Three Angels

Friday, November 24, 2023

And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people.  “Fear God,” he shouted.  “Give glory to him.  For the time has come when he will sit as judge.  Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.”  Then another angel followed him through the sky, shouting, “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen—because she made all the nations of the world drink the wine of her passionate immorality.”  Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand must drink the wine of God’s anger.  It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath.  And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.”  Revelation 14:6-11

Understanding human behavior isn’t simple.  Long ago I learned that the arts reflect humanity, and humanity is influenced by the arts.  An artistically-gifted young man sees a violent act and he reacts to his shock and fear by painting a violent scene in dark mode on the side of some building.  The young artist hopes all who pass-by will be shocked by his four-color screaming.  The shadow lurking behind that hope is to move others to action, to prevent more violence.  Unfortunately the artist’s work isn’t always understood, particularly by the naïve, or those ill-equipped to grasp the art’s intended response.  The art unintentionally  influences human behavior, and creates more violence.

Anyone who has looked at a baby child’s face knows we are born with a hopeful sense of wonder and optimism.  Then comes hunger and diaper-rash, followed by crankiness and sleepless parents.  Those difficult things we experience mold us into the characters we become, entirely different from our Creator’s perfect design.  We have been created to appreciate beauty, warmth, and pleasure; our world, steeped in the ugly darkness of cold hearts, selfishness, and death paints a very different picture.  And the contrast is frightening.  But it’s complicated further when the darkness parades itself as light.  Drugs give pleasure…for a season, but we know how that turns out; the same with alcohol, lust, greed, anger, and on through the seven deadly sins.

In a way, we humans in our sinful behavior, have created a humanity in darkness on the canvas of history…our own screaming fear.  As today’s text so graphically-illustrates, God reacts with judgment to our collective darkness.  Judgment comes via God’s servants, angels who pour-out justice in God’s name.

I do not want to make this canvass any darker than Scripture has painted; indeed, I couldn’t.  This burning with fire and sulfur, night and day, for eternity, without let-up, is darkness of the ultimate kind, absent of any hope.  It is so dark many people won’t believe it could happen.  You’ve known them; perhaps you’ve even said it yourself – a good God wouldn’t send people to a place like that to suffer.  But the evidence is contrary – if God is good, there must be judgment like that.  Otherwise the suffering of those who humbly worship God would be a farce.  The cross would be murder, and resurrection a fairy tale.  There are only two possible choices – God is either true, and Jesus died for sin, rose from the grave, and will come again to judge those who do not believe – or God is a lie, and doesn’t exist.

For You Today 

The challenge for every human of every era in history, present, or future, is to believe or reject.  How say you?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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