The first chapter of Revelation is such a full chapter and I know that as you continue on through your daily study assignments this week, you are probably beginning to slow down and see things that you have never seen before or perhaps seen but just have never taken the time to meditate upon them at length!
In context, God's ways and purposes are clearly seen in v.1-2... I was thinking of how many different ideas man could have come up with if his (or her) assignment had been to design a plan of action to get this Revelation out to the bond-servants, the churches of John's day and to have that message carried down through the ages, to where it is now held within our very own hands today.
As a new Christian I vividly remember reading the biographies of people like John Wycliffe, William Tyndale and Martin Luther. Men who suffered greatly against powerful opposition yet who were determined to get the Word of God into the hands of the common people. Of Johann Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press, who changed forever the availability of the Bible to the people of the day, once again under terrible opposition. I thought of John and his statement in Revelation 1:9... "I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Christ Jesus...".
I believe that these men were chosen by God, and prepared by God through His Holy Spirit, for the very purposes that their lives gave fruition to - "For we are His (God's) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Eph. 2:10) The John of Revelation was no different, and God's purposes for giving Jesus the Revelation, that Jesus would give the angel, that the angel would give to John, that John would give to the bond-servants of Jesus, the churches, was the way God purposed to do it and we need to simply bend our bondservant's knee in our Amen!
I was taken with our discussion in the last post and it has stayed with me throughout these past few days, particularly when I read Revelation v.10, "I (John) was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day...". The first mention of the Holy Spirit in the Bible is found in the first book of the Bible, in Genesis 1:2, where we read that "the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters." Without going into the exegesis of it all, everything about the Spirit of God denotes 'energy' and 'power'!
I have heard many things regarding this particular phrase in Revelation and what it means to be 'in the Spirit', yet my mind went back to our study in John 4:23 where we find Jesus saying to the Samaritan woman at the well, "...an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers."
Philippians 3:3 "...for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh..."
There is a distinct connection between 'being in the Spirit' and worship.
John was on the island of Patmos 'because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus' (v.9). Although Patmos is a resort island today, during the time of John it was basically a barren rock of an island off the coast of Asia. Much like Alcatraz, it was a place to dump or exile someone you wanted to get rid of. John was exiled there because of his faith, and according to history, he was tortured by being immersed in hot oil, taken by ship to Patmos and left there.
Yet, in almost the same breath following v.9, John goes on to say, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day...". By referencing back to John 4:23 and Philippians 3:3 we can know that John, fresh from the sufferings of persecution and still living in the midst of the reality of it, was in a state of WORSHIP before he ever heard the loud voice like a trumpet behind him! This is huge to me. This kind of worship comes only by the energizing, empowering Spirit. It is the kind of worship that prepares us for the things of God, for the revelations of God, for the purposes of God. It is the kind of worship that the Father seeks in His people, the kind of worship that puts no confidence in the flesh. It is the kind of worship that rejoices in the Lord always (Phil. 4:4), that is full of peace and not of anxiety (Phil 4:6-7), that is full of thanksgiving and intimate fellowship with God (Phil. 4:6), it is the kind of worship that causes the heart, mind and soul of a woman (or man) to dwell on those things that are true, honourable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, of excellence, things that are worthy of praise (Phil. 4:8). It is the kind of worship that is lived out in the midst of our daily 'doings', that knows that the very God of Peace is with us! (Phil. 4:9)
And as far as the 'Lord's Day' goes... well, after all, this is the acceptable day of the Lord!
I would love to share more, but will just leave it for another day.
Enjoy your study of God's Word girls!
Love,
3 comments:
Hi Cathie,
I just got around to reading your comments today and my goodness your comments from Fri. were fantastic. It really cleared up a lot about the seven spirits of God for me. thanks so much. I realized seven meant completeness but never thought it out the way you explained it. Although I am having a very challenging personal life right now, the one thing that is constant for me is my time in the Bible and honestly I am so thankful for my walk with Christ. I really feel I have been guided into this study because I truly need it right now - isn't Christ wonderful - he really loves and cares for each one of us! I have another question - Rev1:7 I don't understand why ALL the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him... Why does it say ALL ? Does it mean we are all fearful of judgement?
PS Glad to see you are better and hope Daniel is too.
Hi Debbie, as much as my first thought is in wanting respite for you from you personal life challenges, I rejoice in knowing that the one thing that remains consistent is your time in God's Word and your daily walk with Christ.
Sweetheart, you already know this, but sometimes we just need to hear it back at us again, that there is not one thing, not one single blessed thing that enters into our lives but that it did not filter through the fingers of our God before it got to us! God will continue to strengthen your faith, He will continue to comfort you and lead you through whatever it is that you face. And yes sweetheart, Christ IS wonderful, He really does love us and care for us... and it gives such joy to my heart that in the midst of it all... you know this!
OK, as brief as I dare to be in regards to your question I need to preface it by saying that as we continue to study through Revelation the answer that you are looking for WILL become clearer to you and I don't want to take away your joy of studying and seeing it for yourself! You might have to wait until Chapter 20, but you will find it!
What I can tell you is that by the time of His 'coming with the clouds', the Church has already been raptured, having already met with Him in the air.
At the time of His coming with the clouds however, there will be basically two kinds of people on the earth (you will see this in Revelation 13; just know that the 'he' of v.8 refers to the 'he' of Daniel 7:24-27!) those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life and those whose names are NOT written in the Lambs book of life.
While both these groups will mourn at His coming, those whose names are found in the Lamb's book of life will mourn with a godly sorrow, while the others will mourn as those who mourn without hope.
That's it!
Love you!
Ooops! Debbie, I'm just heading out to the gym and I'm not sure if I will see you there or not so thought I should mention here (you probably all ready know this but I am nuts about trying to be thorough!) that those that mourn with a godly sorrow do so because they will now be in the receiving presence of the One that they had previously rejected at His first coming (Zech. 12:10–14) OK, I am really going to stop now or I will be tempted to take you into Jeremiah... away I go to sweat and build me some muscle!
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