December 22, 2006 - Micah 6-7 and Revelation 13
As we finish the book of Micah, we read about why God was so upset with His people. He had been faithful to them from the beginning to the end, but they had not been faithful to Him. (6:5) He gave them a very concise statement as to what He required of them. (6:8) I believe this standard still applies today. God is looking for us to live justly. We are to practice what we say we believe. God is looking for us to be merciful. This word refers to being faithful to our covenant with Jesus, the New Covenant. Then, God is looking for us to walk with Him in humility each day. What a difference that would make in any life!
Revelation 13 continues the description of the cosmic struggle. Here, the Spirit reveals to John and to us that there will be two powerful men in the Tribulation time. One is the beast, who is the Antichrist. He is the earthly ruler who will wage war on the believers. Then, there will be the false prophet, who will promote the beast with supernatural signs. Both of these men will be empowered by Satan Himself. It is an "unholy trinity." The end result of their scheme to have everyone worship the beast will be the mark of the beast. It will only be given to those who worship him, and without this mark a person will not be able to buy and sell. This will cause many believers to starve to death. However, God is there to rescue them, since they would not bow their knees to the Antichrist. They will be with Him in heaven. What would you do if you were given such a choice?
Tomorrow, I intend to read Nahum and Revelation 14.
Revelation 13 continues the description of the cosmic struggle. Here, the Spirit reveals to John and to us that there will be two powerful men in the Tribulation time. One is the beast, who is the Antichrist. He is the earthly ruler who will wage war on the believers. Then, there will be the false prophet, who will promote the beast with supernatural signs. Both of these men will be empowered by Satan Himself. It is an "unholy trinity." The end result of their scheme to have everyone worship the beast will be the mark of the beast. It will only be given to those who worship him, and without this mark a person will not be able to buy and sell. This will cause many believers to starve to death. However, God is there to rescue them, since they would not bow their knees to the Antichrist. They will be with Him in heaven. What would you do if you were given such a choice?
Tomorrow, I intend to read Nahum and Revelation 14.