Devotions

There Will Be No More Delay

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There will be great signs, disruptions of life on the earth as the judgments of God are unsealed. These judgments may seem harsh, yet in Romans 8:22 “For we know that the whole creation groans together and suffers agony together until now”. This agony must be removed and these judgments are not without cause. These judgments are not without warning as we read in Revelation 10:11 And they said to me, “It is necessary for you to prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings”. Even so, these judgments come to “destroy those who destroy the earth” in Revelation 11:18. Now, finally, dominion has been restored in Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel blew the trumpet, and there was a loud voice in heaven saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” 

There Will Be No More Delay

Revelation 10:1–6
The seven seals have been opened and at the seventh, a third of the land, a third of the sea, and a third of humanity were destroyed. For the rest, there was another angel in

Revelation 10:2 and holding in his hand a little scroll that was opened. And he put his right foot on the sea and his* left on the land.

As this angel spoke in

Revelation 10:4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write, and I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders spoke, and do not write them!”

There are some parts of God’s plan that are yet to be revealed. The day of Christ’s return, the words uttered by this angel. the contents of the “little scroll”. What we do know, is that after these great judgments, the end is near as this angel decrees in

Revelation 10:6 and swore by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, “There will be no more delay!”

 

It Is Necessary for You to Prophesy

Revelation 10:7–11
The mystery of God is finally to be revealed and, in heaven, it is at the sound of the trumpet in

Revelation 10:7 “But in the days of the sound of the seventh angel, whenever he is about to blow the trumpet, then the mystery of God is completed, as he announced to his own slaves the prophets.”

These things done in heaven, have an effect on the earth and God always communicates to his people through his prophets, so, John has a message to deliver. As he, in Revelation 10:10 “took the little scroll … and ate it up”, he becomes the earthly messenger and is instructed to prophesy in

Revelation 10:11 And they said to me, “It is necessary for you to prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

My Two Witnesses

Revelation 11:1–6

When They Have Completed Their Testimony

Revelation 11:7–14 

The Kingdom of Our Lord

Revelation 11:15–19
When Jesus began his ministry, he was tempted by the devil in

Luke 4:6–7 And the devil said to him, “I will give you all this domain and their glory, because it has been handed over to me, and I can give it to whomever I want. 7 So if you will worship before me, all this will be yours.”

But Jesus had come to take back all dominion and here, the finished work of God through Jesus Christ is declared in

Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel blew the trumpet, and there was a loud voice in heaven saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.”

Now comes judgment to “destroy those who destroy the earth” in Revelation 11:18.

A Great Sign Appeared in Heaven

Revelation 12:1–6

There Was War In Heaven

Revelation 12:7–12

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Revelation 10:1-11
  • Revelation 11:1-19
  • Revelation 12:1-12
Devotions

From Every Nation and Tribe and People

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As the time of the opening of the seventh seal approaches, we find in Revelation 7:9 “a great crowd that no one was able to number, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes and with palm branches in their hands”. As described in Revelation 7:14 “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation”. The seventh seal is opened and the prayers of the saints, those that could not be answered immediately, have been held, and are offered up before God in Revelation 8:4. As they are thrown down to the earth with coals from the altar, a third of the earth is burned, a third of the ocean is turned to blood, and a third of the people are killed. But for those that were not killed, they went on as usual and did not repent in Revelation 9:20–21.

I Saw Four Angels Standing

Revelation 7:1–8 

From Every Nation and Tribe and People

Revelation 7:9–17
God has just finished marking the faithful in Revelation 7:3 so they will not be harmed by what is about to happen. Now, we find a great crowd in

Revelation 7:9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great crowd that no one was able to number, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes and with palm branches in their hands.

These are all crying out praising God and acknowledging his wisdom and power and they are joined by the angels and the elders and the creatures around the throne in

Revelation 7:10-12 And they were crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

And they are identified as those that have suffered and have “washed their robes” in

Revelation 7:14 And I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

There is a time when the church will be taken out of the world, then comes the “wine press of the wrath of God” in Revelation 14:19 on those that remain in the world. Here, “they are seen taken out of the earth before the judgments on the Antichristian apostasy; with their Lord, they, and all His faithful witnesses and disciples of past ages, wait for His coming and their coming to be glorified and reign together with Him”1

Silence in Heaven

Revelation 8:1–5 

TheSevenTrumpets

Revelation 8:6–9
The seventh seal is open, the prayers of the saint, those that could not be answered immediately, have been offered up before God in Revelation 8:4 and have been thrown down to the earth and the seven angels “who stand before God” in Revelation 8:2 are ready to blow their trumpets in

Revelation 8:6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves in order to blow them.

as they begin to sound their trumpets one by one, judgments fall on the earth. With the first, “there was hail and fire mixed with blood … and a third of the earth was burned” in Revelation 8:7. with the second, a third of the sea in

Revelation 8:8–9 And the second angel blew the trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the creatures in the sea—the ones which had life—died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

A Great Star Burning

Revelation 8:10–13

The First Woe

Revelation 9:1–12 

Release the Four Angels

Revelation 9:13–21
As “the sixth angel blew the trumpet” in Revelation 9:13b-14 and I heard one voice from the horns of the golden altar that is before God 14 saying to the sixth angel, the one who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who have been bound at the great river Euphrates!” to in Revelation 9:15 “kill a third of humanity”.

The horns of the altar were known as a place of protection as in 1 Kings 1:50 and while this might be interpreted in different ways, it seems that there was safety and protection as long as these were bound. And “The fact that they have been bound shows that they are not good angels going forth voluntarily to do God’s will. They are evil beings who have been restrained until now”.2

Even so, will all of this destruction before them, the rest of the world seems to have continued their lives as usual. The deaths of so many didn’t affect them in

Revelation 9:20–21 And the rest of humanity who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands, in order not to worship the demons and the gold and silver and bronze and stone and wooden idols, which are able neither to see nor to hear nor to walk, 21 and they did not repent of their murders or of their magic spells or of their sexual immorality or of their thefts.

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Revelation 7:1-17
  • Revelation 8:1-13
  • Revelation 9:1-21

References

  • 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 570). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 2. Morris, L. (1987). Revelation: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 131). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Devotions

You Are Worthy to Take the Scroll

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John has entered through a door into heaven and finds the heavenly host saying Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, because you have created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created”. And in His right hand is a scroll, sealed, the judgments of all things. But who can open it, who could execute these judgments? There was only one, in Revelation 5:5–6 “the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered … a Lamb standing as though slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth”. Now, rising voices are heard in Revelation 5:13 And I heard every creature that is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea and everything in them saying, “To the one who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever”. The time of fulfillment has come. 

A Throne Was Set in Heaven

Revelation 4:1–11
We don’t often have this experience of “an open door in heaven” in Revelation 4:1 but there are times when God has revealed things as he does here, there is a purpose for John being there, “I will show you the things which must take place after these things”. But first, get the setting in Revelation 4:3 “a rainbow was around the throne” and in

Revelation 4:5 And from the throne came out lightnings and sounds and thunders, and seven torches of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.

and “before the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal” in Revelation 4:6. God is on his throne and it is a powerful scene “Ezekiel describes Yahweh in a similar way (Ezek 1:26–27). In Exod 24:10, Moses also describes the divine presence of Yahweh using precious stones … John … describes the overall effect of His glorious presence”.1

And around the throne are creatures attending and crying out in Revelation 4:8 “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God All-Powerful, the one who was and the one who is and the one who is coming!”

And around the throne are elders saying in

Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, because you have created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created.”

 

Who Is Worthy?

Revelation 5:1–7
In the greatest courtroom of all, God, the Father, has written the judgments and they are sealed in a scroll. People sometimes ask, How could God allow these things? Yet if there was ever any rule of law, God must uphold it. If there was ever any good or evil God must judge it with righteousness. Just our earthly courts take time for deliberate action, so had God in

Revelation 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of the one who is seated on the throne a scroll, written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.

Then, a proclamation went out seeking someone to open the scroll, to break the seals which also meant to execute these judgments before all of creation in

Revelation 5:2–3 And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.

There was only one worthy, only one able, the Lion, the lamb, in

Revelation 5:5–6 And one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals. 6 And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders a Lamb standing as though slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth.

 

You Are Worthy

Revelation 5:8–14
As Jesus takes the scroll that contains the judgments of God all of heaven and every creature break out with singing and we learn that the prayers of the saints have been kept by the elders, held for this time in

Revelation 5:8 And when he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one of whom had a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

and the elders begin to sing in

Revelation 5:9–10 And they were singing a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and bought people for God by your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

and the angels also joined in

Revelation 5:12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

and every creature joined saying in

Revelation 5:13 And I heard every creature that is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea and everything in them saying, “To the one who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever.”

I Watched When The Lamb Opened

Revelation 6:1–8

How Long Holy and True Lord

Revelation 6:9–17

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Revelation 4:1-11
  • Revelation 5:1-14
  • Revelation 6:1-17

References

  • 1. Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Re 4:3). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Devotions

The Son of Man

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Jesus, the son of man, the one we have seen as moved by compassion, healing and doing good, the one that laid down his life on the cross has taken his place in the throne room of heaven. John now sees, not just the risen Jesus, but the enthroned Christ who is Lord of all in Revelation 1:16 “a sharp double-edged sword coming out of his mouth, and his face was like the sun shining in its strength”. This Jesus, the head of the church, has a message for each church that is specific to them. Some, he commends in Revelation 3:8 ‘I know your works … and have kept my word, and did not deny my name”. For others, it is a tough but accurate assessment, in Revelation 3:1 “you have a name that you are alive, and you are dead”. Our reputation among men isn’t important, what does Jesus, the head of the church have to say about you? 

The Son of Man

Revelation 1:9–20
When people think about Jesus, it is usually about his birth and events as a child. Then, sometimes people think about his life and ministry in

Acts 10:38 Jesus of Nazareth—how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him.

Then people remember his death on the cross, where he laid down his life and said in

Luke 23:46 And Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit!” And after he said this, he expired.

Now though, here, as happens when people encounter Jesus, there was a voice behind John in

Revelation 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a great sound like a trumpet

as John turned, he saw the resurrected Jesus, the King of Kings in Revelation 1:13–16 “in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man … his head and hair were white like wool … his eyes were like a fiery flame … a sharp double-edged sword coming out of his mouth, and his face was like the sun shining in its strength”. This is Jesus Christ in the fullness of his glory and power. John could not stand in his presence so in

Revelation 1:17–18 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead person, and he placed his right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last, 18 and the one who lives, and I was dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and of Hades.

This is the beginning of the end, the administration of the judgments of God against all evil.

The Church in Ephesus

Revelation 2:1–7

The Church of Smyrna

Revelation 2:8–11

The Church of Pergamum

Revelation 2:12–17

The Church in Thyatira

Revelation 2:18–29 

The Church of Sardis

Revelation 3:1–6
This is a strong indictment of the church in Sardis because they say they are alive, but they aren’t. These people are deceived. They have a form of godliness, but no relationship with Jesus Christ who is the author of life in

Revelation 3:1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: “This is what the one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says: ‘I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, and you are dead”.

It isn’t too late for them if they will heed this word, but what did they miss? They received and heard, they understood, but have not observed, they didn’t change their behavior except to put on an air of spirituality. They “have a name”, “Sardis was famed among the churches for spiritual vitality; yet the Heart-searcher, who seeth not as man seeth, pronounces her dead”.1 They are living a natural life as they had before. Though they were forgiven, they have not turned from their old ways in

Revelation 3:3 Therefore remember how you have received and heard, and observe it, and repent. If therefore you are not on the alert, I will come like a thief, and you will never know at what hour I will come against you.

Even in the midst of this, among the dead in the church, there are some in

Revelation 3:4 But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothing, and they will walk with me in white, because they are worthy.

 

The Church of Philadelphia

Revelation 3:7–13
By the introduction, you can hear, feel, the opposition the people in this church are facing. It is “the holy one, the true one, the one who has the key of David, the one who opens and no one can shut, and who shuts and no one can open” in Revelation 3:7 that is speaking to them. Jesus, the head of the church, that commends them and says to them in

Revelation 3:8 ‘I know your works (behold, I have put before you an opened door that no one is able to shut) that you have a little strength, and have kept my word, and did not deny my name.

Though they had little strength, they kept his word and this is a principle truth in our Christian life in

2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in calamities, in persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

Jesus is intervening in the affairs of this church and those who oppose, “The synagogue of satan, the ones who call themselves Jews” will come under the hand of God in

Revelation 3:9 Behold, I am causing those of the synagogue of Satan, the ones who call themselves Jews and are not, but are lying—behold, I will make them come and kneel down before your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.

Then there is a great promise for the one who conquers, those that, through their weakness, hold their ground in

Revelation 3:12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never go outside again, and I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God, and my new name.

The Church of Laodicea

Revelation 3:14–22

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Revelation 1:9-20
  • Revelation 2:1-29
  • Revelation 3:1-22

References

  • 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 559). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Devotions

Doing the Will of God From the Heart

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Many have written about what the Lords want from us, and still, many are unsure about how they can please him. Many use authority and obedience and sacrifice and service but there is something simpler, something everyone can excel at and that is described in Ephesians 5:18b–20 “be filled by the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and singing praise in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to the God and Father”. In the end, it is not about parent or child, husband or wife, slave or master, it is about keeping our eyes on Jesus and as in Ephesians 6:6 “doing the will of God from the heart” because God is faithful and in Ephesians 6:8 “you know that each one of you, whatever good he should do, this he will receive back from the Lord”. 

Understand What the Will of the Lord Is

Ephesians 5:17–24
People often get hung up on “authority” when reading these verses. And, yes, there is a right authority in the kingdom of God, in a nation, and even in a household between a husband and wife. It does say “the husband is the head” and “wives should be subject” in

Ephesians 5:23–24 because the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is the head of the church (he himself being the Savior of the body). 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, thus also wives should be subject to their husbands in everything.

And, “While the cultural model for marriage in the Graeco-Roman world emphasized male patriarchal leadership, Paul’s model is based on mutual love and respect (Eph 5:28, 33) and grounded in the ot creation story (v. 31 cites Gen 2:24). See note on Eph 5:21; note on v. 25”.1 The main point is not the head and the subject, the main point is “be filled by the spirit” in

Ephesians 5:18b–20 “be filled by the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and singing praise in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to the God and Father”

You will know this has happened when you are “singing praise”, when you are “giving thanks always”. This is “the will of the Lord” in Ephesians 5:17.

Cleansing Her With the Washing of Water by the Word

Ephesians 5:25–33 

Doing the Will of God From the Heart

Ephesians 6:1–9
Again, people often get hung up on authority and miss the main point here. Yes, it is right for children to honor their parents, and there is a promise associated with that in

Ephesians 6:3 “in order that it may be well with you, and you may live a long time on the earth.”

and parents, fathers, are not to be harsh but loving and nurturing. Sadly, many men have the idea that “discipline and instruction” only mean the rod, but much of proper discipline and instruction is simply doing what you say you will do, being steadfast in your own behavior.

And, there isn’t any difference between slave and master. Today we would say employee and employer, but it isn’t the threatening and harsh employer that gets results and it isn’t the slothful and rebellious employee that prospers. As it says in

Ephesians 6:8 “because you know that each one of you, whatever good he should do, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free”.

All of us are to keep our eyes on Jesus “as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart” as it says in Ephesians 6:6.

Our Struggle is Not Against Blood and Flesh

Ephesians 6:10–20

That You May Know Our Circumstances

Ephesians 6:21–24

Things Which Must Take Place

Revelation 1:1–3 

The Alpha and the Omega

Revelation 1:4–8
We have a record of Jesus as the man, moved by compassion in Matthew 9:36. We have witnesses that were with him as he laid down his life in John 10:14-15. And we have the testimony of the power of the Holy Spirit working extraordinary miracles in the church after his resurrection in Acts 19:11-12. Soon, we will see him fully as he is in

Revelation 1:7–8 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even every one who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. Yes, amen. 8 I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, the one who is and the one who was and the one who is coming, the All-Powerful.

and all of this was for one purpose, He is in

Revelation 1:5–6 “the one who loves us and released us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Ephesians 5:17-24
  • Ephesians 6:1-24
  • Revelation 1:1-8

References

  • 1. Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Eph 5:22). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Devotions

The Fullness of Christ

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Jesus left us here on the earth where sin and death still exist. But he didn’t leave us the way we were before he came. Now, we have the Holy Spirit. Now we have the gifts of the Spirit given to the church. But not as some have taught that only some are set in the church, a few apostles, prophets evangelists, pastors and teachers and these are the ones that matter. It says in Ephesians 4:7 “Now to each one of us was given this grace, according to the measure of Christ’s gift”. Each one of us is given grace in Ephesians 4:11–13 until we all reach the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to a measure of the maturity of the fullness of Christ. There is a work for all of us in the body of Christ. We are all to in Ephesians 5:1–2 “become imitators of God, as beloved children, 2 and live in love”. 

The Fullness of Christ

Ephesians 4:7–16
Jesus left us on the earth and it is still in its fallen state even though in

Ephesians 4:8 Therefore it says, “Ascending on high he led captivity captive; he gave gifts to men.”

Jesus did take his rightful place at the right hand of the Father. Jesus is in

Revelation 1:18 and the one who lives, and I was dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and of Hades.

Jesus has already overcome the world and “the devil, death, the curse, and sin (Col 2:15; 2 Pe 2:4), led as it were in triumphal procession as a sign of the destruction of the foe”.1 There are though, still principalities and powers, the devil and his authority in the earth, until the final judgments are completed. There is a day coming when they will be removed as we find in Revelation. But Jesus did not leave us, the church, the body of Christ in the earth, without the power, the gifts, we need to overcome the evil. As it says in

Ephesians 4:7 Now to each one of us was given this grace, according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

He gave special gifts, different gifts, each with its purpose, each with its own great value. These gifts were given to bring unity, maturity, “the fullness of Christ” in

Ephesians 4:11–13 And he himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers 12 for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to a measure of the maturity of the fullness of Christ,

Renewed in the Spirit of Your Mind

Ephesians 4:17–24

Speak Truth Each One of You

Ephesians 4:25–32 

Become Imitators of God

Ephesians 5:1–6
We all learn about life as we become adults, the question is, who do we learn from. Our parents are our primary role models, then teachers, and peers. But just because they are the people in our life does not mean they are the people we should emulate. Here is the wisdom from above in

Ephesians 5:1–2 Therefore become imitators of God, as beloved children, 2 and live in love, just as also Christ loved us, and gave himself for us an offering and sacrifice to God for a fragrant smell.

Even if we were surrounded by ungodly people as children, we can come to know the difference between those that are self-seeking, users of others and those that “live in love”. You cannot count on these immoral, greedy, and obscene people but you can count on this in

Ephesians 5:5 For this you know for certain, that every sexually immoral person, or unclean person, or greedy person (who is an idolater), does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

 

Learn What is Well-Pleasing to the Lord

Ephesians 5:7–16
There is evil in the world but do we need to participate in it? Shouldn’t we do all we can to stop it? But many of those things come naturally to us because we were born into them. But here is what Paul says in

Ephesians 5:14b “Wake up, sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

God is not intending to leave us where we were, dead in sin, but “As Israel is called on to “awake” from its previous state of “darkness” and “death” (Is 59:10; 60:2), for that her Light is come; so the Church, and each individual is similarly called to awake. Believers are called on to “awake” out of sleep; unbelievers, to “arise” from the dead”.2

Since we were born into darkness, a world of sin, and we have been born again into the kingdom of Jesus Christ, we ought to be living in the light as it says in

Ephesians 5:8–10 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live like children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn what is well-pleasing to the Lord.

Understand What the Will of the Lord Is

Ephesians 5:17–24

Cleansing Her With the Washing of Water by the Word

Ephesians 5:25–33

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Ephesians 1:1–23
  • Ephesians 2:1–22
  • Ephesians 3:1–21
  • Ephesians 4:1–6

References

  • 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 350). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc
  • 2. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 354). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.