Day 256/260: Read Revelation 18

How powerful is the Almighty God? “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!” God has the power to destroy great cities of men.

How severe is His judgment? “The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all.” When God executes His judgment, it is complete.

How swift was the fall? “For in one hour she is made desolate.” Once the decision was made to carry out His wrath, the city did not stand a chance.

Do not trust in earthly riches. “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).

Do not trust in tomorrow. “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14).

Trust in God.

Memory (Read aloud 5-10 times)

Revelation 22:18-19. For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Pray

Pray for greater trust in God and His will.

Day 255/260: Read Revelation 17

Whose side are you on?

Verse 14 states the theme of the whole message of Revelation: “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them.” God will win. He will defeat evil. He did it against the persecutions of the first century, and He will win again when time comes to an end.

Jesus, who “is Lord of lords and King of kings,” has all the power and authority (Matthew 28:18). Men may rebel against Him, but they will not conquer Him.

We have a choice to make. Do we want to side with the winner, or with the loser? We know the outcome. We know who will win. We must decide now—while we are yet alive—whose side we are on.

“Those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” Do those words describe you? Have you accepted the gospel call that goes out to all men? Have you associated with the chosen in His church? Are you faithful in obediently executing His will on this earth, laying up for yourself treasures in heaven?

“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

Memory (Recite to a friend without looking)

Revelation 14:13. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”

Pray

Pray for increased faith in the victory of Jesus, and pray for those who are not yet among the “called, chosen, and faithful.”

Day 254/260: Read Revelation 16

What should be the Christian’s attitude toward divine discipline? “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:11-12).

The Jews were given ample time to repent and return to God. There were some who accepted His gospel and were saved, but many more who refused to obey and perished.

God is righteous and just, and those who were punished received their due. Let us remember, however, that it is not our place to exact vengeance, but God’s (Romans 12:17-21).

After all of His longsuffering, still “men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.”

Let us learn from the stubbornness of those who perished—when we are confronted with truth, and that truth contradicts our life, we must repent and comply!

May we see discipline for what it is: a loving attempt to bring us closer to God, to make us more faithful and dependent upon His grace and mercy.

Memory (Fill in the blanks)

Revelation 14:13. Then I heard a ____________ from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the ____________ who die in the ____________ from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works ____________ them.”

Pray

Pray for God’s grace and mercy to continually cover your sins as you faithfully obey His gospel.

Day 253/260: Read Revelation 15

“The wrath of God is complete.” A dreadful thought to those who have not prepared themselves to meet Him!

God works at His pace; we are often impatient and ready for the next step, but God often grants time for repentance to those in sin. Should we not be as gracious and merciful as we deal with our friends and neighbors?

He told Abram that his descendants would be “strangers in a land that is not theirs…four hundred years,” but when the time was right, they would return to their own land. “But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete” (Genesis 15:13-16). Abram would not see that promise fulfilled in his lifetime, as God was not ready to pass judgment on the Amorites. Who knows how many were saved due to God’s patience?

May we never forget: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Again, if God shows grace and mercy and patience, we should do the same.

Memory (Fill in the blanks)

Revelation 14:13. Then I heard a voice from ____________ saying to me, “Write: ‘____________ are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their ____________, and their works follow them.”

Pray

Pray for the longsuffering of God as you work through temptation and sin; pray for patience with others who are doing the same.

Day 252/260: Read Revelation 14

Even in a highly symbolic, apocalyptic book such as the book of Revelation, the importance of evangelism is on full display.

Understand this: every Christian has a part to play in evangelism. Whether it is preaching from the pulpit or knocking on doors or having casual yet spiritual conversations with friends, you have a duty to spread the good news.

The angel “having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people” proclaimed the importance of fearing God and giving Him glory.

This echoes the preacher of Ecclesiastes: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

The evangelistic angels of Revelation commanded their listeners to worship God and warned against the worship of the beast. Today, we must spread the good news and lovingly warn the rebellious of the severity of God.

Memory (Copy into a notebook 5-10 times)

Revelation 14:13. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”

Pray

Pray for opportunities to reach out to someone you know that needs the good news of Christ’s gospel.

Day 251/260: Read Revelation 13

Context is so important when studying the final book of the New Testament. The symbolic language has been abused by religious leaders throughout the years, and has led to great confusion. This chapter especially, with the “mark of the beast” and the “number of the beast,” has spawned many fanciful theories.

The mark of the beast was not a physical, literal mark. It was an act of submission to the evil authorities by those in the first century, the original audience of this inspired book. Those who submitted were permitted to take part in marketplace activities; those who refused were not allowed to buy and sell.

The number of the beast is also taken out of context, being applied to individuals throughout history such as the Pope, Hitler, and Ronald Reagan. None of those individuals fall under the scope of the message of Revelation.

There is a strong case for the number 666 to be applied to Nero Caesar. He was an early enemy of the church and fits into the historical context of Revelation. Some commentators make the case that the number simply signifies any evil when raised to its highest power.
Be careful when studying, and keep Biblical texts in the proper context.

Memory (Read aloud 5-10 times)

Revelation 14:13. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”

Pray

Pray for strength when faced with evil authority.