Let Every Heart... Prepare Him Room!

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One of my very favourite Christmas carols is 'Joy to the World!', and as our On-Line study winds down in anticipation of the upcoming Christmas season I just wanted to say thank you for spending time with us in the Study Room as we learn more about the returning of our King.

Of course, there is no thrilling of the heart at His second coming, if there has been no receiving in the heart of His first coming. And so it is my prayer that the fulfilling of the first lines of 'Joy to the World' would be evident in not only our own lives, but in the lives of our loved ones, family and friends...

Joy to the world, the Lord has come!

Let earth receive her King!

Let every heart, prepare Him room,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven, and heaven and nature sing!

May God bless you with the nearness of His presence this Christmas and may your heart truly sing in the knowing of it.

With love,

Foundational Chapters...

Well, my 'Home Girl's' will be gathering tomorrow, so I know that in all probability they will be trying to find a little extra study time at some point today in preparation for the anticipated lively discussion!

Revelation 4 and 5 could be considered the 'foundational chapters', which set the stage (so to speak) of all that will be revealed in Chapters 6 through 22.

I would highly suggest that from this point onwards, at the beginning of each new week of study, that you would review the Basics of Revelation and then review each Chapter that you have studied; if you do not have time to review Chapter by Chapter as we get deeper into our study, then review Segment by Segment.

For example:

The Basics of Revelation

- God gave the revelation (the unveiling) to Jesus,

- Jesus gave it to the angel,

- the angel showed it to John

- It is the unveiling of things that will occur soon,

- God wants His bond-servants to know these things,

- He wants them to not only read them, but also heed them

- Jesus told John what to write and where to send it (to the 7 churches of Asia),

- Revelation is a book of prophecy,

- It describes events before and after the Lord's coming

The Three Main Segment Divisions

- The things John saw - Jesus in the midst of the churches (Rev. 1)

- The things which are - the 7 churches of Asia (Rev. 2-3)

- The things that will take place after these things (Rev. 4-22)

Of course, you will find smaller segment divisions within the larger main segment divisions, Chapters 4 and 5 being a good example of this.

The reason for the review each week, whether in brief or more thorough, is to keep ever before you what you have already learned and also so that you do not lose sight of why Revelation was written. I have found over the years that it is just about now, when approaching Chapters 4 and 5 that some people have the tendency to get 'a little weird' in their initial observations!

Take for instance two of the references to the 'four living creatures' in the centre and around the throne as seen in 4:6 and 4:8. There are definite similarities in 4:6 to Ezekiel 1:5-21; just as there are definite similarities between 4:8 and Isaiah 6:15. Similarities, but also distinct differences. Reading too much into this can take our eyes off the point of this Chapter, which is Worship in Heaven of God the Father, the Almighty. Whether they are cheribum or seraphim should not be taking up the majority of your study time! The short answer is that they are celestial beings who worship God the Father in Heaven.

Now, when it comes to the 'twenty-four' elders, I will give you a heads-up if you have not all ready come across it on your own. In 4:4, 10-11 you have already read about them... so here is the tip - in 4:10 the word for the 'crowns' that these elders cast down is STEPHANOS, it runs in contrast to the word DIADEMA which is the word used in Rev. 12:3; 13:1; and 19:12. STEPHANOS is used in the New Testament of 'rewards or crowns of victorious believers'; you will find STEPHANOS in 1 Peter 5:4. That's all I am sayin'! We can talk about it later in the Comment Cafe!

By the way, (and this is a definite shout out to the Home Girl's), do you remember last week while I was in class with you and I happened to ask you whether you realized that not only were YOU CHOSEN before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4)... but that CHRIST was also CHOSEN before the foundation of the world? I didn't give you the scriptural reference to that because I wanted to save it until we came to our study of Revelation 5, so now that we are here, take a look at 5:6 where we see the Lamb standing between the throne and the elders. Then go to 1 Peter 1:18-19 and see how the Lamb redeemed us, and then drop down to v.20 and there it is.... "For He (the Lamb) was FOREKNOWN before the foundation of the earth. FOREKNOWN how? Foreknown as the CHOSEN ONE... Luke 9:35, Luke 23:35. In light of our past study in Romans, perhaps this thrills your heart as much as it does mine! I am just going to leave that with you and if you want to discuss it further, we can do so in the Comment Cafe.

And remember, in all of your study, don't lose sight of the fact that the whole point, the whole thrust of Revelation 4 is the Worship in Heaven of God the Father (The Almighty); and that the whole point, the whole thrust of Revelation 5 is the Worship in Heaven of God the Son (The Lamb). It is on the foundation of these Chapters that the rest of Revelation will rest.

My wireless mouse battery is dying so I don't have time to 'proof'! So here is my regular disclaimer - unless you find something doctrinally dangerous, just deal and move on!

Love you!

How Are You Living?

Last Sunday, I was kindly sent the following article from Precept Ministries, written by Kay Arthur, and I thought that it was just so timely for our study in Revelation. So I have saved it until now to share with you all, I hope that it encourages and strengthens you.

Now, as we enter into Chapters 4 and 5 this week remember to pace yourself and only do what is required for each day - trust me, you will have plenty to do! And although there is always the temptation to either 'jump ahead' or get caught up in what Joan calls 'bunny trails', discipline yourself to just stick with what is before you this week, and if you do find yourself with extra study time, then review, review, review!

Enjoy your study girls, and may you walk strong in the knowledge of the presence of your God this week,

with love,

How Are You Living?

by Kay Arthur

"Worthy! Worthy is the Lamb!" These words will someday be our song as we and others from every tribe and tongue and people and nation bow before the Throne of God (Revelation 5:9).

When the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Lamb of God, takes the seven-sealed scroll from the hand of the Father, we will hear the prostrated elders and living creatures proclaim with a loud voice that He alone is worthy to take the scroll and break the seals. He is the overcomer! The One who redeemed us with His blood so that we might reign with Him upon the earth.

With a loud voice they will proclaim,

"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing" (Revelation 5:12).

As I see the word "worthy" repeated over and over in Revelation 4 and 5, my mind races back to Ephesians 4:1. After enumerating the blessings which are ours because we are in Christ and Christ is in us, Paul then hastens to tell us that we should "walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called."

"How does my life express the worthiness of the One

...Who conquered sin and death by redeeming me with His own blood?

...Who brought me from impotence to power, from abject poverty of spirit to a heavenly inheritance, from man's wisdom to God's?

...Who brought me from the state of being without might to a point of strength, where I can stand against the varied pressures of natural man, to the point of courage and might where I can stand alone, if necessary, for His truth?"

How does my life demonstrate His worthiness?

How is my life an expression of the imprint of the truth that above all else, above all others - including myself - Jesus Christ is worthy of honor, of glory, of blessing?

As we examine our lives in the light of His worthiness, we need to ask ourselves some very practical questions. I have put them in the first person. You may want to read them aloud.

Do the things to which I give myself demonstrate that my Lord is worthy of all power? Does the way I use my abilities, my energies show His preeminence in my life?

And what about my riches - the monies and treasures the Lord has given me? It doesn't matter how great or small they are. The question is: "Does my stewardship of these riches demonstrate His worthiness?"

Is the wisdom that I absorb and proclaim worthy of my Lord? Does it honor who He is? Do I always hold to the veracity and sufficiency of His Word in all things? Am I willing to earnestly contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the children of God (Jude 3), or am I cowardly? Do I count Jesus worthy of might?

Might can be translated "strength." Over and over throughout the pages of Scripture, we are exhorted to be strong and courageous. And we can be because of "Whose" we are. It has always interested me that the "cowardly" are among those who will find their part in the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8). Have I deemed Jesus worthy of my strength?

Because "honor" and "glory" are so intimately entwined in meaning, it is difficult to separate one from the other. To honor the Lord is to value Him. To give Him glory is to give a correct opinion, a proper estimate of Who He is.

Does the way I walk, the way I talk, the way I dress, the way I treat others, the way I spend my time, or the way I conduct the affairs of my life demonstrate the worthiness of my Redeemer? Does the way I act in each of these areas give a proper estimate of the life purpose of the One who bought me out of the slave market of sin and set me free? The One who delivered me from the kingdom of darkness and brought me into His glorious kingdom of light? Do you walk as He walked - in the light of obedience that honors and glorifies the Father, doing always and only those things which please Him (John 5:19, 30; 8:28-29; I John 2:6)?

And finally, but not least, what do my lips bring forth? Do they properly bless the Lamb of God? To "bless" is "to speak well of." When I mumble, complain, and/or disparage my lot in life, am I proclaiming the worthiness or the wisdom of my sovereign Lord - the One who tells me to count it all joy, to give thanks always for all things? The worthiness of the One who promises me that all will work together for my good and His glory because it will be used to make me more like Him?

Remember my friend - whatever, whatever, whatever...Jesus is worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing, so give it to Him now so that the new song in heaven might be merely a reverberation of your life here on earth. He is worthy!

Kay Arthur

Sunday, November 15, 2009

The Book of Life...

(Well, I promised Margaret that this posting would be done by midnight... and as I am ready to push the button of completion, I notice that I still have 6 minutes to spare! Whoo-hoo!)

Hi Girls! Today I received 4 phone calls and 3 e-mails inquiring as to whether everything was OK with me! Honestly, I just have to say that I was pleased that I was missed at all because that means that you are checking out the postings!

In actuality... I'm great! The past few days have just been very FULL and I have not had the time to actually sit myself down and post! I made another attempt earlier today, when the phone rang and my son and daughter-in-law and grand baby had an hour to spare before having to head off to an appointment, so over they came for a quick bite to eat and a visit - just as I was waving them goodbye in the driveway, my youngest pulled in and was ready for his dinner. So back to the kitchen I went. Now the dishes are done, the house is quiet and I have my few moments to write... such are the days ordained for me that are written in God's book (Psalm 139)!

Although I was intending on writing something completely different for this posting, I can save that for another time, because in completely separate instances today three of our sisters were asking me about Revelation 3:5 in respect to the Book of Life that is mentioned... so why don't we just look briefly (or at least, as briefly as I know how to be) at that, and then perhaps we can have some further discussion on it in the Comment Cafe.

By the way, the picture that I chose for today's posting is definitely not my personal library! I just thought that it was interesting as it is a picture of a bookshelf in the Codrington Library at All Souls College in Oxford England... I wonder if they are aware of the books that God keeps that truly contain 'all souls'! Anyway, as Joan would say... "But Cathie, you digress"...

As we begin to read through the initial verses of Revelation 3, the one thing that we see in our observation, is actually the thing that is missing! Where is the commendation that has usually accompanied the beginnings of each letter so far! The absence of the commendation should be a key within itself that will unlock the meaning of this chapter.

Jesus, the Living One (1:18); the One Who was dead and behold is alive forevermore (1:18); the One Who has the keys of death and Hades (1:18) starts off the letter reminding the church at Sardis that He knows their deeds... that they have garnered a name, a reputation for themselves as being alive - but they are really... dead. Now, if anyone knows and is able to judge what is dead and what is living, it is The Living One Who has experienced death for all mankind and Who has conquered the grave! This is a vital message to this church, they were dying and yet were believing their own press as being gloriously alive.

Sardis is a dying church, yet the Great Physician was administering to them the antidote (so to speak) of this death. Jesus tells them to WAKE UP! (v.2) and that if they do not WAKE UP!, He would "come like a thief, and (they) would not know at what hour (He) will come to them)."

Why would they not know the hour of the Lord's Return? Because the church in Sardis was dead asleep! No wonder Jesus instructs them to WAKE UP! The day of the Lord was upon them (Thess.5:2), it was time to WAKE UP, it was the time to be alert and sober! Jesus instructs them in the three-fold antidote to the inevitable death that this church was heading towards... they were to REMEMBER what they had received and heard, they were to KEEP what they had received and heard, they were to REPENT (Rev. 3:3).

In order to understand this better we need to go to 1 Thessalonians 5:11-6, go ahead and read this in your Bible, I'll wait for you...

Jesus makes it clear in Rev. 3:1,2 that He not only knew their deeds (remember, He walks in the midst of the church Rev. 2:1), but He had not found their deeds to be completed in the sight of God. Their deeds were not complete in the sight of God, because they had (so to speak) fallen asleep on the job! And by the way, if it is not complete, then it is not real. Check out Philippians 1:6... "For I am confident of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

How did this happen? How DOES this happen? Well, in our reading of 1 Thessalonians we saw the contrast of those that are in darkness and those that are in Light. For those that are in darkness, the coming of Christ (the Day of the Lord) will be sudden and unexpected, they will be caught 'unawares'; but for the believer, who is looking for His coming, we are anticipating and 'prepared ready' for the Day of His Returning.

(If you can indulge me just a little bit more I promise you I will get to the Book of Life!)

From our study of God's Word, we can see that the understanding of unbelievers has been darkened (Eph. 4:18; 5:8) and we learned from our past study in John (3:19-20) that they love the darkness and are controlled by the powers of darkness (Eph.6:11-12) and that unless they receive The Light, they are headed for eternal darkness (Matt. 8:12)

Yet we also see that the believer is a child of Light (Eph. 5:8-14), once ourselves in darkness, but now in the Light, we are to now live in the Light, sober and alert, AWAKE! to the Returning of Christ our Lord.

So my question was, how did the church at Sardis fall asleep, how did they become a DYING church? We see the answer for this in the antidote that Jesus Himself gives them in Rev. 3:3; they had FORGOTTEN what they had received and heard; they had not KEPT what they had received and heard; they had TURNED AWAY from what they had received and heard.

As much as I want to discuss the 'overcomers' and the 'white garments' of Rev 3:4-5, we can look at this more closely when we get to Chapters 6 and 7; but for now let's just look at the 'Book of Life' in v.5.

I am trusting that you have done your cross referencing and perhaps dug a little deeper on your own regarding this Book, but in brief, from my study of God's Word, this 'Book of Life' mentioned in Rev. 3 contains the names of every single person that has ever been born on the face of this earth... all of them - and, those that are yet to come. Those who reject Christ are blotted out of this Book, because they are dead and not alive.

There is also another book, The Lamb's Book of Life (Rev. 21:27); all true believer's have their names recorded in this book, and they will go from Life to Life. (We will be studying this much deeper when we get farther on in the study!) Those who do not have their name recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life are thrown into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:15), which is the second death.

It is evident, from our study of the church at Sardis, that there were many there that had 'soiled garments', those that would continue to 'sleep' the sleep of the unrepentant. Those that did not 'remember' nor 'keep' what they had at first received. Our past study in John 15 will give greater insight into who these people were; further study in Revelation will show us that there are many that 'play church', but are still in the darkness of death.

When I read about the church at Sardis, it thrills my heart with hope, and the mercy of God is written all over that blessed letter... WAKE UP! strengthen what remains...REMEMBER what you have received and heard; KEEP what you have received and heard; REPENT, which means to TURN from the course that you are on and return to your first Love.

Those who had the 'spiritual ears' to hear what the Spirit was saying to the church at Sardis, would indeed awake and partake in the three fold antidote offered to them by Christ Himself, those who only had ears to hear the 'other voice' (John 8:43-47) would remain in the darkness of sleep, soon to stand before the Great White Throne (Rev. 20:11-15), where the books would be opened and they would be judged on their deeds.

I hope this has aided you in your study... the week's to come will only add more to your understanding. I love each one of you and am looking forward to seeing my Home Girls soon... in class!

A Few Things To Do...

Well... you girls certainly have your work cut out for you this week as far as your inductive markings and notations go! Remember to continue to mark every reference to the recipients and their pronouns as well as terms of conclusion, comparisons and references to time.

Because you are still in the midst of your own observations, today I thought that I would only briefly highlight a few things that may add to your own study and discussion time.

Building upon what we have already learned, I quickly want to take you back to Revelation 1:4-6...

John to the seven churches that are in Asia; Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood - and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father - to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Here we see grace and peace being extended to the churches from the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit). Contained within the text itself is the explanation of how this came to be... grace and peace were extended to us through Jesus, Who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood. This is huge - this is salvation.

Jesus Himself is the Grace of God and Jesus Himself is the Peace of God, and yet while the Grace of God dwelt or 'tabernacled' among those in the world (John 1), the Peace of God (John 14:26-27; 20:26-31) can only dwell or tabernacle within those that have believed in the One that was sent - Jesus (John 20:30-31).

Those of us that have been 'released from our sins by His blood', have now been made, by Jesus, to be a 'kingdom', a kingdom of priests to His God and Father, and to Jesus is to be the glory and the dominion forever, Amen.

OK, so why is this so important to review? Because in Chapter 2 a new personality is introduced in v. 9. Mark every reference to his name including pronouns and list what you learn. Also mark every occurrence of 'false' and 'idols' and 'immorality' and list what you have learned.

We have been made into a kingdom of priests to God the Father, the One who is and who was and who is to come, the One who sits on The Throne that the seven Spirits are before (Rev.1:4), the One of whom Jesus is the Faithful Witness to (Rev.1:5); yet in Chapter 2 we see another throne (take note of where it is located). A throne which is occupied by one in direct opposition to God and His purposes and His people (think about why John was on Patmos). Learn what you can throughout Chapter 2 regarding the warnings and instructions given to the churches.

Also pay close attention to the phrase 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' Within this phrase comes the truth of the reality that what we are studying this week, and for the next 11 weeks, is spiritually discerned. Approaching Bible Study only as an exercise in intellectual gymnastics may give you a rolodex brain full of 'stats' and 'info', but without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, there will be no spiritual discernment nor wisdom.

By the way, did you know that Ephesus is located in modern day Turkey, and that more than 99% of the population of Turkey today is Islam? The lampstand (the church) in Ephesus, that was to shine the light of the glory of Christ, was indeed removed out of its place. It is poignant to think that it was in Ephesus that God, through Paul, first revealed the mystery of the church (Ephesians 3). Read it through and reflect on the goodness of God, through salvation in Christ.

Father, may we be women that have 'ears to hear what the Spirit it saying' to us, through your Word and by Your Holy Spirit. May we not be among those that will not endure sound doctrine but by wanting to have their 'ears tickled' accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, turning away their ears from Truth and turning aside to myths.

Father, You alone sit upon the Throne that we desire to bend our knees before, knowing that the only way we can come is through Jesus. We thank You and ask that you would indeed, 'open our eyes that we might behold, wonderous things from Your Word', causing us, by Your Holy Spirit, to not only read, but to heed, all that You would have us to know and walk out by faith.

Amen.

A Closer Look...

Well done! I have already spoken to a few of my 'Home Girls' and it seems that you all had a good and profitable class yesterday (Thursday) morning, discussing all that you had learned from your first week's homework assignments. For those of you who are taking this study along with us On-Line, our seven day study week begins on Thursdays and ends on Wednesdays!

My posting today is meant to add to the discussion that you have already had, hopefully with something that perhaps was not discussed so as not to bore you silly!

I thought that in our 'Closer Look' today, we could focus on Revelation 1:8. At first glance, this verse may appear out of context in the text but let's go through together and see what we can find.

One of the things that we have been doing throughout Chapter One is the marking of every reference to God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit including their pronouns. This marking is key in unlocking the meaning behind v.8.

Stick with me here girls!

Let's go back to v. 4-5 and read it through... "John to the seven churches that are in Asia; Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven Spirits who are before His Throne, and from Jesus Christ..."

Here we see the Trinity... the first 'from' refers to 'Him who is and who was and who is to come' the second 'from' refers to 'the seven Spirits who are before His throne'... who's throne? The throne of 'Him who is and who was and who is to come'! The third 'from' is referring to Jesus.

And this is important, why? Because when we come to v.8 we read... "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." Keeping within the context, v.8 is a direct reference to the One Who sits upon the throne.... God the Father, One of the Three mentioned in v. 4-5.

What about Jesus? Turn to Revelation 4:1-11 and read it through... I'll wait for you!
This is showing God the Father upon His throne (just like Rev.1:4).

Read v. 8 again... "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD, ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME." Now, drop down to Chapter 5 and read through verses 1-10. Here we see Jesus between the elders and the throne of God the Father. I can hardly wait to teach on this in the weeks yet to come, but v.10 should have your mind reeling back to Revelation 1:6!

So here are my thoughts...
In v. 1-4 we see how this Revelation came to the churches and ultimately us.
In v. 4-5 we see the introduction of the Trinity, each One distinct within the Whole.
In v. 5 we also see the description of Jesus as the Faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth.
We also see the love of Jesus and the salvation that was wrought through His blood to make us to be a kingdom... a kingdom of priests to God the Father.
And when we read "to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever, Amen", the 'Him' referred to here is Jesus as seen in Daniel 7: 27. By the way, if you were to read Daniel 7:23-27 you would see the reference to the 'Highest One' being God the Son, and the reference to the 'Most High' is God the Father.

Revelation 1:7 then flows quite naturally out of v.4-6 as it shows Jesus 'coming with the clouds'; we know that this is still referring to Jesus as He is the One Who was 'pierced'. It ends with "So it is to be. Amen."

Then comes Revelation 1:8 which also flows beautifully out of the preceding verses; this is where God the Father steps to the fore saying 'I AM'! He is the One that initiated salvation through His Son (Gen. 3:15, Luke 9:35) and now... Behold, Jesus is Coming! And now God the Father is the One that steps forward, The Almighty, the Only One Who can throw the curtain wide open and inaugurate the Revelation! Give Him praise! Give Him praise!

For those of you that studied through the book of John with me, remember the EGO EIMI of 8:24,28,58? This was Jesus Christ, the Messiah, Emmanuel, God with us, the Word Who was God (John 1:1), the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).

As we look at Revelation 1:8 in context with the whole of Scripture, we can see God the Father basically saying, "I AM!" (Exodus 3:13-14). The Father and the Son are One (John 10:30).

He is the Beginning and the End, He is the Lord God, He is, He was and He is to come (He came the first time as God the Son, He will come again as the Conquering King), and He is the Almighty! Everything that you read from v.1-7 is under His direction and control and purposes and He has stepped to the fore to tell us in one little verse... I AM!

After v. 8 would be a good time to bend our knee before our God in a time of worship... perhaps then we can move on to v.9-10 and join with John as he declares, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day."

May God bless you in your study this week,

I am here serving with great joy,

love,

In The Spirit

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,

Powerfully Restrained!

Hi! Most of you have received your books by now and have gathered together as a group and I am just on the edge of my seat waiting to hear how it all went!

I can hardly contain myself! There is just so-o much that I want to share with you, but I need to be showing some restraint (help me Lord Jesus!) as I wait to hear from you and hear your thoughts!

Golly, but you all got prayed for this morning and what a joy it was for me!

I'll just be leaving it at that as I yield to the powerful restraint that the Lord has laid upon me...

love you all silly,

Welcome to the Introduction Week of your On-Line Bible Study in the Book of Revelation!

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