Bible League: Living His Word "Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time."— Revelation 12:12 NKJV Our verse for today, spoken by a loud voice in heaven, says that all those who dwell in heaven should rejoice. Why? They rejoice because Satan has been cast out of heaven. What happened? Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died for our sins, was resurrected from the dead, and ascended to the throne of God in heaven. One would think that Jesus sitting on the throne of God in heaven would be good news for the earth and heaven. After all, it means that Jesus rules and reigns over heaven and earth. It means that His Kingdom has come to the earth and is spreading all over the globe. Indeed, it is a cause for rejoicing. The loud voice said, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down" (Revelation 12:10). Despite the cause for rejoicing, the loud voice of our verse also pronounces woe to the inhabitants of earth. Why? It's because Satan and his henchmen were not just cast out of heaven; they were cast down to earth. It's a big problem for the people on earth. Satan is really angry. He's angry not only because he has lost his place in heaven (Revelation 12:8), but also because he now knows that his time is short. All he has left is the time before the second coming of Jesus to do as much damage as he can. Now you know why things are the way they are on earth. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12 NIV). Nevertheless, take heart in the battle! Take heart from the fact that Satan's time is short and we are on the side of the One who has already won the war! Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingDaniel 11, 12 Daniel 11 -- Prophesy of the Overthrow of Persia, Conflicts between the Kings of the South and of the North; Roman Invasion NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Daniel 12 -- Michael Shall Deliver Israel from Their Troubles NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading 3 John 3 John 1 -- Walk according to God's commandments and Imitate What Is Good NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen. Insight This verse includes two significant results of Christ's death and resurrection. God works in us to make us the kind of people that would please him, and he equips us to do the kind of work that would please him. Challenge Let God change you from within and then use you to help others. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 68:10 Thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.All God's gifts are prepared gifts laid up in store for wants foreseen. He anticipates our needs; and out of the fulness which he has treasured up in Christ Jesus, he provides of his goodness for the poor. You may trust him for all the necessities that can occur, for he has infallibly foreknown every one of them. He can say of us in all conditions, "I knew that thou wouldst be this and that." A man goes a journey across the desert, and when he has made a day's advance, and pitched his tent, he discovers that he wants many comforts and necessaries which he has not brought in his baggage. "Ah!" says he, "I did not foresee this: if I had this journey to go again, I should bring these things with me, so necessary to my comfort." But God has marked with prescient eye all the requirements of his poor wandering children, and when those needs occur, supplies are ready. It is goodness which he has prepared for the poor in heart, goodness and goodness only. "My grace is sufficient for thee." "As thy days, so shall thy strength be." Reader, is your heart heavy this evening? God knew it would be; the comfort which your heart wants is treasured in the sweet assurance of the text. You are poor and needy, but he has thought upon you, and has the exact blessing which you require in store for you. Plead the promise, believe it and obtain its fulfilment. Do you feel that you never were so consciously vile as you are now? Behold, the crimson fountain is open still, with all its former efficacy, to wash your sin away. Never shall you come into such a position that Christ cannot aid you. No pinch shall ever arrive in your spiritual affairs in which Jesus Christ shall not be equal to the emergency, for your history has all been foreknown and provided for in Jesus. Daily Light on the Daily Path Ecclesiastes 12:7 then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.1 Corinthians 15:42-44 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; • it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; • it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 1 Corinthians 15:47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. Genesis 3:19 By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return." Job 21:23,25,26 "One dies in his full strength, Being wholly at ease and satisfied; • While another dies with a bitter soul, Never even tasting anything good. • "Together they lie down in the dust, And worms cover them. Psalm 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. Job 19:26 "Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God; Philippians 3:20,21 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; • who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. Psalm 39:4 "LORD, make me to know my end And what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am. Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
    |