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Revelation 13:5 - And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
And there was given to him, by the dragon, a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies;
Great things is a term that means he was eloquent. He's very eloquent, and blasphemous, not towards God, but towards God's version of God. He presents himself as god. And power was given unto him to continue for forty and two months, the last part of the Tribulation.
Revelation 13:8 - And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain from the foundation of the world.
Remember earlier, I told you that there was more than one book. Deuteronomy tells us about the books of God. And there is a book that is called the book of the life of the lamb. All of God's people are in the book of the life of the lamb.
These people who are worshipping the beast during the Tribulation Period, their names are not in the book of the life of the lamb. They're in the book of life, meaning they were born. They exist, and existed.
But none of God's people are caught up in this. They don't worship the beast. For reference, you can read John Chapter 10 where Jesus said that those sheep that belong to Him will not listen to a stranger. That's a factual statement. It didn't say should not. It said will not. And they will follow Him (Jesus) wherever He goes.
Revelation 12:17 Continued
And that will fulfill this group that is underneath the altar when God says to avenge your blood is not yet, there's still more coming, more people who have to die during the Tribulation Period that will be taken up under the altar of God.
And the believing Jews that will be here on the earth, after Satan sees that he can't get to these 144,000 that are sent up to what many believe is the Rock City of Petra, which is already stacked and stored with food, and many believe that will be the place.
But there will be other Jews and Gentiles here on the earth that basically will believe in Jesus Christ as Messiah and Savior. They will lose their lives. But after Satan sees that his efforts to chase the nation into the wilderness fail, he'll go after the remnants seed.
Revelation 12:17 - And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
And the dragon was wroth (very angry) with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, and that would be the believing Jews, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
So, there's 144,000 Jews who are sealed on their foreheads. And they will be protected. But there will be other Jews on the earth who will receive the testimony, especially from the two witnesses who are in the streets of Jerusalem.
And as we will see soon when we get into the number of the beast, 666, which I'm sure you're excited for that, but the number of the beast is not what you might think it is. It has nothing to do with credit cards, or most of the things you might hear people say. As a matter of fact, the number itself is not six-hundred and sixty-six. It is six three times. It is 666. And I will share how that works soon in the next chapter.
But there will be people on the earth. And we'll see that there will even be an angel flying in heaven warning the people not to take the mark of the beast, but to believe in God. But their lives will be taken. If you do not receive the number, you'll be killed. You will not be allowed to live because you've rejected the system. And you'll be killed with the sword.
I had a chance to fellowship with a brother while on the ship!
We both was on deck 5am reading, so after the second day I approached him and asked what he was reading.
He said he is a pastor of a Church and was reading a book titled, "The Doctrines that Divide" on the cover it reads, A fresh look at the Historical Doctrines that separate the Church! By Erwin W Lutzer.
We fellowshipped and went over the scripture and discussed several Doctrines over the next few days!
BOY, WAS I GLAD WE SHARRED THE SAME VIEWS!! LOL
I'm off to bed Brother Jesse.
I'm tired and have to get back on my schedule.
Normally I'm already asleep by now.
Thanks again Brother.
Young Elders just visited with me for an hour or so and we talked a bit about now and the future. The Church today can practice what will be eternally true that is yet to come. I have witnessed the grace many times where our spirit is tamed and sanctified as living vessels of peace both with God and man. Symbolically speaking looking up we have peace with God and with our arms outward we can have peace with man, this is a great witness that is greater than words or in the case of our home's visitors today that believe there is still more to be revealed by men until the Lord returns. I cannot agree that this will be so, therefore we practice by grace. The view from the Church or Bride is our faithfulness towards Christ only, in patience and truth until the Lord returns for us in his time which remains a mystery to us in our time.
God Bless our faithfulness.
I should be finished up here soon and ready to post another section, hopefully within the next hour or so. We have our grandkids with us for the weekend so it's been quite busy as you can imagine. Right now, they are watching a movie which gives me an opportunity to work some more on Revelation. I hope you had a great Alaskan vacation!
Blessings!
I'm all caught up! As you can see, these are well appreciated and dear to me.
God bless you.
All things are possible with GOD, but with man it's impossible... right?
Matthew 19:26
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Mark 10:27
And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
Luke 18:27
And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
MARANTHA...
Revelation 22:20-21
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
THANK YOU ***JESUS CHRIST***!!!
***YOUR CROSS & BLOOD***!!!
OUR ETERNAL SALVATION!!!
TO ***GOD ALMIGHTY*** BE ALL THE GLORY NOW AND FOREVER FOR ETERNITY!!!
AMEN!!!
Revelation 9:5 - And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
It says, and to them it was given. So, it's still limitations and direction from God. And it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: It is interesting that 5 months is the lifespan of a locust, from May through September.
They should not kill them, but they should torment them for five months. And their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he strikes a man. So, this is a locust striking a man like a scorpion. Some might say this is kind of harsh. Why not just have the locusts kill them? Why torment them? It's almost like God is playing games and wants to really cause pain for people.
But look at Verse 6:
Revelation 9:6 - And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
They can't die. They can't kill themselves. So, for five months they are tormented. It sounds pretty intense!
Revelation 9:7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
This verse gives us the description of these locusts. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle. So, we don't have regular locusts here. And on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
Revelation 9:8 - And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
And they had hair as the hair of women. Joel also saw these very creatures ( Joel 1:2-12). And their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
Revelation 9:2 - And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke from out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace;
And I alerted you already to these little words "as," and "like." Remember, John is giving us what is familiar with the human, in symbolic language what he's looking at in the spirit realm. Notice it says the smoke came out "as" of a great furnace. He didn't see a furnace. But this smoke coming up from out of the abyss reminded him of the smoke coming out of a furnace.
And the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. The people in L.A. rejoiced several years ago when they said that for the first time in many years, the smog situation in L.A. is better air than it's been in years. Well, I got news for them. Smoke is coming!
And the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke from out of the pit. So, you can no longer see the entrance anymore. All you can see is smoke billowing out of this pit.
Revelation 9:4 - And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
And it was commanded them (these locusts), that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; And that is their natural food. So, these are not normal locusts. Don't eat the grass, or the vegetation, or the trees, but hurt only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
So, it's interesting that these are demonic forces, and even they are limited. They can't touch the 144,000 who are sealed here upon the earth, but only the people that do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
Revelation 9:1 Continued
So here is this star who had fallen from his position from heaven. And it is interesting that in Luke Chapter 10, when the Lord sent out His disciples and gave them authority over demons, and the ability to heal, and for people to be saved and freed from Satan, that when the disciples came back, they rejoiced over the fact that the demons were subject to them.
And it's just like what people do today, "Boy, the power of the Holy Spirit really got Satan down today!" But Jesus said don't rejoice over that, but rejoice over the fact that your names are written in heaven, salvation!
But he says I saw Satan falling like lightning out of heaven. So, what he saw in the spirit realm was the spiritual victory that these disciples had over Satan in freeing these people from Satan. So, this is a star which had fallen already unto the earth, already here! And at this time, he's given the key to the abyss. Abyss just means bottomless pit. It is a long shaft that goes down into the heart of the earth with no bottom, at least from the viewpoint of the earth.
Revelation 9:1 Continued
Now when we get to Revelation Chapter 12, we will see that Satan still has access to the throne of God. But he is not omnipresent. He is before the throne of God, and Revelation Chapter 12 is going to tell us that he accuses the brethren day and night before the throne of God.
And you can see what actually takes place between him and God before the throne in Job Chapters 1 and 2. Satan came and accused Job to God and said let me at him. Satan was trying to show that Job really didn't love God, except for the fact that God blessed him with material things. So, God gave him permission to touch his possessions. In fact, his family, his animals, his land, and then after Job passed that test, Satan asked permission to touch his health. And he lost his health in all of that. But God said you can't touch his soul.
So, it is interesting that Satan can get permission to touch anything about a person's life, except for their soul. It could be the physical body. It could be health. It could be circumstances. It could be possessions, or family members.
And so, Satan lost his position in Isaiah Chapter 14. His final downcast to the earth won't happen until Revelation Chapter 12, when he will be cut off and given no more access to the throne of God to accuse the brethren.
Revelation 9:1 - And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
Now when the fifth angel sounded, a star fell. Number 1, in Revelation Chapter 1, we know that the stars represent angels. A star fell from heaven! Secondly, the word fall is in the Perfect Tense. So, he sees a star which has already fallen. He didn't see it as it was falling. He saw a fallen star, a star that had already fallen from out of heaven unto the earth.
And to this angel (this fallen star), was given the key to the bottomless pit. Notice that it was given to him. He did not possess it. He did not have authority over it. We know in Revelation Chapter 1 that Jesus has the keys of Hades and of death. The Lord holds all the keys to all of these places.
Now the bottomless pit is the word abyss, ABUSSO in Greek. And it is interesting because it is believed that around where Babylon used to be, and in fact, it was the place where Saddam Hussein was caught, but they believed that there is a shaft that goes down into the heart of the earth. And this shaft is closed up on the top.
And this would be the place that Peter told us about in 2 Peter 2:4, that there are angels who are reserved in chains of darkness, ready to be revealed. And so, this star who had fallen was given the key to the bottomless pit. And we will see that this star is none other than Satan himself, and that the creatures that will be released from this pit are going to be two-hundred million demons unleashed upon the earth.
But concerning this star who had been fallen, back in Isaiah 14:12-15, we have recorded for us the rebellion of Satan. It is called the "five I wills," where Satan said I will be like the most high, where he expressed his rebellion towards God. And it is at that time that he lost his first domain. He lost his first position with God.
Revelation 7:4 - And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and it was 144,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel. There are several groups that claim to be part of the 144,000. But these are God's sealed servants which means that they are protected. It says right in the text that the 144,000 are from out of the tribes of the children, or sons of Israel. These are Jews, all 144,000 of them.
Revelation 7:12 - Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Saying, Amen, which means of a truth, of a certainty: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever, and notice that the word be is in italics in your bible.
It's actually a factual statement in the Greek text, (is) unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 8:11 - And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
And the name of the star is called Wormwood (APSINTHOS), which means bitter: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
Revelation 6:6 - And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
A measure of wheat for a penny, which is a quart measure, a dry measure of wheat for a DENARIUS, one day's wage. And three measures of barley. Barley was the food of the poor. Barley was the food for the animals. And people would be able to afford three measures of barley instead of one measure of wheat for a DENARIUS.
And see you hurt not the oil and the wine. And this would be the consumption of those who are rich. The antichrist will have control over the world's food supplies, under the breaking of the third seal.
Revelation 6:8 - And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
And I looked, and behold a pale horse. This Greek word for pale, CHLOROS, is where we get our word chlorine from, pale horse. And the name of him that sat upon him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth. So of the earth's population will die at the breaking of the fourth seal.
Revelation 6:10 - And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
Just as a side note, and I think I've shared this before, but that little phrase "them that dwell upon the earth," it's actually a title. It's called the earth dwellers. All the people who are not Christians are called earth dwellers. As believers, we are citizens of heaven. And then there are the dwellers upon the earth. So, this crowd is saying "How long before you avenge the spilling of our blood?"
Revelation 6:2 - And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
For many years this was interpreted that this was the second coming of Jesus Christ, a white horse coming, the one who's sitting on it is given a crown, and he goes out to conquer, so it was thought to be Jesus Christ.
But this is not the second coming of Christ, but rather the representation of the antichrist, the false messiah who will come.
And here's the reasons why:
It says he comes on a white horse. It's the same as Jesus in Revelation Chapter 19. It's a white horse. But, this one who is sitting on a white horse has a bow. In Revelation Chapter 19, Christ has a sword.
A crown was also given to this one. And the word for crown in this verse is STEPHANOS. That's the wreath that is given to the victors at the coliseum games. This is a STEPHANOS. In Revelation Chapter 19, it says that when Christ comes at His second coming, He will be wearing many crowns, and the word for crown is in Chapter 19 is DIADEM, the royal crown.
And this one will come out conquering and to conquer. And that's the antichrist taking over the one world system.
Also, another point to make, it is the Lamb that's opening the seal. He's not coming back yet, not until we get into Revelation Chapter 19.
So, this one riding on a white horse with a bow in his hand, he was given a crown, a STEPHANOS, not a DIADEM. And he went out to conquer. This is the antichrist. This is the false messiah that Jesus said first would come.
Revelation 5:6 - And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb. The word stood is in the Perfect Tense. A Lamb had been standing, as it had been slain, the appearance of the Lamb.
The word slain doesn't mean killed. It means butchered or slaughtered. We're going to see the marks of crucifixion. In John Chapter 20, after Jesus rose from the dead, you remember the invitation to Thomas who doubted the resurrection story, and Jesus invited him to come and put his finger in the prints in His hands, and to thrust his fist into His side, and to come and see that it is me.
So here we have a Lamb that had been standing there as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth. In Daniel Chapter 7, we see that horns represent power and authority. And of course, the eyes, Zechariah tells us that the Messiah has seven eyes ( Zechariah 3:9, 4:10). The word seven means complete. It means that He is in complete authority, and He sees everything fully and completely.
Revelation 4:2 - And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
So immediately, listen to this, I became in spirit:
That's how it literally reads. There's no definite article (the) with it. Immediately I became in spirit. So physically and geographically, he was still on the island of Patmos. But he was caught up in the spirit realm.
And he says behold, a throne was set, or placed in heaven, and one sat upon the throne. So that was the transition going from the seven messages to the seven churches. John is now transferred to heaven that he might see the things that God wants him to see.
Revelation 5:4 - And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
He says, and I wept much. The word wept is in the Imperfect Tense. It shows continuous action. He was weeping convulsively. He saw no hope, even in heaven, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the scroll, neither to look therein. So, he wept.
There are many Old Testament scriptures that tells us what the reign would look like, and it haven't happened yet.
Isaiah 65 being one of them.
Isaiah 65:17-25-
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.
And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.
This is all future!
God bless!
I've tried to retrieve any lessons that I may have missed while on vacation to no avail!
The discussion page that I normally pull them from apparently can only hold so many replies! It seems your many rebuttals outnumbered your posts! Your posts have been pushed off the pages.
I'm missing Revelation part 29-36. I have parts 37 - 45. Can you please post the links to those missing pages?
Thanks, and God bless.
Thanks for replying.
There is no contention here, I just don't want to be labeled with a group when there are diverse interpretations in every group. Dispensation, hyper Dispensationist etc...
Nor have I been confrontational towards other views.
I give my view and then I'm confronted, and it goes from there.
I don't like to defend a doctrine without examining the scripture surrounding that doctrine and the method of interpretation that shapes one's view. literal, allegorically, etc.
So, I message you to be clear, and it can be researched in one's profile, most of my debates is me answering to my beliefs not me confronting someone's belief, whether it's the eternal security of the believer, the deity of Christ, The Rapture, End times concerning Israel and the Church, The different origins of Israel and the Church. The interval between the six and the seventh week mentioned in Daniel, the list goes on.
These topics I've brought up and discussed and was confronted and questioned about and I answered!
When you are being asked a question and you answer it you are not being confrontational.
You get a direct honest answer whether its right or wrong!
Blessings
This afternoon I put on youtube. And a sermon by Billy Graham, I think he is honest and straightforward. He is with us with his index finger. Where he points to things that we may have allowed completely automatically into our lives. The sermon is called
"Do not wear this color". Highly recommended. In my world here on the web, I have previously said that makeup is unnecessary, now Graham doesn't talk about it. But it is in the same genre. And if we let other things like cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, overeating, everything that we don't get any edification from. Everything that can destroy us gain power over us, we are no longer free in Jesus Christ. We are not as white and pure as Jesus wants His Bride to be. Such remote desires come, for example. Now I can save a little more later! Or that you think you deserve a dram, Or that you can eat a little more. Anything beyond necessity is unnecessary and Jesus doesn't need it, and neither do we. For several months I have tried to lose weight. But unable to. Because my body does not obey me the way my will wants. That will be another matter. But now I eat dinner, and an apple after dinner. Because you become what you eat, right. And I don't think indulging in a breakfast every now and then is dangerous. So friends, anything that is an abundance of what we do not need is a sin. Then we must repent, fall on our knees before the Living Jesus Holy Spirit and ask for forgiveness, do it at once if you feel that this applies to you. That's just the way it is. That's how the Lord wants us to live with Him. I have never thought about the colors that Graham talks about before but It seems like it's really true. May everyone have a good weekend in the holy name of Jesus Christ, the name above all other Names.
Mat 12:34 Thank you for your attention. Love u in Christ.
"And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne." The same verse we have in the vision of Daniel. "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."(Dan.7.14)
Who is giving here. The Ancient of days or the Word was God himself. In 5.1 we are seeing the right hand of the throne who is none other than The Word was with God. "And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?/And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon."(v.2) This mighty angel is Jesus Christ who sets the single measurement,'the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.(Rev.21.17)We meet him in Rev.10.1.
In Daniel's vision we have 'behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, 'Compare these clouds in Rev.5.11, "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.". In Daniel we read " But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end." It is about the beast in Rev.19.20)There is a lapse of 1000 years, "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." (7.27) So what is the little book that the angel gives to St John? "Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings."(10.11) The book bound with seven seals reset the word of God into Alpha and Omega aspect of Jesus Christ
1 Corinthians 15:52 was the beginning of my morning meditation.
God bless our faithfulness.
The Lamb presented in ch.5 is distinct from the lamb:in Ch.13, "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world./If any man have an ear, let him hear."(Rev.13.8-9) This is an emblem meaning a sign symbolising the Father Son relationship. How does the vision of St John present him? " and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." The Spirit is consistent to qualify him 'As it had been' so Lamb of God and throne of God and of the Lamb are variations of the emblem.
In the night vision of Daniel we have the books were opened (Dan.7.10) Whereas in Ch.5 the same vision is presented to St John. Gabriel would not reveal the entire Will. "Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end."(Dan.12.9) The revelation is about the end time consequently vision of St John differs."And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals."(5.1). Within and on the backside distinguishes between what was revealed to Daniel and what was hidden from him. In terms of his glory God tells Moses, "And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by./ And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen."(Exod.33.22-23)
In order understand seven seals we have an emblem in the inaugural vision of St John. The Ancient of days embody the Law of the Spirit and it illustrates the kingdom priest which the 24 elders testify: "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."(5.10) The Spirit presents the emblem of Melichizedek to St John. It was revealed to him so he says, "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
"If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:"
Isaiah 58:14
"Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it."
Blessings
Part of discipleship; no doubt stems from scripture on the subject in the Great Commission. If we are to make Disciples; a church should; in my humble opinion, be open to supporting those already active with Bible studies at work; evangelism or home small groups. I haven't seen that happen where I have gone to church; maybe it happens elsewhere. Part of the budgeting for helping those in need can be allocated based on those believers already working at or involved with volunteer work in agencies that are financially and scripturally sound. Sadly it seems that money that is allocated that way is often not carefully planned in light of the doctrinal stance or soundness of a particular charity; so that either such work is often ignored or money is placed there just to get it done so to speak; and it can do more harm than good in some cases.
Another issue in my church is how people volunteer to help but money isn't allocated; for instance now with VBS we are setting up displays with old supplies that we have; the same can be said for things like a picnic event today; food is supplied in general but there is no planning for napkins; tablecloths and other such issues. I won't go into futher detail on that at present; just using it as an example. In general though it is always the few that do the most work and are usually the least recognized for their efforts.
Going back to the spiritual investing or assets as it were; leadership shouldn't think that if they have gifting and authority as a teacher; for instance that it is mutually exclusive or is an end all. We all need each other; and those with wisdom should be able to ascertain both constructive and destructive suggestions through prayerful discussion and planning. I am often wary when outsiders come in; whether musicians or others because it is deemed that there is insufficient ministry capacity within our own congregation. Just a thought.
1 Thess. 5:17
I may have stated this before; but often it seems from my own experience that whenever a routine meeting on a church budget is planned it is basically a brief affair where at best a bare bones discussion occurs before a vote on a matter; rather than encouraging congregational members to pray or perhaps fast weeks ahead as well as later giving critical ideas as to support or reject certain changes proposed. Again; in this discussion I am holding to the idea of a sound church with trustworthy individuals at the helm.
What I have seen in the past which again I probably stated in a post a couple years back is that things are usually unanimously approved in short order; and in the case of the former church at question was a property proposed and later bought that to this day as far as I know has chronic issues with being in a floodplain area and structural issues. A contractor who was a friend of time who used to attend was quite annoyed that they were trying to get cheaper alternatives and quick fixes to many things that had to be done; and in the end I am aware that hundreds of thousands were put into work there. If the church hadn't expanded as it did it would have led to bankruptcy; although there was sufficient funds saved up to at least get started with much of the work.
In my present place of fellowship once again the issue of missionaries comes up; as funding seems woefully insufficient and communication along with discussion of them only comes up occasionally in vague prayers on the subject. There is a separate envelope for them at the offering; but I prefer to give myself in private and this has helped me with more intimate communications. I only support those who I have met in person at present and where I have had meaningful conversations regarding their ministry and family dynamics. It allows me to get newsletters and ongoing communication. Let's remember our missionaries!
The Lord has; in His wisdom given me spiritual discernment. It is interesting to consider how to allocate and distribute assets from a spiritual perspective; but nine times out of ten it is money which is focused on whether with correct or incorrect motives as the business incorporating the most time; effort and personnel as to how to channel resources. One major problem with this methodology other than those who will abuse their role for their own gain in such circumstances is not allowing the Spirit to guide where to distribute such assets through much prayer before decisions are made.
If we are honest; it is usually those who have the biggest sway; or have a dominant personality that determine where the ship is steered in regard to money and how it is spent. There have been cases I have become aware of in certain circles where; well let's just say dominant females hold the cards based on ambitions for their own role in ministry. Most of the time there is much like with the world a hierarchical structure set up with the head Pastor in charge and several others in the "inner circle" that work alongside; more or less to make up a basic budget along with someone with accounting background and/or experience to place things into operation. Again; I am not focusing on the megachurch mania and the insanity with that; but on those churches at least attempting a sound financial plan according to God's Word to the best of their understanding.
Getting back to the "spiritual" allocation of resources; I would say that one obvious issue that comes up quite often is a lack of sufficient funds for missions. That would usually represent those on the mission field overseas; but no doubt should represent those locally in regard to supply of tracts and training. That is why in general no man is an island and having laypersons involved is important for futher spiritual insight at least.
"And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace;"
The Spirit uses several devices to distinguish a thing , an event and a man in terms of vision from the real. 'As the smoke of a great furnace' is different from the smoke occurring in real time when the Lord God descended. Compare,"and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly." The smoke is referring to what is set in the will of God. Thus the smoke is referring to Rev.9.2.
Here is another: In the Gospel we have several allusions to Son of man to indicate Jesus Christ. " When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory."(Mt.25.31)
"And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man,"(Rev.1.13) 'like unto' is attached to him after he is risen as well as before his Advent.
"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." (Dan.7.13-14) His is everlasting dominion and it is a night vision meaning that it is set down in the Will of the Father. Compare it with the world unseen (Heb.11.3). Everlasting dominion is ordained in the everlasting Covenant and the Spirit is presenting this covenant pictorially. "The judgment was set, and the books were opened.". Without this in context what dispensationalists teach are meant to deceive. The Lamb slain is alone worthy for this reason.(Rev.5.6) Do you rightly divide the word of truth or do you divide the truth, brethren?