An Exposition of the
The
Revelation 1:9, "I, John, who also am your brother
and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ,
was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the Word
of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ."
43-2 This series of visions of the
Revelation of the Person of Jesus Christ was given to John while he was
banished to the Isle of Patmos. This small island is
thirty miles off the coast of Asia Minor in the
43-3 You will notice that John has
addressed himself to the Christians as a brother in tribulation. It was at this
time that the early church was going through great persecutions. Their religion
was not only "everywhere spoken against" but the people themselves
were imprisoned and killed. John, like multitudes of others, was now suffering
imprisonment for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. When
arrested, they tried in vain to kill him by boiling him in oil for twenty-four
hours. The enraged and powerless officials then sentenced him to
43-4 The visions that John received
covered a period of two years, A.D. 95-96. They are the most remarkable of all
visions in the Word. The entire book is set forth in symbols, and therefore is
the target of much criticism and dispute. However, it does have the seal of God
upon it. That makes it authentic and of tremendous value to all who read or
listen to its sacred pages.
IN THE SPIRIT ON THE LORD'S DAY
Revelation 1:10, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's
Day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet."
43-6 "I was in the Spirit."
Isn't that just beautiful? My, I love that. You could just call those words,
"The whole of the Christian life." If we are going to live as
Christians, we have to be in HIS Spirit. John was not talking about being in
his own spirit. That would not have brought these visions. It had to be the
Spirit of God. It has to be the Spirit of God with us, too, or all our efforts
are in vain. Paul said, "I will pray in the Spirit, I will sing in the
Spirit, I will live in the Spirit." If there is anything good that will
come to me it has to be revealed by the Spirit, confirmed by the Word, and made
manifest by the results it bears. As surely as John needed to be in the Spirit
to receive these tremendous revelations fresh from Jesus, we need to be in the
Spirit to understand the revelations that God has given to us to live by in His
Word, for it is the same Spirit.
44-1 Look at
it this way. All too many read the Bible where it says in Acts 2:38, "Repent,
and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost," and just
pass right on. They don't see it. If they saw it, by getting in the Spirit,
they would know that if they want to receive the Holy Spirit, they need to
repent and be baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus and then God would be duty
bound to fulfill His Word by filling them with the Holy Ghost. They never get
in His Spirit or it would happen to them exactly as the Word says. Pray to God
for a revelation by His Spirit. That is the first step. Get in the Spirit.
44-2 Let me just use another
illustration. Suppose you need healing. What does the Word say? Well, we have
all read it countless times, but did not get in the Spirit when reading it. Did
we ask God for His Spirit to teach us the real truth of it? If we did, we would
call the elders, confess our sins, be anointed and prayed for, and that would
be that. It might not come immediately, but in His Spirit, it is all over.
There is no other court of appeal. God will fulfill His Word. Oh, we need to
get in the Spirit, and then things will be done. DON'T GO THROUGH THE ACTS
FIRST. GET IN THE SPIRIT AND THEN GO THROUGH THE ACTS AND WATCH WHAT GOD WILL
DO.
44-3 Have you ever noticed how the
world gets into the spirit of things that are in the world? They go to their
ball games, their sporting events, and their dances. They enter into the spirit
of it. They don't sit there like wall flowers, old dried up sticks. They enter
right into the feel of things and become a part of things. But, oh, how they
hate the Christians for getting into the Spirit of God's Word. They call us
fanatics and holy-rollers. There is nothing they won't do to show their hatred
and disapproval. But ignore that. You can expect it, knowing where it is coming
from. Just go on and get in the Spirit of worship.
45-1 Our spirit is clean. It is fresh.
It is real. It is sober and serious but nonetheless, full of the joy of the
Lord. The Christian ought to be just as exuberant and full of his pleasure in
the Lord as the world is when it savors and delights in its pleasures. Both
Christians and the world are human; both have emotions. The difference is the
Christians' hearts and emotions are purely on the Lord of Glory and His love,
while the world satisfies the flesh.
45-2 Now it says that John was in the
Spirit on the Lord's Day.
45-3 Oh, my, here is a verse that
really causes some dissension. Not that it needs to, or ought to, but some just
don't see what the Word really says.
45-4 First of all we find some fine
folks that call the Lord's Day, the Sabbath Day, which to them is Saturday.
Then there are the others who call the Lord's Day, Sunday, the first day of the
week. But how could it be either of these days, or even the two put together,
for John was in the Spirit receiving those visions for a period of two years.
Actually what had happened was that John was caught up in the Spirit and
transported into the Lord's Day, which is yet to come.
The Bible speaks of the Day of the Lord which is to be in the future, and John
is now seeing the things of that future day. But in the meantime, just to
settle our minds, let us find out exactly what the Sabbath is today.
45-5 The Sabbath, as we know it from
the New Testament, is NOT the keeping of a certain day. We have no command
whatsoever to keep Saturday for a Sabbath, nor do we have any commandment to
keep the first day of the week, which is Sunday. Here is the truth of the
Sabbath, which means "rest." Hebrews 4:8, "For if Jesus had
given them rest (or rest day), then would He not afterward have spoken of
another day. There remaineth therefore a rest
(Sabbath keeping) to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest,
he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His." Did you hear
that key phrase in the last part of the verse? "God ceased from His own
works." God gave
46-1 Let's
see what the Bible teaches us about this Sabbath rest. "For
he that is entered into his rest." This entering
in is not only entering in, but remaining in, the rest. It is an
'eternal rest' of which the seventh day is but a type. 'Seven' is completion.
'Eight' is the 'first' day again. Jesus' resurrection was in the first day of
the week, giving us eternal life and eternal Sabbath rest. Thus we see why God
could not give us any one certain day of the week as a Sabbath (rest). We've
'entered into' and do 'remain in' our rest, which
46-2 How we receive this rest, or
continuing Sabbath, is at the invitation of Jesus. He said in Matthew 11:28,29, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn
of Me;... and ye shall find rest (or keeping of the
Sabbath, not a day, but eternal life, Sabbath) unto your souls." No
matter how long you have been laboring under your load of sin, whether it is
ten years, thirty years or fifty years, or longer, come with your tired weary
life and you will find His rest (the true Sabbath). Jesus will give you rest.
46-3 Now exactly what is that rest that Jesus will give?
Isaiah 28:8-12, "For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so
that there is no place clean. Whom shall He teach knowledge? and
whom shall He make to understand doctrine? them that
are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon
precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little,
and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak
to this people. To whom He said, This is the rest
(Sabbath) wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest (or keeping of His Sabbath);
and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear."
Here it is
prophesied right here in Isaiah. And it came to pass about 700 years later at
Pentecost when they were all filled with the Holy Ghost exactly as it was said
they would be. This is the true Sabbath that was promised. Thus when they were
filled with the Holy Ghost they ceased from their worldly works, their worldly
doings, their evil ways. The Holy Ghost took charge of
their lives. They entered into rest. There is your rest. That is your Sabbath.
It is not a day, nor a year, but the eternity of being filled and blessed in
the Holy Spirit. It is you ceasing, and God doing. It is God in you willing and
doing of His good pleasure.
47-1 Let me make one more note about
the Saturdarians who claim that we meet on the wrong
day of the week when we meet on Sunday, the first day. Here is what Justin said
in the second century. "On Sunday a meeting is held of all who live in
cities and villages, and a section is read of the memoirs of the apostles and
the writings as long as time permits. When the reading is finished, the
president in a discourse gives the admonition and exhortation to imitate those
noble things. After this we all arise to offer common prayer. At the close of
the prayer, as we have described, bread and wine are placed before us, and
thanksgiving made and the congregation answers, "Amen". Then the
elements are distributed to each one and are partaken of and carried by the
deacons to the house of the absent. The wealthy and willing then
give contributions according to their free will and this collection is
deposited with the president who therewith supplies orphans, widows, prisoners,
strangers in want." Thus we see that those who claim the early church
carried on the Judaic tradition of assembling on the last day of the week are
grossly ignorant of what history actually sets forth, and are therefore not
worthy of confidence.
47-2 Oh, that
people might come unto Him and find that rest. There is a cry in all hearts for
that rest but the majority don't know the answer. So
they try to still the cry by a religious process of keeping certain days or
accepting denominational creeds and dogmas. But failing in that, many try
drinking, carousing, and every physical excess, thinking that by worldly
pleasures there can be some satisfaction. But in such there is no rest. They
smoke and take pills to quiet their nerves. But there is no rest in earthly
potions. They need Jesus. They need the heavenly remedy, the rest of the
Spirit.
47-3 Then the most of them go to
church on Sunday. That is good but even there they have no idea of how to
approach God and how to worship Him. Jesus said that true worship was in Spirit
and in truth, John 4:24. But what kind of worship can you get in a church that
knows so little of God it puts up a Santa Claus at Christmas and bunnies at
Easter? Where did they get that? They got it from the pagans and made it a part
of the church doctrine. But when one turns to the Lord and is filled with the
Holy Ghost he ceases from all such things. He has a rest in his soul. He really
begins to live, and love God and worship Him.
48-1 Now let's get back to our
Scripture. We know what the Lord's Day is not. If it is not Saturday or Sunday,
what is it? Well, let's put it this way. Today is certainly not the Lord's Day.
This is
man's day. It is man's doing, man's work, man's church, man's idea of worship, man's everything, for it is man's world (cosmos).
BUT THE DAY OF THE LORD IS COMING. Yes, it is. It is just that at this time of
the Revelation of Jesus Christ, John was taken up by the Spirit and transported
by the Spirit to that Great Day that is coming. The Lord's Day is when the days
of man are over. The kingdoms of this world will then become the kingdoms of
our God. The day of the Lord is when the judgments fall, and after that comes
the millennium. Right now the world does what it wants to do with the
Christian. They call him all manner of evil names, making fun of him. But there
is coming that great and notable day when they will wail and howl, for the Lamb
is coming in wrath to judge the world. That is when the righteous will have
their day with the Lord, for the wicked shall burn and the righteous will walk
over their ashes into the millennium. Malachi 4:3, "And ye shall tread
down the wicked for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day
that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts."
THE VOICE LIKE A TRUMPET
48-2 Revelation 1:10, "... And heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet."
John was
in the Spirit, and when he was, he saw the great and wonderful day of the Lord
Jesus and all His holy power. The future was about to unfold for God was about
to teach him. John did not say it was a trumpet. It was like a trumpet. Now
when a trumpet is blown it has an urgency about it. It
is like the herald, the king's messenger, coming to the people. He blows on a
trumpet. It is an urgent call. The people gather to listen. (
THE COMMAND TO WRITE
Revelation 1:11, "Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the
First and the Last: and, What thou seest,
write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia: unto
49-1Here it is. The First and Last,
the Alpha and Omega: that's ALL of it. The one true God.
The Voice and Word of God. Reality and truth is at
hand. What a thing it is to be in the Spirit. My, to be in the presence of God
and hear from Him... "What thou seest, write in a book, and send it to the seven churches."
The voice that sounded forth His Word in the Garden of Eden and upon
"Write the visions, John. Make a record of them for
the ages which are to follow, for they are the true prophecies which MUST come
to pass. Write them and send them out, making them known."
John
recognized that voice. Oh, you will recognize that voice when He calls if you
are one of His own.
THE GOLDEN LAMPSTANDS
Revelation 1:12, "And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden
candlesticks."
49-4 John does not say that he turned
to see the one whose voice he heard, but he turned to see the voice. Oh, I like
that. He turned to see the voice. The voice and the person are one and the
same. Jesus is the WORD. John 1:1-3, "In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Same
was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was
not any thing made that was made." If you can ever get to really see
the Word you will be seeing Jesus.
50-1 When John turned he saw seven
golden candlesticks. Actually they were lampstands.
And according to verse 20, they are the seven churches: "the seven
candlesticks that thou sawest are the seven
churches." To represent the churches they could hardly be candles. A
candle burns but awhile and then is burned out. It dies. There would be no more
to it. But lampstands possess a lasting quality not
found in candles.
50-2 If you want to get a beautiful picture of the lamp, read about it in
Zechariah 4:1-6,
"And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man
that is wakened out of his sleep. And said unto me, What
seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a
candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps
thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof.
And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other
upon the left side thereof. So I answered and spake
to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are
these, my Lord? Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my Lord.
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the Word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel,
saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My 'Spirit', saith
the Lord of Hosts."
Here is
another lamp of pure gold. It is burning brightly because it has plenty of oil
which it is getting from the two olive trees, which stand on either side. The
two trees represent the Old and New Testament, and of course the oil typifies
the Holy Ghost, Who alone can give the light of God to the people. The angel
who spoke to Zechariah was as much as saying "this what
you see means that the church cannot accomplish anything by its own might or
power, but by the Holy Ghost."
50-3 Now examine this lampstand. You will notice that it has a large bowl, or
reservoir, that is central to seven arms that come out of it. This bowl is
filled with olive oil which flows through seven wicks which are placed in the
seven arms. It is the same oil that burns and makes a light at the end of the
seven pipes. This light never went out. The priests just kept pouring oil into
the bowl.
50-4 The lamp was lit in a special
way. First, the priest took fire from the sacred altar which was originally
lighted by the fire of God. He lit, first of all, the lamp that was sitting on
top of the bowl. He then lit the second lamp from the flame of the first lamp.
The third lamp received its fire from the second lamp, as did the fourth
receive its from the third, and so on, until all the
seven lamps were burning. This holy fire from the altar, being passed from lamp
to lamp, is a wonderful type of the Holy Spirit in the seven Church Ages. The
original outpouring of Pentecost (which outpouring came direct from Jesus on
the Mercy Seat) is enduing His Church through all the seven ages, and showing
forth perfectly that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and
forever, the never changing God in His essence and His ways.
51-1 In John 15, Jesus said, "I
am the Vine, ye are the branches." He is the main Vine, that which comes
out of the original root from the original seed that has the life in it. Now
the vine does not bear fruit; it is the branches that do that. Now watch this:
You can take a citrus tree such as an orange tree, and graft into it a
grapefruit limb, a lemon limb, a tangelo limb, and other kinds of that variety, and all those limbs will grow. But those grafted
limbs will not bear oranges. No sir. The lemon limb will bear lemons, and the
grapefruit limb will bear grapefruit and so on. Yet those limbs will be
thriving off the life in the tree. But if that tree ever puts forth another
branch of itself it will be an orange branch and bear oranges. Why? Because the life in the limb and the life in the trunk are
identical whereas it wasn't so with the grafted limbs. Those grafted
branches had their sources in other kinds of life from other trees, from other
roots, from other seeds. Oh, they will bear fruit all right, but they won't
bear oranges. They cannot because they are not the original.
51-2 That's the way the church is. The vine has been split and limbs have
been grafted in. They have grafted in Baptist limbs, Methodist limbs,
Presbyterian limbs, and Pentecostal limbs. And those limbs are bearing Baptist,
Methodist, Pentecostal, and Presbyterian fruit. (Denominational
seeds from which they produce their fruit.) But if the vine ever brings
forth another branch of itself, that branch will be exactly like the vine
itself. It will be the same kind of a branch that was brought forth at
Pentecost. It will speak in tongues, prophesy, and have the power and signs of
the resurrected Jesus Christ in it. Why? Because it's
thriving on the natural resources of the vine itself. You see, it wasn't
grafted into the vine; it was BORN in the vine. When those other branches were
grafted in, all they could do was bear their own fruit for they were not born
of that vine. They don't know about that original life and original fruit. They
cannot know for they were not born of it. But if they had been born of it, that
same life that was in the original stem (Jesus) would have come through them
and manifested through them.
John 14:12, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also;
and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father."
52-1 Denominations which are man
directed cannot be born of God; for it is the Spirit, NOT MAN,
that gives life.
52-2 How thrilling it is to think of
those seven lamps drawing life and light from the resources of that main bowl
because they had their wicks dipped therein. Each church age messenger is depicted
here. His life is on fire with the Holy Ghost. His wick (life) has been
immersed in Christ. Through that wick he is drawing the very life of Christ,
and by it gives out light to the church. What kind of a light is he giving? The very same light that was in the first lamp that was lit.
And right on down the ages to the present time of the last day messenger the
same life and the same light is manifested by a life that is hid with Christ in
God.
52-3 Not only can we speak thus of the
messengers, but every true believer is dramatically depicted here. They are all
drawing from the same source. They have all been dipped into the same bowl.
They are dead to themselves and their lives are hid with Christ in God. They
are sealed in by the Holy Ghost. Ephesians 4:30, "And grieve not the
Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."
No man can pluck them out of His hand. Their lives cannot be tampered with. The
visible life is burning and shining, giving light and manifestations of the Holy
Ghost. The inner, invisible life is hidden in God and fed by the Lord's Word.
Satan cannot touch them. Not even death can touch them, for death has lost its
sting; the grave has lost its victory. Thanks be unto
God, they have this victory in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen and
amen.
NO LONGER THE PRIEST
Revelation 1:13, "And in the midst of the seven
candlesticks One like unto the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the
foot, and girt about the paps with a golden
girdle."
53-1 There He stands, One like unto the Son of Man. As the jewel is beautified by
the mounting of the ring, so He is glorified in the midst of the churches. It
is the Lord's Day; for John sees Him standing, not as a priest, but as the
coming Judge. The golden girdle is no longer girt around the waist where the
priest must wear it as he ministers to God in the
THE SEVENFOLD GLORY OF HIS PERSON
Revelation 1:14-16, "His head and His hairs were
white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire. And
His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as
the sound of many waters. And He had in His right hand seven stars: and out of
His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength."
53-3 How deeply moving and inspiring
was the appearing of Jesus to John, who was in exile for the cause of the Word,
and behold, the Living WORD now stands before him. What an illuminating vision,
for every descriptive attribute has a significance. What a revelation of His
glorious Being.
1. His Hair as White as Snow.
53-4 John first notices and mentions the whiteness of His hair. It was
white, and as bright as snow. This was not because of His age. Oh, no. The
brilliantly white hair does not signify age but experience, maturity, and
wisdom. The Eternal One does not age. What is time to God? Time means little to
God, but wisdom means much. It is as when Solomon called to God for wisdom to
judge the people of
See this in Daniel 7:9-14, "I beheld till the
thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, Whose garment was
white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool: His throne was like
the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came
forth from before Him: thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand
times ten thousand stood before Him: the Judgment was set, and the books were
opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body
destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the
beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for
a season and time. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, One
like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of
Days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion,
and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve
Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and
His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."
There it
is. Daniel saw Him with that white hair. He was the Judge opening the books and
judging out of them. Daniel saw Him coming in clouds. That is exactly what John
saw. They both saw Him exactly the same. They saw the Judge with His judgment
girdle over His shoulders, standing pure and holy, full of wisdom, fully
qualified to judge the world in righteousness. Hallelujah..
54-1 Even the world understands this symbology, for in ancient times the judge would appear and
convene court, dressed in a white wig and a long robe that signified his
complete authority (head to foot robe) to mete out justice.
2. His Eyes as Fire.
54-2 Think of it. Those
eyes that were once dimmed with tears of sorrow and pity. Those eyes that wept with compassion at the grave of Lazarus.
Those eyes that saw not the evil of the murderers who hanged Him on a cross but
in sorrow cried, "Father forgive them." Now
those eyes are a flame of fire, the eyes of the Judge Who will recompence those who rejected Him..
54-3 Of all the human emotions He
manifested the most when He appeared as the Son of Man was this one, He wept
often. Yet behind that weeping and that sorrow there was still God.
54-4 Those same eyes saw visions. They
looked deep within the hearts of men and read their very thoughts and knew all
their various ways. Blazing out of mortal eyes was God, Who cried to those who
knew Him not for what He was, "... If ye believe not that I am He, ye
shall die in your sins." John 8:24. "If I do not the works of
My Father, believe Me not. But if I do (the works of
My Father), though ye believe not Me, believe the
works..." John 10:37,38. Like Jeremiah of
old, He was the weeping prophet, for men received not the Word of God and
thrust aside the revelation.
55-1 Those fiery flaming eyes of the
Judge are even now recording the lives of all flesh. Running to and fro
throughout the earth, there is nothing He does not know. He knows the desires
of the heart and what each one intends to do. There is nothing hidden that
shall not be revealed, for all things are naked before Him with Whom we have to do. Think of it, He knows even now what you
are thinking.
55-2 Yes, there He stands as Judge
with flaming eyes to mete out judgment. The day of mercy is over. Oh, that men might repent and seek His face in righteousness
while there is yet time. That they might make His bosom their pillow ere the
world dissolves in fire.
3. The Feet of Brass.
55-3 "And His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a
furnace." Brass is noted for its remarkable hardness. There is nothing
that is known that you can put with it to temper it. But this brass that
describes His feet is more remarkable yet in that it has stood the test of the
fiery furnace, a test that no other one has gone through. And that is exactly
right. For brass signifies Divine Judgment: a judgment that God decreed and
brought to pass.
John 3:14-19, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in
the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: That whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the
world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the
world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He
that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of
God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."
Numbers 21:8, 9, "And the Lord said unto Moses, Make
thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that
everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it,
shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it
came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent
of brass, he lived."
56-1 The brazen serpent on the pole
symbolized sin from the Garden of Eden, where the serpent beguiled Eve, causing
her to sin. Brass speaks of judgment, as is seen in the brazen altar where the
penalty for sin was met in the sacrifice upon the altar. When God judged
56-2 The serpent on the pole is a type
of what Jesus came into the earth to accomplish. He was made flesh in order to
take upon Himself the judgments of God for sin. The foundation of the altar of
sacrifice was solid brass, typifying the Lamb slain from before the foundation
of the world. Judgment had already passed upon Him when as yet there were no
sinners. Salvation being entirely of the Lord, He trod the wine press of the
fierceness of the wrath of God alone. His vestures were dyed crimson with His
own blood. The fiery furnace of the just judgment and wrath of God was His
portion. He suffered, the just for the unjust. "Thou art worthy, O Lamb of
God, for Thou hast redeemed us by Thine own
blood." "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for
our iniquity, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we
are healed." The Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. He
suffered as no man had ever suffered. Even before the cross He had shed great
drops of sweat like blood from His body as in the intense agony of the ordeal
ahead the very blood separated in His veins. Luke 22:44, "And being in an
agony He prayed more earnestly and His sweat was as it were great drops of
blood falling down to the ground."
56-3 But some day those feet of brass
will stand upon the earth. And the Judge of all the earth He shall be, and with
equity and perfection will He judge mankind. And there will be no evading that
judgment. No turning of that justice. There will be no tempering of it. He that
is unjust will be unjust still; he that is filthy will be filthy still. The
Unchanging One will not change then, for He never has and never will. Those
feet of brass will crush the enemy. They will destroy the antichrist, the beast
and the image and all that is vile in His sight. He will destroy the church
systems that have taken His Name only to corrupt its brilliance and crush them
along with the antichrist. All the wicked, the atheists, the agnostics, the
modernists, the liberals, will all be there. Death, hell, and the grave will be
there. Yes they will. For when He comes, the books will be opened. That is when
even the lukewarm church and the five foolish virgins will appear. He will
separate the sheep from the goats. When He comes He will take over the kingdom,
for it is His, and with Him will be the thousands times ten thousands, His
Bride, who come to minister to Him. Glory! Oh, it is now or never. Repent before
it is too late. Wake up from amongst the dead and seek God to be filled with
His Spirit or you will miss eternal life. Do it now while there is time.
4. His Voice Was as the Sound of Many
Waters.
57-1 Now what do the waters represent?
Hear it in Revelation 17:15, "...the waters which thou sawest,... are peoples, and
multitudes, and nations, and tongues." His voice was as the sound of
multitudes speaking. What is it? It is the judgment. For these are the voices
of the multitudes of witnesses, who by the Holy Spirit all through the ages
have testified to Christ and preached His Gospel. It will be the voice of every
man rising in judgment against the sinner who would not take warning. The
voices of the seven messengers will be heard loud and clear. Those faithful
preachers who preached the saving power of Jesus, who preached water baptism in
Jesus' Name, who preached the in-filling and power of the Holy Ghost, who stood
with the Word more than they stood with their own lives; all of them were the
voice of Jesus Christ by the Holy Ghost down through the ages. John 17:20, "Neither
pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word."
57-2 Have you ever thought how
terrifying it is to a man drifting helplessly toward a cataract? Think now of
that roar as he approaches his sure and certain doom. And just exactly like
that is coming the day of judgment when the roar of
the multitude of voices condemns you for not having paid heed ere it was too
late. Take heed this very hour. For at this moment your thoughts are being
recorded in heaven. There your thoughts speak louder than your words. Like the
Pharisee who claimed so much with his mouth, but not listening to the Lord, his
heart became corrupt and evil until it was too late, even now this could be
your last call to hear the Word and receive it unto eternal life. It will be
too late when you approach the roar of the many voices of judgment and doom.
58-1 But have you ever noticed how
sweet and relaxing the sound of water can be? I like to fish, and I like to
find a spot where the water is whispering in ripples. I can just lie back and
hear it speaking peace and joy and contentment to my heart. How glad I am to be
anchored in the haven of rest where the voice of the Lord speaks peace, as the
Word of the waters of separation hath declared. How thankful we should be to
hear His voice of love and care and guidance and protection. And some day we
will hear that same sweet voice speak, not in judgment, but in welcome to us
whose sins have been remitted by His blood, whose lives have been
Spirit-filled, and whose walk was in the Word. What could be more precious than
to hear the multitudes of welcoming voices and be surrounded by those
multitudes who have believed unto eternal life? Oh, there is nothing like it. I
pray that you will hear His voice and harden not your heart, but receive Him as
your King.
58-2 Oh, if you would only see it. It
was the waters that destroyed the world, but it was the same waters that saved
Noah and also saved the whole earth for Noah. Listen to His voice, the voice of
His servants, as it calls to repentance and life.
5. In His Right Hand Were Seven
Stars.
58-3 "And He had in His right
hand seven stars." Now of course we already know from verse twenty what
the seven stars actually are. "And the mystery of the
seven stars are the angels (messengers) of the seven churches." Now
we couldn't make a mistake here on any account, as He interprets it for us.
These seven stars are the messengers to the seven successive church ages. They
are not called by name. They are just set forth as seven, one to each age. From
the Ephesian Age on down to this Laodicean
Age each messenger brought the message of truth to the people, never failing to
keep it the Word of God to that particular church age. Each one held to it.
They were steadfast in their loyalty to the original light. As each age pulled
away from God, His faithful messenger turned that age back to the Word. Their
strength was from the Lord or they never could have stemmed the tide. They were
safe in His care, for nothing could pluck them out of His hand, and neither
could anything separate them from the love of God, let
it be sickness, peril, nakedness, famine, sword, life or death. They were truly
yielded to Him and kept by His omnipotence. They were not concerned about the
persecution that came their way. Pain and derision was but cause to give glory
to God that they were counted worthy to suffer for Him. And in thankfulness for
His salvation they burned with the light of His life and reflected His love,
patience, meekness, temperance, gentleness, faithfulness. And God backed them
up with wonders, signs, and miracles. They were accused of being fanatics, and
holy-rollers. They were denounced by organizations and held in mockery, but
they kept true to the Word.
59-1 Now it is not hard to stand up
and keep true to a creed. It is easy, for the devil is right behind all that.
But it is something else to be true to God's Word and go back to what the Word
originally produced after Pentecost.
59-2 Not long ago a man said to me
that the Roman Catholic church had to be the true church as it had been true to
what it believed over all the years, and kept on growing and not changing. That
isn't so at all. Any church with the government behind it, and with its own
creed which isn't the Word at all, and with no manifested ministry to cause the
devil to get aroused, could surely carry on. That was not a criterion. But when
you think of that little group whose members were sawn asunder, fed to lions,
persecuted and driven from pillar to post and yet stayed true to the Word--now
definitely that would have to be God. How they survived their battle of faith
and carried on still: THAT is a miracle.
59-3 And this comfort is not for the
seven church age messengers only. Every true believer is in the hand of God and
can draw from His love and power, and receive the full benefit of all that God
is to the believer. What God gives the messenger, and how He blesses and uses
the messenger, is an example to all believers of His goodness and care to ALL
members of His body. Amen.
6. The Two-edged Sword.
"And out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged
sword."
In Hebrews 4:12, "For the Word of God is quick, and powerful and
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul
and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart."
Out of His mouth went the sharp two-edged sword which is the WORD OF GOD.
Revelation 19:11-16, "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white
horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and
on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a
vesture dipped in blood: and His Name is called The Word of God. And the
armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine
linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a
sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them
with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of
the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His
thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
John 1:48,
"Nathanael saith
unto Him, Whence knowest Thou me? Jesus answered and
said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when
thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee."
There it is. When He comes, that Word will come against all nations and all
men. And none will be able to stand against it. It will reveal what was in
every heart as He did with Nathanael. The Word of God
will show who did the will of God and who didn't. It will make known the secret
works of every man and why he did them. It will divide asunder. That is what it
says in Romans 2:3, "And thinkest thou this,
O man, that judgest them which do such things, and
doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment
of God?" Then it goes on to say how God is going to judge men. Here it
is in verses 5 to 17. The hard impenitent heart will be judged. The works will
be judged. The motives will be judged. There won't be any respect before God;
but all will be judged by that Word, no one escaping it. Those who heard and
wouldn't listen will be judged by what they heard. Those that rested in it
saying they believed it, but didn't live it, will be judged. Every secret will
come out in the open and be shouted from the housetops. Oh, we will really
understand history then. There won't be a mystery left from all the ages.
60-2 But do you know that He is
revealing the heart-secrets of men and women in this age in which we are
living? Who else could reveal the secrets of the heart but the Word, Himself?
Hebrews 4:12, "For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper
than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart." It is the Word. It is performing where-unto It was sent, for It (the Word) is full of power. It is the
same Spirit that was in Jesus (the Word) that is present again in the church in
this last age as a last sign trying to head the people off from judgment, for
they that reject Him (the Word) are now already come into judgment, crucifying
Him afresh. Hebrews 6:6, "If they shall fall away, to renew them again
unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and
put Him to an open shame."
61-1 Now Paul said that the Word came
in power as well as voice. The Word preached actually demonstrated itself. Like
a flaming, cutting sword it went to the consciences of men, and like a
surgeon's knife it cut out the diseases and set captives free. Everywhere those
early believers went, "they went preaching the Gospel (Word) and God
confirmed that Word with signs following." The sick were healed, devils
were cast out, and they spoke in new tongues. That was the Word in action. That
Word has never failed in the mouths of believing Christians. And in this last
age it is here stronger and greater than ever in the true Word bride. Oh,
little flock, you little minority, hold on to the Word, fill your mouth and
heart with it, and some day God will give you the kingdom.
7. His Face Like
The Sun.
"And His countenance was as the sun shineth in its strength."
Matthew 17:1-13, "And after six days Jesus taketh
Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them
up into an high mountain apart. And was transfigured
before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as
the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with
Him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be
here: if Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for Thee, and one
for Moses and one for Elias. While he yet spake,
behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud,
which said, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him. And
when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And
Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be
not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus
only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell
the vision to no man, until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead. And
His disciples asked Him, saying, Why then say the
scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them,
Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that
Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever
they listed. Likewise, shall also the Son of Man suffer of them.
Then the disciples understood that He spake unto them
of John the Baptist."
62-1 Now in Matthew 16:28, prefacing Matthew 17:1-13, Jesus had said, "...
There be some standing here, which shall not taste of
death, till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." And the
three apostles did see just that--the order of His second coming. They saw Him
transfigured there on the mountain top. His raiment was blazing white and His
face shone like the sun at its zenith. And there as He appeared, stood Moses
and Elijah on either side. That is exactly how He is coming again. Truly Elijah
will first come and turn the hearts of the children (bride) back to the
fathers' Apostolic Word Doctrine.
Malachi 4:5,6, "Behold I
will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful
day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children,
and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth
with a curse."
62-2
62-3 In Revelation 21:23, "And
the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon,
to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light
thereof." This is the New Jerusalem. The Lamb will be in that city,
and because of His presence, there will be no light needed. The sun won't rise
and shine there, for He is the Sun and Light thereof, Himself. The nations that
come into it will walk in His light. Aren't you happy that day is upon us? John
saw that day coming. Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly!
Malachi 4:1-3, "For behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven: and all the proud, yea,
and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn
them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave
them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear My Name shall the Sun of
Righteousness arise with healing in His wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow
up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall
be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of Hosts."
63-2 There it
is again. The SUN shining out in all its strength. Oh,
the strength of the Son of God shining in the midst of the seven golden
candlesticks. There He stands, the Judge, the One who suffered and died for us.
He took the wrath of Divine judgment upon Himself. He tread
the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of God alone. As we have already
stated, to the sinner His voice is as the sound of the cataract or the surf
pounding in waves of death upon the rocky shores. But to the saint, His voice
is as the sound of the sweetly singing brook as you lie at rest, satisfied in
Christ. Shining upon us with His warming rays of love He says, "Fear not,
I am He Which Was, Which Is, Which Is To Come; I am the Almighty. Beside Me there is no other. I am the Alpha and Omega, the ALL of
it." He's the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star. He's the
fairest of ten thousand to my soul. Yes, that great day is ready to break and
the Sun of Righteousness will arise with healing in His wings.
THE VICTORIOUS CHRIST
Revelation 1:17,18, "And
when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me,
saying unto me, Fear not; I am the First and the Last; I am He That liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore,
Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
63-3 No human being could stand the
full effect of that vision. His strength utterly gone, John fell at His feet as
though dead. But the hand of the Lord in love touched him, and the voice of
blessing said, "Fear not. Don't be afraid. I am the First and Last. I am
He That liveth, and was
dead; and, behold I am alive for evermore." What is there to fear? The
judgment that fell upon Him at the cross, at the grave, and when He descended,
was for us. He absorbed the full brunt of the wound of sin and there is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. See for a
surety our "Attorney" is our "Judge". He is both
"Attorney" and "Judge." As Judge the "case is
settled"--it is finished. There is now therefore no condemnation. Why
should the church fear? What promise has He ever failed to manifest before us?
Why should it fear punishment or death? It has all been overcome. Here is the
mighty conqueror. Here is the One Who conquered both
worlds of the seen and unseen. Not like Alexander, who conquered the world at
the age of thirty-three and knew no other way to turn for further conquest, so
he died a victim of sin and riotous living. Not like Napoleon, who conquered
all Europe but finally was defeated at
64-1 "Don't fear, John. Don't fear, little flock. All that I am, you are heir to. All my
power is yours. My omnipotence is yours as I stand in your midst. I have not
come to bring fear and failure, but love and courage and ability. All power is
given unto Me and it is yours to use. You speak the
Word and I will perform it. That is My covenant and it
can never fail."
THE SEVEN STARS AND CANDLESTICKS
Revelation 1:20, "The mystery of the seven stars
which thou sawest in My
right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels
(messengers) of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches."
64-3 We have already discovered the
truth of these two mysteries. Oh, we haven't revealed who these seven
messengers were, but by the help of God we will and that mystery will be
accomplished. The seven ages we know. They are listed in the Word, and we will
deal with each so as to come up to this last age in which we live.
65-1 But in one last closing glimpse
of this chapter, see Him as He stands there in the midst of the golden lampstands with the seven stars in His right hand. Oh, it
is breathtaking to see Him standing there in His Supreme Deity. He is the
Judge, the Priest, the King, the Eagle, the Lamb, the Lion, the Alpha, the
Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Father, Son, Holy Ghost, He Which Was,
Which Is, Which Is To Come, the Almighty, the ALL IN
ALL. There He is, the Author and Finisher. Worthy is
that Lamb! He proved His worth as He bought our salvation by Himself. Now He
stands in all His power and all His glory with all things committed unto Him as
Judge.
65-2 Yes, there He stands amidst the lampstands, with the stars in His hand. It is night, for
that is when we use lamps for light, and that is when the stars are seen
shining and reflecting the light of the sun. And it is dark. The church is
walking by faith in the darkness. Her Lord departed this earth but the Holy
Spirit still shines out through the church, giving light to this old sin-cursed
world. And those stars reflect His light also. The only light they have is His
light. How dark it is--how spiritually cold. Yet when
He comes into the midst it is light and warm, and the church is empowered and
through Him does the works that He did.
65-3 Oh, that we might get a glimpse
of Him as did John. What manner of people we ought to be, standing before Him
at that day!
65-4 If you have not already given
your life to Him, may you turn your heart to God this moment, and kneel down
right where you are, and ask His forgiveness for your sins, and surrender your
life to Him. Then we will attempt to approach the Seven Church Ages together;
and as we do I pray that God will help this unworthy servant to reveal His Word
to you.