Two days of the year - going back to back like liver and birthday cake - All Hallows / Halloween to become All Saints Day.
Shrove Tuesday / Mardi Gras abuts Ash Wednesday/ Lent. The world at large has considered this and we're seeing more Mardi Gras purple green and gold Halloween decorations.
Contrast and comparison.
The Scripture is picked from a category and then explained. Today the rough pick was Revelation 13. Revelation and Isaiah. So the three wise men walked up to the Herodian Palace and asked to see the Messiah Prince of Judea. We will fully see through the glass as God wants us to do this.
Revelation 13:9-10
9 Whoever has ears, let them hear. 10 “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.”This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.
The portion is actually Revelation 13:1-10 describing fierce beasts beyond what is in God's natural plan. And we could relate this to terrible nightmares and situations. We have all faced the loss of a loved one, disease, ill health, financial problems, being shamed in public, loosing friends - even dear friends. We all know loss in this life and need to see what God does with loss.
The Book of Revelation is God's fullness, steadfast Love and all His Promises encountering loss from His Creation and from the free will choice from His delight in you and me - mankind.
God reacts strongly. It is absolutely shocking to God to discover the beast of evil is glorified. It's beyond imagination. The beast is seen by the ocean. All of the Vast Goodness of God is rejected for a power and place and glory that will fade. God's nature is clearly perceived and rejected.
What is to be done?
How will God react?
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
1. God is not in denial. But apparently God takes time to truly consider what He is seeing.
2. God recognizes goats, weeds and terrible horror exist. God is absolutely not ho-hum about seeing horror.
3. What God is saying is that terrible things do happen to good people and to God Himself. For example, Good Friday. God is recognizing the fright and fear in catastrophe happen even when He Himself lives in holiness.
Luke 13
1 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
4. God is judging this Revelation 13:1-10 as awful. He has said He observed now and determined.
5. Summing this up so far - Observe. Not denial. Pause, consider. The impact on the innocent. Now determining the Just Judgment of God.
6. Part of Overcoming is coming to grips with the fight. God has decided to face the harshness of the outcome. When we face our fears and decide even if the worst should occur - we are stronger than in denial. Fears faced take the monster down to being flat. Jesus told us to Rise. When we feel we can go on and live to move, dwell and have our being with Father God - then we continue on with the Good Fight. Fear in itself can be crippling. We all know stress is a killer.
7. Emotions
God has truly sorted out fear, injustice, willingness to go on, a fierce and unenjoyable time. God has not said repress emotions. This observation is filled with so dramatic a representation of a horrible war and monster - we can't be blase. No repression of emotion is suggested. Nor profitable to the one in the struggle.
8. Prepare and endure - we are doubtless less than overjoyed. God has said if you live by the sword - you will die by the sword. We sometimes remember David was at war and was the warrior king, yet this loss is after the New Covenant and this is in the New Testament. If we determine to live by the sword, we will die by the sword. We do not justify the ends match the means.
Romans 12:21
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
8 We all tend to try to blend in to our environment. Our culture expresses emotion for our very lives with life opinions (we will all decide if we lived meaningful lives) with political argument. We are truly saying our heart about our lives in our political words. Lately, it's in the news without direct disapproval to discuss killing politicians and rhetoric of bombs and bumper stickers. We've see an increase of violence on celebrities and athletes. We should never support anyone calling for violence.
Violence happens when evil and good collide - evil decides the imbalance would be to it's advantage. The instability is to be examined. God has not condemned looking at the abomination with all types of emotion. God wisely says do not become filled with evil and thoughts of vengeance. ~ Fight the Good Fight.
Do not yield the Good Fight.
Sweden is known having liberal ways and touted with many answers and many questions. Sweden takes All Saints Day to remember Love is worth holding in beautiful remembrance. It's interesting to see the beauty of the photo - none of the gory hype of Halloween and not blithely ignoring All Saints and the remembrance of the people dearly held and life lessons, where we are strengthened.
Romans 3 Faith of our Fathers
16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed
Hebrews 11
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Abba, our Father,
In all circumstances, we seek Your Blessing. And in all conditions, from Your Hand, strengthen us to have our body, mind and soul to have strength in Your Love to Love. In the Power of God - we will never yield the Good Fight.
1 John 4:8
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
We know Jesus told us to pray and never give up hope. The father in John 7 is told results will be seen, keep praying and have faith. We cover all we Love with Jesus. And know them to be held in Love.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit
God will save the world in Jesus Christ. Giving power to those who believe to be the children of God.
Our Alleluia in Jesus. Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †
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