‘Day 267

“Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished. 2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who were victorious [a]over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.” Rev. 15: 1,2. (NASB)

This passage introduces the final plagues of earth’s history. These fall on those who have rejected God and hurt His people. But like the original Exodus from Egypt, the mighty power of God delivers His people. Revelation teaches us that even His plagues are acts of compassion to warn the unrepentant and to deliver the faithful.

Most of us at some time find ourselves in difficulties that are beyond our ability to fix. At such times it is good to know someone is in control. One of the major purposes of Revelation is to convince us that God is able to handle any problem and that no matter how bad things get God will win the victory in the end. In spite of our weaknesses, we can move ahead with confidence knowing that there is a great God who will see us through. 
There is a lot of emotion in the Book of Revelation. The characters in the book are angry (Rev. 12: 17; 18: 3), they are afraid (Rev. 11: 13.), they rejoice (Rev. 18: 20; 19: 1-6) and they can be extremely sad (Rev. 18: 9-19). God also is portrayed as angry, furious , or wrathful (for example, Rev. 11: 18; 14: 10,19; 15: 1,7; 16: 1), and so is the Lamb (Rev. 6: 16,17).

There are four to six primary emotions, depending on how one tries to catalogue them. I think all would agree that the primary emotions include 1] happy, 2] sad, 3] angry and 4] afraid. Denying ourselves and our loved ones the ability to express our true feelings increases the severity of physical, mental , and emotional conditions. Children who fear expressing their sadness or their anger grow up are unable to develop healthy and honest relationships.

Feelings of anger, sadness, fear , and joy were designed by God as a protection and a release. They are part of His design for us. When we deny the reality of what we feel, we force ourselves to live in a form of self-deception. There are also consequences for others. Families fall apart when members suppress feelings for fear of hurting or breaking the relationship. The result is dishonest relationships or no relationships at all. 
We can begin to achieve God’s design by expressing our feelings to God. Jesus did that on the cross (Matt. 27: 46; Mark 15: 34). God can take it. He prefers an honest disagreement to a dishonest submission! And He already knows how you feel, so it is safe. Feelings can hurt, but they can also bring us healing, togetherness, and love.