Title: God in Control of Life
Revelation (32) God in control of life
(Revelation 6:3-4)
< Fantasy of the Red Horse >
2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 says this. “Now you know that there is something stopping him, so that he may be revealed in his time./ The mystery of iniquity has already worked, but now there is one who prevents it, and it will be done until it is removed from among them.” The ‘blocker’ in that verse is the ‘Lord’s Church’. The public activity of the Antichrist is prohibited until the end of the Church Age. And at the end of the church age, the Antichrist, portrayed as riding a white horse, appears disguised as an angel of light, and gradually gains popularity and trust with miraculous powers and charisma and expands his power.
Then, as the second seal is broken, a vision of a man riding a red horse appears, and ‘the one riding on the red horse’ means ‘one who initiates a bloody war’. In other words, the Antichrist, who acted secretly in the church age, initially reigned as a star with miraculous powers, and eventually caused a bloody war. And through war and tactics, he gradually expands his power. However, looking at the expression “with permission” in verse 4, although the Antichrist expands his power, it is still God who controls all history. What lessons do you learn from the text?
1. A church that blocks the forces of evil
Although the book of Revelation is known only as a book that mentions end-time prophecies and end-time judgments, it is actually a book that awakens anew the importance of the church. 2 Thessalonians 2 also mentions that the presence of the church is preventing the activity of the antichrist. As long as there is a church, Satan's power will inevitably be powerless. As such, if we live centered on the Lord's church, no force of darkness can fundamentally harm us.
Why is the world getting dark? The main reason is that the church is sick and cannot shine. Why does the church get sick? Because of the pursuit of externalism. The externalism of the church is the root of all diseases. Obesity in humans causes short-lived life through various adult diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. If the church grows too large, the human organizational system becomes enlarged, management and management are required, and many programs are needed, and the world's flow gradually enters.
Also, the rich finances of great churches breed greed, pride, and vanity, and promote idolatry. So, as seminars aiming to grow the church become popular, rather than block the darkness of the world, they mate with it. In that sense, it is most important for the church to practice sharing with a missionary mindset. If there are more mission-oriented churches that practice sharing, the power of darkness will be weakened that much.
2. God in control of life
God is in control of every situation. No matter how great Satan's power is, it is only a power given under the permission of God, who is in control of all history. Therefore, as long as you fully trust in God, you have nothing to worry about when the end comes in any form. God is the master of all history and at the same time the master of life. If you truly believe in this, you should not lose joy and gratitude even when sickness, hardship, and failure come. Because God is still holding us in the hand of power, and God is the master of our lives, not anyone else.
It is a great sin to ignore God to be caught up in excessive worry and fear. There should be only one God to fear. God is a God of love and at the same time a God of justice, so He sometimes allows great and terrible things. In particular, sin is not overlooked. You must feel love from the hand of God who moves history like that, but you must also feel godly fear. A godly fear of God overflows with inner peace and joy.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, who lived in the fear of God, rejoiced on his deathbed and repeated these words three times. “Praise God. It’s great to be with God.” If you fear God, you will not be afraid of anything in this world. But if you do not fear God, everything in this world feels afraid. After all, those who know how to fear God are the most successful, and those who do not fear God are the greatest losers.