Revelations 22:12-21

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Read Revelations 22:12-21 Verses for meditation: Revelations 22:12-13, 16, 20-21 ESV: 12 "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” 16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. Reflect How does it feel to be reading the very last few verses of the bible? What do the proclamations, the last few of them, say about Christ? Come, Lord Jesus! Does this really express our desire? How does the greatest book end, and on what note? But is this really the end? Relate With mixed feelings, I'm writing this last devotion based on the final ten verses of the greatest book, the bible. What a journe...
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Joel 3

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 Read Joel 3


Verses for devotion:


1 “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, 3 and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.


9 Proclaim this among the nations:

Consecrate for war; stir up the mighty men. Let all the men of war draw near; let them come up.


10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I am a warrior.”


13  Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full.The vats overflow,

for their evil is great.


14 Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.


16 The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem,
and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.


18 And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streambeds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and water the Valley of Shittim.



Reflect


Is Joel prophesying about what would be happening during his days? Is he referring to the judgement of God befalling upon wicked nations (perhaps Tyrians or Philistines who are in contempt of God)? Or is the message for us in modern times? How is this relevant to me and the world I am living in today?


The selected verses reminded me that there will be a day when God will gather all the people and deliver His judgement at the valley of Jehoshaphat (Yahweh has judged). He will repay all the wicked deeds (of those casted lots and traded children for pleasures, so you could imagine how evil human has become)! Nations will be fighting against nations (and even against God Himself) as they prepare for battle and trade all their tools of livelihood into weapons of war and destructions (vs 10). They will refuse God’s truth and goodness, and continue to be lawless. But God will come and judge (with sickle as the harvest of the evil is ripe). The time will come as the people are just so wicked beyond redemption. The Lord will roar from Zion like a mighty lion and His powerful voice shakes the heaven and earth! But the comfort is that this lion offers protection and refuge to His people (the Christians and His believers). And vs 18 painted a picture of abundance and overflowing goodness from God for those who made the right decision to follow Christ (as implied in vs 14, the valley of decision).


Relate


In my last devotion of Daniel 12 I reflected upon impending second coming of our Lord Jesus. There is no time to waver and we pray that we will all be ready by then. Again this passage reinforces the importance of making the right decision to remain faithful to God. God has offered His love but many have chosen to reject and they decide to embrace evil. Times are tumultuous and nations are fighting against nations (with the conflicts between Hamas and Israel, and recently Iran), and also the on-going war in Ukraine. Other Countries are racing to spend billions on nuclear weapons and strengthen their military might (as how Joel 3:10 put it - converting the tools of livelihood to weapons of destruction). Nations are also fighting against God (vs9), as their natural instinct is to choose war and rebel against Godliness and righteousness, and in their scheme to curb the spread of gospels (anti-Christ).


Indeed all the happenings around us (earthquakes in Taiwan, New Jersey, Indonesia) and threats of nuclear war are giving us the jitters, as we are reminded of the last battle and the end of times - the Armageddon. No one knows when and how it will happen and again as mentioned before (in Daniel 12) it is not for us to speculate. Nonetheless Joel 2:28 assures us that God will pour out His spirit on us and those who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. And indeed we already have God’s spirit dwelling in us (1 Corinthians 6:19). Therefore we are always urged to focus on the things above and not on things that are on earth (Colossians 3:2) which will pass away eventually. Because what God can offer is far greater than what we can imagine with our human mind (vs 18 - mountains of dripping wine and hills of flowing milk).


Rest


“21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 


Revelation 21:1-4


Amen!



Alan Wong

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