Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Finish Judgment (10/23/25)

What’s the largest hail you’ve ever seen? I've witnessed some impressive hailstorms in my time, but the largest hail was about 4 inches in diameter. The 1995 Mayfest Storm in Ft. Worth, TX, with similarly sized hail, left a lasting impact on my car – literally. The hailstones, which weighed about 1 pound each, may not have seemed heavy, but they cratered plenty of dents with their force. In fact, I saw some of the damage to the rubber seals daily for the 17 years I had the Tempo.

The Bible, however, paints a far more intense picture of the end. In Revelation, we read about extreme earthquakes and hailstones that weigh 100 pounds for the final judgment on earth.

Revelation 16:17-21 ¹⁷ The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” ¹⁸ Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. ¹⁹ The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. ²⁰ Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. ²¹ From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.

Again, I love how God is still gracious, even to the last moment. He doesn’t zap everyone, but as these plagues are unleashed, people have opportunities to repent, turn to God and submit to His will. However, most will use their last breath to curse God rather than humbly call out to Him.

This 7^th bowl of wrath from the seventh angel completes God’s wrath, as proclaimed in Revelation 15.1 (I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed.) The voice from heaven also announced “It is done!” (Rev 16:17). Jesus’s last words on the cross come to mind – “It is finished” (John 19:30). Jesus completed the work of paying for our sin. In contrast, the bowl judgments in Revelation bring about the end to earthly judgment.

In thinking about the end, how do you want to use your last breath? Cursing God or claiming Him? If you have accepted and value Jesus’s completed work on the cross to pay for your sins, then you can look forward to claiming Him and enjoying His blessings for all eternity!

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Give Access to God (10/9/25)

When my kids are caught doing something wrong, they usually respond in one of two ways – in anger towards us for catching them or in tearful grief over their sin. People respond similarly to God, as we will see in this week’s passage.

Last week, we explored the first 3 angels pour out their plagues from God’s bowls of wrath. This week, we’ll examine the next 2 angels and plagues. Once again, God offers opportunities for people to repent. Notice how they react.

Revelation 16:8-11   ⁸ The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. ⁹ They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.

¹⁰ The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony ¹¹ and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.

It surprises me to see people continue to rebel against God, curse him and fail to recognize their rightful place before a Holy God. The only right response is sincere repentance. How do you and I respond to conviction of sin? With grief that leads to repentance?

II Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Are you continuing in defiance against God, like the people in Revelation 16, or have you humbly submitted to the Holy God who has all authority? If the latter, then you have personal access to God through Jesus and eternal salvation!

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy as Holy in Judgment (10/2/25)

 Last night, James came home from gymnastics upset about the bullies who had called him names and pushed him around. It’s natural to want justice to be served immediately in situations like these! We often desire swift judgment for others while pleading for grace and mercy for ourselves.

God will bring perfect justice in His own time. As we saw last week, God’s glory and power completely filled the temple as He sent out the seven angels with the seven plagues in the seven golden bowls of His wrath to finish His judgment on the earth. He doesn’t dump all His judgment at once. One angel pours out a bowl of wrath, followed by another. God could certainly pour out His wrath all at once and be done with it, but He doesn’t. Instead, He continues to give people opportunities to repent and turn to Him.

Revelation 16:1-7    Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”

2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

3 The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.

4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:

“You are just in these judgments, O Holy One,
    you who are and who were;
6 for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets,
    and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.”

7 And I heard the altar respond:

“Yes, Lord God Almighty,
    true and just are your judgments.”

I find it interesting that in previous passages in Revelation, Jesus, the Holy One, was referred to as the one “who is, and who was, and who is to come” (Revelation 1:8, 4:8, etc.) However, in this passage, the last phrase is omitted, as Jesus has returned by this point. This change implies that there will be no more waiting on the part of His people when He brings final judgment.

We can trust in God’s Holy, true, just and complete judgment, knowing that it will come at the perfect time. With what situation do you and I need to leave to Jesus, for His holy justice? What areas of our lives require us to trust in His timing and judgment, rather than seeking immediate justice or resolution?