December 28, 2010: Revelation 14-16
“The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.” (Revelation 16:10-11)
As I thought about this, I began to think about what it takes for people to believe in God. Some people say they will if their prayers are answered– but we all know plenty of people on whom prayers have been answered and they still refuse to believe. Some say they will believe if they can witness a miracle of some sort– but when it occurs, they consider it mere coincidence and lacking of sufficient evidence to result in belief. And here, it says that despite all of the unimaginably painful and violent events going on, it was not enough to lead the people to repentance.
The descriptions of the plagues that are to come are gruesome, violent, and horrid to even think about. From the death of large populations by fire, by sword, by earthquakes, by lack of water, etc. it is awful to think that it is even possible. And yet, the Bible tells us that despite all of that, the world refused to repent (16:11).
Two things came to mind as I thought about this. First, the fact that people around us don’t believe is not something that should make us doubt in our faith. Many people around us may not believe no matter what happens– but their stubborn refusal should not be a reason as to why we should abandon our faith and ultimately result in a loss of our salvation. If we let it, then it is only to our detriment. Second, it shows us exactly how hard we need to pray and work to spread the gospel. We mustn’t give up because our first attempt results in failure– but we should keep going– because we know how hard it is for people to believe in God.
