Higher Aim with Dr. Curt Dodd

When you are going through a difficult season in your life (whether it's financially, your health, or relationally), you need to have the right focus. For many of us, our focus is, “God, take away the pain.” God often does not take away the pain; at other times, He does take away pain. With many of us, we want to take a detour around the pain. God often says, “I want you to go all the way through the middle of it.” In order to make it all the way through, you must have the right focus and you need a glimpse of God. In reality, the greatest thing God wants to give you to help you make it all the way through is a fresh glimpse of Himself. That is exactly what John experiences in the middle of having to write about all the judgment that is coming on this planet. So in today’s message we’re going to look at how John saw Jesus and how this fresh glimpse of the Savior helped John get through not only what he was walking through, but also what we’re walking through today.

We need to be sober in our thinking and realize that things on this earth are not going get better. I know that many people want things to get better and better. If we would just love everyone, we want to believe everything will get better. But that is not what the book of Revelation says. We need to understand that we don't have long. This should be so sobering to us that it causes us to make sure we are ambassadors for Christ. Jesus wants us to be ambassadors in our generation at this time. So let’s continue our study of the book of Revelation and learn what we can about the end times so we can be motivated to share the hope of Christ with those who need it.

When the fifth angel blows his trumpet, another kind of judgment is released upon the inhabitants of the planet during the Great Tribulation. This judgment is one of the “woes.” At the end of Chapter Eight, we meet this vision of an eagle that John saw flying through the air; it is crying out, “Woe, Woe, Woe!” The last three trumpets (five, six, and seven) are getting ready to be blown. The judgment released upon the planet will be horrible! It is difficult for us to fully comprehend this description. However, it is important for us to do our best to understand what he is seeing. So let’s take a look at what that is.

In today’s message, we are going to look at what happens during the Great Tribulation after all the followers of Jesus are caught up in the rapture of Jesus’ return. You might think you’re facing trials and tribulations right now, but they are nothing compared to what is to come. So, let’s take a look at Revelation chapter 9 and see what is in store for the world as the Great Tribulation hits.

Today’s key passage of Scripture provides a beautiful picture of God's magnificent plan. This powerful picture speaks to us even today as we apply the Word of God clearly. You can see that God has a plan in place. When you think that things are out of control, you need to realize that God has a plan and it is all ordered. In this message specifically, we are going to look at the specific plan God lays out in Revelation and break down the components of this plan.

As the seventh and final seal is opened in Revelation chapter 8, we see that there are several principles that can be drawn from this picture of judgment upon this planet. We should glean these principles, embrace these principles, and try to live out these principles. So in today’s message, we are going to look at each of these principles so that we might apply them to our lives as we continue to follow Christ.

As we continue our study of the book of Revelation, we see that God’s will is being unpacked, and each seal is being unbroken one after the other. We have already seen the first, second and third seals. With the fourth seal, the horses of different colors bring the rule of the antichrist. This brings war, famine, and death. Then we see a picture as the fifth seal is opened, when the martyrs lose their lives. I really believe that the Scripture teaches that these are Jewish martyrs who now respond to Christ, yet they lose their lives. They are beheaded and they are under the altar. This is a picture of what God is doing to bring the end of time; and we are headed there very fast. Today, we are going to look at the Sixth Seal being opened, why this is such a terrifying seal, and how it gives us insight into what the future holds.

As a church culture, we don’t know much about paying a price to serve Jesus. This has been the age of easy believers. There is a total lack of commitment with so many people halfway following Christ. In all of the centuries where Christianity has been proclaimed, never have people been so blessed yet gave so little. This is why I want us to look at this particular passage in Revelation 6 that talks about martyrs. We need to be reminded that following Jesus comes with a price. It’s going to cost us something. In fact, it might just cost us everything, and we need to be prepared for that.

We need to understand that the unfolding of God's will is right before us, as the Lamb of God breaks the seals. He will unleash judgment on this planet upon all of the inhabitants of this planet. The judgment is for choosing not to respond to God's grace and mercy. Love turned away turns into wrath! We have heard people say, “Our God is a God of love.” Yes, but when His love is spurned, the response is wrath. That is exactly what we see here in today’s key passage.

It’s absolutely imperative that we understand that anyone who chooses not to align their lives with the Word and will of God will experience judgment. There’s just no way around it. With this in mind we need to be mindful of what Scripture says about this judgment and how we can make sure our lives are aligned with God’s best for us rather than trying to figure things out on our own. We will dive into all of this today as we continue our study of Revelation, as we begin over the next two weeks looking at the Four Horsemen, the opening of the seals, and what it all represents.