He Reigns
Bible reading
9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.
– Revelation 16:9,11 (NIVUK)
11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.
Devotional
The film Schindler’s List is a powerful reminder of the evilness and goodness that can reside in all of us. The two main characters, Oskar Schindler and SS Office Amon Göth were both Nazi Party members involved in the second world war. Göth hated the Jews and persecuted them with zeal and passion. And as the leader of a Nazi prison camp, Göth had the power to make the Jews suffer horribly. Schindler, on the other hand, lacked Göth’s zeal and hatred and over the course of the war, learned to appreciate and then help the Jews gain their freedom. At the end of the war, Schindler never felt he had done enough to save the Jews. He felt he could have given more money, created more jobs, and kept more Jews out of the Nazi camps. Göth, on the other hand, went to his death without compassion, guilt or remorse for what he had done.
Chapter 16 verses 9 and 11 of Revelation haunt me the same way that the story of SS Officer Göth haunts me. Chapter 16 has been about the last 7 bowls of God’s wrath and things are bad, very bad. But twice we are told that these judgments are just. They are not being poured out on innocent people but on the guilty. The purpose of these judgments is two-fold; to punish and to warn. There is still time for humanity to repent and turn to the Lamb who wants to save them. But in verses 9 and 11, no matter what is brought down on them, the people refuse to repent of what they have done. In their stubbornness they cling to evil instead of being rescued by the Lord, just like Amon Göth did.
At the end of chapter 16 all of God’s wrath is poured out and the world begins to crumble and at the same time is being reconciled. Which side do you want to be on? The side that crumbles in angry refusal, or on the side of reconciliation and peace with God? It is the choice both Schindler and Göth had, it’s our choice too.
– Connie Main Duarte
This devotional is part of a series that helps us navigate the texts of the book of Revelation with fresh eyes. A new devotional every Saturday.
These devotionals are available in Portuguese and in English.