Wake up and stay alert

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Read: Revelation 16:8-21 (use your own Bible or use the link above to access the in-App Bible).

‘I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake’

Revelation 16:15a

Let me tell you about a time that Jason, my husband, shouted at Thomas, our six year 

old. But before you judge his parenting, let me give you some context. Thomas was on 

a scooter, whizzing down a hill towards a busy road - and it soon became obvious that 

he wasn’t going to stop. Jason’s shout alerted a driver which saved Thomas’ life. I hate 

the sound of shouting, but in that moment, asking Jason not to shout would have been 

like asking Jason not to love Thomas. Because Jason loves his son, he stepped in to 

avert disaster. God hates sin. God hates the violence, greed, oppression and injustice 

that flows from our sinful attitudes and actions - and because He’s a loving God, He 

steps in to intervene. He pours out His justice - and it’s not pretty. 

John interrupts these nightmare scenarios depicting God’s judgement, to shout at 

us from the pages. ‘Wake up!’ (v.13) Maybe he’s afraid that as readers we are finding 

the bowls of wrath too much to bear so are skipping past the hard stuff to something 

more up-beat. Or maybe he fears we’re not really appreciating the cosmic seriousness 

of what’s going on here. Either way, his intentions are clear; to shock us into action. 

‘Stop!’ He’s saying, ‘Unless you wake up, you’re heading for disaster. You need to get 

yourself ready for God’s judgement.’

How do we wake up and stay alert? By recognising that we fail to live up to the 

holiness of God and need to be rescued from God’s judgement. We’re on a scooter 

whizzing down a hill and need our Father to intervene to avert disaster. The promise 

in Scripture is that by surrendering our lives to Christ, we are totally covered up by 

His goodness (Galatians 3:27); instead of being exposed in our sin, we are clothed 

in Christ’s righteousness. But it’s not just about us. What about our friends, family, 

community - do they know Jesus? Do our lives point them to Him? There will come 

a day when they will need to face Him. Are they ready? In my experience most of 

us would prefer not to hear this. Just like six year old boys on scooters! But warnings 

are there for a reason. To change the end of our story. On the cross, the God who 

declared ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30) brings to completion His plan for all humanity. 

The judgement sounds harsh, but we need to trust our Heavenly Father that although 

it’s inevitable, it’s part of the process of bringing us home and making all things new. 

Let us pray: God of power and might, remove the things that hinder me from receiving 

Christ with joy so that I may become one with Him when He comes in glory. Amen

Rachel Gardner, Lay-member of St Luke’s, Blackburn.