“Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete. And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.””
Revelation 15:1-4 NKJV
I’ve never known another man more committed to doing the work of the Lord than was my father. But early in his ministry, he faced a real moment of crisis.
You see, he and his young family were struggling financially. He was basically a troubleshooter for the denomination in which he then operated, and was sent to congregations in some sort of distress. As such, the finances of the churches were often lacking, and in that denomination, if the finances were lacking, so was the pastor.
Now, the other side of this equation is that there was a man ministering in the same city, who was a charlatan. He was someone who took every opportunity to “fleece” the people. Yet, he was experiencing great success.
My father was at a point of breaking on this day. He knelt down in front of a chair in the church office and began to pour out his heart before the Lord.
He told the Lord that he would always serve Him to the best of his ability; but this would be the last time that he would come to Him as a minister, as a pastor. He could no longer endure the hardship and injustice he was seeing.
Jesus appeared before him. He saw Him with his eyes open, a sight he would continue to see for the rest of his life when he closed his eyes.
Jesus did not address my father’s complaint, but rather said to him, “My son, preach My word. I am coming, and My reward is with Me to give to every man according to what his works may be.”
From that moment forward, my father never looked back. Of course, he had read the many scriptures in which the Lord spoke of His coming judgment and justice.
He well knew the words of the prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, through whom the Lord shared the justice that was to come.
“Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:10, 29-31 NKJV
““Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.”
Jeremiah 17:7-10 NKJV
He had read the prophetic words in the psalms concerning the judgment of the Lord that brings salvation to His people.
“Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.” For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.”
Psalms 96:1, 9-10, 13 NKJV
“Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. The Lord has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations. For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, And the peoples with equity.”
Psalms 98:1-2, 9 NKJV
He had read the words of Jesus as He walked on the Earth, as well as His triumphant words as King over all things.
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.”
Matthew 16:26-27 NKJV
““And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.””
Revelation 22:12-13 NKJV
But on that particular day, my father grasped those words and held to them as a “rope of hope.” Yes, he held onto them for the next several decades. He heard those words in his heart. He seized on what he needed to finish his course. And finish his course, he did.
We began this week talking about the trouble in this world, the distress of nations, and yes, our personal distress of living in such an evil world.
With that, we have been—in one way or another—discussing the Lord’s plan that has been woven through millennia, a plan that would start with our redemption, and end—or actually—continue on, with the perfect rule and reign of Jesus Christ.
Yesterday we ended off by hinting at another new song.
This new song, found in our opening scripture, is one of victory, a new song celebrating the righteous judgment of the perfect Lamb of God. It’s a song about this worthy Lamb, Who will return as a Lion to rescue Israel, and to set up His righteous, eternal Kingdom.
Child of God, grasp the hope found in taking God at His word.
Make no mistake, the Lord will destroy His enemies and reward His children. Grab this rope of hope, now! Hold on to it for dear life! After all, Jesus is coming! So, get ready for Him!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
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