December 21, 2019
What does it say?
John saw a vision of seven angels pouring out seven vials of God’s final judgment over the earth.
What does it mean?
In this passage, we see God’s judgment being poured out in the form of seven different plagues: sores, the turning of water to blood, scorching heat, darkness, the drying up of the Euphrates River, earthquakes, and hail storms. Even after each of these judgments, the people remain unrepentant and unresponsive to God’s “final call.”
How should I respond?
Horrific events and tragedy exist as an unfortunate part of our fallen world. Life holds disasters – both natural and unnatural – that sometimes turn our lives upside down. In those moments, you have the choice of turning to God or turning away from Him. You can either rely on His character and His promise that He will always be with you, or you can turn away from Him in rebellion with no hope of peace. It’s often easy to point fingers at God when tragedy strikes and blame Him for the evil that we see happening in the world. However, we must remember that it is man who is tainted by evil, not God. When disasters and times of brokenness enter your life, ask God to make His presence known to you and to use the trial to bring you into a more intimate relationship with Him.