Supernatural vs. Impossible

Scripture: But after three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them. At that moment a violent earthquake took place, a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming soon! Revelation 11:11-14

Observation: The first woe, which was the fifth trumpet blast, called out the legions of terrible hornet-locusts with scorpion stings to plague the earth for months. The second woe (sixth blast) released two hundred million mounted troops on fearful horses that carried plague, killing a third of the world. Then an interlude where we see the "two witnesses" testify for three and a half years ... or at least we thought it was an interlude! Instead, these years are part of the woe, which does not end until the witnesses are taken up into heaven.

So to summarize, the second woe involves:

-- Plagues that kill hundreds of millions of people

-- Two witnesses testifying, defying attacks, polluting water, and causing plagues

-- Those witnesses being killed by some enemy, prompting worldwide celebration

-- In view of the world, the witnesses being resurrected and taken up to heaven

-- An earthquake destroys much of Jerusalem, killing thousands

Only then does the woe pass. However, also, only then does those who oppose the Lord begin to "give glory to the God of heaven." They didn't do so when supernatural acts were occurring all over the world, but rather it required the impossible act of raising the two witnesses in full view of the world.

Application: I see the debate all the time on the internet when people wonder why God doesn't just "reveal" himself. I fully understand the answer as it relates to self-determination based on faith and love. However, one of the other issues is clearly the human ability to ... dismiss God's work and evidence.

The Lord has revealed himself in so many ways. He does so daily in small ways to almost every person, and has done so in extraordinary and supernatural ways to all mankind many times. And humans dismiss it. Now here in Revelation, we see humans dismiss wild and crazy events like global torture from a new breed of insect and the mass depopulation of the world as if they are just unfortunate issues, and not evidence of God's supernatural wrath. They have to see a literally impossible act - two bodies, dead for three days, and under constant live streaming on the internet, suddenly alive, made whole, spoken to by God, and levitated up into heaven - to begin to believe. Even then, they "give glory" to God but don't repent of their ways.

There are people who won't believe in Yahweh, the Lord God almighty, creator of heaven and earth. Amazingly, the Lord loves those people SO much, that he will both attempt to present himself and his greatness and his love to them over and over again, AND allow them to believe whatever they want about such evidence, even to the point of rejecting him.

Prayer: Lord, you are so great, so loving, so powerful. I see you in everything around me, and in everything you've done, and in everything you do every day. May others open their eyes, too. Amen.