November 11th, 2010 by Kristi Stephens

On Friday and Monday we worked our way through the first half of Revelation 9, the “first woe,” which is also the fifth trumpet judgment. Today, let us take a look at the second woe, the sixth trumpet judgment.

The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.

The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

Revelation 9:13-19, NIV

Just as the description of the creatures in the first woe indicated that these were demonic hordes, not actual locusts, this second woe also involves demonic forces. The “four angels” are clearly not holy angels – they are fallen angels, which we typically refer to as demons. Holy angels are fully in submission to God and would not need to be bound, as they obey His commands completely.

Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.
Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.

Psalm 103:20-21

I have often heard people speculate about where a force of 200 million soldiers could come from. However, the descriptions of the horses and riders, in addition to the fact that this massive army is being led by demonic generals, make a good argument for this army being a supernatural one rather than a human force.

The result of their attack is stunning – one-third of mankind is wiped out.

As we continue on through Revelation it is so easy to become bogged down, discouraged, overwhelmed at the waves of severe judgments. Where is the hope in this?

Today as we consider the darkness of hundreds of millions of demonic soldiers inflicting suffering and death on humanity, lift your eyes with me to who is in control. God is the one who bound these four demonic leaders until just the right time – the text says explicitly that they “had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year.” God is the one who commanded that they be released with the purpose of inflicting judgment.

Surely these demons think that they are serving Satan. They think that they are doing his bidding. But it is still God who is supremely in control.

Yesterday was one of those days when I was a bit overwhelmed by the darkness around us. Amazon was at the center of quite the controversy yesterday for selling a kindle edition of a guide for pedophiles on their site. Due to the nature of my husband’s job, we are probably more aware and cautious of the constant dangers around our children than the average American family. We had some heavy discussion when he arrived home about the depravity of mankind – I wonder how bad things were before the flood, how ugly daily life was in Sodom… how much worse it will get before God’s judgment will come with finality.

Passages like this one in Revelation are reassuring to me, even in their heaviness. They remind me that no matter how deep and prevalent the darkness, God is still on the throne. Even as human and supernatural forces wage war against Him and His people, He alone is sovereign over the affairs of this world.

Be still and wait for Him – we serve a just and righteous God.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.

Psalm 37:7-11

November 10th, 2010 by Kristi Stephens

This weekend our church women’s ministry hosted our 2nd annual “WAR chest” event benefiting Women at Risk, International. WAR, International is definitely not a new topic here on the blog – we spent two weeks learning about human trafficking and the powerful difference this ministry is making during the Redeemed series earlier this year. If you missed that series, I SO hope that you will bookmark and read through those posts when you have time!

Redeemed: A Human Trafficking Awareness Event

Women at Risk (also known as WAR) seeks to support established ministries around the world and give a voice to the silenced cries of women and children in desperate need.  One of the main branches of what they do is supporting safehouses for women rescued from human trafficking.  All of the safehouses they work with have a clear mission of providing not only physical assistance but also true spiritual hope through the good news of real freedom in Jesus Christ.   HALF of the women in their safehouses have accepted Christ as savior!

In the safehouses, women are taught trades such as sewing and jewelry making to support themselves and make them less vulnerable to being caught back up into trafficking.  Some of these women may have lived with traffickers since they were 5 years old and don’t know how to do anything to support themselves.  Others were offered a good job to support their families and ended up deceived and enslaved – teaching them a skill allows them to work with dignity and avoid the false promises of traffickers and their “jobs.”  When you purchase an item through WAR, the proceeds go directly back to the safehouse and the woman who made it.

“When you purchase a product made by rescued or disadvantaged women, know that your purchase empowers a woman to work with dignity.

…When you take that black pearl necklace home and wear it, you are literally wearing a piece of another woman’s story of rescue and redemption. Now you have made her story entwined with your story.

At WAR, Int’l events, women literally go to a display table and just touch things with a far away look on their face, knowing that “this has been handled, carefully made, and crafted by a woman who once was chained to beds of horror and is now sitting in a safe, warm, happy place working with dignity and making beautiful gifts of distinction.”

…When you shop this product you are literally lifting a woman from the gutters of life to stand tall and throw her head back and smile at the world and know that she is valuable for the first time in her life.”

I love hosting these events – what could be better than 100 women coming together to have fun, shop, laugh, learn, cry, and touch the life of another woman on the other side of the world in the name of Jesus Christ? This year was amazing – over $7,000 was raised, and 90% of that amount goes straight back to the safehouses and women who made the items!

Here are some snapshots from the event:

You can…

*Read more about their ministry.

*Browse their beautiful selection of items on their website.

*Hold a jewelry party in your home or church to inform your guests about trafficking and WAR’s ministry, and then support the ministry through making purchases. [They'll provide you with everything you need!]

So, have some Christmas shopping to do? Start here! :)

November 9th, 2010 by Kristi Stephens

Today I thought I’d take a little break from the heaviness of the Revelation judgments and give you a little update on our daily life, along with some sewing/crafting info – it’s been a long time since I did a post like this! ;)

I realized a few days ago that I never updated my blog readers on my bedrest situation. Thank you so much to those who have been praying for us – after two weeks on bedrest and no further problems, my doctor lifted all my restrictions and I haven’t had any problems since! Praise the Lord!

Since then, we’ve been in full baby-prep mode in the Stephens house (I can’t imagine how we would have been ready for #3 if I was on bedrest this whole time!). LB has moved into AG’s room and they are loving their new bunk beds. The crib and changing table have been cleaned up, organized, and prepared. Clothes have been pulled from storage, washed, folded, and put away. Bouncy seats, swings, car seats, bottle warmers, toys, the baby bathtub, and all manner of baby items have been located, washed, and de-funked from their stay in the attic. ;)

My sewing machine has been in high speed the last few days, finishing up some flannel pj’s for the big kids as well as polishing off two more items from my baby to-do list: making a slipcover for the boppy pillow and sewing some new burp cloths.

I’ve never loved our boppy pillow… but to be fair I bought it for $5 at a garage sale and it also came with some toy bars that clip onto it to make a little baby gym, so I can’t complain that I thought it was rather ugly!

After finding this great blog post with patterns and instructions for making a boppy slipcover, I found some flannel on sale for $2.99/yd and bought two yards. An hour or so of work later…

Ta-da! Much better!!

I had about a half a yard of flannel left over, so I decided to sew some much-needed burp cloths. My daughter was one of those babies who made me somewhat of an expert in burp cloths, if you know what I mean. ;) These are so EASY to make and can also be great gifts, so I thought I would give you a little tutorial.

Cut flannel pieces into rectangles – I like my burp cloths to be on the large side, so I cut them into approximately 16″x8″ pieces. [I have often used surplus receiving blankets to make these in the past... we seemed to have WAY more than we needed! They also seem to be easy to find in good condition at consignment stores, which is a cheaper way to get fabric than buying new off the bolt, usually! If you're making baby gifts, you can also purchase receiving blankets that match the bedding they registered for.]

Cut the corners to make them rounded.

I like to make these burp cloths with terry cloth on the back, which makes them both soft and extra absorbent. Again, instead of buying terry cloth off the bolt at the fabric store, I’ve found that the cheapest way to do it is to buy gently used baby towels at the consignment store – as an added plus, the terry on those towels is a finer weave and is nice and soft!

Lay your rectangle on the terry, right sides together, pin, and cut out a matching rectangle.

Sew around the two pieces with a 1/2″ seam allowance, leaving 4″ or so on one straight side open so you can turn it right side out.

Turn right-side out, fold unsewn edges in to be even with the remainder of the fabric, and top stitch all around about 1/4″ from the edge.

You’re done!

So, for about $6 of flannel, plus some terry cloth that I already had on hand, I ended up with a new boppy cover and 7 great burp cloths! Not too shabby!

But, the side effect of a day of sewing is that the house now looks like this…

Oh, well.

So, that’s what’s new with us… what’s new with you? :)

November 8th, 2010 by Kristi Stephens

This post is part two of a look at the first woe, the beginning of Revelation 9. You can find part one here.

The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.

Revelation 9:1-6

This description is poignant. Satan is granted authority to open the Abyss, and demons pour out in numbers that are likened to a plague of locusts.

Again, these are not literal locusts – insects known to swarm in numbers so vast that they can literally darken the sky and consume every plant in the fields. These “locusts” are not harming plants – they are harming people, specifically people who have not been marked as belonging to God. In addition, verses 7-11 make clear that these were no run-of-the-mill insects. These are demonic hordes.

The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).

They are described as “torturing” and “tormenting” the inhabitants of the earth. For five months.

I’m not a big fan of horror movies… and this scene surely would make a great one. Not only is humanity hunted and stung by terrifying demons for months on end, but even when all hope is lost and suicide seems to be the best option, even death will be elusive.

During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them. (9:6)

Imagine the terror and utter horror of this scene. People driven nearly mad by constant, terrifying, stinging attacks – driven to jump off of buildings, turn weapons on themselves, to seek death in myriad ways… only to find themselves still living, still suffering, still seeking relief that will not come.

Perhaps you have heard hell described as a party where all the “fun” people will go. This image could not be more wrong. When we are removed from the mercy and grace of God and stand willfully in our sin, the only thing left for us is utter torment. Incomprehensible suffering. A complete lack of relief in any form. Those in the Abyss take no mercy.

The difference between hell and this suffering under the first woe is this: these individuals still have the opportunity to repent. To be marked as one of those who have embraced Jesus Christ as their only hope would end their suffering… and yet they cling to their rebellion.

When we have set our hearts against God, no amount of suffering will drive us to our knees. How deep is the dark night of the soul. Let our hearts not be hard, Lord.