Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished” (Revelation 15:1).

The number seven in Scripture is a number that can mean perfection or completion.  Christ has come to make you perfect, even as He is perfect.  What will it take to make you perfect?  The Lord will not stop until He has completed what He has come to do.  “Be perfect, even as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”  This is what Christ intends to do with You.  Will you walk with Him and see the Lord perfect you no matter what?

Lord, I like the idea of perfection, but I do not like the cost of suffering.  This world is difficult and yet this is how You will bring me to perfection?  The old Adam does not like it.  Slay the old Adam that I may be resurrected to walk in the likeness of Christ.  By whatever means, help me to submit, knowing that You will not stop until all is completed according to what You have intended from the beginning.  Thy will be done….

Lord Jesus, once again I turn to You and my only response is that I need to be saved.  Lead me according to Your goodness and righteous will to humbly walk in the way You would have me walk.  Guide me along the narrow path of salvation that, in all I say and do, and no matter whatever plagues I must endure, I would come ever closer to being like You my Lord and Savior.  Do not stop until You have completed this task in me!  Amen.  

“And the wine press was trampled outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of 1,600 stadia” (Revelation 14:20).

How much blood has been spilled in human history?  How sad that humans live in sin and kill one another over nothing.  The Lord’s own blood was spilled so that we could be set free from sin and death.  Come then and live into the new life the Lord gives you through faith and by grace.  Know that in Him there is purpose and meaning and by His shed blood we are healed.  No longer does blood need to be shed.

Lord, I do not understand this world.  I am guilty too, but that does not mean that I understand it.  Lead me away from the insanity of the wickedness of this world so that I may be guided by Your Holy Spirit into the better and higher things You intend.  Lead me according to Your purpose so that I may now and always look to You, the author of my faith, for guidance away from the death and destruction this age of rebellion has wrought upon the world.

Lord Jesus, You have come to save as many as would be saved through Your mercy and grace.  Thank You for what You have done for me.  Thank You for what You have done for all who believe.  You tarry for the sake of those who have not yet been awakened, yet my heart cries out, “Come quickly Lord Jesus.”  In Your hands I commend all things, but I also desire that this age of rebellion be over.  Save all who will be saved, Jesus, and bring us home to be with You forever.  Amen.

“So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God” (Revelation 14:19).

Is the wrath of God something you fear?  Why, you faithful ones?  Will not God remove from you all that is sinful?  Will not God press into you that which is good and worthy of eternity with Him?  Yes, we are on trial all day long.  Yes, there is a judgement for us all.  It is not a happy, sappy, Jesus loves me so I can sit back and do nothing .  This is hard work and the only work that will last.  Love the Lord and learn what this means.

Lord, I really do want to think of myself as exempt from all the difficulties of life.  But You were hung on a cross for my sake.  How easy was that?  It was horrific.  Of course, I need to be pressed to bear fruit.  The goodness needs to be pressed into me and the badness needs to be eradicated.  The old Adam needs to be killed and the new person in the image of Christ needs to be resurrected daily.  Of course, this is the most serious business there is.

Lord Jesus, lead me in the way of everlasting life.  Teach me and still my lips so that I do not tell You what I want, but rather, let You shape me.  Take my prideful heart and strip it down, filling me with love for my neighbor and You.  Resurrect me daily to be faithful to You above all things.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy that I may humbly walk with You, my Lord and God.  Savior, save me, that through all tribulations I may abide with You forever.  Amen.

“Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe” (Revelation 14:18).

Jesus said, “The harvest is ripe.”  He who knows all things looked over the ages and saw that those who saw His light and were hungering and thirsting for God’s reign.  The world has always been ripe for the harvest.  There are those who are ready only for judgement and then there are those who long to meet the Lord even if they do not understand their longing.  Are you longing to be with the Lord?

Lord, the enjoyment I get in this time and place is directly related to the beauty You have poured into creation.  My desire to be done with it is directly proportional to the wickedness that rules in this age.  But I am where I am.  Guide me. Lord. so that I move away from thinking only of myself and think instead in terms of what You are accomplishing for all who believe through the salvation You give to them.

Lord Jesus, You know what is needed and I thank You for planting the seed, germinating it, growing it, and making it bear fruit in me.  May I become larger in Your work, letting Your light shine through me so that others may find the fulfillment of the hunger in their hearts through You.  Thank You for making me a small part of what You are doing in this age.  Guide me always by the Father’s will to do what is right.  Amen.

“And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle” (Revelation 14:17).

The winnowing happens.  In death, we all will reach that point of no return.  Has your life been toward or away from the Lord?  The final day is coming and it will be the end of the age of rebellion.  Either way, we each have an appointment where we will be judged.  If living by grace, then there is nothing to fear.  If not, there is everything to fear.  We each have a wake-up call coming.  How then should you live?

Lord, I often think of tomorrow, but my tomorrow is never promised, it is only hoped for.  I only have today.  We each need to see that life is a serious proposition.  I can live just for today or I can live in the hope You give, knowing that You have given a promise that if I live by grace You will hold me in Your arms of mercy.  Lord, befuddled mess that I often am, save me even from myself.

Lord Jesus, You are the way, truth, and life.  In You alone is all hope.  I will stand before You one day and You will judge me.  I am deserving of death, but You have paid the price so that I may stand before You, by Your grace.  Help me to live life in the hope You give and do the work required of all disciples.  Teach me all that I need to know and give me a new heart that is like Yours.  Amen.

“Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped” (Revelation 14:16).

It is almost as if it is no big deal for the Lord to accomplish what He said He will accomplish.  He swings a sickle and the earth is reaped.  Do you not know that the One who created all things is our Savior?  He is patient and merciful, but that does not mean that He is not devoid of power.  All power and authority belong to Him.  You do well to know this and bend the knee before your God and Savior.

You are Lord of all.  I read of You walking with the disciples and think of You as my friend – and You are.  But, then I think too casually of You and forget that You are also God, Creator of all that exists, and before all worlds.  My mind is a muddled mess.  O Lord, lead me in the way of righteousness so that I may walk humbly with You.  Clear my mind so that I have the right attitude.  Keep me in Your ways always.

Thank You Lord Jesus for the salvation You have prepared for those who believe.  You have paid a price I cannot comprehend for ungrateful people of whom I am one.  Lead me, Lord, that I may be adopted into Your family.  Guide me, Lord, that I may learn from You respect and honor.  Help me, Lord, that I know from within my heart that You are King of kings and Lord of lords.  Amen.

“And another angel came out of the temple, calling out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe” (Revelation 14:15).

Individually and corporately the time is always right.  Will the one determined to continue the rebellion ever change his ways?  Will the one whose heart seeks the Lord be thwarted?  The Lord is patient, allowing time for all who will repent to repent.  There is not enough time in eternity for those who will never repent.  The Lord holds the winnowing fork in His hands.  He will judge, for He knows our hearts.

Lord, I judge all day long.  I judge myself and I judge others.  Guide me in the narrow way of life so that I may be guided by Your goodness alone.  Lead me so that I trust in what You are doing above all things.  Let me not be counted among the wicked, but instead live life with a heart that seeks after You.  You know what is needed.  You know who each of us is.  You know, Lord.

Lord Jesus, I often try to play the part of pretending that I know.  I do not.  You alone are the judge, for You alone know who has a heart bent toward You as opposed to those who have a heart bent away from You.  Keep me close to You, Jesus, and lead me farther upon the path to learn how to love my neighbor as You love them.  Guide me, Lord, in the way You alone know I need to be guided.  May the desire of my heart match what You intend.  Amen.

“Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand” (Revelation 14;14).

We proclaim the truth each time we speak the creeds that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead.  He says the same thing in the Gospels.  He will separate the goats from the sheep, the wheat from the chaff, pulling out the tares that choke the faithful.  All of this is part of the hope we have, believing that one day we will no longer need to contend with the wickedness in us nor in the world around us.

Lord, I do not fully understand how all things work, but I do feel the battle of wickedness in me.  I sometimes fear; but teach my heart to trust so that all ungodly fear would be forever driven from me.  You know what is needed, Lord, and You have provided even before I ask.  Judge me, Lord, stripping away that which will kill me, and add that which brings life.

Lord Jesus, You did not come to brush me off and sed me on my way.  You came to make me into a new and eternal being who will dwell with You in Trinity forever.  Lead me, O Lord, according to Your purpose so that I may now and always be guided by Your goodness and mercy.  Help me to look to You, the judge of the living and dead, as the author and finisher of my faith.  Amen.

“And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them” (Revelation 14:13).

The direction of the heart, that which controls how the heart works, is evident in the deeds of a person.  Jesus said, “By their fruits you will know them.”  The wicked may have outward deeds that look good to some, but those who follow Jesus learn to love as He loves.  You are either heading toward the direction of being like Christ, or else you are heading in the opposite direction.

Lord, does it boil down to this?  Is it really that simple?  It is not a matter of my earning salvation by my deeds, for that would put me in a position superior to You.  That’s ridiculous.  Nor is it my choosing one over another.  It is a matter of my corrupt sinful heart being transformed to learn how to love my neighbor as myself.  This is not easy work.  In fact, it will take a miracle to accomplish.

Lord Jesus, You have given us the miracle of salvation by grace through faith.  I may understand only a little bit of how all this works, but I do see Your grace effecting my heart to do good.  Lead me in Your ongoing miracle that my prayer to become more like You, Jesus, would be answered.  Stop at nothing and transform the whole of me to be what You have created me to be.  Amen.

“Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).

How simple and sweet this idea is.  Keep the commandments and have faith in Jesus.  That pretty much sums it up.  Too many can’t even get this right.  But we’re not talking about the many here, we’re talking about you.  Are you keeping the commandments to the best of your ability and holding on to the faith the Lord has given you?  Work on these things and everything else will fall into place.

Lord, You know where I fail.  You know that I often lose patience and do not stay the course.  I want to, but I do not.  You know what I need.  Help me in my daily walk so that I look to You and not to the world for the answers.  This world is going to fail but You are forever.  Lead me in the right direction so that I stay in Your arms of mercy and do not fall prey to the beasts of this world.

Lord Jesus, You have come to save me and I need to be saved.  You have come to pour new life into me, and I need Your life.  You have come so that I may learn how to live out Your law of love.  These things I know, but I do not know how to do them.  Pour into me Your Holy Spirit in order that I would live a little more like You each day.  Guide me, Lord, and give me desire to follow where You lead.  Amen.