her is mighty.
Revelation 18:9 The kings of the land who have committed sexual immorality and shared her sensual and excessive ways will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke from her burning.
Revelation 18:10 They will stand far off in fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city! For in a single hour your judgment has come.
Revelation 18:11 The merchants of the land will weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any longer —
Revelation 18:12 cargo of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; all kinds of fragrant wood products; objects of ivory; objects of expensive wood, brass, iron, and marble;
Revelation 18:13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; wine, olive oil, fine flour, and grain; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and slaves — human throats.
Revelation 18:14 The fruit you craved has left you. All your splendid and glamorous things are gone; they will never find them again.
Revelation 18:15 The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning,
Revelation 18:16 saying, Woe, woe, the great city, dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls;
Revelation 18:17 for in a single hour such fabulous wealth was depopulated! And every shipmaster, seafarer, the sailors, and all who do business by sea, stood far off
Revelation 18:18 as they watched the smoke from her burning and kept crying out: “Who was like the great city?”
Revelation 18:19 They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning, Woe, woe, the great city, where all those who have ships on the sea became rich from her wealth; for in a single hour, she was depopulated.
Revelation 18:20 Rejoice over her, sky, and you devotees, apostles, and prophets, because God has pronounced on her the judgment she passed on you!
Revelation 18:21 Then a mighty agent picked up a stone like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, In this way, Babylon the great city will be thrown down violently and never be found again.
Revelation 18:22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters will never be heard in you again; no craftsman of any trade will ever be found in you again; the sound of a mill will never be heard in you again;
Revelation 18:23 the light of a lamp will never shine in you again; and the voice of a groom and bride will never be heard in you again. All this will happen because your merchants were the nobility of the land, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.
Revelation 18:24 In her was found the blood of prophets and devotees, and of all those slaughtered on the land.

one day in the future

Babylon is a combination of the human and the demonic – of church and state – of trade and sorcery and deception. The great system and all tied to it will be destroyed in a single day. God’s message to believers is “ “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues” (4).

LORD, make us people of integrity, who do not align ourselves with power for convenience sake. Make us people who are morally and spiritually pure. We want to bring honor and glory to your name.

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beauty, power, and the future

Posted on June 15, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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beauty, power, and the future

Revelation 17:1-18

Revelation 17:1 Then one of the seven agents who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me: “Come, I will show you the judgment of the notorious prostitute who is seated on many waters.
Revelation 17:2 The kings of the land committed sexual immorality with her, and those who live on the land became drunk on the wine of her sexual immorality.”
Revelation 17:3 Then he carried me away in the Breath to a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet wild animal that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.
Revelation 17:4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls. She had a golden cup in her hand filled with everything detestable and with the impurities of her prostitution.
Revelation 17:5 On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and of the detestable things of the land.
Revelation 17:6 Then I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the devotees and with the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.
Revelation 17:7 Then the agent said to me, “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the wild animal, with the seven heads and the ten horns, that carries her.
Revelation 17:8 The wild animal that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up from the depthless place and go to destruction. Those who live on the land whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will be astonished when they see the wild animal that was, and is not, and is to come.
Revelation 17:9 This calls for a mind that has wisdom: “The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated. They are also seven kings:
Revelation 17:10 Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he must remain for only a little while.
Revelation 17:11 The wild animal that was and is not, is itself an eighth king, and he is of the seven and is going to destruction.
Revelation 17:12 The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings with the wild animal for one hour.
Revelation 17:13 These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the wild animal.
Revelation 17:14 These will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings. Those with him are called, chosen, and faithful.”
Revelation 17:15 He also said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples, crowds, nations, and languages.
Revelation 17:16 The ten horns you saw, and the wild animal, will hate the prostitute. They will depopulate her and strip her, devour her meat, and burn her up with fire.
Revelation 17:17 For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his plan by having one purpose and to give their kingdom to the wild animal until the words of God are fulfilled.
Revelation 17:18 And the woman you saw is the great city that has royal power over the kings of the land.”

beauty, power, and the future

For over a thousand years, the most beautiful and powerful entity in this world was a Church which had its seat in Rome, the city on seven hills. From that vantage point, this almighty power ruled over kings, and presided over the torture and death of martyrs.

But then, the political powers turned against her. They began to hate this prostitute. The nations which once had a “sacred” mandate are now content with a secular one. Babylon is still with us, but she will fall.

LORD, we pledge our ultimate allegiance not to church or state, but to your Son – in whom you are well pleased.

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“peace on earth” and the future

Posted on June 14, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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“peace on earth” and the future

Revelation 16:1-21

Revelation 16:1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven agents, “Go and pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the land.”
Revelation 16:2 The first went and poured out his bowl on the land, and severely painful sores broke out on the humans who had the mark of the wild animal and who worshiped its image.
Revelation 16:3 The second poured out his bowl into the sea. It turned to blood like that of a dead person, and every living throat in the sea died.
Revelation 16:4 The third poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.
Revelation 16:5 I heard the agent of the waters say, You are just –the Holy One, who is and who was, because you have passed judgment on these things.
Revelation 16:6 Because they poured out the blood of the devotees and the prophets, you have given them blood to drink; they deserve it!
Revelation 16:7 I heard the altar say, Yes, Lord God, the Almighty, true, and just are your judgments.
Revelation 16:8 The fourth poured out his bowl on the sun. It was allowed to scorch humans with fire,
Revelation 16:9 and humans were scorched by the intense heat. So, they blasphemed the name of God, who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory.
Revelation 16:10 The fifth poured out his bowl on the throne of the wild animal, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues because of their pain
Revelation 16:11 and blasphemed the God of the sky because of their pains and their sores, but they did not repent of their works.
Revelation 16:12 The sixth 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.
Revelation 16:13 Then I saw three unclean breaths like frogs coming from the dragon’s mouth, from the wild animal’s mouth, and from the mouth of the false prophet.
Revelation 16:14 For they are breaths of demons performing signs, who travel to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for the battle on the great day of God, the Almighty.
Revelation 16:15 “Notice, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who is alert and remains clothed so that he may not go around naked and people see his shame.”
Revelation 16:16 So they assembled the kings at the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.
Revelation 16:17 Then the seventh poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done!”
Revelation 16:18 There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder. And a severe earthquake occurred like no other since humans have been on the land, so great was the quake.
Revelation 16:19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the Great was remembered in God’s presence; he gave her the cup filled with the wine of his fierce anger.
Revelation 16:20 Every island fled, and the mountains disappeared.
Revelation 16:21 Enormous hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell from the sky on humans, and they blasphemed God for the plague of hail because that plague was extremely severe.

“peace on earth” and the future

At Christmas, we celebrate Christ’s first coming. He came accompanied by an angel’s message that he would bring “peace among those with whom he is pleased” (Luke 2:14).

His second coming will be different. He is not coming as a babe in the night, but as a thief in the night (Rev. 16:15). The plagues lead up to this horrible event.

God’s great grace has given this planet 2000 years to respond to his offer of peace. Have you responded? Time is running out. Run to the Savior. He will either be your Savior or your judge.

LORD, we accept your terms of peace and offer our lives in unconditional surrender. Help us to reach others with your gospel of grace.

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plagues and the future

Posted on June 13, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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plagues and the future

Revelation 15:1-8

Revelation 15:1 Then I saw another great and awe-inspiring sign in the sky: seven agents with the seven last plagues; for with them God’s wrath will be completed.
Revelation 15:2 I also saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had won the victory over the wild animal, its image, and the number of its name, were standing on the sea of glass with harps from God.
Revelation 15:3 They sang the song of God’s slave Moses and the song of the Lamb: Great and awe-inspiring are your works, Lord God, the Almighty; just and true are your ways, King of the nations.
Revelation 15:4 Lord, who will not fear and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All the nations will come and worship before you because your righteous acts have been revealed.
Revelation 15:5 After this I looked, and the sky temple — the tabernacle of testimony — was opened.
Revelation 15:6 Out of the temple came the seven agents with the seven plagues, dressed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes wrapped around their chests.
Revelation 15:7 One of the four animals gave the seven agents seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God who lives for ages and ages.
Revelation 15:8 Then the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven agents were completed.

plagues and the future

First the good news: When God’s wrath is finished – there will have been a harvest of worshippers who praise him for his great deeds and holy ways. This will happen in spite of the bad news. During this time the earth will not be at peace or without pain. Instead, terrible plagues will destroy the lives of millions.

The common denominator for both the good news of redemption and the bad news of wrath is God’s holiness. The same holiness which punishes this planet for its rebellion also rescues believers by the blood of the Lamb.

LORD, may we endure your wrath and celebrate your grace. May the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus be our constant chorus.

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martyrs and the future

Posted on June 12, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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martyrs and the future

Revelation 14:1-20

Revelation 14:1 Then I looked, and noticed the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.
Revelation 14:2 I heard a sound from the sky like the sound of cascading waters and like the rumbling of loud thunder. The sound I heard was like harpists playing on their harps.
Revelation 14:3 They sang a new song before the throne and before the four animals and the elders, but no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
Revelation 14:4 These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, since they remained virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were redeemed from humanity as the firstfruits for God and the Lamb.
Revelation 14:5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
Revelation 14:6 Then I saw another agent flying high overhead, with the permanent gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the land – to every nation, tribe, language, and people.
Revelation 14:7 He spoke with a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship the one who made the sky and the land, the sea and the springs of water.”
Revelation 14:8 And another, a second agent, followed, saying, “She has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen. She made all the nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath.”
Revelation 14:9 And another, a third agent, followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the wild animal and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,
Revelation 14:10 he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is poured full strength into the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the sacred agents and in the sight of the Lamb,
Revelation 14:11 and the smoke of their torment will go up for ages and ages. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the wild animal and its image, or anyone who receives the mark of its name.
Revelation 14:12 This calls for endurance from the devotees, who keep God’s commands and their faith in Jesus.”
Revelation 14:13 Then I heard a voice from the sky saying, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Breath, “so they will rest from their labors, since their works follow them.”
Revelation 14:14 Then I looked, and noticed a white cloud, and one like the Human Son was seated on the cloud, with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Revelation 14:15 Another agent came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one who was seated on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap, for the time to reap has come, since the harvest of the land is ripe.”
Revelation 14:16 So the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the land, and the land was harvested.
Revelation 14:17 Then another agent who also had a sharp sickle came out of the temple in the sky.
Revelation 14:18 Yet another agent, who had authority over fire, came from the altar, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vineyard of the land, because its grapes have ripened.”
Revelation 14:19 So the agent swung his sickle at the land and gathered the grapes from the vineyard of the land, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.
Revelation 14:20 Then the press was trampled outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press up to the horses’ bridles for
about one thousand six hundred stadia.

martyrs and the future

Here we see the 144,000 again. They are called the firstfruits because they were the first to hear the whole gospel, and be redeemed. Many of those first Jewish believers paid for their allegiance to Christ by giving their lives. John witnessed that. All of his early companions in the ministry were now dead. The question that looms in the air here is “Was it worth it?” The answer:

“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Breath, “so they will rest from their labors, since their works follow them” (13).

The wrath of man (even if it leads to death) is nothing compared to the horrible wrath of God that is coming upon this world. God our creator loves us, and because of this love he cannot allow sin and Satan to continue to reign. There will be a day of reckoning for Satan and sinners – a day of vindication for the martyrs.

LORD, may we love the people of this planet enough to warn them of your coming wrath.

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the wild animals and the future

Posted on June 11, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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the wild animals and the future

Revelation 13:1-18

Revelation 13:1 And I saw a wild animal coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads were blasphemous names.
Revelation 13:2 The wild animal I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority.
Revelation 13:3 One of its heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but its fatal wound was healed. The whole land was amazed and followed the wild animal.
Revelation 13:4 They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the wild animal. And they worshiped the wild animal, saying, “Who is like the wild animal? Who is able to wage war against him?”
Revelation 13:5 He was given a mouth to utter boasts and blasphemies. He was given authority for forty-two months.
Revelation 13:6 He began to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name and his dwelling — those who dwell in the sky.
Revelation 13:7 And he was permitted to wage war against the devotees and to conquer them. He was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.
Revelation 13:8 All those who live on the land will worship him, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered.
Revelation 13:9 If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.
Revelation 13:10 If anyone is to be taken captive, into captivity he goes. If anyone is to be killed with a sword, with a sword he will be killed. This calls for endurance and faithfulness from the devotees.
Revelation 13:11 Then I saw another wild animal coming up out of the land; it had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon.
Revelation 13:12 It exercises all the authority of the first wild animal on its behalf and compels the land and those who live on it to worship the first wild animal, whose fatal wound was healed.
Revelation 13:13 It also performs great signs, even causing fire to come down from the sky to the land in front of the humans.
Revelation 13:14 It deceives those who live on the land because of the signs that it is permitted to perform in the presence of the wild animal, telling those who live on the land to make an image of the wild animal who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
Revelation 13:15 It was permitted to give breath to the image of the wild animal, so that the image of the wild animal could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the wild animal to be killed.
Revelation 13:16 And it makes everyone — small and great, rich and poor, free and slave — to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead,
Revelation 13:17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the wild animal’s name or the number of its name.
Revelation 13:18 This calls for wisdom: Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the wild animal, because it is the number of a human. Its number is 666.

the wild animals and the future

The vision that we started reading yesterday introduced us to Satan, the great dragon/serpent/devil. Today’s text describes the two great tools the devil has used against God’s plan and his people. They are described as wild animals.

The first (the one from the sea) has all the elements of the four wild animals of Daniel 7. This is a way of identifying all the human empires. What Jesus is saying is that human government will conspire to overthrow God’s plan and destroy his people.

The second (the one from the earth) seems to represent human religion. The apostate churches will conspire with the rebellious state to undo God’s plan. They will both fail.

LORD, we pledge our ultimate loyalty not to the church or the state but to Jesus Christ.

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the dragon and the future

Posted on June 10, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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the dragon and the future

Revelation 12:1-18

Revelation 12:1 A great sign appeared in the sky: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
Revelation 12:2 She was pregnant and cried out in labor and agony as she was about to give birth.
Revelation 12:3 Then another sign appeared in the sky: Notice, there was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven crowns.
Revelation 12:4 Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them to the land. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth it might devour her child.
Revelation 12:5 She gave birth to a Son, a male who is going to rule all nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and to his throne.
Revelation 12:6 The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, to be nourished there for 1,260 days.
Revelation 12:7 Then war broke out in the sky: Michael and his agents fought against the dragon. The dragon and his agents also fought,
Revelation 12:8 but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in the sky any longer.
Revelation 12:9 So the great dragon was thrown out — the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to land, and his agents with him.
Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in the sky say, The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been thrown down.
Revelation 12:11 They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; for they did not care about their throats to the point of death.
Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, you skies, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the land and the sea because the devil has come down to you with great fury, because he knows his time is short.
Revelation 12:13 When the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the land, he persecuted the woman who had given birth to the male child.
Revelation 12:14 The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent’s presence to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, times, and half a time.
Revelation 12:15 From his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river flowing after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood.
Revelation 12:16 But the land helped the woman. The land opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth.
Revelation 12:17 So the dragon was furious with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring — those who keep the commands of God and hold firmly to the testimony about Jesus.
Revelation 12:18 The dragon stood on the sand of the sea.

the dragon and the future

This one gets a bit complicated, but here’s how I see it:

There is an enemy. He is the dragon, the serpent, the devil (9). He opposes God’s plan for the future, and has sought to thwart that plan.

The enemy first sought to thwart God’s plan for redemption and restoration by preventing the birth of the Messiah – the mail child. Before Christ was born, Satan sought to destroy Israel – from whom the Messiah was to descend.

When that didn’t work, Satan set himself and his forces to destroying both Israel (from whom Christ came) and the church (for whom Christ came) (7). Neither of these plans of the devil will be accomplished. While individuals can be killed, God’s plan and his people will survive.

LORD, thank you that the enemy’s plans will not succeed.

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victory in the future

Posted on June 9, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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victory in the future

Revelation 11:1-19

Revelation 11:1 Then I was given a measuring reed like a rod, with these words: “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count those who worship there.
Revelation 11:2 But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Don’t measure it, because it is given to the nations, and they will trample the sacred city for forty-two months.
Revelation 11:3 I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth.”
Revelation 11:4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the land.
Revelation 11:5 If anyone wants to wrong them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies; if anyone wants to wrong them, he must be killed in this way.
Revelation 11:6 They have authority to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy. They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the land with every plague whenever they want.
Revelation 11:7 When they finish their testimony, the wild animal that comes up out of the depthless place will make war on them, conquer them, and kill them.
Revelation 11:8 Their dead bodies will lie in the main street of the great city, which figuratively is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.
Revelation 11:9 And some of the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb.
Revelation 11:10 Those who live on the land will gloat over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the land.
Revelation 11:11 But after three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them.
Revelation 11:12 Then they heard a loud voice from the sky saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to the sky in a cloud, while their enemies watched them.
Revelation 11:13 At that moment a violent earthquake took place, a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand humans were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of the sky.
Revelation 11:14 The second woe has passed. Notice, the third woe is coming quickly!
Revelation 11:15 The seventh agent blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in the sky saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ages and ages.
Revelation 11:16 The twenty-four elders, who were seated before God on their thrones, fell facedown and worshiped God,
Revelation 11:17 saying, We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.
Revelation 11:18 The nations were angry, but your wrath has come. The time has come for the dead to be judged and to give the reward to your slaves the prophets, to the devotees, and to those who fear your name, both small and great, and the time has come to destroy those who destroy the land.
Revelation 11:19 Then the temple of God in the sky was opened, and the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and severe hail.

victory in the future

The age in which we live is often one where the people of God and the word of God are in conflict with the kingdom of the world. This chapter reveals that – in the future – that will change. When the seventh trumpet blows, the “kingdom of the world (will become) the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (15).

THere is both persecution from man and protection from God in this chapter, but the most important truth revealed is that the victory will eventually come. The time given for the nations to trample the holy city is limited. The future victory is certain.

LORD, give us strength to endure whatever we might face as we witness to your gospel. We know that the victory you promise is sure.

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a sealed future

Posted on June 8, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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a sealed future

Revelation 10:1-11

Revelation 10:1 Then I saw another mighty agent coming down from the sky, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun, his legs were like pillars of fire,
Revelation 10:2 and he held a little scroll opened in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea, his left on the land,
Revelation 10:3 and he called out with a loud voice like a roaring lion. When he cried out, the seven thunders raised their voices.
Revelation 10:4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from the sky, saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down!”
Revelation 10:5 Then the agent that I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to the sky.
Revelation 10:6 He swore by the one who lives for ages and ages, who created the sky and what is in it, the land and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: “There will no longer be a delay,
Revelation 10:7 but in the days when the seventh agent will blow his trumpet, then the mystery of God will be completed, as he announced to his slaves the prophets.”
Revelation 10:8 Then the voice that I heard from the sky spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the agent who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
Revelation 10:9 So I went to the agent and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take and eat it; it will be bitter in your stomach, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”
Revelation 10:10 Then I took the little scroll from the agent’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach became bitter.
Revelation 10:11 And they said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”

a sealed future

John sees the future as a “mystery” that is revealed to him, but he is told to seal it up and not to write it down. It should be enough to know that God has a plan, and that when the time is right, there will be no more delay. Our tendency is to be impatient with God. We have a glimpse in the sweet word of God of the precious inheritance that awaits us, but after eating the little scroll, it turns bitter in our stomach. The troubles of today make us forget about the blessed hope.

One of the big ideas revealed in Revelation is that God has a plan that he has set in motion. It involves “many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” They have a destiny. Because of the gospel we preach – some will come to Christ and join us in eternity. Others will experience his judgment. We do not know the future – at least not all of it. But we can trust the one who does.

LORD, give us the wisdom to proclaim your gospel to the lost, and trust you with the future.

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pain in the future

Posted on June 7, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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pain in the future

Revelation 8:6-9:21

Revelation 8:6 And the seven agents who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.
Revelation 8:7 The first agent blew his trumpet, and hail and fire, mixed with blood, were hurled to the land. So, a third of the land was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
Revelation 8:8 The second agent blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain ablaze with fire was hurled into the sea. So, a third of the sea became blood,
Revelation 8:9 a third of the creatures having throats in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
Revelation 8:10 The third agent blew his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky. It fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water.
Revelation 8:11 The name of the star is Wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood. So, many of the humans died from the waters, because they had been made bitter.
Revelation 8:12 The fourth agent blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day was without light and also a third of the night.
Revelation 8:13 I looked and heard an eagle flying high overhead, crying out in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the land, because of the remaining trumpet blasts that the three agents are about to sound!”
Revelation 9:1 The fifth agent blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the land. The key for the shaft to the depthless place was given to him.
Revelation 9:2 He opened the shaft to the depthless place, and smoke came up out of the shaft like smoke from a great furnace so that the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the shaft.
Revelation 9:3 Then locusts came out of the smoke on to the land, and power was given to them like the power that scorpions have on the land.
Revelation 9:4 They were told not to wrong the grass of the land, or any green plant, or any tree, but only those humans who do not have God’s seal on their foreheads.
Revelation 9:5 They were not permitted to kill them but were to torment them for five months; their torment is like the torment caused by a scorpion when it stings a human.
Revelation 9:6 In those days humans will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.
Revelation 9:7 The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. Something like golden crowns was on their heads; their faces were like human faces;
Revelation 9:8 they had hair like women’s hair; their teeth were like lions’ teeth;
Revelation 9:9 they had chests like iron breastplates; the sound of their wings was like the sound of many chariots with horses rushing into battle;
Revelation 9:10 and they had tails with stingers like scorpions, so that with their tails they had the power to wrong humans for five months.
Revelation 9:11 They had as their king the agent of the depthless place; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon.
Revelation 9:12 The first woe has passed. Notice, there are still two more woes to come after this.
Revelation 9:13 The sixth agent blew his trumpet. From the four horns of the golden altar that is before God, I heard a voice
Revelation 9:14 say to the sixth agent who had the trumpet, “Release the four agents bound at the great river Euphrates.”
Revelation 9:15 So the four agents who were prepared for the hour, day, month, and year were released to kill a third of the human race.
Revelation 9:16 The number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number.
Revelation 9:17 This is how I saw the horses and their riders in the vision: They had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur.
Revelation 9:18 A third of the human race was killed by these three plagues — by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came from their mouths.
Revelation 9:19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, because their tails, which resemble snakes, have heads that do wrong.
Revelation 9:20 The rest of the humans, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see, hear, or walk.
Revelation 9:21 And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.

pain in the future

I have not been entirely convinced by the various interpretations of this passage that I have read. This seems like a prophecy requiring a number of clues to get at its interpretation. What I do get is that the events it describes take place in John’s future, but before the return of Christ. The wars and plagues are felt by the population of the whole earth. The most unbelievable words here are “the rest…did not repent.” But we have to admit that it accurately describes the stance this world has taken to the sufferings it has faced.

LORD, help us to listen to our pain. May it drive us to you and not from you.

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