BENEFITS AND CONSEQUENCES
A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus. —Revelation 14:9-12
Individuals on a sports team share the benefits and consequences of their playing together. When the team wins the individuals on it rejoice and when the team loses all the individuals feel the sorrow of that loss. The inevitable will happen— teams win and lose.
But life is no game according to the passages above and according to all of God’s Word. Life is a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:10-18). It is warfare against the dark forces in the spiritual realm. This conflict is for the eternal souls of men, women and children. Our adversary, the devil, is relentless, heartless and cunning. He will destroy as many as he can. He wants to destroy the testimony of believers (I Peter 5:8) and he wants to keep those who have not trusted Jesus held “captive to do his will” (II Timothy 2:26).
Listen; there are only two sides in this conflict. You can trust the Lord Jesus Christ and be on God’s side, otherwise you are on the devil’s side whether you believe it or not. This is serious! This is not a fairy tale, a myth. This is reality and for those who deny reality is insanity. To be insane is to be mentally deranged, to have an unsound mind, to not be thinking right. There is so much illogical thinking as people seek to deny their accountability to God. People grasp at anything but trusting the Lord Jesus.
Our world is filled with insanity by not believing in the reality of who Jesus is and not believing in the reality of what He has done for us. Instead, people flock to false religions, claim they believe, are agnostic or atheistic. But, their eternal destiny hinges on whether they are obedient to the Word of God and are faithful to Jesus.
Is the devil deceiving you into thinking you are OK and you need not worry about what happens after death? Are you stuck in some false religious system telling you that if you are good enough, do enough or obey the system enough then maybe you can get to heaven? It is a false system. The only way to get to heaven is by turning from sin while sincerely trusting Jesus and His finished work of paying your sin debt for you at the cross. So many people say they believe, but there is no evidence in their lives— Jesus said that by their fruit you will know them (Matthew 7:16).
So, whose side are you on— God’s or the devil’s? Those on God’s side will experience the joys of victory forever in heaven. They are on the Victor’s side. Those who do not want to be on God’s side are on the devil’s side and he is already defeated. Those on his side will experience the consequences of rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ as mentioned in the verses above. It is my hope that that you have truly trusted Jesus. This is no fairy tale. It is the battle for your eternal destiny!
Dear Father, thank You for the eternal life You have given me through the Lord Jesus Christ. It was all by Your grace. I did not deserve it and I could not earn it, but You freely gave it to me through Jesus. I am grateful. Thank You that one day I will be with Jesus in heaven and with all those who love you. May I live faithfully for Him now. May it be so!