I came home from the eye doctor and walked the hallway to my bedroom, wondering where everyone was. I found our 15-year-old in my room, laying on the bed, social media-ing.

Me: “Oh, there you are,” I said as I entered the room.
Her: “Why do you have to go to the eye doctor so much?”
Me: “I have to go because there’s some damage to my retinas. He is watching out for something called macular degeneration.”
Her: “What’s that?”
Me: “Well,” I started with a hint of a worn-out smile, “I’m not exactly sure, but I think over time it can make you blind.”

She paused and stared at me. She shook her head and literally laughed out loud, like a belly laugh out loud, “You are so weird.”

Yes, yes, I am.

To round the eye category out, for the fun of it, visual migraines have now been thrown into the mix. Not harmful. No headaches. Just suddenly can’t see because of all the jagged, colorful edges appearing in my eyes. It’s as if a kaleidoscope has attached itself to my eyes. It usually disappears within 15 minutes or so if I can get somewhere dark or if I can shut my eyes for a bit. So far, it hasn’t happened when I’m driving, because drive time is for out-of-the-blue bouts of vertigo silly goose.

I kind of feel like the world is a little bit like my possible eye issues  — potential for dark darkness, with colorful splashes of distraction.

But fear not folks, I have read the end of the book and it is going to get a WHOLE lot worse than you could ever imagine.

Oops, did I write that out loud?

I finally finished reading through my Bible in a year app. It only took me roughly one year and nine months. I hit the prophets a little after the Coronavirus shut downs began. Not gonna lie, a worldwide pandemic adds to the already difficult task of reading through those books. I tried to stay on task, but dang y’all, concentration these days is tough!

I finally got to Revelations in September and I was like, what in the world is going on here? If only we knew what the heck John was talking about. I ended up reading it again because I found a study guide we had in our pile of giveaway books. I now have a firm grip on everything Revelations. No, I am absolutely lying. I don’t understand it. John, what are you talking about?!

The part I do understand is the world is going to be in much, much, much, much worse shape than it is now when the end times come. We haven’t seen anything yet. For example, if you believe what is written, at least one-third of the Earth’s population will be wiped out at some point. That, my friends, is more than China and India’s combined populations right now. Into this traumatic chaos, the antichrist will appear, plus more death, chaos, and other horrible things, like demonic hornets or something like that.

Sounds fun.

I had a question and a couple or so of observations. Just my thoughts and impressions:

• The use of numbers in the Bible is a pretty big deal. So I was wondering if the designation 42 months had some kind of symbolic meaning, i.e. 7 x 6 = 42. Seven is generally the number for completeness, while six appears to mean something relating to sin and imperfection. I’m wondering if it signifies a complete time of sin/evil reigning? Discuss.
• Revelations 16: 17b says … a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne saying, “It is done.” I immediately thought (for the first time after reading it many times before, don’t get me wrong) of Jesus on the cross saying, “It is finished.” (John 19:30). These are connected in my mind now. I’m not exactly sure how, but it’s something along the lines of Christ conquered sin in our lives on the cross. Here, God is putting an end to sin on Earth. He’s simply done with it.
• It is interesting that the beast is described as “once was, now is not, yet will come.” Versus Jesus, who was, is, and is to come. The beast, though powerful, is not the same as Jesus, who is forever and always. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8). Satan has his little trinity  — dragon (satan), beast from the sea (antichrist), beast from the land (false prophet). He always has second-hand, cheap imitations to try to mimic God. Because, well, he’s not God but so desperately wants to be.
• Heaven is pretty loud. Anyone who thinks it’s a dull place clearly hasn’t read the Bible. Lightning, thunder, rumblings, loud singing, shouting. I kind of hope in all those goings-on there is also a rock band playing some sweet guitar.

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I would like to end this with a couple of verses and a prayer.

For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord. Habakkuk 2:14

Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you. Isaiah 60:2

Shift your people’s eyes off politics and pandemic and all else and put our eyes onto you Lord. I pray that you fill your people with an awareness of your glory, of your greatness, splendor, majesty, magnificence, and magnitude. May those who call on your name turn wholly to you and be filled with awe of you. Turn our focus to your purposes and will.

Take care friends.