The belief by
Christians the world over, is that Christ will meet them in mid-air and take
them back to heaven with him. The same train of thought figures deeply in what
is called “The Millennium” which is deemed to be Christ’s earthly reign in
Jerusalem “upon the throne of David” for a thousand years. If you browse the
internet and access Google or some other search engine, and type in the word
“Millennium” just about every sight dealing with the subject list as their first
scripture, Revelation 20: 4. Here is what the verse said. “And I saw thrones,
and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the
souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and
for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, etc. etc. and
they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” (meaning
the souls of the martyred saints—not the general resurrection.)
I purposely
highlighted the most important part of the verse to express the crux of the
message. Observe carefully that those living and reigning with Christ for a
thousand years were NOT THE CHURCH at large: The second point to consider is
that John saw the souls of those beheaded for the gospel. This was
not in any wise “the general resurrection” because: “The rest of the dead
lived not again until the thousand years were finished—this is the first
resurrection.” Verse 5. Seemingly, there was a secret in aspiring unto a
certain aspect of a unique resurrection, and this was obviously known by many in
Old Testament times.
Hebrews11 contains
a narrative that we seldom hear about. “Who through faith subdued kingdoms,
wrought righteousness, obtained promises, escaped the mouth of lions. Women
received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not
accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better
resurrection.” Hebrews 11:33-35. Notice that these people of whom we
read, could have gotten deliverance, but they willingly refused it, (not
accepting deliverance) in order to obtain a better resurrection—much like those
souls that John saw. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
(The rest of the
dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.) No doubt this is
what Paul meant when he said: “If by any means I might attain unto the
resurrection “out from among the dead”. Phil.3:11. In fact, Paul earnestly
sought to enter the heavenly bliss without dying. He alluded to this fact in one
of his pastoral letters. “For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being
burdened: not for that we would be unclothed but clothed upon that
mortality might be swallowed of life.” 2nd Corinthians 5: 4.
Indeed, Paul knew that there will come a time when this mortal MUST put on
immortality, and this corruptible MUST put on incorruption: for then creation at
large can sing the great refrain: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death,
where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 1st Corinthians
15:53-55.
Not only in the
case of Paul, but many of God’s people in olden times saw, and understood divine
revelations that were very real to them; but in many cases, they later learned
that the things they saw were not meant for them, and their times, but for
others who would arrive on the scene in their allotted time. Daniel was given a
sound bit of instruction in this account: But go thy way till the end be: for
thou shalt rest and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.” Daniel 12:13.
This is why, as I have said repeatedly in these writings, how important it is
for us to know who said what, to whom it was addressed, and what are the
conditions associated with the statements. Let us turn this study to the Book of
Revelation.
This book is one
that through the ages, has posed difficulties to people the world over. Let us
ask: What is the book all about? Who holds the most prominent place in the book?
As we move forward, we want to bear in mind those loved one who believe and
teach that the bible is a literal book and carries a literal interpretation. The
book opens with a self-description of the contents. “The Revelation of Jesus
Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must
shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his
servant John.” Revelation 1: 1.
What is the main
“story line” or who is featured as the most prominent figure in the book? The
main subject—the STAR of the show IS JESUS. Thus, my friend, later on in the
book, it does not matter what you read: be it locusts, the whore, with whom the
nations of the world commit fornication, that sits upon many waters, Babylon,
falling stars, or whatever: The overwhelming truth is that the main subject; the
actual theme is JESUS. Let me take you out a limb with me for a moment!
What are the
circumstances that enveloped John when he was given in a vision the entire Book
of Revelation? Let him explain the events in his own words. “I was in the
Spirit (or taken over by the Spirit, or even became Spirit) on the Lord’s
day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and
Omega, the first and the last: and, what thou seest, write in a book, and send
it unto the seven churches which are in Asia. And I turned to see the voice that
spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks: And in the
midst of the seven candlesticks one like the Son of man, clothed with a garment
down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. And when I saw
him, I fell at his feet as dead.
(It is from this
prostrate position—as dead, that John received the entire Book of Revelation)
“And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first
and the last; I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for
evermore, Amen: and have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which
thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be
hereafter.” If this was the end of this vision, we would be left to
speculate and wonder what the symbols and images meant.
The first
component to this account is uttered by John himself, concerning his state of
mind. He said himself: “I was IN THE SPIRIT on the Lord’s day.” I am convinced
that what is written by the Spirit cannot be understood or interpreted by
research and college training. If the Revelation was given and written down by
John while he was in the Spirit, it stands to reason that the book must be
understood by the revelation of the Spirit: not by research on our computer
keyboard.
The book of
Revelation is not the only book in the bible that requires that: “The eyes of
your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his
calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, etc.
Ephesians 1:18. It does not mean that only the book of Revelation requires
the enlightening of the Holy Spirit in order for us to fully comprehend its
contents. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God (by the ministry
of the Holy Spirit). 2nd Timothy 3:16. “For the prophecy came not
in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by
the Holy Ghost.”2nd Peter 1:21. The true picture is quite simple!
The entire bible (all scriptures) are given by the work of the Holy Ghost.
I argue that what
is given and written by the Holy Spirit (the whole bible) cannot be correctly
understood by simply studying at bible college or any place else. Paul had an
amazing contribution to this thought, in which he outlined his qualification for
the ministry, which multitudes of us fail to ponder and follow suit. “But I
certify you, brethren, that the gospel that was preached of me is not after man.
For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the
revelation of Jesus Christ.” Galatians 1:11, 12. Because the Holy Spirit
works as ONE, when Paul went to Jerusalem and met with the chief apostles, and
shared his gospel with them, they gave him the right hand of fellowship to
confirm that his gospel was as true as that which they preached.
Thus, we see that
Revelation is not the only book in the bible that was given by divine
revelation, and as such, must be understood by the working of the Holy Spirit of
revelation. As a blessing to us, Christ did not leave John or us to speculate as
the what the images that John saw really meant. In making it plain to John, he
also made it plain to us, so that we need not stumble blindly in our quest for
the truth. In the Lord’s explanation to John, he also set the in motion the
rules of understanding the entire book of Revelation.
As we said before,
the book is about the revelation of Jesus Christ, and as we understand it, a
revelation is the work of the Spirit. As Jesus said in one place, flesh and
blood hath not revealed it unto you, but my Father which is in heaven. In
explaining to John what he saw, Jesus explained in clear and distinct fashion
what the vision meant. “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in
right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of
the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven
churches.” Revelation 1: 20.
This explanation
goes beyond the objects mentioned. It applies to the true meaning in scripture
of stars and candlesticks. This is like a teacher putting on the board enough
information “as starters” so that the students can take it from there and arrive
at a correct completion. Jesus is actually saying, “From now on, stars in
prophecy are messengers, (angelic or human) and candlesticks are churches.”
Since all scriptures are given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, there is no
room for a literal interpretation as certain sects believe. This is not to
render as null and void the beliefs of others. This study is being presented by
what is written in the Word of God, embracing the interpretations that it
offers.
Most of the images
in Revelation can never be interpreted in a literal sense. For instance, we
read: “The fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the
earth: and to HIM (not to IT) but to HIM was given the key to
the bottomless pit. And he (the star) opened the bottomless pit; releasing
smoke. Revelation 9:1, 2. Let us be frank and think and speak as grownups! A
star is a planet like earth and as such it cannot take a key and cannot open the
bottomless pit (where ever that is.) Revelation 12 is a chapter that is
cherished and taught by many with varied interpretations. Some say it refers to
the church, while others say it refers to Israel as a nation. But putting all of
this aside, the question becomes: Are you looking for a woman clothed with the
sun, and the moon under her feet? How do the “literalists” interpret this?
We are told of the
whore that sitteth upon many waters, and the explanation follows. “And he
saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are
peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” Revelation 171-15.
(mystery solved.) No need to build a raft, or climb on to a cruise liner. “Water
in prophecy usually bespeaks of people and nations. We read again: “And the
third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as
it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the
waters, and upon the fountain of waters. And the name of the star is called
Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood: and many died of the
waters, because they were made bitter.” Revelation 8: 10-11. For those who
embrace the literal interpretation of scripture, suffice it to say that a great
star falling to earth would not be burning as a lamp. In reality, the whole
earth would be obliterated and reduced to ash or totally vaporized.
Back in about
B.C.1729 the story of Joseph captivates our attention, and through it, we
learned how people in those days understood the relevance between the heavenly
luminaries and ordinary people. Joseph was called “the dreamer” by his brothers
because he frequently dreamed dreams, and he also had the gift of the
interpretation of dreams. On one account, he told his brothers saying: “Hear,
I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding
sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and
behold, your sheaves also stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. And
his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us?
And he dreamed yet
another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, behold, I have dreamed a
dream more; and, behold the sun and the moon, and the eleven
stars made obeisance to me. And his father rebuked him, and said unto him,
what is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I
(the sun) and
thy mother (the moon) and thy brethren (eleven brothers—eleven stars)
indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth”? Gen.37: 5-10.
Notice that Jacob
knew right away that the sun, moon, and stars spoke of them as human beings. It
should be understood in the book of Revelation and other passages in scripture,
that the mention of those heavenly bodies relates directly to people: such as
kings, rulers in high places, and national stars such valiant soldiers, and
politicians of a high pedigree of accomplishments. Jesus symbolized us as a city
that is set upon a hill that cannot be hid. But that equation was not meant to
be lost after a thousand years or so. Its truth remains valid unto this very
day, and at the time of this writing.
Daniel wrote a
truth that we often miss or ignore by choice or by neglect. “And they that be
wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn
many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:3.
These truths are without apology! With these biblical truths in our storeroom,
we should not be thrown off course or left in confusion when we read in prophecy
that stars will fall and much of earth shall be burnt up. Do not forget that our
God is a consuming fire: but fire can only burn where there is fuel to feed its
flames. When the fuel runs out, the fire goes out. Before the Fall, Adam and Eve
were not afraid to meet God as they fellowshipped with him in the cool of the
day and walked with him “in the midst of the fire” because there was no fuel in
them to ignite and feed the fire. At that time, and in such case, God being a
consuming fire meant nothing to Adam and Eve for they did not possess fuel to
feed the fire. Jesus was very explicit in his teachings about light and fire.
“Then spake Jesus
again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall
not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John
8:12.
What truth did Christ alluded to in his remark? He is the light of the world.
But he left the door wide open for his followers (that’s us) walking in his
footsteps and believes his doctrine) to (possess or own) the same light of life
that Jesus IS.
The totality of
our salvation is for us to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ: For as
Jesus IS, so are we in this world. 1st John 4:17. This is why
Jesus dictated a letter to the angel (minister) of the church of the Laodiceans
in which he laid bare their precarious situation concerning spiritual matters.
They were rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing; and knowest
not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. The
Lord’s offer was clear and merciful in its offer. “I counsel thee to buy of
me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment (the
white robes of salvation and the garments of salvation.) that thou mayest be
clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine
eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see.” Revelation 3: 14-18. This brings
to mind the fact that upon the mountain one day, with his disciples, Peter,
James and John, the Lord experienced an immediate metamorphosis.
In this
transfiguration his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the
light. Matthew 17: 1, 2. This is the same “white raiment” that he spoke about to
John in the Revelation. This is the same garment we are to wear, when we “put on
Jesus” by way of being baptized into Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit. 1st
Corinthians 12: 13. Galatians 3:27. In fact, we cannot forget that after only
forty days on the mount in the presence of God, the face of Moses shone so
brightly, that he had to cover his face for Israel to look upon him. Stephen, as
he stood before the council to defend himself, his face looked as it had been
the face of an angel. Acts 6:15. 2nd Corinthians 3: 13.
We do not have to
look far to find a church that is wealthy, that is in need of nothing; but how
does Christ evaluate their spiritual value and total worth in the eyes of our
heavenly Father? We are encouraged when we read: “But unto you that fear my
name shall the SUN of righteousness arise with healing in his wings
(that is—healing in his rays.) and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves
of the stall.” Malachi 4:2. Indeed, creation is waiting for the out-bursting
of the day of un-veiling of the sons of God. The prophet wrote a long time ago:
“He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied.” Isaiah 53:
11.
Be reminded that should
you wish to donate to this ministry, simply access my website: shown at the top
of this letter. At the bottom of the page, there is a link to donate. By
clicking on that link, you will be taken to my PayPal account: you simply use
your bank or credit card along with my email address. It is safe and fast!
Thanks.
(continued)
