A common theme in Revelation 11 and Psalm 2
18 The nations raged,
but your wrath came,
and the time for the dead to be judged,
and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
and those who fear your name,
both small and great,
and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” (Revelation 11:18–ESV)
The living face God
Way back in the Old Testament David spoke of raging nations. He posed a question, “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?” That was the first verse of Psalm 2 and he went on to say that humanity rises up against God. As that chapter unfolds he speaks of God’s response to the enmities of the people of the earth and warns of the importance of proper life and living as the antidote to destruction.
Men and women of the earth have never liked being under authority. Their consciences have long spoke of God’s rightful place over us. We know what is right, but do not do it, and we chafe at those who would raise the specter of guilt over our heads. We rage at being told “do this, and don’t do that.” It also happens on the national level for nations are led by people, self-oriented people.
The dead face God–and some are judged
God’s intentions never lay dormant. They may take millennia to bear all the way out, but David said it would come and Revelation continues to expound that theme. Judgment comes not only for the living, but for those who have lived their lives and whose molecules have returned to dust. Souls are like Styrofoam they may seem to go to the landfill, but to dust they don’t return. Those who raged will last forever, but not in the place or places they hope to.
The dead face God–and others are rewarded
All is not bleak, but there is also the reward for the servants of God, for his prophets, for the saints and the common person who had reverence for God.
All people fall under this approach of God, both small and great. Small and great can rage against the Lord, but they don’t have to. Around and among us are both small and great who fear the name of the Lord. Each will be judged for the deeds done in the body. Did they live their lives for glory, honor and immortality or for wood, hay and stubble?
Concluding this 18th verse is kudos to the environment. People are not to harm the body, e.g. by smoking or by injuring others. Neither are they to destroy the earth. We are to be responsible in how we take care of the world we live in. Mow your lawns, empty your trash, pick up litter, plant a garden, tend to your little piece of the world. God made it and God loves it. Care for it.
Leave a Reply