JEAN'S BIBLE STUDY COM

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1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,

Rev 1,1-6

(50e) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> Great endtime revival >> Church gets right with God -- These verses go with verses 8-20. Many people have all kinds of ideas about the first three chapters of Revelation. There are a few things we know; for example, it is unquestionable that Jesus was talking about certain churches at the time, and since Revelation is a book about the last days, we know that these churches depict qualities and problems that the Church in the last days will have, who will deserve these commendations and rebukes.

Rev 1,1-3

(214h) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> God’s time is soon >> Relatively soon – John said it twice within a three-verse interval that all these things would take place soon, emphasizing its significance. Of course this was written 2000 years ago, so the word “soon” is a relative term, and all the people who have been patiently waiting for Jesus “immanent” return have been disappointed. To God a thousand years is as a day, and a day can be expanded to a thousand years, so the cross happened only two days ago. Jesus promised He would return, saying that He would be coming soon. Had they known that biblical dispensations occur approximately every 2000 years, they would have known they would never see his return in their lifetime, but it should open up our minds to the very stark reality that we will. Since major biblical events occur roughly every 2000 years, His return would seem that much more probable for us, or at least we are closer than any generation before us, but since people have been saying this throughout the generations, it would seem unlikely. However, between Adam and the birth of Abraham were 2000 years, between Abraham and the cross: 2000 years, and between the cross and us: 2000 years. There is a well-established pattern of approximate 2000 year timeframes existing all the way back to Adam. This is highly suggestive that the end of an age is at hand. See also: Daniel's 70 Weeks

Rev 1-1,2

(255c) Trinity >> Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >> God’s word is Spirit >> Jesus is the word of the Spirit >> Jesus is the manifested word of God

Rev 1-1

(12k) Servant >> Bondservants the prophets – We can talk about all the trauma that God’s bondservants go though, how they are mistreated and maligned, and how they only love in return. When God gets ready to reveal His word (that is, Himself), He does it though His bondservants the prophets. This is not only the greatest honor of all, but is also the greatest joy that could befall a person. To breath the utterances of God for the first time, having never been heard by the human ear, but knowing that they will affect every man, woman and child on earth in some way, will be heard by the greatest kings and the lowliest of men, is part of a bondservant’s role that anyone would envy, but not his station in life.

(15e) Servant >> Angels are messengers from God >> They are sent to impart information -- This verse goes with verses 10,11. Paul claimed the Holy Spirit was responsible for giving him the revelations that he shared with us throughout his writings, yet the Holy Spirit did not reveal these things to John, but an angel, yet it is the Holy Spirit who gives the revelation of the things that John wrote to us. In other words, the insight that we receive about the book of Revelation is of a different nature than the origin of them, indicating that the message John received was special. This is suggestive that angels will be very much involved in the fulfillment of endtime prophecy.

(87a) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Be doers of the word from the heart >> God blesses us for doing His word, not for knowing it

 

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2-4 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near. 4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 

Rev 1-2

(55f) Paradox >> Opposites >> What does the voice of Jesus look like? -- This verse goes with verse 12

(144d) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> The Church bears witness of Jesus >> It bears witness of His word – John testified by the things he wrote; he didn’t go preaching the gospel of revelation; by this time he was an old man and confined to the Island of Patmos and was unaccepted even by his fellow prisoners. When the boat came with food they threw it on shore and the strongest ate, and John was not about to contend with his fellow prisoners for food; he would rather starve to death. He lived in what was probably a cave with an assistant that God had given him to transcribe the words what John spoke. The written word has both advantages and disadvantages, and so does preaching. The advantage of preaching is that you hear it whether you want to or not if you are in earshot of the preacher; the disadvantage of preaching is that its influence is only as great as the sound of the preacher’s voice. The advantage of the written word is that it has the potential to be timeless and unlimited in scope; the disadvantage of the written word is that it is very easy to shun the information simply by not reading it.

Rev 1-3

(34j) Gift of God >> God is willing to Give >> Receiving God’s blessings through endurance

(80h) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word to minister to God >> In your inner man

(106j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Means of hearing from God >> Through the Bible

(109e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelation of the word of God >> Revelation of the meaning of God’s word – The key to the blessings of Revelation is in this phrase, “…for the time is near.” Two millennia ago when this book was written, people were hardly blessed when they read it, simply because they couldn’t possibly know what it meant, but as we approach the fulfillment of prophecy, we can see more clearly how these things could happen, so when we read it again twenty years from now (if we have twenty years), we will be all the more blessed. Still, there is a lot of conjecture surrounding these things but very little confidence, and the confidence they have is mostly misplaced. The closer we get to the end, the more we will understand it and the more blessed we will be when we read it. For most people in the Church, they won’t understand the Book of Revelation until the prophecies are fulfilled. For them there is no shame in looking at the Scriptures and seeing where these prophecies were written after they are fulfilled. For example, many of the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus never made sense until He fulfilled them. Not a hundred years before it happened, not ten years before it happened, not a week before it happened, after it happened the Scriptures made sense. Still, Jesus had to explain the Old Testament prophecies to His disciples (Lk 24,13-35). The same will be true with biblical endtime prophecy. After these things are fulfilled, then we will understand the Scriptures, and it won’t be too late. Fulfilled prophecy will be useful to us, pinpointing our position in the scheme of things, and by that time we will have a more exact sequence of endtime events and be able to use it to predict what will happen next. The more prophecies that are fulfilled, the more we will tweak our estimation of endtime events and the more accurate we will become in our predictions of the future. Then of course, the vast majority of the populations of the earth, even after the prophecies are fulfilled, will remain in total darkness about everything that is happening to them and around them, but those who are of the light will be blessed.

(143f) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Public reading of Scripture

(151a) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness of Jesus >> Speak the word >> Speak the logos – What is the best way to understand the Book of Revelation and the Bible as a whole? The answer is in this verse, not only to read it, but also to heed the things that are written therein. If we heed the Scriptures, then we will understand them (Jn 7-17), but if we read the Bible and never integrate its teachings into our lives, we will remain in the dark. What can we heed about the Book of Revelation? The first three chapters are about the seven churches, the mistakes they made and the things they did right; we don’t have to make their mistakes, and the things they got right we can imitate. For example, it says, “I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Rev 2-4). Maybe we better make sure this doesn’t happen to us.

(205b) Salvation >> Salvation is based on God’s promises >> According to promise >> Promise of His rest – These are two promises: the time is near and those who read the Book of Revelation will be blessed. To the degree that the time is near, so far being a 2000 years-year-old promise, defines the level of our commitment we should have to the word of God and prayer. John is talking about those who read the Book of Revelation and understand it, for there is no blessing in reading the book and being lost in it. Most people understand some of it, but the Church overall remains ignorant about the meaning of this book of prophecies and the mysteries that remain locked in it.

Rev 1-4

(15g) Servant >> Angels >> The presence of angels denotes authority

(113l) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Anointing establishes us in His will -- This verse goes with verses 10-16. The seven spirits that are before God’s throne represent the seven churches, suggesting that these churches are a microcosm of the Church as a whole, and they reside vicariously before God’s throne through these seven spirits. We know God has only one Spirit, so these seven spirits do not refer to the Holy Spirit, but we can understand them to mean angels and anointings, not one or another but both. These anointings are like a door through which these churches pass into the presence of God, and they grant the grace of repentance to them so they can use His strength to remain faithful throughout the tribulation period. It doesn’t matter what happens to them because they are safely in His presence; if God allows some of His children to be martyred, He will reward them in eternity for their faithfulness.

(224l) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The holy of holies >> The throne room of heaven -- This verse goes with verses 10-20

(243l) Kingdom of God >> The eternal kingdom >> There shall be no end to his increase >> He shall reign forever and ever -- This verse goes with verse 8. Here is another instance where God is claiming to be the great I AM. The first instance was with Moses by the burning bush, when he asked, “Who should I say sent me?” and God’s answer was, “Tell them that I AM sent you.” A couple other instances of Scripture have mentioned this, and now John is citing it in his salutation.

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5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood -

Rev 1-5

(33m) Gift of God >> Believers are special to God >> We are beloved of God

(37h) Judgment >> Redemption of man >> His blood delivered us from destruction – Had the Father not sent His Son to pay the ransom for our sin, He would have judged us and sent us all straight to hell. We often hear that God has forgiven us, but we don’t always realize that if He hadn’t made a way through Christ to forgive us, no one would have seen heaven. This accentuates the gift of His grace. The only reason He blessed us with His Son is that we were born in sin through no fault of our own, for we are victims of our condition. Had we chosen to become sinners like Lucifer, God could not have forgiven us, like Adam who also chose to become a sinner and God could not forgive Him. In contrast, God views us as victims of sin and are therefore redeemable. The redemption of Christ is based on the principle that if we had a way to remedy our sinfulness, we would do it, so when God sent His Son and we received Him, God happily forgave us, so we will not enter into judgment with Him but the gates of heaven are open wide to us. However, there are many people who have heard the message of salvation and have not made the decision to abandon their sins, so through the cross they are making a choice of remaining sinners, similar to Adam’s choice to become one. Although we were born in sin, we now have a choice to remain in sin or to opt out of it through the blood of Christ, so it is the same as choosing to become a sinner. There are others who have never heard the message of the cross; they don’t know they have an option to remedy their sin; these are the ones we are trying to reach with the gospel to give them an opportunity to accept the blood sacrifice of Jesus’ cross and be released from their sins.

(38c) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death (Satan) >> Resurrection overcomes death -- This verse goes with verse 18. Jesus was the first born from the dead, obviously referring to his resurrection. Jesus was the first person to receive a resurrected body, and the rest of us will receive a body in the first resurrection, unless of course we are raptured (see: 1 The 4).

(66k) Authority >> Lordship of Christ >> Jesus’ authority >> He has authority over man – Jesus is the ruler of the kings of the earth. Rulers think they rule everything, but most don’t realize they have a ruler presiding over them. Jesus said that Satan is the ruler of the world, who presides over the kings of the earth; likewise, Satan has a king presiding over him after Jesus snatched the keys of death and hell from his clutches through His death and resurrection. Jesus came and took away his power and subsequently received the status of Satan’s Lord and master.

(102h) Thy kingdom come >> Faithfulness (Loyalty) >> Trustworthy >> Loyalty

(119c) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >> Freedom from satanic influence >> Free from sin

(153b) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Jesus bears witness of the Father

(238d) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The kingdom is transferred to the Church >> Born again >> Jesus is born again from the dead

(245e) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestation of Jesus Christ >> Manifestation of His second coming – The book of Revelation is about the manifestation of the spiritual realm into the natural realm, the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy regarding the end of days. One of the purposes of Jesus coming in the flesh was to bear witness of the Father, and this He did in both word and deed, and as a result He became the firstborn of the resurrection, and He will become ruler of the kings of the earth. He has already accomplished two of these three objectives. We know that Jesus is the ruler of the kings of the earth during the Millennium, but what about after that? The last couple chapters of this book speaks about what comes after the thousand-year reign of Christ, extending God’s vision past the Millennium. God will create a new heavens and a new earth and create another people and we will reign over them through the reign of Christ. Whatever God initiates after the Millennium will remain forever. The Bible teaches that the Millennium is the actual beginning of Christ’s eternal kingdom, indicating that the thousand-year reign of Christ is a microcosm of eternity. Jesus will be the king of all the nations and we will reign under Him. The only difference between the Millennium and eternity will be the number and size of kingdoms that will never cease to grow and increase, expanding throughout eternity to fill the entire universe, not this one, but the universe He will create after He destroys this one.

(248f) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Jesus is first >> Jesus is first born of the Father

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6&7 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father -to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.

Rev 1-6

(81a) Thy kingdom come >> Prayer >> The priesthood >> We are a type of Jesus’ priesthood – In the Old Testament the anointing was not given to everyone, only to kings and priests and prophets. Our ministry toward God involving our discipleship in the word of God prayer and obedience is the basis of our ministry toward people; it is the new covenant priesthood. The old covenant Levitical priesthood was given as a symbol of the Christian life in service to God, much the way Jesus ministered to His Father. We are the Royal Priesthood according to Peter. We perform the duties of a priest before God by worshipping Him, and then turning and ministering to the people the message of salvation. However, keep in mind the nature of the book of revelation, that it isn’t a book describing our current status, but is futuristic, suggesting that we will forever be priests to our God in eternity, meaning we will forever worship Him and will forever minister to His creatures.

(213c) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> God is all powerful >> The creation is subject to Christ

(231j) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Body of Christ is the organism of God’s kingdom >> We are the body of His kingdom – Some say there is a difference between receiving the indwelling Holy Spirit (being born-again) and receiving the promise of the Spirit from Pentecost, yet they appear as one divine gift according to the parable of the woman placing leaven in a lump of dough until it was all leavened (Mat 13-33). This parable suggests that the anointing of Pentecost is a mature version of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The anointing available to the common man is a new covenant blessing that in the old covenant only afforded to kings, priests and prophets. The reason the anointing is available to the common man today is that the new covenant has made us kings, priests and prophets through Christ to our God and Father. The anointing is given to advance the gospel of Christ in the world, whereas the indwelling Holy Spirit is given to advance the individual in his relationship with God.

(244a) Kingdom of God >> The eternal kingdom >> There shall be no end to his increase >> The Church shall reign with Christ forever

(252h) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship God >> Worship God for who He is >> Worship God for being God

(253j) Trinity >> Relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is subject to the Father >> Jesus is under the authority of the Father >> Jesus obtained power through subjection to the Father

Rev 1-7

(50b) Judgment >> God judges the world >> The second coming of Christ – This corresponds with what Paul said in 1st Thessalonians chapter four about Jesus coming in the clouds. It says, “Every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him.” This could not be referring to the actual man who held the spear and pierced Jesus’ side, because this phrase speaks in plural. “Those who pierced Him,” then, refers to all who advocated Jesus' death on the cross, essentially the entire nation of Israel and surrounding regions of Jesus’ day. Those of His generation who repented would be in heaven, and they’d be behind Jesus riding on horses at His second coming, and they will not be mourning, but those who did not repent would be in hell. These are the ones to whom this verse refers to as "those who pierced Him." Therefore, this passage paints a picture of hell having as it were a giant transparent canopy where the occupants can look out and see the activities transpiring above them, and for this reason, “every eye will see Him.” This corresponds also with Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Lk 16,19-31, where the rich man could look across the great crevasse and see that Lazarus had access to water. It is unfortunate that people in hell and those who remain on earth at that time will see the return of Christ as a sad day. That is the day when the curtain will fall and man’s multi-millennial reign of terror and fleshly rebellions will suddenly conclude. They will mourn because they will finally realize at that moment that they were wrong about everything. They were led astray by the deceptions of the world and the lies and the misconceptions that were perpetuated by satanic forces of wickedness, who had been lying to mankind ever since Adam and Eve ate the fruit. Satan could have even spread his lies throughout the chambers of hell that he was fighting for their cause, and that they had a remote possibility of escaping their prison if the devil could just find a way to defeat Jesus and overthrow His kingdom and throne, but when they saw Jesus coming with all His faithful ones behind Him, that was the death Nell to any hope that their misery would ever end.

(50l) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> God puts away sin and glorifies the Church  >> Armageddon

 

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8&9 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." 9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

Rev 1,8-20

(50e) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> Great endtime revival >> Church gets right with God -- These verses go with verses 1-6

Rev 1-8

(66f) Authority >> Jesus’ authority >> His position with the Father >> Jesus has authority over all things from the Father

(243l) Kingdom of God >> The eternal kingdom >> There shall be no end to his increase >> He shall reign forever and ever -- This verse goes with verse 4

(248e) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Jesus is first >> Jesus has first place in everything -- This verse goes with verse 17

(253b) Trinity >> Relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is equal with the Father >> Jesus has all the external qualities of the Father >> Son is infinite and eternal like the Father – In Jn 17-5,24 when Jesus asked the Father to glorify Him with the glory He had before the creation, He was referring to the fact that He existed throughout past eternity. Prior to the creation and before the curse, time didn’t exist, then God created the universe, and Satan’s curse created the notion of time, being that the creation cannot exist in a cursed state indefinitely. Time now exists because of the curse. Before the curse there was no time, and so Jesus lived in eternity with the Father before the creation. One thing we need to understand about eternity is that it cannot be segmented. There are no dispensations or eras in eternity; there is just eternity. We segment time into seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years. We can do that because there is a beginning and an end of time, but if we tried to segment eternity, each segment would be an eternity in itself; that is why time doesn’t exist in eternity. So if we want to say that Jesus was created at some point in eternity, whenever we choose to say He was created is still an eternity; we are right back to saying Jesus is an eternal being. Jesus was always with the father (1Jn 1-2); He is part of the trinity; He is an aspect of God. Jesus is God (Col 2-9) just as the Father is God and as the Holy Spirit is God.

Rev 1-9

(100a) Thy kingdom come >> Perseverance (Working to keep in motion) >> Persevere in tribulation

(147i) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Solemnly testify about Jesus

(150ca) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Confessing Jesus to be saved >> Confessing Jesus as the Son of God

(153a) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Church bears witness of the Father through Christ

(165h) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Hardship >> The hardship of persecution

(219b) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> Man is a spectator of his own salvation >> Man is not in control of God’s calling

(229ia) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Partaking of Jesus’ suffering >> Suffering as a Christian – John partook both in the sufferings of the tribulation and in the joy of the kingdom, both the good and the bad. He did this through perseverance. He said he was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus, meaning he was persecuted and sent there. For the very reason that he was sent to Patmos was the reason the angel was giving John a vision of the Church’s persecution for the last days. The island was only so big with water surrounding it, representing the Church being surrounded by a sea of people. Therefore, John’s experience on the island was an example of what God’s people can expect in the last days. The Church will be gathered together in one place with the entire world surrounding them, trying to engulf them. This paints a picture of the Church huddling together in one place, like the Church did in the upper room while they waited for the promise of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Acts 1-4 says, “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father.” Then Acts 2-1 says, “Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” The angel even said at Jesus’ ascension that He would return in the same manner as the disciples saw Him leave (Act 1-11). As the disciples gathered together and waited for Jesus, both at His ascension and on the day of Pentecost, which was the beginning of the new covenant, so at the end of the age Jesus will return in the same manner that the disciples saw Him leave.

(236g) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Invest your treasures into the kingdom >> Invest your flesh – We don’t know the things John suffered when he was banished to the Island of Patmos where he died an old man, but before he died, he wrote the book of Revelation. It was an island where they sent criminals, where nobody could escape, worse than Alcatraz; no one could swim to shore; they were stuck there and whatever was edible was already eaten. A boat would come and deliver food to the prisoners; they wouldn’t divvy it to them, but dropped it and the prisoners fended for themselves. John wasn’t about to get involved in that free-for-all, so he slowly starved. It was during this time of great misery that he wrote the book of Revelation (Rev 1-9), which manuscript is a testimony of the saint’s coming tribulation. Therefore, the tribulation of the saints will resemble much like what John experienced on that island, starvation, and hostility. Civilization as we know it will have ceased.

(237c) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> The rapture >> Rapture is delayed

(242b) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Persecution to the death >> Martyrs

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10&11 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11 saying, "Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea."

Rev 1,10-20

(113l) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Anointing establishes us in His will -- These verses go with verse 4. All we need to know about God’s plan for His people in the last days is contained in verse ten, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet." The Church claims that God will invoke a pre-tribulation Rapture as a means of delivering His people from the antichrist, but that is simply not the case. Instead, He will give His people a profound anointing, not to just some of His people but to all of them, as John said, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” John throughout the discourse of revelation acts as a microcosm of the Church, and he described the "Day of the lord" as a time when His people will be in the Spirit.

(117j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Eyes of your spirit >> Seeing through the eyes of your spirit >> Acknowledging the presence of God

(253cc) Trinity >> Relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is equal with the Father >> Jesus has all the external qualities of the Father >> Outward appearance of Jesus Christ – Jesus dwelt in a human body just like ours, but after He rose from the dead he dwelt in a resurrected body, which was different from ours, yet His resurrected body was also human, even more human than before His resurrection, and now that Jesus has ascended into heaven and His Father has glorified Him, He is dwelling in a body that is more human than ever. What we need to understand is that God is human. Remember, God has created us in His own image according to Genesis chapter one. Being human, then, is not so much defined by us as it is by God. This implies that the very essence of what it is to be human is to be like God, suggesting that though we were “human” before we were born-again, yet we became all the more human when we invited the Holy Spirit to permanently dwell in us; and when we get to heaven and receive our resurrected bodies, we will become even more human than ever! If we are more human in heaven than we were on earth, doesn’t that answer the question whether we will recognize others and ourselves? We have all seen beautiful women and well toned men who were jerks in their personalities; thus their bodies did not accurately reflect their souls, but this will not be the case in heaven. When we put on our resurrected bodies, they will exactly reflect our spirit. The fact that we are all the more human in heaven also suggests that those in hell are barely human at all if not merely creatures in a human façade, because there is nothing about them that is like God.

(224l) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The holy of holies >> The throne room of heaven -- These verses go with verse 4

(252c) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship Jesus (Because He is equal with God) >> Jesus is worthy of our worship >> Worship Jesus for what God made Him through suffering

Rev 1,10-18

(112j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Light >> Being in the presence of truth

(106a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Attaining the hearing ear >> Knowing the sound of His voice >> God speaks in the darkness to shine the light

(228i) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> God works in the new creation

(244h) Literal Manifestations (Key verse)

(245c) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Literal manifestation of Jesus Christ >> Jesus is the light of the world

Rev 1-10,11

(15e) Servant >> Angels are messengers from God >> They are sent to impart information -- These verses go with verse 1. The word trumpet is used again later in the book of Revelation and is very significant, referring to the seven trumpets of God’s judgment, which are contained in the seventh seal. The Bible teaches that the Rapture will occur after the sound of the seventh trumpet. So, trumpets are extremely important, and here we have John telling us that he heard a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet. Therefore, it is no stretch to postulate that the seven trumpet blasts of God’s judgment are actually the voices of angels. Neither is it a stretch to say that the shout that Jesus described in the parable of the ten virgins was none other than the first trumpet of God’s judgment (Mat 25,1-13). When the five wise virgins finally walked through the doorway and the door was shut, that undoubtedly refers to the Rapture after the seventh trumpet.

Rev 1-10

(111c) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >>

(236l) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> The Rapture >> The day of the Lord – The Day of the lord is a significant phrase; the Bible uses it many times, primarily in the book of Joel, “The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes” (Joel 2-31). The day of the Lord occurs over a period of years, lasting through the first five seals and through the seven trumpets of God's judgment, culminating on the day of the last trumpet when Christ raptures His Church. Paul also used the phrase "day of the Lord" in 2The 2-2,3, “[Do] not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come... for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.” John heard behind him a voice like the sound of a trumpet, and so the day of the Lord is associated with a trumpet and the voice speaking behind him meant he had to turn to face the Lord, turning indicative of repentance. The Church will be going in the wrong direction when the Lord finds her on that day, and He will speak to His people, and they will turn and see the voice that is speaking with them. The trumpet signals urgent warning of imminent danger that has suddenly come upon the Church. It will have seven characteristics in the last days, some positive and some negative, some saints being faithful, but many others in grave need of repentance, which is descriptive of the Church today.

Rev 1-11

(136ha) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> Body of Christ consists of individual members >> We are chosen members of Christ -- This verse goes with verse 20

12-16 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. 

(117f) Vision (Key verse) -- If you have a dream, you need nothing else; if you have no dream (or vision), you have nothing at all. Christianity does not use visualization techniques. Spiritual visualization is considered cultic, new-age, satanic methodology, imagining the divine and expecting it to affect the natural realm to achieve the objectives of Christianity. The Bible has a different solution, when temptation comes to our doorstep, we “stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God” (1Cor 15-34). 

(117i) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Eyes of your spirit >> Seeing visions – John turned and saw the seven golden lampstands, and stars accompanying the lampstands giving them light. The stars represent angels while the lampstands represent churches. An angel was assigned to each church, and Christ was in the midst of them, whose appearance was bright as the sun. Compare the luminosity of Jesus with the stars He held in the right-hand of His power, whose ministry is toward the seven churches in their vulnerable state. Stars twinkle in the night sky hundreds of light-years away, while the lampstands seem bright, but they are merely across the room, and the light of Christ is greater than all of them combined, indicating that He is much greater than His creation. The seven spirits were sent throughout the world (Rev 5-6), representing seven anointings that seven angels dispensed among the saints. These are anointings of repentance and restoration that will enable the Church to prepare for the second coming of Christ, clothing the saints in strength and glory. Where there was seven weaknesses of the Church, now there are seven strengths. When Jesus judged the seven churches and told them about their strengths and weaknesses, He gave an angelic anointing that enabled them to accomplish the things that Christ has called them to do. He doesn’t want His Church splintered into seven parts but united as one Church.

Rev 1,12-18

(66a) Authority >> Lordship of Christ >> He is Lord over all creation >> over life and death

Rev 1,12-16

(136i) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Body of Christ is the Church

Rev 1-12

(55f) Paradox >> Opposites >> What does the voice of Jesus look like? -- This verse goes with verse 2.  John turned to see the voice that was speaking with him. What is the significance of mixing up sensory perceptions with the voice of God? John saw visions through the sound of Jesus’ voice. It says John had to turn to see the voice, denoting repentance. He had to repent in order to see the vision that he was about to receive. John's experiences are a microcosm of the Church's experiences in the last days, who will receive a vision of the glory of Christ before they are raptured into heaven, and thus they will always be with the Lord. 

(193c) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Repent >> Turn from your evil ways >> Turn to God – John turned (repented) to see the voice that was speaking with Him, meaning that the word he heard gave him a vision of God’s plan and purpose for the Church, and the vision was based on the appearance of Christ. His appearance tells everything we need to know about Him. Is he a competent deliverer? His appearance says yes! Is He a capable God? His appearance says yes! Is He worthy of our service and suffering? His appearance says yes! When nothing is going the way we expected, will He reward if we continue to trust the Lord? His appearance says yes! We know by His appearance that everything we did for Him by faith was through wisdom and every act of disobedience and unbelief was completely unwarranted.

Rev 1-13

(12n) Servant >> Jesus serves mankind >> Jesus is the son of man – Jesus is often addressed as the son of man or the Son of God. We know what “Son of God” means; He was the prodigy of God placing His seed in Mary, but what does "son of man" mean? This refers to Jesus not only in human form, but also as the youngest of all, that is, servant of all. Not only did almighty God humble Himself to become the servant of mankind, he still is the servant of man, and He always we be, even as He has called us to be His servants. The Kingdom of God is all about servanthood.

(77h) Thy kingdom come >> Tapping into the power of God through humility >> The high position of a humble servant

(113g) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Heaven’s clothes >> Garments of holiness

Rev 1-14,15

(104d) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Purified by fire >> Purified through fiery anointing – His eyes were like a flame of fire. Build a campfire at night and sit on the picnic table and stare into the flame; you can hardly look away; it has captured your attention, flickering with constant motion. When we see Jesus eye-to-eye, we won’t be able to look away but will become suddenly unaware of everything except Him, transfixed as though heaven and earth has fled away; the creation no longer existing except for He and us. We will become enveloped in His presence.

Rev 1-15

(91m) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way >> Trail of good works >> The trail that Jesus walked

(103f) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Spirit like water >> Cleanses you from the desire to sin – There is the gurgling stream that has a transfixing sound just like a flickering fire, and then there is the sound of many waters like Niagara Falls that is a jarring roar of water crashing on the rocks with all the forces of motion at play within arm’s reach. This resembles the voice of God in our presence; it roars like a lion, the power to destroy within Him, though His interest in His people is only good.

Rev 1-16

(46b) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Subjecting your flesh >> Preparing for battle

(68c) Authority >> Jesus Delegates Authority To Execute Judgment >> Against Satan

17-20 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. 19 "Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. 20 "As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Rev 1-17,18

(39i) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Jesus defeated Satan’s authority >> Jesus defeated Satan on the cross – The Father let Satan torture and kill His Son, literally butchering Him until every drop of His blood exited the wounds on His body. The man was literally flayed alive, His flesh torn to ribbons; the rage that Satan had against Christ was unimaginable; he must have given the men who flogged Him superhuman strength to wield the whips across His back, and then had Him nailed to a cross to die. This just proved to Satan that sin is utterly sinful. Had Jesus not risen from the dead, Satan would have defeated God, but when He rose from the dead, He forgave man for murdering His Son and defeated Satan’s power of death, who was equally involved in murdering Christ. Jesus destroyed Satan when He rose from the dead in that there was nothing else Satan could do. Man was born in sin apart from his own choice, making man initially a victim of sin, but then as man walked in sin, he learned to live in it, and then to revel in it, until it became a preferred way of life. There are some who are willing to wake-up from this and see the light and realize that we are victims of our own wickedness. Those who see the light can ask for God’s forgiveness and receive it, whereas Satan, once God defeated him, nothing was left of him to redeem, for the very essence of Satan is sin, so when God defeated sin, He defeated Satan entirely.

(56i) Paradox >> Opposites >> Last is first and the first is last

(215e) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> God views time in eternity >> God sees eras as moments – The scary thing about serving a God who exists outside of time while we are subject to it is that when He says, ‘Wait a moment,’ we could be waiting a very, very long time. Whenever He talks about time we cringe, because He doesn’t think about it like we do. He has been gone for 2,000 years and some think He will never return, and when He finally does and we complain that he took too long, He will say, ‘Why, I was only gone two days.’ 2Pet 3-8 says, “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day,” yet in light of eternity this scale is not even close, so we should view this verse as a metaphor to mean simply that God thinks about time differently than we do. There is no ratio or standard by which we can compare eternity, because it overwhelms all that is temporal.

(243j) Kingdom of God >> The eternal kingdom >> The indestructible kingdom >> The head of the body is indestructible >> Jesus is indestructible – Jesus allayed John’s fears by reminding Him that He is eternal on both ends of the timeline. John was comforted by His eternal quality in that if something could happen to Him, it would have already happened, but since nothing has happened, suggests that nothing ever will happen to Him, meaning that He is indestructible, and if Jesus is secure, then so is John in the presence of Christ.

(253ec) Trinity >> Relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is equal with the Father >> Jesus has all the internal qualities of the Father >> Jesus is God in heaven – Jesus gave the same salutation as the angels, “Do not be afraid,” but then He finished the sentence with, “I am the first and the last.” That is something the angles cannot say. The angels are a creation of God; they had a beginning, but Jesus had no beginning; He was the first; He preceded everything. We also know that Jesus will never die again as stated in verse 18, “I am alive forevermore.” To say that He is the last sounds like Christ will be the last to expire on the very last day of eternity, but that last day will never come, and had there been a first day of eternity, Jesus would have been there to see it. It wasn’t scary to Him that He never had a beginning, because He always lived with His Father, anymore than eternal life scares us. We will never have an end, and that fills us with joy that we will overcome death; it doesn’t scare us so long as we can live eternity with Christ in heaven. Without God, eternity is an endless prison sentence.

Rev 1-17

(23n) Sin >> Poverty (Oppression) >> Fear of the unknown >> Fear the appearance of Jesus – This was the apostle John who walked with the Lord for 3½ years, who perhaps thought he would meet his friend Jesus again, but when he saw Him, he fell at His feet like a dead man. John described His appearance, but his description fell far short of his experience, for there are no words to describe the appearance of Christ in His glory. Other instances in Scripture when people saw angels it evoked fear in them, but they did not fall on their faces as though dead. Jesus appeared to be a different person, yet no less the man they had earlier crucified. John had to discard his relationship with the Lord in the flesh, for it had no applications in His glorified state.

(114e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Obeying the Holy Spirit >> Obeying the revelation from heaven >> Obeying the revelation by putting away the flesh – It says in Rev 4-10,11 that those in heaven who have been glorified will fall on their faces and worship Christ who lives forever and ever, marking the distinction between Christ and His creation. Therefore, it wasn’t that John hadn’t yet received his glorified body that he fell on his face as a dead man, but that Jesus is far beyond His creation. John called Him the bright morning star, saying that His face shone like the sun, but He must by virtue of the creator be brighter than all the stars in every galaxy combined; otherwise, how could He have created something greater than Himself? This is unimaginable! So when He reveals himself to His creation, He limits Himself, and when He revealed Himself to John, He greatly limited Himself. The Bible says that no man can see God and live. When John fell down as a dead man, he most likely died, so when Jesus touched him, He raised him from the dead in order to write the account of endtimes that we read in the book of Revelation. When it says that no one can see God and live, what would be the cause of death, a heart attack, radiation poisoning, sensory overload, or was it such a strong conviction to be a sinner in the presence of a holy God that he simply died from guilt?

(248e) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Jesus is first >> Jesus has first place in everything -- This verse goes with verse 8

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Rev 1-18

(38c) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death (Satan) >> Resurrection overcomes death -- This verse goes with verse 5

(39l) Judgment >> The essence of life defeated the essence of death – It is encouraging to know that Satan no longer has the power of death. Now Jesus has the power of death and hell, as He said in Matt 10-28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” We have reason to fear God. We who are born of God have no reason to fear hell, because we know in our spirit that we are destined for the Kingdom of Heaven for eternity, but for the rest of the world who don’t know God, they have reason to fear.

(46j) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Demons are subject to Christ

(172i) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >> Scripture that contradicts the Catholic faith >> Jesus never to die again >> Because He conquered death

(254g) Trinity >> Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is the life of the Spirit >> Jesus is the substance of God’s life >> Jesus conquered death because He is life – Jesus is the living one, like a coiled spring. So long as pressure is applied it remains coiled, but as soon as it is released, the spring recoils to its original shape. The force that held Jesus in the grave was death, which could hold Jesus in the grave for only so long until it got tired of holding Him down and had to release Him. Whatever pushes on Jesus Christ will run out of time and energy, and eventually will have to let Him go. Jesus sprang back to life, signifying how much strength and energy Satan has to spare; that is why the Easter holiday is held in the spring! Death had Him in its grip for 3 ½ days, but could not hold Him any longer; it got tired and died.

Rev 1-20

(15h) Servant >> Angels have authority >> They have the power to decree an order

(112d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Light >> Jesus light in us overcomes darkness >> The light of His power – We know that stars shine brighter than lampstands, which are lit merely by candles, whereas stars shine with a nuclear fusion reaction trillions of miles away. The angels shine brighter than the Churches because they are glorified, whereas the lampstands are of a natural light, representing the anointing, which God has given us as a pledge to the glory that we will receive. One day we too will shine as bright as the stars of heaven (1Cor 15,40-42), but for now He asks us to keep what we have received, a mere candle by comparison to the glory that will be revealed to us.

(136ha) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> Body of Christ consists of individual members >> We are chosen members of Christ -- This verse goes with verse 11

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