Protection of the Saints

Psalm 96... It's not Revelation 19, but is it all that different? Do these words sound even a little familiar? "Sing a new song to the LORD! Let the whole earth sing to the LORD! Sing to the LORD; bless his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves!" Ps. 96:1 Those words are a vibrant, corporate hymn that serves as a global call to worship, celebrating God's supreme sovereignty, His role as Creator, and His upcoming righteous judgment over all the earth... kind of like Revelation 19, after all.

Chapter 18 portrays three dramatic laments from those who profited from Babylon's corruption. Again and again, they have been called to repentance, but now it's all burning. The rulers mourn, merchants weep and ship captains are moored. If all that wasn't enough, Babylon is symbolically cast into the sea, never to rise again. And then all is quiet...

In ch. 17, John introduces another beast (are we surprised?) and a prostitute whom he describes as a woman dressed in purple and scarlet, holding a cup of filth. Translated, she might look good on the outside, but offers nothing but destruction. A battle ensues and, well, she is dispatched. Despite the overwhelming corruption described in the text, the core message of the chapter concludes in vs. 14 with the absolute sovereignty of God: "They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings."

A few things come into focus as John's recounting of his visions continues: God's absolute justice - He takes sin seriously and will judge unrighteousness; The hardness of the human heart - people can be unyielding in their sin; The triumph of God -all the evil world systems will ultimately fall. That is good news for those whose eternity is secure in Jesus!

We are picking back up in the book of Revelation to revisit where we've been and anticipate where we're going in John's account of the end times. What a ride its been! Even still, we can only watch and wait for the day of Christ's return when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is LORD! Hallelujah! 

The psalmist is extolling the virtues of and giving praise to God as he prepares to spend time with Him in worship. He states again and again in such beautiful words that God always goes before us to keep us close, keep us from harm and keep us on the path that leads to Him. His 'keeping' is the most wonderful gift, and our ultimate response is our own praise and worship!