Merry Christmas - day 8
and the inhabitants of the earth will gloat
over [the two witnesses who have been killed]
and celebrate and exchange presents ...
but after the three and a half days,
the breath of life from God [will] enter them ...
Revelation 11:10-11
It's sometimes hard to find an inspiring verse in the midst of Revelation!
As the story unfolds, God sends a warning ... and then waits. He sends another warning ... and then waits. He sends another warning ... and then waits.
Indeed, for four thousand years, God has alternately sent blessings and warnings. You'd think blessings would turn people to a generous God; however, whenever we're blessed we tend to credit our own ingenuity. Warnings don't necessarily turn people to God either. We hear what we want to hear, we ignore what's too stressful to handle, and if we're like Jesus said of Jerusalem, we kill (or are tempted to kill) the prophets.
As Revelation unfolds, God sends a warning ... and then waits. He sends another warning ... and then waits. Why? To give us time -- time for another opportunity to turn away from our sin and turn toward him.
Today's verse reflects another warning. Two witnesses, sent from God, preach uninterupted ... and uninteruptable. Most believe that these two are literally Moses and Elijah (the Law and the prophets) who return to call the world back to God.
When they have finished preaching, God allows the beast to claim their life. And after all the truth they've proclaimed, what does the world do? Repent? No. The world "gloat[s] ... celebrate[s] and exchange[s] presents."
Did their witness and warning turn people's hearts? Not enough.
Will God's power as he raises them three days later from the dead? Not enough.
What will it take to wake you up -- more fully -- to God's movement in this world and change you?!
In Christ's Love,
a guy who wants to
change more than his socks
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