Then the dragon was enraged and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭12‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This is not the end.

Though the enemy is angry, he retreats for a time to restrategize a new plan.

It’s no time to gloat at victory but to prepare for the many battles still ahead of us.

The enemy is a clever beast possessing relentless armies of those who grow stronger with defeat.

Your reprieve is at hand but the war is still on.

This is not the end.

Every 5th grader who has ever been has had to write a ‘compare and contrast’ essay to demonstrate comprehension of opposing views, their similarities and differences.

Revelation offers such scenarios for those who truly understand the assignment.

1. Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭7‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

2. The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭9‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This set of revelations presented for John to record asks if you are smarter than a 5th grader.

This book is full of comparisons between consequences of a life lived in devotion to God versus the persistent rebellion of humanity even in light of its penalty.

It’s hard to imagine someone who clearly and continuously makes choices in violation of divine law. But they exist and will continue to up until the very end.

Be smarter than a 5th grader.
Understand the assignment. 

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

‘Just enough’ is good for cream in your coffee, but not your commitment to Christ.

Straddling the fence that divides this world from the one to come is all too common but isn’t as safe a place as you may think.

Because that fence is owned by Satan.

All in.

If I believe Jesus is all of who he said he is, if I believe in an omnipotent God who spoke everything into existence, I’m compelled to believe there’s something more and better to come deserving of my percent right now.

Living ‘just enough’ is an option off the table and the dire warning of this passage.

Bold and clear about our calling, we either live life hot as fire or chill to taking spiritual risks in territories which, for the moment, seem scary and foreign.

In-between there is no identity.

Choose now which master you will serve. Go all in or go figure out your life until you are.

The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Few of us have ever known the experience of war, the feeling of victory afterwards, or the knowledge that no more battles
will need to be fought ever again.

But this is exactly where we are now. The battle rages, victory is a promise, and eternal peace will be ours. We will need no further protection.

To be able to drop our guard at rest within the temple of God will enlist us into the community of former warriors whose eternity is assured.

Faith is the hope for things unseen or yet realized. We endure wounds of this battle hanging on the promises of a God who reclaims his property and makes us new all because of our faithfulness.

Until then, the battles rage on against us.

Soldiers who survive are always those whose vision sees beyond the current circumstances and whose focus remains solely upon the prize of victory.

My friend, you got this. 

I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

‭‭2 John‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

and again…

I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.

‭‭3 John‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Not the most spiritually significant verses but they illustrate that nothing possesses greater potential than a personal encounter.

In our day of emails, texts, video, and to an ever diminishing extent, even the phone call, it’s impossible to capture the entirety of the message.

Live and in person chats are rare prizes bestowed of true friendship.

The critical importance of John’s message longs to be shared within a human encounter.

Nobody ever got saved by a Zoom call or text message. Surrendering isn’t achieved by an email.

Whenever and wherever, a face to face meeting has always been the means of connection to God and to others.

Collectively, we’re gradually losing our connectivity and missing the beautiful part that makes us both relatable and human.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.

‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV

A dozen guys with an identical eyewitness so real that each is willingly martyred in despicable murderous rage rather than recanting their experience.

Today we’d call this a cult. But history’s billions and billions have drank the Christian kool-aid and lived changed lives.

They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

One gulp leads to a first then second death. It’s based on a worldview that opposes God and his rightful placement on the throne.

But isn’t most of our existence based on truths we don’t observe first-hand but we trust in the story behind them. Better yet, enacted, they prove themselves to be true over and over.

We will all believe in something.

I choose that which people willingly die to uphold, defend, and prove over and over for centuries.

If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Oh, how the world loves it when a professing believer falls.

They feel great joy when hypocrisy is revealed and chalk it up for their relentless rebuttal of Christianity in its entirety.

Truth is, a fall that is confessed sincerely and forgiven completely returns us without blemish to the light and fellowship with God.

Those who lie in wait watching for our inconsistencies merely reinforce their ignorance of saving grace and proof against ever obtaining something that doesn’t exist.

It’s gonna happen. Then happen again.

Stop putting on their show and further distancing them from being reconciled themselves and get your act together.

Being a believer means you’re always on stage and in the spotlight of critics and their bad reviews.

Get used to it, get some help, and get better.
Not for them, for you, and for your testimony of God’s love and salvation. 

Lot, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard.

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Halloween is just around the corner with its more than usual abundance of witches, ghouls, monsters, and opportunities for a scare or two by characters each famous for its own special history of lawless deeds.

Sodom and Gomorrah was ground zero for an uncostumed display of such lawlessness that left Lot and his family in fear and torment from evil so rampant and on parade, daily life there became no holiday.

Things we see, hear and celebrate in our culture, especially living in Sin City, have become so overwhelming we are, ourselves now underwhelmed by them.

But for many, trying to live righteously in constant battle with our own personal demons is no party and it’s become harder and harder to find and number truly good people in our midst to assist.

Celebrating darkness and all it conjures up is now no big deal. The bigger deal is being prudish on the holiday affectionately regarded as the day of the dead.

We are called to celebrate life and life everlasting.

Halloween?

Not a fan.

There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Some ancient passages read like current events.

As history unfolds before us prophetically, the enemy’s end game is revealed.

I’m all too often surprised when people refuse to see the revelation of events foretold so long ago and still choose ignorance over acknowledgement.

Schooled to believe that faith in God is a weakness instead of means to life everlasting, they buy the lie and deny the power of our Creator to rescue from the very veil that blinds them.

Christianity has become little more than a conspiracy theory.

It’s in these moments that we need to desperately pursue those around us who have been misled and penned in as sheep for slaughter.

Don’t give up. Earnestly present your case and reason for the hope that once rescued you from the same destiny.

Knowing how it may end for some should be the beginning of your prayer for those who may still follow Christ and live.