Podcasts about in revelation

Join Larry Spargimino and Jonathan Cahn for part two as they discuss his newest book, The Great Altar of Pergamon. The fact is that this altar has been sealed from the public, locked behind scaffolding as Berlin's Pergamon Museum undergoes renovation. The altar is a huge structure that has been disassembled for transport. In 2027, the doors reopen, and the altar will again be visible to the world. In Revelation 2: 12-13, the Apostle John identified this altar as the "throne of Satan." Adolph Hitler and one American President (Obama) made proclamations from the altar: "The mystery is so colossal it has  literally altered the history of the world."

Join Larry Spargimino and Jonathan Cahn as they discuss his newest book, The Great Altar of Pergamon. The fact is that this altar has been sealed from the public, locked behind scaffolding as Berlin's Pergamon Museum undergoes renovation. The altar is a huge structure that has been disassembled for transport. In 2027, the doors reopen, and the altar will again be visible to the world. In Revelation 2: 12-13, the Apostle John identified this altar as the "throne of Satan." Adolph Hitler and one American President (Obama) made proclamations from the altar: "The mystery is so colossal it has  literally altered the history of the world."

What happens when a church can have strong theology, stand firmly for truth, resist compromise and still lose its first love? In Revelation 2, Jesus speaks to Ephesus, a church that did almost everything right, yet somewhere along the way their devotion became duty and their work continued while their hearts grew cold. But Jesus isn't condemning them; He's calling them home: Remember. Repent. Return. This is a message about the danger of becoming so focused on doing things FOR Jesus that we stop looking at Jesus and the invitation to stop striving, return to simple devotion, and rediscover that before we were ever useful, we were loved.

REVELATION EP 8- The Seven Trumpets and a Map of Time The book of Revelation is, in many ways, a summary of the unfolding work of God in redemption and redemptive judgment. It begins with the seven letters to the churches, moves into the opening of the seven seals, and then into the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. In the first four seals we see the release of forces that have shaped the world we know—conquest, war, economic scarcity and inflation, famine, disease and death. These events describe the progression of human history toward the final period of God's dealings with the earth. We have already experienced many of these things in measure, including global pandemics, giving us a foretaste of what Revelation describes as ultimately coming upon the earth. But then we arrive at something extraordinary: the seventh seal contains the seven trumpets, and the seventh trumpet ultimately contains the seven bowls or vials of judgment. Revelation gives us a series of summaries within summaries. Seven speaks of completion and fullness. What we are seeing is not merely a sequence of catastrophes, but the completion of a divine process that brings God's purposes for humanity to their appointed goal. “Receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” —1 Peter 1:9 The final movements of Revelation therefore concern not simply judgment upon the earth, but the completion of God's redemptive work in His people as Christ brings history toward His return. This brings us into the final three-and-a-half-year period that repeatedly appears throughout prophetic Scripture—a period culminating in the second coming of Christ. THE SEVENTH SEAL, THE CENSER AND THE DAY OF ATONEMENT Revelation 8 begins with one of the most remarkable moments in the book: “When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” —Revelation 8:1 It is the only explicit period of silence described in heaven in Revelation. After the worship, thunder, voices and activity surrounding the throne, suddenly everything becomes still. It is as though heaven pauses before the next great movement of God's purpose. John sees seven angels standing before God, and seven trumpets are given to them. Before those trumpets sound, however, another angel appears with a golden censer. He is given incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne. The censer is then filled with fire from the altar and thrown to the earth, producing thunder, lightning and an earthquake. This gives us an important principle: the prayers of God's people are not disconnected from the purposes of God in the earth. Heaven receives the prayers of the saints, and those prayers become part of the unfolding divine purpose. The golden censer is particularly significant because of its connection with the Day of Atonement. In the Old Testament, the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place once a year carrying incense and blood into the presence of God. Leviticus 16 describes him taking burning coals and incense behind the inner curtain, creating a cloud over the mercy seat, and then sprinkling blood before it. “Into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood…” —Hebrews 9:7 The imagery of Revelation 8 therefore takes us directly into the symbolism of the Day of Atonement. The seventh seal opens a prophetic picture of cleansing, sanctification and preparation, and connects Revelation with the prophetic pattern of Israel's feasts. THE FEASTS — A MAP OF REDEMPTIVE TIME The Church has historically experienced the great movements represented by Passover and Pentecost, but we have not yet experienced the prophetic fullness represented by the Day of Atonement and Tabernacles. Passover speaks of deliverance. The blood was placed upon the doorway, marking out a people delivered from judgment and slavery. Christ is our Passover; His blood establishes the boundary of salvation and justification. Pentecost speaks of covenant relationship and the giving of the Spirit. What was external becomes internal. God's covenant is written into His people, and believers learn to walk by the Spirit in conscious obedience to God. The Day of Atonement speaks of deeper cleansing, transformation and sanctification. Before Israel entered Tabernacles came Atonement, so prophetically it becomes the preparation for the fullness of God's dwelling. Tabernacles represents the fullness of God dwelling among His people. So the movement is: Passover → Pentecost → Atonement → Tabernacles. The story is moving toward the completion of God's dwelling with humanity. The final feast season begins with the Feast of Trumpets: “In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets…” —Leviticus 23:24 These initial trumpets are not the judgment trumpets of Revelation 8–11. They are prophetic trumpets announcing that something is about to happen. They call God's people to attention and announce a season of preparation. Ten days later comes the Day of Atonement, followed by the Feast of Tabernacles: Trumpets → Preparation → Atonement → Tabernacles. This gives us a prophetic picture of the preparation of the Bride of Christ. THE BRIDE, THE BLOOD AND TRANSFORMATION Paul writes: “That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word… that she should be holy and without blemish.” —Ephesians 5:26–27 This is not simply about becoming better Christians. Paul describes a deeper work of transformation in the Bride. The Church is being prepared for union with Christ. “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” —Ephesians 5:32 The Day of Atonement gives us a prophetic picture of this deeper cleansing. On that day, the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place with blood: “Then he must take some of the blood of the bull… and sprinkle it seven times…” —Leviticus 16:14 Seven speaks of completion. At Passover, the blood was placed at the doorway. At Pentecost, covenant relationship was established with God's people. At the Day of Atonement, the blood enters the Most Holy Place. Doorway → People → Presence Deliverance → Covenant → Transformation The Day of Atonement therefore points toward the fullest application of Christ's redemptive work in His people—not another sacrifice, but a deeper manifestation of the power of the one sacrifice already accomplished by Christ. The goal is maturity—the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. The Day of Atonement was also called a Sabbath of Sabbaths—Shabbat Shabbaton. Israel was commanded to “afflict” or humble their souls, but Isaiah 58 reveals that God was never interested in religious suffering for its own sake. The people were fasting while still oppressing others, fighting, quarrelling and maintaining bondage. “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?” The ultimate fast is therefore not simply abstaining from food. It is becoming free. It is allowing God to break the internal bondage that prevents us from loving God and others freely. God is not trying to crush the soul. He is trying to heal it. THE TRUMPETS AND THE WITNESSES Numbers 10 says: “Make two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece you will make them.” Silver is associated with redemption and atonement. There are two trumpets, yet they are made from one piece of silver. This gives us a picture of Christ and His people—the one new man created in Christ. The trumpet represents the prophetic voice of God. God speaks to His people, and He also speaks through His people. This imagery provides a fitting parallel with the two witnesses of Revelation 11, who prophesy for 1,260 days. Their ministry belongs to this final prophetic period and corresponds to the ministry of Moses and Elijah. Their witness becomes part of God's final testimony before the culmination of the age. SABBATH REST The Day of Atonement also opens another major biblical theme: rest. The Sabbath was never merely about stopping work one day each week. Israel was commanded to allow the land to rest every seventh year. Leviticus 25 describes six years of cultivation followed by a seventh year in which the land was not cultivated in the ordinary way. The people had to trust God. They had to stop striving to produce and believe that God could sustain them. But Israel failed to fully enter this dimension of Sabbath rest. 2 Chronicles 36 says Israel went into Babylonian captivity: “Until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths… to fulfil seventy years.” The seventy years correspond to seventy unobserved Sabbath years—a period traditionally calculated against 490 years: 490 ÷ 7 = 70. Hebrews takes this principle beyond agriculture and national history: “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God… He who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” This is the spiritual reality behind Sabbath. The issue is not merely whether we stop working. The issue is whether we have learned to trust God. Rest is faith. Rest is the cessation of self-powered striving. Rest is learning to live from the faith of Christ and the flow of grace. Sometimes the very thing we call spiritual activity becomes a substitute for spiritual rest. We can become so busy trying to manage ourselves, fix ourselves, control ourselves and prove ourselves that we never become still enough to allow God to transform us. FROM PASSOVER TO TABERNACLES The journey from Passover to Tabernacles can be understood as the journey of a building becoming a home. At Passover, the people come through the doorway. At Pentecost, they learn covenant relationship and Spirit-led living. At the Day of Atonement, they are brought into the deepest place of cleansing. At Tabernacles comes the fullness of God's dwelling. The Church is therefore not simply being rescued. We are being prepared for habitation. Salvation → Maturity | Forgiveness → Transformation | External religion → Internal reality | Striving → Rest | Knowing about God → Becoming a dwelling place for God The Sabbath also points beyond itself. In Revelation, the return of Christ is followed by the thousand-year reign described in Revelation 20. The final three-and-a-half-year period culminates in Christ's return, and the Millennium becomes a prophetic expression of the greater Sabbath rest of God's kingdom. Six days → Seventh-day Sabbath | Six years → Seventh-year Sabbath | Redemptive history → Millennial Sabbath The Sabbath becomes a picture of the ultimate cessation of rebellion, striving and self-rule under the reign of Christ. A MAP OF TIME When we step back and look at Revelation 8, we begin to see something much larger than a series of judgments. We see a map of time. The seals bring us through the broad progression of history. The seventh seal opens the trumpets. The trumpets move us into the final prophetic period. The golden censer takes us into the imagery of the Most Holy Place and the Day of Atonement. Atonement points toward the cleansing and preparation of the Bride. The Bride is washed by the Word and brought toward maturity. Beyond that lies Tabernacles—the dwelling of God with His people—and finally the return of Christ and the Millennial Sabbath. Seals → Trumpets → Atonement → Bride → Tabernacles → Christ's Return → Millennial Rest Underneath the entire progression is one great purpose: God is bringing His creation back into His rest. THE BUILDING BECOMES A HOME This may be the most important application for us personally. We can spend our lives building—reputations, theological knowledge, religious activity and systems designed to make ourselves feel safe. But God's ultimate purpose is not merely to build a structure. He wants a dwelling place. The journey from Passover to Tabernacles is the story of a building finally becoming a home. We are still under construction. The Word is washing us. The Spirit is working within us. The blood of Christ has already accomplished the foundation of our redemption. But God is bringing us into a deeper experience of what Christ has already purchased. Perhaps the question is not simply “How much am I doing for God?” but “How much am I resting in God?” Not “How hard am I trying to change myself?” but “Am I allowing God to transform me?” Not “How much religious activity can I sustain?” but “Can I become still enough to hear His voice?” Sometimes our greatest obstacle to entering God's rest is the very activity we believe is helping us get there. There comes a time when the noise must stop, the striving must stop, the self-protection must stop, and the endless attempts to manage everything must stop. In the silence of the inner sanctuary we discover that grace does not merely forgive us; it transforms us. The blood does not merely bring us through the doorway; it brings us into the presence. The Word does not merely inform us; it washes us. The Spirit does not merely empower our activity; He teaches us to rest. The Bride is not ultimately prepared by striving harder. She is prepared by allowing Christ to do His work within her. The seventh seal begins with silence. That is fitting. After all the noise of the seals, wars, judgments, trumpets and shaking of the earth, heaven becomes silent. When the noise finally stops, we discover that God has been working all along. The building becomes a home. The Bride becomes ready. The people of God enter His rest. The journey that began at the doorway of Passover finds its fullness in the dwelling of Tabernacles and its great Sabbath rest. And ultimately, Jesus reigns.  

What will heaven look like in the last days? In Revelation 7:9-10, John sees a breathtaking vision: a countless multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language standing before the throne and before the Lamb, Jesus Christ. -Do you want to be an active member of 21c Moses? Then, consider becoming a 21c Moses Patreon! Click the link for more info: https://patreon.com/user?u=45306220&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link -If you want to donate to 21c Moses Ministry, please click the link: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=P4LC3BE2S3JGA -Please check our website: https://21cmoses.com ©2026 21c Moses #21cMoses #BibleTeaching #DailyBibleStudy

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Pastor Bankie teaches that God tests faith so believers become overcomers. In Revelation chapter 2, those who overcome receive “some of the hidden manna,” “a white stone and a new name written on the stone.” Salvation is free, yet it has a cost that reveals real seriousness.

In Revelation 1, Jesus gives a weary church exactly what it needs most: not a timeline, not an explanation, but a clearer vision of Himself. The risen King is alive, He is coming, and He is not distant. He is walking among His people.As we begin our journey through the letters to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3, we'll see Jesus speak directly to His Church with encouragement, correction, warning, and hope. Before we hear what Jesus has to say to these ancient churches, we need to see who Jesus is: the faithful Witness, the risen King, and the One who is present with His people.Because when we see Jesus clearly, we find the strength to endure faithfully.

In Revelation 12, John sees a “great wonder in heaven”—a “woman clothed with the sun…and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” The Catholic interpretation assigns this image to Mary, the mother of Jesus, to help prove their claim that she is now the Queen of heaven. Is this true? Let's subject this highly symbolic chapter to proper exegesis and see if it fits the Catholic narrative.Comparative religion website: www.thetruelight.net Ministry website: www.shreveministries.org The Catholic Project: www.toCatholicswithlove.orgPurchase Mike Shreve's popular book comparing over 20 religions: In Search of the True Light Mike Shreve's other podcast: Discover Your Spiritual Identity—a study on the biblical names given to God's people https://www.charismapodcastnetwork.com/show/discoveryourspiritualidentity All video podcasts are posted on YouTube. Publishing House: Deeper Revelation Books, www.deeperrevelationbooks.org Mail: P.O. Box 4260, Cleveland, TN 37320 / Phone: 423-478-2843

Life has a way of reminding us that things don't always end the way we hoped. And yet, Scripture tells a different kind of story. The Bible doesn't end with disappointment—it ends with renewal. In Revelation, we are given a breathtaking vision: a new heaven and a new earth, where God brings everything together and makes all things new. This is not God abandoning the world, but restoring it completely. The brokenness we feel, the endings we grieve, the longings that go unmet—all of it finds its answer here. God's ultimate plan is not to scrap creation, but to redeem it. Richard Rohr has said, “Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.” So when life feels unfinished or disappointing, we can remember: this is not the end of the story.

Having received multiple visions of the judgment that will precede Christ's return (Rev. 6-9), John needed to have his attention refocused on the glory of Christ that had first been revealed to Him in Chapter 1 and then again in chapters 4-5. In Chapter 10, a messenger is sent to remind John of Christ's glory and commission Him to keep recording the events that surround the coming of His kingdom. Join us this Sunday as we see the glory of God on display as heaven comes to earth. In Revelation 10, the process of judgment is paused as God reminds the reader of just how glorious His glory truly is. This vision of God's glory is a truth that we must be reminded of so that we would live in light of it today. We must make way, for our king is on His way!

What would it look like to stand at the threshold of eternity and peer inside? In Revelation 22, we get exactly that -- a guided tour of the New Jerusalem, where the very source of all life flows as a crystal-clear river straight from the throne of God and the Lamb. This is not merely poetic imagery. It is a declaration about where all good things originate. Every pure thought, every wise decision, every righteous act traces its source back to God himself. As we walk through this passage together, we are challenged to examine the source of what drives our own lives. Are the decisions we are making, the paths we are pursuing, filtering through what is true, noble, pure, and praiseworthy? The river in this vision is a mirror held up to our daily walk. And at the center of it all stands the tree of life -- a symbol that stretches across the entire arc of Scripture, from the garden of Eden to the cross to this final eternal city -- reminding us that God has always been reaching toward humanity with the offer of life, healing, and wholeness. The curse is gone. The night is gone. What remains is the face of God and the names of his people written in belonging to him forever.

Favor Has a Fingerprint! “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts, and no one opens”: “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name." Revelation 3:7-8 In the tapestry of our lives, the fingerprints of God's favor are woven into every thread. When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he shared his journey of faith, reminding us that "a wide door for effective work has opened" (1 Corinthians 16:9). With each opportunity, we find ourselves at a crossroads, discerning between open and closed doors. Just as Paul felt led to stay in Ephesus, we too must listen intently to the whisper of God guiding us to where His favor abounds. In Revelation 3:7-8, we are reminded that God holds the keys to every door. He opens what no one can shut and shuts what no one can open. This truth is a powerful assurance. However, not every open door is meant for us; as the saying goes, "Favor has a fingerprint," highlighting that each blessing is uniquely designed for His purpose in our lives. As we peel back the layers of our daily existence, we must ask ourselves: Are we living door-wise, discerning the paths that align with our God-given calling? 1 Corinthians 16:9 says, "For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries." Psalm 84:11 beautifully declares, "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor." His favor is not merely a blessing; it is a protective embrace that guides us through darkness into light. Open doors may shine bright, beckoning us to step through, yet we must ensure that these gateways align with God's sovereign will. As we navigate life's opportunities, remember that God's fingerprints are evident in the doors He opens for us. Each step taken in faith leads us closer to the heart of God, where we discover our true calling. Let us encourage one another to trust in His perfect timing and to seek His face in every decision we make. Amen. Psalms 84:11 says, "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless." Amen. Prayer for the Day!Heavenly Father, I thank You for the beautiful doors You open in my life and the ones You graciously close. Help me to discern Your will and to walk through the paths marked by Your favor. Teach me to trust in Your timing, and may I follow the direction of Your spirit with unwavering faith. Show me the door You have prepared for me, and close the rest that do not align with Your purpose. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. https://maglife.org

Loving the world will result in losing our first love. When this happens, we begin to buy into the world's value systems, and eventually our lives do not reflect Christ. They will reflect the world.Main Points:1.  When we meet Christ, one thing that fundamentally changes is what we love. Before we met Jesus, our primary love was ourselves, but we also loved the things of this present world. But when we met Jesus, things began to change. We discovered a better love.2. Loving the world means being devoted to the world's treasures, philosophies, and priorities. God tells His children to set their priorities according to His eternal value system. We are to “seek first” God's kingdom and righteousness.3. The problem with loving the world is that it conflicts with what is to be our first love. Jesus is to be our first love. Why? He alone is worthy of such love and devotion. In Revelation chapter two, we learn the Ephesian church was commended for their hard work and perseverance, yet they were warned because they had lost their first love.Today's Scripture Verses:1 John 2:15 - “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.”Romans 12:2 - “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”Quick Links:Donate to support this podcastLeave a review on Apple PodcastsGet a copy of The 5 Minute Discipleship JournalConnect on SocialJoin The 5 Minute Discipleship Facebook Group

Grace is the foundation of the Christian life, yet it is easy to drift from it into busyness and performance. In Revelation 3, Jesus speaks to the church at Philadelphia about an open door that no one can close, and the greatest door God has ever opened is the door of grace. Just as John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace, was transformed from a slave trader into a pastor, grace meets us in our worst moments and makes us whole. When we stay connected to that grace, it naturally overflows into every relationship and area of life. We forgive because we have been forgiven. We love unconditionally because God has loved us unconditionally. A transformational church never gets over the grace that saved it, and it never keeps that grace to itself. God opened the door. Now let grace flow through you.  

07.26.2026 | When God Shuts a Door | Pastor Jeff Wickwire Have you ever had a door in your life close—an opportunity, relationship, or dream—only to realize later it was for your good? This week, Pastor Jeff Wickwire shared how God sometimes shuts doors to protect us or lead us toward His best. In Revelation 3:7, we’re reminded that Jesus alone holds the key to every door in our lives.

In Revelation 8-9, the judgment of God is being poured out as Christ prepares for His return. That judgment shows just how much God hates sin. To help us hate sin like God hates sin, Chapter 9 provides a picture of just how much Satan hates mankind. This Sunday, we'll look at Revelation 9, a passage that reveals just how much Satan hates humanity. The portrait that is painted in this text will help us understand why we must not serve sin as our master, but rather cling to the majesty of Christ's love and salvation. This text will help us learn to hate sin as God does. Join us this Sunday as we continue our study in the Book of Revelation.

In Revelation chapters 2 and 3 Jesus addresses 7 churches calling them to covenantal faithfulness. These messages reveal the heart of God for the Church in every generation and are key to us understanding the pastoral intent of John's vision.

In Revelation 3:14–22, Jesus confronts the church of Laodicea about its comfortable, self-sufficient, and lukewarm faith. This urgent message challenges us to examine the true condition of our hearts, respond to Christ's loving call to repentance, and move from spiritual complacency into a vibrant life of obedience. Discover how to remain close to Jesus, build holy habits, serve with your God-given gifts, and keep the fire of devotion burning for the road ahead. https://www.bravehearted413.com/

In Revelation 3:14–22, Jesus delivers a powerful wake-up call to the church in Laodicea—a wealthy and self-sufficient community that appeared successful on the outside but had become spiritually poor, blind, and lukewarm. Using the city's unpleasant water supply as a vivid picture of its spiritual condition, Jesus warns against a faith that is comfortable, indifferent, and unwilling to surrender completely to Him.This episode invites listeners to take an honest “temperature check” of their relationship with Christ. Are we actively following Jesus, or are we merely going through the motions? Have comfort, pride, possessions, distractions, or religious activity caused us to overlook our daily need for God? Jesus' correction is serious, but it is also rooted in love. He stands at the door and knocks, offering forgiveness, restored fellowship, spiritual sight, and new life to everyone who hears His voice and responds.The message moves beyond the initial call to repentance and explores what it means to remain spiritually awake. Listeners will discover the importance of abiding in Christ, welcoming the Father's pruning, developing consistent habits of prayer and Scripture reading, obeying God's Word, using their spiritual gifts, staying connected to faithful believers, serving others, and persevering when emotions change or difficulties arise.This is more than a warning against lukewarm Christianity—it is an invitation to leave spiritual complacency behind, open every area of life to Jesus, and walk with Him in lasting devotion. Christ is still calling. The question is: Will you remain asleep, or will you wake up, open the door, and live?

In Revelation 10 the apostle John encounters an angel who presents seven thunders (which are to remain sealed and silent), as well as a little book which John was supposed to consume and speak. Is it a contrast? Certainly, but it is also a lesson. John was obedient to say the things he was supposed […]

In Revelation 2 and 3, the risen Christ walks through seven real churches in seven real cities. He stops in front of each one. And before He commends anybody, before He corrects anybody, He says the same two words: I know. Then He names Himself. And the name He picks is the exact thing that church was missing.

Do you know if your name is in the Book of Life? In Revelation 20, John describes a moment where every person stands before God — and two books decide everything. This week, Pastor Tony Johnson unpacks what those books actually are, and why the question isn't as simple as "be a good person" or "just believe."Most of us live inside a false dichotomy. Either salvation is entirely up to Jesus and nothing you do matters, or you have to earn your way in by being good enough. Revelation 20 puts both books on the table and gives us a different way of looking at it. Because faith without works is dead — but works without faith won't save you either. So the real question isn't which one matters most. It's this: if someone read your life like a ledger, would they know you follow Jesus?Support the show

Sermon by Apostle Ren Schuffman America turns 250 this year, and while that milestone deserves celebration, there is something far deeper happening beneath the surface. This anniversary aligns with the completion of five full biblical Jubilee cycles, each spanning 50 years, and understanding what that means could change the way you see the church, the nation, and your own life right now.Contrary to what many have been taught, America was not founded as a secular nation. The historical record is clear. Benjamin Franklin called for prayer at the Constitutional Convention. The first Continental Congress opened in Christian prayer. John Adams wrote that the founding was built on the general principles of Christianity. George Washington declared it the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God. And on the very day the Constitution was signed, America became the first nation in history to take a legal stand against the slave trade, driven by founders who understood that the gospel and human bondage could not coexist.But the deeper story is about Jubilee. In Leviticus 25, God established a 50-year cycle in which debts were canceled, captives were freed, and lost inheritance was returned to its rightful owners. Jubilee was God's declaration that loss is never the final word. And it was never just an Old Testament concept. Jesus announced the Jubilee Himself in Luke 4, quoting Isaiah 61 and declaring the favorable year of the Lord had arrived. He was not pointing to something coming. He was announcing something that had already begun.Jesus is the kinsman Redeemer, the one described in Leviticus 25 who steps in to buy back what a family member lost. He became flesh to be kin to humanity. He had the rights of the Son of God. He paid the price with His own blood. In Revelation 5, John sees a sealed scroll in the hand of God, the cosmic deed to all creation, and weeps because no one is found worthy to open it. Then the Lion of Judah steps forward. Jesus opens the scroll and reclaims not just Israel but every tribe, language, people, and nation.Now, at 250 years, the church in America faces a defining moment. In recent generations, believers have quietly retreated from culture, education, government, and public life. Ground was surrendered that was never meant to be given up. But Jubilee declares that what was lost must be returned. The kingdom of this world is becoming the kingdom of our Lord. The church is not called to hide. It is called to advance.If you have ever wondered whether God is still at work in America, whether the church still has a role to play in culture and society, or whether the losses in your own life are truly permanent, this message is for you.Keywords: biblical Jubilee, America 250th anniversary, kinsman Redeemer, Revelation 5 sealed scroll, Luke 4 favorable year of the Lord, Christian founding of America, church and culture, reclaiming your inheritance, Leviticus 25 Jubilee, Jesus as Redeemer, prophetic word for America, kingdom of God, Christian history America, founding fathers and Christianity, Jubilee year 2026https://www.ffc.church (Our Website) https://www.facebook.com/freedomfellowshipokc (Follow us on Facebook) https://anchor.fm/freedom-fellowship/message (Subscribe to our Audio podcast) Were you blessed by this message? Give to help us spread the gospel https://www.ffc.church/give

In Revelation 7, God paused the outpouring of His judgment to demonstrate his gracious mercy as He saved multitudes from amongst rebellious humanity. In Revelation 8, His judgment resumes, revealing the reality of His enduring and pervasive holiness. Join us this Sunday as we consider a picture of God's perfect holiness and its implications for humanity. For those of us in Christ, the Holiness of God is a beloved and reassuring truth. For those who don't know Christ, it's a terrifying prospect to behold. Revelation 8 will give us unique views of God's holiness from both above and below!

It's possible to be surrounded by church activities and still leave Jesus standing outside the door. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus isn't speaking to unbelievers—He's speaking to His own church. His invitation isn't simply to attend a service, but to enjoy a close, personal relationship with Him.The church in Laodicea believed they were rich and had everything they needed, but Jesus revealed their true spiritual condition. They had become comfortable, self-sufficient, and spiritually lukewarm. Their greatest need wasn't more possessions or greater success—it was more of Christ.The same challenge applies to us today. It's easy to become distracted by careers, finances, schedules, and even ministry responsibilities while neglecting the One who gives life to it all. Jesus desires more than our attendance; He desires our hearts. He wants a seat at the table of our daily lives.When we invite Christ into every area of our lives, our priorities begin to change. We discover that true wealth isn't found in what we own but in knowing Him. We also begin to see the church as more than a building—it becomes a community where believers encourage, pray for, and strengthen one another throughout the week.Today, take time to open the door. Slow down, listen for His voice, and welcome Him into your conversations, decisions, and relationships. The greatest blessing isn't what Jesus can give you—it's His presence with you.

Welcome to today's episode. We're looking at one of the most dangerous spiritual conditions a believer can face: lukewarmness. In Revelation 3, Jesus lovingly calls His church to wake up, repent, and return to Him. Lukewarm faith can look like routine without relationship, worship without surrender, and religion without transformation. But Jesus doesn't call us out to condemn us. He calls us back because He loves us. Join us as we discover how to rekindle our passion for Christ and return to our first love through the power of the Holy Spirit.   Bienvenidos al episodio de hoy. Hoy hablaremos sobre una de las condiciones espirituales más peligrosas que un creyente puede enfrentar: la tibieza espiritual. En Apocalipsis 3, Jesús llama con amor a Su iglesia a despertar, arrepentirse y volver a Él. Una fe tibia puede verse como una rutina sin relación, adoración sin rendición y religión sin transformación. Pero Jesús no nos confronta para condenarnos; nos llama de regreso porque nos ama. Acompáñanos mientras descubrimos cómo reavivar nuestra pasión por Cristo y regresar a nuestro primer amor por medio del poder del Espíritu Santo.

In Revelation 2, Jesus tells the church in Ephesus that they have abandoned their first love. What does that mean? And how do we ensure that we stay rooted in God's love?

Many churches appear healthy on the outside—packed services, busy calendars, thriving ministries, and strong reputations. But what if Jesus sees something entirely different?In Revelation 3, Jesus confronts the church in Sardis with one of the most sobering statements in Scripture:"You have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead."How does a church drift from spiritual vitality to spiritual complacency? Why do only a few believers remain faithful when compromise becomes the norm?In this episode of The Caffeinated Christian, Mike and Ryan unpack seven warning signs of a compromised church, including cultural accommodation, spiritual complacency, leadership failures, tolerated sin, and the danger of replacing genuine devotion with religious activity.This isn't a call to criticize churches—it's a call to examine ourselves.Are we settling for reputation, or pursuing reality?CHAPTERS:00:00 What If Jesus Visited Your Church?01:15 Introduction & The Church in Sardis04:00 Sign #1: Reputation Replaces Reality08:00 Sign #2: Spiritual Complacency Goes Unchallenged12:00 Sign #3: Cultural Accommodation Replaces Holiness18:00 Sign #4: Outward Activity Masks Inward Emptiness23:00 Sign #5: Sin Is Tolerated Rather Than Confronted28:00 Sign #6: Leadership Fails to Cultivate Vigilance33:00 Sign #7: Corporate Identity Over Personal Devotion36:00 How Churches Can Recover38:00 Warning, Invitation & Final Thoughts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Revelation 17, John has already watched dragons, beasts, and armies without flinching and then one thing finally stops him in his tracks. Not something terrifying. Something beautiful. A woman called Babylon, dressed in gold, holding a cup that looks like everything you've ever wanted. That's the warning: the most dangerous things in our lives rarely look dangerous. They look like the good life.In this sixth week of our Revelation series, we walk through Revelation 17–18 andask what Babylon, "the great prostitute," actually represents — and why John keeps insisting she's not just an end-times symbol for some distant empire, but apresent-tense pull on every one of us. Babylon is what the world becomes, and what our own lives become, when we quietly slide ourselves into the center where God belongs. She promises that a little more — more success, more approval, more security will finally hold your life together. Instead, like a wheel spinningwithout a hub, it slowly shreds. That's why, right in the middle of her downfall,a voice from heaven says something tender: "Come out of her, my people." Not anaccusation. An invitation. The real question this passage leaves us with is aquiet one worth sitting with: what's actually at the center of your life right now?Support the show

God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. I first read those words more than twenty years ago in John Pipers The Pleasures of God. Second only to the Bible, that book has had a profound impact on my life. I have owned several copies over the years; my first copy had to be replaced because I wore it out, and the copy on my shelf today is well marked. To give you a sense of why Pipers book means so much to me, let me read something I underlined from his chapter, The Pleasure of God in His Creation: What is the universe but the lavish demonstration of the incredible, incomparable, unimaginable exuberance and wisdom and power and greatness of God! What a God he must be! In that book, Piper says this about prayer: God is the kind of God who delights most deeply not in making demands but in meeting needs. Prayer is his delight because prayer shows the far reaches of our poverty and the full riches of his grace. Then he gives an image for prayer that has stayed with me. He says, Prayer is the walkie-talkie on the battlefield of the world. It is not a domestic intercom to increase the comforts of the saints, but a wartime means of calling upon God for courage, protection, provision, reinforcements, and the advance of His Word. It is not that I didnt believe Pipers words then; it is that prayer was not part of the culture of my heart in the same way that it is now. My prayer is that what we learn from Revelation 8:15 will help us see prayer the way heaven sees it. Last week, we saw that John heard the number of Gods sealed people144,000 from the tribes of Israelbut when he looked, he saw a great multitude no one could number from every nation, tribe, people, and language. I do not believe these are two different peoples of God, but Jews and Gentiles gathered into one redeemed people through Israels Messiah, the Lamb who purchased people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. We also saw that the list of the 144,000 has the feel of a military census, like Numbers 1, where Israel was counted by tribe according to the men able to go to war. But Revelation 7 begins with Judah, because from Judah came the Lion who is also the Lamb. In other words, Revelation 7 gives us a symbolic picture of the people of God gathered, sealed, and ordered around the conquering Lamb. Whatever you believe about the 144,000, their commitment and loyalty to the Lamb is a picture of discipleship and abiding in Jesus. Revelation 14:4 says, It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They are not pictured as passive spectators. They are sealed saints who live with a wartime ethic. Now, when we come to Revelation 8:15, there is a dramatic pause of silence. At the center of that silence stands an angel at the altar with a golden censer. Revelation has already linked incense with prayer. In Revelation 5:8, the elders held golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. In Revelation 6, the martyred saints cried out beneath the altar, O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long? Now, in Revelation 8, the prayers of all the saints rise before God with the smoke of the incense. Then the angel takes fire from the altar, fills the censer, and throws it to the earth. The prayers of the saints rise before the throne, and the fire of Gods judgment falls upon the earth. The Silence Before the Throne of God Notice what precedes the silence in heaven. Remember what I said previously: if the six seals describe what is happening on the world stage in Gods theater, then Revelation 7 shows us what is happening behind the curtain during the first six seals. Notice the language used in Revelation 7:1517: Therefore they are before the throne of God,and serve him day and night in his temple;and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,and he will guide them to springs of living water,and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Remember whose vision this is. It is Johns vision. The John who wrote these words in our Bibles is the same John who heard Jesus say, If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also (John 12:26). To the hungry and thirsty, John heard Jesus say, I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst (John 6:35). Regarding our need for a shepherd, John heard Jesus say, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11). What is my point? The language used to describe Johns vision of the multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language before the throne is the language of abiding brought to its final fulfillment. Revelation 7:1517 shows us the completed experience of abiding in Christ and where it ultimately leads: Those who abide in Jesus now, will dwell before God then. Those who come to Jesus as the Bread of Life now, will hunger no more then. Those who drink from Jesus as the fountain of living water now, will thirst no more then. Those who follow Jesus as the Good Shepherd now, will be guided by the Lamb forever then. To be a Christian is to be a person who abides in Jesus. Jesus never made this optional. If you are struggling to see the connection, let me share what Jesus said in John 15: I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. (vv. 14) Then Jesus said of all who abide in Him, If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:7). The evidence that you are abiding in Jesus is that you desire to follow the Lamb wherever he goes (Rev. 14:4). And one of the evidences that you are following the Lamb is that you pray. Listen, abiding in Jesus and prayer are not separate. You cannot abide in Christ apart from a praying life. Prayer is the language of abiding. The sealed people of the Lamb are not passive spectators. They are not casual in their Christianity, and they are not content with merely warming chairs on Sunday morning. They are consecrated saints living with a wartime ethic, and one of the primary ways they wage war is by bringing their poverty, weakness, burdens, and cries before the throne of God. So, against the backdrop of Revelation 7, where John hears the people of God numbered as 144,000 and then sees them as a great multitude before the throne, the Lamb opens the seventh seal. And when He does, heaven falls silent. The Prayers Before the Throne of God Remember what I have said about the book of Revelation: it is the crescendo of the whole counsel of Gods Word, packaged into twenty-two glorious chapters. The themes that run from Genesis 1:1 through Jude 25 converge in Johns apocalypse. Genesis begins, In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Jude ends by praising the God who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy (Jude 24). Between Genesis and Jude, one of Scriptures great themes is clear: the people of God live in the middle of a war. Martyn Lloyd-Jones rightly said, There is no grosser or greater misrepresentation of the Christian message than that which depicts it as offering us a life of ease with no battle and no struggle at all.... The first thing we must realize is that the Christian life is a warfare, that we are strangers in an alien land, that we are in the enemys territory. The war is ongoing and unrelentingbut our strength to engage it does not come from within ourselves; it comes from the Lord. This is why Paul wrote, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). This is why Revelation does not picture the church as passengers on a cruise ship drifting comfortably through calm waters. No, we are at war, and the church is made up of sealed, redeemed people who follow the Lamb, resist the dragon, refuse Babylon, and find their source of power and strength before the throne of God through prayer. That is why Paul urges us to put on the whole armor of God so we may stand against the devils schemes (Eph. 6:11). Yet the armor of God is not secured by human effort, self-discipline, or religious activity. It is ours because we are in Christ. He is our truth. He is our righteousness. He is our peace. He is our salvation. He is the Word who gives us the sword of the Spirit. We put on the armor by abiding in Jesus, and we stand firm in it by praying at all times in the Spirit (Eph. 6:18). Now, with the image of 144,000 sealed warriors of the Lamb, clothed in the armor of God and standing firm in prayer, we are ready to understand why Revelation 8:15 matters so much. Do not miss where the angel stands in verse 3. He stands at the altar with a golden censer, and he is given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne. Remember, this is not the first time Revelation has connected incense with prayer. In Revelation 5:8, the elders held golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Then, when the fifth seal was opened, John saw the souls of the martyrs beneath the altar crying out, O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? (6:10). Here in Revelation 8, John sees these prayersthe prayers of all the saintsrising before God with the smoke of incense in the presence of God Almighty. Notice that what rises before God is not only the prayers of the martyrs but the prayers of all the saints. Not only the prayers of pastors, but all the saints. Not only the prayers of the spiritually mature, but also the prayers of those who are struggling. The prayers of all the saints rise before God. Every person whose faith rests in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, has access to the throne of God through the blood of Jesus. This means that even the weakest cry of the weakest saint, offered through Christ, is not ignored in heaven. All of this takes place within the silence of heaven, but what John sees cannot be misunderstood: God hears the prayers of all who have been redeemed by the blood of His Son. At this moment, John watches the angel take the censer, fill it with fire from the altar, and cast it to the earth. Then peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake pierce the silence. These are the images and sounds of the perfect justice of a holy God. Heaven is silent, but God is not indifferent. His people cry out, and He answers in His time, in His way, and according to His holy character. Joel Beeke says of these verses, Prayer is powerful and effective in this world because God takes more notice of the prayers of His saints than He does the dictates or decrees of governments. When the prayers of the saints ascended to God in heaven, John writes that the earth was shaken with thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake as seven angels prepared to sound seven trumpets. God wants to impress upon us the effectiveness of prayer.... God is saying this: By your prayers, I will overthrow governments. I will confound human plans; I will turn the world upside down, casting the wicked to the ground and delivering My ransomed people. That is why prayer is not a small thing. Prayer is one of the means by which God accomplishes His purposes in history.It is not that our prayers bend God to our will, but as we abide in Christ, we bend to His will. And this same God, who does all that he pleases (Ps. 115:3), is pleased to hear the prayers of His people. Proverbs 15:8 says, the prayer of the upright is His delight (BSB). Conclusion So, permit me to leave you with three questions: If prayer is the language of abiding, what does your prayer life say about your dependence on Jesus? If prayer is the walkie-talkie on the battlefield of the world, have you been using itor have you been trying to fight in your own strength? If heaven receives the prayers of all the saints, can you really say that God has not heard you, or that your prayers do not matter to Him? Listen to me: even the weakest saint, crying out in the name of Jesus, is heard before the throne of God. If you are a Christian, you have access to the throne of God through the Son of God because of the blood of the Lamb. So pray. Pray when you feel weak. Pray when you are afraid. Pray when you do not know what to do. Pray for your family. Pray for this church. Pray for the lost. Pray for those suffering for the name of Christ. Pray for the kingdom to come and for the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven. John Piper closes his chapter on prayer with a quote from Patrick Johnstone that I believe serves as an appropriate conclusion to this sermon: Let us mobilize prayer! We can tip the scales of history. Christians can be the controlling factor in the unfolding drama of todays worldlet us not allow ourselves to be chased around by the enemy, but let us go up at once and take the kingdoms of this world for Jesus (Numbers 13:30; Daniel 7:18)He is delighted to give them to us (Daniel 7:22, 27; Luke 12:32). In practical terms, may these truths make our prayer lives as individuals, and in prayer meetings, outward-looking, Satan-shaking, captive-releasing, kingdom-taking, revival-giving, Christ-glorifying power channels for God! Prayer is not how we bend God to our will; prayer is how we abide in Christ, draw near to the Father, and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, join in the purposes of the sovereign God who hears the prayers of all His saints.

Todaywe begin a new section in Philippians chapter 3. In the previous verses, Paulhas been sharing the great passion of his heart when he said, "That I mayknow Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of Hissufferings." Now, as we come to Philippians 3:12, Paul begins to describehis pursuit of Christ. He writes: "Not as though I had alreadyattained, either were already perfect..." Paul gives us one of themost important secrets of spiritual growth, and it is surprisingly simple. Thesecret is this: never become satisfied with where you are spiritually. Nowthink about who is making this statement. This is not a new convert. This isnot a believer who has only been walking with Christ for a few months. This isthe Apostle Paul. By the time he writes Philippians, Paul has walked withChrist for nearly thirty years. And yet, Paul says: "Not as though Ihad already attained, either were already perfect." The word"perfect" here does not mean sinless perfection. It means complete,finished, mature, or having fully arrived at the goal. Paulis saying, "I have not crossed the finish line yet. God's work in my lifeis not complete." What humility! The very man we would probably considerone of the greatest Christians who ever lived looked at himself and said,"I still have room to grow." One of the surest marks of spiritualmaturity is realizing how much more maturity is needed. The closer we get toJesus, the more clearly we see areas in our lives that need His transforminggrace. Have you ever noticed that when you first clean a window, it lookspretty good? But when the sunlight shines through it, suddenly you noticestreaks and smudges you never saw before.  1John 1:7 says: “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we havefellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses usfrom all sin.”  The closer we walkwith Christ, the brighter His light shines on our hearts. We begin to seeattitudes, motives, habits, and weaknesses that need to change. That does notdiscourage a growing Christian. Instead, it motivates him. Paul had what wemight call a holy dissatisfaction. He was satisfied with Christ, but he was notsatisfied with his own spiritual progress. There is a tremendous differencebetween those two things. Paul had found complete satisfaction in Jesus Christ,but he still longed to know Him more deeply, love Him more fully, and serve Himmore faithfully. Sadly,one of the greatest dangers in the Christian life is spiritual complacency. Thechurch at Laodicea is a perfect example. In Revelation 3:17 they said: "Iam rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing."ButJesus saw them differently. He said they were: "Wretched, miserable, poor,blind, and naked."  They thoughtthey had arrived when in reality they were far from where they needed to be.That danger still exists today.  Sometimeswe compare ourselves with other Christians instead of comparing ourselves withChrist. Paul never compared himself to other believers.He compared himself to Jesus Christ. And when you compare yourself to Jesus,there is always room to grow. Psalm42:1-2 gives us a beautiful picture of holy dissatisfaction: "As thedeer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soulthirsts for God, for the living God." The psalmist was not contentwith yesterday's fellowship. He longed for more of God today. That was Paul'sattitude. That should be our attitude as well. A satisfied Christian is often astagnant Christian. The Christian race is not over until we see Jesus face toface. There are still lessons to learn, victories to win, prayers to pray,people to reach, and ways to become more like Christ. So let us embrace whatPaul embraced—a holy dissatisfaction that keeps us pursuing Christ every day ofour lives. 

In Revelation 22, Jesus declares, “I am the Alpha and the Omega.” This message explores what that means and why it matters. Discover how Jesus is the ruler of history, the source of all life, and the King who calls His people to faithful obedience. The question Revelation leaves us with is simple: Is Jesus the ruler of your life?

Who Does the Lord Know? (1) (audio) David Eells, 6/21/26 We received a question regarding Matthew 7:23 and how these people could say they know the Lord, and yet the Lord says, “I never knew you”. Also, Some people think that they are lost people, or that they were never really saved. And so I thought we could look at that today and identify who the Lord knows and those whom the Lord said He never knew. Let's look first in Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. The Bible talks about false prophets quite a bit in both the Old and New Testaments. Sometimes they don't appear to have been apostate, but in some cases, they definitely are. This is true in 2 Peter chapter 2; and the Christians he's talking about there. I believe the whole chapter really is about false prophets. 2Pe 2:15 forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing; Of course, the only one that can forsake the right way is somebody who's been there, and obviously, they are being an apostate or fallen away in this case. For instance in 2Pe 2:20-21 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first. 21 For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto them. This and many other scriptures clearly refute the ”once saved always saved doctrine.  Another good example would be in Jude 11 Woe unto them! for they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah. 12 These are they who are hidden rocks in your love-feasts when they feast with you, shepherds that without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; This includes those who fell into the error of trying to be “a profit” instead of a prophet. But I just wanted to make that point, because some people say that all false prophets are lost people, and that's just not the case. Of course, a lot of times, when we talk about Christians, we really should identify Christians the way the Bible identifies Christians, and not the way the worldly church identifies them. The way the worldly church identifies Christians now is those who have been born in spirit. Their spirit has been born from God, and they have a new spirit. But it is more than that. that's not the way the scriptures identify as Christians. Scriptures identify Christians as those who walk and talk the way Christ walked and talked. Also, there's a big difference between somebody who's just been born in spirit and those who walk the way Christ walked, because you can have Christ's spirit and not live His life as Paul exhorted Christians in Rom 8:13 for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. That's an exhortation given to those who have the spirit of Christ because he went on to exhort that those who have the spirit of Christ should go on to receive the Spirit of God. Everyone who is born of God receives the Spirit of Christ and today, that's called a born-again Christian. As we read the text, we'll see that “Christian” is identified scripturally as something completely different. So keep that in mind that I'm talking about Christians in the way that the church uses the term, those who have been born in spirit. Back to Mat 7:16 By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; (Again, now he's not just identifying prophets. Now he's broadening the scope. And in the next few verses, he uses the word “every” several times. So he's broadening the scope to talk about everybody, not just false prophets.) 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Now, this same verse is used in Matthew 3:10, where John the Baptist is rebuking the Covenant people of God; those religious leaders who made their stand on believing that Abraham was their father. Mat 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance: 9 and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10 And even now the axe lieth at the root of the trees: every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  I want you to notice here that He's talking about the Covenant people, thinking that because they were children of Abraham, they were entitled to God's blessings. And John told them that that's not the truth. The truth is, only bringing forth fruits worthy of repentance brings you into God's blessings. I think this is a good exhortation for Christians today, because Christians think, “Well, I'm a Christian, God's my Father so I can just go and do what I want to do now.” But this is not so. It says every tree that doesn't bring forth good fruit among us is hewn down and cast into the fire.  The scripture also says in Joh 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away:… Notice: Every branch in me… Now that can be no other than God's people, right? We're all responsible to bring forth fruit. The fruit is what identifies us as Christians, and the fruit here, as we see in the text, is the actions of your life. The fruit is love, the joy, the peace, the righteousness; all those things that Christ was and is. The actions of our life are the fruit of the inner life, that's what He's talking about; the fruit. Along the same line in several of Jesus's parables, He came looking for fruit on the fig tree. He wasn't looking for fruit on a tree that wasn't supposed to bring forth fruit. He was looking for fruit on a tree that was created to bring forth fruit. It is the fig tree that identifies God's people. Luk 13:6-9 And he spake this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, and found none. 7 And he said unto the vinedresser, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why doth it also cumber the ground? 8 And he answering saith unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 9 and if it bear fruit thenceforth, well; but if not, thou shalt cut it down.  Notice: The Lord is the one who's going to cut it down. The Lord is long-suffering with us to bear fruit, but be that as it may, we've been given a certain amount of time to bear that fruit, and I think that's what He's talking about in Matthew 7, because as He goes on in Mat 7:20 Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Now he's identifying fruit as doing the will of the Father. The fruit of the Spirit is doing the will of the Father. He goes on to say, 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? Let me make a point here. Do you suppose that it's possible that an apostate Christian could prophesy? I mean, prophesy from the Lord? We have examples in the scriptures of false prophets who prophesied in the name of the Lord. A good example is in 1 Samuel 19. This is talking about Saul after he had fallen away from the Lord; in fact, he had been rejected by the Lord. It says 1Sa 19:23 And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 And he also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets? Now, some people say, well, because he stripped off all his clothes, that doesn't seem like a godly thing to do, but I think what the Holy Spirit was showing to people around him was that he was walking naked before the Lord. He wasn't dressed up with Christ. He didn't have on his wedding garment, so on and so forth. He had fallen away in his works, because remember when we studied the garment, it symbolized your works, right? In Revelation 19, the righteous acts of the saints were the garment that the bride is wearing.  Now, I want you to notice this too; this same man had a demon that was sent from God to him. 1Sa 18:10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as he did day by day. And Saul had his spear in his hand; 11 and Saul cast the spear; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall. And David avoided out of his presence twice. 12 And Saul was afraid of David, because Jehovah was with him, and was departed from Saul. Now this is the same Saul whom the Lord had departed from, who later prophesied in the name of the Lord, because the Spirit came upon him. Here, he prophesied in verse 10 by an evil spirit. He had obviously become a false prophet. Was it always that way? No, it wasn't always that way. He was the anointed of the Lord. But yet he became a false prophet. He became what we would know today as an apostate Christian. He was rejected in 1Sa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, he hath also rejected thee from being king. So he had been rejected by the Lord, received an evil spirit by which he prophesied, and later even prophesied in the name of the Lord when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. Now, going back to what I consider to be probably apostate Christians in Mat 7: 22 …Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name,… And some people say, ‘Well, that wouldn't be possible if this person did not know the Lord at all to be able to prophesy by thy name.' And the point I want you to see here, too, is that it says by thy name and not in thy name; in the original, it says by thy name, meaning they could be prophesying true enough, but they weren't in the name. They weren't getting a reward because they weren't abiding in the name of the Lord. Another point, it says, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? Do you remember what Jesus said in Matthew 12, when they accused Him of casting out demons by the prince of demons, Beelzebub? Mat 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons. 25 And knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 and if Satan casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? 27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 28 But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. You know, I think you'll find that Satan doesn't cast out Satan; that even the most apostate Christians, because of their Covenant relationship with the Lord, still have authority to do that and can do it. I've seen people that the Lord identified to me as false prophets and actually did prophesy wrongly, and I've seen them cast out demons too. They had the Covenant relationship because of the Jews. The seven sons of Sceva were Jews. You see, the Jews were casting out demons. This wasn't new to the Jews to cast out demons. They had been doing that. And because of Covenant relationship, the Jews got healing, and they got deliverance. Even today, people, because of Covenant relationship, before being completely rejected by God, they can still cast out demons.  I know of a false prophet in particular who has identified too many people who cast out demons; in fact, he cast them out with me. Let me say this: a person who is lost, who does not know the Lord, how do they cast out demons? Those who have no Covenant relationship with the Lord; how do they cast out demons? Their father manifestly is Beelzebub, so how do they cast out demons? Well, what happened to the seven sons of Sceva when they tried to use “by Jesus whom Paul preacheth” to cast out demons in Acts 19:13 and then got whipped? They did not know the one who was creating the New Covenant. I think the point is that you have to be in some kind of a Covenant relationship in order to be casting demons out, because Satan doesn't cast out Satan.  The One who lives in you now casts out demons. 1Jn 4:4 … greater is he that's in you than he that is in the world. Who's in the world? Satan. Does Satan cast out his own kingdom? Jesus said, No, he doesn't do that. Well, here's the point. Were they casting the demons out by the Spirit of God or were they casting them out by Satan? Jesus said they couldn't cast them out by Satan. The lost people's authority is Satan. The one that lives in them is Satan. The point I'm making about these people here, these false prophets, is that many of them are apostate Christians. Remember, an apostate is one who is falling away from the truth and the grace of God. And it's somebody who is obviously saying, Lord, Lord, (so they obviously believed in their heart that Jesus was their Lord) Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy and by thy name cast out demons and by thy name do many mighty works? Notice they were not “in” thy name but God permitted this “by” thy name as a witness of Jesus. Who is it today that we know that is doing this in the name of the Lord, if it's not somebody who is abiding in His name, which is far more powerful?  I was in a situation where a preacher and his girl friend were trying to cast many demons out of a man who chased them out of the building. Previously the demon possessed man chased  the preachers deacon through a plate glass door, shattering it, and sending him to the hospital. So, they sent for me and told me their story. They watched from the doorway as I approached this man who thought to do the same to me. By the grace of God he cowered and was delivered. Many today are in “by” mode, meaning they are using the name of the Lord and not doing it in the name. I agree that some people profess the Lord and don't know the Lord or haven't been sent by Him. And all false prophets are not apostate Christians or just lost deceivers. ; not all of them. And I'm convinced that there is some chicanery going on even in Christian circles. I don't know if any of you are familiar with it, but I've been among some of them where they see a demon behind every bush. They cast demons out daily from everybody's flesh. But a lot of that's not demons, it's just run away flesh.  Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Now here's the point: is there such a thing as a Christian who's been born in spirit that God spoke to and said, “I don't know you” or “I never knew you?” Yes, we have examples of that. But first, before we get away from this, I want to read on because He says, I never knew you depart from me you that work iniquity. What is it for the Lord to know you? I want to look at that and what that means. When he says depart from me ye that work iniquity verse 24 went right on Every one therefore; (Meaning: He's talking about the same thing as just before this verse.) Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock: 25 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon the rock. 26 And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand: Notice, He didn't say whether you had the spirit of Christ or not; it all has to do with obedience. The difference between a foolish man and a wise man is strictly just one word; obedience. The born again spirit filled with the Holy Spirit gives us power to obey through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus. Our text deals with the fruit, which has to do with whether you're obeying. So the main difference between the wise and the foolish is hearing the words and doing them. Notice that both men here in this text heard the words, but only one obeyed, and that was the wise man. 27 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof. And this is the test that follows. I want to make that point before we go on because I want to look at the foolish virgins briefly, because God spoke to them, and He says, I don't know you. Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were foolish, and five were wise. Again, what's the difference between the wise and the foolish? It's just one thing, being a hearer and a doer by the anointing of God. 3 For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them: 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. We know that in Pro 20:27 The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah, Searching all his innermost parts. The spirit of man is the lamp of the oil. And the oil being the life of God or the Holy Spirit is to be in that lamp. And there's a vessel that the wise virgins took with them that was also full of oil; that obviously the foolish did not bring. What do you think the vessel is that also has the oil? We've talked about the difference between the born again spirit and the born again soul, which is your mind, will, and emotions. This is the fruit of the Spirit being born in the soul.  The person who had just a born-again spirit, but brought forth no fruit in the soul through obedience will be rejected. They were not bearing the fruit of obedience so they could be born again in the soul. The vessel that they brought with their lamp is the vessel of their physical life because that's where you bear the fruit of the oil. That's where you bear the fruit of Christ to be seen by the world. Now, even the foolish virgins here had oil in their lamp or spirit. So you can't classify them as non-Christians? Or, what we've been calling Christians. You understand? Verse 5 Now while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 But at midnight there is a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Come ye forth to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. This was another question someone had a while back about a word, so I went and looked it up. It's the Greek word, kosmeo. Kosmeo is the word we get cosmetics from. And it simply means ‘to arrange or to adorn'. It's not implying that their lamps were out and they lit them, you understand? It's just talking about adorning or arranging their lamps. They chose to translate it trim in this text; I don't think that's a very good word to use. To trim is to bring the wick up so the light shines best. Continuing in Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Peradventure there will not be enough for us and you: go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast: and the door was shut. Notice that - the door was shut. That was ominous because that door being shut is mentioned in other places in the scripture, like in Luke 13:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour. He said, I know you not. Now these virgins did have oil in their lamps. So obviously what the Lord means by knowing you is more than just receiving a new spirit, a born-again spirit. There must be fruit born of that spirit life in order for the Lord to know you. And I want to look at that too. Before we go there, let's look at Luke too, because it has a very close parallel to this door being closed. Luk 13:25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us; … (Obviously the same text there.) and he shall answer and say to you, I know you not whence ye are; 26 then shall ye begin to say, We did eat and drink in thy presence, and thou didst teach in our streets; 27 and he shall say, I tell you, I know not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. See, so many people are relying on their relationship with the Lord by what they know, by who they're connected with, by the fact that they're a Christian, that they've accepted Jesus as their Savior, but they're using none of the criteria of the scriptures. The only basis that God rebuked any of these people was for their disobedience. And we know that the only way we can obey is by having faith in the Lord and being filled with His Spirit. If we have faith, we'll obey. We'll overcome the sins that we struggle against because we fight the good fight of faith. It's not by works. I'm not trying to magnify our works; I'm trying to magnify the Lord's works through us. The criteria by which the Lord is going to judge any of us is going to be works. And he says to them, because of their evil works, not because they weren't Christians, because it's obvious to me from Matthew 25, and what we just read here, that He's talking to His children. But He says, I know not whence ye are… What causes the Lord to know us? First of all, many people are going to be found in this situation. In Matthew 25, there were 10 virgins. It was talking about the time of the coming of the Lord, how that five were ready, and five were not. That's only half of the people mentioned; half were not ready to meet the Lord, and half were. The very next parable is the parable of the talents, and again, there's no paragraph indentation, so He just goes on in Mat 25:14 For it is as when a man, going into another country, (In other words, he's telling you, watch, I'm going to show you the same thing in another way.) There were three groups at that time who had each been given talents. And one-third of them were rejected because they didn't bring forth the fruit that God put in, right? Doesn't the Bible say a third of the stars of heaven will be cast down to the earth? How come it was half of the virgins and yet a third of those with the talents? Because the virgins are those who are living on the earth when the Lord returns, and these men with the talents are standing before the judgment after death, after resurrection, you see? We're talking about those who are living at the time the Lord returns in order to be caught up to be with the Lord. What about the people who die? There are obviously three groups. A third of the stars of heaven were cast to the earth in the Book of Revelation. That's a third of the people. The scriptures say that Abraham's seed are as the stars; also, Jacob. The stars are likened to God's people. In Jacob's dream of the stars, they're the children of the bride chamber; it's in many, many places. There's the star glory in 1 Corinthians 15; the star glory is a person who's manifested star glory with the Lord. And some go on to moon glory and sun glory. But a third of the stars of heaven are being cast to the earth, and it goes on in Rev 6:13 and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. That's not talking about angels, that's talking about God's people not coming to maturity. You see, this is what's happening to a third of the stars. And yet of the people who are alive and remain, half of those people do not enter to being with the Lord. During this end time many will fall in the great falling away. They were called, twice dead and plucked up by the roots. Do you suppose that if your lamp is going out, you would be called twice dead? I do and that's what he's talking about; there's a great falling away happening right there. I think during the tribulation period, probably a third of the Christians are going to take the mark and spiritually die, and out of the ones that are left, half of them are going to be rejected. This is what I feel from these two parables. In the parable of the sower in Mat 13, three out of four did not bear fruit and were rejected. But let's look now at the Lord and how He knows us. You know that the Lord foreknew a group of people in Rom 8:29 For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: Let's see who the Lord knew. Okay, it's really important that we know who He foreknew because He didn't foreknow every Christian. I can prove that to you Notice who he's talking about; who was foreknown. Now, that's not knowing what's going to happen before it happens. Foreknew is like Adam knew his wife. The word ‘know' implies an intimate relationship. Rom 8:29 For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: These people whom He foreknew here is not talking about He foreknew that they would overcome. He knew this person. He knew their nature before the world was created. Watch, it says, For whom He foreknew, He foreordained. (Everybody that He foreknew, He foreordained.) Notice to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Notice now, there's no way out of this verse. If you start in on one end of it, you've got to come out on the other end of it. The ones He foreknew, he foreordained, (He predestined) to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 and whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. So, everybody that God foreknew from the foundation of the world will be conformed to the image of His Son. That doesn't mean everyone that we call ‘Christians'. So, Jesus pointed out this group; He called them 30-60 and a 100-fold fruit. Fruit of what? The fruit of Christ. The 30-60 and a 100-fold are going to be conformed to the image of Christ. These are the ones He foreknew. What is it to know God? Did God know anybody who was not in Covenant relationship? No, He didn't. I'm going to make this point at the very beginning that God only knows one family in all the earth, and that family is born again spiritual Israel. Amo 3:2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities. Now keep that in your mind that the Lord has only known Israel from the foundation until now. Even though Israel was changed in the New Covenant, it's still Israel. He makes a point back in Rom 9:6 … For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel: In other words, ‘real Israel' is going to be picked out of the midst of mans ‘Israel'. You understand? Because remember, For many are called, but few chosen. Mat 22:14 That word chosen is eklektos, or elected. And Paul exhorts us to give diligence to make our calling and election sure. (2Pe.1:10) This group of people in Romans 8 was called and elect because in verse 33, he said who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? … So, he's specifically talking about the elect, not just the called. Now, everybody who's the elect has to be called because the word call means invited. You remember when Jesus came to the Jews, they were invited, but they all weren't elect, and the reason was that they didn't accept Jesus. So it's only Israel that He knows and specifically only those who are of faith in the Promises.  Let's look at Rom 11:1 I say then, Did God cast off his people? God forbid. He cast off all but the elect who are born from above for they are His people. There were some Israelites that He didn't cast off because Paul said, For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. So God didn't cast off the chosen or elect Israelites. But there were other Israelites that He did. 2 God did not cast off his people which he foreknew. Notice that. Nobody that God foreknew did He cast off. You know why? Let's read on, and we'll see why. 2 God did not cast off his people which he foreknew. Or know ye not what the scripture saith of Elijah? how he pleadeth with God against Israel: 3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, they have digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have left for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal. 5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election (or chosen) of grace. Now the remnant is according to the election of grace. Notice that Israel did fall away, but not the elect, not the chosen, not the foreknown. Watch. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. In other words, by no more of your works, no more works of the law, are you going to be justified before God. 7 What then? That which Israel seeketh for, that he obtained not; but the election obtained it, … Notice, the elect or the chosen will obtain it. The foreknown will obtain it, and they will not be cast off. See, we're identifying something here. There were many people called out of Egypt who fell in the wilderness and did not make it to the Promised Land. The Bible says many are called, but few are chosen or ‘elect'. Who are the ones He foreknew? The many called or the few chosen? So, obviously, from this text you can see very clearly that the ones He foreknew were elect, meaning chosen, and they obtained it. Why did they obtain it? Let's see what it means to be known by God. Look at this verse very closely in Rom 11:19 Thou wilt say then, Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. 20 Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 for if God spared not the natural branches (Israel), neither will he spare thee. 22 Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 23 And they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.  The point I wanted to make is in verse 26 And so all Israel shall be saved. So what about all those who were cut off? They were Israel. They were called, but they were not elect. Remember what we saw back at the beginning of the chapter: those who were called and fell away in the wilderness. Those who rebelled against God, the ones whose hearts He hardened, He said, But the elect obtained it, and the rest were hardened. (Rom.11:7) Who is Israel? Who is the Israel that God foreknew? It's the elect. It is the foreknown. What about the rest of them? He didn't foreknow them. You know why? Because they didn't endure to the end in faith and obedience.  I want you to notice that everybody who was not foreknown and who was not written in the Lamb's Book of Life from the foundation of the world is going to be deceived and fall away. Everybody. We're talking about those called who fell in the wilderness. That's talking about the world, the flesh, everybody who is not foreknown is going to be deceived by the Beast.  Look at Rev 13:8 And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, every one whose name hath not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that hath been slain. Notice, it's everyone who is not written or not foreknown. Many Christians are called, meaning invited, but will not come to prove to be the elect, or chosen. They won't obtain the promise because of unbelief and are broken off. You understand what I'm saying? Remember they do not obtain the promise because they do not endure in faith. You can't obtain the promise that way. Look at Rev 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition. And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, they whose name hath not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast, how that he was, and is not, and shall come. So everybody whose name was not written there is going to be deceived, but everybody whose name that is written there will see through it. They are the elect; they will obtain. They are the foreknown; they will obtain. They will be the ‘Paul out of Israel', who God chose to go on and to bear fruit.  Today, we see Israel as a type of Christianity. Out of that, there are some who are going to go on and be obedient. Because obedience proves your faith. If you have no obedience, if you do not obey, if you are not a doer of the word, you have no proof for your faith. The way God is going to prove that you walk by faith is by your works. Everyone who walks by faith will overcome. If we walk by faith, we will overcome the trials in this life; the sin, the works of the devil; we will win.  There's another point I want you to see. Jesus was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, in Ephesians, where it also says God chose us; that's the word eklektos in Him, before the foundation of the world. Now, if Jesus was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, when was He manifestly slain? Not until 2,000 years ago. Now, if our names were written in the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of the world, when are they manifestly written in the Lamb's Book of Life? They're manifestly written in the Lamb's Book of Life when you're born again. Therefore, you were foreknown just as Christ was foreknown. You see that? It is really important that you follow this now. It's manifest when you're born into the Kingdom. In God's plan and His foreknowledge. Just like Jesus was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, but He wasn't killed then. When God set His plan into manifestation, Jesus was sacrificed. But it might as well have been because God calls the things to be not as though they were.  So, when you were born from above you were written in the Book of Life. I'm not talking about in God's plan that He foreknew. I'm talking about when manifestly your name was written in. Because everyone who's born of God is written in His Book. But remember, the ones that He foreknew from the beginning were those who endured to the end and came into the manifestation of Jesus. Psa 87:4 I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon as among them that know me: Behold, Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia: This one was born there. 5 Yea, of Zion it shall be said, This one and that one was born in her; And the Most High himself will establish her. 6 Jehovah will count, when he writeth up the peoples, This one was born there. Selah. The point is, when you're born into the Kingdom, that's when God writes your name. He said, Rejoice not that you have power over the demons, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. (Luk 10:20) So here's the point. Everybody that's born, including all of those that came out of Egypt, were written in that book. But some were blotted out. Who was it that was blotted out, before the full manifestation of Jesus? Remember, we're talking about those whom He foreknew before the foundation of the world who came into the image of His Son. But according to Rev 3:5, He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life,…. So you've got many names written in manifestly, and those who don't overcome are blotted out. Before what? Before the full manifestation, the ones who were foreknown. So all the Jews who came out of Egypt were written at that time. Also, every Christian who receives a new born-again spirit from God is written at that time. But only the ones who endure to bear fruit were foreknown. Therefore, of those who fall in the wilderness, He says, I know you not. I never knew you. Why? He didn't foreknow them. What was the main difference between those two groups of people, the wise and the foolish? The main difference was that they both heard the word, but only the wise became a doer of the word. In both Matthew 7 and Matthew 25, the difference between the wise and the foolish is the same. And yet, clearly, even the foolish had oil in their lamps. But their oil was going out. See, there's a great falling away coming because of tribulation, because of trials and people are going to fall away. Look at Psa 69:28 Let them be blotted out of the book of life, And not be written with the righteous. There will be those who will be written in Zion but the sinner in Zion will be destroyed out of it. Look in Isa 4:3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem; 4 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof, by the spirit of justice, and by the spirit of burning. God is doing a work of purging from the church those who are walking in wickedness, those who are guilty of blood, and walking in disobedience.  This scripture is very plain about being blotted out: Psa 69:28 Let them be blotted out of the book of life, And not be written with the righteous. There's another one where Moses was interceding for the people in Exo 32:32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. 33 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. So those who are written among the living, those who have manifested fruit, those who came into the image of Christ through the Word. Those who are written at the end are going to be the ones that He foreknew. They're going to be the elect, the ones that He chose. He exhorts us in 2Pe 1:10 Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: Look at 2Ti 2:19 Howbeit the firm foundation of God standeth, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his: and, Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness. See, the Lord knows them that are His and that's going to be the ones who depart from unrighteousness, so he's exhorting everybody that names the name of the Lord to depart from unrighteousness, to depart from iniquity. See, we're finding out who the Lord knows. Do you know who He knows? He knows Jesus. He knows the name, which is the nature and character of Jesus. Can you imagine God having relationship with us as Adam did with Eve? (That's what the word ‘know' means.) Imagine God having a relationship with somebody who is contrary to His nature? Do you understand that? God cannot know someone who is contrary to His nature and Word. 1 John 3:9 Whosoever is begotten of God doeth no sin, because his seed abideth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is begotten of God".   Just like He commands us Christians not to choose an unbelieving mate, right? Why did He tell us not to choose an unbelieving mate? Because we're not to know anybody with a contrary nature. What fellowship has light with darkness? So God knows and sows the Word who is Jesus. To the extent Jesus is in you, that's to the extent God knows you.  Who did Jesus say the Father would love? Every Christian? No, He didn't. Joh 14:23…If a man love me he will keep my word: and my Father will love him and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. What is the proof that you love God? Jesus said several times that the proof that you love God is that you obey his commandments. This is the one He knows. 1Co 8:3 but if any man loveth God, the same is known by him. In other words, we are proving our love for God by walking in faith and obeying His commandments. The ones that God knows or foreknew are the ones that love Him. Why? Because they not only hear the Word, they do the Word. The ones that God knows will come to know Him because of the foreknowledge part, like I said. It's in the mind of God. It's calling those things that be not as though they were. God spoke, and ever since He spoke this plan, it's been coming into existence. Don't miss it!  It was Jesus Who was foreknown to die for the world, but He wasn't manifest until Calvary. And you, who were foreknown to be in God, in Christ, before the foundation of the world, weren't manifest until you were born. Of those who are born and walk by faith and overcome and endure to the end, Jesus said, they shall be saved. Those who endure through the wilderness and enter into the Promised Land; they are the types of the elect. The very thing that causes you to go on is faith and if you don't understand that, then you can't overcome it anyway. Ever since Exodus chapter 3 the Lord revealed Himself to Moses. But you know Moses didn't know the Lord? He confessed it in Exodus chapter 33. He did not know the Lord. We are coming to know the Lord. The Lord is the nature of Jesus Christ.  And the more we come to know that nature of the real Jesus, the more we're coming to know the Lord. The one the Father knows, or even foreknew, was Jesus, because He was of like nature. God can only know that which is of like nature. Jesus said in Joh 14:9 If you have seen me you have seen the Father. He doesn't know the worldly person. He doesn't know the wicked person. He knows the righteous man that's inside of those who love Him. Exo 33:12 And Moses said unto Jehovah, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, See, the Lord had told Moses, I know thee by name. You know what the word ‘name' means? It's the same in the Hebrew as it is in the Greek. It's nature, character, and authority. The Lord told him, I know thee by name, and thou hast found favor in my sight. 13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found favor in thy sight, show me now thy ways, that I may know thee. The Bible talks about the Jews, how they knew the doings of the Lord, but Moses knew the ways of the Lord. There's a difference in knowing His doing and knowing His ways. If you know His ways, you can walk with Him. If you only know His doings, sometimes you're just going from judgment to judgment. …that I may know thee, to the end that I may find favor in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. 14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.  And in verse 17 And Jehovah said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken; for thou hast found favor in my sight, and I know thee by name. 18 And he said, Show me, I pray thee, thy glory. 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; Moses found out the name of the Lord in Exodus chapter 3. He told him the exact name. YHWH, I AM THAT I AM. So obviously, he's talking about a different name here. He's talking about the real name here.  Verse 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name (the Shem) of Jehovah before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for man shall not see me and live. Moses represented the Law; you couldn't come into the likeness of Christ through the Law. So he didn't get to see the face of the Lord, but we have a promise in 1 Corinthians 13. Moses didn't see His face; he spoke to Him face to face, but he didn't see His face. There's a difference. We can speak to the Lord face to face, but not see Him. Now there's a difference. He spoke to God face to face, but he didn't see His face. For man shall not see me and live. In other words, as man, you can't know Him. And as man, you are not known by Him. 1Co 15:50 Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. It is your spirit man that can know Him and be known by Him. The Holy Spirit helps our infirmity that we can know Him and see Him.  But He goes on to say, 21 and Jehovah said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock: (The only place you can see God is standing upon the rock, right? That's Jesus, and you have to stand upon the Word of God.) 22 and it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand until I have passed by: 23 and I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back; but my face shall not be seen. Now, when He revealed the name of the Lord, the Lord said He was going to proclaim His name. It wasn't YHWH because He told him that 30 chapters before. Look at Exo 34:5 And Jehovah descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of Jehovah. 6 And Jehovah passed by before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, (YHWH; it's YHWH, in the original, that's what He said.) a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth; 7 keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation. This is His Nature, Character, and Authority, Which is the meaning of Name. Now, He just proclaimed the name of the Lord. But what Moses didn't know, and he asked God to show him, ‘Show me thy ways, so I'll know the one who's going with us.' See, this is knowing God. Knowing this person whose name represents the I AM, that's knowing God. The opposite is also true. God knows the same nature. He knows Jesus Christ. He knows Jesus in us. And it is Christ in us by Word and Spirit that is the hope of glory. Remember in Romans 8, the ones He foreknew, and you go all the way to the end of the verse that says, He also glorified. Everyone He foreknew, He glorified. Now in 1Co.13: 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known. So knowing fully is seeing God face to face. Moses said, ‘I don't know You; reveal Yourself to me.' Therefore, he could not see Him face to face. Coming to maturity, bearing fruit, or manifesting Christ's likeness is coming to know Him face to face. It is coming to know Him fully as I was fully known. Who is going to come to know Him fully? Only those who were fully known will come to know Him fully and will see Him face to face.  Moses himself said, ‘I don't know You yet.' By the Law, you can't know God face to face. That's why Moses didn't enter into the Promised Land as a type and a shadow because the Law could not make perfect. It's also why Moses couldn't see God's face; he could only see His shadow, His back parts. Did you see that? By the Law, all they could see was shadow, so God said I'll let you see My hinder parts but He wouldn't let you see His face because by the Law you can never come to know God. It's only by His grace that you can come to know God.  Now Moses was asking for this, ‘Let me know the One Who's going to go with us.' In the New Testament, our Moses is Jesus; He did know God face to face. And we're coming to know God face to face through His grace and through His sacrifice. But the ones that are going to fully know God are the ones that were fully known by God before the foundation of the world. All the rest of them are going to fall away, just like those people in the wilderness. They were written in, but blotted out before coming to the fullness of God, which was what? The Promised Land. Did you know that, as a child, we can speak to God face to face? And God can speak to us face to face as a child of God. And the reason we can speak to God as a child is because of our Covenant relationship. But coming to know the Lord is seeing Him face to face by faith. 2Co 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. That's coming into His nature, coming into His life, coming to know Him. Moses knew the literal name, Y-H-W-H, but he didn't know the One that name just represented. Remember we build on the foundation and we need to able to stand upon the rock when the wind blows and the rain beats against that house. Look, what is the firm foundation of God that stands? It's the name of the Lord. And that everybody who names the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness. We can't stand on that rock in our own strength. I know I've shared this vision that my wife had years ago, how that I was standing on this rock wearing what was like metal leg braces.  The ones who are foreknown are going to stand on that rock of the Word and this shows us it won't be by their own strength, but by the strength of the Lord. So that's why it's our faith that counts. If it were by our works, it would be our strength that would cause us to stand but it's not. We can praise God for this, because it's not by our works. It's by grace, and the only way to get grace is faith in the promises. I thank God that Jesus freely gave us this salvation that we're talking about. We can accept it by faith without trying to work it up in ourselves. Everybody seems to go through that stage of trying to earn their salvation and failing miserably because it's got to be freely given by grace. It's got to be the strength that God supplies, and God supplies that strength by simply believing the word of God, not walking by sight, but believing the word of God. We believe that Jesus took away our sins. Initially we can't see that, but as we believe that He did it will happen. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. We proclaim and confess the word; that's standing upon the rock and that's the only place you can see the Lord. Right now, maybe we speak to Him more face-to-face than see Him face to face. But we're going to know fully, if we walk by faith, even as we were fully known. Can you imagine that? You're going to know God fully as you were fully known. That's a tremendous promise! I mean, we want to know God, and gradually, the more we stand upon the rock, the more we're going to see His face. It's progressive, it's not an instantaneous thing.  When Moses stood upon the rock and the Lord proclaimed the Name, He proclaimed the nature of God there. This is the way God is, and yet, we're only learning the nature of God a little by little, line upon line, here a little and there a little. We're learning His nature. A lot of people are building things upon the foundation of God that have got to be torn back down, like in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. People build on it, the wood, hay, and the stubble of their own works, own doctrines, and religious establishment. All those dead things have to be burned back down by tribulation, and then start over. We build upon the foundation, which is Christ. There's no other foundation that can be laid that will work. That's what Paul was saying. Some people are on the shifting sand, yet some who are really on the right foundation, but they're building wrong things on the right foundation, the right foundation being that Jesus took away our sins.  But again, you can make the same mistake the Pharisees made in making of no effect the Word of God by their traditions. This is what the worldly church is famous for. This is what the Jews were famous for and Jesus rebuked them several times for that. If you make of no effect the word of God by your traditions, you're not standing upon the rock, and you're not going to see His face.  We have to come to know this Lord. We have to humble ourselves to His word. People have ulterior motives for believing what they believe, which is religion's way; they have different reasons for believing what they believe and they don't like to be wrong. They want to be seen as right. They live purely for the glory of men. And so they never change their mind even when you can show them all the verses in the word. They're building other things on the foundation and those things are going to be torn down by tribulations that are coming. Hopefully, many people will repent and rebuild the right things on the right foundation and bear fruit. That's why tribulation is coming. It's coming to tear down, to shake, the things that can be shaken, shake them right down to the ground so that God can rebuild the truth. There's going to be a great outpouring of truth in the tribulation period for those who love the truth. But sadly, for those who will believe a lie, there's great deception coming. That deception is going to blot a lot of names out of the Book of Life so that those who are foreknown will be there alone. Those that are left in Zion will be holy, you understand, because the spirit of fire has cleansed it, so the way is to walk by faith, to stand upon the Word of God continuously, and not be swayed by the traditions of men, by Babylon's wood, hay and stubble. Babylon really has been around since, as people say, the Tower of Babel, but really the nature of Babylon has been around since the very beginning. Religion is supplanting God's way. The problem is, all we like sheep have gone astray, each one after his own way, and that's why we've got so many religions. But we've got God's standard to go by. God's way, and you really can't accept anything else. Religion's ideas, how to organize the church, and how to do the works of God. Religion's ideas are Babylon. God's people, historically, the Jews were taken captive by Babylon, and will later be delivered from the bondage of Babylon to build Zion, and that's really the Christian walk. Every Christian starts out taken captive to Babylon. That's the false ideas of ways God wants things done, false ideas of the nature of God, the name of God, and their false image of Jesus. Everyone needs to be delivered from all that. Their false teachings, church doctrines, traditions of men, etc., and go to Zion where the truth is. The Lord Jesus is our Zion; the true Word is our Zion. It's seeing God the way God wants to be seen; it's knowing God the way God wants to be known, and without knowing God the way God wants to be known, He doesn't know you. Do you know who God knows? It's the inner man, the seed of Christ that's on the inside of us. God knows Him.  And the point is, if we're not like those virgins taking the vessel of oil along with the lamp with the oil, then we're not bearing fruit in the area of the soul. Their lamps went out because they didn't carry the oil in the vessel. In these days, people don't think it's necessary to obey. But bearing fruit in the area of the soul comes from obedience. Peter said that, and it's something we need to see. 1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: 23 having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth. In other words, we're still being born again; we're being born again in our soul. And our souls are being purified, and we're walking in holiness. Heb 12:14 Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord: 1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is. 3 And every one that hath this hope set on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. And Jesus said in Joh 6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he that is from God, he hath seen the Father. Who is Christ in you. For a more complete teaching on those who are chosen and the elect, see our book Predestined Called and Elect on our Website.

In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, Jesus wrote letters to seven churches. One of these letters stands out because it is filled with incredible praise and encouragement from Christ. What was the reason for His good words to this church? Let's find out now, here, on Foreshadows Report!Learn more about Steve and his books at https://SteveMillerResources.comProduced by Unmutable™

One of the healthiest and most helpful thing for a Christian to occasionally do is to remind himself of the end of the story. If we ever lose our grasp on the truth that WE WIN, we will likely find ourselves in a deep struggle. There is no denying that the Christian life is a war. It is more than war, but it is never NOT war. In the present day when evil is abounding, deception is increasing, division is multiplying, and warfare is exploding, we must stay locked in to the promise that an unavoidable victory belongs to the followers of Christ. In Revelation chapter 21, we are promised four new and never-ending realities that will be ours. These promises motivate and empower us to continue on during the wars and pains of this earthly life. Jesus Himself has promised all who trust Him a full and final victory.

One of the healthiest and most helpful thing for a Christian to occasionally do is to remind himself of the end of the story. If we ever lose our grasp on the truth that WE WIN, we will likely find ourselves in a deep struggle. There is no denying that the Christian life is a war. It is more than war, but it is never NOT war. In the present day when evil is abounding, deception is increasing, division is multiplying, and warfare is exploding, we must stay locked in to the promise that an unavoidable victory belongs to the followers of Christ. In Revelation chapter 21, we are promised four new and never-ending realities that will be ours. These promises motivate and empower us to continue on during the wars and pains of this earthly life. Jesus Himself has promised all who trust Him a full and final victory.

In the 1870s, Charles Taze Russell began leading Bible classes in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a small group that came to be known as Bible Students. In 1879, he began publishing a Bible journal later known asThe Watch Tower.Then, in 1884, he incorporated what became the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Through Russells publishing work, the movement spread beyond Pennsylvania and eventually laid the foundation for what later became Jehovahs Witnesses under Joseph Rutherford. Russell rejected several historic Christian doctrines, including eternal conscious punishment in hell and, most seriously, the doctrine of the Trinity. After Russell died in 1916, Rutherford became president of the Watch Tower Society in 1917. Under his leadership, the movement became more centralized and aggressive in its evangelism, and in 1931 the name Jehovahs Witnesses was adopted. The Watch Tower Society is not merely another Christian denomination. It is a cult that rejects essential doctrines of the Christian faith, including the Trinity and the full deity of Jesus Christ. To be clear, misunderstanding Revelation 7 or using poor hermeneutical principles does not automatically mean someone will develop a cult or reject the core tenets of the Christian faith as Russell, Rutherford, and the Jehovahs Witnesses have done. Many faithful Christians have differed over the meaning of the 144,000. But the Watch Tower Society shows us why careful interpretation matters. When Scripture is mishandled repeatedly and forced into a system, the results can be spiritually dangerous. Revelation 7 is one of the passages central to their teaching. Jehovahs Witnesses teach that the 144,000 in Revelation 7 and 14 are a literal number of anointed Christians who will be resurrected to heavenly life to reign with Christ as kings and priests. They also teach that the great multitude in Revelation 7:912 is a separate group with an earthly hopethose who survive Armageddon and live on a restored earth. I mention this because Revelation 7 shows us why context matters. When this chapter is separated from the question at the end of Revelation 6, it can be made to say things John is not saying. John is not trying to create two separate classes of Gods people. He is answering the question,Who can stand?So as we come to this passage, we need to pay careful attention to what John hears and sees, allowing Scripture itself to serve as our primary commentary before we look to any system to determine the meaning of the text. The People of the Lamb are Sealed by God (vv. 1-8) At the end of Revelation 6, with the opening of the sixth seal and the first description of the Day of the Lord, we are left with one of the books most haunting questions:for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?(Rev. 6:17). The kings of the earth cannot stand. The powerful cannot stand. The wealthy cannot stand. The strong cannot stand. Neither slave nor free can stand, as all hide among the rocks and mountains, begging creation to conceal them from the face of Him who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. So who can stand? Revelation 7 gives the answer. Before the seventh seal is opened, John is shown another vision, but do not think of this vision as occurring strictly after the sixth seal and before the opening of the seventh. Instead, if the seals were acts in a theatrical production, what happens in Revelation 7 shows us what is happening behind the curtain sometime during the sixth seal and before the seventh. Throughout Revelation, the visions often pause, circle back, or open a new window to help us understand more clearly what God is doing. In this case, Revelation 7 functions as an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals, answering the question raised at the end of chapter 6. John then sees four angels who arestanding at the four corners of the earth,each holdingback the four winds of the earth(v. 1). We are told they do this so that no wind blows on the earth, sea, or any tree. What John sees is not four angels manipulating the weather. Likewise, the four corners of the earth is not a description of the earths shape or design. As you are aware, the number four often points to the created order in Scripture. What you may not be aware of is that the four winds frequently symbolize judgment. Because Revelation is a picture book rather than a puzzle book, the image John sees is one of restraint. The message conveyed is that judgment is being held back. Listen, every day before the final Day is a day of mercy, a day of restraint, and a day for the Lamb to gather His people. What is being shown and communicated to us in these verses is that we are living in a time of divine restraint as we move closer to the Day of the Lord. The world is not free from judgment, but the final winds of judgment have not yet been unleashed. What judgment is being held back? The judgment described in the sixth seal. As to why it is being held back, we do not have to wait long for an answer, because in the very next verse we are told that a fifth angel, ascending from the rising of the sun, declares with a loud voice:Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads(v. 3). Do you now see why context is so important? The angels declaration answers the question,Who can stand?Those who can stand are those who belong to God. Before judgment is unleashed, God marks His people as His own. The earth, sea, and trees are not harmed until the servants of God are sealed. This does not mean Gods people will avoid all suffering, for we have already seen in the fifth seal the souls under the altar crying out in a loud voice,O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long...(Rev. 6:10). What it does mean is that the coming judgment will not sweep Gods people away under His wrath, for He knows who belongs to Him. The four winds of Gods judgment do not descend upon the earth in blind rage. When God executes justice, His wrath is holy, measured, and righteous. He does not fly off the handle. Before the wrath of the Lamb is poured out, the people of the Lamb are sealed by the God who embraces them as His children. This distinction is not new in Scripture. In Exodus 12, God distinguished His people from Egypt by the blood of the lamb. A stronger parallel appears in Ezekiel 9, where God marked those who grieved over Jerusalems sin before judgment fell on the nation. In both cases, God identified those who belonged to Him before judgment fell on the wicked. This is what is happening in Revelation 7. The seal on the foreheads of Gods servants is not a literal, physical mark. It signifies that they belong to the living God. This language appears throughout the New Testament. Paul wrote in Ephesians 1 that those who believe in Christ aresealed with the promised Holy Spirit(Eph. 1:13). This sealing is possible because of the blood Jesus shed on the cross as the Lamb of God, and it is received by faith (Eph. 2:19). The seal is Gods mark of ownership, assurance, and future inheritance. It is not first a statement about the strength of our faith in Him, but about the certainty of Gods possession. He promises never to let His redeemed go (John 10:2730). Those who belong to the Lamb are not hidden from God, forgotten by God, or abandoned in the day of trouble. They belong to God. This all seems clear enough, but the passage can become confusing when it says that those who are sealed are also numbered. Verse 4 says,And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel(v. 4). Here, we must not only pay careful attention to the context of Revelation 7 but also do what Revelation has already taught us to do: pay attention to what John hears and what John sees. What John hears isthe number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel(v. 4). Many have understood this as a literal number of ethnic Israelites, primarily because John goes on to name the tribes in a specific order. Some believe the 144,000 are a specific group of ethnic Jewish Christians who come to faith in Jesus during a future seven-year tribulation and serve as evangelists after the rapture. I understand why many read it that way, but there are some problems with that interpretation. First, Revelation 7 functions as an interludea symbolic pause within the visionrather than a chronological sequence following the great Day of the Lord described in 6:1217. Second, Revelation often follows a pattern in which what John sees clarifies what he first hears. So before we assume the 144,000 is a literal headcount, we need to pay attention to how numbers and images function in this book. Listen, the number twelve is associated with the people of Godthe twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The number one thousand signifies immensity, fullness, and completeness. This is why the psalmist describes Gods ownership by saying,For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills(Ps. 50:10). It is not that God only owns the cattle on one thousand hills and not hill number one thousand and one. The point is fullness. Everything belongs to Him. Likewise, when Moses speaks of Gods covenant faithfulness, he says,Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations... (Deut. 7:9). So, what do you get when you take the twelve tribes of Israel, multiply them by the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and then multiply that by the fullness of the covenant-keeping faithfulness of God (12x12x1000)? You get144,000. In other words, this is not about limiting the people of God. It is about showing us that every one of Gods people is known by God, sealed by God, and secure in God through the blood of the Lamb. This is also why the tribes John lists begin with Judah. Reuben was the firstborn, but Judah is listed first because the Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered. The people of God are numbered, sealed, and secure because they belong to the Lamb who came from Judah. Even the list itself urges us to read carefully. John is not simply giving us a standard tribal roll call; he is showing us the complete people of God through the imagery of Israels tribes. The People of the Lamb are Gathered by God (vv. 9-12) Now, if you miss what I am about to say next, you will miss the point of Revelation. John hears the number of the sealed people of God described as 144,000 from the tribes of Israel, but when he looks, he seesa great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages(v. 9). John hears of 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel, but when he looks, he sees a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language. What John sees is not a different people from the 144,000; it is the reality of Gods promise to Adam and Eve, to Noah, to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to David, and to Mary. What John sees is the promise of God to every generation of His people coming into full bloom. The Lamb who was slain has purchased people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, just as Revelation 5 declared. This should not surprise us, because the salvation of the nations was never Gods contingency plan. It was His purpose from the beginning. When God called Abraham, He promised thatall the families of the earthwould be blessed through him (Gen. 12:13). That blessing comes through Abrahams Seed, who is Christ (Gal. 3:2629). So Revelation 7 does not show us Israels replacement but the fulfillment of Gods promise through Israels Messiah, gathering Jews and Gentiles into one redeemed people before the throne. This is also where Revelation 5 helps us understand Revelation 7. In Revelation 5, the elders sing that the Lamb purchased people for God by His bloodfrom every tribe and language and people and nationand made thema kingdom and priests to our God(Rev. 5:910). In Revelation 7, John sees that kingdom of priests standingbefore the throne and the Lamb. What was promised in Genesis is now seen in glory:a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages(Rev. 7:9). So when John sees the nations gathered before the Lamb, he sees Israels hope fulfilled and expanded through Israels Messiah. The Lamb has gathered a people from the nations, and now they stand where no one in Revelation 6 could: before the throne and before the Lamb. Conclusion I want to leave you with the three As of Revelation 7, and here is why: eschatology does little good in the Christian life unless it affects your ethics. We are called to live each day in light of the Day that is coming. So, here are the three As: Assurance If you believe in Jesus Christ, confess Him as Lord, and desire to follow and obey Him, then you are sealed by God. Here is what the Bible says:if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved(Rom. 10:910). If this is true of you, then you are sealed by God, and if you are sealed by God, then 1 John 3:1 is for you:Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are!(1 John 3:1, BSB). If you belong to the Lamb, then you are known by God, sealed by God, and secure in God. Allegiance If you call yourself a Christian, does your life show that you belong to the Lamb? If you are a Christian, your identity is now in and with the Lamb of God. To belong to Jesus means that you are not an acquaintance of Jesus, but an apprentice of Jesus. Jesus said to all who would seek to follow Him:If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple(Luke 14:2627). The seal is not merely about future security; it is about present identity. If you belong to the Lamb, your loyalty cannot ultimately belong to Babylon, comfort, approval, politics, money, or self-preservation. Action We have been saved and sealed, and now we are sent to join the mission of the Lamb as He gathers peoplefrom every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages(Rev. 7:9). The question is: Are we living on mission with the Lamb? We were purchased by the blood of the Lamb not to be passive about the nations, our neighbors, or the lost. Jesus did not suggest that we engage His mission; He commanded us to do so:Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age(Matt. 28:1920). Today is a day of mercy. Today is a day of restraint. Today is a day for the Lamb to gather His people. Today is the day of salvation! We are living in a time of divine restraint as we move closer to the Day of the Lord. So live in the confidence of your salvation, make sure your allegiance to the Lamb is clear, and commit your heart to action by dedicating your life to His mission.

Our chapter (32) in Isaiah starts, “Behold a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice.”  This surely visualises God's king, the Lord Jesus, at last reigning over the earth.   There will also be “princes” reigning  who ”will rule with justice.” At last the world will experience true justice.  The words of the prophecy imply the “reign” will initially be against a scene in which the world has become “a dry place” and “a weary land” [v.2]The “princes” who “will rule” will provide “a shelter from the storm” that occurs as the world is transformed and comes to accept the fact that there is an all-righteous king reigning. True justice will at last happen, “the fool will no more be called noble, nor the scoundrel said to be honourable.” [v.5]   Human hearts will no longer be “busy with iniquity to practice ungodliness, to utter error concerning the LORD.” [v.6] May we, by the grace of God, be there among the “noble (who) plan noble things…” [v.8]  The time will  then develop “when the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness quietness and trust forever” [v.17]    Jesus told his disciples, “when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” [Matt. 19 v.28]   In Revelation he said, “The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations” [Rev 2 v.26], surely these are the “princes” mentioned in our Isaiah chapter who “will rule with justice” as we read in v. 2..We must make sure we are God's people now who “hold the faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory” [James 2 v.1, also today's reading].  And then in that day, looking at v.18 in our Isaiah chapter, we will be among those of whom God says, “My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”  

Our Spiritual Growth (1) (audio) David Eells – 6/3/26 Glory of a Child Peter - 03/04/2008 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I found myself sitting at the side of a road, on the curb, and it was gloomy and dark. There were two gray wolves or beast-like creatures with massive fangs that subtly approached me from behind. (The beasts or wolves represent wicked men: (Luk.10:3)... I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves. (Ecc.3:18)... It is because of the sons of men, that God may prove them, and that they may see that they themselves are but as beasts.) They tried attacking me, but I don't remember if I tried to fight them off. What I do remember is that I ran into a dull red mini caravan, which so happened to be on the road, for protection and safety. (The van may represent a means of mobility having protection and safety. The dull red color represents the blood of Jesus.) As I was shutting the passenger door, one of the beasts lunged at me, but I managed to slam the door on it. (Enclosed in the blood) As a large portion of its body was caught in between the closed door, it suddenly morphed into a naked man inside the van (I could only see the upper body). This man had streams of blood running down from all over his body. (The persecutors wear as their works the blood of the saints. Eze.22:4 Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed, and art defiled in thine idols which thou hast made.) During the entire time, I was panicking and fearful for my life and trying to survive. (David: As I have meditated on this dream, I see that the first man above is the natural man who is in total fear of losing his old life at the hands of the wicked. His reactions are natural but not based on the Word. The man below is the spiritual man, who is 'Christ in you' and whose actions are based in the Spirit and faith in the blood of Jesus. Together these make up who we are. We can choose to be led by either man, but the latter preserves life and promotes the Kingdom of God in and around us, making us safe. A confirmation that these two men are Peter, is that they are both sitting upon the curb.) Then my attention was suddenly drawn outside the van to a child who was sitting on the curb. (Mar.10:15) Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein.) He had a large volume of golden curly hair. (Golden hair represents submission to the Lord [1Co.11:3-16] which strengthens us and sets a crown of glory upon us. (Jdg.16:17)... if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. The blessings of the Lord, riches, honor and life [Pro.22:4] are set upon His people as a crown of fine gold [Psa.21:3]. The child was sitting curled up in a ball (Representing humility and weakness; (2 Cor.12:9)...my power is made perfect in weakness.... (Jer.13:18)... Humble yourselves, sit down...), with his arms wrapped around his knees and with only his eyes to be seen. His eyes were emphasized, and I believe they were large and beautiful. (This represents spiritual eyes. (Son.4:1) Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are [as] doves behind thy veil... Doves represent seeing as the Holy Spirit does. We must see that we have been saved and sanctified. (2Pe.1:3) seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue). The lower part of his face (chin, mouth, nose) was tucked in behind his knees. (When attacked, we are not to defend ourselves by speaking foolishly. (Ecc.5:2) Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. (Isa.7:4)...Take heed, and be quiet; fear not.) He was innocent and harmless. He was clean. (He represents Christ in you, the spiritual man.) After I had finished observing, I noticed the same two beasts sneaking up behind him. At this point, there was no awareness of the man being in the van. (The spiritual man is not in danger and gives us a good example that we should not be in fear.) As I was still locked in the van for my own protection, I was filled with fear, yelling and screaming from the top of my lungs, trying to warn the child that he may run into the van. (Fear and anxiety, both a reflection of unbelief, only locked or bound me in the van. I was without any peace; I only had uncontrollable fear and anxiety. We must give in to the spiritual man and hold fast to the Gospel). I was hitting the window of the van to get his attention. He acknowledged me but didn't make the slightest movement, just sitting very still. (Exo.14:13)... Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you to-day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.) The beasts lunged at him, and there was still no movement on his part. The beasts were trying to bite him, but they couldn't get a grip. Their teeth were sliding off him. The beasts swung their claws at him, but there was no critical damage, only tiny scratches on the child, which were brought to my attention. (Innocence and submission to the Lord are his defense. (Pro.10:2)... righteousness delivereth from death.) Again, I was aware that I was still in the van, but I was also outside in the child's presence. The child still remained in the same sitting position as I had described and remained still for the entire time. He said nothing and didn't react in any way to defend himself. The beasts couldn't harm him. (Mat.5:39) ...resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.) Suddenly, I looked behind this scene, and I noticed in the distance a small white house on a green grassy mount. (The house the spiritual man lives in is Christ [Heb.3:6]. We are to abide in Him, the Word, the secret place of the Most High.) In front of this house, there was a woman in a white robe inviting me, or beckoning, to partake of something. (The Bride's invitation to partake of the protection of resting in the (Psa.91) Passover by abiding in Christ.) The dream ends. I had the impression, maybe during or after the dream, that this lady looked like my Godmother (I come from an Orthodox Christian religion). Peter's Interpretation The woman in the white garment/robe who resembled my Godmother may very well be reflected by: (Pro.6:20) My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother. The commandments of the Father, based on the New Testament, are life eternal (Joh.12:50), to believe in the name (meaning in Greek: “nature, authority, and character”) of Jesus Christ and love one another (1Jn.3:23). (Of course, the Word defines the steps of love.) I find that these commandments are united to be the same with one another. The law of the mother, based on the New Testament, is the law of faith (Rom.3:27), law of the Spirit of life (Rom.8:2), and the law of Christ (Gal.6:2). Like the commandments, these laws are the same with one another and can be united. Based on the order of events of the dream, I believe the child represents a manifestation and the fruit of the law of faith, of the Spirit, and of the commandments of the Father. All of these are certainly Christ. The child's characteristics and nature reveal the principles of living by faith and the Spirit of life in Christ, which are one with the commandments of the Father. If we submit to the Lord, remain humble, restrain our tongue, and see through our spiritual eyes or senses, we will be walking in Christ, fulfilling the spiritual laws (of faith and of the Spirit of life) and the commandments of the Father. All these spiritual laws are represented by the woman in the white robe who appeared to be my Godmother. She is associated with the white house on the grassy hill or mount. It may have seemed she was inviting me to partake of what was in the house, which is Christ. Just as that little child is associated with the woman, he must have been partaking from that house as well. If the woman represents all the spiritual laws and the commandments of the Father, she must also represent the spotless, blemishless Bride who is in perfect obedience to the laws and commandments of the Father. The Bride is the Word of God, who has manifested Jesus Christ. Her white robe must represent the righteous acts of the saints (Rev.19:8). The righteous acts are works of faith -- walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh. The child and the Bride are one nature because they manifest the wisdom of God, the Word of God; hence, Jesus Christ. Only as a 'child' can we enter the kingdom (Mar.10:15) and only those who walk in the Spirit. Those who are likened unto a child walk in the Spirit. One verse can describe this dream: (Exo.14:13) And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you to-day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. Whenever we are in tribulation or trial of any form, we should fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. Use our imagination, see it spiritually, believe what the Word says about you. Rest. He has already saved you. Humble yourself, and He shall never forsake you because He is your Father. A father never forsakes his child (Psa.18:2; 94:12-14). (Mat.7:11) If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Thank you, Father, for Your grace and love! I pray that this dream has helped you renew your mind and imagination of who we truly are in Christ. May God bless you all.   Fighting the Old Man Eric - 10/11/2006 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I was in a classroom, and an old man was teaching the class. (We can't let the old man teach, which in Christianity is most often the case. The class includes ourselves and all who associate with us.) He said to the class, “I don't like that Eric guy. I'm going to challenge him to a wrestling match.” (If we let the old man speak through us, he will gain confidence and strength against us and he will bring us under the curse.) Then he got up and came over to my desk and, looking down on me, said a second time, “I challenge you to a wrestling match”. He was about 7 feet tall, so I followed him outside. (The giant of our old life will challenge us and lead us into battle.) I noticed that nobody in my class was interested in watching the fight. (Most onlookers don't even know the battle between the spirit and flesh is going on inside us.) When I got outside, everything seemed deserted like a ghost town so we walked over to a playground. (As far as man is concerned, we are all alone in this battle.) We began to fight, and he threw a wild right swing at me and missed. (The right side symbolizes spirit, and the arm symbolizes power. This is a fight of spiritual power; the evil spirits in our flesh against the power of the Holy Spirit within us, joining together with our spirit.) I swung back with an uppercut, but missed his jaw because of his height. Then he got me in a headlock but I broke free and grabbed him in a headlock, and he also broke free. (The flesh and spirit taking turns controlling the mind is a double-minded life.) Then we separated and began to circle each other like two wrestlers. We cried out as warriors would cry in a battle and smashed into each other as two sumo wrestlers, but being equally matched in strength, we were both unable to get an advantage. We wrestled like this for what seemed like an hour, and finally we disengaged from each other, very exhausted. (In order to win this battle we must repent of our sins and confess them, which conquers the old fleshly man. 1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Then we must believe the promises of our crucifixion and life in Christ, which strengthens the spiritual man. Without this, there will be no spiritual victory, only exhaustion. (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me...) Looking over, he said to me, “I think this is a draw”. Replying, I said, “I think you are right”, so we both proceeded back to the class, and he announced to them that the battle was a draw. (We can't afford to believe or speak that there is a draw for this leaves us unevenly yoked to the old man in a lukewarm life.) He then said arrogantly, “Eric stood up to me, but I have friends in high places, and I'm going to bring trouble for Eric; you wait and see!” (Gal.5:17) For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would.) Suddenly, I found myself walking in a city I've never seen before. Somehow, I understood I was walking to my house. I remember the whole city was white, both buildings and cars, but the people walking around were dressed in black. (The unseen “kingdom of God has come nigh” but the people are walking in darkness.) When I arrived at my house, police lines were blocking my way. All manner of law enforcement officers were there. (If we don't beat the old man but leave him in control of the class, we break God's law and have to pay the penalty.) One who appeared to be in charge came up to me and asked, “Are you Eric?” I answered, “Yes, I am, but sometimes I'm not sure”. (We never really know who we are until the old man is dead.) He then said, “You are evicted, and you have to walk around in the street”. (The carnal man has taken over our house.) So then I looked toward heaven and cried out, “Lord, what am I to do without a house?” Then the dream ended. (This is a good teaching the Lord has given to us through Eric. We either put to death the old man, or we eventually lose controlling interest in this house we call a body, and maybe even the house we call a home. A more primitive lifestyle, enforced by the beast, is coming to the Church as a whole because of this lukewarm draw.)   In Weakness We Win M.W.- 10/14/2008 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I was at a football game. I was part of a team. We were wearing white jerseys, and my teammates were younger kids, for the most part. I remember thinking when I saw my younger teammates, We are going to get killed! The field was on a hill, and it seemed like we were at a higher elevation. As we approached the field, I saw a sign that had the opposing team's name on it. The sign read “ASU”, which is Arizona State University, but during the dream, I didn't think about that; I just noticed “ASU”. If you look up their mascot, you will find that it is the Sun Devils; it is a picture of a devil with a pitchfork. So it was us versus the ASU Sun Devils. Right before the kickoff, I remember being very anxious and again thinking that this might not go well. At first, the field was muddy because I remember our uniforms having some mud on them. We received the ball first and, on a series of plays, marched down to the end of the field of the Sun Devils. I remember that as we moved toward their goal line, it seemed like I was a lot bigger than the ASU players. On the last play that scored the touchdown, I remember thinking, 'Should I play quarterback and maybe throw the ball?' Instead, it was a running play, and I was running just ahead of the running back blocking. It was interesting because I was a grown man, and it was like I was blocking little kids. I blocked several opposing players during the last play, and we scored. It started raining about then, and the Sun Devils forfeited the game. The score was 7-0. After we scored, we were so excited, and it was disappointing to see them forfeit, but it was a relief in a way. I remember watching the last van loaded with gear pull away in the rain and head down the hill. Many are wondering just before the big tribulation game against Satan's fearsome team, how such a small, weak, and immature-looking bunch on God's side could possibly survive, much less win. God's “power is made perfect in weakness.” “Not by might and not by power but by my spirit, saith the Lord.” It is “by my Spirit,” or another way to say it, it is the rain, the Latter Rain, and our weakness that will cause the enemy to forfeit the game. Remember Gideon's army, which God whittled down to 300 men so that in their weakness they would take on an army that was said to be, “like locusts for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand which is upon the sea-shore for multitude.” And what was God's reasoning? (Jdg.7:2) And Jehovah said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. (3) Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from mount Gilead. So, children are the best to go against the enemy like little David went before Goliath. (Mat.18:3) and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. (4) Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. We must be children in our own strength but wise beyond our years in God's strength. (1 Cor.14:20) Brethren, be not children in mind: yet in malice be ye babes, but in mind be men. (Eph.6:10) Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]. (13) Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (15) and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil [one]. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (18) with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. The Battle begins... My daughter had a dream, too. She and her grandmother were on a big roller coaster ride, which, in the natural, is scary and goes up and down, which represents the conditions many are about to endure. In the dream, I went up into a tower that overlooked a city. (Zion is called “the tower of the flock” and represents the Bride who will be over the rest of the people of God, as in Esther.) She said that I had a very serious look on my face. I was watching over the city, which I was charged to do by the military. (God's Generals will set watchmen for the enemy.) She joined me in the tower, but later she did go back to the roller coaster. The people in her dream were barefoot. (The Church will return to her primitive roots by not departing from the original Word given. Like Moses, they will take off their shoes to not be separated from Holy Ground.)   The Lord Shows His New Models Amos Scaggs - 12/07/2008 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I was in a large showroom of a national car company. They were planning and redecorating for a promotion that would be so spectacular it would top any that had been done in the past, and it would keep escalating once it started. (The Lord is about to come out with His new models to show everyone what they, too, can drive. I believe the first-fruits Man-child ministry will be this demonstration. Jesus appeared to show what regeneration looked like.) I had my work done and books organized on my shelves, waiting to see what was going to transpire from this. (We've done the studying and put it in order. Now we are waiting to see what the Lord will show.) I knew it was going to be the biggest thing the world had ever seen, and it was only the first part of the year. I thought, since this is so early in the year, what will the end of the year look like? (The words, “What will the end of the year look like?” implies that something great will grow from this. The baby is born but matures quickly. Many models will be duplicates, symbolizing a revival. In Revelation chapters 12 & 14 the 144,000 man-child body will be duplicates of Jesus to do the greater works He spoke of.) As I was wondering what to do next, I met the Governor, whom I knew. (Jesus will govern from the throne in His earthly body of end-time Davids in a repetition of His-story. (Isa.9:6) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (7) Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.) As I was concerned about what to do next, the Governor said, “Don't worry about a thing. Watch me and you will be doing the same things as I do very soon.” (The Governor is a role model and is coming in His Man-child company to be a role model for others to follow in His same steps. (1Jn.2:5) but whoso keepeth his word, in him verily hath the love of God been perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him: (6) he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked. The Governor said, “This is what I have planned; this is the beginning”. (The words, “this is the beginning,” imply many vehicles will be produced like these models, meaning a revival will spread from here.) I also thought I had something to do with the Buick showroom. David Buick was an inventor and also formed the Buick Mfg. Co. He and William Durant formed the Buick Motor Co., which is now known as General Motors. Durant was a productionist, and Buick was a perfectionist. Buick left the company in 1906 (because it fell short of his expectations) and died broke in 1929. Had Buick been able to keep his shares in 1921, he would have been worth $10 million and today it would be incalculable. Kind of reminds me of Jesus. (He was also a perfectionist, desiring quality not just quantity in His models. He was disappointed in the direction the early Church took and lost His shares in it. He lost out to the productionist's assembly line Christianity mentality.) Buick was quite the ingenious type who had it all but died broke and still formed a new thing that no one had seen before (but we will see Jesus' new thing again very soon :0).   Invincibility in Jesus G. W. - 11/20/2010 (David's notes in red) I was in a dream where David Eells and I were in the same house. He was explaining to me that we can get into a car crash and nothing will hurt us. I understood him to be teaching about faith. He then said, “Let's go down this hill to try it out”. We both agreed that we would get into this white truck. It began rolling violently down from the top of the hill. We both were outside of the truck cab in the bed -- I was in the front, and David was toward the back. All of a sudden, we both flipped off. David went backward, and I went forward. As it approached me, the nose of it was facing the ground while the bed of the truck was in the air. I knew that the back section was coming right at me, but I had plenty of time to get out of the way. Instead, I just lay there and watched this disaster come toward me. The whole weight of the truck came crashing down on my midsection. As I looked down, I wondered if this truck had cut me in two, but I felt no pain. David came over and pulled me out from underneath. I stood upon my feet, completely whole. David said, “It can't hurt your rib cage”. Naturally speaking, this seemed impossible; however, I realized that I never felt fear as the disaster unraveled. I had been given a dream very similar to this about invincibility a couple of years ago. Jesus and the Two Witnesses had this gift until it was their time to go. Jesus said, “No man takes my life; I lay it down”. We truly have God's protection if we abide in Him, just as Psalm 91 says. So this is not just a gift to the Man-child but something the Davids, as Man-childs, will teach to the saints, as the dream above appears to say. Some will enjoy this until the Lord comes. This invincibility can take many forms. Around the time of this dream, I was driving home from a meeting at night. I wasn't particularly sleepy, just slightly. As I got close to my house, I suddenly found myself waking up out of a sound sleep, seeing headlights bright in my face. Without thinking, I jerked the wheel to the right and swerved quickly into my own lane, just in time to miss the oncoming car. I was amazed that I could have been asleep at the wheel because I didn't even remember feeling tired enough to have to fight it off. I realized that this was supernatural and that the Lord had shown me that He would protect me without my even knowing about it. It was seconds before it would have been too late to miss a head-on collision. I also noticed, as G.W. did, that I never felt fear. After receiving G. W.'s dream, my daughter, Deborah, and I were on the porch swing talking. It was a common bench-type steel swing. It had a chain coming down from a wooden frame on each end of the bench to an S-hook. From there, a chain went to the front bottom of the bench, and another went to the back top of the bench on each end. As we spoke, I was suddenly thrown backward on my back on the deck, but my head slammed into the metal top of the AC unit, which was off the deck, but the top stuck up about six inches higher than the deck. It was with such force and noise that one would have thought my neck would have broken or my head crushed. On my side of the bench, as one chain held the front bottom, the other that held the back came out of the S-hook. This caused my side of the bench to flip violently backward. My daughter was holding on to her side with her legs wrapped around the bench seat. When she heard the noise and saw me down there, she asked, with big eyes and loudly, “Are you all right?” As I reached up to brace her, I was surprised to be able to say, “I'm just fine”. I then laughingly said, “The Lord said He would give His angels charge over me, lest I dash my foot against a stone, but He didn't say anything about my head”. She asked again, “Are you sure you're alright?” I said, “I'm sure”, as I reached back to feel the back of my head and felt no pain nor even a bruise. As I stood up, I realized that indeed the angels had perfectly protected my head and neck, which easily could have been broken. I never felt any fear, just joy. My daughter said, “There is no blood on the back of your head”. I said, “There isn't even a bruise”. As I began to examine the bench and chain, I saw something even more supernatural. The chain that came loose was in perfect shape, like new, with no wear and no broken links. It was the kind of chain most often used on swings. Each link had a partner, and they were stitched in the middle so that if one link broke, it was still tied to one more link. I was amazed to see there was no broken link. Naturally speaking, this would mean the chain had to come out of the S-hook. However, I examined the S-hook, and it was still closed in the S where the chain was missing. “WOW”, I said, “this is supernatural”. The chain could not be put back in the S because it was still closed up, so I grabbed a screwdriver to spread it open so the chain could be reinserted, but I could not pry it open at all; it was too thick to bend. So I put the S next to the post that held the swing and hammered the screwdriver into the S to spread it so I could put the chain in it. I had to drive it in about 3/4” to get it open enough. How did the chain get out of the S-hook? Only supernaturally! I thought, either the devil just tried to kill me and failed due to Father's faithfulness, or the Lord was just showing me He was keeping me safe. I am sure both were true. I indeed had been in a crash, and the Father kept me perfectly. PTL! By the grace of my God, I have been shot at, at close range by a professional assassin, but my angel slapped the bullet down as he told me. The one who sent the assassin confirmed this. In a wreck, I was thrown from a car going 70 mph, slid about 70 feet on concrete without a scratch, with witnesses. My tractor flipped on the side of our mountain and was going to roll, but impossibly straightened back up with me still in the seat. I believe in Father's guardian angels! More recently, Michael and I were unhitching a back blade, a heavy piece of steel, from the tractor. I got off the tractor and was standing about 15 feet from the blade. Michael was on the other side releasing it, and supernaturally it came flying very fast straight at my head. It hit me right on my nose with force and knocked me back another 10 feet to the ground. Michael said he knew I was dead, but to his surprise, I jumped to my feet like nothing had happened. I told him that what I felt was a finger on my nose pushing me to the ground very fast. My angel, no doubt. In the natural, because of the speed at which it came at me, I would have been dead anyway, but I never felt any pain or incurred any damage. Some of this was because the faction had come together to throw witchcraft at me, but failed. Many of them are dead now. Do you find it hard to believe that spiritual powers, good or bad, can take authority over the natural laws, as seen with this S-hook, my head and neck? Many have been learning that they have authority over physical laws concerning the body and laws of nature, through faith and the spoken Word. In the testimony section of our site are multitudes of testimonies of the saints' healing machinery, bodies, cars, and other physical things, changing weather, changing minds, etc. Jesus taught His disciples to take authority over the laws of nature and to teach others to do so because they are not under the curse. (Gal.3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (14) that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Mar.11:23) Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. (24) Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (And repent of any sin so you will have power.) (25) And whensoever ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any one; that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. (26) [But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses.] Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples of all the nations and teach them to obey all things He taught them, even unto the end. (Mat.28:19) Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations ... (20) teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Now we, as His disciples, must teach disciples to obey all the teachings of Jesus and take authority over the physical laws of the curse to proclaim the Gospel. Amen.

In Revelation 12:7-9, we discover that God sends warrior angels led by the Archangel Michael to fight for us in the spiritual realm. While we face challenges that seem overwhelming, heavenly armies are waging war on our behalf—not just to win battles for us, but to empower us to overcome.The incredible truth? Through the blood of Jesus Christ, you don't have to be the victim. You can be the victor. God has already won the greatest victory, and now He's enabling you to triumph in every area of your life. Even in your darkest moments, when fear and anxiety grip you, angel armies are fighting for you in the heavenlies.

In Revelation 20, many people focus on timelines and end-times debates about the thousand-year reign of Christ. But this passage ultimately reveals something greater: Jesus is reigning now, Satan cannot stop the kingdom of God, and the church still has a mission to accomplish. This message explores how Revelation gives believers confidence, courage, and hope to remain faithful to Jesus until He returns.

In Revelation 20, many people focus on timelines and end-times debates about the thousand-year reign of Christ. But this passage ultimately reveals something greater: Jesus is reigning now, Satan cannot stop the kingdom of God, and the church still has a mission to accomplish. This message explores how Revelation gives believers confidence, courage, and hope to remain faithful to Jesus until He returns.

In Revelation 11, John is told to measure the temple and set boundaries around it—and Dr. Michael Youssef draws out the spiritual comfort behind the imagery: this is not merely about a physical structure, but about God placing protective boundaries around His people—His living temple—who are sealed by the Holy Spirit and kept secure. Even persecutors can only go so far. They may attack the body, but they cannot touch the soul. The outer “temple” can be harmed, but the inner sanctum belongs to the Lord—safe in His sanctuary and under His fortress-like protection (Psalm 91:1–2). Yet protection doesn't mean passivity. Dr. Youssef warns that one of Satan's cruelest strategies is counterfeiting spiritual language—masquerading as a voice of “truth” while actually accusing and crushing you. That's why it's essential to distinguish: The Holy Spirit convicts to draw you to repentance and restoration, Satan accuses to drive you into despair and keep you from God. When accusation rises, don't entertain it. Change the channel—praise God for salvation, run to Him in prayer, and ask the Holy Spirit to send the enemy fleeing. God has not left you unguarded. You are sealed, protected, and equipped to live in victory. Prayer: Father, thank You for protecting me and sealing me with Your Holy Spirit. Help me to discern Your voice and to turn to You and repent. May I be sober and alert to the schemes of Satan so I can serve Your Kingdom, arrayed in Your spiritual armor. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.  “This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything” (1 John 3:19-20).  Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef's sermon Revelation for Today, The Beast vs. the Lamb: LISTEN NOW| WATCH NOW The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today's devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don't have to walk through it alone.

Packinghouse's Sunday evening worship service from May 24, 2026. In Revelation 22, the final chapter of the Bible, we are given a breathtaking picture of eternity with Jesus—where the curse of sin is finally removed, death and sorrow are gone, and God dwells forever with His people . This study walks through the beauty and hope of heaven, reminding believers that Revelation is not meant to produce fear or confusion, but confidence that Jesus wins and keeps His promises. The message also emphasizes the open invitation of the gospel: no matter how broken, guilty, or far from God someone may feel, Jesus still says, “Come,” offering forgiveness, restoration, and eternal life freely through grace. At the same time, believers are challenged to live lives transformed by the truth of God's Word as they wait expectantly for the return of Christ. - Rick Cornejo - Sunday, May 24, 2026

Packinghouse's Sunday evening worship service from May 24, 2026. In Revelation 22, the final chapter of the Bible, we are given a breathtaking picture of eternity with Jesus—where the curse of sin is finally removed, death and sorrow are gone, and God dwells forever with His people . This study walks through the beauty and hope of heaven, reminding believers that Revelation is not meant to produce fear or confusion, but confidence that Jesus wins and keeps His promises. The message also emphasizes the open invitation of the gospel: no matter how broken, guilty, or far from God someone may feel, Jesus still says, “Come,” offering forgiveness, restoration, and eternal life freely through grace. At the same time, believers are challenged to live lives transformed by the truth of God's Word as they wait expectantly for the return of Christ. - Rick Cornejo - Sunday, May 24, 2026

What is true worship, really? In Revelation 4, John gets pulled into the throne room of heaven and sees something that completely redefines what worship is supposed to look like in our everyday lives.In this message from our series on the book of Revelation, we walk through the three movements of worship we see from the 24 elders around God's throne: they bow, they worship, and they lay down their crowns. And it forces a question most of us avoid — am I actually worshiping God on Monday the same way I worship Him on Sunday? Or am I praising God with my mouth and then managing my life without Him the rest of the week?If you've ever felt the tension between believing God is in control and still gripping the steering wheel of your own life, this one is for you.Support the show

It's Wednesday, May 20th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark Nigerian Muslims killed 13 Christians including three pregnant mothers Morning Star News reports that Muslim Fulani herdsmen killed 13 Christians in central Nigeria on May 8.  Unbelievably, the gunmen killed three pregnant women. They also injured dozens of Christians and displaced hundreds more. Such attacks are common in Nigeria's Plateau State. A leader at Evangelical Church Winning All commented on the recent killings of Christians. He said, “They were martyrs whose lives were claimed by the ongoing genocide against Christians in Nigeria. They died exactly where they chose to stand in the line of duty, lamps burning, voices lifted, refusing to abandon the post God had given them.” In Revelation 2:10-11, Jesus said, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. … He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” Top ISIS leader killed in northeast Nigeria U.S. and Nigerian forces killed a top ISIS leader in northeastern Nigeria over the weekend. Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was the second-in-command of the Islamic State. The terrorist planned many attacks and hostage events, especially attacks on Christians. On Truth Social, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote, “He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans. With his removal, ISIS's global operation is greatly diminished.” Texas Children's Hospital ended transgender surgeries last week In the United States, Texas Children's Hospital agreed to end its transgender operations on minors last week. The Department of Justice, in coordination with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, secured the historic settlement.  The hospital agreed to pay $10 million in damages for performing mutilating procedures on children. Five doctors at the hospital lost their jobs as part of the settlement.  Texas Children's Hospital will now establish the first-ever de-transition clinic. The clinic will provide care for the victims of transgender drugs and surgeries.  Trump created $1.7 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund The Trump administration created a $1.7 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” this week.    The fund would compensate Americans who faced unjust investigations and prosecutions by the Biden Justice Department.  Listen to comments from President Donald Trump. TRUMP: “This is reimbursing people that were horribly treated, horribly treated. It's anti-weaponization. They've been weaponized,. They've been, in some cases, imprisoned wrongly. They paid legal fees that they didn't have. They've gone bankrupt. Their lives have been destroyed, and they turn out to be right. I mean, it was a terrible period of time in the history of our country.” 37% of U.S. adults say religion is gaining influence in American life A new survey from Pew Research asked Americans what they think about religion in government and public life.  The survey found that 37 percent of U.S. adults say religion is gaining influence in American life. That's up 19 percentage points over the last two years. And just over half of Americans have a positive view of religion's influence.  Also, 17 percent of respondents say the federal government should declare Christianity the official religion of the U.S. That's up from 13 percent in 2024. Council of Nicaea affirmed doctrine of Trinity 1,700 years ago And finally, this month marks the anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, over 1,700 years ago. In late May A.D. 325, 300 Christian leaders convened in the city of Nicaea, located in modern-day Turkey.  The council dealt with the doctrine of the Trinity. In particular, the church at the time had to refute the heresy of Arianism. The heretical teaching denied that Jesus is fully and eternally divine.  The council went on to affirm the divinity of Christ in the Nicene Creed. It is recited by churches around the world to this day.  The creed says there is “one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by Whom all things were made.” John 1:1 and 4 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ... In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Wednesday, May 20th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

In Revelation chapter 1 is one of the most amazing portraits of Christ in all the Bible. That's where we see Jesus in the fullness of all His glory. There is a very important reason this portrait appears here, before we get to Revelation chapters 2 and 3. Let's find out about that reason—here, on Foreshadows Report!Learn more about Steve and his books at https://SteveMillerResources.comProduced by Unmutable™

In Revelation 17, the Apostle John warned of the mystery of Babylon, the great mother of harlots. Join us as Steve Gallagher unpacks this profound chapter and warns us of how if we do not separate ourselves from the lawlessness of this world that has even crept into church culture, we will be seduced into the spirit of Babylon.

Maranatha: Our Lord is Coming! The Rapture of the Church    In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:1-3) The scene is etched forever in the sacred record of Scripture. It is the night of betrayal. The Passover supper has been eaten. The traitor has gone out into the darkness. The eleven remaining disciples sit in stunned silence as the weight of impending loss presses upon their souls.    Their Master has spoken plainly of His departure. He has washed their feet. He has given them the new commandment of love. And now, with the shadow of Gethsemane already falling across His face, the Lord Jesus Christ turns to address the deepest fear in their hearts. He does not offer vague religious platitudes. He does not speak in the language of uncertainty. Instead, He utters words that carry the full force of divine certainty, words that have echoed down through two thousand years of church history as the unbreakable promise of His personal return.   Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.   These verses stand as the cornerstone of the doctrine of the Rapture of the church, the blessed hope that has sustained persecuted saints, comforted grieving families, and ignited holy urgency in every generation of believers. Yet the full power of this promise is often missed in English translation.    The blazing heart of the passage lies in the Greek construction of the words “I will come again,” and it is there that the exposition must linger with scholarly precision and devotional weight. The verb translated “I will come again” is the present indicative active of the Greek word erchomai—literally, “I am coming.” It is not the simple future tense that one might expect for a distant event.  It is the present tense employed in a manner called the futuristic present tense. This is no grammatical accident. It is a deliberate choice by the Holy Spirit through the pen of the apostle John.    In classical and Koine Greek, the present tense can be used to describe a future action when that action is viewed by the speaker as so certain, so inevitable, and so imminent that it is as good as already unfolding before the eyes. The futuristic present tense does not weaken the promise; it intensifies it. It lifts the event out of the realm of mere prediction and plants it squarely in the realm of divine declaration. Jesus does not say, “I might come someday if conditions allow.”  He declares with the full authority of the Son of God, “I am coming.” The present tense shouts certainty. It breathes imminence.    It carries the weight of a future so fixed in the eternal counsels of the Godhead that the Speaker can speak of it as already in motion.   This futuristic present is not unique to this verse, but its placement here is profound.    The same construction appears elsewhere in the Gospel of John when Jesus describes events that are absolutely assured in the divine plan. The grammar itself becomes a theological hammer, driving home the truth that the return of Christ for His own is not a distant possibility but a present reality in the mind of the Savior.    He is even now, from the vantage point of eternity, in the act of coming. The promise is so certain that the tense of the verb collapses the future into the present. This is the grammatical foundation upon which the entire doctrine of the Rapture rests. The Rapture is not an afterthought in the plan of God.        It is the next great event on the divine calendar for the church of Jesus Christ, an event so fixed and so near that the Lord Himself can announce it in the present tense: “I am coming.”   The Rapture of the church is the personal, visible, and audible return of the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds to receive unto Himself every believer, both living and dead, and to take them to the place He has prepared in the Father's house. It is distinct from the Second Coming, which will occur at the end of the Tribulation when Christ returns to earth in power and great glory to judge the nations and establish His millennial kingdom.  The Rapture is the moment when the Bridegroom comes for His bride before the wrath of the Lamb is poured out upon a Christ-rejecting world. It is sudden. It is secret to the world but glorious to the saints.    It is the fulfillment of the promise given in the Upper Room, and it stands as the great hope of every blood-bought child of God.   No passage of Scripture unfolds this event with greater clarity and comfort than the words of the apostle Paul in First Thessalonians chapter four, verses thirteen through eighteen.    These verses were written by divine revelation to correct the ignorance of the Thessalonian believers concerning those who had died in Christ. The apostle writes: But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.   Consider the weight of each phrase. The apostle begins by lifting the veil of ignorance. Death is not the end for the believer; it is merely sleep for the body while the spirit is present with the Lord.    The sorrow of the Thessalonian Christians is real, but it is not hopeless sorrow. It is sorrow anchored in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because He died and rose, those who sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. The dead in Christ are not left behind. They will not miss the Rapture.    Their spirits, already in the presence of the Lord, will be reunited with their resurrected bodies at this moment.   Then comes the heart of the revelation: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord.” This is not human speculation. This is not apostolic opinion. This is direct revelation from the ascended Christ Himself.  The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven. Notice the personal emphasis. It is not an angel. It is not a representative.    The Lord Himself— the same Jesus who walked the shores of Galilee, who hung upon the cross, who burst from the tomb, who ascended from the Mount of Olives—He Himself shall descend. And He shall descend with a shout.    The Greek word for “shout” is keleusma, a military command, a royal summons, a cry of authority that will pierce the heavens and shake the graves.    Accompanying that shout will be the voice of the archangel and the trump of God. The trumpet does not signal judgment here; it signals assembly. It is the signal for the final gathering of the redeemed.   The sequence is precise and powerful. The dead in Christ shall rise first. Their bodies, sown in corruption, will be raised in incorruption.    The graves will surrender their prey. Then—and only then—we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them. The word “caught up” is the Greek harpazo, a word that means to seize, to snatch away by force, to carry off suddenly. It is the same word used in Acts 8:39 when the Spirit caught away Philip, and in Revelation 12:5 when the man child is caught up to God.    It pictures a violent, irresistible removal from this earth. No believer will be left behind. No one who has trusted Christ will miss this moment. Living and resurrected saints will be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. The meeting place is not on the earth. It is in the air, in the clouds, the very atmosphere where the Lord will receive His own unto Himself exactly as He promised in John 14:3.   And then the final, glorious declaration: “and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Not for a thousand years. Not for a million years. Forever. The Rapture is not a temporary event.    It is the beginning of an eternal union. The bride will be taken to the place prepared in the Father's house, and there she will remain with her Bridegroom throughout the ages of ages. This is the comfort with which the apostle commands believers to comfort one another. It is not a doctrine for debate. It is a doctrine for consolation in the face of death and for courage in the face of life.   The same apostle who received this revelation also unfolds the mystery of the bodily change that will occur at the Rapture.      In First Corinthians chapter fifteen, verses fifty-one and fifty-two, he writes: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.   This is the mystery that was hidden in ages past but is now revealed. Not every believer will die. There will be a generation of Christians alive at the moment of the Rapture. Those believers will not sleep; they will be changed.      The change will be instantaneous—“in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” The Greek word for “moment” is atomos, from which we derive the English word “atom.”    It means an indivisible unit of time, the smallest possible fragment of a second. Faster than the eye can blink, faster than the mind can comprehend, the transformation will occur.  The corruptible will put on incorruption. The mortal will put on immortality. The bodies that have groaned under the weight of sin and sickness will be glorified, conformed to the image of the risen Christ.    The trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised, and the living will be changed. This is the power of the Rapture. It is not a gradual process. It is a sudden, sovereign act of God that will leave the world stunned and the saints transported.   The early church lived in the constant expectation of this event. They faced persecution, imprisonment, and death with the cry of “Maranatha” upon their lips. That single Aramaic word, preserved for us in First Corinthians chapter sixteen, verse twenty-two, carries the heartbeat of New Testament Christianity: If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.   “Maranatha” is not a curse. It is a prayer. It is a declaration. It means “Our Lord, come!” or more literally, “The Lord is coming!”    The persecuted believers of the first century did not merely believe in the return of Christ as a distant doctrine. They cried out for it as the solution to every trial. They lived every day with the expectation that before the sun set, the trumpet might sound and the Lord might appear. That same expectant cry has been the distinguishing mark of every faithful generation since. The futuristic present of John 14:3 fueled their hope. Jesus is not merely going to come.    He is coming. The present tense makes the future certain and the certain future near. Additional passages of Scripture reinforce this truth with unyielding clarity. The apostle Paul describes the Rapture as the believer's “blessed hope” in Titus chapter two, verse thirteen: Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. It is not the appearing of wrath. It is the appearing of the great God and our Savior. It is blessed because it delivers the church from the hour of trial that is coming upon the whole world.    It is glorious because it reveals Christ in His full majesty to those who love Him.   The apostle also writes in Philippians chapter three, verses twenty and twenty-one: For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.   The word “conversation” means citizenship.    The believer's true home is in heaven, and from that heavenly realm the Savior is expected at any moment. The transformation described here is the same as that in First Corinthians fifteen. The vile body—literally the body of humiliation—will be fashioned like unto His glorious body.  The power that will accomplish this is the same power that will one day subdue all things under His feet. Nothing is too hard for the One who spoke the universe into existence.   The doctrine of the Rapture is further confirmed in the closing words of the New Testament.    In Revelation chapter twenty-two, verse twenty, the ascended Lord Himself declares:   He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. And the response of the apostle is immediate and fervent: Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.   Once again the language of certainty and imminence rings out. “Surely I come quickly.”    The same Lord who used the futuristic present in the Upper Room now seals the entire canon of Scripture with the promise of His soon return.   This constellation of biblical texts forms an unbreakable chain of truth. The futuristic present of John 14:3 is the grammatical foundation.    The detailed revelation of First Thessalonians four is the doctrinal exposition. The mystery of First Corinthians fifteen is the physiological description. The cry of Maranatha is the devotional response. The blessed hope of Titus two is the purifying motivation. The citizenship of Philippians three is the practical orientation. And the final prayer of Revelation twenty-two is the expectant climax.   Taken together, these passages challenge every believer to live in the white-hot expectancy of the Lord's return. The Rapture is not a doctrine to be debated in academic halls while life drifts on in complacency. It is a command to holiness.  The apostle John makes this explicit in First John chapter three, verses two and three: Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.   The hope of seeing Christ and being made like Him is not an abstract idea. It is a sanctifying force. The one who truly believes that Jesus may come at any moment will not toy with sin. He will not waste his days on the trivial and the temporal. He will purify his life with the same purity that characterizes the Lord Himself.    Expectancy produces urgency. It produces separation from the world. It produces devotion to the Word. It produces zeal for the gospel. It produces love for the brethren.  It produces a life lived with eyes fixed on the eastern sky.   The early church understood this. They did not build elaborate systems of prophecy to delay the return of Christ. They did not resign themselves to the idea that the Rapture was for some future generation. They lived as though today could be the day. That same spirit must characterize every generation of believers until the trumpet sounds.    The futuristic present tense in John 14:3 is not a curious footnote for Greek students.  It is a divine declaration that resounds through the corridors of time: “I am coming.” The Lord is coming. Maranatha.    The Bridegroom is on the way.   The Rapture will be a moment of indescribable glory. In one atom of time the graves of the righteous dead will burst open. Bodies long decayed will be reconstituted in splendor. The living saints will feel the sudden surge of immortal power coursing through their veins. Then, together, they will be caught up. The clouds will become their chariot. The air will become the meeting place.  The Lord Himself will receive them. No more sorrow. No more pain. No more death.    Only the eternal embrace of the One who loved them and gave Himself for them. The place prepared in the Father's house will at last be occupied by the redeemed of all ages.    The marriage supper of the Lamb will begin. The church will be presented faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.   Until that day, the Scriptures call every follower of Christ to live in the light of this imminence. The doctrine of the Rapture is not an escape clause for the lazy. It is a summons to vigilance. It is a call to watchfulness.    It is a mandate to occupy until He comes.    The believer who has fixed his hope on the appearing of Christ will order his life accordingly. He will speak the truth in love. He will labor while it is day. He will warn the wicked. He will strengthen the weak. He will lift up the hands that hang down. He will keep his garments unspotted from the world.  He will cry out with the saints of old, “Maranatha—Our Lord, come!”   The futuristic present tense of John 14:3 still echoes across the centuries. Jesus is not planning to come. He is coming.    The grammar itself testifies to the certainty. The supporting texts confirm the details. The early church embodied the expectancy. And the Holy Spirit today stirs the hearts of all who will listen with the same urgent cry: the Lord is coming. Maranatha. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.  The promise stands. The place is prepared. The trumpet is ready. The Bridegroom is at the door.   Let this truth sink deep into the soul. Let it shape every decision. Let it fuel every act of obedience. Let it purify every motive. The Lord Himself shall descend. The dead in Christ shall rise.    The living shall be changed. The redeemed shall be caught up. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. This is the Rapture. This is the blessed hope.    This is the promise of John 14:1-3, sealed by the futuristic present tense and proclaimed by the infallible Word of God.    Maranatha. Our Lord is coming. Amen.