Daily Bible Devotionals

“Then I heard a voice in Heaven say: The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah have now come, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out: the one who accuses them before our God day and night. They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives in the face of death.”  Revelation 12:10-11 (HCSB)

When I was a kid, I used to fake being sick so that I could watch TV at my Grandparents’ house. My folks didn’t have cable, but my grandparents did. One of my favorite old cable TV shows was “Perry Mason.” Forgotten by most, “Perry Mason” was a show about an attorney…the old school “Law & Order.” No matter what the case, Perry Mason always had a way of winning. Back in the days when “Matlock” (Andy Griffith) was still “Sheriff Andy Taylor,” Perry Mason was the man.

The key to portraying a good courtroom drama is to make the spectator believe the innocent client will be found guilty and that evil will win over justice. But right at the end, when all hope is lost, new evidence and a surprise witness show up. Based on this new evidence and testimony, the judge has no option but to throw the case out of court. Then truth and justice prevail. That’s good TV!

This is similar to what happens in Revelation 12. Satan is the Accuser, and Israel & the Church are the accused. There is irrefutable evidence of our sin, set against the backdrop of God’s standard. Finally, there’s the last-minute evidence of the Blood of the Lamb atoning for the sins of Believers. The last-minute evidence is coupled with the eye-witness testimony of the Messiah’s act of redemption by those who love the Lord above their own lives in the face of death. These are the Martyrs and those who were willing to testify on behalf of the Messiah to the point of their personal physical death.

The Lord’s Judgment is to throw the whole case out of court, along with the Accuser, holding him in contempt. Did you know that your Accuser is before the Lord at this moment? Are you confident that Jesus is your Advocate (attorney), or are you attempting to defend yourself before the Righteous Judge (God)? Do you know what they say about the man who defends himself in court? He has a fool for a client.

**Images to consider when reading this chapter:  Verses 1-5 depict Jesus’ birth and ascension into Heaven after being resurrected. The “woman” in the narrative is not Mary (Jesus’ mother). (Compare Isaiah 66:7-10, 26:17, and Micah 4:10) Instead, the “woman” is Israel, from whom Abraham’s “seed” came forth. (Gen 17:7, Luke 1:55) The Dragon is, of course, Satan. And the “rest of her children” are the Gentile believers. After failing to destroy Jesus, Satan seeks to destroy both Israel (Messianic and non-believers) and the Church, which bears Jesus’ Name.

“Then I was given a measuring reed like a rod, with these words: ‘Go and measure God’s sanctuary and the altar, and count those who worship there. But exclude the courtyard outside the sanctuary. Don’t measure it, because it is given to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.’”  Revelation 11:1-2 (HCSB)

The apostle John was given the task of measuring God’s sanctuary, altar, and worshipers. To accomplish his mission, John was given a measuring rod…the standard by which all things are measured. This represents God’s Word, the Bible. The plans given to Moses concerning the Holy of Holies are precisely written in the Torah. And in a greater sense, God’s standard for all humanity is written in Scripture.  

God’s Heavenly sanctuary and altar are up to His standards, but what about His people? What about yourself, for that matter? How do you measure up to God’s requirements? If a “building inspector” were to observe your life, would you be “up to code”? The follower of Jesus need not be afraid of such a measurement, for He has fulfilled the Torah’s requirements on our behalf.

That being said, 2nd Peter and 1st John are solemn reminders that TRUE followers of Jesus believe by faith and seek to obey His commands. We should never cease from seeking God’s Word, the standard by which mankind will be judged, to conduct ourselves in such a way that honors Him, Who saved us.    

There is a tendency among some believers to measure the Church against the World’s standards for righteousness—a bad idea.  

Some Christian leaders say that the Church would never do “the World” better than the World does “the World.” Their point is that when it comes to secular standards of art, music, and media, and how they minister to the flesh, believers in Jesus simply cannot compete. Sure, the Church may occasionally send a music hero, actor, or filmmaker into international prominence, but that is hardly making a dent in the darkness.  

On the other hand, the World will never do “Church” better than the Lord commands His Church to operate on earth. By way of worship, what the World offers consistently fails to live up to its hype. It always leaves us short of what we truly desire at the soul level.

Who knows what our effect on the Kingdom of Darkness would be if we simply determined to conduct ourselves by God’s requirements? The Enemy has no effective long-term defense against a sold-out believer!

“Then I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach became bitter. And I was told, “You must prophesy again against many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.” Revelation 10:10-11 (HCSB)

A few years ago, I was lying on an emergency room gurney with bright lights overhead and hospital staff swarming around me. My heart is beating a zillion miles an hour, and there’s a tight pain in my chest. A nurse said, “Mr. Wiggins, put this little pill under your tongue,” so I did.

Then the nurse asks, “Mr. Wiggins, can you tell me exactly what you’re feelinnnnnzzzzzzzzz….”  

Her voice became metallic, and my vision diminished to a pin-sized hole. I was fading fast. Then, slowly, the world started coming back like a boomerang:

“….zzzzznnnnnnaaaare you with us, Mr. Wiggins?” the nurse asked.  

I was back. I nodded, “Yes.” One nurse turns to another, “He’s not having a heart attack. Must be stress.”

I felt a little embarrassed for taking up their vital ER time, but I was relieved to know my worst fears were invalidated by the news that all I needed was a vacation! Sadly, that was not the case for others in the cardiac unit that night. Many folks had developed severe symptoms that they sweetly passed off as heartburn. Later, they were rushed by ambulance to the hospital, where family members were given the bitter news of their loved one’s passing.

I have shared in the sweet experience, alongside the Apostle John, of having received the Gospel. I have received the sweet gift of salvation (which the Gospel offers through faith in Jesus) with great joy, but salvation has a bitter aftertaste in that it carries the reality that many will reject it. It is bitter because I know that on the Day of the Lord, bitter judgment awaits all who are found without Messiah’s atonement. It is bitter because the means of deliverance were so easily obtainable. God’s Grace is offered freely to all who would accept it!

Often, people will violently reject the messenger of the Gospel. That is the bitter downside of having received (and committed to sharing) God’s Word. Yet, we press on because our salvation experiences prove that people are out there, hungry to taste the Gospel’s sweetness. People like us need people like us to share the Gospel with us!

“The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshipping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which are not able to see, hear, or walk. And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.” Revelation 9:20-21 (HCSB)

For those without a Catholic upbringing, Mardi Gras (French for “Fat Tuesday”) is the day before the day Catholics observe as Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the 40 days of fasting leading up to Easter.

On Ash Wednesday, a priest smudges the foreheads of worshippers with black ash in the sign of a cross (Reminiscent of the “seal of the Lord” placed on believers’ foreheads in The Revelation). This act echoes the Near Eastern and Biblical tradition of throwing ash over one’s head, signifying repentance before God. The minister offers the worshipper an instruction while applying the ashes, such as:

“For you are dust, and you will return to dust.” Genesis 3:19b (HCSB)

Getting back to Mardi Gras, this celebration basically mocks Lent by communicating, “We are going to gorge ourselves, fat with worldliness before God makes us act humble.”  The fact that “Fat Tuesday” is an annual holiday for some people reinforces the insincerity of their Lent fasting. For the Mardi Gras celebrant, Lent is not a voluntary turning from sin but a reluctant duty.

Mardi Gras is celebrated in several cities worldwide, including Rio de Janeiro, Venice, Bahia, Mazatlan, Mobile, Alabama, and most famously, New Orleans.

I bring all this up to focus our attention on post-hurricane Katrina New Orleans. After all the apocalyptic-type conditions we witnessed on television (America’s lowest humanitarian moment), what was the response of the city’s leaders once the dust settled? Was it humility, self-reflection, or repentance? No.

The city’s official response was to get Bourbon Street up and running in time for Mardi Gras. They wanted to send the world a message: The party continues!

What is your response to the Lord’s warnings of impending judgment? Have you determined to abandon your sins and turn to Him? A reckoning is forthcoming. The Bible exhorts us to be “broken” before the Lord in anticipation of His Judgment so we will not harden our hearts towards Him in response to it.

“The person who falls over this stone (Messiah Jesus, the Cornerstone of our faith) will be broken to pieces, but it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” Matthew 21:44 (ISV)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Revelation 8. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“After this, I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were robed in white with palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”  Revelation 7:9-10 (HCSB)

Some believe that the Church has replaced Israel in the heart of God. They would go as far as to say the Church “is” Israel, and those whom Scripture once considered “Israel” are now just numbered among the multitude of unbelievers.  

Don’t be fooled by this argument. God’s Old Testament promises to Israel are listed as “forever” so often in the Bible that they are too numerous to mention. In the passage preceding the Scripture above, John testifies to having seen 144,000 “sons of Israel” with God’s seal on their foreheads.

Making a distinction between Gentile believers and those believers from Israel who will be saved, John also observes an innumerable “vast multitude” of believers “from every nation, tribe, people, and language.” This is excellent news because it tells us that God is not exclusively Jewish or Gentile. His promise of salvation is for ALL who believe by faith in Messiah Jesus. Still, God makes a purposeful distinction (between Jewish and Gentile believers) in Scripture.

Contrary to the teachings of certain “Christian-themed” cults, John does not give an exhaustive accounting of all the people who will be in Heaven. The 144,000 are a specific number of Jewish evangelists sealed for the service of God. John immediately observes the result of their evangelism when a vast number of believers appear. These new believers are “the ones coming out of the Great Tribulation.” (Revelation 7:14)

Perhaps you are suffering a difficult season of life, a tribulation, as it were. I hope you find comfort in knowing that Jesus understands your situation. He cares about you and extends His grace & mercy (in this season) to all who will accept it. In short, The Revelation is not just a detailed account of God’s Rejection of unbelievers but also the story of His acceptance of ALL who would believe by faith.  

“The One seated on the throne will shelter them: They will no longer hunger; they will no longer thirst; the sun will no longer strike them, nor will any heat.”  Revelation 7:15b-16 (HCSB) (See also how Revelation 7:14-17 matches up with Psalm 23 and Mark 6:30-44)

“When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”  Then another horse went out, a fiery red one, and its horseman was empowered to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another.  And a large sword was given to him.”  Revelation 6:3-4 (HCSB)

Several years ago, someone in my family researched our “roots.”  For as far back as we can search, someone in my family has been at war.  In the 1700s, the Wiggins fought in the American Revolution.  In the late 1800s, they fought in the Civil War.  They fought in WWII, and my dad is a retired Lt. Colonel in the Air Force.

These days, the world is at war again.  When I lived in California, occasionally, I led music for the Marine boot camp chapel at Camp Pendleton.  And every time I attended those chapel services,  I witnessed what seemed impossible for a Marine: surrender.  That is, many young soldiers surrendered their lives to Jesus’ command.  

A growing number of Religious scholars believe these are the last days.  Perhaps you have wondered if things could get worse.  Well, they can get worse.  And they will.

The Bible speaks of a time when the Lord will command that peace be taken from the earth.  Peace won’t be momentarily suspended or diminished to only reside in remote communities.  Peace will be taken entirely away.  People will slaughter each other.  This is not the kind of slaughter that pits political opponents.  It is that kind of desperate mayhem that we caught just a glimpse of in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans—complete chaos.

After the rapture of the Church, the Lord will withdraw His Spirit from the earth.  All mankind will be so completely and selfishly unrestrained that they lose control.  As bad as modern Islamic terrorism may seem, God’s Spirit still restrains evil from mankind for the most part.  

Our world comprises mostly simple, hard-working people who want to earn a living, raise a family, and live peacefully.  They can do so because they perceive that there is hope that their law-abiding efforts will advance their station in life and provide a better future for themselves and their families.  The Holy Spirit’s message to the world is that there is hope.  Hope in Jesus.  Without the Spirit’s message of hope, even the simplest of men will resort to unthinkable evil.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:3, Paul states that when people say “Peace and safety,” sudden destruction will come.  

Friends, know that while there is a general “peace” in the world today, it won’t always be so.  Furthermore, there is no true Shalom (Heb. “peace”) aside from the Grace and mercy of God through a saving relationship with Messiah Jesus.

“When He took the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and you redeemed people for God by Your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation. You made them a kingdom, and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth.”  Revelation 5:8-10 (HCSB)

As a musician, I am overjoyed by the fact that there are instruments in Heaven because I’ll likely have a job! I love music and how it resounds with us emotionally. Alongside prayer, music is a natural human conduit for worship. When people feel happy, they sing. When they are sad, they sing. When celebrating victory, mourning a loss, or in the heat of competition, people look to music to facilitate the experience.

As a songwriter, I am glad to know there is songwriting in Heaven. The apostle John describes a “new song” being sung in the Heavens as God’s prophecy unfolds. It makes sense because if singing is a natural form of worship, then each time God reveals something new about Himself, we respond with a “new song.”

I used to live under the assumption that once people enter Heaven, they are somehow immediately fully aware of everything about God. I don’t know why, but I believed everyone would be eternally frozen in a perpetual state of worshipful awe. Obviously, they aren’t because John describes some varied activities that he witnessed going on in Heaven.  

Perhaps that is a glimpse of what our time in Heaven will be like. Instead of standing in a circle, frozen in worship, maybe eternity with the Lord will be more…kinetic, with God revealing facets of His infinite greatness to us. I would assume that we would continually sing a new song in response. Either way, we’ll know when we get there, and we’re sure that we’ll get there if our faith is in Jesus’ atoning righteousness!  

In a sense, the experience of God’s revelation happens to us already. Paul said that before Love and Spiritual Gifts, we should seek prophecy. (1 Corinthians 14:1) That is to say that we should seek that God would reveal Himself to us through His Word, the Bible, so that we could worship Him deeper and share Him with others.  

Just when we think we have God figured out and we’ve fathomed the depths of the Bible, He reveals something new about Himself. Then we’re blown away all over again. Now, there is something new to sing about!

“…the 24 elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, worship the One who lives forever and ever, cast their crowns before the throne and say: ‘Our Lord and God, You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because You have created all things, and because of Your will they exist and were created.’”  Revelation 4:10-11 (HCSB)

I’ve had the privilege of leading music at several funerals. There is great ministry opportunity at funerals. Of course, the funeral of a Christian has a bittersweet element. Bitter because a loved one is no longer with us, and sweet because we know they are with the Lord.

The funeral of a non-believer is a different story. It’s simply bitter.

A thing to remember about funerals is that the ceremony is not really for the deceased. Funerals are for those of us left behind. They help us mourn by giving us a chance to say goodbye. Before our memories begin to fade, funerals give us a chance to memorialize the departed.    

After the death of an unbeliever, the family will often ask the minister if their loved one is in Heaven. I once heard a pastor wisely answer that question. He said, “I am certain that wherever they are, your loved one would tell you to trust in Jesus!”

Heaven and Hell are not merely theological concepts. They are real places. I could see why you might not trust the testimony of the average person. But at least consider the testimony of those who are there! Those in Heaven would say that trusting Jesus was the best decision they ever made! Those in Hell would say rejecting Him was their worst mistake.

The apostle John was enabled to see Heaven through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. He saw 24 elders worshipping God. These elders were once people like you and me living on earth. When they passed, they joined the Father and the Son in Heaven. By their own admission, they received salvation and honor only because of God’s grace. The same grace is extended to us. It is free and immediate if you would only choose to turn from your sin and accept it.