Angels: Finding Hope in God Who Reigns Over Heaven and Earthਨਮੂਨਾ

Waiting Patiently

Enduring when we don’t feel good physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually can be challenging. If it is difficult to wait for the end of a temporary sickness, then it can be extremely challenging to wait for God’s ultimate triumph over sin and death. The Lord gave us some instructions embedded in the text of Revelation to guide us as we wait for the fulfillment of these promises. We’ll find perseverance, knowing God ultimately wins the war over evil. In the meantime, we can remain hopeful, faithful, watchful, and careful as we wait for Jesus to return

Scholars debate the timing of the war in heaven depending on their view of end times. Regardless of its timing, we can remain hopeful, knowing God triumphs over evil. The heavens and those who live there are commanded to rejoice because Satan and his angels are cast down to earth (12:12).

Some days it may feel like Satan is winning. Our world is filled with his deception. When days are difficult, we can endure patiently with the knowledge that it won’t always be this way. Just like the followers of the Lamb in Revelation 12, our suffering also has an expiration date.

Whatever you may be going through today, hold onto these words from Revelation: “It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ” (12:10a).

Faithful

How great to know that the Lord has rest in store for His people. The concepts of enduring persecution and remaining faithful are difficult to live out. Thankfully, the Lord is with us and helps us. Revelation 13-14 reminds us of the connection between faith and faithfulness. When we are struggling, instead of focusing on outward expressions (faithfulness), we can stoke the fires of our faith. Only through our faith can we live a faithful life. We need Christ in us to live the Christian life.

Watchful

In Revelation 16, we find that three demonic spirits will proceed from the enemy. Jesus’s words seem abrupt in the flow of this chapter. We find His reminder to us that He will come like a thief. No one ever expects a thief; however, we do keep watch by taking simple steps to prepare. Jesus says that we should watch for Him to return and take steps to be ready for when He does (Mark 13:32-37). We can’t bury our heads in the sand while we wait for eternity. One of the ways we prepare for Jesus’s second coming includes remembering that life as we know it will come to an end, so we must focus on eternal rather than temporal pursuits.

Careful

In Revelation 18:1, I noticed that the angel had great authority, and his presence made the earth bright with his splendor. He shouted the demise of Babylon, which is not as much a location but a symbolic representation of the immorality and materialism of the ungodly. The enemy tries to convince followers of God to copy the pattern of the world in ungodliness. He wants us to justify and minimize our sin. God says to come away and not take part in the sins of this world. I’m not sure if this voice from heaven is from another angel or the Lord Himself, but remember that angels are God’s agents. They speak only what God instructs them to say. Whether this is directly from God’s mouth or spoken through His angel messengers, the message is clear: We are to come away from sin and seek to live pure, godly lives. We will never be sinless this side of heaven, but we can ask God to sanctify us so that we sin less this week, this month, and this year than we did previously.

We must be careful not to become seduced by the enemy so that our lives look no different than the world. Instead, we wait patiently, enduring until the end. While we wait, we can remain hopeful, faithful, watchful, and careful, knowing that God will triumph over evil. We truly experience victory in Jesus, our Savior forever.

Read Revelation 12-18. Ask the Lord for daily sustenance while waiting for His second coming. Pray for patience and steadfastness amid trial and hardship from the enemy.