A Walk Through Revelation - Part 2

John,

To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
    and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
    and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”  Revelation 1:4-8 NIV

*creative commons image

John begins to pen a letter to the seven churches. This is the general opening, but we'll see later that Jesus had something specific to say to each church individually, for He knew them intimately...knew what was going on in each of them and wanted to give them individual instruction...just as He knows each of us intimately and wants to communicate with us on a one-to-one basis.

He greets them with grace and peace, then tells who the letter is actually from - the one "
who was, and who is to come, (God) and from the seven spirits (also translated the seven-fold Spirit - the Holy Spirit)before his throne, and from Jesus Christ."

Here, we see the Trinity - the three-in-one - God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. All three distinct, all three God. This is puzzling to many people and Bible scholars have come up with many ways to explain it. I can't explain it. It's beyond my comprehension, but I believe it.  There are three facets to God. 

I don't have a problem believing what I don't understand about God. I don't understand how He could love me so much that He sent Jesus to die for my sins just to restore a right relationship with Him either, but I am eternally grateful that He did it. I don't understand how He can forgive me when I keep sinning even after I've received salvation through His Son, but he does...and I am grateful. There's much that I don't understand about an Almighty God who created the universe with just a word from His mouth, but I live in that world and I am grateful. Let's not get hung up on trying to understand with our pea-sized human brains, all the ways of our God. Let's just accept that we can't comprehend it all, let's focus on the parts that we can fully comprehend, trusting God to take care of the rest. And let's agree with John, that this amazing God deserves all the "glory and power for ever and ever! Amen."

Now, back to the scriptures.

Verse 7 is a prophecy (a statement of some future event).

“Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
    and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
    and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen.

This prophecy tells us that Jesus is coming again and when He does, every eye will see Him...everyone alive at the time and those who "pierced Him" - those that are dead. How can that be? I don't know, but I believe that God is able to make that happen. Why would all people on the earth mourn because of Him? I believe that's because the only people left at this coming of Jesus will be those who rejected Him as Savior.  (Notice it says ALL people will mourn. I don't think Believers would mourn if they saw Jesus coming with the clouds.) The rest of mankind - those who did embrace Him as Savior will have been take out of this world in what we have called The Rapture. Though those words "the rapture" do not appear in the Bible, that's what we call the great "catching away" spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

John ends this passage of scripture with a direct statement from God, Himself...

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Notice that this is the same wording John used to tell us who this message was from - the one who "is, and was and who is to come."

God confirms this by giving John a direct quote to use, confirming that this message is straight from His heart to His people.  Let's do what our first study said and "take it to heart."

Tomorrow we will look at Revelation 1:9-19 - go ahead and read it so that you will be familiar with the passage and be able to share some of your thoughts. I invite you to comment on each post in this study.

Prayer:
Father, we thank you for loving us enough to send us a personal message, for letting us know what the future hold and for confirming that this message is directly from you. Thank you for opening our hearts and minds to your message. Amen

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A Walk through Revelation - Part 1

Today I'm starting my walk  through the book of Revelation. I've read through it before, but that was a long time ago. Decided to read it again to remind myself of the wonders of Heaven and the future of mankind. 

"The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near."  Revelation 1:1-3 NIV

 There are many accounts, in the Bible, of God sending an angel to deliver His message to a man or woman.  I can't imagine what it would be like to suddenly encounter an angel...a real angel.  Call me a skeptic, but all these stories you hear today of people encountering angels...well, I just don't know if I believe them.  But the Bible - I believe.

If I did see an angel, I'd most definitely react the way many in the Bible did - falling on my face, terrified. 

The next thing that strikes me about the opening of this book is that those who read aloud the book of Revelation are blessed and those who hear it (read out loud) are blessed...if they take to heart what is written in it.  It's interesting that there is a special blessing for reading it out loud and hearing it out loud.  It's also interesting that it's not enough to just read it - we must take it to heart. The Free Dictionary defines the phrase "take it to heart" as to consider something very seriously or take criticism seriously and be affected or upset by it.

God wants us to take His word to heart. To seriously consider what it says and what it means to us. Even if what it says is upsetting, we must realize that this is truth. It will happen. Knowing that should cause us to think about the ramifications of what we're about to read in Revelation. How should it change the way we think and the way we behave? Our goals?

So, as we journey through Revelation - the book of our future - let's take it to heart. Please feel free to share with us through comments to this and future posts, what you are thinking and feeling about what we're reading and learning.

(Note - I know that sometimes this invites comments by people who are only interested in stirring up controversy and anger. Those posts will be deleted.  However, posts that ask honest questions or doubts will be posted and addressed to the best of our ability.)

Prayer:
Father, we ask that you open our heart, spirits and minds to understand and receive what you have for us in the book of Revelation. Let us take it to heart. Show us how to apply it to our lives and our behavior. Amen
 
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Feeling a bit wilted?

 "...whoever refreshes others will be refreshed." Proverbs 11:25

 Wouldn't you love to be refreshed right now?

Sometimes life can get so tedious. Get up, go to work, clean the house, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, running the kids around, doctor appointments....it's the same routine day after day after day.

photo courtesy tekla (Traute Klasser), rgbstock.com

A weekend, or even a day away from the ordinary plodding of life can work wonders toward refreshing our spirits, but what if you can't get away? What if you can't afford a vacation or even a weekend get-away? What if the responsibilities of your life won't let you take even a day for yourself? What then? How do you get that much needed refreshing?

The secret's in the sauce.  Just kidding. The secret's right there in our verse for today - Proverbs 11:25...

"whoever refreshes others will be refreshed."
There's something about refreshing others - blessing others - encouraging others that brings a refreshing to our own souls.  It's God's principle of sowing and reaping in action. When we give to others, God honors our generosity and we will reap exactly what we sow.  After all, a farmer doesn't get spinach when he sows corn seeds, does he?

So, if you need a little refreshing, go out there and intentionally refresh others. Share a smile, a helping hand, a word of encouragement and God will see to it that you are refreshed, yourself.

I pray that this blog - Refreshed by the Word - will be one source of renewal for you. Please, God - let it be so.

What brings a refreshing to your spirit? Share that with us in your comment.

Blessings,
Jan

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Lord, Show Us Your Glory

What is the glory of God?

 “Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” Exodus 33:18 (NASB)

This is the first mention in the Bible of the glory of God. Moses praying to see God. What believer doesn’t want to see the beauty, majesty and splendor of God in all his radiance and brilliance?

The Old Testament word for glory can be translated as a unique beauty, majesty or splendor that sets a person or object apart from all others. The New Testament word for glory signifies a radiance or brilliance. The glory of God is not an outward appearance, but the beauty, the radiance of His Spirit – the splendor of who He is and what He has done.

God could not, however, fully grant Moses’ request, for no man can see God and live, so He led Moses to a cleft in a rock and there placed His hand over Moses as His glory passed by.

After this encounter with the glory of God, Moses glowed so brilliantly that he had to wear a veil over his face when in the presence of others. The glory of God is not an outward beauty, it’s His greatness and His goodness and it can only be found in His presence. The more time we spend with God, the more we will reflect His glory.

~~~

Prayer: Father, Like Moses, we long to see you in all your glory. As you reveal yourself to us, may our spirits reflect you to the world around us.

Dig Deeper:  Read Exodus 33 & 34

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Face-time with the Mirror

Let’s take a good look at the way we’re living.

Let’s return to the Lord.

Lamentations 3:40 (nirv)

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles
FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When the New Year rolls around, our tendency is to review the past and set goals for the future. There's nothing wrong with that, but what about the here and now?  After all, we don't live in the past or the future.  If we do, that's a great topic for a different post, but today I want to look at the present.

Our focus verse in Lamentations says "Let's take a good look at the way we're (we are) living..."  right now.  In this moment, today, does our behavior and our thoughts reflect someone who is dedicated to living life for the Lord? Or does it more closely resemble living for ourselves or in sync with the way the world lives?

It's easy to fool those around us...to live one way before them and live an entirely different way when we're alone and no one is watching.  It's even easy to fool ourselves sometimes, but the Lord is watching 24/7. He knows our hearts, our attitudes, our thoughts and our coverups. We're not fooling him.

So, this is a perfect time to take a good look at the way we're living.  A little honest face-time in the mirror is in order. Some self-examination, some contemplative knee-time before the Lord, asking His opinion.  But don't just do this at the change of the calendar year. Do it on a continual basis, asking ourselves if the way we're living is leading us closer to the Lord or further away from Him. And if the answer is the latter, then the last part of our focus verse comes into play. "Let's return to the Lord."

Make this an ongoing practice in 2014 and you'll find that you don't stray too far before the Holy Spirit reminds you to turn around and head back to your First Love.

Have a Blessed New Year!


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2014 - Fear or Faith?

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  Isaiah 41:10

It's New Year's Eve. One of my personal traditions at this time is to take stock of the previous years, counting my many blessings, reviewing my choices, confessing any sin and looking forward with excitement to the coming New Year.

For me the New Year smacks of potential, adventure and opportunities. A sense of anticipation stirs in my spirit. I feel like a runner waiting for the starting gun to go off, but I know that for others, the New Year brings feelings of apprehension, anxiety and fear.  Many are facing financial crisis, a terrifying diagnosis or an uncertain future for whatever reason.

My heart aches for them. Especially those who don't have a vibrant relationship with the Lord. Where do they find their strength? Where do they turn for help? How do they face the future without His peace in their heart and the assurance that He will uphold them through all of life's troubles.

I tried it...going life alone. It wasn't fun. I messed it all up. Then the Father called out to me, gently drawing me to Himself. I surrendered and He filled me with the most incredible sense of well-being. It was His peace that surpassed all understanding. My life did not become a bed of roses. All my problems did not disappear, but I no longer have to go it alone. He has been with us every step of the way and He will do the same for you, my friend.

Just reach out to Him. This would be the perfect time to do that. Invite Him into your life and step into 2014 in faith, not fear, knowing that He is upholding you with His mighty right hand.

God bless you and Happy New Year!


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I've got a secret!

I woke up this morning and opened my eyes to find the Presence of God filling my room. It was as if He'd been sitting there, waiting for me to wake up so we could spend some time together and talk about what's been on our hearts. We did that and then He sent me on my way to face whatever the day might hold, with the assurance that He will be right here beside me all the way.

What a wonderful way to start the day!  It reminded me of a song from long ago, The Secret, which was actually a musical version of a poem by Ralph Cushman. Here's the poem...

"I met God in the morning"

 

I met God in the morning
when the day was at its best,
And His Presence came like sunrise,
Like a glory in my breast.

All day long the Presence lingered,
All day long He stayed with me,
And we sailed in perfect calmness
O'er a very troubled sea.

Other ships were blown and battered,
Other ships were sore distressed,
But the winds that seemed to drive them,
Brought to me a peace and rest.

Then I thought of other mornings,
With a keen remorse of mind,
When I too had loosed the moorings,
With the presence left behind.

So, I think I know the secret,
Learned from many a troubled way:
You must seek Him in the morning
If you want Him through the day!

That's the secret, my friend - You must seek Him in the morning, if you want Him through the day.

Does that mean that if you miss your time with Him in the morning that He won't be with you throughout the day? No, He promises us that He will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6) and that He will always be with you (Matthew 28:20). 

The problem is that when we rush into our day without spending time with Him, we go through the day forgetting that He is with us. We struggle, needlessly through the day on our own.

So, do yourself a favor - start the day right by seeking Him in the morning. When you open your eyes tomorrow morning, just know that He has been waiting for you. Talk with Him.

Q. Have you ever spent a morning with God where His Presence was so real you could feel it?

Q. Have you ever rushed into the day and found yourself totally stressed out before you remembered to talk with God?

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