Where Do You Put Your Faith?

Do you ever stop and consider how truly wealthy you are? Not based on the world's standards of defining wealth, but in God's eyes. You are rich in the things that matter in God's eyes, not in earthly standards or earthly achievements, Jesus reminds us not to lay up for ourselves treasures in this world, which can corrupt or rot, but we are to store up our treasures in heaven instead where nothing can threaten your investment. In order for God to really use us, we need to get our eyes off the fact, that this is money, and view it instead as tools. Some times we will have more tools or less, but they are all used to bring about glory and honor to God, and not we have more money than we know what to do with, we will have grown spiritually. We need to remember not to do that.

"What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul." ~ Matthew 16:26

Poverty means that they once had something, but then lost it all. This doesn't mean that they live from check to check, but this is not the kind of poverty that Jesus was talking about. This was a church that was so poor because they were mocked based on their faith in Jesus, they were considered losers, because they refused to worship Caesar, and they weren't receiving any monetary compensation but instead were ostracized by the people living there. They were rejected and considered outcasts while everyone else around them, had it made.

Philippians 3:8 ~ "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things."

Philippians 4:11-12 ~ "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

When Jesus told them they were rich, He was telling them that they had invested wisely in eternal things.

2 Corinthians 8:1-2 ~ "And now brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity."

When times of difficulty surround you, you will be able to rejoice. Verse 9.

Revelation 2:9 ~"I know your works while being blasphemed..."

Blasphemia means to vilify, to speak against, to go about slandering another person. To speak evil of another person.

God has a particular hatred for this type of sin, and He judges both the believer and non believer alike.

Matthew 5:10-12 ~ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Have you ever taken a stand for Jesus when it is biblical? How does that work out for you? 

Revelation 2:9 ~ I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan."

Remember the church of Ephesus, there was a warning to them about false apostles. Revelation 2:2 ~ "I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false."

These false apostles came in apostolic succession, that the apostles that Jesus founded, continued on in succession of church hierarchy to this day. "Those who say they are Jews."  These were a powerful group of Jews that came to Smyrna, while they claimed to be Christians. They believed themselves to be a special priesthood that was continuous (imposters). This was a false priestly system that tried to marry an elaborate legalism of Judaism to the simple grace of Christianity.

Revelation 2:6 ~ "But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."

It means hierarchy, lordship, authoritative rule, a church serving the ministry, rather than the minister serving the church. Jesus said, "I hate that." This impostership has survived, in the merger of apostolic succession and a continuing priesthood. The Mormon church claims this apostolic priesthood. The Roman Catholic church claims this apostolic priesthood. A system of holy ordinances, performances, elaborate requirements, legalistic rights, and church dependence. It's all known as Romanism.

What kind of church are you, when eternity is an ever present reality in your life. Does that sound like you spiritually?

Revelation 2:10-11 ~ "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let  him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death." 

When eternity is an ever present reality, you'll see Jesus Christ as your shepherd.

Revelation 2:10 ~ "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer." 

Jesus tells us not to worry. If we go back to verse 9, we can see Jesus is saying, "I know...I have experienced it too!" That is supposed to translate to great peace in our life. We all want it to simply go away. Do you realize that 2 million people have died in the Sudan? Where is the U.N. on that issue? Where is the United States? Where is Europe? The Sudanese Christians are dying at a rate that is unbelievable. 2 million in 10 years, they are the persecuted church today. Churches are being burned with people in them. Locked in churches while bulldozers run over them. They hold onto their faith when that happens. This is real to them. Is Jesus your shepherd today?

Hebrews 4:15-16 ~ "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. "

Jesus feels and has felt everything you and I feel.

When eternity is an every present reality, you'll see Satan the devil as a tool in the hand of God.

Revelation 2:10 ~ " I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days."

He is a defeated enemy. God's got Satan right now under control. God uses everything he is doing, to bring about His will on the earth. No one knows what the precise meaning of the words "ten days." Jesus uses it specifically, because He is in reality. Some will suffer ten days. One day is like a thousand years to Jesus. When you keep your eyes on Jesus, time won't matter. It will pass. Jesus is basically saying, "I'm on it. That you might be tested, I'm on it." Remember Peter's sifting? You know that when you are enduring anything related to trials, time just seems to drag on by, but Jesus says, "I'm on it.!"

When eternity is an ever present reality, you'll see heaven, eternity as your next home.

Revelation 2:11 ~ " Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life."

First He wanted to close leaving them with a key thought, "I will give you the crown of life." Remember the citizens of Smyrna considered their city to be the crown of life. Jesus was reminding them they didn't belong here any longer. They had a new citizenship that could never be conquered. A crown that would be everlasting. Jesus mocks them, He says, "I will give you the crown of life." There is nothing God can't do!

The emperor isn't it. The city isn't it. The system wasn't it.

Let's look at the things that God promises to those that trust in Him.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ~ "Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

The Roman crown of victory was everyone to the Roman, but not to the Christian. What can I say to you, who are suffering? What can I say to you, who are about to suffer? I have one word. Bible. If the people who attend any church, gathered together to help you through your suffering, do you realize they couldn't do enough? To understand that if you had all the money in the world, that that money could not buy your health.

It is the Bible. It is His Word.

It was good enough for the church of Symrna. It was good enough for the apostle Paul. It was good enough for Mary. It was good enough for Jeremiah. It was good enough for Noah. It was good enough for John the Baptist. It was good enough for George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. It was good enough for the succession of Christians throughout the ages.

When suffering reaches the maximum, it is then, at those moments when the deepest of Christ's nature is translated into the life of His follower, until we are standing before Him in perfect peace.

Revelation 2:11 ~ "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let  him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death." 

The second death is the worst of all. A Christ-less hell forever.

Without God. His blessings, His goodness, His mercies.

Among the apostle Paul's last recorded words are 2 Timothy 4:8 ~ "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

Don't be afraid. To get you through your altar of difficulty and it leads you to death, He has engineered this moment of trial. He will be with you through it all, He will hold your hand, He will not leave your or forsake you. Remember He has died and came back to life, and if you believe in me, so shall you! Ever human being will die at least one time, unless the rapture happens. You are going to die! It's going to happen. Taxes and death! We will eventually die. If you are a Christian, you will only die once, in this world and live forever more with God in heaven. When He speaks of spiritual death, that is coming to those who don't believe in Jesus. When they are escorted upon their death straight to hell. To be born once, you die twice. If you are born twice, you die once.

Are you born again? Have you been born a second time? That is the greatest question right now! Jesus will be with you if you put your faith in Him.

Let's pray before we leave today.

Father, today Lord as we are here, I ask you Lord God to move across this body right now, and Father that You would minister to us, your comfort, your strength, your truth to all of us that are your children. And the beautiful thing is Lord, that You will do that, no matter where we find ourselves today. But Father, today for those who do not know you as Lord and Savior, I ask you Father that You would come upon them right now, and Lord only You can do this, that You would so speak to them, that they Lord God, would know these verses, these words and considerations are true from Your throne, and that You can be known personally. 

Would you consider Jesus Christ? He died on the cross to forgive you of your sins, but the problem is that you are still holding your sins, you're in trouble by the way for them, but Jesus is saying, "Give me your sin. I died for those sins on the cross." You have to give those sins to Him. You have to tell Him, "Lord, I give you my sinful life, and then Lord, I want You to be with me in this life, to save me, to watch over me, to keep me."

If this is your decision today, and you agree with this prayer, you want to know if you died today, you want to go to heaven, you don't need to worry about it anymore. You've heard about Jesus, you might even have a cross around your neck, but you have no assurance if you died today, you'd go to heaven. That can change right now. I'm going to lead you in a prayer right now, and if you mean it, God will hear you. In a moment you will leave this religious experience and enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, which is far better. Right now, the Lord has engineered this day for you, repeat this as you read it as you mean it,

Dear Lord Jesus, 

Forgive me of my sins, write my name in Your book of Life. I give You my life, I ask You to save me now, and give me Your Holy Spirit, that I might live for You, thank You for dying for me on the cross, in Jesus Name I pray, AMEN!!!

You are now a wonderful believer in Jesus Christ right now, and if you died today, you would be with Jesus in Heaven today! You have that blessed assurance that when this life ends, your eternal life begins.

God loves you so much that all that stuff that has happened in your life, He has brought about for this moment, to bring you to Him, through making your way here today. From this moment on, now, decide to follow Jesus.

The Persecuted Church of Smyrna

For those of you that have been following this study into the Book of Revelation, we are beginning the study into the Seven Letters to the Churches and what we have discovered is not only were these personal letters from Jesus to the heads or pastors of each of these real churches in Asia Minor, but they also address our own spiritual natures as believers and in the churches today. If you look at each of these letters, they address a spiritual state in which we all fall into. The study has been into which of these churches are you most like. In the last three studies, we addressed the church of Ephesus and today, we begin our study into the church of Smyrna, the second church mentioned in Revelation. The point you should be considering as you enter each of these sessions is how is your spiritual life in comparison to these churches mentioned in Revelation. Which one in 100% honesty can you relate to in your spiritual walk as a believer in Jesus? The results might just be eye opening.

Revelation 2:8-11 ~ "To the angel of the church of Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty - yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who are say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you eill suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has a ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death." (NIV). 

Notice that this is the shortest of the seven messages that Jesus gave to these churches. It is also interesting to note that He offered no criticism to them as well. He simply encouraged and commended them in this letter. We already know that the church of Smyrna was an actual church in Asia Minor which today is in Izmir in modern day Turkey and boasts a population of 300,000. At this time Smyrna, along with the church of Ephesus was a center of paganism and false worship. It was a city that had been leveled by wars but was rebuilt by one of the generals Lycemicus, who had served Alexander the Great. He restored it so much that the citizens there proclaimed that it had died but has come to life again. It was considered one of the most beautiful cities in all of Asia Minor. It was built along the Mediterranean Sea and as you continued into the city, it was elevated as it progressed inland and upward almost like a crown of sorts to Mount Pagus. On top of this mountaintop, there were various painted white structures dedicated to their pagan gods. They called it the "crown of life." They believed there wasn't a god that you couldn't find life in. It was also the birthplace of Homer. 

In fact, Smyrna was known for their loyalty to Rome and was known as well for their worship of Caesar. It was almost like a competition in the occupied cities to see who would have the right to build a special temple to Caesar and in this case, Smyrna won! They were known for the worship of the emperor and for declaring that "Caesar is Lord." There were streets lined with golden temples to the gods of Sibyl, the gods Apollo and Zeus.

Yet not all the citizens worshiped Caesar and the believers in Smyrna refused to acknowledge that "Caesar is LORD." and would not say it as well. Instead they said, "Jesus is Lord." This caused a division in that city with its countercultural messages that offended each group. It was definitely a tough place to be if you were a Christian, for if you took a stand for Christ, there was a price to be paid.

When Jesus said in verse 9, "I know your afflictions and your poverty, yet you are rich!" Why were they experiencing poverty in such a prosperous place? It was because of their willingness to stand for Jesus. If you were a Christian business owner and they found out that you were worshiping Jesus instead of Caesar, they would take their business some place else. It was not unlike what happened to the Jews during the rise of Hitler in Germany. It began when people refused to do business with Jewish-owned businesses. Then when the Gestapo came in and wrote Jew on the windows of the business in an effort to keep people away from doing business with them, it further ostracized the Jewish people. They were forced to wear yellow armbands, identifying them as enemies of the state. Before long, however, the business were vandalized and burned down, and then the Jews were rounded up and sent to concentration camps.

This was exactly what the atmosphere was like in Smyrna. If people discovered you were a believer, they would say, "We don't want to do business with you and we are reporting you to the authorities." As a result, in the Christian communities, poverty descended in the middle of the cities population.

The believers in the city were also slandered. Jesus reminds us that in verse 9, "I know the slander of those who are say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." The church was not only under the persecution of the Romans who wanted them to worship Caesar, but they were also being harassed by the Jews who were not fellow shipping with God. Jesus called them a "synagogue of Satan."

Lies were being spread about believers. The blasphemy that Jesus spoke about wasn't as much about God as it was about God's people. It may be a small comfort in the heat of the moment, but when someone is forced to make up lies about you because they can't find any inconsistencies in your life, rejoice and realize that is a wonderful thing. In this passage, Jesus commends the church who is being lied about, to "be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." ~ Revelation 2:10.

Jesus wasn't giving them happy news about their future on earth. He wasn't telling them to stay positive, He told them to stay faithful. Why? Because He knew that despite what they were going through it was going to get worse, much much worse. And it did. The believers of Smyrna, as well as many Christian throughout Rome suffered greatly for their faith. Thousands upon thousands of men, women and children were put to death simply because they would not say, "Caesar is Lord." Roman historian Tacitus wrote about what happened to some of them.

"Besides being put to death they were made to serve as objects of amusement; they were covered with wild beast skins and torn to death by dogs. Some were crucified, others set on fire to illuminate the night when daylight failed...Or tied to stakes in Nero's garden while he drove around in his chariot...gloating over the dying agony of his victims." They were taken to the Colosseum and put on display for entertainment with lions and other animals. Often they were 'quartered' which means their hands and feet were tied to horses and they were pulled apart. 

Imagine how horrible it was to watch this. The emperor Nero began to tyrannize the church of Jesus Christ, but the persecution actually intensified under Diocletian. We know it didn't work out well for Rome either. The citizens of Rome were extremely loyal and patriotic, and if you didn't worship Caesar as Lord, you were considered a traitor, crazy, an outcast, insane or a freak.

Sound familiar in today's world? How do we comfort someone? Some people avoid them, they shut down, go into denial because they don't know what to say or do. Realize this, that if you are a Christian, you will face suffering in your life, at your job, in your family and in your home. Not a hangnail mind you or your computer crashing, it's when a situation occurs and you cry out to God, "God, Why Me?" Suffering is not based on a lack of faith. God does a work in our life, that forever changes us, but God also promises us that He'll never leave us or forsake us.

God engineers those difficulties in our life - our suffering is not what is important to God however, it is what we get out of it that matters to God.

We are like ostriches, saying it's not going to happen to me! When it's scared, it plunges its head into the sand. People often live their lives in fear of what may come. They feel if they live on the defensive, they will be prepared when it does happen. We can be so caught up in the potential fear of what may happen, that they panic, they worry and in a sense, have stuck their head in the sand, and hope it doesn't happen. Does this ever work?

In 2002, an estimated 361,000 Christians have died by persecutors, 81% by Muslim extremists, simply for their faith in Jesus Christ and it is only increasing. You can find these statistics found on Voice of the Martyrs or Open Doors Ministries.  Most of them are being killed and martyred are in the African countries or the Deep South Pacific islands.  30,000 people died under the hands of Joseph Stalin. Some were Jews and most of them were Christians. The church is under a great suffering like never before. Did you notice the the word Smyrna is a derivative of the word myrrh an embalming oil, medicine or perfume which means crushing, or suffering, because you have to crush it to release the oil and thus made it costly and desirable. It played a part in Jesus' life. The wise men brought Him myrrh, when they went to see him in Bethlehem. It is interesting to note that they offered him gold, frankincense and myrrh, speaking to His deity, his suffering and the fact that He would die. In Isaiah 60:6 however, speaking of Jesus' millennial reign, they bring gold and incense but no myrrh, because He will never die again.

So Smyrna is the church of Suffering.  Suffering is a mysterious thing to endure. Suffering does have to take a physical toil on us, it can simply be the fear of what might happen, that keeps from moving forward. They are tormented by the fear of suffering.

What is even worse is that there are so called ministries, that pronounce a curse on anyone going through a difficult time financially or perhaps someone is sick or being ill-treated. That somehow God has abandoned those who are going through a period of suffering. Yet we know that the opposite is true based on the promises found in the Bible, that Jesus NEVER leaves us or forsakes us in the midst of our sufferings. It is at that point when you feel crushed that Jesus promises, My grace is sufficient for you, My strength in you will now be made complete. It is in the life of those suffering, that Jesus presents Himself in very tender ways, to comfort us and to bring us hope and assurance.

What we are going to see in this letter to the church of Smyrna is how Jesus ministers to those in trouble. This is His own personal approach to comforting those who are in trouble and are suffering. These are 4 very powerful verses packed with a message to comfort the persecuted church, and until you are facing that type of trouble, you will never know the true power of His words. Remember one thing, when you live in a hostile environment, you can still be a peaceful Christian or Christian church. Everything Jesus says here applies to a church that is suffering.

Revelation 2:8 ~ "These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again."

1. I am the First and the Last. Why is that important? Because those in the Roman Empire in Symrna believed this, it was the slogan of the Roman Empire. They were the first and the last. It would be all over billboards in the city of Smyrna, they believed they were the final word in the empire. It begins here with Caesar worship and it will end here with Caesar worship. We will last forever. If you worship in Smyrna, you will have eternal life. We are the ones! If you worship in Smyrna, you will never die.

Jesus is saying, "I'll tell you what, they are NOT the first and the last. I AM the First and the Last. He tells it to a church that is suffering and under pressure. What if our local governments were to say, "No more church, no more meetings," and then persecution would come against us. What would you do? You would be comforted by the words of God. You might have church on Sunday mornings, but you will still have church in your home on Sunday mornings right? You would gather together as a family with the Bible and be comforted by the Words you find in the Bible. We've all had to experience this during our 2020 pandemic when going to church was not possible. Most of us, simply streamed our services live from the internet, but what about those who didn't have access to the internet. We, sometimes, fail to see that not everyone has the simple things we take for granted everyday. I am convinced, they still picked up the Bible and continued to study the Word of God, no matter what was going on in the world. It's where we get our sense of strength.

Jesus is saying to a persecuted church, "I am the First and the Last. I am the peace you are looking for. Cities may come and go, but I will never go."

Did you realize that America is on the threshold of disappearing. You know that most nations only last around 200 years and we could be gone any day now.

John 14:27 ~ "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

John 16:33 ~ "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Any church that understands that Jesus is in charge, will be a church at peace. He is on the throne and He is our provider. He is eternal! He is the only one who is eternal!

Time for Your Diagnosis!

Whatever church we attend is a reflection of who we are. If we are a praying church, so are we. If we are a giving church, so are we. We need to measure ourselves by the lives we live, and often times, the churches we attend. In this study of the Book of Revelation, we see that each of the letters to the seven churches were designed for real churches that existed at that time in the region of Asia Minor, but we also learned that each of these letters pertains to a specific nature that can be found in the hearts of Christians. What we will learn in this process is which church are you in your own spiritual life?

We pick back up in Revelation 2:1-7 ~ " Revelation 2:1-7 ~ "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles, but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you. You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor. You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." (NIV). 

We learn that Jesus walks among His church in verse 1. "walks among the seven golden lampstands." When we look at the church we are attending, what is the atmosphere of the church, is it warm and inviting? Is it caring and reaching out? What does your church feel like?

Isn't it comforting to know that Jesus walks in the midst of our church? It would be wonderful to take a peek into the spiritual realm, to see what is happening in the middle of a church service. You might be more than surprised at what you would find. We'd see both angelic and demonic presences in the church, at war. Daniel's answer to prayer was delayed by 21 days because the angel was delayed in battle in the spiritual realm. I find it comforting to know that Jesus walks in the midst of the church. Think about that next time you attend church!

He gives the church at Ephesus a report. Do you really want Jesus' presence in church? If so, you might not like what He has to say. Jesus is like a doctor who is here to give the results of a medical exam and like all good exams, there is always good news and bad news.

Are we truly willing to obey Jesus in all things? Verses 2 and 3.

Revelation 2:2-3 ~ " I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles, but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary."

The question you must sincerely ask yourself, is are you really willing to obey Him in all things?  Jesus is giving the church of Ephesus the results of His examination and the diagnosis is this, on the outside, the church of Ephesus would be a pastors dream church. It was a large happening church, active, busy, and influential with a vision! They were a church that was doing it, and doing it right. It was a tremendous church. When we look at ourselves, we think we can't possibly be like this church, but honestly, can you honestly say that? Are we at least doing some of what this church was doing? Jesus says "I know" that you are right in 10 of 11 points.


1. "I know your works" This is the works spoken of by the apostle James, works that flow out of a true faith in God. It is the kind of "works" that proves your faith is real. We have a tendency in the Christian church to put down works because people have a tendency to trust in their works. We are not to trust in our works. We are to trust in God because we love Him, we do our works because we are obedient to Him. We do not do works to earn salvation or to earn God's favor. That is the gospel.

Ephesians 2:8-9, ~"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." 

If we are truly Christians, then there will be works flowing out of our lives. Jesus said, we would know them by their fruits or deeds. The people on their way to heaven is based on what they are doing with their lives. It's our way we can tell, if we are truly being a Christian. We should be able to look at our lives, and see the work we are doing. Does your Christian life, have works? The only person who can answer this is YOU. These are the works that provides proof of our faith that it is real. 

2. "I know your labor" This word "labor"  means that they served so faithfully, and so long that when they stopped, they would have hit the bed exhausted. It speaks of the fact that it cost them something to serve Jesus, and they loved it so. There are so few even here in any church. They were serving Jesus that way in their lives. Can you answer this question honestly, "Are you serving Jesus in such a way be it in our day, in our job, or in church, are we exhausted for God?" You feel victorious! From whatever you are doing, do you feel great afterwards based on the efforts you gave serving God? You can't wait to get back out there again. Very few people know what it's like to live Christianity like that! To serve Him to the point of exhaustion! We need to run our own self diagnosis on our own Christian life. It's not too late to get busy doing stuff for Jesus!

3. "I know your patience" This means having a happy face and a glad heart to continue onward in the face of difficulty. They had a great attitude. There were no whiners. They actually got better when things got hotter. Instead of getting bitter, they got better. There was no complainers. When you begin to do a self evaluation on your own Christian life, how are you doing so far?

4. "I know that you cannot bear those who are evil" They were committed to confronting evil and correcting it in the lives of the congregants. Church discipline was being applied. There are very few churches today, who obey Christ in this area, and it is one of the reasons today that churches are weak and polluted, sick from within.  We have lost this in this day in age. When it's done biblically, it strengthens the church. It needs to be done in love, but it needs to happen, and it will be stronger for it, and those will come back restored.

So again I must ask, are you really willing to obey Jesus in all things?

5. "you have tested those who say they are apostles and aren't." They were a church who took church seriously. They protected people against false teachers, false prophets and self proclaimed leaders.  They knew Bible doctrine, and protected the church, exposing them to the false doctrines that were being preached in the city. "You give money to this ministry and you'll be blessed." why don't they give their own money, why don't you give money to the people if you're a ministry and then you'll be blessed. There are those that are hurting and the church looks the other way. Think about it. They didn't tolerated those shenanigans or charlatans.

6. "I know you have found them to be liars." These false Christians, pretended to be apostles, were openly and publicly exposed before the body of the church.  There is a false teaching that is native to the cults but is also found in the Catholic church, the heresy of apostolic succession. Mormonism claims it, Jehovah's Witnesses claim it. There is no such thing.

7.  "I know you have persevered." They never gave up. They persisted. They fought on against an evil world, and the attackers of the church. They weren't quitters.

8. "I know you have patience, or better endurance." The desire to stay with it, to stick it out. To make it work. To be part of the solution and not the problem. That what they started to do, they stayed with it regardless of the attack against them. Out of the 100% of the church only 10% do the work, the other 90% sit back. Out of the 10% that do the work in the ministry, people are going to criticize you, and someone will question your motives. Keep doing it for Jesus and stop worrying about what the 90% have to say. Do it unto the Lord. It doesn't matter what they say. If your heart is in the right place, keep doing it for God. Don't let people pull you down. Don't take it personally. If you're in love with Jesus, do it for Him. Don't get your feelings hurt over it. Have a heart like a dove and skin like a rhino. Endure. Keep going!!!

9. "I know you have labored for my name's sake." To plod, to put one foot in front of another until you reach your destination. "You've continued on for Me." says Jesus. To keep moving forward even if only by an inch. You are still moving forward for Jesus. You know why you are doing what you are going.

One last time, are you really willing to obey Jesus in all things?

10. " I know you have not become weary." They never lost sight of the fact of why they were doing what they were doing. They knew what they were doing had a purpose. It was for Jesus Christ and for His glory only. What a tremendous church.

These are 10 wonderful and commendable characteristics that any church would love to hear in a report about how they were doing! In a sense it was like saying, "My, but this church has listened well to its spiritual leaders over the years! So when you look at your Christian life in all honesty, how do you measure up? How does your own church measure up? The results might just surprise you!

It's About to Get Personal!

A church isn't comprised of a building, but of the people in that building. Let us never forget that. Some people get all emotional and attached to a particular location, but the church consists of a body of believers and in most cases non believers. Did you know that the book of Revelation is the most avoided and least taught book of the Bible, even in Protestant churches? Wonder why that is? How sad that is really because more than ever, the book of Revelation is more relevant to us now than ever before.

Remember when we started this study into the book of Revelation, we learned that there is a blessing for those that read it and for those that hear it read. So why do most churches simply skip the book of Revelation? It become an indictment against the ministry, leadership or pastor of that particular church when that happens. If the book of Revelation seems strange to us, perhaps we fail to have a clear understanding of the Old Testament. The book of Revelation cross references more Old Testament books than any New Testament book of the Bible. Now that we open our Bibles up to chapters 2 and 3 in the book of Revelation, we come to the most avoided sections of the Bible of all, because it is the most convicting.

The section of the book of Revelation will bring to light what kind of church you belong to and are and perhaps that is why it is the most avoided. What kind of a church we are is reflected upon what kind of a Christian we are. It has been said, so goes the family, so goes the nation. We have yet to see what kind of a nation America will be 10 to 20 years from now, but as so goes the family, so goes the nation. So it makes sense that so goes the Christian, so goes the church, and you can't divorce yourself from that truth as we shall soon see as we study these letters to the seven churches. How you are, is how your church will be!

How the demeanor and the attitude of the church isn't based on the pastor, it's not based on the staff, it is based on those who attend a church. We will see if we walk with God or not will set the atmosphere of a church. We see that each of these letters to the seven churches are written by Jesus, Himself.

Revelation 2:1-7 ~ "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles, but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you. You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor. You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." (NIV). 

A study was conducted quite awhile back from the Institute of American Church growth to measure what they call the "love" character of their churches and what they discovered might just surprise you. They discovered that growing churches are more loving, than churches that are not growing. Growing churches are more loving than those that are stagnant. There is an obvious love in those churches for their members and for those visiting. Growing churches scored 35% higher than static or shrinking congregations regardless of the churches theological position, it's denomination or its location. These churches were attended by more people because of the love factor experienced in these churches.

What scored less than the "love factor" category was the churches leadership, its liberal or conservative theology, its facilities or even its evangelical passion. People in growing churches report that they, experience a sense of welcome-ness and acceptance and encouragement, an overall love challenge to know God more, and to reach out to one another with acts of love.

We know that the apostle John, known as the apostle of love, the same one that penned the gospel of John and the three epistles of 1-3 John, and woven through these books is one central theme,

1 John 4:7-8 ~ "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

Even when John was more than 100 years old and had to be carried quite literally in and out of church daily, would hold up his finger to heaven and command those who heard him, to "love one another." Everything he wrote about was about love. He even claimed that he was the disciple that "Jesus loved."

So where did John get this line of thinking? From Jesus of course.

John 13:35 ~ "By this all will know that you are my disciples, ...if you have love for one another."

All the world will know if you are a true Christian, is that you will have love for one another. We ended chapter one with a very special key. Just as every lock comes with a key, so does the book of Revelation come with a special key which we will refer to often found in Revelation 1:19, "Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this."

We learned last week that when Jesus gave this verse, He was outlining the entire book of Revelation.

"the things which you have seen," we discovered sums up all of Chapter 1. Where John has been sharing with us both his experience and his introduction to the Revelation.

 "the things which are," outlines Chapters 2 and 3. Here John has been given seven letters from Jesus Christ. Each letter is a report on the state of the local churches in Asia Minor, but each of them represents the universal church of the earth and our very own spiritual pulse. This is from the birth of the church, known as the church age to the culmination of the church. Meaning the world today, on this date.

 "and the things which will take place after this." outlines from Chapter 4 to Chapter 22. John after the introduction is made clear, and after the age of the church is complete on earth, record the judgments and tribulations that shall come upon the earth, which will herald Jesus' Second Coming to the earth.

This outline is very simple, but very powerful. It's the truth of the book of Revelation if we study it carefully.  Sandwiched between chapters 1 and 4, are chapters 2 and 3, which is where you and I are living today, right now in this very hour, in our personal lives and in the life of our church! Each time Jesus addresses the church, seven times, He says, "He that has an ear, let him hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches."

If Jesus were to shout from heaven to us or if he were to cry aloud, I believe that if Jesus was to audibly speak to us today, He would say this to our church today.

 "He that has an ear, let him hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches."

These letters that Jesus has written to the seven churches, must be taken seriously. These letters will challenge us, encourage us and correct us. If there was ever a spiritual tune up to be given, this is it for the Christian church! These letters apply to the churches today.

1. Each of these letters were written to the first century churches and they are as applicable to us as they were to the congregation of that time.

2. In each letter, Jesus says, "I know your works,"

3. In each letter to the church, Jesus says, "To him who overcomes," The challenge is given to each of us, to hold on, to persevere, to keep on going.  It breaks my heart today to see so many Christians giving up on their faith, on God, on commitments, on their marriages, and families, in light of what is happening in their lives today. The Bible warns that in the last days there will be a time of great apostasy and I believe we are seeing that happen today. When people would fall away from their faith.

4. In each letter to the church Jesus says, "He that has an ear, let him hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches." In an encouragement and understanding way.

5. In each letter to each church, Jesus gives a description of himself that pertains in a particular way to what that church is in need of.

These are the corporate letters to the churches today. Throughout every age and in every church, these seven natures of a church exist. These are seven real churches of that day, but it also an applicable to the churches we are in today.

These are personal letters to each of us today. Telling us that in every church these seven natures of a church exist, and that in the life of every Christian, we may experience any of these natures during our own lives. It is an exhortation to us today!

Remember this! Jesus Christ is the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, that He is the Lord, The Almighty, the One Who Was, Who Is, and Who is to Come, the One enthroned in Heaven above. He is awesome in His appearance, wearing a brilliant robe of righteousness, with a face as bright as the sun, having eyes as a flame of fire!

It is good for you to know that all premillennial, conservative, Bible students hold to the understanding that these seven churches also represent the chronological order of the church throughout the ages. Those scholars believe that we are living in the last days of the Laodicean church period, which I believe as well.

We begin today with our study into the first church of Ephesus. The word Ephesus means "desirable."
It was a wealthy and powerful city of the Roman Empire. Ephesus had nearly a bank on every corner. It boasted of its diversity and its open religions.  Many temples existed there, but none as grand as the temple to Diana, the Seventh Wonder of the Ancient World. It was 425 feet long, 260 feet wide and 100 feet high and had a combined seating capacity of 24,000 people. Because of its location, beauty and affluence, Ephesus was also a great place of commerce. It was located on the coast, a seaport at one time. It has since eroded quite a bit. The New York of its time. It was known as the Central Bank of Asia. It is located in what is today, Turkey.

The letter to the church of Ephesus, was a letter of a church without love. The first point we come to in dealing with what kind of church are we, are we a church sincerely desiring of Jesus' presence? We need to ask this of ourselves and of our own churches. We see that Jesus holds the church in his right hand.

Revelation 2:1 ~ "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:"

Revelation 1:20 ~ "The seven stars are the angels (real pastors/teachers) of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven (real actual) churches."

These things says He who holds "them" - the seven messengers! Jesus is in the presence of the church. Do we pray for Jesus' presence in our churches or are we far too critical of what is broken in our own churches? Talk to God about what needs to be done in your own church, do you desire the presence of Jesus Christ in our church? This church was missing its love factor. Yet Jesus still has control over the church. He has a strong grip on it. He is not leaving the church. 

In Greek the word "hold" is  "krateo" meaning to have in a grip. To have seized with dominance. To control by direct use. Direct use, means to have authority over another.

Meaning that the execution and implementation of God's will for His church is to flow through His leader who is under His direct ownership. To put it another way, the pastor or teacher is Jesus' slave. Jesus is saying, "No matter what your pastor, your church, the people, you are under my absolute authority as Your Lord and Savior! Scripture says He will never leave us or forsake us. This means the church shouldn't be focused on honoring itself, its pastor or its location. It isn't about the church, it's to be all about Jesus and gaining His presence in it. It shouldn't be about a pope or the chapel, or how great the worship is there.

The question we need to ask ourselves is have we left our first love? These letters are about our personal walk of faith with Jesus right now. Are you ready for an honest look at yourself while reading these letters? Tune back into tomorrow for another look at the church of Ephesus again!

 

The Beginning of the End is Revealed

The Bible has warned that in the last days, good will be called evil and evil will be considered good. It seems like all around us, what would have caused us to be a bit taken back is now being embraced as courageous, the ability to share what people have kept hidden for so long is now being accepted as the 'new normal.' Transgenders, homosexuals, and literally everything in between is being applauded that these life styles are now not only being brought in front of the public eye, but every organization and company is now supporting their cause. Everything that is, except for Christianity. It is the one thing that no matter what else is being accepted in this world, Jesus Christ, is still being pushed further and further in the closet and those that want equal rights with all the other groups are being labeled as intolerant.

Even in the midst of the Corona Virus pandemic, churches are being labeled as non-essential while abortion clinics are being kept open as an essential businesses. Suicides and domestic abuse are on the rise during this time and there is no one who can help them. Even doctors offices are closed and they are watching people die in their homes because they are too afraid of getting the virus. Even early detection for heart and cancer issues are being left untreated because of the lock down as well.

People continue to extinguish the light, so that they can continue to dwell in the darkness and not be ashamed by what they do. The Bible reminds us that men love the darkness more than they love the light. It's because the light exposes things and shines a bit of prominence on them. We have to remember that we are not in this world to become a part of it, but to bring a part of our world to this one and show the differences in what could be. That is our mission. If we continue fellowship with Him the light will continue to burn brighter and brighter. Our challenge in this life is are we maintaining fellowship with God? Lord may we spend sweeter time with you, more challenging time growing with You. We are longing to spend more time with Jesus as the time grows shorter before He will come again. We need to ensure we are spending time growing closer to God during these dark days ahead instead of walking apart from Him.

Revelation 22:16 ~ "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." (NIV).

What is the bright and morning star about? Light! He is the announcement of a new day coming, a brighter day! Just before the dawn, when things are the darkest, the bright and morning star appears, Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:19 ~ "And we have the world of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to is, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." (NIV).

Jesus is with us and He is with us as our High Priest.

Revelation 1:13a ~ "And among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest."

As John sees Jesus, he attempts to describe him among the seven churches.

Hebrews 4:15 ~ "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are- yet without sin."

The reference that John is making in how He is clothed in a robe reaching down to his feet, is addressing His priestly robes. No longer an earthly priest, no longer in the temple, no longer in a confessional, or a pulpit, Jesus is wearing a priestly robe. But why? Because He is our priest. He is the only one we need to confess our sins too, not to another man dressed in a robe, or a collar. Jesus is our high priest and we have direct access to Him at all times.

Hebrews 4:16 ~ "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

1 Timothy 2:5 ~ "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,"

John said he saw someone "like a son of man" Jesus Christ is man, Jesus Christ is God.

Hebrews 10:21-22 ~ "and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." (NIV).

We don't need to tip toe into the presence of God, nor do we need to boldly walk in without any respect either like we own the place, for that would be blasphemous, but you can walk in and call Him Dad, Papa, Abba, I need to talk to You. Just like when your kids come to you telling you that they need to talk to you, no appointment is needed. Do we enter into the presence of God wanting to talk to Him with boldness? God invites us to do just that.

The reference to Jesus being referred to as the "Son of Man" is used to describe Jesus over 70 times in both the Old and New Testament. Jesus, refers to Himself as the Son of Man, it is His title. Just like King in the gospel of Matthew, symbolized as a lion, an animal of nobility. In the gospel of Mark, Jesus is referred to as a Servant, symbolized as an Ox, a beast of burden or ministry. In John's gospel, Jesus is referred to as the God the Son, symbolized as an Eagle, an animal of glory and splendor. But it isn't until Luke's Gospel that we see Jesus referred to as the Son of Man, symbolized as the face of a man, Christ becoming human for us.

We see John describing Jesus, the Son of Man, dressed in a robe down to His feet, and it makes reference of that in Isaiah 6:1 ~ "I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exhalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple."

His glory fills the entire temple! The Bible also refers to his chest being girded about in a golden sash, in Revelation 1:13a, it is an announcement that He is God, He is man, and that He is priest forever! This is very important to us, because Jesus came down to earth from Heaven, He is God. He is also man, born from the flesh of a woman, Mary, in the child of Jesus Christ, but this God, this man, came to die for us, risen again from the dead to be our eternal priest. He is the priest forever and He has the golden sash across His chest. signifying His priesthood, one of the Levites, who also had a band across their chests with golden thread woven in it. Jesus' band across His chest is solid, a symbol of His glory.

He is the Jesus who is for us in verses 14 and 15.

Revelation 1: 14-15 ~ "His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters."

We see this Jesus as one who has judged our sin. "His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire." His head and his hair were white like wool, symbolizes His great authority. His head, his hair, white, glowing and emanating the light of glory. It is Jesus alone, that possesses all authority, according to the Bible, and perfect judgment. They still do this in England in Parliment, where the justices come out wearing white wigs, because they represent authority and judgment, or righteousness and of power.

Matthew 28:18 ~"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been give to me."

The Jesus that sits on the throne in heaven is sitting there in all authority, power, glory and righteousness, perfected in the glorious light of heaven. The one with the authority to judge. The good thing is that He is there for us. He has judged our sins at the cross. Yet the book of Revelation is dealing predominately with the Second Coming of Christ, and when He comes back, He will be doing so to judge the earth and their sins. All because they refused to accept Jesus Christ, as their Savoir, as their Messiah, and their Lord and King.

The scripture goes on to describe his eyes were like blazing fire. Remember it's not that Jesus eyes were blazing fire but that they "looked like blazing fire."Fire speaking of absolute and perfect judgment. He sees all things, dreams, thoughts, visions, emotions and motives, and knows why we do and say what we do, and there is no where we can hide that Jesus can't see. Those flames speak of His perfect insight into our souls and motives. He knows the motives of our actions.

Psalm 44:21 ~ "would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?"

It's like being in a courtroom where the judge knows everything. He knows why you did what you did, what your motives were and what you were thinking. No one will be able to stand before Him and hide anything from Him. He will know it all before they utter one word. And they will know there is no one they can blame or an excuse that will get them out of where they now stand before Jesus.

Daniel 7:9 ~ "As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze."

2 Cornithians 5:10-11 ~ "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, Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it also plain to your conscience."

John 5:22-23 ~ "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. "

A lot of Christians forget that we don't have to live in fear of losing our ability to get to heaven. You and I will have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ, where he will judge us for what we have done as Christians and for what we haven't done as Christians. We will have to give an account for what we did with the time we had as Christians before Him. This is what Kathleen did with her money, this is what Kathleen did with her time, this is what Kathleen did with her witness, and the Bible states that we will receive the disciplinary action of Christ or the blessings of Christ. It has no bearing at all, on my eternal destination as a Christian, neither will it have on yours as long as you are a Christian. This is the only judgment for believers. We will not stand before the Great White Throne Judgment mentioned later in Revelation.

You can fool the entire world but you can't stand before Jesus Christ and attempt to fool Him. Jesus is with us in those moments when the shades are drawn, when no one is around. Jesus sees it all. There is no where we can hide what we do from Him.

Tomorrow, we will wrap up all of Chapter 1 before heading into the seven churches! Hope you'll join me and be sure to share with others you might think will be blessed. 

No Where to Hide

The Bible has warned that in the last days, good will be called evil and evil will be considered good. It seems like all around us, what would have caused us to be a bit taken back is now being embraced as courageous, the ability to share what people have kept hidden for so long is now being accepted as the 'new normal.' Transgenders, homosexuals, and literally everything in between is being applauded that these life styles are now not only being brought in front of the public eye, but every organization and company is now supporting their cause. Everything that is, except for Christianity. It is the one thing that no matter what else is being accepted in this world, Jesus Christ, is still being pushed further and further in the closet and those that want equal rights with all the other groups are being labeled as intolerant.

Even in the midst of the Corona Virus pandemic, churches are being labeled as non-essential while abortion clinics are being kept open as an essential businesses. Suicides and domestic abuse are on the rise during this time and there is no one who can help them. Even doctors offices are closed and they are watching people die in their homes because they are too afraid of getting the virus. Even early detection for heart and cancer issues are being left untreated because of the lock down as well.

People continue to extinguish the light, so that they can continue to dwell in the darkness and not be ashamed by what they do. The Bible reminds us that men love the darkness more than they love the light. It's because the light exposes things and shines a bit of prominence on them. We have to remember that we are not in this world to become a part of it, but to bring a part of our world to this one and show the differences in what could be. That is our mission. If we continue fellowship with Him the light will continue to burn brighter and brighter. Our challenge in this life is are we maintaining fellowship with God? Lord may we spend sweeter time with you, more challenging time growing with You. We are longing to spend more time with Jesus as the time grows shorter before He will come again. We need to ensure we are spending time growing closer to God during these dark days ahead instead of walking apart from Him.

Revelation 22:16 ~ "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." (NIV).

What is the bright and morning star about? Light! He is the announcement of a new day coming, a brighter day! Just before the dawn, when things are the darkest, the bright and morning star appears, Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:19 ~ "And we have the world of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to is, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." (NIV).

Jesus is with us and He is with us as our High Priest.

Revelation 1:13a ~ "And among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest."

As John sees Jesus, he attempts to describe him among the seven churches.

Hebrews 4:15 ~ "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are- yet without sin."

The reference that John is making in how He is clothed in a robe reaching down to his feet, is addressing His priestly robes. No longer an earthly priest, no longer in the temple, no longer in a confessional, or a pulpit, Jesus is wearing a priestly robe. But why? Because He is our priest. He is the only one we need to confess our sins too, not to another man dressed in a robe, or a collar. Jesus is our high priest and we have direct access to Him at all times.

Hebrews 4:16 ~ "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

1 Timothy 2:5 ~ "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,"

John said he saw someone "like a son of man" Jesus Christ is man, Jesus Christ is God.

Hebrews 10:21-22 ~ "and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." (NIV).

We don't need to tip toe into the presence of God, nor do we need to boldly walk in without any respect either like we own the place, for that would be blasphemous, but you can walk in and call Him Dad, Papa, Abba, I need to talk to You. Just like when your kids come to you telling you that they need to talk to you, no appointment is needed. Do we enter into the presence of God wanting to talk to Him with boldness? God invites us to do just that.

The reference to Jesus being referred to as the "Son of Man" is used to describe Jesus over 70 times in both the Old and New Testament. Jesus, refers to Himself as the Son of Man, it is His title. Just like King in the gospel of Matthew, symbolized as a lion, an animal of nobility. In the gospel of Mark, Jesus is referred to as a Servant, symbolized as an Ox, a beast of burden or ministry. In John's gospel, Jesus is referred to as the God the Son, symbolized as an Eagle, an animal of glory and splendor. But it isn't until Luke's Gospel that we see Jesus referred to as the Son of Man, symbolized as the face of a man, Christ becoming human for us.

We see John describing Jesus, the Son of Man, dressed in a robe down to His feet, and it makes reference of that in Isaiah 6:1 ~ "I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exhalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple."

His glory fills the entire temple! The Bible also refers to his chest being girded about in a golden sash, in Revelation 1:13a, it is an announcement that He is God, He is man, and that He is priest forever! This is very important to us, because Jesus came down to earth from Heaven, He is God. He is also man, born from the flesh of a woman, Mary, in the child of Jesus Christ, but this God, this man, came to die for us, risen again from the dead to be our eternal priest. He is the priest forever and He has the golden sash across His chest. signifying His priesthood, one of the Levites, who also had a band across their chests with golden thread woven in it. Jesus' band across His chest is solid, a symbol of His glory.

He is the Jesus who is for us in verses 14 and 15.

Revelation 1: 14-15 ~ "His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters."

We see this Jesus as one who has judged our sin. "His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire." His head and his hair were white like wool, symbolizes His great authority. His head, his hair, white, glowing and emanating the light of glory. It is Jesus alone, that possesses all authority, according to the Bible, and perfect judgment. They still do this in England in Parliment, where the justices come out wearing white wigs, because they represent authority and judgment, or righteousness and of power.

Matthew 28:18 ~"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been give to me."

The Jesus that sits on the throne in heaven is sitting there in all authority, power, glory and righteousness, perfected in the glorious light of heaven. The one with the authority to judge. The good thing is that He is there for us. He has judged our sins at the cross. Yet the book of Revelation is dealing predominately with the Second Coming of Christ, and when He comes back, He will be doing so to judge the earth and their sins. All because they refused to accept Jesus Christ, as their Savoir, as their Messiah, and their Lord and King.

The scripture goes on to describe his eyes were like blazing fire. Remember it's not that Jesus eyes were blazing fire but that they "looked like blazing fire."Fire speaking of absolute and perfect judgment. He sees all things, dreams, thoughts, visions, emotions and motives, and knows why we do and say what we do, and there is no where we can hide that Jesus can't see. Those flames speak of His perfect insight into our souls and motives. He knows the motives of our actions.

Psalm 44:21 ~ "would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?"

It's like being in a courtroom where the judge knows everything. He knows why you did what you did, what your motives were and what you were thinking. No one will be able to stand before Him and hide anything from Him. He will know it all before they utter one word. And they will know there is no one they can blame or an excuse that will get them out of where they now stand before Jesus.

Daniel 7:9 ~ "As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze."

2 Cornithians 5:10-11 ~ "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, Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it also plain to your conscience."

John 5:22-23 ~ "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. "

A lot of Christians forget that we don't have to live in fear of losing our ability to get to heaven. You and I will have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ, where he will judge us for what we have done as Christians and for what we haven't done as Christians. We will have to give an account for what we did with the time we had as Christians before Him. This is what Kathleen did with her money, this is what Kathleen did with her time, this is what Kathleen did with her witness, and the Bible states that we will receive the disciplinary action of Christ or the blessings of Christ. It has no bearing at all, on my eternal destination as a Christian, neither will it have on yours as long as you are a Christian. This is the only judgment for believers. We will not stand before the Great White Throne Judgment mentioned later in Revelation.

You can fool the entire world but you can't stand before Jesus Christ and attempt to fool Him. Jesus is with us in those moments when the shades are drawn, when no one is around. Jesus sees it all. There is no where we can hide what we do from Him.

Tomorrow, we will wrap up all of Chapter 1 before heading into the seven churches! Hope you'll join me and be sure to share with others you might think will be blessed. 

A New Look for Jesus and The 7 Lampstands Meaning

Yesterday we looked at the rapture of the church in correlation to the reference in Revelation Chapter 1 and the reason for John's exile on the island of Patmos. Remember that the word "Revelation" means the unveiling, the knowing, the revealing. Today we will take a look at Jesus as He is now in heaven in all His glory and power. Picking back up where we left off yesterday in the Book of Revelation, let's look at Chapter 1:12-20.

"I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone 'like a son of man,' dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.  When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches." (NIV). 

Remember as we look at this portion of scripture it has been some 50 years since John had seen Jesus face to face. John knew Jesus in a personal way. It was John, who laid his head on the chest of Jesus, he refers to himself in the Bible as "the one who Jesus loves." Meaning he had a very close and personal relationship with Jesus. He was the only apostle that stood at the foot of the cross while Jesus died and was the one Jesus instructed to care for His mother.  Now however, John sees Jesus in a completely different way.

He sees Jesus revealed in all of His glory and grandeur. Remember the last time we see John, we see him in the Spirit on the Lord's Day and it's a great place to be, in the Spirit of the Lord. John was being transported into the spirit realm, and he sees Jesus Christ, no longer the humble Galilean who preached on the shores of the sea, but the enthroned Son of God in power and worshiped by all in heaven. This is just one of many visits John will take into the spiritual realm. For when the Bible says "in the Spirit" he is announcing he was taken to a place of the time or eternity where all is now before God and he sees the events that are taking place in the earthly realm. It's like John takes a journey in a time capsule so to speak. He is transported from one place to another where time has no limits. He sees things that in his time, have never been seen before, except through visions given by God through His prophets.

John says he is "In the Spirit" in Revelation 1:10 and he also says it in Revelation 4:2 ~ "At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it." 

In Revelation 17:3 ~ "Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered in blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns."

In Revelation 21:10 ~ "And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God."

As you remember yesterday John heard behind him a loud voice like a trumpet, which we have learned is not a talking trumpet, but the voice of God announcing His intentions to John. Interestingly in the Bible, trumpets were primarily but not exclusively used as an announcement, to call people to worship, to war or for celebration. Isn't it interesting that according to the Bible, God will call His people home to heaven with a blast of a trumpet at the moment of the rapture?

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ~ "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly no precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the cloud to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage each other with these words." (NIV). 

Notice that God appears in the atmosphere, not to earth and there will be a sound of a trumpet blast and the Bible says that those who have died in Christ will be resurrected first and then those of us that are alive, shall be caught up to meet them in the air, and we will be gathered together with a trumpet blast to be with the Lord and we shall always be with the Lord.

Now John is hearing the voice of a trumpet, which is the voice and calling of the Lord Jesus Christ and we see what John sees, the appearance of Jesus Christ, in all of His glory and power, we will never see Him quite the same ever again. When we get a glimpse of who the real Jesus Christ is, it won't matter what people say about you or do to you. It doesn't matter what kind of slander they create or what kind of story they might tell, because when Jesus Christ is enthroned in your life, you can stand firm in the things of this world, because you know where your strength is found.

Hebrews 13:6 ~ "So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (NIV). 

When you see Jesus enthroned in all His glory and power, it is hard to imagine bowing down to any other person in this world no matter how great they were or think they are today. John was given the greatest revelation to all mankind. So who is Jesus Christ today? There are four key points.

1. He is the Jesus - who is with us (verses 12-13).

"I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone 'like a son of man,' dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. ~ Revelation 1:12-13 (NIV). 

He is always with us in the light. "I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands," so what John sees at this point is the voice of one speaking is the one in the midst of these seven golden lampstands. The seven golden lampstands are no doubt examples of light. There are two interpretations of what the seven golden lampstands represent according to scholars. The first is that as Jesus is standing, there are seven individual lampstands surrounding Him, and He is standing in the middle of them. Yet in the Old Testament in both the Tabernacle and in the Temple in Jerusalem, there is a menorah. It has a single root and rising up from that root are seven branches total. It is the same seven lampstand menorah, is also forever illuminated in heaven. The ones created on earth, were in exact detail of the one that is in heaven forever. You can either see this a seven individual lampstands with Jesus standing in the middle representing the seven churches or it is understood that it is the seven lampstand menorah which represents the single root of Jesus with the seven lampstands branching off of it, representing the completeness of God, the completeness of the churches with Jesus walking in the midst of them.

It is a symbol of God's dwelling, because He dwells in this glorious light, the menorah or these lampstands were a symbol of light, and they are a picture of the church illuminating against the dark background of a sinful world. It is the very same reason whenever you go to buy a diamond in a jewelry store that it is placed against a dark black or blue background to intensify or project the aspects of the diamonds ability to illuminate light, so it is with the church. The darker the days get, the more evil and cynical, barbaric and lawless the world gets, and the more the church or a people hang on to Jesus, the more it will shine. That is the point. Our homes, our lives, our churches and communities will not compromise. It will stand for righteousness and holiness and if God brings back a revival it will be a return to the holiness in the lives of Christians! Where the world no longer has a grip like it has on so many people today.

1 John 1:5-7 ~ "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son purifies us from all sin." 

John 8:12 ~ "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but have the light of life." (NIV).

Which means we can not be living in sin, a rebellious life against God, Christian or not, by the way, and living a life asking God to bless and hear our prayers. The Bible says, he will not listen to our prayers and he will not lead and guide us because we are walking in sin. Walking after self, walking after our own agenda.

So the seven lampstands represent the seven local churches of Asia Minor, but because there are seven of them, the also represent the Christian church in totality of the New Testament age.

Matthew 5:14-16 ~ "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (NIV). 

We as a church, have a responsibility to be that light that Jesus is talking about here. You can take any light or flame and move it away and eventually it will burn out. It is out of fellowship with the light and it will be reduced to just an ember. When we get distant from Christ or distant from fellowship, and thus the reason it is imperative that you attend church that teaches the Word of God for fellowship, and strength for one reason alone, because God has told you in the Bible to do it.

Why? For this one reason, that together, we may burn brighter, it is through fellowship that we can see the power and glory of God at work, in our personal lives, in our churches and communities. We need to spend more time fellow shipping with one another. Stop saying the church is too big and you don't know anyone. Put on your goggles, go the edge and simply dive in. Find out who is there. Why do you think churches are growing and getting bigger, for your comfort? No to affect the world more!! Larger church, larger resources, larger vision.

Tomorrow we will continue our study into the remainder of the verses in this section. Thanks for stopping by today and if you are blessed by this study, please share it with others. It is amazing to see how God will use this to change lives simply by sharing it on your social media pages.

Alpha and Omega

We look around us today and believe that our hope lies in the governing bodies of the world to ensure peace, but it will NEVER be found within any government on earth, only in the salvation and glory of Jesus Christ. No U.N. flag will grant us what has been sought after since creation, freedom from war and a true peace until Jesus returns. Picking back up in our study in the Book of Revelation 1:7,

"Look, he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen."

We learned yesterday in our study that Jesus will return in the clouds at His Second Coming and that EVERY eye will see him. The Book of Revelation is not clear how that will happen but with the invention of the internet, smart phone technology and plain supernatural power, it will happen. But that event has not be fulfilled yet.

We pick back up with a look at "even those who pierced him;"

Lets look at some references to that in the Old and New Testament.

Zechariah 12:9-11 ~ "On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. And I will our out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jersusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On the day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo." (NIV). 

Let us remember that most of the Jewish people living in Israel refuse to accept Jesus Christ of Nazareth as their Lord and Savior. They want nothing to do with Yeshua Hama-shech, or Jesus the Christ. But salvation is coming to the nation of Israel again,"they who pierced Him," it was the "religious" leaders of Israel, those who prevented the nation of Israel from coming to faith in Jesus Christ. Religion can often be a dangerous thing.

Matthew 23:13 ~ "Woe to you, teachers of law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, not will you let those enter who are trying to."

Matthew 16:6 ~ "Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Saducees."

Remember this was written 1000 years before Jesus was pierced.

Psalm 22:16 ~ "Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, hey have pierced my hands and my feet."

We know that Jesus Christ is coming again and it will be a universal event and He is bringing judgment. Revelation 1:7b ~ "and all the people of the earth will mourn because of him." You should circle the word people or tribes, meaning all the ethic groups from every social level. EVERY SINGLE PERSON EVERYWHERE.

So why are they all going to be mourning because of Him? Because He is coming back in righteousness, He's coming back in power and in glory, and He is coming back in judgment. I believe the rapture of the church will clearly happen before the Second Coming. What you don't want to do is be one of those people who are left behind when that happens. That push off God's invitation of grace. He says here in Revelation 1:7b ~ "and all the people of the earth will mourn because of him;"

The word mourn used here is a sad word, it's not "Oh? Jesus is the one. Let's welcome Him back. Jesus is the one!" That is not what the word here implies. It's not the mourning where they realize "Oh we blew it, now we understand." The word here means they are mourning because they are against Him. They are trembling, they have been caught. It is the word you use when you have been 'busted' for a crime. The people of the earth will be 'busted.' The Jesus they mocked, will be the Jesus that comes in glory.

Isaiah 26:19-21 ~ "But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer." (NIV).

This clearly delineates the two events, the Second Coming and the rapture for one another.  The first half of these verses is clearly speaking of a resurrection. Dew evaporates in the morning never to be seen again. It speaks of God's people to "enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while" why do they have to hide? Because a day is coming when God will punish those remaining on the earth for their sins.

God said "his people" are hidden away from a time when all His wrath is poured out upon the earth, and that is exactly what the book of Revelation speaks about concerning God's judgment.

So who is He that is coming? We move on to verse 8 in Revelation 1 ~ "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

We know that He is the eternal one. The word Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the last. We would say "A to Z" in English, in Greek it is "Alpha and Omega."  But this is a reference that Jesus is the complete and total Revelation of the Word of God to all mankind, and doesn't the Bible say He is the Word of God?

But it's open ended at the end because the Word of God will not come to an end, it continues on. What He is saying is "My Word, which is My Son, you have come to know. But in all time and eternity, you will get to know Him forever more. Even when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we don't know all the ins and outs of who He is, but we know enough that we want Him into our life and we will spend an eternity learning all there is to know about Him. It will take that long to truly know and understand how wonderful and truly awesome He is.

Jesus Christ is also the Ruler of all the ages.

Revelation 1:8 ~ "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

He is the beginning and the end. It is a reference to the governor of time.

Isaiah 9:6 ~ "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." (NIV).

We say Everlasting Father, but what it really means is the Father of All Time. He is the Ruler of Time, and what is more precious to us than money these days, Time!!! All the names or titles of Jesus Christ are titles strictly reserved for God alone. The Alpha and the Omega, The Beginning and The End, The First and The Last, God the Father, manifested His will for mankind to be saved through His Son, Jesus Christ, and it's through Him and the preaching of His Name and of His Salvation that men could come into that wonderful relationship with God. It's not a religion by the way, it's a relationship.

John 8:58 ~ "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

He is also the ever present God back to Revelation 1:8, ~ ""I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." (NIV).

This is a title reserved for God alone, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." The word "Almighty" here is the one and only, all omnipotent and omnipresent. There is only one says the Bible. When it says "he is the one who is" means I am here right now. When it says, " who was" means I was there back then. When it says, "Who is to come" means I will be there when...

This is the God that you and I worship!!!

He was there, He is here now and He will be there in the future! Wherever we are, He is there!

Our final point today, is Jesus Christ is coming again because that is what the Bible says. in Revelation 1: 9-11 ~ " I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord's Day I was in Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches to Ephesus, Syrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."(NIV).

So why was John in prison again? And on a dump of an island called Patmos. No one takes a tour to Patmos. You go to Turkey, head south on the Aegean Sea, and you can see the island of Patmos, nothing but a barren volcanic rock. Rome sent prisoners there to dig in the mines, and then when they were done, they would just throw them into the ocean. It's a horrible place, there is not one bush, shrub or ounce of greenery anywhere. And that is where Rome sent John. It's kind of funny how he got there. He was preaching, he was the pastor of a church in Ephesus, he was the longest living apostle, all the other guys are dead, and they can't get rid of John.

He was a tremendous witness, he was arrested because he loves the Bible and he tells people about Jesus. He was arrested for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. The arrested him, put him in a pot of boiling oil to make an example out of him, but according to church history, he came out just fine. They got so mad that nothing hurt him, they put him on a ship and sent him to Patmos to die as an old man. So what does God do, it's a desolate and lonely place, and in John's loneliness he sees the glory of God. The book of Revelation is revealed to him in his old age, more than 100 years old, and during this time the emperor of Rome, Domitian, dies. Minerva now comes into power with a little more compassion towards Christians, and has John sent back to Ephesus where he lives out the rest of his days. He spent every ounce of his life preaching in the church, even to the point he has to be carried in, because he could no longer walk.

But today we live in such a godless, lawless society. No life is valued, no one is safe. Before when people robbed you, they would hold a gun towards you and ask for all your money, now they simply shoot you and take what they want anyway. How far we have fallen in this world, where we will sell baby parts from aborted babies for profit. Jesus reminded us that when He comes back, people will have a heart against the law. They will be lawless.

Notice how John compares himself as both a "brother" and "companion" he didn't say I got a robe, stand back, kiss my ring, give me a reserved parking spot. He is a "brother" and "companion" in suffering, kingdom and patient endurance. The Bible clearly reminds us that in this life, we will have tribulation. Are you having a rough time? Are you having a rough life? The Bible says we will have rough lives, Christians, we have rough lives and tough times. But they have a purpose and a meaning. No matter what we are struggling with, in our lives, there is a meaning to our suffering. In fact when you have a meaning to suffering, it makes suffering actually helpful. But if you don't have a meaning to your suffering, your suffering is hopeless. We are like John, we are "brothers" and "companions" because we too suffer and have tribulation in this life. We can relate to John.

2 Timothy 3:12-13 ~ "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived."(NIV).

John was being arrested, tortured, beated, boiled and left to die simply for believing in the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus, what a wonderful thing to behold, you know you are doing the right thing when that happens.

Verse 10, reminds us that there is a time to listen, " On the Lord's Day, I was in the Spirit and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, "(NIV).

What we know for sure is that the voice was NOT a trumpet, based on the use of the word "like" it's a simile or symbolic. Its as of a trumpet, meaning a trumpet is NOT talking. He simply hears a loud voice that catches him off guard, not that he turns around and sees a trumpet talking to him. Whoever is speaking to him is speaking to him as clear and loud and bright, as like a trumpet. Like when a trumpet makes an announcement. Whenever Israel was called to battle, called to worship, called to congregate, how did they do it? A trumpet! Isn't it interesting that the church will be gathered together the same way? A trumpet!

I believe that is why God told Moses to make two silver trumpets, one represents Israel and the other, represents the church, but that is just an opinion and isn't really part of the study. Numbers 10:1-3.

So why should any of this matter? Because without a doubt, Jesus is coming back. And so many people believe they have all the time in the world to make the decision to accept Jesus into our life. We don't know when it will happen, and trust me death, can happen when you least expect it. Don't believe for one moment you might have enough time to make that decision at that moment. It might be too late. Trust me don't wait.  

ARE YOU READY FOR JESUS TO COME BACK TODAY? 

Join me tomorrow for the continuation of the Jesus we see at the conclusion of Revelation Chapter 1!