Fri.’s Devo - The Revelation

Read: Joel 1:1-3:21; Revelation 1:1-20; Psalm 128:1-6; Proverbs 29:18 Little is known of Joel himself but his writing indicates that he probably lived and wrote of times when Joash was the king of Judah and Jehoiada was the high priest. He speaks of the inner workings of the Temple so he must have lived in Judah. His name means “a worshipper of Jehovah”. He begins telling about the devastation of an invasion of locusts. Locusts were a symbol of God’s judgment used in the plagues of Moses (De 28:38, 39) and by Solomon (1Ki 8:37). These locusts in their forms of cutting, swarming, hopping and stripping locusts devoured their crops making it difficult to stay alive. They were compared to enemy armies with God as their commander. They follow his orders and it is his day of judgment. Joel begs the people to return to him now while there was time to repent. They should come to the Lord with fasting weeping and mourning. If they repented, God was merciful and full of compassion; maybe he would repent what he was planning to do. Joel describes the coming of the Chaldeans in their time but it parallels with the end of times when God sends his judgement over the earth in Revelation 9. God will pity his people and send them provision and God will drive their enemies away after he is finished punishing their sins. God will show his faithfulness by sending them rain once again. He will restore what they had lost and never again would they be disgraced. God will pour out his Spirit on all flesh. Our sons and daughters will prophesy. Men will dream dreams and see visions. Wonders will appear in the heavens and on earth. Jesus came the first time and brought us spiritual freedom and deliverance from evil. He will come again and manifest this salvation on all the earth. Chapter three tells of the final battle between all the nations as God calls them to report and be judged in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. God would be a refuge for his people but a destroyer to his enemies. The land of Judah will be filled with provision and blessing but the land of Egypt would be dry and a wilderness. god will pardon his people’s sins and come and live with his people once again. God gave John a revelation of what will happen in the end. It was the word of God and the testimony of Christ. God, the sevenfold Spirit, and Jesus sent greetings of grace and peace to his people. Because of what Jesus did for us, we are now a kingdom of priests. He will return with the clouds of heaven and everyone will see him even the Jews who pierced him. All the nations of the earth will mourn for him. John tells us that he is exiled on the island of Patmos for his preaching of the gospel. While he was worshipping on the Day of Atonement he heard a voice behind him like a trumpet blast. It told him to write what he was about to see ain a book and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. When John turned to see who was speaking he saw the seven gold lamp stands. In the middle was the Son of Man in all his glory. He fell on his face with the fear of God. God laid his right hand on John and told him not to be afraid. He was to write down everything. The seven gold lamp stands stood for the seven churches and the stars on them stood for the messenger of the seven Churches. Lord, help us to discern the times we are living in and understand what you were saying in your Book. May we have eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart to understand.