Revelation (Written)

Tuesday, 29 December 2020

And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. Revelation 8:9

The words of this verse describe the effects of the “great mountain burning with fire” that was thrown into the sea. As noted in the previous verse, the effects stated in this verse seem to disprove a symbolic meaning of the “sea of people.” Instead, it more likely appears to be the literal sea. As it says, “And a third of the living creatures in the sea died.”

If this is a literal interpretation, then it would mean exactly as it states. Those living creatures in the sea are affected. But that brings in a question as to what “sea” is being referred to. As the events are focused on the land of Israel, it would mean either the Sea of Galilee (which is more like a lake) or the Mediterranean Sea. It does not have to mean the entire scope of the world, although this is still a possibility.

If the interpretation of the previous verse is speaking in imagery, even these words have a possible symbolic meaning. The living creatures would be those of the tribulation period churches or those who are evangelized by the churches. Jesus used such terminology when comparing the people of Israel to those who are being fished for –

“And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ Then He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ ²⁰ They immediately left their nets and followed Him.” Matthew 4:18-20

Another argument for a symbolic meaning is that John says they are “the creatures that are in the sea” (YLT). He does not say they are “sea creatures,” as James does. In James 3:7, he uses the word enalios, signifying things of the sea.

Therefore, with neither possible interpretation excluded thus far, John continues by saying, “and a third of the ships were destroyed.” Again, this seems to argue against a symbolic interpretation. Ships belong on the sea, and it is ships that are destroyed – as would be described in a literal interpretation. However, both concepts can be brought into a symbolic meaning as well. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown says –

“The symbolical interpreters take the ships here to be churches. For the Greek here for ships is not the common one, but that used in the Gospels of the apostolic vessel in which Christ taught: and the first churches were in the shape of an inverted ship: and the Greek for destroyed is also used of heretical corruptings (1Ti 6:5).”

This is confirmed by the Jesus Walk commentary, a portion of which says –

“The ship (bark or barque, barchetta) was an ancient Christian symbol. [It is] the Church tossed on the sea of disbelief, worldliness, and persecution but finally reaching safe harbor with its cargo of human souls. Part of the imagery comes from the ark saving Noah’s family during the Flood (1 Peter 3:20-21). Jesus protecting the Peter’s boat and the apostles on the stormy Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35-41). It was also a great symbol during times when Christians needed to disguise the cross, since the ship’s mast forms a cross in many of its depictions.”

Even today in Israel, there is a church of which the pulpit is in the form of a ship. It is on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and it was designed this way to uphold this ancient tradition. And so, a symbolic meaning would be that a third of the churches were affected by the events described here, and are thus destroyed (literally or through corruption of doctrine).

The things analyzed in the previous verse, and in this verse, are given to provide various interpretations of what is coming in the future. The truth of the interpretation will be known after the events occur. For now, we can only look forward with evaluations that may or may not match what will actually take place.

Life application: If the events of this verse are literal, human life will still be lost, even though such is not specifically mentioned here. This is because ships don’t sail themselves. In other words, human life will be lost on those ships and probably many will die from the coastal tsunamis. The tsunamis generated by the Indonesian earthquake killed hundreds of thousands of people all along the Indian Ocean. The disaster of the second trumpet will, then, probably be much, much worse.

Another result of this would be the economic chaos that would result from the loss of all the shipping and the loss of the coastal industries. Finally, the loss of marine life for food would continue to strip the world of food resources.

If the events are to be taken symbolically, it does not diminish the tragedy that will be faced by the people who are affected by them. In the end, the events of the trumpet judgments will be harmful in the extreme, and when they occur, they will be understood by those who live through them because of what is now presented by John.

But the best part for those who have called on Christ now is that we do not need to be worried about them affecting us personally. We are safe in Christ, and these events will be worked out in a world that has rejected Him. Those who come to Him after the rapture, however, will have to face them head on. Get the word of the gospel out now, while there is time for people to respond. It is our duty to tell of what God has done in Christ for the world. It is our duty to tell of the great things accomplished by JESUS!

O God, if the people of the world would just bow their hearts to You now, things would be so much better. But they refuse to do so. In this, they will come under Your judgment. But in Your wrath, remember mercy, O God. Nobody deserves your grace and Your favor, and without it nothing would be left. But we know the outcome already from Your word, and we do know that mercy will be coming as well. Thank You for this, O God. Amen.

Monday, 28 December 2020

Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. Revelation 8:8

With the first trumpet sounded and its judgment complete, John next says, “Then the second angel sounded.” There is no lull or delay between the sounding of the trumpets. The effects of the first one were directed at the earth. Now the effects of this second one are directed at the sea. As it says, “And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea.”

The wording here needs to be carefully considered. And, like the previous verse, being dogmatic about what is being presented is probably not wise. The first thing to consider is that this is like a great mountain. It is not a mountain. The terminology is apocalyptic, and John is trying to describe something. Using “a great mountain” is his way of doing so.

Secondly, it is “burning with fire.” John is seeing something that is huge and filled with the glow of fire. And thirdly, he says it was “thrown into the sea.” This can be a literal sea, or it can be figuratively speaking of multitudes of people. What appears to be referred to is a prophecy from Amos 7 –

“Thus the Lord God showed me: Behold, the Lord God called for conflict by fire, and it consumed the great deep and devoured the territory. ⁵ Then I said:
‘O Lord God, cease, I pray!
Oh, that Jacob may stand,
For he is small!’
⁶ So the Lord relented concerning this.
‘This also shall not be,’ said the Lord God.” Amos 7:4-6

If this is where the symbolism is derived from, John is speaking of a sea of people, probably centered in the land of Israel. If this is correct, then the next words become obvious. John says, “and a third of the sea became blood.” It would mean that this burning mountain has made casualties of one-third of the people it was focused at. The idea of the words “became blood” can mean “killed,” or it could possibly mean “killed or wounded.” Again, it is hard to be dogmatic about something that is future.

The idea of this being a symbolic sea seems to be disproven by the next verse where it speaks of living creatures in the sea and the destruction of ships. However, that is not necessarily so, as will be seen in that verse.

If this figurative option is correct, the question is, “What is John describing?” The answer could be a nuclear detonation. When detonated, it would appear to someone who has never seen such a thing as a great burning mountain – literally glowing with fire. In such a blast, killing one-third of those in the immediate area is not at all unlikely.

Obviously, with such a set of words, John could also be speaking of the literal sea – such as the Mediterranean Sea. If so, the symbolism would not be any different. A nuclear blast going off in the sea would produce much killing, and the metaphor of the sea becoming blood would indicate the resulting death.

If John is referring to Amos 7, it would then be that the first option is more likely. Amos is referring to the people of Israel in his visions, and so it would follow that John – who is heavily relying on Old Testament symbolism – is also speaking in the same graphic manner. As noted in the commentary on the previous verse, it appears that the trumpet judgments are centered on the land of Israel. But again, being dogmatic is not sound with future events that could be described either by literal or figurative terminology.

And further, the “great mountain burning with fire” could be something that is completely different. It is obvious that in the previous trumpet, the censer stood as a metaphor for something else, not a censer itself. The same could be true here. Mountains in Scripture are representative of forms of government, such as Babylon being described as a destroying mountain. And then, there is the “mountain of the Lord,” meaning the government of the Lord. Thus, this could be an enraged government, burning against Israel and coming against them.

No matter what, the plague of blood is reminiscent of the first plague of the Exodus when blood struck the Nile –

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Say to Aaron, “Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.”’” Exodus 7:19

Life application: Evaluating future events is difficult to do, and generations of people have done their best – at whatever time in history they lived – to describe what is being conveyed by John. As time has gone on, people have inserted their current time and circumstances into what they believe is being portrayed.

This is natural because it seems that every generation has thought that they were the generation of Christ’s return. People have written as such for eons. In the world we live in today, it is no different. We look around and see the world in the state it is in, we look around at the technology and what it can do, and we make conclusions about the events of Revelation based on those things.

But for two thousand years, people have been incorrect about their belief that they were the generation of the Lord’s return. Maybe we are too. And yet, it does appear that the Bible’s scenario for future events is rightly aligned with our age. This is especially so because Israel (the nation) is back in the land of Israel. Further, modern technology certainly appears to give us possibilities that were not possible in past generations, such as nuclear war.

For these reasons, we can apply this current knowledge to our eschatology and come up with reasonable analyses of what is being portrayed in Revelation. But let us remember, these things may be literal, or they may be figurative. And so, let us not be haughty or overly dogmatic. We should do our best in our presentations, but we should still remember these events are future and we could be wrong.

In the end, it is our greatest honor to seek out what is conveyed, and to then carefully present our thoughts without bringing discredit upon the exalted name of our Lord in the process. Let us do our best to honor Him in our studies. He is worthy of that. He is JESUS!

Lord, Your word says that great calamities are coming upon the world at some point in the future. They will be more terrifying than anything ever seen before. Isaiah tells us that man will become rarer than fine gold. This is because they will fail to glorify You. The world will go into a self-destructive tailspin. But for Your redeemed, there will be relief from this. Help us to continue to get the word out to the world before that terrible day comes. To Your glory. Amen.

Sunday, 27 December 2020

The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. Revelation 8:7

John just noted that the seven angels prepared to sound the seven trumpets. With that stated, he now says, “The first angel sounded.” The judgments of the trumpets have begun. In this, the eighth chapter of Revelation corresponds to the eighth letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet. The eighth letter, heth, pictures a tent wall, and it signifies “wall,” “outside,” “divide,” and “half.” It is a rich letter that bears the understood meaning of terror or dread as well as destroy. The obvious connection to Chapter 8 is that of the initiation of the trumpet judgments and their resulting terror and destruction.

With the sounding of the trumpet, John sees what was prophesied hundreds of years before he was born. It is that which was anticipated by Peter when he spoke to Israel at Pentecost. Next, it says, “And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood.” Various Greek manuscripts say more precisely, “mingled in blood.”

The result of this first trumpet blast is similar to the seventh plague to come against Egypt before the exodus –

“And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. ²⁴ So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.” Exodus 9:23, 24

There are differences though. Along with the hail mingled with fire, John notes that it is “mingled with blood.” As a point of speculation, this could symbolically be representing the blood of the saints who were mentioned in the previous verses. The censer of incense was filled with fire and cast to the earth. As the incense represents the prayers of the saints, it may be an allegorical way of saying that it is their blood that is being avenged. Next, he says, “and they were thrown to the earth.”

This matches the symbolism of the angel casting the censer to the earth in judgment. That judgment has now come. With this thought stated, various manuscripts include after this, “and a third of the earth was burned up.”

With this stated, the question is whether this is referring to the entire earth, or the land of Israel, or a portion of the earth where the particular judgment is directed. It is a general word, ges, that can signify any of these, and the context is what sets the meaning. And further, it is generally inclusive of the inhabitants of the land.

Here, the context is not sure enough to come to a solid conclusion as to which is being described. However, it most likely appears that these trumpet judgments are directed specifically to the land of Israel. This seems especially so from the contents of Chapter 9. Whichever is correct, it next says, “And a third of the trees were burned up.”

This is explicit, but what the words “trees” is referring to can be literal or allegorical. In Judges 9:7-15, there is a parable where trees are equated to rule and authority. This is seen in Daniel 4:14 as well. Jesus speaks of the trees in an allegorical manner as well, such as in Luke 21:29. Whether literal trees, or whether they are allegorical, it next says, “and all green grass was burned up.”

Again, it is a direct statement that appears to be speaking of literal grass. And yet, a question immediately arises as to why “all green grass was burned up,” but only a third of the trees were. And so, an allegorical meaning may apply here as well. Humans are equated to grass elsewhere, such as in Psalm 37:2 (and etc.), and a set number of people is referred to at times in Old Testament prophecy also –

“You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them. ³ You shall also take a small number of them and bind them in the edge of your garment. ⁴ Then take some of them again and throw them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will go out into all the house of Israel.” Ezekiel 5:2-4

&

“And it shall come to pass in all the land,”
Says the Lord,
“That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die,
But one-third shall be left in it:
⁹ I will bring the one-third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them.
I will say, ‘This is My people’;
And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’” Zechariah 13:8, 9

With such Old Testament comparisons, it is hard to be dogmatic concerning the nature of what is being described. What is certain is that judgment on a very large scale is being prophesied. After it is accomplished, it will be understood exactly what John is seeing, be it literal or allegorical. However, what seems certain is that this is the time prophesied by Joel and was then mentioned by Peter –

“And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.” Joel 2:30

Joel prophesied of a time of judgment to come upon the earth (again, it could be the land of Israel only, or the entire earth – the word can mean either) This was then quoted by Peter. Peter was speaking to the people of Israel at that time. The beginning of the fulfillment of his words came to them at Pentecost. However, Israel eventually rejected Christ Jesus and went into the punishment of exile. Now that they are back in the land, the prophecy of Joel will find its fulfillment. Peter’s words to Israel were –

“I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
²⁰ The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
²¹ And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be saved.” Acts 2:19-21

Taking the context (spoken to Israel while under the law), the events of Revelation make all the sense in the world. Verse 7:14 said (in a literal rendering), “These are the (ones) coming out of the tribulation the great.” It was an indication that the tribulation saints were coming and continued to come out by faith in Christ. The focus is on Israel during their final seven years under the law, and it is also inclusive of any Gentiles who are willing to accept the gospel and believe in what Christ did on their behalf. That is confirmed by Peter here with the words “whoever calls on the name of the Lord.” There is no time that is set. When a person calls on the name of the Lord, he shall be saved.

Life application: If the events described here are literal, and on a global scale (actual trees and grass), just imagine the result on the earth. When the plant life is so quickly destroyed, any rains will then cause mudslides and flooding. Food would then become exceedingly scarce and expensive, and disease will begin to run rampant.

One can see how the plagues of the four horsemen can quickly come to pass with just the sounding of this first trumpet. And yet there are six more trumpets to go. The world will begin a cataclysmic tailspin. Things will get progressively worse, not better, as the judgments unfold.

If the events are allegory, the horrors that are coming are no less terrifying. One-third of the leaders and the people they lead will be consumed. But what is seen as a terrifying ordeal is also seen to be a time of grace. Despite the judgment coming upon the earth, for those who call on the name of the Lord, salvation will result. Their physical bodies may die, but their souls shall be saved.

This is the purpose of the judgments. In them, God will judge the world for having taken a perverse path, but these judgments are also intended to wake up the world to return to the sound path offered through Jesus. God could just destroy the entire world in a flash. But He mercifully gives those who survive apocalyptic events the chance to turn to Him. It is reflective of the petition of Habakkuk 3:2 – “In wrath remember mercy.” The Lord does remember mercy, even in His wrath. This is sure because He took all of the cup of His wrath and passed it to His Son in order to redeem man. Peace with Him can now be obtained by accepting the work of Christ. Call on the Lord today. Call on JESUS.

Oh God, how sobering it is to see what the results of our sin are. Rather than humbling ourselves and being obedient to You, our Creator, we dismiss You, mock You, and only bring calamity on ourselves. Help those of us who have come to You through Christ to be lights to those around us before the great judgments that Your word says are coming actually begin. May we be responsible with the time set before us. Amen.

Saturday, 26 December 2020

So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. Revelation 8:6

With the opening of the seventh seal being complete, the focus now turns to the sounding of the trumpet judgments. This is based on verse 8:2 that said, “And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.” This was followed by the angel with the incense being offered before God and the casting of the censer to earth. With that complete, John now states, “So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets.”

As noted before, and without claiming this dogmatically, this is speaking of the seven Spirits before the throne of God. Being called angels does not mean they are created beings. Rather, and as noted, the word translated as angels signifies a messenger. It is a title elsewhere applied to the Lord Jesus, and there is no reason to exclude this representing seven of His roles being played out in a heavenly apocalyptic scene. Just as Christ opened the seven seals, so now, He may be the One to sound the seven trumpets.

And there is no logical contradiction in saying each is the Lord. Jesus is the One on the throne (5:1), He is also the Lion of the tribe of Judah (5:5), He is also the Lamb as though it had been slain (5:6), He is also the Angel ascending from the east having the seal of the living God (7:2), and He is also the Angel with the censer (meaning the Mediator) before God (8:3). He is each of these at the same time. As such, we are seeing the work of God in Christ being relayed in individual roles as He works out the unfolding narrative. Again, this is one possibility, and these could simply be seven created angels. The text does not provide enough information to be dogmatic either way.

With this understood, it says these seven angels (messengers) “prepared themselves to sound.” The Greek means, “prepared themselves to sound the trumpets.” In other words, they have brought the trumpets to their mouths in preparation for sounding.

Life application: The events leading up to this verse have brought the world to the point of the trumpet judgments that will follow. Angels have been used in history as God’s ministers of such judgment, including the land of Egypt when they enslaved Israel –

“He cast on them the fierceness of His anger,
Wrath, indignation, and trouble,
By sending angels of destruction among them.” Psalm 78:49

These coming trumpet judgments will be directed at the world at it is actively working against Israel, God’s covenant people. Similar to the opening of the seals, the first four trumpets will come as a group. This will be followed by two distinct trumpets, and then a last trumpet. The symmetry in these different judgments is remarkable and shows a consistency of how judgment is dealt with by God.

As He doesn’t change, this is to be expected. Everything is following a plan known to Him and being worked out by Him. And yet, He grants man free will in the process of these things. His foreknowledge does not negate our free will though. We must willingly come to God through Christ in order to be saved. If you have never done this, today is the day. Don’t hesitate. God loves you enough to have sent His own Son to die for your sins. He loves you enough to have sent JESUS.

Lord God, we know that You hear the prayers of Your people and that You are always there to defend them. We can look at past events recorded in the Bible, and we can see how faithful You have been to Your people. And so, we know that You will be the same towards us today. What have we to worry about when You are always attentive to our needs and our protection? Thank You for this. Amen.

Friday, 25 December 2020

Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. Revelation 8:5

This verse now continues the thought of the previous verses. The angel having the golden censer stood at the altar and presented incense – the prayers of the saints. Those prayers (the smoke of the incense) ascended before God. With that complete, and with the prayers having gone through the Mediator of those prayers (Christ Jesus), judgment of those on earth in response to those prayers, is God’s reply. As it says, “Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth.”

Of this, Albert Barnes states the following –

“By the former it had been shown that there would be much prayer offered; by this it is designed to show that, notwithstanding the prayer that would be offered, great and fearful calamities would come upon the earth. This is symbolized by casting the censer upon the earth, as if the prayers were not heard any longer, or as if prayer were now in vain.”

The analysis says, “notwithstanding the prayer that would be offered,” as if the prayer is ineffective. But that is not the case. The prayers of the previous verses have been heard. They are the prayers of the tribulation saints of Chapter 6 –

“And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ ¹¹ Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.” Revelation 6:10:11

It is not that God is ignoring the prayers and that prayer is now in vain. Rather, God has heard the prayers – offered through His Mediator – and there is now a response to those prayers. There is a time where God’s wrath will be poured out on nations for the shedding of blood. It is a precept that goes all the way back to the book of Genesis and which is explicitly stated in Joshua.

The sin of bloodshed eventually rises to a level where the Lord will respond. How much more so when it is the blood of His saints, and they are crying out for the avenging of their blood. As it says in Psalm 72 –

“Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His saints.” Psalm 116:15

The imagery is that the world has spilled its fill of blood and it is now to be judged. Taking fire from the altar and casting it upon the earth is a sign of impending judgment. The symbolism goes back to Ezekiel 10 –

“Then He spoke to the man clothed with linen, and said, ‘Go in among the wheels, under the cherub, fill your hands with coals of fire from among the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.’ And he went in as I watched.” Ezekiel 10:2

In Ezekiel 11, the reason for this is seen –

“Then the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said to me, ‘Speak! ‘Thus says the Lord: ‘Thus you have said, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind. ⁶ You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain.”’” Ezekiel 11:5, 6

The blood of the slain of Jerusalem called out for vengeance, and it came – symbolized by the taking of coals from the fire. The same is true now in Revelation. The prayers have been heard, and the divine response is issued: Judgment time has come. No incense is added to the coals now, symbolizing no mediation for those who are on the earth that have their hands bloodied with the blood of the saints. They can cry out to God until their throats are sore, but He will not hear. Without the mediation of Christ, their prayers are in vain.

John next says, “And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.” The wording is similar to verse 4:5, but in a different order and with the addition of “earthquake.” The idea is that of commotion and the striking of fear and awe into the hearts of those on the earth. It is reflective of what the Lord says of these times (as He describes in detail in Luke 21) and the state of man when they come –

“men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Luke 21:26

But the accompanying display of noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake are also similar to the great display that occurred when the Law of Moses was received on Mt. Sinai. The judgment on the world is based on this standard, which no one can meet. As Paul says in Romans 3:20 –

“Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

The law was given to show us our desperately sinful state and that we needed something more…the righteousness of Christ. The world has rejected this and will now be judged based on the standard set forth in the law and not on Christ’s imputed righteousness, of which they lack. Only the saints who trust in Christ alone, and not on some other standard of righteousness, are to be saved. The rest will perish in their unrighteousness.

The word translated as “noises” is the same word Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 14:8 to describe the blast of a trumpet. In Zephaniah, the prophet anticipated this coming day of destruction and the blast of the trumpet, warning what would occur at some point in the future –

“The great day of the Lord is near;
It is near and hastens quickly.
The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter;
There the mighty men shall cry out.
¹⁵ That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
¹⁶ A day of trumpet and alarm
Against the fortified cities
And against the high towers.” Zephaniah 1:14-16

Life application: The prayers of the saints were for the avenging of their blood and also a petition for the coming of God’s kingdom. Because the Lord hears the prayers of His people, their blood will be avenged, and His kingdom will be ushered in.

God has given His word and allowed the world over two thousand years to learn it and apply its truth – that of salvation through Christ alone. When the Day of Judgment comes, the world won’t be able to say they weren’t afforded abundant opportunity to accept the gospel and call on Christ.

And so, two truths can be considered to close out this verse. The first is that God has given man a path to being saved, and that path is through Christ Jesus. The second is that God does, in fact, hear that call leading to their salvation. Once saved, the prayers of His people are heard because of the mediation of Christ. We should never feel our prayers are not heard, even if it seems a response is not forthcoming. Being in Christ means that we are intimately joined to Him. Our prayers are heard, and they are holy because of Christ. God will respond to them according to His wisdom.

Let us trust that this is so and let us never fail to thank our God for having sent His Son to make this possible. He is our faithful High Priest who mediates for us. He is JESUS.

Oh God, when we are given the heavenly insights into Your great throne room, it allows us to understand how You tenderly receive the prayers of Your people and how You do act on them. We know that every prayer of Your saints is precious to You and that in Your wisdom You respond to them at just the right moment in history. Thank You for hearing our prayers. Amen.