Thursday – Letters

Reading – Revelation 9

Highlight Verses:

“But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk! And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭9‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

This always amazes me.

How could people live through such suffering, and witness those who trust in God not suffering, not want to turn to God for relief.

One of the main arguments I hear about God is, “if He exists, He must be cruel because of all the pain and suffering in the world.

The truth is His heart breaks when He sees people suffering when all they need to do is to trust in Him.

That is not to say that Christians never suffer. We do. But we have a relationship with the one who can see us through the suffering.

And in the day that this passage comes to pass, believers will not suffer the terrors that unbelievers will.

In this chapter we read that some will be marked as set aside for the Lord and will not suffer the terrors described here.

If you believe pre-tribulation theology, that means that believers will have already been taken up into heaven. Those marked for grace are those who came to faith in Jesus after the tribulation began.

Post or mid-tribulation theology would say that all believers still alive when this takes place will be marked to be spared this terror.

I won’t get into the pre/mid/post debate as I have heard good arguments on each side (though I lean toward one side personally).

But why would God allow, even command these terrors?

Keep in mind that this happens at the very last days. Far worse suffering awaits those who do not repent and follow Jesus. This little taste of what is in store for them for eternity will cause some to repent. Not many. But some.

God will do everything He can to get people to choose eternal life in heaven. But He will not force them.

We are not slaves but eager followers, convinced that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

We have chosen heaven.

How do you react to suffering?
If you were suffering and saw someone who was not, would you seek advice to escape the suffering or would you despise the one not suffering because it doesn’t seem fair?