And the locusts were like horses prepared for war in appearance, and on their heads was something like golden crowns, and their faces were like the faces of men. Their hair was like the hair of women, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. And their breastplates were like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of horse-drawn chariots rushing into battle. Rev. 9:7-9.
Careful study has unearthed no clear goal or theological purpose in this passage. It is as if John has piled one image onto another for the simple purpose of heightening the terror of the overall picture. So what, then, is the point? What spiritual lesson can we learn from horrific images such as the above? And what role can disasters possible play in our daily walk with Him?
If nothing else, disasters turn our minds back to God and His Word. The Creator has designed us as human beings. The Bible, therefore, is like a software manual. It tells us where we came from, how we were made, and how we function the best. The best software manual, of course, comes from the mind of the one who designed the software. That's why the Bible is so important for us. The One who created us knows what we are like and how we should live.
Sin is like a "glitch" in the software of our minds and bodies. When your computer's operating system develops a glitch, you call Microsoft and say, "Look, I'm having trouble with Windows." Wouldn't it be comforting to hear the following: "I'm sorry to hear that. This is Bill Gates. How may I help you?" As the chair of Microsoft and one of the inventors of computer operating systems, he would be in a good position to make sure your problem gets solved!
Now, that is very unlikely to happen. Mr. Gates is far too busy to answer computer help lines. But the analogy I have offered may enable us understand the value of Scripture. As with software, many hands participated in creating the Bible, but God was personally involved in every part. When we study the Bible and pray, we put ourselves in direct touch with the Designer.
The divine judgments, in a most down-to-earth way, act as attention-getters. They are not vindictive, but rather wake-up calls to realign our software to the way God originally intended. The decision of how we relate to Jesus and His Software Manual is the most important decision we will ever face. Designed by God, we function best in relationship to Him. The worst possible disaster, therefore, would be to turn our face away from God and try to do things our own way. The trumpets are about the lesser disasters that turn our hearts away from the worst disaster.
Lord, I thank You for Your presence as we study the challenging images of the seven trumpets. I pray that I might clearly understand the consequences of falling away from Your purpose for my life. And I choose to give renewed attention to the divine Software Manual.
Careful study has unearthed no clear goal or theological purpose in this passage. It is as if John has piled one image onto another for the simple purpose of heightening the terror of the overall picture. So what, then, is the point? What spiritual lesson can we learn from horrific images such as the above? And what role can disasters possible play in our daily walk with Him?
If nothing else, disasters turn our minds back to God and His Word. The Creator has designed us as human beings. The Bible, therefore, is like a software manual. It tells us where we came from, how we were made, and how we function the best. The best software manual, of course, comes from the mind of the one who designed the software. That's why the Bible is so important for us. The One who created us knows what we are like and how we should live.
Sin is like a "glitch" in the software of our minds and bodies. When your computer's operating system develops a glitch, you call Microsoft and say, "Look, I'm having trouble with Windows." Wouldn't it be comforting to hear the following: "I'm sorry to hear that. This is Bill Gates. How may I help you?" As the chair of Microsoft and one of the inventors of computer operating systems, he would be in a good position to make sure your problem gets solved!
Now, that is very unlikely to happen. Mr. Gates is far too busy to answer computer help lines. But the analogy I have offered may enable us understand the value of Scripture. As with software, many hands participated in creating the Bible, but God was personally involved in every part. When we study the Bible and pray, we put ourselves in direct touch with the Designer.
The divine judgments, in a most down-to-earth way, act as attention-getters. They are not vindictive, but rather wake-up calls to realign our software to the way God originally intended. The decision of how we relate to Jesus and His Software Manual is the most important decision we will ever face. Designed by God, we function best in relationship to Him. The worst possible disaster, therefore, would be to turn our face away from God and try to do things our own way. The trumpets are about the lesser disasters that turn our hearts away from the worst disaster.
Lord, I thank You for Your presence as we study the challenging images of the seven trumpets. I pray that I might clearly understand the consequences of falling away from Your purpose for my life. And I choose to give renewed attention to the divine Software Manual.
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