The Arctic Tern gets more sunlight than any other animal on earth. These birds migrate from pole to pole every year, covering about 25,000 miles. Summering at the north pole, they enjoy weeks of 24-hour sunlight, and at the other end of their migration, they bask in the same full-sun days at the south pole. They literally chase summer all over the globe. If it weren’t so hard, we might all be tempted to do it—imagine a beautiful summer that never ends.
The point of the whole book of Revelation is the glory of Christ. His glory is so big and so wonderful that I have to imagine endless, gorgeous, sunshine-filled days to get in the right frame of mind. We can’t even grasp what it would be like to live in the glow of His glory, but I know that it will be good. So good.
We get a glimpse of His glory in the mighty angel standing astride sea and land in today’s reading (Revelation 10:5). Based on the being’s majestic description, many commentators believe this “angel” to be Christ Himself. Regardless of one’s interpretation of this particular passage, however, the whole of Scripture points to this beautiful truth: Christ is worthy. The end result of the judgment and war brings us back to where we began: the Word made flesh mercifully for us.
Because Christ is worthy, we know that the nations and kingdoms of this world are only temporary. God’s kingdom is the only one that will last. The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever (Revelation 11:15). Christ receives all the kingdoms as His inheritance, which He delivers to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24–28). And for those who love and trust in Him, the eternal kingdom becomes our inheritance in Christ (1 Peter 1:3–5).
Finally, God finishes His work. “Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end’” (Revelation 21:6). There is no stopping or undoing what God has done. Our redemption is sure and complete in Christ. And He will bring to completion the work of sanctification and glorification when He comes again. And so we pray: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
In Revelation we see Christ, fully worthy and glorified. He is the beginning and the end of all our stories. And we will bask in the warmth and light of His glory for all eternity. It is more than I can imagine. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
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42 thoughts on "The Seventh Trumpet"
This weekend, I have had a glimpse of God’s glory through the eyes of my mother-in-law. She has battled severe-terminal cancer now for 6 months (longer than the doctors or anyone has expected she would last). She and dad’s 60th anniversary celebration was yesterday and, she made it. Cancer is a battle, and she has been a warrior. Saturday was an especially difficult day for her. Her eyes remained closed and she was basically silent. In the morning I was kneeling by her bedside, singing softly when a strong breeze came through the window. She opened her eyes and stretched out the word, “Beautiful.” I thought she was talking about the coolness of the breeze. But she continued. “Heaven, it’s heaven.” And then she sang through an old hymn that I didn’t know that described what heaven will be like. This child of God, beaten down by cancer and basically silent, burst into song, eyes open, hands lifted. She was experiencing indescribable joy. Something similar happened 2 more times that day, although we never got the song again. Once, with closed eyes she said, “How can it be so beautiful?” over and over and over again-with bone thin arms lifted in praise. The third time I only saw her lips move and say, “Jesus, help me…” and then mumbling words with Jesus being the only decipherable one randomly mixed in as she prayed…and smiled in peace in the midst of her pain.
I share these very personal experiences of yesterday vulnerably for 2 reasons,
I love Jesus. I am a loved child of God. I long for Him and live for Him in His mercy and grace, and yet my joy, my peace, my hope is not the pure wholeness mom experienced for those moments with her body on earth, and her mind in heaven-glimpses yes, consistent radiance, I long for. But, someday, by the grace of God, I will rest in that same joy, peace, hope, and Love. One day I/we will be in His presence and it will be everything… and more.
And, I share it because heaven is what God longs to give each of us through the covering of our sins by His Son, Jesus Christ. Eternity of “Beautiful” perfect peace, and love is ours. A gift, paid for through the blood of Jesus, all we must do is accept it. Life on earth is meant to be temporary. Our home is with Jesus. If you don’t know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, and you feel a tug at your heart-it is Him calling you home. Don’t be afraid, just trust yourself into His loving care. Admit your unworthiness and sin for He will cleanse you. Lay the things you are squeezing so tightly in His hands and allow Him to carry them and work out His good. Jesus paid it all. All to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.
I have been praying for you, your mother in law, and your family for many weeks. That God would allow your mother in law to not only experience such a powerful truth in such a precious and tender way, but invite you and your loved ones to be a part of her journey, and that you graciously shared it here is a testament to Gods great love and compassion for us! Through one of His dear children’s suffering, so many have been blessed by the truth of who our God is! You and your family remain in my prayers as we all sense the nearness of God’s kingdom. Thank you so much, Angie, for being willing to share His work here.❤️
Thank you for sharing this Angie. God is so good to give us glimpses of His kingdom, whether it be through His Word or through your dear mother-in-law.
Peace to you and your family.
Amen Angie❣️
Thank you for sharing. Reading about His majesty is powerful but experiencing it is so much better! Your testimony has power and will changes lives. Please keep sharing this amazing story.
Beautiful, Angie. Brought tears to my eyes thinking of the beauty and glory in heaven
Fear is not from God, pray that God delivers you from this fear. Do not allow for satans attacks to steal Gods joy and peace. Praying for you today sister.
I had a similar experience many years ago. Our Sunday School class was study Revelations and it scares me out of my senses. Everyday was a struggle. I kept asking myself what if I didn’t pray the sinners prayer right, was I really saved etc. it was pretty mentally and physically crippling. It took one step at a time with the truth from scripture write your fav Bible verses on note cards carry them with you. Remember God is for you not against you. He not some trickster trying to keep you out of Heaven. He loves you unconditionally!
C, I am also very sorry that you have such fear and anxiety. The others have already given such great comments. Maybe I can add something that helped me. I thought about people I love dearly. They are not perfect and do things that make me sad or disappointed. That doesn’t ever, in any way, keep me from loving them or forgiving them. This is a very small and pitiful example of love next to the extravagant love of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It just helped me realize that love doesn’t expect others to be perfect and never let us down. God loves us as we are and knows that we are imperfect beings. He loves you as you are and just wants a relationship with you. As you grow closer He will change you, just by being together. Cling to Him and let Him love you. Perfect love casts out fear.
What do I believe? Do I believe my sin is all powerful and thus I can never be forgiven or do I believe that God is all powerful and His forgiveness is greater than my sin? Do I believe that what I feel and tell myself about my sin is `my truth’ and thus I’m hopelessly lost or do I believe that God’s Word alone is Truth and thus I am deeply loved and set free from my sin once and for all (“it is finished!”)? Our God does not lie because He cannot lie. Every thing He says is true and He accomplishes all that He says. Satan is the father of lies and that is all he can do. He repeatedly whispers lies in our ears in an effort to distract us from God’s Word. Satan speaks fear and destruction. God speaks love and life. Stay in the Word. Speak its Truth out loud. Surround yourself with those who speak this same Truth into you. Spend time in worship. Sing! Fill your house with music. Get outdoors in His creation. Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world. Believe it. Not because I said it but because He has. He died and rose again so that you would. And He died and rose again so that one day you will be with Him for all eternity. The Revelation is the affirmation that it is all true. Justice will come. All things will be set right. God is sovereign. He will create a new heaven and a new earth. He will do this all for His beloved children. It is all true because He is Faithful and True.
Amen!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Amen and amen
Do I believe my sin is all powerful or that God is all powerful?….love that. Sin is no match for God’s mercy and I am covered by Jesus’s sacrifice for me
Oh, C. I’m so sorry that you’re struggling with such crippling anxiety toward the book of Revelation. Though I bet you probably already know this, I have to tell you it again. Our salvation and our getting to heaven have nothing to do with our own merit but everything to do with Jesus’s merit and worth. He paid the ultimate price to make us right with God. It is because of His perfect life, death, and resurrection that we can stand confident and in the presence of God. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. It’s not depenfent upon our successes, our failures, or any other works. Nothing can stop the redemptive work that Jesus did on the cross. I hope that you can stand confident in the work that Jesus did for you and for me and the entire world, C. Thinking about the end of all things is scary, even for me who remembers that I stand forgiven and complete and whole because of the blood of Jesus Christ, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that Christ’s work is enough to redeem, restore, and put me in good standing with God. There’s nothing else that I need to do, but because of this wonderful gift I have the opportunity to share love and forgiveness and mercy and grace with those around me. I’m praying for you that God will deliver you from your fear and uncertainty and that you can stand secure in your freedom because of what Jesus did for you, C.
What a great reminder!
This is beautiful. Love wins, and the love of God wins every time. Don’t stop hoping, C!
C,
None of us deserve His grace. He is drawing you to Him. This broken world we are in means we all continue to sin—Daily. He has open communication with you for you to rest in Him. Ask Him to daily help you to honor Him in you walk. We can not do it alone. When I get bewildered and stressed, I ask Hod to get a hold of my brain. I then recite the attributes or descriptions of who He is to me. Revelations is perfect for describing God. C I will pray that you will rest in Who God is and what He has done for you.
The whole reason I began reading she reads truth is because I had a life cripple anxiety attack about the book of revelations among other things. I couldn’t eat get out of bed. I could barley walk for a long time. I don’t understand why I get fear everytime I see the word revelations. I’m scared that maybe the sins I do every day not the best Christian but I do try I fear every time I sin even if its something little that no matter what I’m going to hell. I dont deserve redemption and forgiveness. Every night when I pray I ask for forgiveness over and over like I’m begging and I domt feel better because I know I domt deserve and I dont think God can keep forgiving me even for the same things i do every day! Lord I am a mess and I need your help!
I am terribly sorry to hear your anxiety. It sounds that As you worry about going to hell you are creating it in your daily life. Stay present sister to the everyday of your life. Be open to revelation as it happens before your own eyes as you live out your faith in the best way you can. I did not come to Christ through the Bible. I find God’s word is also revealed to us in nature out and among the people. I began she reads truth to explore wisdom in the written word. We are all basically good human beings that need some work. Grace and mercy are magical. Be kind and gentle with yourself.
Good morning, C. As has been said, none of us deserve God’s love, mercy and grace. And yet he lavishes it upon us. I love the testimony of Paul – someone else, like us, who didn’t deserve forgiveness – I know whom I have believed and am convinced that he is able to keep that which I’ve committed to him until that day. 1 Timothy 1:12. I’m praying you will also have that confidence. God loves you.
C, I completely understand what you are going through. I have been there myself. I grew up in church mad a decision to follow Christ when I was 9 but since that time I have learned so much more and at times I too wonder if that child like decision was enough. Did I say the right words, was I sincere, did I really understand. It too literally caused the same shakiness and not being able to get out of bed. What I’ve come to learn over the course of all these years is that we are all on a journey and each of our journeys are very different. My anxiety can overwhelm me too and I have a guilt complex. I, too, get overly fearful at some bible studies especially revelation and that is why I chose to read it too. Facing your fear, your anxiety head on is a way to overcome it. The devil one wants us to run and when we run the other way we miss growth. You are on the right track. Jesus loves you. I might also suggest you check into some supplements for anxiety and read up on that because some of us that suffer with this guilt complex actually have low serotonin and gaba levels. When all that is low it causes our thoughts to run rampant. God is at work in you. You have made that clear by posting your fear. That’s facing it. That’s moving forward. Even if it’s one half baby step a day you are moving forward. Talk to a pastor you feel comfortable with too. Prayers for you. Adding your name in my prayer journey. By GRACE are we saved. Not of ourselves We cannot work enough to achieve it, it is a gift.
Your description of being a mess and needing God’s help resounds with me. I’ve gone through heart ache and heart break so many times in the past year that I’ve had more thoughts of giving up than ever before. About 6 weeks ago I was in a bible study with ladies that are in a county jail. The leader said when you feel Satan taking hold you need to say out loud “In the name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, Satan I demand that you leave me head and thoughts. Again, I say this in the name of Jesus Christ.” Admittedly, when she said that I didn’t think it would work. The very next time that I felt Satan in my thoughts I said those words out loud. I think that first time I said them repeatedly for 3 times. I could feel Satan leave my thoughts and the peace that comes from Jesus. Some days I have to say it to Satan 4 or 5 times because he sneaks back in at every chance, but when we claim Jesus Christ and tell Satan to essentially get lost he has no other choice.
I’m sorry for your anxiety. I feel it too as we read revelations. I continually tell myself “Jesus is the King of my life. I’m saved through his blood and sacrifice.” It might seem strange to talk out loud in these ways to yourself, but I’ve found that it works. Satan leaves my mind when I order him too in the name of Jesus. He comes back because Satan is relentless, but I just keep on claiming Jesus. I hope this suggestion helps you in some way. I’ll pray for you.
C—
I struggle with anxiety as well and understand the torment you are under. I also struggle with the same failures day after day and get so angry with myself when, despite my good intentions, I again fail. How I can relate to Paul when he cried out “wretched man that I am!” (Rom 7:24, but start reading back in verse 12 or so—Paul laments about struggling with the very same thing as you!) while we are on the subject of Paul, consider him! He was spending his life persecuting and killing Christians, yet Gods Grace was sufficient for him…just as it is for YOU, sweet sister. What about King David? He had an affair, got her pregnant and, in order to cover his mistakes, had her husband killed. ( 2 Samual 11) Take heart! Gods Grace and mercy and love never gives up on us.