Praising Jesus is Contagious | Daily Devotion
Read Revelation 19
Here the apostle John says he heard a sound like a vast crowd in heaven shouting, “Praise the LORD! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. His judgments are true and just. He has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the murder of his servants.”
God has avenged His people.
He is great! He is good. He is sure and trustworthy. He is honorable and magnified in glory. Oh how many long for the waiting to end, to feel the cruel weights lifted, experiencing the power of their best friend.
Praising Jesus is contagious! You can’t help but smile and praise God when you are around people who are bubbling over with excitement over how good God is. It’s contagious! When you see God answer your friend’s prayer, when you witness God delivering a family member from a drawn out trial, when your own faith is made sight, the words “Praise the Lord” immediately escape from your mouth and you can’t help but smile. That’s what is happening here in heaven. John sees a vast crowd praising God. God is eternally faithful; when we are faithless, He is faithful still—2 Timothy 2:13.
Here John witnesses God delivering His people—Revelation 19:1, judging the sinner, avenging His people’s blood—Revelation 19:2, stopping man’s rebellion—Revelation 19:3, reigning in Sovereignty—Revelation 19:6, and communing with His people at the ultimate marriage feast—Revelation 19:7. The people in heaven can’t help but praise Him—the end of rebellion is at hand. Our God saves!
Christian, God’s timing is perfect. Wait. Be patient. For at the right time our Bridegroom will come for us, the church, and we will sit with Him at the ultimate wedding celebration—Revelation 19:7, Ephesians 1:4, with the Old Testament saints and the Tribulation saints as our guests—Revelation 19:9. But in the meantime we must prepare, for our wedding garments will be made up of the good deeds we do on earth—Revelation 19:8. So today, what good deed can you do in the name of Jesus?
Where is your focus? Where is your heart? Are you consumed with menial worldly issues that distract you or are you concentrating on living out God’s purpose for your life?
John tells us that after he heard the angel say, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.’ And he added, ‘These are true words that come from God,’” he fell down at the feet of the angel in worship, but the angel said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.”
We are to have no other gods before God. For the reason of prophecy is to share the truth of Jesus Christ – and no deceit is to be found. We are all Christ’s ambassadors, and God is making His appeal to the world through us. We speak for Christ when we say, “Return to God” – 1 Corinthians 5:20. “For God made Christ who never sinned to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” – 2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT.
Then the apostle John says he saw heaven open and a white horse was standing there and its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.
John sees Jesus, the King, returning to judge the world, with eyes flaming like fire purifying all that He sees. Unlike when Jesus came to die on the cross for the sins of mankind, telling people He did not come to judge but to save and unlike the Rapture, where in a blink of an eye Christians are raptured to heaven. This moment shows the King coming to wage a righteous war. He comes to battle.
The passion for God’s house, passion for the church, consumes Jesus Christ. Remember when He created a whip in anger and drove out the merchants from the Temple when they brought onto God’s people an extra cost that God did not ask of His people. The religious elite did not listen to God and cost His people and Jesus’ righteous anger drove them out. Here Jesus’ righteous anger comes to judge the remaining defiant – to battle the Antichrist and destroy the world’s system completely.
John tells us there is a name written on Jesus that no one understood but Himself – revealing the intriguing mysteries of Jesus Christ.
His robe was dipped in blood and His title was the Word of God – showing His seasoned strength as God amongst His creation.
The armies of heaven followed on white horses in fine white linen, representing the power of holiness. And from Jesus’ mouth came a sword to strike the nations – for power is found in His words. Jesus releases the fierce wrath of God and on his robe at his thigh was written the title “King of kings and Lord of lords.”
Then an angel flies through the air calling the vultures to come feast on the great banquet God has prepared in the death of the kings, generals and strong warriors and all of humanity.
Then John says he saw the Antichrist and the kings of the world and their armies gather together to fight against Jesus Christ and His army.
Here is the battle of Armageddon, spoken of prior. It’s complete annihilation of humanity with Christ as victor. Jesus throws the Antichrist and the False Prophet alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur to suffer and destroys humanity with the sword of His mouth, leaving their bodies to be eaten by vultures.
Friend, we have nothing to fear with Jesus Christ as our best friend. He loves with perfect everlasting love, is present always and steps into our difficult situations at the perfect time to alleviate distress.
Will you pray with me?
Abba, thank You for Jesus Christ and His constant presence in our life. Please move through Your church today, purifying Your people preparing everyone for the day of Christ’s return. In Jesus’ name, Amen.