Revelation: What I Believe & Why

I was asked about the Revelation a few days back. This is the notes from a thirty-three week series on the Revelation. It’s long but if you want to know what I believe its here for you.

Revelation Intro:

As we begin this morning we need to set the stage for a lengthy series. As I have said this is not going to be a series of time dating. I am not going to try to manipulate my presupposed ideas or my assumption and try to tell you what the book says.

We are going to read the book for what it says and try to see from Scripture what we are being told.

There is much about the book of Revelation that has caused divisions and disturbances. This book is not a book to divide over. It was intended to be a blessing and an encouragement. I will work hard to keep three points in view as I present this series.

Point One: Jesus Christ is the One Who is being revealed to us.
Point Two: Parallel the Revelation to what is written in the rest of the Bible.
Point Three: This is a blessing not a curse. I will work to present it as such.

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We now need to define terms and set a course of direction.

What is a Revelation?

The Webster’s Dictionary tells us that a revelation is;

1: An act of revealing and communicating divine truth.
2: Something that is revealed by God to humans.
3: An act of revealing to view or making known.
4: An enlightening or astonishing disclosure.
5: A pleasant or enlightening surprise.
6: An apocalyptic writing addressed to early Christians in Asia Minor and included in the New Testament of the Holy Bible.

As we look at these definitions I would like to put forth to you that divine truth is not something that is just spoken by someone to another and quickly understood.

Divine truth must be worked out deep in a person’s soul. Divine truth changes lives.
Hebrews 4:12

12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

The Word of God is divine truth. It cuts to the core of a person and really exposes us for who we are and what we believe. Divine truth is worked out. It is revealed to us as we meditate upon the Word and experience it’s effect in our life. Some things in God’s word as easy to grasp but many things must be worked through before we can really comprehend all it’s worth.

This is why God’s Word must be revealed, uncovered, unveiled, opened up to view from a higher perspective. God is going to, in the book of Revelation allow us to see that which is hidden. God is going to draw us into His throne room and allow us to see from above what is taking place below. God is going to open the veil and display to us that which we cannot see or comprehend from our present view point on the surface of the earth.

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Now we must identify what or in this case Who is being revealed.

Revelation 1:1-2

This book is an unveiling or revealing of Jesus Christ. Not the Jesus that walked the earth but the Jesus that is in Heaven. The Jesus that sits on the seat of judgment. The Jesus that cares for and empowers His church. The Jesus who overcame the world and now has taken His place of power in Heaven.

This is not the earthly Jesus that walked on the dust of this earth. This is not the lamb that had to be slain. This is the lion of the Tribe of Judah that rules for all eternity. We are going to be made aware of the One Who sits on the Throne of all creation and rules everything as He sees fit. We are going to have the King of all kings, and the Lord of all lords shown to us from behind the curtain of the holy of holies.

How many of you remember the Wizard of OZ? The Wizard was a great and frightful illusion but when Toto pulled back the veil we all saw that the Wizard was really just a ordinary man.

Jesus Christ walked the earth as an ordinary man. He worked at a job, He fellowshipped with His friends, He even took time out to go to His place of worship.

But the Apostle John has been given the task pulling back the curtain and we are going to see that the Jesus we know from the Gospels was pretty ordinary compared to the Jesus Who is faithful and true and has promised to put everything under His authority and even crush to eternal death all that will not submit to His rule and reign.

Quite a picture isn’t it? Our Savior Who died and earthly death to give us life and hope happens to be the eternal judge of all mankind. We are going to see the real Jesus not the one Who was veiled in the flesh of a man. We are going to see behind the curtain and witness the King in His war room preparing all things for His triumphal return.

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To whom is the Revelation given?

This is a multi dimensional answer. The revelation was given to Jesus by God. Jesus allowed the angel to show it to John and then John was to write it down for God’s other servants.

Revelation 1:1-3

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
The Revelation in all it’s many dimensions is revealed for the people of God. We need to know who Jesus really is. We need to see behind the curtain and get a glimpse of the real Jesus. We need to know what is really going on. We need to understand that this Jesus we hold up as our forgiving Savior is also the Holy Judge of the universe.

As we come to see the reality of Who Jesus really is we will become more aware of Who we are before the Judge of the universe.

I want to let you in on a point that will come up in one of my future messages. We will have had Jesus revealed to us as our earthly Savior. We will have Jesus revealed to us as the One Who cares for the churches. We will also have Jesus revealed to us as the ne Who breaks the seals and pours out His judgment upon the world and those who will not submit to His kingdom.

For our sake Jesus will be revealed to us in all of His many dimensions.

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Why is the Revelation being made known?

We need to know Who Jesus really is. We are so accustom to hearing what Jesus did for us. We desire to have and know the faithful servant. How many of us want to know Who Jesus really is?

This is why the Revelation is being made known. The Revelation is not so we can guess current event and try to decide when Jesus is going to come again. The revelation is not for the purpose of dividing the church into many different millennial groups. The Revelation is to make us aware of or reveal to us the reality of all that is going on around us.

The Revelation is to reveal to us the multidimensional war that is being waged on earth, in heaven, and will ultimately end I the Lord’s triumph over all sin and rebellion against His created Kingdom. A Kingdom Created by Him and for Him and through Him.

Colossians 1:15-20

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

This is why the Revelation is being made known.

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When will the Revelation be complete?

The Revelation is complete. The Revelation is written. The Revelation is finished.

We are on the time side and must watch to see how it plays out but what is written can not be added to and nothing can be taken from it. IT IS FINISHED!

Jesus is on the Throne and is now working all things together.

Romans 8:26-32

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

The Revelation is complete and those who have submitted to the King and confessed with their tongue that Jesus is Lord will be saved.

Over the next few months we are going to look behind the veil and have our hearts and minds opened up to the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Are You Ready?

Let Us Pray.

Revelation Part 1:

As we prepare to study the book of Revelation there are a few things we should know.

First, this book is not as difficult as most have made it out to be. Too many people come at this book from a set of predetermined views that lead them to read into the book things that are not there.

Second, since we do not know the day of the Lord’s return we must not try to make events fit a time in which we believe the Lord will return.

To get the full effect of this book we must read it as it is written and allow the author to reveal in words to us what is happening and what he is seeing.

Revelation 1:1-2

This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him concerning the events that will happen soon. An angel was sent to God’s servant John so that John could share the revelation with God’s other servants. 2 John faithfully reported the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ—everything he saw.

In the first two verses we see some very important points. First, we see that the writer of the Revelation is John. John was the disciple Jesus loved and this is how Jesus made John aware of Who He is.

The Revelation is from Jesus. The Revelation was given to Jesus by God the Father. John faithfully reported the Revelation as it was given to him.

A revelation is a revealing of something. This Revelation is revealing Who Jesus Christ is and how He is working in our world. This Revelation has been very confusing over the years because many people want to read into the Revelation what they believe is happening or what they believe is going to happen.

I will be working hard to read the Revelation for what it says. I am not going to predict events and I will try not to take events that are written and make them mean something they do not or cannot possibly mean.

I am not an authority but I happen to believe we make this book hard when it is not.
Revelation 1:3

3 God blesses the one who reads this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to it and obey what it says. For the time is near when these things will happen.

I want everyone to prepare for a blessing. I am prepared to be blessed for reading and teaching, I pray you will be blessed by hearing and then obeying this Revelation.

When we are told the time is near we must wonder if this was for the first readers of the Revelation or for us as present readers or is it a time tested book continuing to reveal Jesus Christ to all who read it for all time.

If it’s for all, it’s a continual revealing of Jesus Christ to all ages. If it was for the first century Christian does it fit today and if it was intended for us how were the early Christians blessed, strengthened and encouraged by what was read?

I want to look at this book as a revealing of Jesus Christ to all people throughout all time. I could be wrong with this view but If we are going to be blessed by this book we must see that it pertains to us right now.

I do not want to spend time discussing the pre-millennial, post-millennial, or a-millennial positions. I do not want to discuss the futuristic, historical, preterist, or spiritual positions. I want to look at the book for what it says and through it I pray that Jesus Christ will be revealed to us.

I believe it is very important to note that this prophesy is for the church. I believe it is good for all who read it but the blessing comes to those who believe and make up the body of the Lord’s church.

A person outside of the church that doesn’t have an understanding of Jesus Christ being the King of kings and Lord of lords will not be able to comprehend all this book has to offer. If a person doesn’t believe Jesus is God they will miss a great deal of what this book is about. If they do not know Jesus as the Lamb that was slain for the salvation of those who believe, They will not find this book to be much of a blessing to the reader.

For the unbeliever this Revelation is an imagined fantasy at best that holds nothing for them and cannot be comprehended by their physical understanding of the world.

Revelation 1:4-5a

4 This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Grace and peace from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the commander of all the rulers of the world.

We are already being introduced to statements that are for all time. Jesus is, was, and is yet to come. God the Father is the sevenfold Spirit before His throne. Jesus is the faithful witness, the first to rise from the dead and the commander of the world rulers.

The sevenfold Spirit is a picture of completeness. God is Spirit and He is complete within Himself. God is sovereign. He sits on the throne and is over all things in the past, right now, and in the future. As the Creator and sustainer He is God.
Jesus came and witnessed the world. He rose from the dead and now sits at God’s right hand side. He has been given authority of all nations, peoples, and tongues. He raises and lowers the nations as He is commander of all rulers.

Isaiah 11:2-5

2 And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3 He will delight in obeying the LORD. He will never judge by appearance, false evidence, or hearsay. 4 He will defend the poor and the exploited. He will rule against the wicked and destroy them with the breath of his mouth. 5 He will be clothed with fairness and truth.

The seven fold Spirit rests upon Jesus Christ. Jesus is spiritually complete. And now that He sits on the Throne of Judgment He has the right, the power, and wears the truth.

It is very important that we understand God in three persons. The book of revelation will be very difficult to comprehend if you are tied to just one of the Godheads and not all three. The triune God is One God but we have been given the opportunity to see Him revealed in three distinctive persons. God the Father Who sits on the throne, God the Son who is the One who receives the Lordship and is made King over the people groups. It’s hard for people to understand a Spirit but they can know a person.

Then there is God as the sevenfold or complete Spirit, we see from beginning to end the Spirit is always at work. The Holy Spirit is how all things are determined. All things are either wrought by the Holy Spirit or a spirit that is anti or against God. You cannot ride the fence in this battle.

1 Timothy 6:15-16

15 For at the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16 He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No one has ever seen him, nor ever will. To him be honor and power forever. Amen.

When Paul talks of no one ever being able to see the almighty God, he’s talking about the Spirit. Christ is not Jesus last name. Jesus is the Christ because He was the Word or Spirit that became flesh. We can read words we can see flesh but we cannot see that which directs them. We must come to know the person before we can know the Spirit but we will never be able to see the Spirit that makes the person.

I say all this to prepare you for the understanding of the position Jesus has been given as commander of all the rulers of the world.

This may seem unbelievable since most leaders do not seem to be under the command of the Lord Jesus Christ. Just because you are under command doesn’t mean that you will always submit to the commander. We humans are rebellious by nature and many times are blinded to the truth by our own power and position. The prince and power of the air, the ruler of this world system clouds the minds of man.

This Revelation is a picture of an ongoing battle between the Holiness of God and the desire of Satan to raise his throne above God’s. Since there is a spiritual war being waged, how should we face this conflict?

Philippians 2:5-11

5 Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. 7 He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. 8 And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Although Jesus was (and still is) God, He gave Himself over to His humanity and obediently followed God’s directions even knowing all the power and position He possessed. Most leaders hold tight to their position and do everything they can to not let it go. Jesus followed God’s directive even when, in His innocence, He was commanded to die a criminal’s death on a cross.

Humans are naturally rebellious especially when it comes to allowing things to happen to them that are against their personal desires. Jesus was able to lay down His life in this world as an offering to God’s future plan. Jesus is now the Commander of rebellious leaders. He is King of kings, and Lord of lords. He sits on the throne of God and will judge all mankind. Man will be judged upon the actions they have committed. Jesus did what He was called to do. Obey God! We will be judged according to our obedience to the Lord of our life and the King of all creation.

Romans 8:28-30

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself, and he promised them his glory.

Even though we are rebellious God is still at work to make things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. His purpose is to bring mankind to salvation and give His Son many brothers and sisters. God through His Son, and the work of His Holy Spirit can make us right with Himself and give us His glory. This is what is happening presently in our day and the book of Revelation is going to reveal to us how He is working to make it happen.

Revelation 1:5b-6

All praise to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. 6 He has made us his kingdom and his priests who serve before God his Father. Give to him everlasting glory! He rules forever and ever! Amen!

As we now see the Lord rules forever. As the ruler, He has made those who would submit to His rule right with Himself by the shed blood of Jesus. As those who are right with God He has proclaimed us to be His kingdom and priests forever.
In return we give to Him everlasting glory by being that which He is making us to become.

When you begin to understand Who Jesus is and what He has done for you, you should respond with submission and obedience. God has established a system of sifting the wheat from the chaff.

God had one rebellion in heaven and He is not going to allow anyone into His kingdom that is not willing to acknowledge Him as King of kings and Lord of lords. Anyone that is self seeking, anyone that is working to glorify self, anyone who is not willing to follow His rules and His ways, anyone who desires to raise his throne above God’s is not going to be welcome in His kingdom.

Do you believe that God would allow a rebellious, sin-filled, self-centered, self-seeking, power hungry manipulator into His kingdom of priests? This is what Satan was all about. This is what Lucifer had become. God is looking for those who are willing to come to Him on His terms to be forgiven of sin and made right with Him. Satan is still roaming the earth seeking those who are willing to join his rebellion.

Satan’s time is limited. His power, to keep those he has drawn into his rebellion, is also limited. All have fallen short of God’s glory and into Satan’s camp. The only way to be released from the rebellious army is by the blood of the Commander Who died to save us from the rebellion and set us free from the second death. Once set free, we will freely submit to the Commander and allow Him to show us our position in His army of priests. Scripture says we are the priests who make up His kingdom.

We are going to stop here this week. Next week we will start by looking at the war that is being waged for the souls of men. Most people do not understand what is happening in the world in which they live. This world is a battle ground in which Satan holds his prisoners captive and Jesus has come to set the captives free.

Let us Pray.

Revelation Part 2:

Last week we covered the first 6 verses of Revelation. We stopped with an introduction to the war that is being fought here on the face of the earth for the souls of men.

As we begin this morning I want to make you well aware of the war that is being fought in the heavenly realm. There are two kingdoms at war against each other. The kingdom of the war and the Kingdom of God.

Last week we came to understand that God was not going to allow another rebellion in heaven. God is checking our hearts and separating the wheat from the chaff and also the sheep from the goats.

This is also true about Satan. Satan doesn’t like rebellion in his kingdom either. Satan understands that a kingdom divided will fall. Jesus said He did not come to bring peace but a sword. Jesus coming and our belief in Him divides the kingdom of the world. God’s word is a double edged sword that cuts through Satan’s worldly kingdom and brings division and separation.

John the Apostle is a prisoner of this heavenly war. He has been exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching and teaching of the coming kingdom. See the world system cannot allow the Good News of Jesus Christ to be heard for fear that it will divide and separate people’s allegiance. If we humble ourselves and submit to the King of kings the world no longer has any power over us. John is a prisoner to prove the world still has power over his body. But Jesus came to Him to prove that He has power over the mind and spirit no matter what happens to the body.

We, as world citizens, are totally ignorant of the war that is being waged for our souls. Until we are told about the war we do not know this war is going on. We must come to this knowledge by hearing the Word of God.

If a person has never had the Scriptures revealed to them in a manor that truly explains what is happening around them, they will find it very difficult to understand the reality of the battle that is being waged for their soul.

Due to the sin of the first man, God turned us all over to the ruler of the present world system. Actually we chose to follow this ruler and God allowed us to. Now we find that everyone is born into the camp of God’s enemy. We have no clue that we are living as enemies of God until we are made aware of God’s word revealed to us in the Scriptures.

So at this point we find that we must be reborn into a new kingdom if we are going to have what God has planned for us. To be reborn comes at a high price. First our Commander dies the physical death that will pay the price for our release. Next, we must turn from our old life and begin to live as servants or priests of the Lord in His kingdom.

Now you can better understand the great commission and why Satan fights so hard against the Word of God.

Acts 1:1-8

Dear Theophilus:
In my first book I told you about everything Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he ascended to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions from the Holy Spirit. 3 During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time and proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. On these occasions he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
4 In one of these meetings as he was eating a meal with them, he told them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised. Remember, I have told you about this before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 When the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, are you going to free Israel now and restore our kingdom?”
7 “The Father sets those dates,” he replied, “and they are not for you to know. 8 But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Priests, saved by the blood of the Commander, Filled with the Holy Spirit of God, all for the purpose of leading others out of Satan’s captivity and eternal doom.

The battle is for the souls of men. Once purchased back from the enemy our position is to fight for the souls of those who are being destroyed.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5

3 We are human, but we don’t wage war with human plans and methods. 4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds. 5 With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ.

As you can tell we are not soldiers as much as we are priests. Soldiers use worldly weapons to destroy their enemies. Our enemies are not people. Our mission is to save people from eternal doom. Our mission is to make people aware of their need to be saved from the ways of the world ruler and come into God’s kingdom.

Ephesians 6:10-18

10 A final word: Be strong with the Lord’s mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. 12 For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
13 Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.

Christians are the kingdom priests. We have overcome our captivity and been set free by the blood of our Commander Who purchased our freedom. We owe our lives to the King and we are willing to lay our lives on the line to serve the King by making people aware that they can also be set free if they will come to the Commander for their salvation.

The greatest problem with our mission is we are preaching to those who are blind to the truth. They are deaf to their eternal reality. They are dead to true life and they have no way of knowing it.

We must pray that their eyes and ears would be opened and that they would come to understand their need to be set free from the ways of this world order. Time is running out. There is coming a day when the King will return to receive His kingdom to Himself. The Revelation reveals to us that which is happening in the seen and the unseen realm while this battle is going on. It is happening now and will end with the return of the King.

Revelation 1:7

7 Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him—even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the earth will weep because of him. Yes! Amen!

The top five translations of the Bible say coming with the clouds of heaven. What exactly does this mean? Let’s look at some other Scriptures to find a parallel.

Acts 1:9-11

9 It was not long after he said this that he was taken up into the sky while they were watching, and he disappeared into a cloud. 10 As they were straining their eyes to see him, two white-robed men suddenly stood there among them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has been taken away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw him go, he will return!”

Jesus will return from heaven. He disappeared into the clouds and will return the same way. According to the Scriptures He will return with the clouds. What clouds?

Hebrews 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Could it be that Jesus will return with the cloud of witnesses?

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

15 I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. 18 So comfort and encourage each other with these words.

Since people that die are absent from the body and present with the Lord, it is thought that these souls will come back with the Lord and be rejoined with their resurrected bodies and then the living Christians will be taken up as though the Shepherd were separating the sheep from the goats and then the white throne judgment will begin.

Isaiah 45:21b:23

For there is no other God but me—a just God and a Savior—no, not one! 22 Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other. 23 I have sworn by my own name, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to my name.”

God spoke these words through His prophet Isaiah. Once the words are spoken God begins to bring about what He has said will happen.

At the judgment every knee will bow before the King. All that are not saved into His kingdom do not have the hope of inheriting the Kingdom of God.

2 Corinthians 5:5-10

5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

What do you think would be the worst sin imaginable on the day of judgment? I would imagine that refusing to believe in the Lord and His kingdom, and His way of being made right with Him would be the worst sin.

Hebrews 12:25-28

25 See to it that you obey God, the one who is speaking to you. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, how terrible our danger if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! 26 When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” 27 This means that the things on earth will be shaken, so that only eternal things will be left.
28 Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be destroyed, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

So far we have been made aware of God’s plan. I would like to say that God’s plan has been revealed to you. The Revelation is a look at what is going on in our world and in the unseen realm.

Since this war is being waged for our souls how should we prepare for the battle at hand?

Romans 12:1-2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Once you have had God’s realm revealed to you, how can you any longer conform to the ways of this world? You will see everything from a different perspective. You will understand that you are not fighting against people but working to get them delivered from their eternally doomed state. Your mission is to get people delivered from Satan’s prison camp. You don’t do this with the world’s weapons of warfare but with God’s plan of salvation.

The majority of people I know don’t really understand what is happening on earth. Satan desires that humans die without ever knowing God, through Jesus, and being sealed with His Spirit. The sealing is a blood covenant. In Luke 22:20, Jesus says, “This wine is the token of God’s new covenant to save you—an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.” Do we understand what the Lord is saving us from? Do we understand that it is so important that He was willing to give His life for it? Do we understand that this is the only way to be saved from our eternal doom? Satan does, and he is doing everything he can to fight against people coming to know the truth.

But if you are saved, don’t worry, God will have the final word.

Revelation 1:8

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty One.”

Opening for the Seven Letters

Do you believe that the seven letters were letters from Jesus?

The letters were dictated to John from Jesus in heaven. These letters are very important in coming to know and understand that Jesus is alive, He is on the throne, he is aware of and in control of all that is going on here on earth. Jesus cares enough about the church to send forth his letters of instruction and revelation of what must soon take place and I personally believe has been going on since Jesus ascended into heaven.

This understanding and even belief is very key in the realization of what is going to happen from chapter four to the end of the book of Revelation.

Jesus has made some very important points in His letters that must be considered throughout the rest of the Revelation.

Jesus holds the seven stars (church messengers) in His right hand and He walks amongst the gold lamp stands (the churches).

He is the First and the Last, He died and is alive. (resurrected and ascended)

He has the sharp two-edged sword. (The Word of His mouth)

His eyes are like bright flames of fire and His feet are like polished bronze. (sees all and judges rightly)

He has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars. (complete work)

He is holy and true and he holds the key of David. (ability to open and close opportunities)

He is the Amen- the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. (full authority over all things)

Jesus has made promises to those who overcome the world and obey Him.

They will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God

They will not be hurt by the second death.

The will eat the manna hidden away in heaven and they will receive a white stone with a new name.

They will be given authority to rule the nations, they will be given the same authority Jesus received from His Father and they will be given the morning star.

They will walk with Jesus in white, their names will never be erased from the Lambs book of life, and Jesus will announce them before His Father and the angels.

They will be pillars in God’s Temple, they will be citizens of the city of God, and they will have Jesus new name written on them.

They will sit with Him on His throne.

Are you ready to see the full Revelation of Jesus Christ?

Revelation Part 3:

We ended last week with ..

Revelation 1:8

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty One.”

God, the Lord, the beginning and the end the Almighty One. This week we are going to look at the difficulty that goes with serving the Lord. It is temporary and the future promise is great but there could be some struggle along the way.

Revelation 1:9a

9 I am John, your brother. In Jesus we are partners in suffering and in the Kingdom and in patient endurance.

Suffering? I don’t know if this is one of the favored promises of the Bible but let’s look into the idea.

1 Peter 4:1-7

So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you are willing to suffer for Christ, you have decided to stop sinning. 2 And you won’t spend the rest of your life chasing after evil desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. 3 You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.
4 Of course, your former friends are very surprised when you no longer join them in the wicked things they do, and they say evil things about you. 5 But just remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead. 6 That is why the Good News was preached even to those who have died—so that although their bodies were punished with death, they could still live in the spirit as God does.
7 The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.
Suffering is not what we desire. And yet if we have to suffer we must understand that our suffering is only in the body. If we know the Lord we will escape all suffering when we pass from this body into the Lord’s presence.

Colossians 1:11-14

11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with his glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need. May you be filled with joy, 12 always thanking the Father, who has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God’s holy people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son. 14 God has purchased our freedom with his blood and has forgiven all our sins.

It is much easier to have patience and endurance when you understand that God has purchased us out of the kingdom of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of His dear Son.

2 Peter 1:5-9

5 So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. 6 Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. 7 Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. 8 The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop these virtues are blind or, at least, very shortsighted. They have already forgotten that God has cleansed them from their old life of sin

Your knowledge of the Lord, which is your faith, has given you the strength, patience, endurance and self-control needed to persevere in the world. We are warned in the Scriptures that we will suffer persecution for the sake of the Lord. It may not be death or prison but we will be persecuted to some degree. Let’s look at John’s persecution.

Revelation 1:9b

I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and speaking about Jesus.
PATMOS [PAT muhs] — a small rocky island to which the apostle John was banished and where he wrote the Book of Revelation (Rev. 1:9). The island, about ten miles long and six miles wide, lies off the southwest coast of modern Turkey. Because of its desolate and barren nature, Patmos was used by the Romans as a place to banish criminals, who were forced to work at hard labor in the mines and quarries of the island. Because Christians were regarded as criminals by the Romans, the apostle John probably suffered from harsh treatment during his exile on Patmos. An early Christian tradition said John was in exile for 18 months.

Matthew 5:10-12

10 God blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 “God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too.

When you suffer persecution , and we all will, wouldn’t it be great to know that you’re being persecuted for following the Lord? Persecution is inevitable but there is a promise that comes with being persecuted for your belief, trust and faith in the Lord.

John held on to his faith and belief even while being exiled to the island of Patmos.

Before we move on I would like to remind you that the Apostle Paul received a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble and Job was stricken with all that came against him for being the most faithful servants. We have a tendency to judge those who are doing well as wonderful Christians and those who suffering as those who have fallen under God’s judgment.

The Bible teaches us that God sometimes allows bad things to happen to good people just to prove their faith. When we encounter difficulty and even suffering we should check to make sure we are in a right relationship with the Lord. We should check to make sure that our suffering is not the result of sinful living. But if we find that we are right with the Lord we should celebrate for being worthy of suffering for the sake of the Kingdom.

Revelation 1:10

10 It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard a loud voice behind me, a voice that sounded like a trumpet blast.

A trumpet blast cuts through about everything. Soldiers used to be awakened by the blast of a bugle. The trumpet blast is a clear sound. John was worshiping in the Spirit when he heard the clear sound of the Lord’s voice.

John 4:23-24

23 But the time is coming and is already here when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

John was in the Spirit even during his exile and persecution. John was holding to his faith and trust and as a result he heard the voice of the Lord.

Matthew 24:30-31

30 And then at last, the sign of the coming of the Son of Man will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the nations of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send forth his angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

The Lord was about to reveal to John His second coming, but first He wanted to make known to the churches what was happening here on earth.

John 3:10-13

10 Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? 11 I assure you, I am telling you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe us. 12 But if you don’t even believe me when I tell you about things that happen here on earth, how can you possibly believe if I tell you what is going on in heaven? 13 For only I, the Son of Man, have come to earth and will return to heaven again.

Jesus is revealing to Nicodemus that He knows the things of earth and of heaven. We are about to see a glimpse of heaven. Jesus is going to dictate letters to the earthly churches from His heavenly throne room. If you don’t believe Jesus when He speaks of earthly things how are we going to believe the things we are going to see about heaven?

Revelation 1:11

11 It said, (the loud voice) “Write down what you see, and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

From the Isle of Patmos John wrote seven messages to “the seven churches which are in Asia”. These seven messages, were to Ephesus, the Loveless Church; Smyrna, the Persecuted Church; Pergamos, the Compromising Church; Thyatira, the Corrupt Church; Sardis, the Dead Church; Philadelphia, the Faithful Church; and Laodicea, the Lukewarm Church.
Why did John single out these churches? Jesus singled them out. Why?

There are different theories but I believe it had to do with the problems with the churches. These seven churches show us the difficulties that churches are still facing today.

The letters to the seven churches called for the Christians to repent of sin and return to faithfulness and good works; encouraged them to stand firm for Christ against the temptations, trials, and persecutions of the Roman Empire; and promised specific rewards to the martyrs who faced death without denying Christ.

Before we get to the letters to the churches we are going to look into heaven an see the Lord Jesus tending to His churches. Before we speak of the earthly things we are going to view the heavenly things.

Jesus is going to be revealed to us in two distinctive dimensions in this book. We have already had the earthly Jesus revealed to us through the Gospels. We have see the earthly work of our Savior at the cross. The Revelation is going to show us the heavenly work of Jesus Christ.

We will begin today and finish next week looking at Jesus in Heaven tending to His church. We will see the glorified Christ Who is the Head of the church watching over and tending to it.

We are about to see through the words of John the Apostle what the Head of the church looks like and is doing in Heaven.

Revelation 1:12-16

12 When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. 13 And standing in the middle of the lampstands was the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. 14 His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were bright like flames of fire. 15 His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance.

We are going to stop here this week. Next week we will look deeper into the meanings of what John has seen before himself in heaven. We are going to look deeper into the position Jesus holds as head of the Church. We are going to see Who, we are coming before when we enter the body of believers who claim Christ as their salvation.

In these first three sessions we have looked deeply into the book of Revelation. We are combining the things John has written with some of the foreknowledge we have been given through the Scriptures that appear in the Bible before the book of Revelation.
As a person who writes and preaches I sometimes assume that everyone sees as I see. I sometimes speak or write thinking that you know what I know. This sometimes leads to confusion about meaning. The reason some books are so long and seem to be so detailed is because the writer is trying to fill in what his reader needs to know.

The Revelation is a picture of what John was seeing. What is not written is all that John already knew. John’s knowledge led him to better understand what he was seeing.

We have the benefit of having the written Word of God that explains God from beginning to end. Sometimes we want to read the Revelation without all the prior knowledge that is needed to understand it. We will continue our revealing of the Revelation next week as week pick up John’s vision in heaven

Let us pray.

Revelation Part 4:
Last week we ended our study in heaven. We were about ready to see discuss what Jesus was doing when John turned to see the heavenly sight.

Revelation 1:12-16

The lampstnds were portable gold lampstands that held small oil lamps. Each lampstand represented a church as Jesus will tell us in verse 20, from which the light of life shone. Throughout Scripture, 7 is the number of completeness, so these 7 lampstands are representative of all the churches.

In the Old Testament we see the lampstands as a picture of Israel fully supplied by God to be his light.

Zechariah 4:2b & 10b

“I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl of oil on top of it. Around the bowl are seven lamps, each one having seven spouts with wicks. For these seven lamps represent the eyes of the LORD that search all around the world.”

The lamps represent God’s ability to keep Israel and now He’s tending to His church.
We will see more about the lamps as eyes later in the Revelation.

Exodus 27:20-21

20 “Tell the people of Israel to bring you pure olive oil for the lampstand, so it can be kept burning continually. 21 The lampstand will be placed outside the inner curtain of the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle. Aaron and his sons will keep the lamps burning in the LORD’s presence day and night. This is a permanent law for the people of Israel, and it must be kept by all future generations.

As we continue in the book of Revelation we will see that the lamps are right outside God’s throne room which is the Most Holy Place. Heaven resembles the Tabernacle in this vision. The High Priest, Jesus, is caring for the lamps in the Holy Place.

John sees the Son of Man standing in the midst of the lamp stands.

Daniel 7:13-14

13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Daniel 10:5-6

5 I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. 6 His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people.

Son of Man was the title Christ used most often for Himself during His earthly ministry. This title is an implied claim to deity.

The gold sash completes the picture of the Son of Man, Who is Jesus, serving in His priestly role caring for the lampstands which represent the churches or God’s people.

Now that we have a picture of the positional standing of Jesus, we can now look at His personal appearance. I want you to notice a theme that will repeat later in the revelation. John tells us what seeing Jesus was like. He tries to explain the unexplainable .

Revelation 1:14-16

14 His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were bright like flames of fire. 15 His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance.

John didn’t see some creature that had flames shooting out of his eyes or a double edged sword coming out of his mouth. John is explaining to us what the resurrected King is like. John is revealing to us the Head of the Church.

“White” does not refer to a flat white color but a blazing, glowing, white light. In Dan. 7:9 I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like whitest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire, what we are seeing is a picture of His holiness.

Acts 9:3&17

3 As he was nearing Damascus on this mission, a brilliant light from heaven suddenly beamed down upon him!

17 So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you may get your sight back and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

The holiness of the Lord blinded Saul of Tarsus. The light was so bright that when it came upon Saul it blinded His eyes and forced him to the ground.

It amazes me how often those who have encountered the Lord always end up collapsed to the ground. I believe the Lord’s holiness is overlooked due to our desire to hold to the Jesus of the cross.

We want to see Jesus as the baby in the manger, we want to see Jesus being baptized by John, we want to see Jesus praying a Gethsemane, we want to see Jesus on the cross. John, though, gives us the opportunity to see the Jesus that is tending to the church. We are seeing the Jesus that is and also will be. We like the Jesus that was but are we prepared for the Jesus to come?

His eyes were bright like flames of fire. Like two lasers, the eyes of the exalted Lord look with penetrating gaze into the depths of His church.

Peter can testify to the eyes of Jesus, in Luke 22:60-62 it says

60 Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.
The eyes of the Lord cut to the core like a blazing fire. If the Lord of Judgment was to look upon your life right now, How would you react? His direct penetrating view would bring to your mind many things. Are you prepared for the Lord’s gaze to fall upon your life?

His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace. The altar of burnt offering was covered with bronze and its utensils were made of the same material. The altar was the place to offer sacrifices for sin. Glowing hot, bronze feet are a clear reference to divine judgment. Jesus Christ with feet of judgment is moving through His church to exercise His authority over sin.

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored.

Are you prepared to sing Glory, Glory, Hallelujah for His truth is marching on?

Jesus’ position as the Head of the church is to purify the church. He is going to burn off the chaff. We see the Lord as an all accepting sacrifice for our sin now and in the future. What ever happened to the though that Jesus has come to take away the sin of the world?

John 1:29-30

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Soon a man is coming who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before I did.’

Jesus was younger than John. John knew that this was the eternal Lord who had come from Heaven to earth. John knew this was the one who was going to wipe away sin. Are you truly living before the God who is going to wipe out sin or are you just trusting Jesus to cover your sin? Jesus imparts His Holy Spirit to cleanse us of our sin. Yes He covers and atones for the past but then His work is to purify us through the fire of judgment.

His voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. No longer was His voice like the crystal clear note of a trumpet, but John likened it to the crashing of the surf against the rocks of the island. It was the voice of authority. Crashing water will wear away at stone. The voice of the Lord has the ability to break open stone hearts.

We will look a bit deeper into this when we get to the double edge sword that comes from His mouth.
The seven stars are the messengers who represent the 7 churches. Christ holds them in His hand, which means that He controls the church and its leaders.

Jesus is in control of the church. We are going to see Jesus ability to watch over the churches and work to keep them right with Himself in chapters 2 & 3. Until we get to these chapters I want everyone to know that Jesus threatens to cut off the churches that won’t repent and turn back to Him.

A sharp two-edged sword. A large, two-edged broad sword. It signifies judgment on those who attack His people and destroy His church.

Hebrews 4:12-13

12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 10:26-31

26 Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received a full knowledge of the truth, there is no other sacrifice that will cover these sins. 27 There will be nothing to look forward to but the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. 28 Anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Think how much more terrible the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God and have treated the blood of the covenant as if it were common and unholy. Such people have insulted and enraged the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to his people.
30 For we know the one who said, “I will take vengeance. I will repay those who deserve it.” He also said, “The Lord will judge his own people.”
31 It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

We have just witnessed through John’s words The Jesus of Heaven. The One Who died but is now alive forever. Are you ready to appear before Him? Is the church prepared for His appearance?

Revelation 1:17-20

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the living one who died. Look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave. 19 Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen later. 20 This is the meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

A quick glimpse of the holiness of the Lord strips you of your ability to stand in His presence. To see the Lord in His glory as John has seen Him would take the life right out of you. The Scriptures say that no one can see the Lord and live. Those who did live were totally and completely new creations due too their confrontation with holiness.

Jesus gives John the right to stand in His presence when He placed His right hand upon Him. Jesus’ right hand is a picture of salvation and safety.

Are you living under the right hand of Jesus?

I must end here this week. Next week we will look a bit deeper into verses 17-20. Until then I would like for you to hold to a question from Jesus in…

John 3:12

12 But if you don’t even believe me when I tell you about things that happen here on earth, how can you possibly believe if I tell you what is going on in heaven?

Quite a picture that is being painted with the Word’s of Scripture. The Apostle John desires that the church would come to know the Jesus of Heaven. The Revelation was given to John to be shared with the servants of God.

I pray that this Revelation is opening your hearts and minds to the Jesus that ascended to the throne.

Let us pray.

Revelation Part 5:
I would like to start this section with a real quick review from last week.

Revelation 1:17-20

Jesus gives John the right to stand in His presence when He placed His right hand upon Him. Jesus’ right hand is a picture of salvation and safety.

Matthew 25:33

33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

I have talked before on how the Lord uses this world as a threshing floor. The world has a way of sifting the chaff from the wheat. The world and it’s ways will tag a person as a goat or a sheep. Those who belong to the world and are addicted to it are being show for who they are.

Those who belong to the Lord are being separated out of the world. They are overcoming the ways of the world. Those who belong to the Lord are allowing the Lord to rid sin from their life.

Psalm 18:35

You have given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand supports me; your gentleness has made me great.

I would like to spend some time talking to you about keys. Jesus says that He holds the keys to death and the grave. This would indicate that Jesus decides who lives, who dies, and when they die. The Lord has authority over death and the grave. If we have been saved by the Lord we should not fear death or the grave.

Jesus speaks of another set of keys during His earthly ministry. This set of keys is the “Keys to the Kingdom“. Why is it that Jesus holds the keys to death and the grave and he doesn’t hold the keys to the kingdom?

Jesus gave the keys to the kingdom to those who have come to the knowledge of Who He is. His church holds the keys to the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 16:15-19

15 Then he asked them, “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you lock on earth will be locked in heaven, and whatever you open on earth will be opened in heaven.”

The church, those who believe that Jesus is the Son of the Living God, the Messiah, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the atoning sacrifice for their sin, their life and resurrection, the only way to the Father, the Truth, holds the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Whatever we lock up on earth will be locked in heaven, whatever we open on earth will be opened in heaven. What is it that the church opens up here on earth? The truth of the message of God. What is it that we lock?

Luke 11:52

52 “How terrible it will be for you experts in religious law! For you hide the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.”

We are about to see three keys to the kingdom. The first is knowledge. What knowledge do we have that can be opened to the world? The knowledge of Who Jesus Christ really is.

The church is the bearer of this knowledge. Outside of those in the church, who else is opening the door to this knowledge?

If it is not for the testimony and witness of the believers, who is going to make people aware of Jesus? Jesus gave us this mission and task. He has decided that we, the church, will reveal the truth to the world.

In Luke 11:52, Jesus was condemning the experts of religious law because the were hiding the knowledge of Jesus Christ. They were hiding it because they didn’t have it. Since they didn’t have it they lacked the key to open this knowledge to the world.

How can we give the keys to the kingdom to another if we don’t posses the keys to copy from?

Jesus gave the original copy to His disciples. He told them to make copies and give them to the whole world. Do you possess a set of the keys to the kingdom? Are you making copies to give to your friends?

Isaiah 33:6

6 In that day he will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.

Here we have another key to the kingdom. The fear of the Lord. This is the key to salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. Before we can have the key of knowledge we must have a fear of the Lord. Out of our fear of the Lord we will come to the knowledge needed to be saved and we will be given the Holy Spirit Who will fill us with wisdom.

We now hold to keys to the kingdom. The first is the fear of the Lord the next is the knowledge of the Lord. Let’s now look for the final key.

Romans 4:13-22
13 It is clear, then, that God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was not based on obedience to God’s law, but on the new relationship with God that comes by faith. 14 So if you claim that God’s promise is for those who obey God’s law and think they are “good enough” in God’s sight, then you are saying that faith is useless. And in that case, the promise is also meaningless. 15 But the law brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)
16 So that’s why faith is the key! God’s promise is given to us as a free gift. And we are certain to receive it, whether or not we follow Jewish customs, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. 17 That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who brings into existence what didn’t exist before.
18 When God promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations, Abraham believed him. God had also said, “Your descendants will be as numerous as the stars,” even though such a promise seemed utterly impossible! 19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though he knew that he was too old to be a father at the age of one hundred and that Sarah, his wife, had never been able to have children.
20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was absolutely convinced that God was able to do anything he promised. 22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God declared him to be righteous.

Jesus holds the keys to death and the grave because we are not able to judge. We on the other hand have been given the keys to the kingdom because we are able to witness, testify, and share with others our Fear of the Lord, our Knowledge of God, and our Faith in Jesus Christ. These are the keys to the kingdom.

We are now going to switch gears and begin look some more at Jesus as the Head of the church.

Revelation 1:19-20

19 Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen later. 20 This is the meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Have you ever wonder about what is happening right now in Heaven? John wrote down for us his Gospel. This is the story of Jesus on earth. Now he is going to write down what Jesus is doing right now and what He is going to do in the future.

Right now we see that Jesus is tending to His church. He is standing in the midst of the lamp stands caring for them. His is holding up the angels of the churches which some believe to be the pastor or leader of the church.

Jesus present work is to draw people to Himself through the church. He is working to purify and keep the church holy. He is making sure that the churches burn brightly.

As we prepare to look at each of the seven churches next week we are going to see that Jesus Knows the location of each church. He knows about their surrounding communities. He knows about the leaders and the people within each church. Jesus knows the churches that are lifting Him up and those that are leaving Him out. Jesus knows the good works of the churches and He knows the failures of the churches.

As we prepare to close this morning I would like for you to think for a moment about our church . The First Church of God on the corner of Baker and Lakin right here in Great Bend, Kansas the heart of middle America.

If Jesus were to write a letter to this church, What do you suppose He might say?

What kind of recommendations do you believe Jesus would have for our church, it’s leaders, and it’s congregation. Would Jesus be happy with this church? Would Jesus use us an example of standing firm in our faith? Would Jesus be threatening to remove our lamp stand? Would He accuse us of losing our first love? Do we have a good reputation? Are we alive to the Lord or would He consider us dead? If Jesus stood at the door and knocked would we let Him in?
According to what we have learned about Jesus, He knows our church inside and out. He knows every individual that is in His church. He knows every heart and every intent. He knows our gathering and our departing.

What would the letter to the First Church of God be like?

Starting next week we are going to look at the letters to each of the churches of Asia Minor. As we look at them maybe we can draw up a letter to the Church of God in Great Bend, Kansas.

I would like to leave you with one last verse of Scripture.

John 3:12

12 But if you don’t even believe me when I tell you about things that happen here on earth, how can you possibly believe if I tell you what is going on in heaven?

Next week we will begin looking at earthly things and applying the keys to the kingdom to see what the churches were really struggling with.

Let us pray.

Opening Points Each of letters

1. The letters we are studying are from Jesus. The letters, although written by John, are not from John or from the messenger to the church who will be responsible to share it with the church. These letter are from Jesus the head of the church who is in heaven tending to the churches at this present time.

2. Many commentators believe the angel of the churches to be a supernatural being. Why would Jesus ask John to write a physical letter to a angelic being? Where would he send it? I believe the angel of the church referred to in these letters is the messenger to the church which is most likely be the pastor or lead instructor.

3. Jesus uses these letters to expose difficulties within the churches. These letters are not written to worldly groups they are they are written to churches. They are sent specifically to each church mentioned. This leads me to understand that there were difficulties in the churches in the first century and there will be difficulties in the churches of the 21st century. My job as the present messenger to this church is to continue working this body of believers through the process of sanctification so that we will continue to eliminate the problems, difficulties and even sin that is within our body here at the First Church.

4. Jesus is the one who says “I know…”. What He knows He is sharing for the purpose of awakening the church to their present situation. The messenger may not be attentive to the problems Jesus sees. Jesus wants the messenger to know what He sees so that the messenger can lead the body back to a right standing with the Lord.

Revelation Part 6:

Last week we finished Chapter one of the book of Revelation. We have spent five sessions bringing the Scriptures together. The Revelation is exactly what it says it is. It’s a Scriptural revelation of Jesus Christ to us. The words and phrases John has used in chapter one lead us to other Scriptures that define in more detail the picture of Who Jesus Christ really is.

This week we are going to start looking at the seven churches of Asia Minor. These are the churches Jesus has picked for John to write to. There are many theories as to why Jesus wrote to these seven churches.

One theory is they’re all on a major circular road that covered a large part of Asia which was in the central area of the Roman Empire. Some believe that these cities were the major postal routes of the area. Some believe that each of these churches represent a certain era or a progression of the church during the church age. I happen to believe that these churches represent to us most of the same difficulties that the church has faced throughout history.

As we look at the churches we will see that they were experiencing some of the same struggles that churches are experiencing today. Due to the condition of the church you can understand where Peter was coming from when He wrote…

1 Peter 4:17-18

17 For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News? 18 And also, “If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners?”

Remember that we are reading these messages that Jesus is dictating to John from the holy place of heaven. Jesus is tending to the lampstands and is telling John to write to the churches what He sees going on. Judgment begins at the house of the Lord.

Let’s look into the letters sent by Jesus to the churches.

Revelation 2:1-7

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:

When Jesus announces Himself to each of the churches He will use statements like the ones we see here. These statements have already been used for the purpose of identification. He reuses these statements so you will know it is Him who is talking. He tells the church of Ephesus that He is the One Who walks among the lamp stands that represent the churches. So in a moment when He says He will come and remove their lamp stand they had best believe he can do it.

2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. 4 But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen from your first love! Turn back to me again and work as you did at first. If you don’t, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. 6 But there is this about you that is good: You hate the deeds of the immoral Nicolaitans, just as I do.

7 “Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Everyone who is victorious will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God.

Before we get into discussing Ephesus I would like to look at what Jesus says to the Ephesian church.

Jesus says, I know, I have, I know, I have, I will, and I do. He also says, you do, you don’t, you have, you have, you have, you don’t, you have, you hate, and if you don’t.

I believe by breaking this passage down we see that Jesus knows the church of Ephesus. Jesus knows what they do and what they don’t do. He knows their good qualities and their weaknesses. Jesus knows the church of Ephesus and they are not hiding anything from Him. Let’s reread verses 2-6 before looking at Ephesus.

We need to know a little about the city of Ephesus. Ephesus was the largest of the cities where the seven churches were located. In Ephesus, was the temple of the Greek goddess Artemis or Diana. This temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. To have the ability to build such a monument you had to have a large and very faithful following.

The Church in Ephesus was a light in the darkness of a city bent on the worship of a female deity. The Ephesians were not in favor of Paul’s preaching in Ephesus because they were afraid that the gospel would destroy their main source of income. The city of Ephesus profited greatly off of the craftsmen who made and sold silver shines of Diana.
If the Gospel of Jesus Christ was to catch on it would not be good for the city or the artisans or followers of this Greek goddess. So the church, as you can, see was truly a candle burning for Christ in a city that was standing on the foundation of a false deity.

The Ephesian church was up for the struggle. The problem was they were fighting to keep the church alive and losing the foundation for the church which was their love for Jesus Christ and each other.

Ephesians 6:23

23 Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters, and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. 24 May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.

The church of Ephesus has become the me centered church. They are so concerned about the church and their surroundings that they have forgotten the Head of the church. Depending upon which commentator you read there is between 10 and 30 years between Paul’s letter and John’s letter to the church of Ephesus. In 10 years the church lost that which was the foundation of their fellowship.

By the way, the message from Jesus to the church at Ephesus is a threat. You either comeback to the One you loved at first or I’m going to remove your lamp stand from amongst the churches.

To make this as simple as I can, it’s not about the church of Ephesus. It’s not about the people of the church. It’s not about all that the church does or doesn’t do. It’s about Jesus Christ and sharing Him with others.

The church has fallen from Jesus and took up working for themselves. What they’re doing is not bad. Actually it would be good if all churches would work hard, if all churches would examine the false teachers, if all churches would suffer without quitting, if all churches would endure with great patience. The problem is the church of Ephesus has begun to do all their work for self-centered reasons not for the love of Jesus Christ.

It’s hard to identify a church that has lost it’s love for Jesus from the outside looking in. Jesus, though, knows the truth. Jesus has found this church to be all about the church and not about Him.

I believe there are many of these type churches in our midst today. They’re out to promote themselves. They’re out to do good for the church. They want the church or maybe themselves to be noticed. They are not understanding of the distance in which they have fallen.

The church without Jesus Christ is really nothing at all. It may be active and it may be noticed but without Christ the church isn’t worth Jesus keeping.

The strange thing about Jesus’ commendation for the church is it is a slap in the face to the church. What they are doing good is exactly what they are doing wrong. They hate the deeds of the Niolaitans and so does Jesus. What Jesus was hating was a heretical Christian group that had fallen to self-indulgence.

For The Nicolaitans the Christian knowledge meant freedom to participate in all sorts of sinful activities. Many reasoned that since they had received divine knowledge and were truly informed as to their divine nature, it did not matter how they lived.

Such an attitude is a misunderstanding of the Gospel. Paul, on a number of occasions, reminded his readers that they were saved from sin to holiness. They were not to have an attitude of indifference toward the law. They had died to sin in their baptism into Christ and so were to walk “in newness of life.” John reminded the Christians that once they had been saved they were not to continue living in sin.

The church at Ephesus would say we stand against such. Yet the natural progression of the self-centered church is to compromise to keep the church filled, financially stable, and looking good. If it’s all about the church the church must go on even without the blessing of Jesus Christ. That’s how the Nicolaitans came to be a hated Christian group.

The Nicolaitians were not known to teach errant doctrine but morally they had fallen into great sexual laxity. Their self-indulgent attitude led them to allow co-habitators, fornicators, and adulterers, into their midst without ever confronting the issues because the groups existence was more important than their holiness before the Lord.

To make this very simple, they loved themselves and the group more than they loved the Lord. They had fallen into deep sin due to their lack of love for the Lord.

The Nicolaitians will come up again when the church of Pergamum is discussed.

I don‘t want to into the discussion of another church this week. I want everyone to think deeply about what the church of America is turning into.

We have had an example thrown in our face just a few months back. There was an 18 year old young man that shot and killed the parents of his 14 year old girl friend. These two young people were church going kids. They were active in their youth group. They were home schooled. They were growing up in a nice neighborhood. Everything looked great on the exterior.

But one thing we must always understand is what you see is not always what you get.

This 14 year old girl was sending nude pictures of herself to her boyfriend. Her and her boyfriend went against the will of the girls parents by not coming home one night but instead spending a night out together. They boyfriend came to a confrontational meeting with the parents with at least one of many guns that he owned and shot the parents.

Some would say that this is an extreme example. I agree that it is. But the extreme always comes about one step at time. The first step is a falling from your love of the Lord Jesus Christ.

After you have fallen from your love of the Lord, you will begin to serve a self love. One step at a time your holiness before the Lord will be dismantled by your own selfish desires. You will slowly but surely fall into the trap of the Nicolaitans. The Nicolaitan trap is thinking that because the doctrine you believe is right you are right. You will begin to live in all kinds of sin while proclaiming to be living by faith in the Lord.

It’s subtle. It doesn’t happen all at once. Little by little your love of the Lord is replaced by a self-satisfying tolerance and acceptance for personal gain. The church and it’s existence becomes more important than the Lord Who heads the church.

We are passing down our true beliefs through our actions to others. Our words speak the doctrinal truth but our actions say we don’t really believe what we preach. Once we loose our first love for the Lord Jesus Christ, we begin to live for self instead of Him. Once self is more important than the Lord, beware, Jesus is about to come and remove the churches lamp stand.

If you have lost your first love, Jesus would say, Turn back to me again and work as you did at first. Your first work was loving the Lord with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and all your strength. Is that how you’re loving the Lord today?

As we prepare to go to prayer, If you’ve lost that first love and desire to get it back, you might want to start here at the altar today.

Let us pray.

Revelation Part 7:

Last week we began discussing the seven churches that Jesus had John write to. We saw one theme that will reoccur in all the letters. Jesus knows about each church. He knows their good, their bad, and their ugly condition.

Before we get into the details of the church of Smyrna we are going to look at how Jesus identifies Himself to this church.

Last week Jesus was the One Who walked amongst the lamp stands this announcement went well with His threat to cut off the Ephesian lamp stand if they wouldn’t turn from their sin. Let’s look at this weeks identification…

Revelation 1:8-11

The Message to the Church in Smyrna
8 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who died and is alive:

Jesus uses His introduction to remind the church of Smyrna that He was dead but now He is alive. This will come in handy as He tells this church to be faithful even when facing death. As the First and the Last he knows what it’s like to be at the top and at the bottom. Jesus sits on the throne as the head or the first of all creation. Jesus also took the low position of coming into our world and dying the death of a common criminal for us. This is about as low as it gets. Jesus truly is the first and the last.

Jesus also can assure that when facing death we can trust Him since He overcame death and was the first to rise and ascend to Heaven. Let’s look at the Scripture…
9 “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the slander of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they really aren’t because theirs is a synagogue of Satan. 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The Devil will throw some of you into prison and put you to the test. You will be persecuted for ‘ten days.’ Remain faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life.

11 “Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be hurt by the second death.

The church of Smyrna is standing firm in Jesus Christ. This church does not receive any condemnation. They are commended upon being rich even though they must be a very poor financially . They are also warned about their upcoming persecution. They are instructed to remain faithful and they will receive the crown of life and they will not be hurt by the second death.

This is a great promise. If we die naturally or by accident or by some form of violence we can hold tight to our faith. Our faith is what gives us strength even in the face of death.

What we are going to discuss through the early part of this message is very timely. Jesus uses a phrase in this passage that we need to hear. “They say they are Jews, but they really aren’t because theirs is a synagogue of Satan.” How dare Jesus be so politically incorrect.

Romans 2:28-29

28 For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. 29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.

Galatians 3:28-29

28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

Jesus declares that the Jewish Church in Smyrna was a synagogue of Satan. You cannot be more politically incorrect than this.
Could you imagine someone in today’s world calling the Synagogue what Jesus did? What if a person was to say a Temple of Satan, a Tabernacle of Satan, a Mosque of Satan, or heaven forbid a Church of Satan.

What Jesus was saying is the Jews did not believe in the full revelation of God in Jesus Christ. What He was saying is to not believe and to not teach Jesus as the Christ, the Savior, or the full revelation of God is Satanic in it’s nature.

We are seeing the effects of this type of teaching in our midst at the present time. Pope Benedict has stated that the Muslim religion is a violent religion. The Muslims are calling for him to be killed, they are persecuting the Catholic and Protestant churches. Pope Benedict didn’t even come close to the word’s of Jesus and the world is calling for an apology.

Let’s face it the Muslims are not true children of God and they worship at the Mosque of Satan.

I know this is very hard to swallow in our society today. The fact is outside of Jesus Christ there is no way to God and all other ways are lies and the father of all lies is Satan.

Pastor Tom, that is pretty narrow and very intolerant, What you have said is going to upset people. You may be persecuted greatly for your exclusive ideas.

There was nobody in all this world more exclusive that Jesus Christ Himself when He said….

John 14:6-7

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

The God of heaven has been fully revealed to us in Jesus Christ. There is no other way. There is no other religion. There is no other sacrifice for our sin. There is no way to be right with God outside of Jesus Christ.

The church of Smyrna believed this. Due to their belief they understood what it meant to not be able to buy and sell without the mark of the beast.

Not only in Smyrna was there a Synagogue of Satan but hey also had an monument to Cesar. This monument was a place of worship where incense and fire was burned on the altar in worship to Cesar. Those who didn’t worship Cesar found themselves in under great pressure to fall in line with the rest of the community.

The reason the church of Smyrna was so poor financially was due to there position for the Lord and against the religious and political system of their surrounding world. They knew and understood tribulation and persecution. The knew what it was like to be slandered and insulted. Jesus was now warning them that some of them were going to be put into prison and tested.

Remember what Jesus said about this church? He said you are rich. He also told them that they would receive the crown of life for standing firm in their faith while facing death.

Pope Benedict is being advised by many to recant his words and apologize for what he has said. There was a man by the name of Martin Luthar that stood before the religious hierarchy of his day and said, “I cannot and will not recant”.

It’s time that we, as Christians, come to understand that our stance for Christ in the world we live in at the present time could become a very dangerous stance. Are you prepared to suffer for what you believe?

Last week we looked at Ephesus. Ephesus was the big city and their church was the big church. We also saw that the big church had turned into the me church. Everything was about the church and they had lost their focus and love for Jesus Christ.

The Church of Smyrna was seated in the seconded largest city in which these letters were written to. Smyrna was the most beautiful city in provincial Asia at the time. Smyrna’s church was probably the most faithful of the churches written to. They were called to take a stance for Christ. Their surrounding were beautiful externally. But the undertow was nothing short of a Satanic plot to draw people to worship and depend on anything except Jesus Christ.

Matthew 5:43-48

43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

We are told that the church was going to be persecuted. Their persecution was probably going to come from the people of the very city that was going to be blessed through their faithful stand. The church though was called to stand firm in their faith and they did.

With the persecution and poverty they were facing there would have been a great tendency to feel as though the Lord had betrayed them or that He had forsaken them. With our American understanding, we would have called this church a failure. From the world’s view point they were. But Jesus does not judge based on the world’s view point.

Luke 18:8b

“But when I, the Son of Man, return, how many will I find who have faith?”

Jesus is looking for the faithful. Jesus gives us strength to stand firm in our faith. He rewards faith in this world and the next. The church at Smyrna stood as a testimony to
the Lord’s faithfulness to save and prosper those who stand firm in their faith.

The church of Smyrna would have been a pure church focused totally on Jesus. I say this because people who are all about self will not stand for persecution. They will quickly see that the church has nothing to offer them and they will leave.
There is nothing like a little persecution to purify and purge a church to find out what they are all about.

I wonder how this line of Scripture would go over at the American prosperity church?

“Remain faithful even when facing death”

Today’s preaching and teaching tells us that our faith will deliver us from death and difficulty. This, though, is not what Jesus says to the church of Smyrna. Jesus says,

“Whoever is victorious will not be hurt by the second death.”

The second death has become a reality to the people of the church of Smyrna. Jesus warns them that some of them will face death due to heir faith in Him. He tells them to stand firm and He will give them the crown of life.

I want to spend the rest of our time looking at what the church of Ephesus lacked and the church of Smyrna had to have had. Smyrna loved the Lord.

How do I know that Smyrna loved the Lord? Without love you will not endure the difficulties of life.

1 Corinthians 13:7

7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Love endures. When you die and pass from this earth how do you really want to be remembered? Do you want to be know as a wishy washy, flip flopper who had no will and just washed away into the crowd. I’d rather be know as one who stood firm in what I believed. I would rather be on who was persecuted for my beliefs that to just wimp out and give in due to a little pressure.

Jesus introduced Himself to the church of Smyrna as the One Who died and is alive.

Luke 9:23-26

23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.

What we have discussed here this morning is a call to stand firm in your faith. It’s a call to stand firm in the truth of the Scriptures. It’s a call to stand firm in your love of the Lord Jesus. It’s a call to live fully what you believe in your heart.

Jesus lived this way. It cost Him His physical earthly life but aren’t you glad He did. Had He not have persevered we would be left without faith, without hope, and without love. You are able to look at the news and see a world without love.

Are you prepared to stand firm in your faith even if it costs you your earthly life?

Let us pray.

Revelation Part 8:

This morning we are going to look at the church of Pergamum. So far we have looked at a church that was harshly rebuked by the Lord for losing their love for Jesus. Then we looked at a church that was standing firm in their faith in Jesus in a community that did not tolerate those not willing to worship false religion and/or the government.

Let’s now look at

12 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one who has a sharp two-edged sword:

We have seen a repeating theme in these letters. Jesus opens His letter with an identification of Himself. If Jesus were to send a letter to our church and start it off with the statement, I have a sharp two-edged sword, I, as the messenger, would be attentive to find out what His plans with the sword was going to be.

A double edged sword is a weapon. It’s used to cut down the enemy.

Hebrews 4:12-13

Jesus is informing the church of Pergamum That He has the two-edged sword. His sword is going to cut to the core and reveal the truth about the church. Once again Jesus will begin by telling the church “I KNOW”.

Do I have your attention yet? Are you ready to find out what Jesus knows about the church in Pergamum?

Revelation 2:13- 17
13 “I know that you live in the city where that great throne of Satan is located, and yet you have remained loyal to me. And you refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you by Satan’s followers. 14 And yet I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you who are like Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to worship idols by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. 15 In the same way, you have some Nicolaitans among you—people who follow the same teaching and commit the same sins. 16 Repent, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

17 “Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Everyone who is victorious will eat of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.

Once again we are going to see a church that is working to remain loyal in a city that is known to house the great throne of Satan.

If you were to think of a city in America that might house the throne of Satan, What city would you pick? Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York City, Miami, or one of the other major cities?

It might surprise you to know that the city of Pergamum was known to be a great religious center. There were temples dedicated to Athena, Asklepios, Dionysos, and a great altar dedicated to Zeus.

Along with the false deities the city was the center of emperor worship. Pergamum built the first temple devoted to emperor worship in Honor of Cesar Augustus. They later added temples for Trajan and Septimus Severus.

Now what cities come to mind? Washington D.C., Salt Lake City, Rapid City, South Dakota, (Mount Rushmore).

I’m just trying to open your eyes to the type of cities that might look like Pergamum.
Pergamum was a city filled with idol worship. Remember Jesus commends this church for remaining loyal to Him and not denying Him even in light of Antipas being killed.

Antipas was a faithful witness. He was killed but He was loyal to his belief in Jesus.

Many of the commentaries I have been studying have portrayed the church at Pergamum as a worldly church. I have spent a great deal of time trying to balance a church that has been commended for being loyal and standing firm as worldly.

Worldly churches begin to compromise and tolerate to the point the people begin to look, act, talk, and even seem totally un-churched. You know the type. The guy you work with that one day tells you that he goes to church and your mouth drops open because you would never have guessed it by the way he looks, speaks, and acts. I don’t see the church at Pergamum quite this worldly. I do see that they were slipping into some of the sins of the culture that surrounded them.

What I have come to realize is the church of Pergamum had one major sin. Even though they were believing in, trusting in, relying on, staying loyal to, and even suffering great persecution for the sake of Christ, they had this against them, SEXUAL SIN.

Sexual Sin is a difficult sin to detect at the church service on Sunday morning. What’s going on in peoples private lives is sometimes hidden from the congregation as a whole. Sexual Sin is generally a private behind closed doors sin. It can be hidden for a long time without anyone finding out about it.

Jesus though, is the one who says, “I know you and have this against you”.

Jesus knows and sees every thing. Jesus knows the things that you have hidden. Jesus desires to expose the hidden things so that you will be pure, clean and holy before Him.

The Bible teaches against sexual sin in a very straight forward manor.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13

9 When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. 10 But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. 11 I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.
12 It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. 13 God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”

This is some very harsh teaching. The Messenger to the church is going to be made aware of the situation that is within the church. He is now going to have to decide whether he will continue to tolerate the situation or do something about it.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.

If the people that have been described here will not inherit the Kingdom of God, shouldn’t the messenger be working to make those who are compromising their eternal future aware of Scriptural truth?

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

3 God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. 4 Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor— 5 not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways.

Jesus has exposed a major problem in the church of Pergamum. The problem may be due to the community’s culture. The problem may be due to someone coming out of idol worship and into the church and wanting to hang on to the pagan style of worship which many times involved sexual activity and even orgies. It could have been that the church, in it’s desire to draw the world to Christ, began to allow the world to come to the church without being confronted with their need for transformation. It also could have been due to a number of Nicolaitans that were in the church but held to a more licentious doctrine.

On thing I do know is the angel or messenger of the church was being confronted with the issue. Jesus writes to the angel of the church and says, “You tolerate and you have some among you that…” As the messenger to this church it’s my responsibility to not tolerate things that are against the teaching of Jesus. I must teach against that which Jesus is against.

So, what’s an angel or messenger to do? Should he turn his back and continue to tolerate the behavior or should he begin to wield the sword of Scripture. Remember what it said in…

Hebrews 4:12-13

Revelation 2:16

16 Repent, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

The angel equipped with the sword should be able to allow the Spirit to cut away at the church and begin dissecting the situation. Hopefully the messenger will not be forced to a point of having to remove anyone from the church. If the messenger, now knowing the problem, will confront the issue, and not tolerate it any longer, the Spirit should be able to empower the sword to do it’s work on those who hear the Word and heed the message. Once you know you are living against the Lord’s will you must make a choice.
What ill you choose? Will you choose to line your life up with Scripture or work to bring the Scripture down to your lifestyle? I know what Jesus desires of us and that’s the direction this messenger will take.

Let’s finish this morning by looking at…

Revelation 2:17

The Lord desires that we live a victorious or overcoming life. The church in Pergamum was going to have to rely greatly upon their faith and belief in the Lord if they were going to live a life that was to overcome their surrounding community and culture. They were going to have to trust the messenger that was leading them and they were going to have to continue building themselves up in the Word of the Lord.

Sanctification is a process. Overcoming the world and it’s ways is a process. Victory only comes to those who are willing to endure a road of discipline and work to be the best they can be.

Don’t misunderstand me. We are not working for our salvation. Jesus finished that work for us. Now that we believe and trust in His saving work, we must work to discipline ourselves for the victory over this world.

We must desire to allow the double-edged sword of the Lord, (His Word, this Bible) to cut away the worldly things, stuff, and ideas that have so flooded our community.

The victor or the one who overcomes will receive great rewards.

We are told that we will eat the manna that has been hidden away in Heaven.

John 6:47-51

47 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. 48 Yes, I am the bread of life! 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50 Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”

Jesus Christ is the tree of life. If you remember back to the Garden of Eden man was banished from the Garden less he eat of the tree of life and live forever.

Genesis 3:22-24

22 Then the LORD God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” 23 So the LORD God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. 24 After sending them out, the LORD God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

The flaming sword which guards the way to the tree is the Word of the Lord.

We must come to God through the Word of God who is also Jesus Christ.

Have you noticed that there really is no way to get to the Father without going through Jesus Christ our Lord?

Those who truly believe this will win the victory and receive the white stone.

In Roman custom the victors of an athletic competition were given white stones inscribed with there name on it. This allowed them entrance to the special awards banquet where they were able to eat at the banquet table and receive the rewards for their victory.

Now, the new name which will be written on the stone will be similar to Simon who Jesus called Peter. Jesus gave Peter a name that represented his position or place with His adoptive Father in heaven.

We do not know our heavenly name at this time. Won’t it be exciting to learn the name the Lord has for you?

The church of Pergamum wasn’t much different than our church. Some of the people within the church had been draw into the ways of the world or they never totally gave up on some of their old ways. Which ever way it happens to be you can rest assured that if you repent and turn back o the Lord the victory is yours.

Ephesians 1:3-7

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.

Are you prepared today to walk in a way worthy of your high calling?

If you would like to start racing for your victory today, I ask that you make it known by coming forward and praying here at the altar this morning.

Let us Pray.

Revelation Part 9:

I have come to realize that the problem facing the church of Thyatira is one of the most difficult messages to expand on in the American church today.

We have looked at a church that has lost it’s love for Jesus. We have looked at a church that was under heavy persecution. Last week we looked a at church that had difficulty with sexual sin. This week we are going to look at a church that’s problem dealt with peoples earnings and where their true dependence was placed.

I have probably had more confrontations about and even threats made concerning the basis of today’s message than anything else I have ever taught. I have had some mighty testimonies come forth from this subject also.

I don’t usually put the stories in my sermons up front. I generally start with the Scripture and work from there. This morning I want to begin with a story. This story will illuminate the passage so well that you should be able to understand what was going on in the church of Thyatira.

I was preaching through the book of Revelation at the Community Church of God in Hutchinson. One morning after the service a man named Lavern bounded up the aisle after the service and said, “We need to talk”. This is always a point of caution with me. You never know if you’re going to get commended or condemned . I have been on both ends of the spectrum so I am very cautious.

Lavern started by saying, “I am so glad you are my pastor. You will be able to understand what I’m going to tell you.”

Lavern was living in a lager city and he was an electrician. Times were tough and Lavern was having trouble putting food on the table because he couldn’t get work.

One day during a church service he asked for prayer in finding work. After the service a man approached him and guaranteed him that if he would join a fellowship of men that he belonged to Lavern wouldn’t have to worry anymore about his lack of work.

Lavern went with the man and did join the organization. Over the next ten years Lavern’s work load was abundant. He was living life like he had always dreamed it should be lived.

One day while visiting a Church of God (and this is the reason he was still in a Church of God) he heard a message about Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Lavern realized that he had totally lost his trust and faith in the Lord. Lavern was totally committed to an organization of men who he felt had saved him and given him all that he had.

Over the next few years Lavern was able to get out of the organization and renounce his membership. This wasn’t easy as he finally had to move to a different town to be able to find work.

Lavern looked at me and said, “I know what it is like to bow your knee and take a secret oath to an idol. I know what it is like to commit adultery against the Lord, and I know what it is like to eat food that has been sacrificed to an idol.” Lavern continued, “I never left the church. I attended regularly, gave money to the church, I was even a board member of the church, but my heart didn’t belong to Jesus. I had given myself to an organization of men and not the Lord.”

Lavern concluded our conversation by saying, “I am so glad that you are my pastor so I can confess to someone who I can trust and I know will understand.”

What we are about to see in the church of Thyatira is a women who is leading people astray to commit adultery and eat food sacrificed to idols. Lavern was led astray by a man in the church that felt as though he was doing a good deed to his fellow church brother. As they became brothers in a secondary organization Lavern had to deal with his turning against the Lord. Thankfully Lavern had time to repent and turn away from his immorality. I did Lavern’s funeral service about a year after he had come to me with his story. I can rest assured that Lavern was prepared to meet his true Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Now let’s read and hear the Word of the Lord to the Church at Thyatira…

Revelation 2:18-29

18 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze:
19 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.
20 “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality.
22 “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.
24 “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you 25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. 26 To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end,
To them I will give authority over all the nations.
27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod
and smash them like clay pots.
28 They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!
29 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

Thyatira was the smallest of the seven cities in which Jesus wrote to the churches. Thyatira was a city of about 15,000 people. Thyatira would have been know as a workingman’s city. Thyatira was a city filled with laborers and service workers. Thyatira was a manufacturing town. They produced goods for their surrounding cities.

With this in mind you can see that Thyatira was not a wealthy city. The people of power would have been the business owners. The common man would have been dependant upon the business owners success. This left the common man without power, position, or financial resources to really get ahead on their own. The common man was always looking for a way to turn the table of power in his own direction.

Thyatira was a city that had many union temples and lodges. Places for the common man to join forces with one another for the sake of establishing power in the work place.

Thyatira was small and the church was known to be small also. From the outside looking in the church of Thyatira would have been insignificant in the scope of the other six churches. Here’s where Jesus gives them their significance. This church was important enough for Him to take time to send them a letter of correction. Jesus is not as concerned with size as He is with the substance of the church. If it is a Church built upon the true cornerstone who is Jesus Christ, He is concerned with what is happening there. Small or large Jesus desires that the teaching be true.

The church of Thyatira had a false teacher. Jesus refers to the teacher as a woman. He also refers to her as that Jezebel. Jezebel was probably not her name but it was more likely a symbol of her character.

Let’s look a at 1 Kings 21:1-29 to get the full effect of the Jezebel character…

1 Kings 21:1-29

Now there was a man named Naboth, from Jezreel, who owned a vineyard in Jezreel beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. 2 One day Ahab said to Naboth, “Since your vineyard is so convenient to my palace, I would like to buy it to use as a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or if you prefer, I will pay you for it.”
3 But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors.”
4 So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat!
5 “What’s the matter?” his wife Jezebel asked him. “What’s made you so upset that you’re not eating?”
6 “I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or trade it, but he refused!” Ahab told her.
7 “Are you the king of Israel or not?” Jezebel demanded. “Get up and eat something, and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard!”

8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and other leaders of the town where Naboth lived. 9 In her letters she commanded: “Call the citizens together for fasting and prayer, and give Naboth a place of honor. 10 And then seat two scoundrels across from him who will accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.”
11 So the elders and other town leaders followed the instructions Jezebel had written in the letters. 12 They called for a fast and put Naboth at a prominent place before the people. 13 Then the two scoundrels came and sat down across from him. And they accused Naboth before all the people, saying, “He cursed God and the king.” So he was dragged outside the town and stoned to death. 14 The town leaders then sent word to Jezebel, “Naboth has been stoned to death.”
15 When Jezebel heard the news, she said to Ahab, “You know the vineyard Naboth wouldn’t sell you? Well, you can have it now! He’s dead!” 16 So Ahab immediately went down to the vineyard of Naboth to claim it.
17 But the LORD said to Elijah, 18 “Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He will be at Naboth’s vineyard in Jezreel, claiming it for himself. 19 Give him this message: ‘This is what the LORD says: Wasn’t it enough that you killed Naboth? Must you rob him, too? Because you have done this, dogs will lick your blood at the very place where they licked the blood of Naboth!’ ”
20 “So, my enemy, you have found me!” Ahab exclaimed to Elijah.
“Yes,” Elijah answered, “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the LORD’s sight. 21 So now the LORD says, ‘I will bring disaster on you and consume you. I will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel! 22 I am going to destroy your family as I did the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Baasha son of Ahijah, for you have made me very angry and have led Israel into sin.’
23 “And regarding Jezebel, the LORD says, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s body at the plot of land in Jezreel.’
24 “The members of Ahab’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”
25 (No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the LORD’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel. 26 His worst outrage was worshiping idols just as the Amorites had done—the people whom the LORD had driven out from the land ahead of the Israelites.)
27 But when Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning.
28 Then another message from the LORD came to Elijah: 29 “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has done this, I will not do what I promised during his lifetime. It will happen to his sons; I will destroy his dynasty.”

The point I would like for you to see this morning is Jezebel influenced King Ahab to sell himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight.

What Ahab had done was allow himself to prosper by depending upon someone other than the Lord. In an under the table, behind the scenes deal, Ahab gained that which he desired instead of waiting on the Lord to deliver it.

Matthew 16:24-28

24 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. 26 And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For I, the Son of Man, will come in the glory of my Father with his angels and will judge all people according to their deeds.

The Lord saw the deeds of Jezebel and Ahab. The Lord is attentive to the deeds of this Jezebel in the church of Thyatira.

“This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze”

I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray.
Someone in the church, possibly the messenger, could have been the church leaders, but someone was allowing this Jezebel to sow her false teaching under the table. Jesus saw what was going on. He wanted it stopped. He wanted the church to depend upon Him.
It’s very difficult for the outsider to see into the hearts of other people. We may join together here in worship. We may sing songs of praise and worship the Lord. We may testify and lift our prayers to Lord. We may even fellowship with one another outside the church. But only the Lord and you know what or who you are truly dependant upon.

Are you depending upon the Lord for everything? Have you joined fellowship with an idol to empower you for success?

I do not want to anyone to think that working at a job or being employed is what I mean. We all have to work if we are going to eat and put shelter over our heads and clothe our bodies. What I mean is, have you bowed your knee, taken an oath, paid your dues, relied upon another organization, person, or establishment to gain what you desired?

Oh you’re trusting the Lord on Sunday but come Monday you’ve sold yourself to another group for the sake of gaining or attaining power or position. You worship the Lord but attend all the other meeting at the lodge or temple too.

The Jezebel of Thyatira was an evil and seductive influence on the purity of the life and worship of the Christian church. It must be clearly understood that she had no wish to destroy the church. This Jezebel desired to bring new ways and new practices to the church that were actually destructive to the faith. This Jezebel was desiring to alter Christianity to suit herself instead of relying on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Lavern had sold himself to an organization the guaranteed work. They delivered on the promise. But when Lavern realized what he had done and desired out, he found that the organization that promised work owned his present and his future. When he tried to escape the organization he was right back where he started. Lavern couldn’t find work. When Lavern placed his trust totally and completely upon the Lord he was delivered to a new community, a new church, and the Lord supplied him with work free from any other organization’s hold on his life.

I know that this is a difficult message. Some of you here may be members of a trade union. You may have joined a lodge or social club for the purpose of getting your foot in the door of employment. You may be totally and completely dependant upon the power of a club or group for your success. Be cautious, Jesus knows the truth!

1 Peter 4:17

17 For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin first among God’s own children. And if even we Christians must be judged, what terrible fate awaits those who have never believed God’s Good News?

Jesus also says in…

Revelation 2:14-29

24 “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you 25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. 26 To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end,
To them I will give authority over all the nations.
27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod
and smash them like clay pots.
28 They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!
29 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

Hold tightly to your faith and trust in Jesus. Don’t be misled, deceived, or falsely taught. Jesus can make a way where there seems to be no way. And to all who are victorious he will give authority to rule.

What kind of authority did Jesus receive from His Father? The authority to judge. In the end, those who endure and overcome the temptations of this world will stand in judgment against those who chose to join forces with the ways of the world. Don’t be deceived by the promises of financial gain or some hidden spiritual secrets that come through your initiation. It’s all empty and void of eternal significance.

These groups will lead you through a maze of secrets, levels, clues, degrees and enlightenment that will do nothing for you on an eternal scale. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process?

I know it’s hard to believe that there are people in this world that would actually be interested in the church for what they can get out of belonging to it. But in reality some people use the church as a great organization for getting to know people and even gaining business associates. The Jezebel at Thyatira was a person like this. She wasn’t as interested in the church or the teachings of Jesus as she was in what she could gain from it.

Be cautious and keep your motives in check.

Let us Pray.

Revelation Part 10:

Revelation 3:1-6

The Message to the Church in Sardis
3 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars:
“I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. 3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.
4 “Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.
6 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

John MacArthur writes,

The huge distance of space is unimaginably large. The nearest stars to us are trillions of miles away. Those large distances have forced astronomers to come up with an appropriate measurement unit, the light-year. One light-year equals the distance that light, traveling at more than 186,000 miles per second, travels in one year—more than 6 trillion miles.
The enormous distance to even the nearest stars presents an interesting possibility. If a star thirty light-years away from the earth exploded and died five years ago, we would not be able to tell by looking at it for another twenty-five years. Though no longer in existence, the light from that star would go on shining as if nothing had changed.
This illustration perfectly sums up the situation in many churches. They still shine with the reflected light of a brilliant past. Looking at them from a distance, one might think nothing had changed. Yet the spiritual darkness of false teaching and sinful living has extinguished the light on the inside, though some of their reputation may still remain.

Harold Hunter an instructor at Trinity Theological Seminary where I Took some external courses writes,

Little is known of Sardis the city. It is located some thirty miles southeast of Thyatira. Cultivation was without difficulty because of the fertility of the land. From existing evidences Sardis drew crowds from far and near as an entertainment center. Pleasure palaces catered their sensual wares. But music was the city’s claim to fame. Innovative styles and usages of music enticed the seekers of worldly pleasure to come to Sardis in multitudes.

“This ‘successful’ church was founded in the heart of just such a city teeming with the prosperity of the ‘good times.’ As the city’s reputation grew, the reputation of the church grew also. In spite of its sinful surroundings, the church appeared to be flourishing, perhaps to the envy of the other six churches to who letters were addressed. But reputation is what everybody thinks you are, character is what God knows you are. Unfortunately the world truly does look on the outward appearance while God looks on the heart.”

What we’re seeing here is a church that looks alive, active and growing, yet Jesus says its dead.

William Barclay writes in his commentary of Revelation,

The Pastoral Epistles describe those who had drifted away from the true faith by saying that they had a form of godliness, but they denied the power thereof. As Moffatt translates it: “Though they keep up a form of religion, they will have nothing to do with it as a force.” As Phillips puts it: “They will maintain a façade of religion, but their conduct will deny its validity.”

What is it that validates a true church? I would have to say that it is the presence of the Lord’s Spirit and the worship of Him alone. With out the power of the Holy Spirit there is no power and certainly no validation for the church’s existence.

See, a singer can sing holy music and not be holy himself. A preacher can use the Bible to build great messages and not even know the Word of God. Ushers and greeters can welcome people into the church when they are really a part of the true church. Directors and workers can do all kinds of work and not know the One whom they serve.

Churches, as well as people, can have a reputation of being alive when they are really and truthfully eternally dead.
Chuck Swindoll says that there are five points to recognizing a dead church.

1. The people of the church worship the church’s past.
2. The church is lacking of children and youth.
3. The church is inflexible and resistant to change.
4. The church lacks an evangelistic fervor.
5. The leadership of the church is carnal, comfortable, and unmotivated.

I will agree that a church that looked like this would appear to be dead. But this was not the case with the church of Sardis. The Church of Sardis had a reputation for being alive. What Chuck expressed was not a reputation of aliveness. So I would like to put forth five points of a church that looks alive but is really dead.

1. The church gathers together to worship the church.

2. There is an abundance of children and youth that draws people to the youth group.

3. The church is always looking for new ideas and ways to change that will draw people to the church.

4. The church has a great evangelistic fervor to bring people to their church’s way, their church’s truth, and new life in the church.

5. The leadership is motivated and out on the cutting edge to promote the church.

I believe this was the situation in Sardis. The church of Sardis was alive and active within its self. The church of Sardis looked like it was a church on fire but it was only a place where people could come and get excited about the church.

See, the church is not what we are excited about. The church is a body of believers that are excited about Jesus. The church could be a building where people come to worship Jesus. The church can even be an organization for the advancement of the Kingdom of God whose King is Jesus.

The church of Sardis was dead to Christ but had a reputation of being alive. It would be like going to a Kansas City Chief football game. The crowd is excited and alive to the Chiefs but the Lord is not their focal point of worship.

The church of Sardis was gathering to worship the church. They gathered to celebrate with music and maybe even here a message about the greatness of the church, but I’ll guarantee that the point of worship in this dead church was not the Lord Jesus Christ. The church’s testimonies would have glorified the church or the preacher or the music but Jesus Christ would not have been the point of glorification. There might have even been people whose lives were changing so they could be more acceptable to the church but they had not yet become justified in the eyes of the Lord. True sanctification only comes through the Holy Spirit.

What Jesus is pointing out to the church of Sardis is their empty and void of true life. They have a reputation but the truth is they are trying to stay active in the church and working hard outside the church to draw others to the church. They have become more and more active in the activity which has led them to a false sense of aliveness. They are not alive to Christ, their activity is void of the life giving spirit because it‘s grounded in the church and not the Lord Jesus Himself.

I could very easily, as a pastor, begin an advertising campaign for the church. We could do all the research and find our what people desire as far as music and even messages. I could design a worship service that would motivate people to come and get involved with our new and improved, fast growing church. We could gather enough people that it would become necessary to launch a building campaign and get everybody excited about the new building. We could have all kinds of concerts and special speakers maybe even a few high profile programs geared to bring people to the church. I could go out and do special speaking engagement to promote our church. We could fill our community full of our church and be so busy that we‘d all get tired and burn out and we would have never led a single person past the church doors and into the Kingdom of God.

This is a picture of the Church of Sardis. It had a reputation for being alive but in the Lord’s eyes it was dead. Why because Jesus was not Who was being lifted up, worshiped, praised, glorified, or testified to. Jesus was not Who people were being drawn to. The church was the focus point not the Head of the church who was Jesus Christ.
It’s easy to get people excited about things. I like to use the world of NASCAR. Twenty years ago if you didn’t live in the south you probably didn’t care about NASCAR. Today there is a NASCAR page in the newspapers. NASCAR TV programs. NASCAR movies. NASCAR everything everywhere. See, you can get people excited about anything except Jesus Christ.

Only The Holy Spirit coming to reside in your heart can get you excited about Jesus Christ.

This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars:

The sevenfold spirit of God was a picture of completeness. Without the Spirit we are not complete.

4 “Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.

Could it be possible that the church could become a tool or even and agent of evil? If the church becomes the point of worship or you hold to the church as your life giving spirit you are worshiping an idol. You are dear to Christ even though you are very much alive and active to the church. You have a reputation of being alive but Jesus knows the truth.

Those who are worthy will walk with the Lord in white garments. Their names will not be erased from the Lamb’s Book of Life. You will be announced before the Father and His angels as belonging to the Lord.

Matthew 7:21-23

21 “Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. 22 On judgment day many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized.’
What happens to the person who gets caught up in the church and works hard to become righteous and follows the leaders of the church and serves for the sake of the church and yet never comes to know Jesus Christ in a personal relationship?

It won’t matter if you’re a preacher, teacher, singer, board member, musician, or great giver. If you don’t know Jesus, and He doesn’t know you in an intimate relationship, you are dead.

Oh, you may have a reputation for being alive, but what or should I say Who are you alive to?

Are you alive to Jesus Christ or just all the activity of the church?

Your eternal future is at stake. It’s not about the church, its all about Jesus Christ.

Jesus, as we are seeing in these letters, will attend to the church. Are you here to be attentive to Him or are you just filling the emptiness of your life with church activity?

Jesus knows the truth. Are you sure you know the One Who says, I AM the Truth?

Let us pray.

Revelation Part 11:

I am excited today. We are going to be looking a the Church of Philadelphia. The Church in Philadelphia is the only church of the seven that has a totally positive letter. Smyrna was not condemned in any way by the Lord but in their future was promised great persecution. Philadelphia has nothing negative before them. Everything the Lord writes to them is positive promises.

Revelation 3:7-13
The Message to the Church in Philadelphia
7 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia.
This is the message from the one who is holy and true,
the one who has the key of David.
What he opens, no one can close;
and what he closes, no one can open:
8 “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. 9 Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.
10 “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. 12 All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.
13 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

Before we look at the city of Philadelphia I would like to bring forth the point Jesus makes about the Key of David.
Isaiah 22:15-22

15 This is what the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, said to me: “Confront Shebna, the palace administrator, and give him this message:
16 “Who do you think you are,
and what are you doing here,
building a beautiful tomb for yourself—
a monument high up in the rock?
17 For the LORD is about to hurl you away, mighty man.
He is going to grab you,
18 crumple you into a ball,
and toss you away into a distant, barren land.
There you will die,
and your glorious chariots will be broken and useless.
You are a disgrace to your master!
19 “Yes, I will drive you out of office,” says the LORD. “I will pull you down from your high position. 20 And then I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah to replace you. 21 I will dress him in your royal robes and will give him your title and your authority. And he will be a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah. 22 I will give him the key to the house of David—the highest position in the royal court. When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them.

What we are seeing here is a man by the name of Shebna that is working to make a name for himself. He desires to be memorialized or glorified when he passes from this life. He has a high position as the palace administrator. He believes he is a mighty man. He believes he is powerful due to his ability to amass a great army signified here by the mention of his glorious chariots.

The Lord announces Himself to Shebna as the Lord of Heavens Armies. The Lord says to this mighty man that he will be hurled away and crumpled into a ball and tossed aside into a barren wasteland.

This is not very promising future for a man that believes he is great and mighty and deserves to be made into a glorified legend when he passes from life.

The Lord introduces Shebna to the key to the house of David. This key is the key to the highest position in the royal court. This key opens doors that no one can shut and locks doors that no one will be able to open.
This key of David will be the key to the success of the church of Philadelphia.

Philadelphia was a city founded for the purpose that it might be a missionary city for the Greek culture and Greek language to the cities of Lydia and Phrygia. The city of Philadelphia did such a great work spreading the Greek culture that in a span of about 140 years the Lydians had forgotten their own language and had become all but a Greek society.

The Church of Philadelphia was originated in a city were the people understood the power of reaching out to their surrounding area with their message. These people knew the power of transforming cites with a new language and a new culture. They not only knew the power of their mission but they knew the One to whom they were on mission for.

Jesus said in verse 8, “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.”

What a difference from Shebna that was working through his own might to make a name for himself and the church of Philadelphia that had little strength but was making a name for Jesus Christ.

The difference is an open door or a closed door. Shebna had the door slammed in his face. Philadelphia’s Church had a door opened wide to them and this door was not able to be shut.

The Lord was opening a door for this church because the church didn’t have the strength enough to open it for themselves, and yet they were obedient to God’s Word and they did not deny the name of Jesus.

What a mighty church. The church was not mighty because of their powerful chariots or their huge army to go out and conquer the surrounding world. The Church of Philadelphia was mighty because the were depending upon the strength of the Lord and not their own.

See the most powerful places to be are not found in worldly positions. The most powerful place to be is in the will of God. God didn’t promise Shebna anything but destruction.
Shebna thought he was a mighty man due to his position and acquisitions. The church of Philadelphia probably thought they were pretty weak. They were totally dependant upon the Lord. They had nothing except the name of the Lord and a willingness to obey His Word.

The Lord knew the weakness of Shebna and he knew that the church of Philadelphia was depending on Him. So He shut the door on Shebna to prove his true weakness and He opened the door to the church to prove they could depend upon the Lord.

These doors are supernatural doors. These doors can only be opened and closed by the One who holds the key of David and the keys to death and the grave.

Jesus is the One Who says, “This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David.” Jesus also says back in Revelation Chapter 1:18, “I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”

Throughout these letters to the churches I hope you are seeing and hearing what is being said to the churches. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is King. Jesus is in control. Jesus has the power. Jesus has the authority. Jesus makes good on His promises. And We have been given a place of mighty power that is beyond the powers of this natural world.

Many of the problems that have been facing the other churches are a desire for something other than Jesus Christ. When we are not satisfied or we are not content or we are not fulfilled with Jesus only, we will begin to search for our fulfillment in other places.

Jesus says in Matthew 6:33

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

The secret that the church of Philadelphia knew was relying on Jesus for their success. They knew Jesus was the way, the truth, and the life. They knew Jesus was the resurrection. They knew the only way to the Father was through Jesus.

Due to this, Jesus opened a door for them that no one could shut. Along with the open door came a great list of promises.
Revelation 3:9-12
9 Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.
10 “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. 12 All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.

Once again Jesus calls the Jewish church a synagogue of Satan. The Jews did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah. They would not accept the full revelation of God. This put them in a place of great dishonor and they would ultimately bow down to those who held to Jesus as Lord, King, Savior and Messiah.

The Church of Philadelphia’s perseverance in the light of struggles landed them in a place of great protection. Jesus says, “I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.” I am personally holding on to this promise in my life today.

I believe the whole world is being tested right now. I believe that Jesus is sifting the wheat from the chaff. I believe that Jesus is dividing the sheep from the goats. I happen to believe that this test is coming to it’s fulfillment very soon and those who hold on to what they have in Jesus Christ will preserve their crown of life. Those who let go will be lost.

Jesus says He can protect us from the great time of testing if we will hold on.

The victors in this battle will be made Pillars in the Temple of God.

When you think of a pillar what do you think of? I think of those great and mighty carved stone pillars that hold up huge buildings. They are placed in the proper place to hold up the building through all that comes against it.

Could you imagine being a pillar for God’s Temple? How mighty and strong the pillars of God’s Temple must be. How does one become a pillar in God’s Temple? They trust the Lord with all their heart. They do not lean from side to side trying to understand everything in their own way. They acknowledge the Lord in all they do and they allow the Lord to be their strength along the paths of life.

Those who live in this manor will be the pillars in God’s Temple. They will never have to leave it because the are those who uphold it.

Jesus says, “I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.”

Have any of you ever seen the Lincoln Memorial? The Lincoln Memorial has these huge pillars all the way around it. Around the top of the pillars is the names of each state that was a state when Lincoln was the president. Abraham Lincoln was the president that joined this nation together through great battle and defined our nation for the future. He was able to bring together all the states of the union and make them whole and united. Inside the great monument sits a statue of Abraham Lincoln. He is on a huge stone chair of throne.

I have walked up the stairs and stood before this mighty memorial to a great man. But as we have seen through on time together today this monument is nothing but a man made temple of remembrance.

God is building an eternal Temple of worship and He’s inviting you to be one of the great pillars that holds up His Temple. Could you imagine being a pillar of strength holding up the Name of God?

The church of Philadelphia, according to the commentaries, was still in existence into the 20th century. Over 1900 years this church stood firm as a pillar of strength holding fast to the name of Jesus. When Jesus opens a door, nobody can shut it.

Our nation has a city named Philadelphia. It is the city whereby this nation was founded. Our nation holds to a great mission of bringing freedom to the world. I hope and pray that the churches of this Philadelphia will never stop standing firm for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 3:8-10
8 “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. 9 Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.
10 “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.

The Church of Philadelphia obeyed God’s Word, they did not deny Jesus Christ, They persevered and they were protected.

My prayer, is that the church of the New Philadelphia will be sifted and separated until all that remains are the pillars that stand firm holding up the name of Jesus Christ.

Let us Pray.

Revelation Part 12:

There was a high school teacher trying to get a lesson across to his class. As he became more and more wearisome of their uncaring attitude he went to the board and wrote with big letters, A P A T H Y and underlined it. One of the students look at his friend next to him and said, “What’s apathy”? The other student looked back and said, “Who cares”?

Apathy. A pathetic condition of the human existence.

Webster defines it as a lack of feeling or emotion or a lack of interest or concern.

Luke 12:40

“You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”

Today we are going to look at the church of Laodicea. The First Church of Apathy. If the seven churches really are a sign of the different church ages, the American church is truly the age of Apathy.

We are trying to resurrect the church and get it excited about all kinds of programs, activities and even politics, but when it comes to Jesus Christ, who cares?

Revelation 3:14-22
The Message to the Church in Laodicea
14 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:
15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! 17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. 18 So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. 19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.
20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. 21 Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.
22 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”

Before we get too deep into this message I want you to notice that the church of Laodicea in all that it had amassed didn’t know the Lord and they were not in communion with Him. This was a church filled with wealthy people that didn’t need a thing. The one thing they did need was Jesus Christ. They didn’t know Him and they were totally apathetic to His message. He knocked at the door, He wanted to share a meal with them, and He wanted to cover their nakedness. They didn’t even realize their true standing because everything was just alright. And yet, in their alrightness and apathy towards the Lord, Jesus doesn’t have a single word of compliment for this church. This church was making Him sick.

Let’s look at Laodicea.

Laodicea was a rich and famous city. They were a center for banking and one of the richest cities in the world. The city was devastated by an earthquake in 61 AD. They were so wealthy that they refused any relief from Rome and rebuilt the city with their own resources. This is where they began to get the idea that they were so rich that they didn’t even need God.

Laodicea was also a center for manufacturing clothing. They were famous for their soft, violet-black, glossy wool. They mass produced affordable tunics that were worn as outer garments throughout the entire region. (I wonder if they had their own logo or brand name?) Laodicea was so well clothed that they didn’t realize their nakedness before the Lord.

Laodicea was also known as a great center of medicine. They had a medical school and some of their doctors were so famous that their faces appeared on their coins.
The medical industry of Laodicea was famous for ear and eye ointments that were produced there. They were so famous for the eye ointment and the work of healing sight that they were totally unaware of their own lack of ability to see the Lord or blindness toward Jesus Christ.

The prosperity of Laodicea along with their pride in their abilities caused the city and even the church to eliminate the need for God.

The city of Laodicea did have one major problem. They did not have their own source of water. The water that they had in the city had to be transported to them through a system of aqueducts from springs found in surrounding cities. By the time the water traveled to Laodicea it was lukewarm at best and putrid to drink. The Laodicean’s were able to treat the water to make it tolerable but the water that was untreated was known to make people very sick to their stomach.

Jesus spoke directly to the Laodicean’s through His letter. He looked at their condition and spoke to them clearly about it.
15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! 17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. 18 So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. 19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.”

Jesus was announcing to this church His love for them. Even in their putrid, lukewarm state, He desired to correct them and bring them back to Himself.

How hard is it for prideful, rich, powerful, and famous people to wake up and realize their true shame and nakedness before the Lord?

If you can afford to rebuild after an earthquake without the assistance of the government or an insurance company, you would begin to belive in your own self-sufficiency.
If you were the inventors of the medicine that healed, and you were the workers that clothed the whole area’s nakedness, you would begin t be pretty self-satisfied.

If you were lacking nothing that you ever wanted, you would be pretty self-reliant.

When self is comfortable that’s when he needs to look out.

Luke 12:40

“You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”

These people weren’t expecting the Lord’s return. They weren’t looking for anything that they couldn’t provide for themselves. They were their own god and their own point of worship they needed nothing they couldn’t supply on their own.

We live amongst this sort of attitude when it comes to God.

Many people don’t believe in God. Most people don’t know or understand His power to save. Many only use the name of the Lord as a tool to supply their own needs. We have so reached a level of self-sufficiency and self-satisfaction that we don’t need this Jesus. Religion is a crutch for the weak. It may be a way to discipline yourself or a group of people but it’s really nothing at all.

Christianity as a political entity has draw some persecution from it’s opposition but as a religion… it’s poopooed and ignored. It’s lost it’s power because salvation is not what’s on the hearts and minds of the masses. Sin is no longer an issue.

20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. 21 Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.
22 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”

This is one of the greatest promise that Jesus makes to those who overcome or those who are victorious. This tells me that the lukewarm apathy that exists in our world today is going to be one of the most difficult powers to defeat.

Apathy, who cares. Jesus would rather you be hot or cold but apathetic is sickening.

Jesus says, “I stand at the door and knock”. He desires to come into your life and cover your nakedness, He desires to give you sight to see that which is truly important to Him. He offers riches beyond this world. He desires to sit at the table and feast with you but He will not kick the door in.

Jesus stands at the door prepared to come in but we must get past our pride, our self-centeredness, our self-sufficiency, our self-reliance, and even our life long teaching that if we just pull up our boot straps and work hard we can accomplish anything.

We cannot get to God on our own.

Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

In our apathetic state we either don’t care or we don’t believe, or it really doesn’t matter right now.

Luke 12:16-21

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Matthew 19:23-26

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

The disciples asked who can be saved as though they believed, like we do today, that the rich are worthy because they are great in our world.

Jesus makes it clear through out the Gospels and even in His letters to the churches, He is the only way. Outside of Jesus Christ there is no salvation. There is only death, judgment and an eternity separated from God in a place called hell.

The reality of these letters is some are being saved and they have a great future hope with some promises that only a God as Great as Jesus can fulfill. The rewards for those who overcome this world and are found to be victorious in Jesus are great. The punishment for those who do not come to Jesus Christ for their salvation are unimaginable.

Don’t be apathetic any longer. Don’t be lukewarm. Don’t think this is just some moving message to get people to live in a certain way. This message is a message of reality. There is life after this life ends. You will spend your everlasting life with the Lord and His rewards or in the lake of fire which is the second death.

The choice is yours. Will you be victorious overcoming the world or will you fail to open the door. Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart today!

Let us Pray!

Revelation 13:

Last week we completed the letters to the seven churches. Before that we spent five weeks in chapter one looking at Jesus Who is revealing Himself to John.

At this point we are about to ascend to a new level in the book of Revelation. We are going to walk through an open door of opportunity. Inside this door is the throne room of God. We are going to see what is going on in heaven.

I do not hold to a futuristic idea of what we are about to experience. I believe this heavenly experience began the day Jesus cried out from the earth, “It is Finished!”

The day Jesus ascended into heaven, after spending 40 days here on earth, in His resurrected body, telling about the Kingdom of God, He sat down in His rightful position on the eternal throne of David, as King of kings and Lord of Lords.

Acts 1:3 says, During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time and proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. On these occasions he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

Acts 7:55-56 says, But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily upward into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 56 And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”

Scripture shows us that Jesus has been and is right now on the throne in heaven. Jesus is not in some state of waiting to take over the throne. When He overcame the world, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, at that point, He had and still has full authority over heaven and earth. So, what we are about to experience through out the rest of the Revelation is how all things are being worked together for God‘s good purpose.

I have been and will continue to look at the rest of this book from a view point of those who received the Revelation written by John. I am not one who believes that this Revelation is some futuristic plan that will begin when Jesus decides to come again. I firmly believe that the Revelation of Jesus Christ, given to His servant John, was and is showing us what is taking place right now.
We are not waiting for some future time when Jesus will rule the earth. Scripture tells us that he has all authority right now.

I firmly believe that John wrote this letter encrypted with signs and symbols to first century church leaders that could understand and relate this letter to the people of God. Their understanding of this letter would have been dependant upon their knowledge of God’s written Word, His personal revelation through the Word that became flesh and dwelt among them, and through what they may have learned or even read from the letters of John, James, Peter, and Paul.

I believe the Revelation was understandable in the first century. I do not believe that the signs and symbols were pictures of things that the first century reader could not relate to. With this in mind, we will look at the book of Revelation via the Scriptures or written knowledge that was available to those who received the Revelation. I pray you are ready for a journey that will lead us through a heavenly experience.

Revelation 4:1-11

Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after these things.” 2 And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it! 3 The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. 4 Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. 5 And from the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven lampstands with burning flames. They are the seven spirits of God. 6 In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.
In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. 7 The first of these living beings had the form of a lion; the second looked like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth had the form of an eagle with wings spread out as though in flight. 8 Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one who lives forever and ever. And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,
11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created everything,
and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.”

As we start looking at this passage we see that the door standing open in heaven is an opportunity for John to ascend to the throne room of God. John tells us that he was instantly or immediately in the spirit. I don’t know if I can say that John was having an out of body experience but we do know that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Therefore, I believe that John’s soul and spirit ascended to a place called heaven and he was able to see Jesus Christ revealed in His heavenly state of being.

If people thought the holy of holies in the temple was special, imagine what this experience must have been like.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4

This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. 3 Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know 4 that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.

At least not allowed to tell at that time. John was instructed to write it down.

In the Old Testament, Isaiah and Ezekiel both had visions of the throne of God.

Isaiah 6:1b-3

I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2 Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 They were calling out to each other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

Ezekiel 1:26-28

26 Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.
This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

As you can see, the throne of God has always existed. What we are going to see is the activity in the throne room has changed. before the Lamb of God was slain or Jesus died on the cross, the plan of salvation was not yet finished. Now that Jesus has ascended and all authority has been given to Him, the plan can be revealed.

Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:10

May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

God’s will is now being worked out on earth as it is going on in heaven. What is God’s will? It is the plan to save man. It is a plan to separate the wheat from the chaff. It is a plan to separate the sheep from the goats. It is a plan to destroy sin and evil and save those who would come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul writes in,

Ephesians 3:3-5

Jesus said in, Matthew 13:11-12

11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 12 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.

Isaiah 8:16 tells us,

Preserve the teaching of God; entrust his instructions to those who follow me.

Something amazing is going on here. The Apostle John is being allowed to see into heaven for the purpose of revealing to the followers of Jesus Christ the work that is going on in heaven. It’s been kept secret in the past but now is the time for those who follow Jesus to have the truth revealed to them.

Revelation 4:3b-8

And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. 4 Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. 5 And from the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven lampstands with burning flames. They are the seven spirits of God. 6 In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.
In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. 7 The first of these living beings had the form of a lion; the second looked like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth had the form of an eagle with wings spread out as though in flight. 8 Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered with eyes, inside and out.
What we are seeing here is the Authority of God over all things. The throne is above. Remember John was called up here. The 24 elders are the crowns and authorities of heaven. The living beings are the heads of each class of earthly creature. The eagle over the birds, the lion over the wild animals, the ox over the domesticated animals and then humans. God on the throne has authority over all.

Revelation 4:8b-11

Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one who lives forever and ever. And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,
11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created everything,
and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.”
Everything is totally and completely under the authority of God who is sitting on the Throne.

Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Colossians 1:15-20

15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. 17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. 18 Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. 19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

As we have seen so far through the Book of Revelation, Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of Lords. He has ascended to the throne in heaven. He has authority over heaven and earth. He has authority over all the living creatures. He has authority over all the angelic being in heaven. And through his plan of salvation he will be able to sift the wheat from the chaff and bring the wheat into his barn.

Isaiah 11:2-5

Jesus Christ’s plan of redemption that is being revealed from heaven will cut to the core of everything. The church and all those who have come to be a part of it will be saved. The rest of the world will be sifted by Satan and all of his demons that have been given the opportunity to rule this world for a time.

Time is coming to an end.

He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.

For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

This is a prophetic statement. The peace is not yet realized, but it will be. Until then, all that surrounds us here on earth is the plan of God being revealed from heaven down to the earth.

Jesus is at work drawing all things back to Himself. The demonic or the fallen angels are not going to be redeemed. Their place in history has already been set. The only thing that will be redeemed from this world is the souls of man. Not all of those will come back to the Lord. But for all who come to realize and know what is going and submit to the Lord who sits on the throne working out His plan of salvation, John is writing to them the revelation of Jesus Christ.

I pray that you are as excited about what is before us as I am. We have the opportunity to see what is happening in heaven and what is being played out here on earth. This Revelation was a great blessing and encouragement for the first century Christian and it should be for us too.

Next week we will go even deeper into the plan of redemption being revealed from heaven.

Let us Pray!

Revelation 14:

Last week we ascended to the holy of heaven. We were welcomed into the throne room of God via the Apostle John. John shared with us his first glimpse of all that he saw.

This week we get down to business. We are not just in awe of the throne and the One Who sits on the throne, but now we are going to see what’s going on.

Revelation 5:1-14

Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who was sitting on the throne. There was writing on the inside and the outside of the scroll, and it was sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it.
4 Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it. 5 But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God that is sent out into every part of the earth. 7 He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. 8 And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9 And they sang a new song with these words:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and break its seals and open it.
For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 And you have caused them to become
a Kingdom of priests for our God.
And they will reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. 12 And they sang in a mighty chorus:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—
to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing.”
13 And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
belong to the one sitting on the throne
and to the Lamb forever and ever.”
14 And the four living beings said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb.

The scroll. This scroll is the plan of God. Inside this scroll is the work of God in human redemption. The scroll is complete. There is no room for addition and it has been sealed with seven seals which is also a number signifying completion.

Now, there is a strong angel, a mighty supernatural being. We have seen throughout the Scriptures many angels that had the ability to come out of heaven and bring messages into our realm. This scroll was not going to be opened and revealed by an angel. This scroll was not going to be opened and revealed by an ordinary human being. Nobody, in heaven or on earth was worthy to open this scroll.

John, in the spirit, begins to weep bitterly because he realizes that this scroll is important and no one is worthy to open it. What if the plan of God was kept secret? What if this scroll was never opened? We, humans on earth, would never understand what is actually happening in our midst. There would be no way for us to comprehend the work of God in the salvation of humankind.

But one of the twenty-four elders said to John, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

1 Chronicle 28:4-7

4 “Yet the LORD, the God of Israel, has chosen me from among all my father’s family to be king over Israel forever. For he has chosen the tribe of Judah to rule, and from among the families of Judah he chose my father’s family. And from among my father’s sons the LORD was pleased to make me king over all Israel. 5 And from among my sons—for the LORD has given me many—he chose Solomon to succeed me on the throne of Israel and to rule over the LORD’s kingdom. 6 He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon will build my Temple and its courtyards, for I have chosen him as my son, and I will be his father. 7 And if he continues to obey my commands and regulations as he does now, I will make his kingdom last forever.’

1 Kings 12:20b

So only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the family of David.

This is the importance of the Tribe of Judah. Now the lion is the king of the jungle. So the Lion of the tribe of Judah will be the king forever. The Lion that inherits David’s throne is Jesus Christ. God’s only Son that came from God into our world and paid the price for man’s salvation with His blood at the cross. The slaughtered Lamb that died and rose back to life.

Luke 1:32

32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.

Isaiah 9:6-7

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
Knowing this, and the Scriptural events that took place throughout Jesus’ life, we see that Jesus is the Lion King, that became the Slaughtered Lamb, that overcome the world through death, so He could take up His life again and ascend into heaven taking the eternal Throne of David and open the scroll to reveal God’s plan of redemption to the world through His beloved Apostle, friend, and disciple John.

What we are seeing is the heavenly reality of the earthly work of Jesus at the cross. We are seeing the total fulfillment of God’s Holy Scriptures.

John was at the cross. John was with Jesus throughout all His important works on earth. He is now being given the opportunity to see the reality of the earthly work played out in heaven.

What an experience. Not just to walk with Jesus on earth but now to witness Jesus in heaven, at the throne, opening up God’s plan of redemption for our world.

Revelation 5:6-8

6 Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God that is sent out into every part of the earth. 7 He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. 8 And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.

The New American Bible’s intro to the Revelation says,

One would find it difficult and repulsive to visualize a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes; yet Jesus Christ is described in precisely such words. The author used these images to suggest Christ’s universal (seven) power (horns) and knowledge (eyes). A significant feature of apocalyptic writing is the use of symbolic colors, metals, garments, and numbers (four signifies the world, six imperfection, seven totality or perfection, twelve Israel’s tribes or the apostles, one thousand immensity or enormous).

So, we are seeing an all powerful, all knowing Lamb that has the sevenfold Spirit of God.
Isaiah 11:2-5

As you can tell there is only one person who can fulfill all that has been written. He is Jesus Christ and John is showing us Jesus heavenly work.

John MacArthur writes in His commentary about the golden bowls of prayers,

In addition to the harps, the elders were also holding golden bowls full of incense. These wide-mouthed bowls were used in the tabernacle and the temple, where they were connected with the altar. They symbolized the priestly work of intercession for the people. Scripture elsewhere associates the burning of incense with the prayers of the saints. The incense in these bowls represents the prayers of believers through the ages that God prophesied and promised redemption of the earth might come. Taken together, the harps and the bowls indicate that all that the prophets ever prophesied and all that God’s children ever prayed for is finally to be fulfilled.

Once the Lamb stepped forward, reached out His hand and took the scroll, the work of Jesus bringing everything under His authority was underway.

Ephesians 1:22

22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.

Who is it that is lifting up the prayers for salvation and redemption? The Church.

Revelation 5:9-14

9 And they sang a new song with these words:

“You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it.
For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. 12 And they sang in a mighty chorus:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”
13 And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.”
14 And the four living beings said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb.

Isaiah 45:23

23 I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to me.”

Romans 14:10b-11

Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For the Scriptures say, “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the LORD, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.’ ”

Philippians 2:9-11

We are seeing the reality of the Scriptures being fulfilled in heaven. The Apostle John has seen and written to us the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

This is real. Jesus is King of kings, He’s Lord of lords, He has ascended to the eternal throne and has full authority.

Have you bowed your knee and confessed with your tongue to the glory of the Father?

Maybe you should do this today.

Let us Pray

Revelation 15:
This mornings message is going to be a very bitter pill to swallow. The Scriptures can be very sweet our a person’s lips but when you begin to digest the reality of all that is written, they can become very bitter for the stomach.

As we begin to look at the opening of the seals and begin to see the judgment of God being poured out, we must understand that God is JUST!

Let’s think for just a moment so we can process what‘s happening. Jesus has just been crucified and killed by the leading government officials, the high priest and the court of Pharisees. God in the flesh has been put to death by the earthly power structure of His day. The anti-Christ spirit was alive and well within those who had the power.

We want to see God as a loving and forgiving which He is. Most, though, desire to take His love to a point of overlooking and that is not just and true. God is not going to overlook sin and unbelief. He rewards those who come to Him for salvation, redemption, forgiveness, and a new beginning. He punishes those who do not believe in or come to Him through His Son Jesus Christ.

God sent His only Son into our world to save those who were lost and bound in the strongholds of the powerful. These powers can be physical or spiritual. Think like this, the spiritual realm is working itself out in the physical realm.

The powerful in Jesus day and in ours does not want to submit their positions of power and control over the people to God, so, they killed His Son then and work to eliminate Him in our world today.

God’s Son, Jesus, hung on the cross and forgave those who had put Him their because they knew not what they were doing. But what they were doing was going to bring the wrath of God the Father upon them. If they had known what was going to happen due to their crucifying the Lord of glory, they would not have done it.

The death of Jesus on the cross sealed the covenant. It either seals salvation for those who believe that He is King and Lord. Or, it seals the wrath of God upon those who deny the Son of God.
We want to see the positive side of the covenant without ever acknowledging the dark side of people’s denial. We do not like talking about hell, judgment, condemnation, or the reality of God’s wrath upon mankind.

The book of Revelation is overlooked and not preached in our world today because most people cannot swallow or stomach the truth and reality of God’s promise to save people from sin. He will either sanctify sin out of a believer or He will destroy sin and those who will not turn from it.

We do not want to see that God is at work destroying sin and those who will not turn from it. We do not understand that those who will not submit to the King are a part of a rebellion against the King and His Kingdom. God’s Word, throughout earthly times, has tried to show us what happens to those who rebel against God’s chosen kings. How much more will those who rebel against the eternal King need to suffer for their rebellion?

God has told us about the reality of the heavenly rebellion and what happened to and is going to happen to the angelic beings that rebelled. The angelic do not have the ability to repent and turn back from their rebellion. Man has been given time and also the Savior to turn to when desiring out of the rebellion against God..

What we are about to see is God pouring out His wrath upon this world.

For those who have not come to realize that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, they are going to struggle with the reality of God’s wrath being poured out on this world.

For those who understand and believe that God has made a way of salvation through His Son and prepared a place for them in His Kingdom that is not of this world, they will be able to suffer greatly looking forward to the salvation of their soul and the inheritance of their new spiritual body in the presence of their King and Lord Jesus Christ.

I heard it said once that a person live life according to what he believes about the end times. The pre-millennial position of interpretation places everything from chapter four to the end of Revelation in the future after the rapture of the church. I personally believe that the a-millennial position is the correct way to interpret the Revelation. Everything that is happening from chapter four to the end is happening right now.
Christians are being raptured out of this world everyday through death. Jesus justified this form of rapture at the cross when He died a physical death so His spirit could be committed back to His Father in heaven.

God allowed Jesus to suffer in this world so that He could win the victory over the world through death. Death was defeated at the cross. Death is not the end but it is the moment of graduation.

Those who have believed and obeyed through faith win and ascend to heir future home and rewards in heaven, the paradise of God.. Those who have disobeyed and denied will descend into death and be held captive in Hades until the final judgment where they will face the second death and be thrown into the lake of fire for all eternity.

If the broken seals, trumpet, and bowl judgments are not presently the reasons for all that surrounds us, how do you answer the questions about what‘s wrong with our world?

God’s judgment is a result of His love for His own blood bought children. God’s wrath is a result of man’s disobedience and denial. God is working to separate those who are of Him and His Kingdom from those who are not. There is time available to every person on earth to come to the Lord for salvation.

In this world we will have trouble because we are wheat amongst tares. We are about to see God ‘s work through His judgment and wrath to harvest the field of this world.

The fields are ripe for harvest and the cycle is being swung. We may not want to see that the end is near. We want everyone to be saved and always look for the loop holes. God divides based on one point and one point only! Did you know, acknowledge, and bow to my Son as Lord and King of your life? It’s really pretty simple. We make it complex.

Proverbs 14:12 & 16:25

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

Let’s begin opening the seals that will reveal God’s plan of salvation and redemption.

Revelation 6:1-17

As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then I heard one of the four living beings say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.
3 When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.
5 When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, “A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day’s pay. And don’t waste the olive oil and wine.”
7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, “Come!” 8 I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.
9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. 10 They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.
12 I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. 13 Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind. 14 The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places.
15 Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?”

After the long intro for this session I will not have time to elaborate greatly on each of the seals but I hope to get the points across very clearly.

The first thing that has to be said is the scroll is sealed by seven seals. All seven seals must be opened before the Revelation can be revealed. Each seal has a vision that goes with it. Once each seal is broken the vision is realized but it will not be played out till the seventh seal is broken and the scroll can begin to be read.

We are going to look at the first six seals this week.

Many commentators have many different ideas about the first seal. Most believe that it is representative of governments conquering other governments. I personally believe that the first seal is a picture of Jesus gaining the victory by overcoming the world at the cross and winning many battles via the Gospel message.

The Gospel message is destructive to the governments of man. The Gospel message is a sword of separation. The Gospel message calls man to pledge their allegiance to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The Gospel message reveals a Kingdom not of this world. The government that is conquering other government is the Kingdom of God.

I believe all the seals have been broken and the Revelation is being worked out. Had all seven seals not been broken the first seal or the Gospel message would not yet have been released. If the first seal is not the Gospel message, I do not see it ever coming into play within the revelation. Since the Gospel has been released and many battles are being won for the salvation of man, we know that the Revelation has begun and Jesus is winning the battles.

3 When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.

Since Jesus ascension, has there been any peace in the world?

Matthew 10:34-36

34 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. 35 ‘I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 Your enemies will be right in your own household!’

The Gospel message of Jesus Christ is a sword that divides. Many battles must be won. When you are taking prisoners of war from the enemies prison camp, there will be war and great division.

Matthew 11:12

12 And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it.

The souls of man are on the line. The redemption of man is not always as pretty as we would like to make it out to be. This world hates Christ and His Christians. The world will fight to keep men in bondage and under worldly control.

5 When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, “A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day’s pay. And don’t waste the olive oil and wine.”

What we are seeing here is the economic impact upon the Christians. Many times when a Christian takes a stand for what is right it will cost them greatly in the economy of this world. They may lose their job. they may be cut off from their families wealth, they may find it very difficult to buy and sell as they were able to before.
7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, “Come!” 8 I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.

Could you imagine ¼ of the people on earth being killed by the sword, famine, disease, and wild animals? We look at this passage and imagine it is going to happen all at once. I don’t know the true numbers but I’d be willing to say that since Jesus ascension this is probably an accurate account of deaths in our world.

God allows people to die. Some of them are allowed to die violent deaths. God is in the business of redeeming the souls of man. He is not as worried about our physical bodies as He is about our souls returning to Him. Death is the vehicle God uses to separate the soul from the body so that the soul can either be punished or rewarded according to it’s deeds.

9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. 10 They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.

Here is where we are going to have problems with the idea that this is taking place after the church is raptured from the earth. The brothers and sisters are still being added to the Kingdom. If the church had been raptured there would not be a time of waiting for the brothers and sisters to be added they would all be with the Lord.

Evil is being destroyed. The rebellion against God and His Christ is being put down. Those who lose their life due to their faith during the rebellion are being avenged. The world as we know it is coming to an end. The harvest is being gathered and the wheat is being stored in the Lord’s eternal barn in heaven.

We are trying way to hard to understand Christianity as a world religion and not as a religion that offers us a Kingdom not of this world.
Mark 8:34-36

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?

The secret is not hanging on to your life here but becoming a Christian and having your soul saved in heaven for all eternity.

12 I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. 13 Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind. 14 The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places.
15 Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?”

When we started opening the seals I mentioned that all the seals had to be opened before the Revelation could be revealed. The final ending had to be made known before the detailed scroll could be opened.

The sixth seal is a picture of the totality of the wrathful judgment that God pours out on the earth and mankind. The entire creation is mentioned, earth, sun, moon, stars, sky, mountains, and islands. Everything has fallen under the judgment.

Romans 8:19-22

19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

Not only the creation but all the people of creation have also fallen under the judgment. Kings, rulers, generals, wealthy, powerful, slave and free are all hiding instead of turning to the Lord . “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?”

The survivors will be the those who have come out of the great tribulation and trusted the Lord and King for their salvation. All others will be destroyed through the revealed wrath of the Lord.

If you notice here are no Christians hiding from the judgment of God.

Galatians 3:27-29

27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

This will be the final message of our series until January 7th, when we will start with the seventh chapter working towards the seventh seal being broken open. Until the first Sunday of 2007 I would like for you to contemplate your standing before the Lord. His judgment has begun. His wrath is being poured out. Your only escape is to trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.

Let us Pray!

Revelation 16:

Eight weeks ago we left the book of Revelation for our Christmas break. As the Advent Season was celebrated we looked back at the Messiah’s first coming. We are now diverting our attention from the past to the present and the future. We are now looking forward to the second advent of the Messiah. Please remember, as we restart this series, this is not the Revelation of end times. This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

As you know Jesus was crucified and his fleshly body was killed. This was the exit door by which Jesus was able to leave this earth and return to His home in heaven. Upon His return to heaven He was handed the scroll defining the redemption of man.

Before He died on the cross he spoke these words…

Luke 23:34

34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

The world’s soldiers are sill gambling and throwing dice at the feet of Jesus. If the world leaders that crucified Jesus had only known their future they would not have done it.

Paul wrote to us in…

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:

16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Before we get into the Scripture for today I just want to say we need to think like Christ to understand the book of Revelation. Jesus Christ is King! Jesus is Lord! Jesus is the Savior of those who call upon His name. Jesus is the Messiah who came and is to come again. Jesus is the One who is setting up His Kingdom. Jesus is the Head of the church or those who have come into His Kingdom.

Jesus is not going to tolerate a lack of holiness. Jesus is not going to allow evil into His Kingdom. Jesus is going to sift out all the chaff and get rid of all the goats.

We have a choice. We can either come under His Lordship or we can rebel against His Kingdom. Those who rebel should never expect anything less that judgment and destruction due to what Jesus is building. Jesus is building a holy temple with living stones that have come to the realization of their rebellion and the need to have the King forgive them of their sin and unbelief and reestablish them as citizens of His Kingdom.

Revelation 7:1-17

Then I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so they did not blow on the earth or the sea, or even on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel coming up from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. And he shouted to those four angels, who had been given power to harm land and sea, 3 “Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.”
4 And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God— 144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel: 5 from Judah12,000 from Reuben12,000 from Gad12,000 6 from Asher12,000 from Naphtali12,000 from Manasseh12,000 7 from Simeon12,000 from Levi 12,000 from Issachar12,000 8 from Zebulun12,000 from Joseph12,000 from Benjamin12,000

Praise from the Great Crowd
9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a mighty shout,
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
and from the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. 12 They sang,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and strength belong to our God
forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”
Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.
15 “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne
and serve him day and night in his Temple.
And he who sits on the throne
will give them shelter.
16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty;
they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.
17 For the Lamb on the throne
will be their Shepherd.
He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.
And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
Here’s another one of the passages that tells us that the church is still around after chapter four. An angel was carrying the seal of God. He said to wait on pouring out the judgment on the land until all the servants have been sealed.

2 Peter 3:9

9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

What we’re seeing is the church on earth, the symbolic 144,000, and the church in heaven, the vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb.

The great tribulation is happening on earth. The ones in the white robes before the throne are those who have come out of the great tribulation. They are the people who have died after being cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. The 144,000 represent the blood bought remnant that is still on earth.

The 144,000 is a symbolic number. Everything in this book is a symbol. The book was encrypted so it could not be understood by someone that might have intercepted the letter. You had to have knowledge of the Scriptures, culture and customs of the day.

The twelve tribes were the people of God. There were 12,000 from each tribe. This would have been a great multitude that even included the gentiles who had been grafted into the vine.

Romans 11:17-24

17 But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. 18 But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.

19 “Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.” 20 Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. 21 For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either.
22 Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. 23 And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. 24 You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.

While the saints on earth, those that have been grafted into the original vine of the 12 tribes of Jacob and the original root of Abraham, are enduring the tribulation those in heaven are shouting,

“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”

The saints on earth are the ones with the same message and they are taking it to a lost world. Those who come to believe this can come into the Kingdom through the blood of Jesus who is purchasing men and women from all the nations, tribes and languages back to Himself.

As we look at this passage and what is happening I have to bring your attention to something that will stir your thought process. In Revelation 7:2-3 it says…

2 And I saw another angel coming up from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. And he shouted to those four angels, who had been given power to harm land and sea, 3 “Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.”

We spend a great deal of time trying to figure out what the mark of the beast is. We will look deeper into the 666 mark when we get to it in chapter 13.

Today I want you to think about the seal of God on the foreheads of His servants. I wonder what this seal looks like?
Could it be a ball cap that says Jesus or an church ID card or a computer chip or some kind of tattoo? This is our thinking when it comes to the mark of the beast. Could it be that the seal of God is a spiritual sign? If so why do we thing the mark of the beast needs to be physical?

Salvation comes from the Lord. We are told by Paul in Ephesians 6 to put on the helmet of salvation. I was not assigned a physical helmet. But my mind is protected by my ability to think about, concentrate, focus and meditate upon my salvation through the Word of God.

The seal of God is paralleled to the Holy Spirit. The work of the Spirit in the life of the saved, redeemed, or transformed servants of God is visible yet not physical. I cannot see the seal of God physically but it must be as evident as a neon sign hanging from the servants forehead in the realm of the spirits. The mark of the beast is evident in the spirit realm also.

The angels are celebrating and worshiping at the throne with their song of worship.

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Did you notice that there were seven attributes given to the Lord. 1. Blessing; 2. Glory; 3. Wisdom; 4. Thanksgiving; 5. Honor; 6. Power; 7. Strength. These belong to the Lord forever and are given to the saints via the work of the Holy Spirit in them.

Due to the Lord’s attributes, the saved, ransomed, redeemed and blood bought, stand before the throne.

“That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter.
16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. 17 For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

Incase you haven’t noticed the Revelation is about Jesus Christ. We have a tendency to try to use the Revelation to define the times. We use it to portray the anti-Christ. When you look at the Revelation from the point that it reveals Jesus, you better understand what is going on in our world, in the church and in heaven right now.
Jesus is showing John His heavenly work that is being played out on earth. Jesus continues to show us who He is, what He’s doing and why things are the way they are.

Now it’s time to get down to business. There is a war being waged for your soul. Satan desires to steal, kill and destroy you. Jesus desires to save you from your eternal destiny in hell.

Jesus died on the cross for you. Jesus went to heaven to prepare a place for you. Jesus did all the work of salvation that you cannot do. There is one work that you can do. You can submit to the Lord, bow your knee, confess your sin and trust in the Lord for the salvation of your soul.

If you have never placed your faith and trust in the Lord for the salvation of your soul, I am going to ask that you come forward to this altar this morning. Time is running out and I do not want anyone that I have pastored to miss this opportunity.

Please don’t allow anything to stand in the way of you coming forward. If your heart or inner person is presently in a battle with your mind, You mind needs to submit to the Lord’s calling and allow you soul to be saved.

Let us Pray!

Revelation 17:

Revelation 8:1

When the Lamb broke the seventh seal on the scroll, there was silence throughout heaven for about half an hour.

The final seal is broken and the scroll can be unraveled. Heaven stood still and there was a gasp of suspense. There was silence and everyone’s attention was now upon the unveiling of the plan of God.

Remember, what we are about to see happens in heaven. John is in the Spirit. he is in the Throne Room or War Room of God. The revelation is now being revealed. God’s wrath for the denial of His Son is about to be poured out upon the entire earth and it‘s inhabitants.

Revelation 8:2

2 I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.

These trumpets were the horns of war. As these trumpets sound off the wrath of God will be intensified.

Revelation 8:3

3 Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne.

The prayers of God’s people our an outcry to make things right. They are an outcry for salvation. They are an outcry for the Lord to intervene. God’s people desire to see the Lord return in His glory and make things right.

Revelation 8:4-5

4 The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out. 5 Then the angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake.

This terrible earth quake might not be what we think of when we see an earthquake in California. We see the earth move and many things shaken and destroyed.

This earthquake was going to shake the inhabitants of the earth. They were going to be inflicted with all kinds of difficulties and troubles. Through these struggles some of the inhabitants are going to repent of their sin and turn their way back to the Lord.

Luke 21:25-28

25 “And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. 26 People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. 28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

The people of God have prayed for things to be made right. I pray that we are willing to suffer as the Lord works out His plan around us.

The work of salvation is not pretty work. We think its so wonderful when a person comes to the Lord. In all reality, when a self-centered, self-serving, self-reliant, self-made individual comes to the understanding that they need to bow their knee to the Lord and submit to Him as King of their domain, it is not a pretty sight.

This is the work of redemption.

Acts 9:3-6

3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”
Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Saul of Tarsus, the self-made man is transformed into the Apostle Paul who would now be taking orders from the Lord rather than giving orders to everyone around him.

Saul’s earthly foundation was shaken to the ground. As Saul laid blind and helpless his whole life was being redefined by coming to know the King of kings and the Lord of lords. What he believed yesterday was not going to stand up to his new found knowledge and understanding of reality.

Today, He knows Jesus is Lord and he might as well quit kicking against the goads and submit to the King of glory.

This is the plan of redemption. Paul wrote to us later in Romans,

Romans 14:10-12

For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written: ”‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Paul wrote again in…

Philippians 2:9-11

9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Have you ever played the game of mercy. Its a game where a person stronger than you puts on enough pressure or subjects upon you enough pain that you plead for mercy.

Are you prepared to see how Jesus plays mercy with our world?
Revelation 8:6-13

6 Then the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to blow their mighty blasts.
7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown down on the earth. One-third of the earth was set on fire, one-third of the trees were burned, and all the green grass was burned.
8 Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and a great mountain of fire was thrown into the sea. One-third of the water in the sea became blood, 9 one-third of all things living in the sea died, and one-third of all the ships on the sea were destroyed.
10 Then the third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch. It fell on one-third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star was Bitterness or Wormwood. It made one-third of the water bitter, and many people died from drinking the bitter water.
12 Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and one-third of the sun was struck, and one-third of the moon, and one-third of the stars, and they became dark. And one-third of the day was dark, and also one-third of the night.
13 Then I looked, and I heard a single eagle crying loudly as it flew through the air, “Terror, terror, terror to all who belong to this world because of what will happen when the last three angels blow their trumpets.”

I am not going to stand here and claim that my interpretation of the book of Revelation is the only one or the right one. This is the way I have come to understand and interpret it.

These judgments seem to be a direct result of the prayers of the people of God. When you look back at the plagues that were brought upon Egypt in the day of Moses you see that God was at work delivering His people. When God poured out His plagues on Egypt His people were protected. If you remember the final plague, it was the blood of the sacrificial lamb that protected them or caused the spirit of death to Passover their household.

By the blood of the Lamb, we, the Christians, will be saved from these plagues. Even if we were to die due to one of these plagues it is only the body that would die the soul will never die. The soul will be saved and taken to be with the Lord.

These first four trumpet judgments are poured out upon the land, the sea, the rivers and springs, and most likely earth’s atmosphere.

I happen to believe that these judgments are reoccurring judgments that are continually happening between Christ’s two advents.

These judgments could be the result of things such as earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, thunder and lightning storms, many different natural disasters have created some horrible conditions for those who have been effected by them.

As the years pass by it seems that nature has turned against mankind. We want to call it something scientific like Global Warming. Could it be that the judgment of God is increasing. Could it be that the judgment upon the land is a direct result of mankind not repenting of their sin?

I believe that we have been shown over the past few years that natural disasters can wreck more havoc on a nation than about anything else.

When the term one-third is used it tells me that these judgments are partial judgments. These judgments are warnings. The majority of mankind is allowed to survive and are given they opportunity to repent.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14

13 At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. 14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

God can heal the land that He has earlier elected to destroy.

Hebrews 1:1-4

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. 3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. 4 This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.

I hope you’re seeing and understanding the picture that is being painted through the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Next week we are going to look at the next three trumpet warnings.
Revelation 8:13

13 Then I looked, and I heard a single eagle crying loudly as it flew through the air, “Terror, terror, terror to all who belong to this world because of what will happen when the last three angels blow their trumpets.”

Terror is coming upon those who belong to the world. We, as Christians, are in the world but we do not belong to it.

John 17:13-19

13 “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.

We are in this world but we do not belong to the world. Furthermore, Jesus doesn’t want us taken out of the world but saved from the evil one.

Until our day comes to pass from this earth or the day Jesus returns to put an end to this mess, We must be willing to suffer for His name.

Next week we are going to see the evil one and his cohorts and their work as the terror upon the earth continues.

Let us Pray!

Revelation 18:

Last week we saw four trumpet judgments that were poured out on the earth. These judgment had an effect upon people but they were not directly poured upon people.

This week we are going to see a judgment poured directly upon people.

As we look at these judgments we begin to see encrypted signs that cause differences of opinions. I am not here to argue opinions or say mine is the only one. I will be trying to look at everything from a viewpoint that Jesus is working to bring the human race to repentance and the viewpoint that the first century Christian could have understood the encryption or word picture.

Revelation 9:1-11

Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen to earth from the sky, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. 2 When he opened it, smoke poured out as though from a huge furnace, and the sunlight and air turned dark from the smoke.
3 Then locusts came from the smoke and descended on the earth, and they were given power to sting like scorpions. 4 They were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were told not to kill them but to torture them for five months with pain like the pain of a scorpion sting. 6 In those days people will seek death but will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them!
7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. They had what looked like gold crowns on their heads, and their faces looked like human faces. 8 They had hair like women’s hair and teeth like the teeth of a lion. 9 They wore armor made of iron, and their wings roared like an army of chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails that stung like scorpions, and for five months they had the power to torment people. 11 Their king is the angel from the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon—the Destroyer.

This judgment affects men directly, causing torment, though not death.

A common interpretation is that the locusts represent demonic forces unleashed upon the earth. That it is a fallen angel, probably Satan (according to most commentators), who releases them, and that they proceed from the bottomless pit, or the abyss, the prison of the demons, both confirm this identification. Because of the dense smoke that emerged from the opened abyss, the sun and the air were darkened, even as the influence and power of evil “clouds men’s minds and darkens their understandings”. One commentator sees the picture to be that of “demons, robbing men of all light, that is, of all true righteousness and holiness, joy and peace, wisdom and understanding.” Another commentator writes: “The light of truth which directs men’s lives and guides them in the right way, giving peace to the soul, is darkened by the deceptions and delusions set loose by Satan.”

As you can see the light is darkened by the blinding of the people of this world.

Unlike regular locusts, these demonic beasts do not consume the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but rather torment human beings with a torment likened to that inflicted by scorpions. One writer writes: “The scorpion takes its place with the snake and other creatures hostile to man, and with them symbolizes the forces of spiritual evil which are active in the world.” This assessment seems to be verified by Jesus, when He told the disciples in…

Luke 10:18-20

18 “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! 19 Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. 20 But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”

Christians are not exempt from the physical disorders that afflict mankind, but the demons have no right to inflict their spiritual harm upon believers. One writer points out that “As Israel was safe from the plagues of Egypt, so God’s people were protected from these locusts.” In addition to the analogy to Egypt, however, there may be an even closer connection to Ezekiel’s vision, in which God’s true people were marked on their foreheads just prior to the unleashing of six angelic destroyers, who slaughtered those in Jerusalem who lacked the mark.

Ezekiel9:1-6

Then the LORD thundered, “Bring on the men appointed to punish the city! Tell them to bring their weapons with them!” 2 Six men soon appeared from the upper gate that faces north, each carrying a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man dressed in linen, who carried a writer’s case at his side. They all went into the Temple courtyard and stood beside the bronze altar.
3 Then the glory of the God of Israel rose up from between the cherubim, where it had rested, and moved to the entrance of the Temple. And the LORD called to the man dressed in linen who was carrying the writer’s case. 4 He said to him, “Walk through the streets of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of all who weep and sigh because of the detestable sins being committed in their city.”
5 Then I heard the LORD say to the other men, “Follow him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked. Show no mercy; have no pity! 6 Kill them all—old and young, girls and women and little children. But do not touch anyone with the mark. Begin right here at the Temple.” So they began by killing the seventy leaders.

The five months of the locusts’ terror corresponds to the normal lifetime of a natural locust, and is used here symbolically to indicate that the torment of the first woe is to be of limited duration. One writer observes that “A torment which lasts for five months is a long time, but is still of limited duration.”

Men usually avoid death at all costs, yet it overtakes them all. In the picture before us the situation is reversed, for they will desire to die, and death will flee from them. This would be a form of torture. Probably a mental anguish that would so darken the mind that for the limited period of time the person being inflicted would be driven to a point of desiring death but there was no way out.

Yes, this sounds very cruel. But you have to understand that this is a judgment to work on the non-Christian to bring him to repentance, or to bring the person to a point of seeking God for salvation and comfort.

Many people when under this type of torment do unthinkable things to themselves and to those around them. They just don’t think properly.
The description of the locusts is symbolic of the character of demons: like horses, they come as an invading army. They wear crowns of something like gold (not real gold!), representing their temporary authority.
Like men, whose faces they have, the demons are intelligent. Like women with their long hair, they can be seductive. Their teeth, like lions’ teeth, speak of their ferocity. Like scorpions they are malicious.

Imagine an enemy roaring about like a hungry lion that had intelligence, was very seductive, and extremely malicious. Maybe this is why in Genesis 3:1, depending upon the translation you read, it says,

The serpent was the shrewdest or more crafty or more cunning than all the wild animals the LORD God had made.

Their breastplates are like breastplates of iron, giving the appearance of invulnerability, and it is true that they cannot be resisted by merely human means.

We are powerless against the demonic realm. We are unable to defeat them in our own strength and power. Even the mighty angels of heaven overcame them by the blood of the Lamb.

Revelation 12:7-11

7 And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb

In addition to their refusal to destroy vegetation, these locusts further differ from those of nature in that they had a king over them. Imagine an army of demonic angels with intelligence, seductiveness, fierceness, strength, that rally together under one directing leader, to torment mankind.
I hope you can see how important it is to have the mark or seal of God upon your life. This mark is the seal and power of the Holy Spirit.
1 John 4:4
4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Revelation 9:12-21

12 The first terror is past, but look, two more terrors are coming!

13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice speaking from the four horns of the gold altar that stands in the presence of God. 14 And the voice said to the sixth angel who held the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great Euphrates River.” 15 Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were turned loose to kill one-third of all the people on earth. 16 I heard the size of their army, which was 200 million mounted troops.
17 And in my vision, I saw the horses and the riders sitting on them. The riders wore armor that was fiery red and dark blue and yellow. The horses had heads like lions, and fire and smoke and burning sulfur billowed from their mouths. 18 One-third of all the people on earth were killed by these three plagues—by the fire and smoke and burning sulfur that came from the mouths of the horses. 19 Their power was in their mouths and in their tails. For their tails had heads like snakes, with the power to injure people.
20 But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk! 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

According to the most wide spread spiritual view, this vision depicts situations that reoccur often. Many commentator feel that the afflictions portrayed here are spiritual in nature. These judgments represent the spiritual evils which afflict the ungodly in this life. … The number of such inflictions is, indeed, great enough to be described as “two myriads of myriads” or 200 million; they destroy a part, (a third) but not all of men. …
Such punishment is a foretaste of hell, as seems to be foreshadowed in the “fire and smoke and brimstone”. The aim of the plague is to exhibit the death-working power of false thoughts, false customs, false beliefs, and to awaken men to forsake the false worships, worldliness, and self-indulgence into which they have fallen.
A more commonly held position contrasts the locust invasion of the previous woe with this onslaught of horses. The former unleashed spiritual armies of demons against the wicked; the latter brought physical, human armies as a punishment and warning upon rebellious mankind. The horse is an established symbol of warfare in the Bible. One writer points out that “these are not ordinary horses. They clearly symbolize war engines and war tools of every description.” Certainly war is one of those reoccurring events in history which Scripture indicates God uses to punish civilizations and warn all men of the universality of death and the need to repent.

The number two hundred million is not to be understood literally, any more than are the other features of the vision.

The horses’ tails … like serpents are thought to represent the aftermath of war. One commentator wrote: “Seldom is the serpent-poison of war’s aftermath completely eradicated; it continues to bear its evil influence.”

Rather than representing a single conflict at the end of the age, this battle with its two hundred million horsemen can apply to all wars at all times throughout the entire period of time between Christ’s two advents.

One writer believes the application should include every kind of life-extinguishing event that befalls wicked men:
The death-dealing horsemen of Trumpet 6 are not tanks and planes. Or not only tanks and planes. They are also cancers and road accidents and malnutrition and terrorist bombs and peaceful demises in nursing homes.
Another commentator believes that
The general meaning of these trumpets are clear. Throughout the entire period, extending from the first to the second coming, our exalted Lord Jesus Christ … will again and again punish the persecutors of the Church by inflicting upon them disasters in every sphere of life.
Concerning the fulfillment of these trumpets another writer said:
I do not take much interest in locating the horsemen here or there in history, for it seems to me that we have witnessed them, in 1914–1918 and again in 1939–1945. We have seen the bottomless pit opened, and the heavens darkened by swarms of evil things that issued from it? Has not the thunder of two hundred million hellish horsemen shaken the earth in our own day?
When we look at these trumpet judgments from a heavenly viewpoint and from the view point that Jesus is allowing disasters, wars, and many other tragedies in our realm to get our attention to His power and ability to pour out judgment or withhold judgment we should be brought to our knees in repentance.
As we presently see and will continue to see throughout the Revelation, this is not the case.
I believe one of the greatest tragedies of our time is not understanding the will and ways of God. The book of Revelation has been so misinterpreted that we do not see that everything that is going on around us has spiritual and heavenly consequences.
Jesus Christ is bringing all things together under His authority. He is, to quote from an old hymn, trampling our the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored, He has loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword, His truth is marching on.
We are the ones who do not see what is happening because we want to see a different kind of God. We want the loving forgiving God that allows all things to go and then after death deal out the punishment based on Jesus forgiveness.
We do not want to see a just God that is doing away with evil and sin.
In all reality, no human truly dies. We are just moved from our bodies and this earth to our spiritual body and eternal destiny. There is not an absence of time, as we would understand it, where we are void of an existence. Once created, we exist, and we are from that moment on, eternal beings. We will all live for eternity. What is going on, on this earth, is a process of separation. God is separating humanity from sin and those who will not let go find themselves destroyed along with the instigator of all evil and rebellion.
Let us Pray!
Revelation 19:

Revelation 10:1-4

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”

The mighty angel who appears here is either Christ Himself or a very special representative of Christ bearing a striking resemblance to Him. Those who do not believe it is Christ usually point out that the word another giving it the meaning of another of the same kind as the previous angels mentioned; this could hardly refer to the one who is the Lord over all angels. Also we need to note that John did not worship this angel, as he did Christ. This angel has a message for the whole world, indicated by his having a foot on the land and a foot on the sea, though the open book in his hand is said to be little. Have you ever heard the saying, mighty things come in small packages.

The seven thunders represent “the voice of the Lord”.

John 12:28-29

Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” 29 When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him.

The “voice of the Lord” expression probably summarizes the contents of…

Psalm 29:3-9
3 The voice of the LORD echoes above the sea. The God of glory thunders. The LORD thunders over the mighty sea. 4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. 5 The voice of the LORD splits the mighty cedars; the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf; he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox. 7 The voice of the LORD strikes with bolts of lightning. 8 The voice of the LORD makes the barren wilderness quake; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh 9 The voice of the LORD twists mighty oaks and strips the forests bare. In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”

The sealing of the seven thunders, leaving them unwritten, suggests that “the whole counsel of God has not been revealed .

Deuteronomy 29:29

29 “The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.

1 Corinthians 13:9-10

9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless.

In all reality man cannot know all of God’s ways.

Isaiah 55:8-9
8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
John has had the opportunity to hear more than he was allowed to express. As much as we would like to know what was said, we must understand that the more we have given to us the more responsible we must be with it. In a situation like this it might just be a blessing to not know everything.

Revelation 10:5-7

5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”

The best way to identify the mystery of God is to look for other references in the Scriptures that might reveal the mystery of God to us.

Colossians 2:2-3

I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. 3 In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Romans 16:25-26

25 Now all glory to God, who is able to make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time. 26 But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him.

Ephesians 3:3–6.

3 As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. 4 As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. 5 God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.
6 And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.
If you look at these three passages you can see that the mystery of God is that those who believe in the Good News of Jesus Christ, whether they are Jews or Gentiles, they will share in God’s inheritance.
This is the whole purpose of God in history, to bring all things under His Lordship.”
The mystery includes the final judgment of the wicked, and ‘the full salvation of the saints into the Kingdom of God.
The revelation tells us, (in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished). I don’t believe that this is the end. This just tells us that the mystery of salvation through Jesus Christ, for both the Jews and the Gentiles, has been completely revealed.

Revelation 10:8-11

8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”
The prophecy of the little book (v. 10) that John eats and which he must thereafter speak is thought by some to be the Gospel Message.
The alternate sweetness and bitterness of the book in the mouth and stomach are explained in various ways.
The scroll is the Word of God, His gospel in which the mystery of salvation is set forth. This gospel is in itself glorious and sweet. But its proclamation is always followed by bitter persecution. … The apostle must not merely understand and digest the message of the gospel; he must experience both its sweetness and the suffering, the cross-bearing, which is always the portion of those who truthfully proclaim it.
Another angle is that the true preacher of God’s word will faithfully proclaim the reality of the wicked it contains. But he does not do this with fierce glee. The more his heart is filled with the love of God, the more certain it is that the telling forth of “woes” will be a bitter experience.
The message of salvation is a great and wonderful message for those who accept it. But, as we know, the world as a whole will not accept the message and actually it will fight against the message. According to the Scripture the world hates Christ, His message and His followers.
Have you ever noticed that the majority of the world desires the idea Christian morality but they do not want to submit to Christ as King and Lord of their life?
This leads to the bitter reality of the picture that the book of Revelation is painting.
God, although He is loving, forgiving and patient, He is also just and will punish sin and sinners. God will not accept those who will not accept His Son. The eternal destiny for those who refuse Jesus is a bitter pill to preach and teach.
The reality of the Gospel message is bitter sweet.
The statement, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings”, refers to the fact that John must continue to or once again send out the bitter sweet message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The people to whom John must prophesy are identified by the words, peoples, nations, languages, and kings. This suggests that all of mankind must hear the Gospel message.

So this morning I would like to help the Apostle John in spreading the Word.

Acts 2:36-38

36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”
37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 3:19-23

19 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. 20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. 21 For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 Moses said, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.’ 23 Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people.’

Acts 13:38-41

38 “Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. 39 Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God—something the law of Moses could never do. 40 Be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words apply to you. For they said,
41 ‘Look, you mockers, be amazed and die! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.’ ”

Acts 17:30-31

30 “God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. 31 For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”

Acts 20:21

21 I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.

Let me try to explain it as well as I can in 21st century language.

God made away for man to be reconciled or made right with Him again. The way is through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Jesus sacrificial death is the required payment for our sin. I know that we sometimes hold to the idea that we must do something to get right with God. That’s what makes this so amazing and wonderful. All that is required of us is a heart of repentance and a turning from our ways to the way of God.

Jesus paid the price of atonement. We desire to be right with God. The two working together allows the Lord to send His Holy Spirit into our life to make us into that which we desire to be…right with God.

The process of salvation is easy. The difficulty is we are a stubborn people that need to have our natural, sinful nature broken before we decide Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

God has set a day of final judgment and He is at work in our midst dividing those who will come and those who we not.

The process of breaking away from the world and it’s ways is the toughest part of redemption, regeneration, and re-birth. Once we are willing to make the break, God’s work becomes the desire of our heart. When we have finally let go of the world all we will have to cling to is the Lord’s justification of our life. He will then begin His work of sanctification to make us into the person He is calling us to be. This is all for the purpose of glorification when we pass from this body and into our heavenly home.

Those who do not and will not let go of this world and break away from it’s ways, will never be justified before the Lord. This will lead them to an eternal destiny of punishment and destruction.

Your eternal destiny begins today. Are you prepared to break away from the world and it’s ways? The Lord has done all the work that is required for your salvation. All you have to do is quit the world. It’s a nasty habit hat we have been addicted to since birth. But today is the day to make your break.

Let us Pray!

Revelation 20:

In today’s lesson we are going to see some things a bit different than many of you have seen or understood them before. I hold to a spiritualized version of the book of Revelation. I hold to an understanding that could have been held to in the 1st century as well as now in the 21st century.

The Revelation is a book that explains Jesus and His Kingdom throughout the church age. It explains what is happening in heaven and how that is being played out on earth.

I would like to present the legend for the map. As we journey though this chapter and beyond we need to see some points of reference that will keep us grounded in a spiritual position of the Revelation.

I’m not looking for a debate. I am taking one of four major views of the book of Revelation. I am keeping the spiritual view within the boundaries of the a-millennial position. Think like this, there are four major views and three accepted position of this book. That makes a possibility of 12 design plans or interpretations of the Revelation. Not all of them will fit together so there are probably only six or seven legitimate interpretations.

I prefer the a-millennial/spiritual interpretation because it is a picture of what is going on, from the point of heaven to earth, and not what is happening on earth to force God to make the next move.

The Revelation is written and is now being revealed from heaven to earth. It is not being written according to the way of the world but it is bringing to the world that which is already written. This is not a chess match where God has to counter the moves made on earth. God has written the end of the story. Jesus was crucified, dead, buried, resurrected, ascended, and has opened the scroll. What was written, is now being revealed, so we can understand what is really happening around us.

We, the human race, along with our actions, are not causing God to do what is being done. God is working out His plan of redemption from heaven to earth and it is a good plan for Him and those who love Him.
Here is the legend by which we will measure the
Spiritual Approach:

• The 1260 days symbolize the entire church age. I believe the church age is
the period from the time Jesus began calling His disciples to the day in
which He returns.

• The two witnesses are the church throughout the church age The church
Militant (meaning mission oriented) on earth and the church triumphant in
heaven. I know this differs from what many have been taught. Jesus says
we are His witnesses.

• The woman sustained in the wilderness represents the church on earth. The
Church on the earth is being guided and protected by Jesus from Heaven
through the wilderness of the world.

• The first beast signifies political power that persecutes the church at any
time in history and anywhere upon the planet.

• The second beast is false religion and especially that which venerates
or is devoted to political power.

Revelation 11:1-2

I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. 2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.

The forty-two months suggests a limited time rather than literal time.

The time limit which is set for this trial is derived from…

Daniel 7:25

25 He will defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time.

Time, times, and half a time refers to the three and a half year period of time which is 42 months or 1260 days.

As we journey along you will see that the time periods for the trampling of the holy city by the Gentiles (11:2), the ministry of the two witnesses (11:3), the sojourn of the woman in the wilderness (12:6, 14), and the career of the beast (13:5) are equivalent,

This will serve the purpose of showing us that the time period is the same and it is a limited period of time.

Now I’m going to differ greatly even from the spiritual view with what I’m about to say about measuring the temple of God, the Altar and the counting of the worshipers.

When the holy of holies was on the earth only one high priest could enter to worship and intercede for the people.

I want you to think of the church as a single body. This body is made up of God‘s royal priests.

1 Peter 2:9

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Now we know that the Holy of holies is now in heaven. We have seen the picture of the multitude worshiping in heaven. This multitude is a single body.

One writer calls the court outside like this

So the world tramples upon the outside court of merely nominal Christendom. The world invades the false church and takes possession of it. Worldly church members welcome the ideas of the world; they feel themselves perfectly at home with the world.

The worldly church. Those who attend or those who pretend but they are not the body of Christ that worships in the Holy of Holies. They are not those who have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. They are not the ones marked and protected by God. They are not genuine Christians. They are the gentiles or the uncircumcised of the heart and they will be trampled in the outer court.

The true Jews are the 144,000. This is not a literal 144,000 but a symbolic number meaning that God knows the exact number of those who make up the body of Christ.

Revelation 11:3-6

3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. 6 These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

Luke 24:46-49

46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Acts 5:29-32

29 But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross. 31 Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. 32 We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.”

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith,

You always need two or three witnesses if you are going to convict someone of a crime. Here we have the church on earth, the church in heaven, and the Holy Spirit.

Revelation 2:26-27

26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’— just as I have received authority from my Father.

The church in heaven will be a judge or witness against those of the world.

1 Corinthians 6:2-3a

2 Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves? 3 Don’t you realize that we will judge angels?

The church in heaven is a mighty body that appears in the Holy of Holies to serve the Lord. They will intercede for the church on earth and they will judge the people of the world.

1 Peter 1:3-5

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

I hope you can see that the two witnesses are the two lamp stands or the two churches. One now in Heaven the other on the earth. They earthly church wears sackcloth because they bring a message of repentance. They Heavenly church will clothed in white garments because they overcame the world.

The two olive trees are explained in…

Zechariah 4:11-14

11 Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on each side of the lampstand, 12 and what are the two olive branches that pour out golden oil through two gold tubes?” 13 “Don’t you know?” he asked. “No, my lord,” I replied. 14 Then he said to me, “They represent the two heavenly beings who stand in the court of the Lord of all the earth.”

The two olive trees have been compared to Zarubbabel and Joshua who were the prince and the priest. Or they could be Moses and Elijah who represented the law and the prophets.

Luke 16:29 & 31

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’” 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

As we move forward I want you to see that Jesus taught that the Word of God was more powerful than a man rising from the dead. Think about it…Jesus is saying this well after Moses and the prophets has passed away. All that was left is what they had written. The written Word is held up by Jesus as extremely powerful.

The deadly fire that proceeds from their mouth of the witnesses is the Word of God.

Jeremiah 5:12-14

12 They have lied about the LORD; they said, “He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine. 13 The prophets are but wind and the word is not in them; so let what they say be done to them.”
14 Therefore this is what the LORD God Almighty says: “Because the people have spoken these words, I will make my words in your mouth a fire and these people the wood it consumes.

Hebrews 4:12

12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

What we are seeing is how those who attack God’s people will be punished. According to the Word of God the punishment is by eternal fire. If someone does not turn from their unbelief and sin and seek forgiveness through Christ, the Word speaks for itself. The fire of the word is being spoken by the prophets of God who have been given power and authority due to their standing with God.

Revelation 11:7-10

7 Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. 8 Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. 10 The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

The beast ”appears to represent those antichristian powers in the world which seek to silence the church’s witness. This beast is treated and described more fully in chapter 13, but here it is seen arising to make war against the two witnesses. Since making war is generally a term referring to a conflict between two armies, this would seem to confirm that the witnesses are not two individuals (for then it would not be a war but a personal assault upon two men), but a greater company like the church.

When their testimony is complete, God permits the church to experience apparent defeat. This period of defeat is measurable in days as opposed to the years of their ministry, one writer observes that the three and a half days during which the witnesses lie dead, though only a brief period, is “long enough to bear the resemblance of being complete and final.” Another writer believes that at the end of history the world will rise up and seem to destroy the church who has tormented them with their witness.

Others believe that not all of the Christians will be killed but the church as an organization will be destroyed. This leads the anti-Christian powers to celebrate. The are so happy that the church and the believers have been put down that they even give gifts to one another to remember the event by.

Revelation 11:11-13

11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.
13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Many times in history the witnessing church has appeared to be beaten by the world system, only to arise again and be confirmed as God’s indestructible witness. Each such resurrection strikes confusion and dismay into the hearts of her oppressors.

In a figurative sense, Christian martyrs could be said to be “resurrected and exalted” by the honor often shown them after their deaths. The final triumph of the church “has been partly anticipated in the sight of the world by the tribute paid to the victims of a persecution, sometimes within a few years after their dishonour and death… Paganism saw the men it had hated and killed called up to heaven before its eyes.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

In connection with Christ’s second coming the Church is restored to life, to honor, to power, and to influence for all eternity.

The justification and defense of the witnesses is followed by a great earthquake, which kills 7,000 men, and the fall of a tenth of the city. This is probably a symbolic representation of the alarming happenings on the very eve of the final judgment.

Revelation 11:14

14 The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.

This has been a very complex lesson. It has taken quite a bit of time and a lot of explanation. But we need to see that the Revelation can be explained by and through the Scriptures.

I believe many of the revelatory views we have thrown at us through the books and movies of our day are far too dependant upon activities and people groups of our day.

We want to use our cultural climate and force God to react to that which is happening. This is not what the Revelation is bout. The Revelation reveals Jesus, His Kingdom, the church, and how the world and the demons have fought against it throughout time.

Matthew 16:18

18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

The solid rock that the Lord is going to build on is the revealed knowledge of Himself. This Revelation is set in stone and will be worked out until it is complete.

Let us Pray!

Revelation 21:

As we start this session we are going to see that we must finish before we restart again.

If you remember back to the opening of the seven seals, we had to finish breaking open all the seals before the Revelation scroll was opened. As the Revelation was opened and the trumpets were sounded we see that we must complete the trumpets before we move to the next, what you might call, layer of the Revelation.

Jesus used parables in multiples to get his point across. What I mean is in Matthew 13 Jesus tells a group of seven parables about the Kingdom of God. Each parable was a little different but each one helped people to better understand the Kingdom.

In Luke 15 Jesus tells three stories about recovering the lost. There was the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. Each parable was a little different but much the same. Each parable helped to understand seeking and searching for the lost with greater clarity.

The Revelation is told in much the same way. You see the church judgments, you see the seal judgments, the trumpet judgments, you’ll then see a heavenly look at the church age, then you will see the seven angels pouring out the seven bowls of the last plagues. Each section is a replay of the church age judgment. The judgment is shown from a little different perspective so we can see the entire scope of the work of Jesus from heaven to earth.

Jesus work is many fold. He, like anyone else, may have one job, but the job has many different branches of activity. His job is King. But His position puts him in a place of great responsibility. He is in charge of the church, the angels, the demonic realm, the people on earth, the entire world governing system, and the ecological system of the world, Jesus has authority over everything. This is why the Revelation is shown to us in layers or branches of activity.

So let’s finish the trumpets so we can restart from another angle or a different view of the Revelation

Revelation 11:15-18
The Seventh Trumpet Brings the Third Terror
15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.”
16 The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him. 17 And they said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign.
18 The nations were filled with wrath, but now the time of your wrath has come. It is time to judge the dead and reward your servants the prophets, as well as your holy people, and all who fear your name,
from the least to the greatest. It is time to destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth.”
19 Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared, and there was an earthquake and a terrible hailstorm.

At the end of the sixth seal we saw the end of the age and the beginning of the eternal Kingdom. The seventh seal leads us into the trumpets.

Remember, before the scroll could be opened all the seals had to be broken. Everything was shown to us through the breaking of the seals then the seventh seal was broken and we began to see more of the details of what the seals revealed through the trumpets. The final trumpet blows and we see the end again.

Revelation 7:11-12 was the end of the sixth seal….
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. 12 They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Here is the end of the trumpets….
Revelation 11:15

Now, At the end of the breaking of the seals we saw a great multitude dressed in white robes serving the Lamb. According to the seventh trumpet It is time to judge the dead and reward your servants the prophets, as well as your holy people,
and all who fear your name, from the least to the greatest. It is time to destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth.

I hope you can see that we are seeing the same scenario played out, yet each portrayal is displaying the many layers of activity. Have you ever read a novel and gotten lost due to the story line bouncing back and forth to the different layers of the story.

I was at Ken Willard’s house before the elections for a birthday dinner for his son Shaun who had served in Iraq. After dinner Ken gave me a series of books that he thought I would enjoy.

The books were written by C.S. Lewis back in 1945. The three books were very complex and the final book called “That Hideous Strength” was very difficult to follow. Throughout the book C.S. Lewis labeled each chapter with subsections 1 – 8. If you wanted to read the story from layer number one, you could read it that way from start to finish. Then go back and read layer number two. The reason Lewis did this was to keep the reader from getting confused when the story switched to a different layer of the total story.

I enjoyed the books but it wasn’t the story that I needed to read. It was the format by which the writer wrote that I needed to see.

My Christmas story was a part of this layered understanding. To think of how complex God’s book of life is, with every character that lives in the total book, and how they all relate to one another, and Him, weaved through the book, and how some of the characters will never even meet one another due to the separation of the time they were living and the places where they lived, as well as the spiritual realm that we are not that aware of on a daily basis, I needed to think through this type of novel or writing.
John is writing each layer separately so we can see with less confusion the many-fold work of the Lord.

Imagine a complex novel that was switching from layer to layer and many of the characters in each of the different layers was the same.

Jesus, the Lamb, the Lion, The King, the Lord, God, He was in all the layers. The angels, the elders, the living beings, they show up in many of the different layers. The Dragon, the Beast of the earth, the beast of the sea, the false prophet, the anti-Christ, they show up in many of the different layers.

People have problems with the book of Revelation, and it has the layers separated out. Could you imagine how confusing it would be if it were all meshed together. Maybe that’s why it’s so hard for us here on the earth. Were missing some of the layers due to our lack of knowledge or our lack of belief. We can’t see what’s happening in heaven so we scramble around here on the earth trying to figure everything out with out the knowledge of all the different layers of the story. Now you can understand why it’s so easy for people to get lost and give up.

John is writing to us this multi-layered novel to show us how the things in heaven are being worked out here on the earth. John is trying to show us the many layers of God’s judgment, the plan of salvation, the work of Satan, and the way the Lord is going to win the final victory.

To read the Revelation from a view that shows everything in the book happening in order would lead to great confusion. There are too many endings and it just doesn’t work that way. So we must understand that the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls of last plagues, are all happening throughout the church age. Also written into the Revelation is a picture of the heavenly battle between the Lord and His angels against Satan and His demons. We also get to see Satan’s battle against the human race.

John has divided all the different story lines up to give us a series of stories that glorify the King of kings and the Lord of Lords.

I can imagine the book of Revelation being released one section at a time. Each section could stand alone as an encouraging story of the Lord defeating the enemy, or man overcoming the enemy through the Lord, or man overcoming God’s judgments through his salvation, all the different victories were won by the Lord and His angels and those who amassed in heaven celebrated at the end of each section.
When the book was released as a whole and entire novel called the Revelation, people became confused because they didn’t understand that this was a collection of short stories that when gathered together painted a multi-layered picture of all the Lord’s activity in the work of redemption.

Imagine with me for a moment. What if all that was going on, on this earth was totally and completely natural?

Everything has evolved from nothing and slowly come to be what it is today. There is no God. There is no devil. There is nothing outside the physical realm.

Everything you see, hear, touch, taste and smell has all come through a natural process called evolution.

How can you explain everything that goes on in our world from a natural perspective?

Doesn’t it seem to you as though there must be more to all that is before us than the physical realm?

Doesn’t it seem like there is some sort of evil spirit pushing man to war against one another?

Doesn’t it see as though there is some sort of Spirit that drives man to want to do good and right?

Doesn’t it seem as though everything is messed up and out of sync. Like there is some kind of force working against man and all his good intentions?

Doesn’t it seem as though there is a reason for all the wonderful things of nature?

Doesn’t it seem as though man in his perverted desire to possess time and space has messed up our world?

Could it be that there is a many fold work going on in are realm that we are not aware of?

The book of Revelation is showing us that there is a disease called sin that is at work in our world. There is an enemy called Satan or the devil that is trying to overthrow man and his world. There is a God that is punishing evil and rewarding faith. There is a plan set in motion by God to bring everything back to it’s rightful state.

Imagine with me a war. When ever there is a war you will see great destruction as the enemies fight against one another. You are witnessing a three fold war. Man fighting against God. The devil fighting against man and God. God using His power to bring man through the battlefield and back into a rightful position with Himself.

The Revelation is showing us the work of God in many different layers. We are seeing God’s work in saving the church and His work in it to keep His chosen people right and holy before Him.

We are seeing the war in heaven that threw God’s enemy down to the earth. We are seeing the battle of Satan against man to steal kill and destroy His soul. We are seeing the battle of Satan against the plan of God for the redemption of man. We are seeing God’s judgment poured out against people who will not come out of their blindness and seek His salvation. We are seeing God’s judgment against those who would persecute and fight against the church. We are seeing a world war being waged around us and in our natural minds we will never see all the layers of this battle.

Why do you think it seems like the whole world is against you. You are standing in the midst of a war torn world, that without the understanding that comes through the Revelation, leaves you clueless to the magnitude of what is happening right before your eyes.

This is not a natural world. This world, it’s existence and it’s activity cannot be explained through the natural sciences. What is happening around you everyday cannot be worked out through political systems, environmental activism, psychological training, social programming, worldly education, or Professor Harold Hill’s think system from the music man.
What is before you today is God’ working to save man from Satan and sin. The power of God is mighty but He has limited Himself to drawing men out of the world and to Himself through the war rather than wiping the slate clean like He did with the flood. He is allowing His church to be the foot soldiers that spread the supernatural message of salvation that will save man.

The toughest part of the church’s work is waking people up to the reality of the Spiritual War that is being waged. Satan is working as hard as he can to keep his possessions blind to that reality.

Now you know why the Revelation is not preached properly. Satan wants it to be confusing and divisional. If people ever see the reality of the Revelation the world in it’s present state make sense and we are encouraged to trust in the Lord for our soon coming salvation.

Let us Pray!

Revelation 22:

Revelation 12:1

Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance. I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head.

What we are seeing here is the acknowledgement that Jesus came from Jacob or Israel through Joseph.

Genesis 37:9

9 Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. “Listen, I have had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!”

Revelation 12:2

2 She was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth.

The Birth of the Savior. From Abraham to Moses through the Prophets and then the delivery of the Messiah. The birth pains and agony have been overwhelming. The awaited Messiah, the Savior has now been born.

Revelation 12:3-4

3 Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. 4 His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born.

The dragon’s seven heads speak of universal authority; the ten horns speak of political or military strength; the seven diadems refer to political authority.
I know this may not sound very comforting but Satan uses the political and even religious systems of the world to kill the Christ, Messiah, or the King of Heaven. He tried when Jesus was born, he did when Jesus was crucified, and he still is through the persecution of churches in our world today.

We know that Satan was cast down out of Heaven along with one-third of the angels.

Isaiah 14:12

12 How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!

We know that Satan tried to kill the baby Jesus and we know that Satan did finally crucify the King of Glory at the cross. But He rose from the grave and ascended into heaven.

Revelation 12:5-6

5 She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place to care for her for 1,260 days.

Psalm 2:7-9

7 Now I will tell you what the LORD has declared: He said to me, “You are my son. Today I have become your father. 8 If you ask me, I will give you the nations; all the people on earth will be yours. 9 You will rule over them with an iron rod. You will break them into pieces like pottery.”

The one who rules is Jesus. Jesus was snatched away from the dragon by His ascension into heaven. The church is the woman who is living in the wilderness for the 1260 days of the church age.

The Dragon was frustrated by the resurrection and ascension so he is now waging war against the church or earthly body of Jesus. The most wonderful part of this is if by chance Satan is able to kill a member of the church they will go o be with the Lord in heaven. Satan’s spends a great deal of time frustrated.
Revelation 12:7-9

7 Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. 8 And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. 9 This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

This is a retelling of the battle between Satan and Christ from the heavenly perspective.

Michael and his angels prevailed over the kingdom of darkness, as Christ ministered, died, and arose on earth, the last event being the “casting out” of the accuser .

John 12:31-32

31 The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. 32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”

So if the victory is Christ’s, why is it depicted as if accomplished by Michael in the heavenlies? One writer likens Michael to the staff officer who removes Satan’s flag from the heavenly map of battle in response to the Field General’s real victory at the cross.

Revelation 12:10

10 Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—the one who accuses them before our God day and night.

The announcement that salvation … strength … the kingdom … have come celebrates Christ’s resurrection victory over Satan and the beginning of the New Covenant age.

Satan, here alone called the accuser of our brothers, until the death of Christ was able to accuse God’s people before the throne of God; now, because of the atonement, he has lost all grounds for accusation, as it is explained:
Satan is “hurled down from heaven” in this sense, he has lost his place as an accuser of the brethren. Whereas Christ was born and rendered satisfaction for sin, Satan has lost every form of justice for his accusations against believers.

Revelation 12:11

11 And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.

Satan’s activity is now limited to the earthly level, accusing believers’ consciences against themselves and seeking to bring them under self-condemnation. In response to such attacks, the believer pleads the merits and accomplishments of the blood of the Lamb. This constitutes the defensive aspect of the present warfare of the believer. The word of their testimony, is the offensive warfare of the church. They did not love their lives to the death demonstrates that the Christian’s victory is measured, not necessarily in personal survival, but in faithful martyrdom.

When you know that you cannot be hurt by death, losing your life for Christ is gain.

Revelation 12:12

12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice!
But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.”

Satan’s defeat and casting out from heaven is occasion for rejoicing by those who are in heaven, but woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea, because the devil continues his malicious work upon earth with greater vigor than before, knowing only too well that he has a short time. The following verses stress the malice that this desperate foe directs toward the church throughout the church age. The troubles of the persecuted righteous arise not because Satan is too strong, but because he is beaten. He is doing all the harm he can while he can. But he will not be able to do this for much longer.

Revelation 12:13

13 When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But she was given two wings like those of a great eagle so she could fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness. There she would be cared for and protected from the dragon for a time, times, and half a time.

Once again we have the church age represented by a short frame of time. The Dragon vents his frustration by pursuing the women who gave birth to the child. This would be the true Israel which is now represented by the church on earth.

The question now might be, How can the church have given birth to the child if the child is how the church was born? It’s like this, the church has been grafted into the true vine. By way of this grafting we are the true Israel and the ancestors or true children of Abraham.

The two wings are representative of flight. Israel took flight in the wilderness and God protected them and delivered them into the promised land. The church has taken flight in the world and the Lord is protecting them as they await His return.

Revelation 12:15-17

15 Then the dragon tried to drown the woman with a flood of water that flowed from his mouth. 16 But the earth helped her by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that gushed out from the mouth of the dragon. 17 And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children—all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus.

The water … like a flood sent out by the dragon to sweep away the church is the peoples of the world, the stream of lies, delusions, religious ‘isms,’ philosophical falsehoods, political utopias, lies resembling authoritative scientific positions, these along with physical persecutions, are the principal challenges faced by the church throughout history.

The Scriptures are considered the water of the Word that washes the mind of the Christian. Satan has a flood of his own water that dilutes the minds of those unwilling to believe the Word of God.
By opening the earth to swallow the opposition , God is symbolically seen as saving the church from such dangers, as he preserved Israel in this manor in …

Numbers 16:31-35

31 He had hardly finished speaking the words when the ground suddenly split open beneath them. 32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed the men, along with their households and all their followers who were standing with them, and everything they owned. 33 So they went down alive into the grave, along with all their belongings. The earth closed over them, and they all vanished from among the people of Israel. 34 All the people around them fled when they heard their screams. “The earth will swallow us, too!” they cried. 35 Then fire blazed forth from the LORD and burned up the 250 men who were offering incense.

This was a story of Moses facing opposition for following the Lord. It is a picture of how the Lord is going to swallow up His opposition in the final judgment. Those who are deceived by the flood of Satan’s words and those who rebel against the Lord and those who just won’t believe and submit to Him are going to swallowed up by the earth and burned with an eternal fire.

So Satan, who is unable to destroy the church as an entity, the dragon makes war on individual believers, the rest of her offspring. Satan cannot unseat Jesus from His throne, He cannot destroy the Church, yet individual Christians are still subject to bodily death although true believers never die they just go to be with the Lord.

John 11:25

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

I hope and pray that you are coming to understand that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is sweet for the believer but it is a bitter pill to swallow if you know people who have not come to believe that Jesus truly is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

If you have not yet submitted yourself to the Lord or pledged your allegiance to the King I believe it’s time you really consider it.

Let us Pray!

Revelation 23

As we begin today we need to review our map or journey legend.
Remember the legend by which we began measuring the
Spiritual Approach:

• The first beast signifies political power that persecutes the church at any
time in history and anywhere upon the planet.

• The second beast is false religion and especially that which venerates
or is devoted to political power.

As we journey through today’s session you are going to see why I am so bothered by the evangelical-political movement. Any time the church organization begins to look any where other than Jesus Christ for the solution to the worldly situation they have the wrong focus. I believe the pre-millennial view of the Revelation has helped to fuel the church’s political involvement.

The church believes that they will extending the return of Christ if they can control the government through their political involvement. This is not true. The time of final judgment is set. The Revelation has been written and is being played out. We are not controlling God’s reaction to the world but God’s written plan is on display before us. Our job is to tell people the truth of what is happening from heaven and work to win them to the Kingdom of God.

Revelation 12:18-13:2

18 Then the dragon took his stand on the shore beside the sea.

Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. And written on each head were names that blasphemed God. 2 This beast looked like a leopard, but it had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion! And the dragon gave the beast his own power and throne and great authority.

The first beast rising out of the sea is any governmental power that opposes God’s kingdom. The sea is a standard symbol for the nations of the Gentile world.

Isaiah 17:12

12 Listen! The armies of many nations roar like the roaring of the sea. Hear the thunder of the mighty forces as they rush forward like thundering waves.

The political systems of the world habitually set themselves “against the LORD and against His Anointed”

Psalm 2:2

2 The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the LORD and against his anointed one.

Wherever and whenever the church is persecuted by governmental power, there you have the activity of Satan through a manifestation of this beast.

The description of the beast is clearly taken from that of the four beasts in…

Daniel 7:2–7

2 In my vision that night, I, Daniel, saw a great storm churning the surface of a great sea, with strong winds blowing from every direction. 3 Then four huge beasts came up out of the water, each different from the others.
4 The first beast was like a lion with eagles’ wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off, and it was left standing with its two hind feet on the ground, like a human being. And it was given a human mind.
5 Then I saw a second beast, and it looked like a bear. It was rearing up on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And I heard a voice saying to it, “Get up! Devour the flesh of many people!”
6 Then the third of these strange beasts appeared, and it looked like a leopard. It had four bird’s wings on its back, and it had four heads. Great authority was given to this beast.
7 Then in my vision that night, I saw a fourth beast—terrifying, dreadful, and very strong. It devoured and crushed its victims with huge iron teeth and trampled their remains beneath its feet. It was different from any of the other beasts, and it had ten horns.
John’s beastly vision also came out of the sea, and resembled a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a ten-horned monster. In Daniel, each of these represented a successive Gentile world empire. It seems that, by combining the characteristics of the four beasts, this vision tells us that “it must indicate all antichristian governments.

John explains that the dragon gave him his power. The Dragon works through the Beast as his agent; the war is of Satan’s making, but the Empire is his tool for waging it.

Revelation 13:3-4

3 I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast. 4 They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. “Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?”

The beast’s seven heads speak of the various manifestations of the beastly spirit in successive empires: Old Babylonia, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. Since the beast was seen to have recovered from the mortal wounding of one of his heads, in John’s day, it is probable that Rome is the head that recovered from this blow.

The resilience of the beast causes all the world to marvel. It seems as if nothing can resist the awesome power of government. The military prowess, policing capability, and persecuting power of the state intimidates many into compliance. “You can’t fight city hall” is a milder version of what is intended by the words who is able to make war with him?

Revelation 13:5-8

5 Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months. 6 And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and his dwelling—that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. 8 And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life before the world was made—the Book that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered.
Governments love to “play God,” and command the admiration and loyalty of their subjects, and to put themselves in positions of great power over decision making including decisions which belong to God alone.

Though Paul tells us that governments are ordained by God to enforce good conduct as well as restrain and punish criminal behavior, under Satan’s influence, they misuse their power. Satan puts blasphemies in the mouth of the state, so that it proclaims “I am God” by demanding from its subjects a total, unconditional allegiance.

The repeated use of the words was given and was allowed emphasize that the power of evil is not absolute, but contingent upon God’s sovereign allowance. The beast is allowed the ability to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them.

The question here would be, Why?

This question can only be answered if you understand that Jesus is sifting the wheat from the chaff. Jesus is separating the true believers from those who are not true to the end.

One writer believes that the world governments will finally and totally destroy the church as an influential organization for spreading the Gospel. At that time, he believes, Jesus will return to save the remainder of His followers and defeat the world’s governing orders

Once again the time frame used is the forty-two months. This represents the church age as a limited time.

Revelation 13:9

9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.10 Anyone who is destined for prison will be taken to prison. Anyone destined to die by the sword will die by the sword.
This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently while remaining faithful. This would mean that no matter what happens, we the redeemed, must be willing to suffer the situation for our redemption is drawing near.

Revelation 13:11-15

11 Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon. 12 He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 He did astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching. 14 And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. 15 He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.

The second beast supports the first, but is different in form and strategy. While the first beast is ferocious looking and terrifying, the second seems harmless like a lamb. The second beast’s appearance is misleading, Jesus warned, it has the voice of a dragon.

Matthew 7:15

15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.

The second beast is the false prophet. It symbolizes false religion and false philosophy throughout the church age. False religion is the servant of the secular power. See, it doesn’t look bad. But in the end it will devour all those who follow because it is not true.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

13 These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.

This beast performs astounding miracles in the sight of men, by which he deceives all the people who belong to this world. The specific examples could be literal or could be symbolic imagery. Whichever, false religion uses whatever it can to wow the people into following.

The second beast ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. 15 He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.

Here’s a question for you. What if a cult followed a false Jesus? The Jesus offered sounded good but was not the true Jesus of the Scriptures. What if the leaders distorted Scripture to lure people into worshiping this false Jesus. The statue of the false Jesus would bare the scars of one who was fatally wounded and yet came back to life. People would worship this false Jesus unaware that what they believed was a lie.

I would hate to say that this is happening, but, what if people were being led to bow their knee and confess a Jesus that was not the true Jesus of the Scriptures?

This sounds pretty crafty. Satan could use a false church to destroy people. Only the Jesus of the Scriptures saves people from their sin. Worshiping another Jesus will lead a person to miss the mark. Worshiping a distorted Jesus will not save anyone.

What if you could amass a huge crowd to follow a Jesus of worldly prosperity or political power. The crowd would be willing to follow this Jesus because of the worldly promises. What if the worldly Jesus didn’t get you beyond the world?

Matthew 7:22-23

22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

I have a feeling that many of your minds are swimming with all kinds of ideas about religion. Hang on to your seats because where we go from here is going to really open your eyes to false thinking and teaching.
Revelation 13:16-18

16 He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. 17 And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. 18 Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.

In the understanding of numerology, which is somewhat of a religion that gives meanings to numbers, the number six has three meanings. The number six means purpose, security, and responsibility. What I personally believe Jesus is warning against is that the number of man 666 is living a life of responsibility to a purpose that supplies personal security without Jesus Christ. This would be the ultimate end of the anti-Christ lifestyle. Away of life without the need of Jesus.

This ultimate end is what man-made governments work to supply. This is why the education system has been established. This is what false religions or Christ-less religions work towards.

How can we build the perfect society right here on earth? We must make people responsible, while they have purpose seeking their security.

The problem with this anti-Christ scenario is it does not include the truth of eternal destiny.

Here is the world’s mantra: Man is basically good. Man needs to be taught and instructed properly. Man needs to be self-disciplined in his chosen path. Man needs to work towards his own security. In the end the man who accomplishes this will be satisfied and when he dies he will be rewarded for doing well for himself. How he will be rewarded we are unsure but it is only right for those who do good to be rewarded well for their accomplishments.

This is the world’s system in a nut shell. It is totally anti-Christ but it seems so right.

Proverbs 16:25

25 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
Satan’s greatest weapon against man is making him think that everything is all right, everything is ok, I’m secure, I have a purpose, I’m being responsible, all the while he is empty and totally void of true life because he has been blinded to the reality of God’s way, God’s purpose, and true security in Christ for all eternity.

The world desires that you take their pathway. They want you to go through their educational system so you will be molded and shaped into the image they prescribe. They want you to have a job and earn money so you can have security and be taxed so the government can keep their system running.

They want your mind stamped with their philosophy and they want your hands busy working in their system to satisfy your goals.

The world doesn’t want renegades that are in the world and not totally of it. The world and it’s leaders wants you sold out to their kingdom and their worldly system.

True Christians are in the world but not of it. The world hates the fact that these Christians are in their system but don’t pledge their allegiance to the system. They are not bound to the same lords, kings, and masters. They just don’t fit and they keep disrupting the kingdom of the world with all their talk about a Creator God, a Kingdom of God, and God’s laws of morality.

The world wants us out and are willing to do just about anything to push us out of their way.

The true King of kings and Lord of lords has a different plan. He wants us in this world as witnesses and living testimonies for Him and His way.

Where are you today? Are you in the world or a part of the world?

It’s hard to hold your position in a world that has so many systems that are dead set against what you believe.

The world system is truly anti-Christ. The governing powers and the religious organizations crucified Christ and they are still trying to today.

Let us Pray!

Revelation 24:

Revelation 14:1-5

Then I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of mighty ocean waves or the rolling of loud thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together.
3 This great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. No one could learn this song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 They have kept themselves as pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special offering to God and to the Lamb. 5 They have told no lies; they are without blame.

Whether the Mount Zion, where the Lamb is seen standing with the 144,000, is earthly or heavenly is debated. There is a clue in verse 3 where it says, who have been redeemed from the earth.

The fact that the number of those redeemed is the same as the number of those sealed in chapter seven serves to assure that all those upon whom God has placed his seal will ultimately be saved.

In contrast to those who bore the name of the beast on their foreheads, these have the Father’s name upon theirs, signifying their allegiance to God rather than to the beast.

Think for a moment about the 666 symbol that everyone tries to match up with things such as Social Security cards, identification implants, or some special tattoo. I wonder what the Father’s name on a forehead looks like? A hat with Jesus embroidered on it, maybe a God’s Word memory chip inserted into your brain, or it could be a 777 tattoo or a Christian fish logo on your sweatband.

I happen to believe that these markings are marks on your mind and hands to symbolize what you think and do. They may be invisible to the physical eye but they are so visible to God that its as clear as a neon sign hanging on your forehead.
The new song is the song of New Testament redemption, we can compare this with the song of Moses’ in Exodus 15 which celebrated the Israelites redemption from bondage in Egypt. The phrase no one could learn this song except, tells us that only the redeemed can learn and know this song.

The position of virginity, as applied to the church, is spiritual and not physical in meaning. The redeemed have not participated in the fornication of idolatry. They might have before their salvation but once forgiven the sin was also forgotten

The 144,000 or the redeemed are said to be a special offering to God and to the Lamb. This represents the first fruits which are set apart as an offering to the Lord. The remainder of the harvest will be prepared for the final judgment.

Revelation 14:6-7
The Three Angels
6 And I saw another to proclaim to the people who belong to this world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7 “Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.”

The angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News, is not a literal angel, but a symbol for a general concept. Some think that the gospel here referred to is not the gospel so often spoken of in the New Testament, but “a call to the earth’s inhabitants to awake to the reality of God’s rule before it is too late”. Another writes: “This gospel was not the gospel of salvation. It was a pronouncement that the hour of God’s judgment had come.”

Think for a moment, The 144,000 or the redeemed are presently singing their new song to the Lord. The angels message, even if it is the true gospel, is being spoken or announced to those who have denied it. It’s either a last chance or it’s a taunting statement to prove their denial.

Revelation 14:8

8 Then another angel followed him through the sky, shouting, “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen—because she made all the nations of the world drink the wine of her passionate immorality.”
Babylon should be recognized as a symbol for human society organized against God. The world system is the center of seduction. Man has been seduced by the world to trust in themselves and the system and deny or rebel against God.

Ancient Babylon was the center of idolatry, the occult, immorality, and rebellion against God. It thus became a fitting symbol for the rebellious world system, which in every age opposes God’s kingdom, but which is already judged and fallen, so far as God’s eternal perspective is concerned.

The expression the wine of her passionate immorality refers to the seductive nature of the world. This seductive harlot has draw man to become drunk on her wine of rebellion against God. She has so desensitized the mind of man that he believes what he’s doing is right and good all the while he is living in total and complete rebellion against God.
Judgment ha come and the world system has fallen. Man will now have to sober up and realize that all they have denied is true.

Revelation 14:9-11

9 Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand 10 must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.”

This is a vivid picture. God is no longer holding back His judgment. Those who have denied and rebelled are about to be served up God’s wrath in full strength.

As we live here on earth at this present time we se that God’s judgment is being poured out in moderation. It is being diluted with grace and mercy. That is why we see God’s judgments poured out on portions but not all.

This is about to change. God is finished redeeming and is now going to judge fully and completely those who remain unrepentant.

Revelation 14:12

12 This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.

We are now up against a very difficult verse to digest. As we, the Christians, who trust in, believe in, rely upon, place our faith in, and cling to God, His Word and His Savior, we must endure patiently our persecutions because God is going to even the score in the end.

This is also why we pray for our enemies and persecutors. The unbelievers and those who deny Christ are in for the surprise of their life. They are blind to the reality of that which is coming. They are drunk on the wine of the world. They have no clue that God’s wrathful judgment is a reality. We do know this. It’s our position to have compassion and even pity on those who have not and will not come to Christ.

Revelation 14:13

13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”

The time frame of this statement is crucial. I believe the statement from now on stands or the church age as a whole. Those who have come to believe in Jesus Christ and die during the church age will be blessed. Those who do not know the Lord are in for a horrible reality.

Revelation 14:14-20
The Harvest of the Earth
14 Then I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was someone like the Son of Man. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
15 Then another angel came from the Temple and shouted to the one sitting on the cloud, “Swing the sickle, for the time of harvest has come; the crop on earth is ripe.” 16 So the one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the whole earth was harvested.
17 After that, another angel came from the Temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. 18 Then another angel, who had power to destroy with fire, came from the altar. He shouted to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sickle now to gather the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for they are ripe for judgment.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and loaded the grapes into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 The grapes were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress in a stream about 180 miles long and as high as a horse’s bridle.

Here we are at the end of another of the short stories that makes up the whole of the Book of Revelation.

Here we see the church raptured and the remainder of the people gathered for the judgment.

This is why I do not believe in the pre-millennial rapture and the thousand year earthly reign of Christ.

Christ reigns right now. His plan is being worked out before us right now. The day Jesus returns is the day of the final event. The judgment throne will be sat in place. The Judge will sit upon it. The first harvest will be saved into Christ’s Kingdom and the second harvest will be trampled in the winepress of God’s wrath forever.

The separation is complete. God has used the world as His judgment sickle. People have either come by faith to Christ or they have trusted in the Babylonian system of the world. God knows the truth of the hearts of mankind. There is nothing He does not know. He has given man time to turn from their ways and turn to Him. He has slowly poured out His judgments to divide people.

Why is it that the same tragic situation drives one person to repent and live while another person curses God and dies?

It’s a matter of the heart. It’s a matter of the make up of the inner person.

I am a minister of God’s Word. I realize what is happening around us. I cannot save the world. I know people who are dying and destained for a reality that they never dreamed was true. I don’t want anyone to go to hell. I don’t want anyone to be lost. The reality is, thousands are leaving this earth everyday without a clue as to what they are going to be faced with.

Many people who claim to be Christians, many church going individuals, really don’t know Jesus Christ.

Far too many people have been old a lie. They Have believed in a false God or a Jesus that does not save. The true Jesus is calling people to salvation from their sin, this world, and the deception of the devil.

Christianity is not a nice wonderful way to live life. Its not a pathway to comfort in this world. Christianity is hard because you know the truth. You know what is going on. you know the end result. You have been called out of the world even thogh you are still in it. You have been given the secrets of the Kingdom. What are you going to do with all you have been given?

Revelation 14:14-20

14 Then I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was someone like the Son of Man. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
15 Then another angel came from the Temple and shouted to the one sitting on the cloud, “Swing the sickle, for the time of harvest has come; the crop on earth is ripe.” 16 So the one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the whole earth was harvested.
17 After that, another angel came from the Temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. 18 Then another angel, who had power to destroy with fire, came from the altar. He shouted to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sickle now to gather the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for they are ripe for judgment.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and loaded the grapes into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 The grapes were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress in a stream about 180 miles long and as high as a horse’s bridle.

I have been asked, “Why would you leave a prosperous career in the world of golf o go into ministry? “
The answer speaks for itself. I have been given an understanding of the Revelation. I know what is happening and what is going to happen. I love people and they need to know. I am just following the instructions I have been given. Jesus said, “Tell them about me.”

We are not yet finished with the Revelation. But if you are feeling compelled to turn from your way and follow the way of the Lord, today would be a great day to come to this altar and asked the Lord to forgive you for not knowing.

Jesus prayed to His father in heaven, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what their doing.” You now know. As this series continues you will know even more. It’s time to be separated out. it’s time to turn away from the world and cling to the Lord and His salvation.

Let us Pray!

Revelation 25:

We left the book of Revelation four weeks ago. We have celebrated Passover from Palm Sunday through Easter since we were last in the Revelation. Time flies when you’re busy and the last few weeks have flown by.

We also have a tendency to forget. So lets do a real quick overview to get us back up to where we are going to restart the Revelation.

We must remember that this is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The Revelation was give to John for all the churches of Asia Minor in the latter part of the first century.

This book is a blessing to the reader as well as the hearer.

The first and most important point I want to make is Jesus Christ is risen and ascended and is in heaven. He shows Himself to John in all His glory. He assures John that He is the Lord, King, and First in everything. He also let’s John know that He is the last in everything as He holds the keys to death and the grave.

We walked through all seven of the churches of Asia Minor with the tour being led by the Head of the church. Jesus knows everything about every church and everyone in His church. His job in the lamp stand room is to tend to the churches keeping their light burning pure and bright. He also continues to call the churches to repentance so that He won’t have to cut their wick off completely.

After our tour of the churches we were invited up into the very throne room of God. This could also be called the war room of the Commander and Chief of the universe.

Low and behold we see that Jesus the slaughtered Lamb has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. He has won the victory over the world. He is about to show John what must soon take place.

The picture is an awesome sight. This is an unimaginable sight to us who dwell on the earth. We may believe in God and trust that Jesus died for our sins but do we believe the awesome Revelation being show to John from heaven?
Now that Jesus is in the throne room He has been found worthy as the slaughtered Lamb, that won the victory, to become the Lion who came out of the tribe of Judah and will now be given the eternal throne of David to rule until all things have been brought under His authority.

The Scroll of God’s plan to redeem the world is handed to Jesus for it’s unveiling.

The seals begin to break open and we are made aware of what is happening on the earth.

1 Corinthians 2:7-8

7 No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

If the rulers of this world would have known what was about to take place they would have never crucified Jesus. Our sin killed the Lord of Glory and He is now going to pour his judgment out on the world.

We have walked through the breaking of all seven seals and watched the scroll be unraveled.

As the scroll was un raveled we watched the angels blow their seven trumpets and the level of intensity was turned up on the judgment.

As we neared the end of the trumpet judgments we saw the beasts of political power and false religion rising to persecute the true church of Jesus Christ.

We were made aware of the significance of the mark of the beast. The 666 being the number of man. A number representing purpose, security and responsibility outside of Jesus Christ.

There was a great war in heaven and Satan and all his fallen angels were thrown down to the earth to wage war against all those who had not received the mark of God upon their foreheads.
Anyone who would not repent and turn from their sin and turn to the Lord were now being prepared to have the full strength of God’s wrath poured upon them.

There would be torment without relief.

There was an announcement made that proclaimed that all who died in the Lord from now on would be blessed.

Then an angel appeared with a sharp sickle in his hand. This sickle was swung and all of God’s children were harvested from the earth.

Then another angel appeared with a sickle to harvest the grapes of wrath and load them into God’s winepress of judgment where they would be trampled outside the city of God.

This is were we ended our last section on the book of Revelation. Today we are going to look at chapter 15.

Chapter 15 offers us a celebration in heaven.

This is the forth of what will be seven pictures of the celebration

The first was in Chapter 7 verses 9-10

9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a mighty shout,
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”

The second was in Chapter 11 verses 15-18

15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven:
“The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
and he will reign forever and ever.”
16 The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him. 17 And they said,
“We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty,
the one who is and who always was,
for now you have assumed your great power
and have begun to reign.
18 The nations were filled with wrath,
but now the time of your wrath has come.
It is time to judge the dead
and reward your servants the prophets,
as well as your holy people,
and all who fear your name,
from the least to the greatest.
It is time to destroy
all who have caused destruction on the earth.”

The third was in Chapter 14 verses 3-5

3 This great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. No one could learn this song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 They have kept themselves as pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special offering to God and to the Lamb. 5 They have told no lies; they are without blame.

Let’s now look at Revelation Chapter 15…

Revelation 15:1-2

Then I saw in heaven another marvelous event of great significance. Seven angels were holding the seven last plagues, which would bring God’s wrath to completion. 2 I saw before me what seemed to be a glass sea mixed with fire. And on it stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name. They were all holding harps that God had given them.

If there is a rapture it has now taken place. All the people who have won the victory are now in heaven. “And on it stood all the people who had been victorious” The symbolizes that fact that this short story starts at the end..

This story is much more concentrated on the final judgment. The church ,the people of God, the 144,000, the saint, the redeemed, those who have won the victory are now before the throne serving God with the harps he has given them.
Revelation 15:3-4

3 And they were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God, the Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations.
4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed.”

I want everyone to catch the words of this song: Great, marvelous, just, true, holy, righteous, worship, glorify, God, Lamb, Lord, Almighty, King.

This is the song that only the redeemed can learn and sing. If you have not come to believe in the Lord you will not be able to sing this song. You may be able to recite the words and hold a musical tune while doing it, but to sing this song is to be the instrument which it flows from. You, your life, your destiny sings out the song of the Lamb. “Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God, the Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations. 4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed.”

I would like to review for just a moment before we go forward. The song says, “all nations will come and worship”. This is show too us through the Scriptures.

Isaiah 45:23

23 I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to me.”

Romans 14:10b-11

Philippians 2:9-11

This is the ultimate end but before we can get there God must play the game of mercy and bring mankind to his knees.

Revelation 15:5-8
The Seven Bowls of the Seven Plagues
5 Then I looked and saw that the Temple in heaven, God’s Tabernacle, was thrown wide open. 6 The seven angels who were holding the seven plagues came out of the Temple. They were clothed in spotless white linen with gold sashes across their chests. 7 Then one of the four living beings handed each of the seven angels a gold bowl filled with the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. 8 The Temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and power. No one could enter the Temple until the seven angels had completed pouring out the seven plagues.

Since this is a short chapter I would like to take some time and expand on these four verses. I believe it will help us through the rest of this concluding section of the Revelation.

5 Then I looked and saw that the Temple in heaven,

This temple is present right now. The saints are not yet allowed in. When the final Judgment is complete there will no longer be a Temple because God’s home will be among His people. There will no longer be a Temple because God and the Lamb will be the temple. We will see this in Chapter 21. But for now God is still in His temple completing the work of Judgment. Redemption has been completed. All those who have overcome are in heaven waiting for God to make His home among the redeemed. But first he had to complete the judgment.

God’s Tabernacle, was thrown wide open.
I think this is a picture of no holds barred. Everything was now going to be completed.

6 The seven angels who were holding the seven plagues came out of the Temple.

The final judgment was now going to be released. Everything God had held back was now able to be sent forth because all the saints had been harvested from the earth. The only people remaining were those who would not believe.

They were clothed in spotless white linen with gold sashes across their chests.

If you remember way back Jesus was dressed in a white robe and had a gold sash when he was tending to the lampstands. I would have to say that these must be the highest of the angels of heaven that are now going to tend to the remainder of the people who would not believe.

7 Then one of the four living beings handed each of the seven angels a gold bowl filled with the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.

Seven bowls filled with the final plagues that represent the final judgment of God.

8 The Temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and power.

Exodus 19:16-25

16 On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. 17 Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the LORD had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. 19 As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply. 20 The LORD came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses climbed the mountain.
21 Then the LORD told Moses, “Go back down and warn the people not to break through the boundaries to see the LORD, or they will die. 22 Even the priests who regularly come near to the LORD must purify themselves so that the LORD does not break out and destroy them.”
You already warned us. You told me, ‘Mark off a boundary all around the mountain to set it apart as holy.’ ”
24 But the LORD said, “Go down and bring Aaron back up with you. In the meantime, do not let the priests or the people break through to approach the LORD, or he will break out and destroy them.”
25 So Moses went down to the people and told them what the LORD had said.

No one could enter the Temple until the seven angels had completed pouring out the seven plagues.

The Lord God and His Christ were in the Temple. The plagues were going to be poured out on unbelieving humanity. Death and destruction was going to be completed. All flesh would now be put down. Once all humanity was bodily dead the final judgment of the souls and spirits could begin.

Next week we will move through the seven bowls of the final plagues.

Are you ready to submit to the Lord and escape judgment?

Let us Pray!

Revelation 26:

Revelation 16:1-2

Then I heard a mighty voice from the Temple say to the seven angels, “Go your ways and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God’s wrath.” 2 So the first angel left the Temple and poured out his bowl on the earth, and horrible, malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue.

Since no one was able to enter the temple until the seven bowls were poured out, it must be that the voice from the temple giving orders to the seven angels is that of God Himself. Like the seven trumpets that sounded earlier, these bowls resemble the plagues of Egypt, reminding the reader that the evil world under Satan’s dominion resembles the Pharaoh’s oppressive reign, from which God’s people have been delivered. It has often been pointed out that the domains affected by the numbered trumpets and their corresponding bowls are the same. The obvious difference is that each of the trumpets adversely affected only a third of whatever domain they touched, whereas the bowls produce utter and total ruin. This shows that the trumpets were God’s warnings and the bowls were the completion of God‘s judgment.

The plagues poured out of the Bowls are total, because the opportunity for repentance has gone. . .These are no longer warnings but the punishments of judgment. The trumpet warnings brought people to repentance. The bowls cut people off from salvation. I believe the trumpets were man’s last chance to turn to the Lord. The bowl judgments will show us that some people will never repent and turn to the Lord for mercy..
The sores may not have been literal sores. It’s possible that this represents a form of external discomfort or an external pain that cannot be relieved which arises from all the tragic surroundings.

Revelation 16:3

3 Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse. And everything in the sea died.
As the second trumpet affected the sea in Revelation 8:8, so also this bowl is poured out on the sea, resulting in the total putrefaction of that body of water. Pointing out that the first beast also arose from “the sea,” some suggest that the sea may symbolize all of humanity. In this view, the vision “brings into focus the utter putrefaction of a dead society.” The entire human population was dead or not re-born or un-regenerate.

Revelation 16:4-7

4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs, and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel who had authority over all water saying, “You are just, O Holy One, who is and who always was, because you have sent these judgments. 6 Since they shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, you have given them blood to drink. It is their just reward.” 7 And I heard a voice from the altar, saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, your judgments are true and just.”

I am going to sway away from the normal understanding here. I believe that this judgment has to do with the inability of the non-repentant to satisfy their thirst.

They have won their victory over the church. There is no longer any saints or church to fight against. All they have now is a realization of the truth of Jesus as Lord and Judge. They have a great thirst for relief but it’s too late.

The altar cries out and the bowl judgments are the final answer to the prayers of the saints. They bring on the unrelenting vengeance of the Lord upon the unrepentant.

Revelation 16:8-9

8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, causing it to scorch everyone with its fire. 9 Everyone was burned by this blast of heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had control over all these plagues. They did not repent of their sins and turn to God and give him glory.
As we are looking at these plagues you have to remember the saints are not present. These are the first steps of an eternal hell. The first plague was external unbearable pain, the second was a very sickening dead society. The third was the thirst for something when you finally realize you need it, The fourth is the burning sensation that comes from the intense heat of anger, rage and hatred, that goes with the inability to turn from a direction you chose when you realize you were wrong. So instead of repenting they bitterly blasphemed the Lord.
Revelation 16:10-11

10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. His subjects ground their teeth in anguish, 11 and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to God.

What was left of humanity was now plunged into darkness. There was gnashing of the teeth, anguish, pain, but still and inability to repent. Could you imagine what an unrepentant, God hating society would look like if angry?

Revelation 16:12-16

12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the kings from the east could march their armies toward the west without hindrance. 13 And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. 14 They are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to all the rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty.
15 “Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”
16 And the demonic spirits gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place with the Hebrew name Armageddon.

The drying up of the Euphrates River show us that there is no longer an obstruction between the demons and the sea of unrepentant humans. They are going to join together and go out to war against the Lord.

The lord’s words here are a reminder. I told you I was coming and to get prepared. You were not willing to come to me for the forgiveness of sin and turn from your evil ways. Now I am here and you are not ready. Now you want to fight against me and you have no power over me. Punishment is all that is left.

Revelation 16:17-21

17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a mighty shout came from the throne in the Temple, saying, “It is finished!” 18 Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightning flashed. And a great earthquake struck—the worst since people were placed on the earth. 19 The great city of Babylon split into three sections, and the cities of many nations fell into heaps of rubble. So God remembered all of Babylon’s sins, and he made her drink the cup that was filled with the wine of his fierce wrath. 20 And every island disappeared, and all the mountains were leveled. 21 There was a terrible hailstorm, and hailstones weighing seventy-five pounds fell from the sky onto the people below. They cursed God because of the terrible plague of the hailstorm.

Most of the results of this bowl are described as affecting the earth, the bowl itself is poured out into the air. The air here could be symbolic of the realm of Satan’s power, who is called “the prince of the power of the air”. Satan’s realm is shaken and everything that remained in the world was beginning to cave in.

It is finished! means that the series of plagues is completed and the judgment of God upon His enemies has reached its final manifestation. The repeated phenomena of noises and thunderings and lightnings were first found proceeding from the throne of God at Revelation 4:5. They were repeated in 8:5, where they were joined by an earthquake. At 11:19, the same phenomena, including the earthquake, were repeated, with “great hail” added to the list. In the present passage we find the final occurrence of these phenomena—noises, thunderings, lightnings, earthquake and great hail—but special emphasis is placed on the magnitude of the earthquake and on the size of the hailstones.

The great earthquake … such as had not occurred since men were on the earth actually is described as destroying the cities of many nations and removing every island and mountain. With the world totally thrashed the was no fortress of the antichristian empire any where and no one escaped the destructive final wrath.

Hebrews 12:25-29

25 Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! 26 When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” 27 This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.
28 Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. 29 For our God is a devouring fire.

The passage tells us, So God remembered all of Babylon’s sins, and he made her drink the cup that was filled with the wine of his fierce wrath.

Here we see what is happening on this earth. As the years pass the intensity of the judgment increases. We do not see the increased intensity because we are here for a short time and we acclimate ourselves to our surroundings on a daily basis.

Could you imagine, to borrow from Rip Van Winkle, falling asleep forty years ago and waking up today? The falling away from the church, the corruption in government and business, the loss of a moral compass, the increase of public vulgarity. You can’t see this as clearly daily as you can over a long period of time.

God is swinging his sickle and taking the believers into His Kingdom. The unbelievers and unrepentant seem to be winning the day. I would suggest that they wake up before it’s too late.

Matthew 12:30

30 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.

Let us Pray!

Revelation 27:

Today’s message begins a set of concluding or summary statements. These final messages are the final reality of nation’s and people, Satan and demons, the old order of things and the beginning of the new, and the eternal victory with man and God reconciled.

Today’s message is going to be difficult. For those who love our nation and our government, for those who pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, For those who have or are serving in our military, This is going to be a confusing message.

I do not want anyone to be confused. Governments were given by God for the people. Governments were established to restrain evil and defend nations of people. They were to have leaders, legislators and judges. So governments are good and they serve a Godly purpose.

What happens when the government begins to serve itself? What happens when the leaders become more interested in their own power than the good of the people? What happens when the judges determine law based on personal preference instead of a higher standard? What happens when leaders begin to see themselves as gods or divinity, well above the law, instead of servants of the people? What happens when the government begins to control thought instead of engage in true debate? What happens when the government turns evil?

Jeremiah 17:9-10

9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? 10 But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”

What was intended for the good of man can by man be turned into evil. Satan desires to use man’s pride and intellect, his desire for power and personal progress, and his lust for pleasure and stimulation to destroy what was intended for the good of people.

We are about to see how Satan can infiltrate, through man, an institution raised up by God and turn it from a position of God serving to a secular organization bent on self-indulgence and ultimately and anti-Christ movement in the world.

Revelation 17:1-6

One of the seven angels who had poured out the seven bowls came over and spoke to me. “Come with me,” he said, “and I will show you the judgment that is going to come on the great prostitute, who rules over many waters. 2 The kings of the world have committed adultery with her, and the people who belong to this world have been made drunk by the wine of her immorality.”
3 So the angel took me in the Spirit into the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that had seven heads and ten horns, and blasphemies against God were written all over it. 4 The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing and beautiful jewelry made of gold and precious gems and pearls. In her hand she held a gold goblet full of obscenities and the impurities of her immorality. 5 A mysterious name was written on her forehead: “Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World.” 6 I could see that she was drunk—drunk with the blood of God’s holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her in complete amazement.

The announcement of the judgment of the prostitute must have taken John by surprise, since no mention has previously been made even of her existence. Her position as ruler over many waters represent “peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues”.

The adultery or fornication committed by the kings of the world refers to their worship of her position of power along with her vices and idolatries. In other words, the kings of the world were willing to bow down to the prostitute on the beast for the attainment of power and position over the people as well as personal pleasure that comes with such attainment. The prostitute here is Satan’s bait. Nobody would follow Satan if they saw him for who he really is. So Satan seduces us with what we believe we desire.

2 Corinthians 11:14

14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Matthew 4:8-10

8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.’”

In order to view the spectacle of the harlot’s judgment, John is transported to the wilderness or a desert place. The wilderness is where the Christian can view civilization clearly as it really is. From the wilderness John could see the position of bondage people were under via the governing powers.

Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness being tempted by Jesus. During those forty days Jesus was totally and completely dependant upon God the Father. He was able to stand against the devil Because of His focus on God and His Word.

The woman is seen as sitting on a scarlet beast, which is apparently the same as the beast from the sea that was described in chapter 13:1 “Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. And written on each head were names that blasphemed God.” Along with the harlot’s position and gaudy attire, her most interesting feature is that on her forehead a name was written identifying her with Babylon, “Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World.”

Genesis 11:1-6

At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. 2 As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there.
3 They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) 4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”
5 But the LORD came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. 6 “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!
There should be little if no doubt that the Babylon of this section describes Rome in the first century; and Rome is symbolic for the great world city of lust and seduction throughout the church age. Unless we see Rome as symbolic of all governing powers set up against God, we will miss John’s full message.

It can be said that Rome, under several of its emperors, became drunk with the blood of the saints and … of the martyrs of Jesus. This is also true of world governments throughout history. John’s amazement at the sight of the woman was surprising because he expected to see the announced judgment of the great prostitute, what he was show at first was the prostitutes beauty, power and seductive nature.

Revelation 17:7-11

7 “Why are you so amazed?” the angel asked. “I will tell you the mystery of this woman and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns on which she sits. 8 The beast you saw was once alive but isn’t now. And yet he will soon come up out of the bottomless pit and go to eternal destruction. And the people who belong to this world, whose names were not written in the Book of Life before the world was made, will be amazed at the reappearance of this beast who had died.
9 “This calls for a mind with understanding: The seven heads of the beast represent the seven hills where the woman rules. They also represent seven kings. 10 Five kings have already fallen, the sixth now reigns, and the seventh is yet to come, but his reign will be brief.
11 “The scarlet beast that was, but is no longer, is the eighth king. He is like the other seven, and he, too, is headed for destruction.

Some believe the beast is described to be Nero, who has become a symbol of the Antichrist. The seven heads are seven mountains —usually identified with Rome, but believed by many to extend by interpretation to the various world empires which have each been “peaks” in their respective periods. Others who see the beast as the embodiment of the antiGod spirit of secular power, have suggested that the seven heads have a twofold symbolical significance. They indicate both the present embodiment of the beast [Rome in John’s day] and all of its embodiments throughout history.

In the ages-long history of the beast, five of its heads (kingdoms) have already fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come (v. 10). The fallen empires, in John’s day were Ancient Babylonia, Assyria, New Babylonia, Medo-Persia, and Greco-Macedonia. The one not yet fallen, of course, was Rome. As for the seventh, it is speculated that it may be the collective title for all anti-Christian governments from the fall of Rome until the final empire of Antichrist, which is the eighth.

Concerning the eighth being of the seven some think that the beast is a total embodiment of the anti-Christ spirit. Not a single leader but a world ordered against Christ.

When you really look at what is going on in our world, you will see that the war is all about self-power. It’s a war not against each other or against other nations. The war is a rebellion against God, His Christ, and His eternal authority.

Revelation 17:12-18

12 The ten horns of the beast are ten kings who have not yet risen to power. They will be appointed to their kingdoms for one brief moment to reign with the beast. 13 They will all agree to give him their power and authority. 14 Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him.”
15 Then the angel said to me, “The waters where the prostitute is ruling represent masses of people of every nation and language. 16 The scarlet beast and his ten horns all hate the prostitute. They will strip her naked, eat her flesh, and burn her remains with fire. 17 For God has put a plan into their minds, a plan that will carry out his purposes. They will agree to give their authority to the scarlet beast, and so the words of God will be fulfilled. 18 And this woman you saw in your vision represents the great city that rules over the kings of the world.”

What we are seeing here is the sovereignty of the Lord. The Lord has allowed the beast to rise up. He has allowed the prostitute to deceive the kings. Now He is going to turn the kings against the prostitute and they will give their power to the beast. Through this transition of events they will feel as though they rule the world. Then the Lord will turn against them in judgment and destroy them Himself.
Isaiah 10:12-27

12 After the Lord has used the king of Assyria to accomplish his purposes on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, he will turn against the king of Assyria and punish him—for he is proud and arrogant. 13 He boasts, “By my own powerful arm I have done this. With my own shrewd wisdom I planned it. I have broken down the defenses of nations and carried off their treasures. I have knocked down their kings like a bull. 14 I have robbed their nests of riches and gathered up kingdoms as a farmer gathers eggs. No one can even flap a wing against me or utter a peep of protest.”

15 But can the ax boast greater power than the person who uses it? Is the saw greater than the person who saws? Can a rod strike unless a hand moves it? Can a wooden cane walk by itself? 16 Therefore, the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, will send a plague among Assyria’s proud troops, and a flaming fire will consume its glory.

17 The LORD, the Light of Israel, will be a fire; the Holy One will be a flame. He will devour the thorns and briers with fire, burning up the enemy in a single night. 18 The LORD will consume Assyria’s glory like a fire consumes a forest in a fruitful land; it will waste away like sick people in a plague. 19 Of all that glorious forest, only a few trees will survive— so few that a child could count them!

Hope for the LORD’s People
20 In that day the remnant left in Israel, the survivors in the house of Jacob, will no longer depend on allies who seek to destroy them. But they will faithfully trust the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. 21 A remnant will return; yes, the remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God. 22 But though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the seashore, only a remnant of them will return. The LORD has rightly decided to destroy his people. 23 Yes, the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, has already decided to destroy the entire land.

24 So this is what the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, says: “O my people in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians when they oppress you with rod and club as the Egyptians did long ago. 25 In a little while my anger against you will end, and then my anger will rise up to destroy them.” 26 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies will lash them with his whip, as he did when Gideon triumphed over the Midianites at the rock of Oreb, or when the LORD’s staff was raised to drown the Egyptian army in the sea. 27 In that day the LORD will end the bondage of his people. He will break the yoke of slavery and lift it from their shoulders.

The yoke has been lifted. God’s people have been released from the bondage. The Lord has gathered His nation and is destroying His enemies. The Lord is bringing all things under His authority.

The battle and rebellion of false religion, governing powers, individual unbelief, is all coming to nothing. God is putting under His feet everything that is setting itself up against His Christ and His way of reconciliation.

Jesus is King of kings, Lord of lords, Messiah to the Jews, Savior to the Gentiles, He is the Christ of God, and He is the embodiment of the Creator God that came into the world to be the Word that became flesh to dwell among us.

The governing and religious orders of the first century killed Jesus. God raised Him back to life and set Him up as the eternal judge of all. Every age after continues to try to kill Jesus. The way of natural man is anti-Christ, the way of God is through Christ.

You have been time to make your choice.

Joshua 24:14-15

14 “So fear the LORD and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD alone. 15 But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.”

Whom will you serve?

Let us Pray!

Revelation 28:

Psalm 34:8-10

8 Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! 9 Fear the LORD, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need. 10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing.

As we begin today we need to see that the people of the Lord, those who have placed their faith, trust and belief in the Lord will lack nothing that is eternally good.

Revelation 18:1-3

After all this I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splendor. 2 He gave a mighty shout:
“Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul and dreadful animal.
3 For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her passionate immorality. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her. Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich.”
The angel who here announces the fall of Babylon seems to have not only great authority, but also a mighty radiance, for the earth grew bright with his splendor.

Matthew 28:2-3
2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow.
The angelic have a way of getting attention when they come into our world. The angel that announced Jesus resurrection shone like lightning. The angel in Revelation 18 illuminated the earth with His presence.
I started this morning with a passage from Psalm 34 so we could understand the difference between what the world has to offer and what the Lord offers.
The world offers great things. You can grow rich in the world and even attain some very extravagant luxuries. But what the world offers pales in comparison to the illuminating splendor and glory the heavenly realm has to offer.
The world was a real dark place by this time in the Revelation. Babylon the great or the world system has crashed. What has happened to the world’s offer of splendor, luxuries, riches, wealth, power, prestige, position, it’s all come to nothing. Why? Once the system is taken down there is no longer a measuring rod. The only measuring rod that now exists is the Lord’s.

Babylon has become a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul and dreadful animal. The picture we have before us stands in contrast to the holy city into which nothing unclean or abominable shall enter.

Now the kings of the world and the merchants of the world have joined together with the world’s prostitute which has made them rich according to the world‘s standard. But we now see that the world‘s standard has fallen. All that is left is the standard of the Lord.

The thought process now would be, woe to you who are left to face the reality of Jesus truth.

Revelation 18:4-8

4 Then I heard another voice calling from heaven, “Come away from her, my people. Do not take part in her sins, or you will be punished with her. 5 For her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God remembers her evil deeds. 6 Do to her as she has done to others. Double her penalty for all her evil deeds. She brewed a cup of terror for others, so brew twice as much for her. 7 She glorified herself and lived in luxury, so match it now with torment and sorrow. She boasted in her heart, ‘I am queen on my throne. I am no helpless widow, and I have no reason to mourn.’ 8 Therefore, these plagues will overtake her in a single day—death and mourning and famine. She will be completely consumed by fire, for the Lord God who judges her is mighty.”
How would you like to live for all eternity knowing that what you believed in, what you held to, what you measured success by, what you worked so hard for was an absolute waste of time and gained you nothing in the eyes of the Lord?
The way of the world seems attractive when you living in the world. But when the world is no longer and all you have left is yourself before the Lord, How then will you measure yourself?

The warning goes out to God’s people regarding the doomed city to “Come away from her, my people. Do not take part in her sins, or you will be punished with her”. This is a call or God’s people to live differently. We are called to separate ourselves from the idolatry and other evils of the world.

In the world we are constantly being drawn, persuaded, and even seduced into following the ways of the world. Like the tower of Babel we talked about last week, the world desires to build their own way to God. Usually upon personal accomplishments and ways that seem right to man.

Isaiah 47:10-14

10 You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’ 11 Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you. 12 “Keep on, then, with your magic spells
and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror. 13 All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. 14 Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame. Here are no coals to warm anyone; here is no fire to sit by. 15 That is all they can do for you— these you have labored with and trafficked with since childhood. Each of them goes on in his error; there is not one that can save you.

The world cannot save you it can only deceive you into trusting in it instead of trusting in the reality the Word of God. The system of the world is a system built on the foundation of time. What happens when time runs out? Where then will your foundation be established?

Revelation 18:9-24
And the kings of the world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains. 10 They will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will cry out,

“How terrible, how terrible for you, O Babylon, you great city!
In a single moment God’s judgment came on you.”
11 The merchants of the world will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods. 12 She bought great quantities of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; things made of fragrant thyine wood, ivory goods, and objects made of expensive wood; and bronze, iron, and marble. 13 She also bought cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, and bodies—that is, human slaves.

14 “The fancy things you loved so much are gone,” they cry.
“All your luxuries and splendor are gone forever, never to be yours again.”

15 The merchants who became wealthy by selling her these things will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will weep and cry out,

16 “How terrible, how terrible for that great city! She was clothed in finest purple and scarlet linens, decked out with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 In a single moment all the wealth of the city is gone!”

And all the captains of the merchant ships and their passengers and sailors and crews will stand at a distance. 18 They will cry out as they watch the smoke ascend, and they will say, “Where is there another city as great as this?” 19 And they will weep and throw dust on their heads to show their grief. And they will cry out,

“How terrible, how terrible for that great city! The shipowners became wealthy by transporting her great wealth on the seas. In a single moment it is all gone.”

20 Rejoice over her fate, O heaven and people of God and apostles and prophets! For at last God has judged her for your sakes.

21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a huge millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted,

“Just like this, the great city Babylon will be thrown down with violence
and will never be found again. 22 The sound of harps, singers, flutes, and trumpets will never be heard in you again. No craftsmen and no trades will ever be found in you again. The sound of the mill will never be heard in you again. 23 The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The happy voices of brides and grooms will never be heard in you again. For your merchants were the greatest in the world, and you deceived the nations with your sorceries. 24 In your streets flowed the blood of the prophets and of God’s holy people and the blood of people slaughtered all over the world.”

Here’s a difficult situation. We are called to,

Rejoice over her fate, O heaven and people of God and apostles and prophets! For at last God has judged her for your sakes.

Can you imagine rejoicing over the fall of the world’s system? This is the final judgment upon the unbeliever.

When Babylon perishes, the economic chaos is complete; the world of the unbeliever, on which he has pinned his hopes and built his trust, collapses!

So, Where does one turn when the foundation of his existence fails?

If the government failed, if the banks went broke, if the stock market collapsed, if the Social Security system went under, if you lost your job, if your foundation of belief was shaken today, Where would you turn?

Today is the day to put your trust in the Lord.

Let us Pray!

Revelation 29:

Over the last two weeks we witnessed the fall of the world system. We saw the Lord destroy the hope and faith of those who trusted in the world system. The Lord worked out His plan to bring people to confess that He truly is the Lord of lords and the King of kings.

This week we are going to join the celebrating crowd in heaven as they worship the Lord and His victory.

Revelation 19:1-9

After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting,
“Praise the LORD! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. 2 His judgments are true and just. He has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the murder of his servants.”

3 And again their voices rang out: “Praise the LORD! The smoke from that city ascends forever and ever!”

4 Then the twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried out, “Amen! Praise the LORD!”

5 And from the throne came a voice that said, “Praise our God, all his servants, all who fear him, from the least to the greatest.”

6 Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: “Praise the LORD! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. 8 She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.

9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”

Once again in the Book of Revelation, we have come to the end, when Christ returns. Once again we see the elders and a vast crowd praising the Lamb for His victory.

This short story is a little different than the others because it announced the wedding of the Lamb to His Bride the church.

1 Corinthians 11:2-4

2 For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. 3 But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. 4 You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.

Unlike the Apostle Paul’s concern in this passage, all that might divide the bride’s attention has been destroyed. All that is left is the Kingdom of God, the angels of God, God on the throne, and Christ with His pure bride which He has made holy.

Ephesians 5:25-27

25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.

Jeremiah 2:2-3

2 “Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the LORD says:
“I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago,
how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness.
3 In those days Israel was holy to the LORD, the first of his children. All who harmed his people were declared guilty, and disaster fell on them. I, the LORD, have spoken!”
1 John 3:1-3

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. 2 Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.

What we are seeing is the end result of the purifying work of Jesus to make for Himself a pure and undefiled bride. A bride that will be His wife forever. A bride that will submit to His Lordship and a bride that will be loved by a husband willing to submit Himself to her to make her to become holy and clean through His Word.

Ephesians 5:21-33

21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body.
31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Now that we know that we are the bride and we are also those invited to the feast let’s praise the Lord and move through the rest of this chapter.
Revelation 19:10

10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.”

The angel’s words of rebuke to John, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus.” raises the Christian to a mighty position.

1 Peter 2:9

9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

Before the end of what we know to be the realm of time we have been given a very high position. We are the one’s who hold the witness and testimony of Jesus Christ. If the people we know are to be saved from the wrath of the Lord it is the job of the priests to spread the Word or the Good News or the Gospel Message.

Revelation 19:11-16
The Rider on the White Horse
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. 12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. 15 From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. 16 On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

We are the holders of the truth of God’s Word We are responsible to speak out.
Revelation 19:17-21

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. 18 Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.”
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.

My friends, this is why we worship, praise, give thanks, and testify to the work of the Lord. We have been saved from the wrath to come. We have been chosen for this time in the world. We are the royal priests that are in the world to give witness to Jesus Christ.

When the war is over we will have a place at the table. We will be invited to the feast. We will be the Bride of Christ.

I know how difficult it is for many of you to grasp and believe your position. I know how hard it is for many of you to believe in the present and coming Kingdom of God. I know how hard it is for some of you to believe that you will sit at the table and eat with the King at the banquet.

I also know how hard it is for many of you to believe the war that is being waged in this world for the souls of man. It’s hard for you to believe that God is settling the score against the demonic realm and the unbelievers. It’s hard to comprehend that this whole world is set against God and His Christ while being totally bent on self- salvation.

Mark 8:34-38

34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? 37 Is anything worth more than your soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

We are getting real close to the end of the Revelation. All that is left is the reign of Christ, the defeat of Satan, the final judgment, the new beginning in the King’s kingdom, and the final call to come to those who thirst for the truth

Are you ready?

Let us Pray!

Revelation 30:

Today we are going to look at Chapter 20 of the book of Revelation. This is the chapter that we have, in the last couple of centuries, had to reinterpret and make it fit our time frame. What I mean is the first century Christian would have looked at this chapter going forward in time. We are looking at this chapter going back in time. The problem that is found in this chapter is the term “thousand years”.

For the first century Christian a thousand years would have been a great deal of time. For us, who live in the year 2006, a “thousand years” has been surpassed and unfulfilled. We in 2007 read the term “thousand years” looking back in time and figure that we’ve either missed something or the “thousand years” has not begun yet.

Let’s read Chapter 20.

Revelation 20:1-15

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years. 3 The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while.

4 Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their forehead or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

5 This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.) 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.
7 When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. 8 He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore. 9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them.

10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

11 And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. 12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. 14 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Before we get too deep into the chapter I want you to see something very clearly.

The Bible is so well written and even so well translated that what we are going to see should make sense.

Six times in chapter 20 the term “thousand years” is used. Three times it is used as “a thousand years” . Each time “a” is used it is looking forward in time. Three times it is used as “the thousand years” . Each time “the” is used it is looking backward in time.

Looking forward Satan is bound in chains for a thousand years

Looking backwards we see that Satan is bound until the thousand years were finished

Looking forward we see that the Christians reigned with Christ for a thousand years

Looking backwards we see that the non-Christians won’t come back to life until the thousand years have ended

Looking forward we see again that the Christians will reign with him a thousand years

Looking backward we see that it says, When the thousand years come to an end.
Here is what I would like to put forth. The thousand years, for the first century reader, is a long, yet unknown span of time forward throughout the church age. The first century Christian believed Jesus was coming soon. A thousand years would seem like an eternity to them.

We know that Jesus is coming soon yet we think we have forever because He has not returned for almost two thousand years. The long, yet unknown span of time backwards through the church age is yet to be totally revealed. We still need to be looking forward to Christ’s return as the first readers would have been.

We’re told in the Revelation, when the thousand years comes to an end the Christians will reign with Christ and Satan will be unbound so he can be thrown into the lake of fire.

We must not read this span of a thousand or the thousand years literally. It is symbolic of the church age. It was symbolic to the first century reader and it should be to us also.

Some teach that when you use a number before the terms, day, month, or year it should be read literally. There is not a number before the word year in this chapter. A thousand or the thousand is not the number one thousand. It is also not recorded as the number 1000 in the Greek text it is a or the thousand there also.

I hope you see that the text holds true from the Greek through the major translations of our day. It’s a thousand looking forward in time and the thousand looking back in time.

Now that you better understand the A-millennial or the no literal thousand year period position we can dissect the text.

Revelation 20:1-3

1 Corinthians 15:12-26

12 But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? 13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. 15 And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! 19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.
20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.
21 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. 22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. 23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.
24 After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. 25 For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. 26 And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.

At the cross everything changed. At the resurrection Death was defeated At the ascension the end had begun. What is the end? It is the destruction of all evil and the end of Satan’s reign on earth.

Matthew 12:29

29 For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.

Luke 11:21-22

21 For when a strong man like Satan is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe—22 until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings.

Colossians 2:14-15

14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

Hebrews 2:14-15

14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

Satan’s greatest power was now limited. Those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of their soul, for the forgiveness of their sin, for the redemption they could not afford to purchase themselves, had now overcome Satan an his greatest threat. Death was no longer the problem. How you faced death, with or without the knowledge of the Good News, was going to be the problem.

Revelation 20:4

Here we see the reality of what Jesus has accomplished, those in Christ are alive and reigning with Him in His Kingdom.
Revelation 20:5-6

This is difficult so think with me. Who will survive death? Those who overcome through Jesus Christ. Do you remember all the promises for those who overcome in chapters two and three?

They will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God

They will not be hurt by the second death.

The will eat the manna hidden away in heaven and they will receive a white stone with a new name.

They will be given authority to rule the nations, they will be given the same authority Jesus received from His Father and they will be given the morning star.

They will walk with Jesus in white, their names will never be erased from the Lambs book of life, and Jesus will announce them before His Father and the angels.

They will be pillars in God’s Temple, they will be citizens of the city of God, and they will have Jesus new name written on them.

They will sit with Him on His throne.

The reality is, we who believe will not die but be changed in the twinkling of an eye. We will be escorted to heaven by the angels and be given our rightful place due to the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf.

If we die before the end we will reign through the thousand years of the church age. If we survive till the end we will be harvested from the earth and raised to meet the Lord in the air when He comes in the clouds with the great multitude of witnesses.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.

Now that the Christians are all risen and with the Lord Satan and the remainder are ready to fight.

Revelation 20:7-10
7 When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. 8 He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore. 9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them.
10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

2 Thessalonians 1:5-10

5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
Once again we see that the Christians escape this final judgment. We see that those who believe and obey the Lord are saved from all that is coming upon the unbelievers and disobedient.
Revelation 20:11-15

Next week we will look at the positive side of the end. We will be looking at the New Heaven and the New Earth. But without a final judgment the new would not be as exciting. Everything is now going to be made right. The chaff has been gleaned off and burned. The goats have been sent to the fire. Now the sheep who know the Lord’s voice have been gathered for the future.

John 10:27-30

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”

Let us Pray!

Revelation 31:

Last week we ended with the final judgment. We saw the Satan, his demons, and all those whose names were not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life thrown into the lake of fire which is the second death.

This week we are going to see the final reality for the believer. We are going to take a look at the eternal home of those who have come to the Lord for salvation and who have obeyed His Word and commands.

Revelation 21:1-2

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

2 Peter 3:11-13

11 Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 12 looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.

Isaiah 65:17

“Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore.”

The phrase “the sea was also gone” is probably symbolic for the unbelieving people of the world. As you look back over the book you see that the word “sea” stands for people of the world. Now, if this term is symbolic, what about the New Heaven and the New Earth? The Lord is making all things new. Could He be making the old heaven and old earth new? Or is He truly bringing a New Heaven and New Earth to replace the old ones?
I don’t know how He’s going to make the old disappear and the new appear but I can’t tell you how He created the first set either.

What I know for sure is the old order of things is being made new. Jesus is making all things new again. The lives of His people and the heavens and the earth. The old has passed away and all things are being made new!

Revelation 21:3-4

3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

Leviticus 26:11-13

11 I will live among you, and I will not despise you. 12 I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high.

The Lord is the One who breaks our slavery to sin and this world when we allow ourselves to come to Him. Why do we hold on so tightly to the old order? Remember the freed Israelites desiring to go back to Egypt? They were accustom to the old ways. They would rather suffer in Egypt than be free to experience the Lord. I hope we are not that way. I hope we are prepared to experience the new Heaven and the new Earth where God can make His home with His people.

Revelation 21:5-7

5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.
Isaiah 66:22-24

22 “As surely as my new heavens and earth will remain, so will you always be my people, with a name that will never disappear,” says the LORD. 23 “All humanity will come to worship me from week to week and from month to month. 24 And as they go out, they will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me. For the worms that devour them will never die, and the fire that burns them will never go out. All who pass by will view them with utter horror.”

Revelation 21:8

8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

The Lord uses this opportunity to remind us once again of the reality of the second death. Many people believe that some preachers try to use fear tactics to scare people into heaven. I am not that way at all. I happen by one who likes to put the facts before a person and let them reason their way through the situation at hand. I don’t want anyone coming to the Lord due to fear. I want them coming by faith that is built upon the facts, truth and reality of what the Scriptures have to say. If the Scriptures plant some fear in your heart maybe it’s time to really trust the Lord for the salvation He offers.

The Lord doesn’t pull any punches. The Lord doesn’t want anyone to be surprised or uninformed. The Scriptures make the future reality very clear. I may not be able to explain it to its fullest reality but the written Word and the Word that became flesh do speak for themselves.

Revelation 21:9-10

9 Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
10 So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.
Let’s think real quick about the picture we have of the bride in contrast with the great prostitute. If you remember back in Revelation 17:3-6 it said,

3 So the angel took me in the Spirit into the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that had seven heads and ten horns, and blasphemies against God were written all over it. 4 The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing and beautiful jewelry made of gold and precious gems and pearls. In her hand she held a gold goblet full of obscenities and the impurities of her immorality. 5 A mysterious name was written on her forehead: “Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World.” 6 I could see that she was drunk—drunk with the blood of God’s holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her in complete amazement.

The difference we are seeing is the wilderness in contrast with a high mountain. We’re seeing the difference between a bride and a prostitute. We’re seeing the difference between holiness and obscene, impure, immorality.

So what does this holy bride look like?

Revelation 21:11-21

11 It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as crystal. 12 The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. 13 There were three gates on each side—east, north, south, and west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles. 17 Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (according to the human standard used by the angel).
18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. 19 The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.
21 The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.

This surpasses anything we can imagine. Before us is a picture of new earth. This new earth is nothing like the old earth. The new earth is comparable to precious stones, the finest jewels, purified metals, and the nicest linens.

Isaiah 54:11-12

11 “O storm-battered city, troubled and desolate! I will rebuild you with precious jewels and make your foundations from lapis lazuli. 12 I will make your towers of sparkling rubies, your gates of shining gems, and your walls of precious stones.

Lapis lazuli is a precious stone that is usually rich azure blue the color of a clear sky and is essentially a complex silicate which is a material that is incapable of being dissolved often with spangles or glittering objects of iron pyrites which have a shimmering brass yellow color.

As you can tell the picture is unimaginably beautiful.

Now before we get lost in the difference between the city and the bride we must understand that the bride is the city and the people who make up the city are one in Christ. There are no divisions everyone is united as a singularity in Christ. The city is whole in Christ.

1 Peter 2:1-9

4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.
5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 6 As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 7 Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him.
But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” 8 And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.
9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

Are you seeing it? We, the Christians, are the living stones that make up the temple and the city of God.

Revelation 21:22-27

22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. 24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. 25 Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. 26 And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. 27 Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Now John doesn’t see a temple. We this morning sit in a church and we can see the church building. But the reality is the church is actually you. Now the temple or place of worship is no longer seen because we are a single body that appears before God and His Lamb, united with him through the Spirit and the temple is not see because it is realized. What I mean is the bride and the Lamb have become one flesh. The body of Christ is complete and whole. All things have now been reconciled to God through Christ. We are all united as One entity and it is unbelievably wonderful.

Revelation 21:22-27

The illuminated reality of the Kingdom of God has been realized.

2 Corinthians 4:5-6

5 You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

It’s all about Jesus. He is the King. He is the Lord. He is the Savior. He is the Messiah. He is God. All things have been united in Him. We are here due to His work on our behalf. It’s all about Jesus.

What are you all about? Are you preparing yourself for the Kingdom of God or still trying to build your own kingdom.

John 14:1-3

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.

Let us Pray!

Revelation 32:

We’ve made it! We are ready for the final chapter of the book of Revelation!

Last week we saw the holy temple in heaven built with the living stones. We saw the body of Christ joined together as a single unit. We saw the Lamb and His bride united as one body. We are seeing the reality of the Christian mystery.

Ephesians 5:31-32

31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.

Galatians 3:26-29

26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

Colossians 3:11

11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

No more segregation, no more separation, no more doctrinal divisions, no more nationalities, no more chauvinism, no more feminism, no more economic dividers, we are all one in Christ Jesus!

The nations, the races, the languages, the sexes, the religions are all gone. All that matters is that Christ lives in us all and we are all united in Him.
One temple, one church, one synagogue, one place of worship, and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, and every eye will be fixed upon the King of kings and the Lord of lords, Jesus Christ.

Now that we know the wonderful mystery of Christian unity let’s finish the book of Revelation.

Revelation 22:1-2

Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.

I want to point out something very important before we go any farther. I want you to see this water of life that flows from the throne of God.

Revelation 21:5-7

John 4:10-15

10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
11 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? 12 And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”
13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
15 “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”
This story relates the water of life to eternal life. Eternal life comes from placing your faith and trust in God and His written Word as well as the Word that became flesh.

Ephesians 5:25-27

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

I hope you’re seeing a picture here. The water that flows from the thrown is God’s Word. It’s the Word that cleanses and purifies. It’s the Word that makes us right with God. It’s the Word that will last forever.

Revelation 22:17

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.

God’s Word is the water we need to drink and the Word we need to hear. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life. God’s Word swells up within us and works in us giving us eternal life.

Ezekiel 47:1-12

In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side. 2 The man brought me outside the wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the water flowing out through the south side of the east gateway.
3 Measuring as he went, he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet and then led me across. The water was up to my ankles. 4 He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. 5 Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through.
6 He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank. 7 When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river. 8 Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure. 9 There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows. 10 Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea. All the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim, the shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean. 11 But the marshes and swamps will not be purified; they will still be salty. 12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.”

I want you to notice the miraculous event here. The water of life became deeper the farther it flowed away from the Temple. This water of life doesn’t dry up and wither away. It actually grows as it flows. It builds us up as it moves through our system.

I know this doesn’t sound right but the picture we are seeing is of living water. Living water would be able to grow. Not everything in the Scriptures can be taken literally. It’s a word picture of the Water that flows from God and the Lamb. It is living water.

John 4:15

15 “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”

This life giving river of crystal clear water will be flowing directly from the throne of God and His Lamb. We will not need any of the filtration units that we have here. We can go directly to the throne and receive pure living water for all eternity.

Revelation 22:3-5

3 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. 4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.

Once again we see this mark of God upon the foreheads of His people. This is a word picture of what will be on our minds. We will be thankful for God and His Lamb, We will acknowledge and praise God and His Lamb. We will be willing to serve in any fashion God and His Lamb. The thought of God will be upon our minds all the time and the Lord will light our lives forever and ever.

Revelation 22:6-11

6 Then the angel said to me, “Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true. The Lord God, who inspires his prophets, has sent his angel to tell his servants what will happen soon.”

7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me. 9 But he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God!”

10 Then he instructed me, “Do not seal up the prophetic words in this book, for the time is near.

11 Let the one who is doing harm continue to do harm; let the one who is vile continue to be vile; let the one who is righteous continue to live righteously; let the one who is holy continue to be holy.”

I want to spend some time on verses 10 and 11.

We started with the water of life. We have determined that the water that gives life is the Word of God. Jesus says, Blessed are those who obey the words… The angel then tells John not to seal up the prophetic words.

Now we come to a statement in verse 10 that tells us, “Let the one who is doing harm continue to do harm; let the one who is vile continue to be vile; let the one who is righteous continue to live righteously; let the one who is holy continue to be holy.”

One would think that we should be trying to change those who are doing harm and those who are vile. We should be teaching and training them in the right ways to go.

1 Corinthians 14:24-25

24 But if all of you are prophesying, and unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your meeting, they will be convicted of sin and judged by what you say. 25 As they listen, their secret thoughts will be exposed, and they will fall to their knees and worship God, declaring, “God is truly here among you.”

We are to be speaking the Word of God. We are to be telling people about God through His Word. We are priests of God’s’ Word. We are those who know the truth of God’s Word. We are called to wield the sword of the Lord. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.

What is being said here is the Word of God is the tool by which man will be transformed and made new. We are not just teaching and training people to live right. We are to bring people to God through His Word and He will make them to become.

Jeremiah 47:6-7a

6 “Now, O sword of the LORD, when will you be at rest again? Go back into your sheath; rest and be still. 7 “But how can it be still when the LORD has sent it on a mission?

Isaiah 55:11

11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

Are you seeing what is being said here. It is the Lord’s Word that works not us.

Revelation 22:12-15
12 “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. 15 Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.
How does a person know they are to wash their robes? How does a person come to know about the gate to the city of God? How does a person come to know about the tree of life? How does a person come to know about the rewards and the punishments to come? How do we come to know Jesus as the Beginning and the End?
I believe it is all written in His Word.
We are the ones who are to teach, preach, proclaim, explain, shout out and tell the Word of God. The Word of God is the life giving Spirit. It’s the sword that cuts to the core of a person’s heart. It is our weapon in warfare and it is the foundation of our faith.
What is happening in our world today is the Word of the Lord is not being proclaimed properly. We want to do all the work. We want to be recognized for our effort. We want to build the kingdom by our own means.
The Lord says it is His Word that does the work and He is the foundation on which the living stones will be built upon.

Matthew 16:13-18

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”
15 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.
Here’s the deal. The revealed knowledge of Jesus Christ comes through God’s Word. The disciples got it through their knowledge of the Scriptures and the fulfilled prophecy that was before them in the person of Jesus Christ or the Word that became flesh.
It’s the same today. We have the Scriptures, we have the witness of the disciples, we have the prophecy and we have the ability to comprehend it if we hear it or read it.
The powers of hell will not conquer the Word of God. The Word of God is written and firm until the end. We need to be proclaiming the Word of God.
Revelation 22:12-15
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.”
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.

The angels of the churches are the messengers. The angels that come out of heaven to earth or for the purpose of giving messages. The Word of God is our message.

Revelation 22:18-19
18 And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.
The book of Revelation is the Word of God revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ.
We have spent a lot of time studying the Revelation. What it is, is a word picture of the reality of the Word of God. It sums up the Scriptures from beginning to end. It was encrypted and coded so those who knew the Word could understand it. Those who desire to know the Word can learn it. This is not some diary or time table. This is the Word of God realized and revealed to the people of God.
Revelation 22:20-21

20 He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!”
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
21 May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.

Let us Pray!

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Published on July 8, 2009 at 11:42 am Comments Off

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Revenator's Revelations

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Revelation: What I Believe & Why

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