Tag: eternity

Look Down

~ Sowmya Gali

Genesis 13: 16 – 18

I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you. So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord.

Imagine picking a fistful of dust, placing under a microscope and counting each particle. How ridiculous that would be! Yet, the Lord is promising Abram that if anyone could count the dust, that many his offspring would be – innumerable. Abram and his nephew have parted ways. Now Abram was on his own. The last connection with his family was also severed. If Lot had remained with Abram, he probably would have inherited his wealth and also the blessings that God has promised. However, God promised that out of his own body he would have an offspring. Abram would have been satisfied if his wealth and all God’s promises would have gone to Lot. After all, Lot was his own nephew. Therefore, God removed that final crutch as well before He could start fulfilling His promises to Abram.

God then asked Abram to look down – the dust he was standing on. His feet would have made an imprint as he lifted his foot to look down on the dust. He might have picked up a fistful and let the grains of sand run through his fingers. His dusty hands might have cupped his eyes as he tried to search the horizon in the direction his beloved nephew has gone. He then must have understood what God was saying. With the last thread severed, Abram’s only hope to have an offspring remained with God. The Lord was urging Abram to trust Him. With every step that Abram took, he felt assured that God was indeed going to bless him. With every crunch of his step, he was certain that God is going to bless him with offspring as numerous as the dust under his feet. He was certain of the firm ground beneath him.

The Lord is our firm foundation. With our feet firmly fixed on this Rock, we could go to places unknown, trusting that God will bless us. When God is our Rock, nothing can shake us. If our faith knows its firm foundation, then every crunch of our step would lead to God’s blessing. It is time for us to look down and ensure we are standing on dust that is as innumerable as God’s blessings. When we are certain of what is beneath us, it is easy to pitch our tents. Walking in blessing, every step gives us more confidence as we journey through this life. All we can do is build an altar like Abram and worship our Lord who blesses us. It is time for us to look down deep within our souls to check on how firm our foundation is and walk with confidence towards God’s innumerable blessings that are too many to count.

The Marked Ones – Part 2

~ Sowmya Gali

Revelation 13: 15-17

15. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

16. And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,

17. and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.

From time immemorial, God set apart His own, those He called by His name. Abraham circumcised himself and his household after God asked him to set himself apart. The blood of the lamb on the doorposts was the sign for the death angel to pass over His children in Egypt. The nation of Israel had been sanctified or set apart for God. They are the apple of His eye. They have been permanently marked for God.

When Jesus Christ came into this world, He called a few and set apart a few disciples. These disciples were given charge to go out into the whole world, preach the Gospel of Good News and baptize them into the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Those who have accepted Christ into their hearts and lives, have now been set apart and they will not be condemned anymore. Their mark is the blood of Jesus on them which they received willingly on their own.

Now that the Bride of Christ – the Church has been raptured, very few good people remain on the planet. The devil is given free reign and there is no Restrainer to hold him back. The copycat devil has to do everything that God did. God marked His own to save them but He gave the free will to choose Him. He only marked those who remembered Him and sought Him, wholeheartedly. People with devotion towards our loving Heavenly Father, were the ones that were saved when the destroying angels slaughtered people.

Unlike the part 1 of the essay where God marked His people, in this portion of the Scriptures, the antichrist forces people to get a mark either on the forehead or the right hand. The devil has to destroy God’s priced creation. He will go to all extremes and employ all means to accomplish just that. He doesn’t offer a free will. Either the person chooses to live or die. In order to survive under such tyrannical situation, man has to choose to either receive the mark or die. No trade happens without the mark.

Devil, the tyrant cunningly deceives God’s children into submission. He will leave us no choice. In contrast, God has given His children a free will. He didn’t force us into submission to Him. He gave us that choice. At the end, it is our decision to either follow Jesus or denounce Him. During tribulation, the antichrist will not be so kind as to give us a choice. Either the people receive the mark of the beast or die. It would be interesting to know how many people would be willing to die and not receive the mark.

God has already raptured His marked ones before the tribulation. Saints are gone to be with their Redeemer for all eternity. Those left behind will suffer the consequences of their choices. Every activity of those left behind is under scrutiny. None can buy or sell without the mark of the beast. No economic activity or travel or any social activity will be possible without the mark of the beast. There is no freedom. Marked people are now bonded and branded slaves of the antichrist. They are marked for eternal damnation. They will never enter heaven.

Whose mark did we receive? Who marked us? Did God our Father and Jesus with His blood mark us? If we have the mark of God on us, then we are eternally saved. We are raptured before the tribulation. However, if we are forced to receive the mark of the antichrist, then we are doomed for eternal damnation. There is no going back after receiving the mark.

Let us enter into light while we still have the Light of God’s Word. Let us receive the mark of the Righteous One!