Revelation 22:12-16 12 “Look! I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me to repay each person according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. 16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to attest these things to you for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright Morning Star.” It is so easy to lose sight of Jesus' promised presence and second coming. If you find yourself worried or wondering if you are really saved or if you are actually pleasing God, these things are not bad in and of themselves but it you think God will love you more because of it then it's a dangerous place to be. We are never going to be loved more or less than when we are placed into the family of God by faith in His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus wants His Church to endure and He doesn't expect her do it alone. He promises His presence and power to each believer.
He says He will repay each person, "according to what he has done." The sinner will be repaid with eternal separation from God but the saint will be repaid with crowns and responsibilities based on their faithfulness this side of eternity. When all is said and done God still has work for His saints to do but it will not be something we don't look forward to. The curse will lifted and whatever He has for us will be as good as He Himself is. Do you find it strange to be called a saint? It absolutely biblical. Saint just means one who is set aside for God's purposes. This is God's doing not our own so that we would have nothing to boast about. Let the fact that you are a saint of God in Christ bring a smile to your face today because He truly does love us. "But God demonstrates He love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 Have a great day Loved Ones and God bless you real good!
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Revelation 22:6-11 6 Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His slaves what must quickly take place.” 7 “Look, I am coming quickly! The one who keeps the prophetic words of this book is blessed.” 8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown them to me. 9 But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow slave with you, your brothers the prophets, and those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” 10 He also said to me, “Don’t seal the prophetic words of this book, because the time is near. 11 Let the unrighteous go on in unrighteousness; let the filthy go on being made filthy; let the righteous go on in righteousness; and let the holy go on being made holy. Faithful and true are two words we need now more than ever. Our culture is constantly wavering. We are constantly being told half truths and truth from a particular perspective so as to to be persuaded to think a particular way. Most of the time we don't even know that we have been. Advertising is probably one of the easiest examples. our eyes take in a commercial, pop up add, or we may even here a jingle on the radio and without out knowing it we are pursuing that very thing.
Jesus is not just faithful and true but He the Truth, the Way and the Life. He is the embodiment of faithful and true. He says, “Look, I am coming quickly! The one who keeps the prophetic words of this book is blessed.” I find it interesting that He doesn't say they will be bless but rather is blessed. Sometimes we are too busy wondering what's next and not enjoying what God has graciously given us. The Apostle John's response to having received this vision is interesting, it says he fell down to worship but his worship was direct to the messenger rather than God. The angel quickly reminded him that he is a fellow servant. Keep in mind that although it took us months to cover the book of Revelation but John was shown it at one time. It must have been like watch movie one filled with both awesome grandeur and unfathomable horror. Yet, unlike Daniel who was told to seal his vision up, John is told not to then says something a bit disturbing, "Let the unrighteous go on in unrighteousness; let the filthy go on being made filthy; let the righteous go on in righteousness; and let the holy go on being made holy.". In the end the book of revelation will not only reveal Jesus Christ in all His glory but I believe it will also reveal those who belong to Him. My prayer is and has been that each person reading this would know Jesus Christ and the eternal abundant life He died for. Have a great day Loved Ones and God bless you real good! Revelation 22:1-5 22 Then he showed me the river of living water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the broad street of the city. The tree of life was on both sides of the river, bearing 12 kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations, 3 and there will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His slaves will serve Him. 4 They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 5 Night will no longer exist, and people will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever. A few years ago Mrs.Dalia and I had the privilege of visiting Niagara Falls from both the New York side and the Canadian side as well. It was amazing. The thundering sound of the water pouring over and the mist rising were unforgettable. It looked even more amazing at night because they put color lights on the water. So many people where there from all over the world to see something that was ultimately a result of the curse. As beautiful as this waterfall was I don't think it would be there for us to marvel at apart from sin's curse and its effect on the surface of our planet.
One day many will marvel at a world with no curse. It will not just be returned to her former glory but it will be better. The original creation could have and was corrupted but this new heaven and new earth will not be. In fact it will be familiar but like nothing before. In the beginning God created a paradise for Adam and Eve and in it were rivers of water and fruit bearing trees of many kinds including the Tree of Knowledge but most importantly the Tree of Life. There will be no Tree of Knowledge in this new earth and the river will flow from the very throne of God. All beautiful pictures and living reminders of God's presence, His care and His provision of the Holy Spirit, pictured as the water flowing, who comes from the Father and the Son. Will you take a moment and thank God because He is good and He gives us good gifts. Have great day Loved Ones and God bless you real good! Revelation 21:22-27 22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; 26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; 27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Time, talent and treasure are things will all have to some degree and we are all limited as we live in a sin cursed world. Some people make the most of what they have and multiply it, some are happy just getting by and still others either foolishly spend it all or happily give it away. Either way we know that we are limited to what we can do. It use to be limited to what someone could do as long as there was light outside. This is why we set our clocks forward in summer for daylight savings so our days are longer. I don't know how practical it is anymore since we have artificial light but the truth is that we need the vitamin D. :)
The Temple was where God met man but here it says there will be no more temple for God will be with us. In the time of the Temple there was also no outside light in it, only the light of the menorah. It was looking forward to what we read in our passage this morning. There will come a day where God Himself will be our light there will be no more night! It is almost impossible it is to image a time like this. God will be physically with us. Not that when Jesus walked this earth He wasn't Immanuel- God with us, but He was veiled and only James, John and Peter saw Him in all His glory. There will come this day when we will be with Jesus and see Him in His glorified body and it will be like never before and eternal. What do you look forward to the most when you think of eternity? Is it the beautiful city? The ability to go anywhere in the world without fear or the limitations of time? There is so much that we may feel we are missing out on this side eternity but eternity is quite long :) and we'll have the time to do things we were limited to because of the time, talent and treasure we have now. Until that time, let's make the most of what we have been given as good stewards of the grace of God. Have a great day Loved Ones and God bless you real good! Revelation 21:19-21 The foundations of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone: the first foundation jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. The 12 gates are 12 pearls; each individual gate was made of a single pearl. The broad street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. Walking downtown Chicago is one of the most interesting things you can do. There are so many people from all over the world all in one place. So many unique faces many of them a blend of different ethnicities but all beautiful, unique, and special in God's eyes. This Holy City, Jerusalem will be just that. We will not only see people from all over the world but like I said yesterday that will be from all time as well. I would image we'd be able to understand each but even if we cannot we have an eternity to learn every language.
This could be what is represented by the various and precious jewels that make up the decorations of the foundations of the city wall in our passage today. They remind me of the breastplate the priests would wear that had 12 stones on it representing the 12 tribes of Israel. I once heard someone say that God is so rich that he uses our most precious metals and jewels to build and pave the streets. I imaging it was this chapter of Revelation he had in mind when he said it. There are huge pearls that are the 12 gates and the main street was pure gold. The closet we could probably ever get to imaging this is probably the yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz. The greatest difference being that God will be there and unlike the disappointing wizard of Oz our God is all-powerful, all-knowing and all-present. What is the the beautiful place you have every seen? What are some places here and now that you would like to visit. Just imagine if this sin cursed world can have so many beautiful people, places and things image a world without sin and God Himself living with us. What a glorious day that will be! Have a great day Loved Ones and God bless you real good! Revelation 21: 15-18 15 The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out in a square; its length and width are the same. He measured the city with the rod at 12,000 stadia. Its length, width, and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall, 144 cubits according to human measurement, which the angel used. 18 The building material of its wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold like clear glass. ![]() With all the talk of global warming and over population two things in this passage are highlighted for me. 1. That all things will be made new, so whatever is wrong today (with this sin cursed world) Jesus will, not only fix it, He will make it even better than before. 2. This new earth will be filled with the righteousness of God, God Himself and His people who received His righteousness as a gift because of the blood of Jesus. As hard as it may be to believe or imagine, it is said that the entire world's population can live comfortably in the state of Texas. This really blows me away because people are so adamant about the world being over populated. In our passage today gives the dimensions of this new Jerusalem are given, it is 12,000 stadia which equals. 1,400 miles. This is roughly the size of half the United States and it says, "it's length width and height are equal". The skyscraper pictured here is Dubai's Burj Khalifa it about a half a mile high. There is a new skyscraper that is being planned in Tokyo that is planned to be 5,577ft tall! That's over 1 mile high (5,220ft =1mile). It is suppose to fit 55,000 people with room to spare. Now consider the size of the new Jerusalem it is 1,400 miles (NOT FEET!) wide 1,400 miles deep and 1,400 high. I'm not going to take time to do the math but that a lot of people who can live in it. It's not only how many people can live in it either. It is its diversity that's amazing as well. It will be full of people NOT JUST from every tribe tongue and nation but also all time as well. These will be all the resurrected righteous. Those who were either looking forward to the promised Messiah, those who lived in His time or those who received Him after His death an burial and resurrection. The last thing to point out is the eternal building material it is made of- jasper and gold. These materials do not deteriorate over time, they actually become more valuable. What a precious way for Jesus to depict his bride, precious and timeless. One day all of these things that some debate about will become a reality and remember the reality is always greater than the sign or symbol. What a glorious day that will be! Have a great day Loved ones and God bless you real good! Revelation 21: 9-14 9 Then one of the seven angels, who had held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me: “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 He then carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11 arrayed with God’s glory. Her radiance was like a very precious stone, like a jasper stone, bright as crystal. 12 The city had a massive high wall, with 12 gates. Twelve angels were at the gates; the names of the 12 tribes of Israel’s sons were inscribed on the gates. 13 There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. 14 The city wall had 12 foundations, and the 12 names of the Lamb’s 12 apostles were on the foundations. I remember when Mrs Dalia and I renewed our vows after we became believers. We had been married for about four years but felt the need to do it again but this time with Jesus at the center of our marriage. Mrs. Dalia has and always will be my beautiful bride but that day was extra special. To see her arrive with her long dress, hair pulled back into a bun and a smile that could have been seen a mile away will be a day I will never forget and will treasure forever. In today's passage we read of a picture painted for us of the bride of Christ. It’s sort of ironic to read that the same messenger that held the seven bowls of God’s wrath also showed the Apostle John the Bride, the wife of the Lamb who is the holy city, Jerusalem. It says that the city had a great and high wall which would have meant to the original readers the safety of a fortified city. Now keep in mind although John described the city with all her splendor it was the bride, the wife of the Lamb that he was talking about. The safety wasn’t so much the safety of the place but the people who make up the place. Like a library is not the building but the books and the school is not a building but its students so the city is not the building but its people. 12 angels were at the gates and the gates were all around the city. Interestingly enough the twelve tribes were inscribed on the gates and the 12 apostles were on the foundations. This stands as a reminder that it was through Israel that we received the Law, the promises, the Messiah and through the Apostles that we received the rest of the scriptures the foundation of which Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone. My prayer for you all as students and leaders alike is that we would come to love God more through His word which He has preserved for us all. The only source and fountain of its kind that can and will satisfy the soul of all who come thirsting for the free water only Jesus can give. God is good. Thank you Jesus. Have a great day Loved Ones and God bless you real good! Revelation 21: 1-8 21Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea no longer existed. 2 I also saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. 3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away. 5 Then the One seated on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give water as a gift to the thirsty from the spring of life. 7 The victor will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son. 8 But the cowards, unbelievers, vile, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” When Jesus was talking to the teacher of Israel, Nicodemus, He said very clearly, "I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3 Jesus was stating 2 things with absolute clarity in his language at that time. We may read the word "see" as meaning "one day see" or "enter" but Jesus was saying that unless a man is (present tense, NOT something he has to become) he could not perceive or understand (with a positive response). So it is, that all who are born again will hear of the kingdom of God and respond positively.
John the Apostle sees and hears about the fulfillment of all that Jesus was either speaking of or eluding to through the prophets, Himself or the Apostles after Him. There are few things that matter more this side of glory than how we respond to the truth of God’s word. For the unbeliever it would mean heaven or hell. For the believer it could mean a life a misery despite what Jesus said clearly, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10 The Apostles knew that this didn't mean they would live a life void of struggle. They knew real persecution but saw it in light of eternity and actually said they were blessed to be counted worthy to suffer for Jesus' sake. In our passage today John sees the new heaven and the new earth, the bride of Christ as Jesus said presented with spot or wrinkle and he hears the proclamation that God has made His dwelling with us. What a comfort it must have been for him to be reassured of things to come, things promised by a faithful God that loved him and knew right where he was at. He was working in and through him that the world for generations to come would know exactly how His-Story ends, as God had in his minds eye even before there was a beginning. As amazing as what he saw was, what he heard is the best reality anyone could hope for and this will be the Eternal State. The Eternal State is exactly what it says it is, the way things will be forever! What a glorious future for those have who have trusted in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sin. Have a great day Loved Ones and God bless you real good! Revelation 20:11-14 11 Then I saw a great white throne and One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. 12 I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books. 13 Then the sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead; all were judged according to their works. 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.15 And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. As our guest preacher was finishing his sermon this past weekend he said something along the lines of, “For the believer, their time on earth is the worst hell they will ever experience but for the unbeliever, their time on earth is the best heaven they will ever experience.” In other words, believers will NEVER experience hell and unbelievers will NEVER experience heaven. Those are some very comforting words to the believer but to an unbeliever they must be very disturbing to say the least. Some people, including some self-professing believers, refuse to believe there is such a thing as hell or as the Bible calls it, “the lake of fire”.
There is a distinction between Hell (the lake of fire) and Hades. Hades is a place of punishment but not permanent. It is like a jail where the unbeliever waits until his or her final judgement. In today’s passage we read of this final judgement which is referred to as the great white judgement. Here we read of multiple books but essentially on two groups that people will be judged in. We have “the book of life” which each believer’s name is in. They will be judged according to the finished and substitutionary (in place of) work of Jesus Christ. Then, there are all the other books of the unbelievers’ individual lives, they will be judged “according to their [own] works”. What are you expecting in the end? Will you be judged according the finished work of Jesus Christ or your own works which will be found lacking and not enough to save you? God would rather we live in anticipation of His presence rather than the fear of separation FOREVER from Him in the lake of fire. As a believer we should never live in fear and if you realize you are not a believer you don’t have to live in fear if you embrace the love of God found in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Have a great day Loved Ones and God bless you real good! Revelation 20: 7-10 When the 1,000 years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea. They came up over the surface of the earth and surrounded the encampment of the saints, the beloved city. Then fire came down from heaven and consumed them. The Devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. It is hard to imagine that anyone would come up against God’s people let alone the King of kings and Lord of lords. Yet this is exactly what we are told in Revelation 20. It says, “Their number is like the sand of the sea.” So, it will not just be a small contingency but a multitude. This to me becomes a bit confusing.
Just consider the condition of the world at the time Jesus returns. It will seem just about uninhabitable yet this is where Jesus will reign for a thousand years. Of course 1,000 years and the rule of Jesus can bring about the total restoration of the earth but that is not said to come until the proceeding chapters. It’s unimaginable that there would still be rebellious people in the world even after Jesus physically reigns from Jerusalem, yet here they are. Apparently there will be a mixture of people on the earth during this time. Again, this gets a little confusing, at least for me because you would think the only ones that made it out of the tribulation would have been glorified at Jesus’ coming and those left would have been killed by the sword of His mouth. But here we are in Revelation 20 with a multitude like the sand of the sea. I’ve heard it explained as people who made it out of the tribulation alive and had children during the thousand years but this still doesn’t answer my question above. Either way, it will be as willed it, but this war against God will be all for nothing because Jesus will put an end to it quickly. Jesus may have come the first time in humility to die for sin of mankind but when He returns, it will be to rule absolutely and there will be no one to interrupt that rule ever again, not even satan himself. Interesting that the final verse in today’s passage says, “The Devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” It does not say that those who rebelled where also, although it does say they were consumed just before. It will not be until tomorrow’s passage that Death and Hades will be emptied out and they themselves will be judged. One thing is for sure, the Spirit of God declares through the Apostle Paul- “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 So believers should never have anything to fear unless they are not believers at all and have a false confidence rooted in their profession of faith rather than the Son of God who loved the world and died for sin. What or who are you trusting today for the forgiveness of your sin? If it is something you did or said, you need to repent and trust Jesus alone for the forgiveness of your sin. I love you with the very love of God that was given me. My prayer for you is that you would know and have the same confidence that all believers share because of the undeniable work of God through His Spirit. If you have any comment, questions or complaints please feel free to contact me whenever you are ready. Have a great day Loved Ones and God bless you real good! |
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