Thurs.’s Devo - The Mission of the Angels

Read: Zechariah 4:1-5:11; Revelation 14:1-20; Psalm 142:1-7; Provers 30:21-23 Zechariah was shown by the angel the lamp stand of the Lord’s positions in between two olive trees. When Zechariah asked what it meant, God gave him a word to give to Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel had been anointed to help the people rebuilt the Temple. God was going to open the way for Zerubbabel to complete the task no matter what came against him. The seven lamps represented the Lord’s eyes and the two olive trees represented the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord. (I would think they were Michael and Gabriel, God’s arch-angels.) Zechariah saw a flying scroll which appeared to be about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide. God told him that this scroll contained the words of the curse that was going out over the entire land. One side curse those who stole and the other cursed those who lied. It would destroy the houses of those who were guilty. Zechariah was then showed a basket used for measuring grain filled with the sins of the people. Its lid was lifted to reveal a woman sitting inside. Her name was “Wickedness and the angel pushed her back into the basket and closed the lid. Two women flew and picked up the basked and took it to Babylon where they would build a temple for the basket and set it on a pedestal. This sounds like the image that the Anti-Christ will set up that we read about yesterday in Revelation. In Revelation, Jesus will stand on Mount Zion with the 144,000 of his martyred saints and they will sing a new song before the throne of God. Another angel flies through the sky with the good news to every nation tribe, language and people. Another angel flies shouting that Babylon had fallen because they drank the wine of the lady called Wickedness. A third angel shouted that judgement on those who had worshiped the beast. and taken his mark. This will begin great persecution on the earth as God’s judges the wicked and the wicked persecute the righteous. Another angel announces God’s reaping of the earth and still another angel comes to reap it. The wicked people are reaped and put into the winepress of God’s wrath. Their blood is shed on the earth. Lord, our comfort is in You and Your protection and love. Your ways are always good and righteous and fair.