Read Revelation 15-18
Wow, what a great passage! The vivid details describing God’s final wrath as they unfold from Heaven are breathtaking! I admit it is easy to become overwhelmed by this great and mysterious book, but I hope that you were able to find the one key message that God shows us about His saints in today’s reading.
In Revelation 15:1-4, we are given a stunning picture of the heavenly realms, a scene from the very courts of the temple of God. There are angels and plagues and those singing songs with harps beside a sea of glass and fire! The Bible refers to the singing ones as “those who had been victorious over the beast, his image and the number of his name.”
My first question after reading this was, “Who are these victorious ones? Digging a little deeper, I found many passages in the Bible that refer to these courageous victors:
- Born of God, their faith overcomes the world. (1 John 5:4)
- Children of the living God. (John 1:12)
- More than conquerors through him who loves us. (Romans 8:37)
- The Lamb’s “called, chosen and faithful followers.” (Rev. 17:14)
- Believe that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:5)
- Do not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (Rev. 12:11)
- Saints who persevered to keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. (Rev. 14:12)
- They did not worship the beast or his image (idol) and did not receive his mark. (Rev. 20:4)
- Blessed is the one who stays awake! (Rev. 16:15)
My friends, when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and believe in His name, you are counted among his called and chosen ones. Those that remain faithful to the very end, even in death, are the victorious ones! We, along with all the saints, will be with our God during the culmination of history’s greatest struggle. Today take comfort in knowing that someday you will be with God and the angels in the heavenly realms, singing songs of victory and praising the One who is victorious.
Amen and amen!
- Jennifer Edwards serves on the Women’s Ministry Team at Adventure Church
