Jesus hadn’t given up on the lukewarm church of Laodicea. He strongly rebuked them, but He also continued to knock at their door. He still wanted to enter.

But we’re not used to waiting like this. Right now, we’re waiting to see when churches will meet again, what quarantine decisions our politicians will make next, and much, much more. And in some ways, we’re not even sure what we’re waiting for. We’re just waiting for the next surprise–whatever that may be.

At this point, Jesus has come forth as the Lamb of God who is worthy of praise and is able to break the seals of the seven scrolls. Now, as He opens each scroll, a different type of judgement is unleashed.

If I’m honest, there’s a part of me that wants to skip Good Friday. Not in a theological sense but in an experiential sense. Commemorating Good Friday is painful. I hate picturing Jesus being whipped, mocked, and crucified. And when I go a step further and recognize that my sin is the reason He was nailed to a cross, it’s almost too much to bear.

Some of you may have a unique problem on your hands–for the first time in years, you have more free time at home than you know what to do with.

We get a sneak peek into the future and into Heaven, and it’s more glorious and wonderful than anything we could ever dream of. Revelation 7 gives us something to anticipate that should shape the church’s structure, priorities, and daily functions.

It’s frustrating when something feels wasted. Especially in the highly productive, competitive culture of today, whenever your time, energy, or dreams appear to serve no purpose or produce no value, discouragement can quickly set in.

Congratulations on this wonderful milestone. Few seasons in life are filled with as much joy and anticipation as the time spent preparing to get married.

The imagery and consequences of Revelation 9 make it one of the most jarring chapters in all of Scripture as the fifth and sixth trumpets of the apocalypse are blown. To get a glimpse of the terror this chapter contains, we’ll take a look at two passages of it.

So, don’t distance yourself from Revelation, or any book of the Bible for that matter, simply because its uncomfortable, bittersweet, or hard to read at times. Take in Scripture. Trust that God gave us these books for a reason. Absorb the truths. Let them change you.

The world looks grim right now. This year alone, we’ve faced the political tension of an impeachment trial, a global pandemic, economic turmoil, and civil unrest. And that’s not even accounting for the personal tragedies or challenges we’ve each faced.

Anyone who’s ever spent time talking with kids has likely noticed a central theme in those conversations. No matter if you’re telling them to eat their vegetables or to not pull on the dog’s tail, there’s one question it always seems to come back to: the question of why. And most times, it’ll be a series of why? after why? until you run out of answers and defer to, “That’s just the way it is.”