#DailyDevotion Christians aren’t afraid of the Antichrist or the World
January 16th
Read Ezek 38:1–23
Eze 38:17-23 “Thus says the Lord GOD: Are you he of whom I spoke in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel, who in those days prophesied for years that I would bring you against them? (18) But on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, my wrath will be roused in my anger. (19) For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare, On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel…(22) With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur. (23) So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
Revelation chapters 16, 19 and 20 give us some insight into this great and terrible day of the Lord. It reminds us that the people of the world, the unbelievers, the goyim (Gog) shall be gathered up to make war upon the people of God (the Church) and the Lamb. We people of God, Christians, need not fear the world and what it may do to us. We need not fight against it with the sword. We are to live in peace, as much as we can, with the world around us, even though we are aliens and strangers here. This is not our home.
But we do not need to break out arms against the world (Gog) who will come upon us in the last days, on the last day. Nope, like the ancient Israelites who came before us, we will simply trust the Lord and break out in singing, playing musical instruments and dancing. We won’t need and won’t have walls to defend ourselves against the Antichrist and the unbelievers who are stirred up to come against us to destroy us. They do not come against us only but against the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
The Lord sends the demonic hosts to gather them against us and him (Rev. 16). He shall as at the time of the Ammonites have them fight against one another. He shall rain down upon them fire and brimstone and with the breath of his mouth and the holy angels shall put to death all the enemies of the people of God, the Church. Then they shall know Jesus Christ is Lord. He shall raise them up from the dead and cast them and the fallen angels into the lake of fire to suffer for all eternity. He shall raise us from the dead or change us into His glorious body and we shall dwell with Christ and our Father in a new heaven and a new earth in blessedness forever. This is the promise made to all who trust in Jesus for their salvation.
Lord Jesus Christ, you shall display your glory on day of your visible return by destroying the nations, the peoples of the world who rejected and denied you. May we be part of that number which dwells in peace with you and are raised to everlasting life on the day of your return. Amen.