Rev. 1:1
The Revelation of Jesus Christ
which God gave unto him
to shew unto his servants
things which must
shortly
come to pass
(((God gave this revelation to Jesus to show to his followers- his servants. --
Servants-
Col. {4:12} Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ
Titus {1:1} Paul, a servant of God
James {1:1} James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ
2 Pet.{1:1} Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ
Jude {1:1} Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ
1 Cor.{7:22} For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant
Matthew {20:27} And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: {20:28} Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Matthew {23:11} But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
John {15:20} Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord.
(((God gave this revelation to Jesus to show it to His servants, us, we who are reading trying to understand, we who are followers of Christ seeking to serve Him, and to serve others for Him. We are being shown things and these things MUST SHORTLY COME TO PASS.
We are being shown things that will come to pass without a doubt. Things that WILL happen. There are certainties in life, a lot of them. There are positives in life. If you mix sugar with water without a doubt that sugar will dissolve. It's a positive. There are things which are positives and nothing can alter them, nothing. We can't hold back time it marches on whether we want it to or not- that's a positive. It's a must. When God says something MUST come to pass it's a certainty, it's a positive, it's inevitable.
So from the time the revelation was given to Jesus by God to give to us, given to the angel by Jesus to give to John, and from the moment John's pen hit the page and the word was sent out to the people, those things written were to come to pass from that moment on.
The revelation came to us shrouded in mystery. We couldn't be told things straight out as if one person was instructing another, things had to be done in cryptic manners so that the message would be pertinent to ALL that would follow- to ALL of Christ's servants throughout time until He returns to take us to Heaven.
The mystery had to be such that it wasn't impossible to comprehend, but that time would unfold it as necessary, preparing all of Christ's servants.
That these things we are to see MUST shortly come to pass means what?
What is shortly to God?
Shortly as opposed to eternity when we're dealing with the end of chances for all of mankind to be Christ's servants is in truth very short. When all those that will be saved are saved and all that will not be saved are not saved, then Jesus will return and the short time from His return to life and to heaven will be over- it's not something to rush even if it has to be short. You might have a short bit of time to accomplish something but you don't have to rush to make the time even shorter.
When we as humans are faced with a chance to save lives in one profession or another- fireman, policeman, coastguard, doctors, etc.. and there are many people needing to be saved all at once- the regret felt when time runs out and many people are left dead because time ran out, is immense. The sorrow is overpowering and the wish that time had just stretched out somehow long enough to save everyone is a wish that is truly felt and yet a wish that cannot come true.
Time will run out for people, for mankind, and yes, all will have had a chance to choose to serve Christ or not, to be counted Jesus' servants or not counted among them. Jesus believes time is short because He would not want to lose one person not one!
Time is the shortest when you run out of it, isn't it?
8/17/10
Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
God's Son… made so much better than the angels.
People would doubt that there could be anything better than being like an angel, wouldn't they? Think about it. Who wouldn't want to have a spirit form that can transform into solid form at will? We make movies about this sort of dream life, this supernatural ability, this super power. Jesus was made HUMAN. Was Jesus able to turn into all spirit form and no flesh as a human being before He died and was raised from the dead in His human form that others were not to touch until He ascended to the Father? We know that He could walk on water, we know that He could get a boat and all the people in it to a shore having been in the middle of the lake in a blink of an eye, we know that He could change water into wine, we know He could heal people. We know that Jesus possessed powers that He could use and even give to others to use. Jesus was made BETTER than the angels, and by inheritance He obtained a more excellent name. Jesus had the best of both worlds- spiritual and physical, human and God. Angels are not gods. Angels are created beings. Jesus is from everlasting in His spirit form. He was created in the womb of a human to take on human form- his substance joined with human substance- a baby conceived in a miracle of the Spirit. Jesus also experienced the worst of humanity, this is something we can never forget.
Angels can never be human. Angels may be able to take on the appearance of flesh, but they can never be flesh. So many humans trapped in decaying flesh, trapped in bodies filled with aches and pains, disease and frailty, long for the disappearance of their flesh bodies wanting what angels have-- yet we have NO real concept of what angels experience.
We do know that our human flesh will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye when Christ comes and takes us to heaven with Him, even the dead in Christ will rise and take on this new, transformed body and it's easy for me to assume it will be a body like Jesus' body after He rose from the grave and ascended to His Father.
Heb 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
There is so much to contemplate when thinking about what it means - Jesus being made so much better than the angels. Only to Jesus did God ever say- '...Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee, And again I will be to him a Father and he shall be to me a Son'
No angel ever heard those words from God. Jesus- a god in and of Himself- was there creating the worlds. Jesus- a god in and of Himself- lowered himself to take on human flesh, divesting Himself of His spirit form. Jesus- a god in and of Himself- the son of God the Father- received honor from the Father as no angel ever could.
Heb 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
Heb 1:7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
God made the angels spirits.
God made the angels-his ministers- flames of fire.
But...
Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Amazing! God said to His Son-
Thy throne O God
is for ever and ever
a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Christ's righteousness is the sceptre of the kingdom, a sceptre is a symbol of authority. Christ's symbol of His authority is His righteousness, that is so beautiful! It really is beautiful. Is it no wonder we need Christ's righteousness? We have none of our own and only Christ's righteousness will prevail. Christ's authority, by His authority we live.
Heb 1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Beautiful.
The love of righteousness.
The hate of sin.
Jesus anointed with the oil of gladness above all others.
You know, Satan thinks He's better than our Savior, better than God's Son. Satan dared to tempt Jesus with things as one who is greater than the Son of God.
Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
How incomprehensible!!! That Satan, a fallen angel, full of sin, the father of lies is deluded into believing he could have anything the Son of God could want.
Satan would give to the Son of God, as if the Son of God couldn't take anything He wanted, as if the world wasn't already His.
Yes, the Son of God was anointed with the oil of gladness above all.
The Son of God who for OUR SAKE took on human flesh in all its frailty, who suffered, who died for us. There is no other love so amazing, none!
In His righteousness, in His love, by His grace, through His mercy!!!
All glory to God and His Son!
Amen.
8/17/11
Dan 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand
up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there
shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to
that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that
shall be found written in the book.
Dan 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust
of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and
everlasting contempt.
Dan 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as
the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the
stars for ever and ever.
Amazingly
wonderful! We know what this is,
the second coming of our Savior!
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Delivered!
The prophetic
unfolding of history, of that vision given here in Daniel, realized at
last!
Now, Daniel
desired to understand the visions given to Him and God sent an angel to help him
understand, but the truth of the matter is, Daniel probably couldn't fully
understand everything. However Daniel did understand the 'end result'. That end result was salvation! That end
result was deliverance by God. Daniel lived hundreds of years before Christ was
born, and yet He knew that there would be salvation through Him. He knew a
Great Prince would save God's children. He knew that many who were sleeping in
the dust of the earth (the dead) would awake- some to everlasting life, and
some to everlasting shame and contempt. People who died in Christ, in God had
hope of living on. Those who died without God, without Christ only had the hope
of death. Daniel
understood there would be an end to all history of mankind living without God.
God would live on eternally and God's people would live on with Him.
This amazing hope was Daniel's and in that He was given so very, very
much from that angel- Daniel's prayer was answered.
Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words,
and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and
knowledge shall be increased.
Now the angel
says-shut up the words, seal the book to the time of the end- many shall run to
and fro and knowledge shall be increased.
We KNOW that this has happened only within the last couple hundred years-
or less. Seriously! You find a person who was born in 1911 and ask them how much
has changed in our world and they'd have great stories to tell.
Prior to that a person born in the early 1800's would have been shocked
completely to realize how greatly things would change.
Horse and buggy- to all the various modes of transportation we have
today. Out houses and washboards- to indoor plumbing and washing machines.
Cruel, seemingly barbaric forms of medical treatment in operations- to our pain
free life saving techniques of today.
I could go on and on, but I won't. The point here is for thousands and
thousands of years our world
changed very gradually with the occasional advancement but then quite suddenly
all over the world at the same time- knowledge was increasing by leaps and
bounds and not only knowledge in secular things, but knowledge in things
Biblical. That sealed book was
unsealed, that shut book was opened- the things in Daniel could be understood
because enough of the history had past for people to truly comprehend the wonder
of the prophecy given. How blessed people are and most don't even realize it,
don't even want to realize it, would rather believe in anything but the sure
word of God's prophecy.
Dan 12:5 Then I Daniel looked, and, behold,
there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the
other on that side of the bank of the river.
Dan 12:6 And one said to the man clothed in
linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end
of these wonders?
Dan 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen,
which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his
left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be
for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter
the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
Dan 12:8 And I heard, but I understood not: then
said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
Dan 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for
the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
Dan 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white,
and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall
understand; but the wise shall understand.
Dan 12:11 And from the time that the daily
sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up,
there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
Dan 12:12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh
to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
Dan 12:13 But go thou thy way till the end be:
for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.
We are going to
stop here, but we are far from finished with the prophecy of Daniel. Tomorrow
God willing we will be begin studying the book of Revelation.
We need our eyes
opened, we need our hearts made new, made clean, by God. We have to understand
what times we live in and keep our eyes wide opened to our Savior's love. Only through Him do we have hope of
understanding, of prevailing, only in Christ's righteousness!
By His grace!
By His amazing
unending love and mercy!
Through His
forgiveness, His righteousness!
Amen.
Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
God's Son… made so much better than the angels.
People would doubt that there could be anything better than being like an angel, wouldn't they? Think about it. Who wouldn't want to have a spirit form that can transform into solid form at will? We make movies about this sort of dream life, this supernatural ability, this super power. Jesus was made HUMAN. Was Jesus able to turn into all spirit form and no flesh as a human being before He died and was raised from the dead in His human form that others were not to touch until He ascended to the Father? We know that He could walk on water, we know that He could get a boat and all the people in it to a shore having been in the middle of the lake in a blink of an eye, we know that He could change water into wine, we know He could heal people. We know that Jesus possessed powers that He could use and even give to others to use. Jesus was made BETTER than the angels, and by inheritance He obtained a more excellent name. Jesus had the best of both worlds- spiritual and physical, human and God. Angels are not gods. Angels are created beings. Jesus is from everlasting in His spirit form. He was created in the womb of a human to take on human form- his substance joined with human substance- a baby conceived in a miracle of the Spirit. Jesus also experienced the worst of humanity, this is something we can never forget.
Angels can never be human. Angels may be able to take on the appearance of flesh, but they can never be flesh. So many humans trapped in decaying flesh, trapped in bodies filled with aches and pains, disease and frailty, long for the disappearance of their flesh bodies wanting what angels have-- yet we have NO real concept of what angels experience.
We do know that our human flesh will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye when Christ comes and takes us to heaven with Him, even the dead in Christ will rise and take on this new, transformed body and it's easy for me to assume it will be a body like Jesus' body after He rose from the grave and ascended to His Father.
Heb 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
There is so much to contemplate when thinking about what it means - Jesus being made so much better than the angels. Only to Jesus did God ever say- '...Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee, And again I will be to him a Father and he shall be to me a Son'
No angel ever heard those words from God. Jesus- a god in and of Himself- was there creating the worlds. Jesus- a god in and of Himself- lowered himself to take on human flesh, divesting Himself of His spirit form. Jesus- a god in and of Himself- the son of God the Father- received honor from the Father as no angel ever could.
Heb 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
Heb 1:7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
God made the angels spirits.
God made the angels-his ministers- flames of fire.
But...
Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Amazing! God said to His Son-
Thy throne O God
is for ever and ever
a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Christ's righteousness is the sceptre of the kingdom, a sceptre is a symbol of authority. Christ's symbol of His authority is His righteousness, that is so beautiful! It really is beautiful. Is it no wonder we need Christ's righteousness? We have none of our own and only Christ's righteousness will prevail. Christ's authority, by His authority we live.
Heb 1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Beautiful.
The love of righteousness.
The hate of sin.
Jesus anointed with the oil of gladness above all others.
You know, Satan thinks He's better than our Savior, better than God's Son. Satan dared to tempt Jesus with things as one who is greater than the Son of God.
Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
How incomprehensible!!! That Satan, a fallen angel, full of sin, the father of lies is deluded into believing he could have anything the Son of God could want.
Satan would give to the Son of God, as if the Son of God couldn't take anything He wanted, as if the world wasn't already His.
Yes, the Son of God was anointed with the oil of gladness above all.
The Son of God who for OUR SAKE took on human flesh in all its frailty, who suffered, who died for us. There is no other love so amazing, none!
In His righteousness, in His love, by His grace, through His mercy!!!
All glory to God and His Son!
Amen.
8/17/11
Dan 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand
up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there
shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to
that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that
shall be found written in the book.
Dan 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust
of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and
everlasting contempt.
Dan 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as
the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the
stars for ever and ever.
Amazingly
wonderful! We know what this is,
the second coming of our Savior!
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Delivered!
The prophetic
unfolding of history, of that vision given here in Daniel, realized at
last!
Now, Daniel
desired to understand the visions given to Him and God sent an angel to help him
understand, but the truth of the matter is, Daniel probably couldn't fully
understand everything. However Daniel did understand the 'end result'. That end result was salvation! That end
result was deliverance by God. Daniel lived hundreds of years before Christ was
born, and yet He knew that there would be salvation through Him. He knew a
Great Prince would save God's children. He knew that many who were sleeping in
the dust of the earth (the dead) would awake- some to everlasting life, and
some to everlasting shame and contempt. People who died in Christ, in God had
hope of living on. Those who died without God, without Christ only had the hope
of death. Daniel
understood there would be an end to all history of mankind living without God.
God would live on eternally and God's people would live on with Him.
This amazing hope was Daniel's and in that He was given so very, very
much from that angel- Daniel's prayer was answered.
Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words,
and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and
knowledge shall be increased.
Now the angel
says-shut up the words, seal the book to the time of the end- many shall run to
and fro and knowledge shall be increased.
We KNOW that this has happened only within the last couple hundred years-
or less. Seriously! You find a person who was born in 1911 and ask them how much
has changed in our world and they'd have great stories to tell.
Prior to that a person born in the early 1800's would have been shocked
completely to realize how greatly things would change.
Horse and buggy- to all the various modes of transportation we have
today. Out houses and washboards- to indoor plumbing and washing machines.
Cruel, seemingly barbaric forms of medical treatment in operations- to our pain
free life saving techniques of today.
I could go on and on, but I won't. The point here is for thousands and
thousands of years our world
changed very gradually with the occasional advancement but then quite suddenly
all over the world at the same time- knowledge was increasing by leaps and
bounds and not only knowledge in secular things, but knowledge in things
Biblical. That sealed book was
unsealed, that shut book was opened- the things in Daniel could be understood
because enough of the history had past for people to truly comprehend the wonder
of the prophecy given. How blessed people are and most don't even realize it,
don't even want to realize it, would rather believe in anything but the sure
word of God's prophecy.
Dan 12:5 Then I Daniel looked, and, behold,
there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the
other on that side of the bank of the river.
Dan 12:6 And one said to the man clothed in
linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end
of these wonders?
Dan 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen,
which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his
left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be
for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter
the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
Dan 12:8 And I heard, but I understood not: then
said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
Dan 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for
the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
Dan 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white,
and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall
understand; but the wise shall understand.
Dan 12:11 And from the time that the daily
sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up,
there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
Dan 12:12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh
to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
Dan 12:13 But go thou thy way till the end be:
for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.
We are going to
stop here, but we are far from finished with the prophecy of Daniel. Tomorrow
God willing we will be begin studying the book of Revelation.
We need our eyes
opened, we need our hearts made new, made clean, by God. We have to understand
what times we live in and keep our eyes wide opened to our Savior's love. Only through Him do we have hope of
understanding, of prevailing, only in Christ's righteousness!
By His grace!
By His amazing
unending love and mercy!
Through His
forgiveness, His righteousness!
Amen.