November 12: HIGH VISIBILITY
So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Revelation 16:2
The solemnity of God’s actions as announced by the third angel’s message (14:9-11) is very severe. Yet it should not come as a surprise. For all the encouragement to be obedient (v.12) to Him who made us, our wise and loving Creator, there are fantastic promises. “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” Exodus 15:26 (see also Deuteronomy 7:15). We have become so accepting of disease as the norm, that such an amazing promise may seem as “pie in the sky.” Yet, the entrance of debilitating conditions, general weakness, mental illness, and every kind of suffering barged into our once perfect world as the result of sin. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19). Of all the heinous results of sin, perhaps the most heinous of all is its effect upon the innocent. Even loving parents unwittingly pass a curse to their children in the form of bad habits. The archfiend delights in exploiting the ignorance of those who do not know better. He works steadily to make harmful things appear harmless. Yet his most intense fury is directed at those who desire to live up to and fully honor the divine instructions. This phenomenon is seen in the book of Job. In continuation of Satan’s old ways, he places a “bullseye” on the New Testament church, to pick off and destroy. Evidence of this is addressed in the letters to the churches (see Revelation 2 & 3). His war tactics center upon altering, watering down, and negating the written Word. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus. (Revelation 12:17).
The first plague to be poured out upon the earth is one that is highly visible. There is also a foul odor in connection to this affliction. It is reminiscent of the sixth plague that fell upon the Egyptians and their beasts (Exodus 9:10-11). The instant distinction that the first plague makes between the two groups of people on earth—the saved and the lost—is a fulfillment of many prophetic statements in Scripture that the lost simply choose to ignore. Moreover, they plug their ears and do not want to hear from those who preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27 - see also Isaiah 65:5). Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between the one who serves God And one who does not serve Him (Malachi 3:18). The description of this first of the last-day plagues is presented now—before the close of mankind’s probation—as a loving warning. Its high visibility is no less visible than the beast’s mark.* Only God knows exactly how many denominations (tens of thousands) have appeared in the world since Jesus came (see Isaiah 4:1). In His days of earthly ministry, there were the avowed atheists, the “religious” people, and those who chose to follow Jesus (vv. 2-6). Today it is the same. “Religious people” who do not follow Christ are no better off than the atheists. The three groups are actually only two. Potential citizens of heaven are scattered all over the world within every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. To search for Biblical leadership that truly encourages and equips you to get on and stay on the narrow path, begin by checking for the most highly visible “mark” of obedience.
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14
*There is a highly visible “mark” of disregard for the fourth commandment in “intend[ing] to change times and law (Daniel 7:25). “Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change was her act. And the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical power and authority.” Cardinal Gibbons