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Tag Archives: book of revelation

Butterflies….

08 Jun

Butterflies…..

Revelation 1:1-3    The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants–things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

I get really nervous about writing from the book of Revelation. I don’t much to be honest, but I feel led so strongly to write about what God is laying on my heart there, I feel as though I must. Revelation is a book by Jesus Christ himself; he is giving us a glimpse into the future of time as we know it, a glimpse of the battle of good and evil, and an assurance that good has and will prevail.  Is is an apocalyptic book, foretelling of things to come, and its author John describes himself as recorder and writer of these visions he is witnessing. He is doing as he is told to do; recording what he sees to present to those that will hear.

Revelation is written to the seven churches in Asia. They represent the types of different churches, and these same types exist today. They are addressed with their both their good and bad attributes; they are warned of their faults. They must be both encouraged and disciplined in this book. We all can find ourselves in the description of one of these churches, and we all must heed the warnings given in these descriptions. All of this letters to these seven churches are to encourage believers to draw closer to Christ and away from the temptations and false teachings that Satan has planted in the world and the church. “God’s overriding purpose in all of history is the establishment of the promised messianic kingdom. Associated with this ultimate divine objective is the opportunity for believers to persevere by faith in a life of obedience. The prospect for these overcomers or victors is the destiny of realigning with Christ as coheirs in His kingdom. (Study Bible)

So if this book is the words of Christ given to likely his favorite apostle both as a warning and a promise, can you understand the importance of spending time there? Can you dig deep to find yourself as described in one of the seven churches? Will you ask God to speak to you as we spend time looking at where He has spoken to me? I know where my heart lied before Christ saved me; it lied in a lukewarm faith that sickened Christ as in the church of Laodecia. I pretended to be a Christian, yet lived with a heart for the world. I was going to be vomited from Christ’s mouth if He had not opened my eyes through my heart of this sin. I have repented of my sin and by the grace of God I ask you to do the same. Revelation should be a book that stirs you; makes you feel nervous too,  and makes you reflect on your own faith and the outcome of it.

 
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Posted by on June 8, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Abiding brings discernment

10 May

Abiding brings discernment

1 John 2:24-25   Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us–eternal life.

John has just written in the prior scriptures addressing the false prophets of the day; they are called the antichrist who deny the deity of Jesus as the Son of God. There were many false prophets of that day, and there are still many in our midst these days. They twist the scriptures to fit their agendas, or they present Christ in many other forms, some even denying that He was/is the Son of God completely. There is no middle ground here; they are antichrists, Satan’s messengers sent to lead people astray. They come as wolves in sheep’s clothing; sensual messages that tickle the ears and make us feel good. Yet under their cloak they are twisting the word of God, deny the Son of God, and leading many astray. The antichrist have been in our midst for over two thousand years; they are a predecessor to the beast in the book of Revelation who will elevate himself above God.

John has pointed us to keeping our eyes and hearts on Christ; to not love the things of this world and to seek to abide in Christ daily. If we truly have our hearts set on God, and the things of God, we will spend daily time with Him. This time leads us to that state of being known as abiding. That abiding heart has the knowledge and discernment found in God’s Word and prayer. That knowledge gives you the ability through Him to recognize the antichrists in your midst. Something will not feel right about the false gospels they are preaching. That “feeling”, is the Holy Spirit that God has given you to teach you all things. 27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie–just as it has taught you, abide in him.(ESV) The more time you spend with God, the more the Holy Spirit reveals the things of God to you.

When you have that abiding spirit about you, you will live a changed life that seems different to others. That difference is how God uses you to draw others to himself. That hope that is placed in you for eternal life is something that the world cannot steal away, and the world does not understand. The hope that the world and the antichrist preach is a false hope, and the darkness in it is revealed by the light inside of you. The closer you draw in, the deeper you abide in Him, the more evident the hope in you becomes. You will begin to live your life differently, not ashamed of the promises you now claim. 28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.(ESV) All of this comes with a heart that seeks God, and the things of God daily. A heart that truly desires Him, will find him, and the knowledge and discernment that comes with the anointing as a child of his for eternity.

 
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Posted by on May 10, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Night of Worship

13 Oct

Night of Worship

Revelation 22:8-9   Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

I have just completed a class that included three weeks in the study of the book of Revelation. The last book in the bible is a book of prophecy from the Apostle John who was granted a vision by God into the future events when God pours out His judgement on earth. An angel escorted John through the vision, and John was so humbled he was led to fall at the angels feet and worship him. The angel quickly told John of his error and pointed him back to God; they both were brothers in the faith, lovers of Christ, and worshipped only God.

The book of Revelation is for our benefit for this glimpse into the future. It is a complex book full of symbolism, but it speaks of the return of Christ as a central theme. Revelation may be full of war and pain to the lost and those that do not turn to God; but Revelation is also full of the hope and glimpse into heaven we receive as believers in chapters 21. Revelation 21:21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. So magnificent that it’s doorway is a pearl; do you grasp that ideas of natures rare specks of sand creating small pearls; yet the Creator makes the gateway of His (and yours) future home with them, and paves the street in pure gold. Interested?

We had an awesome night of worship last evening at CCC where the majority were fully engaged in the praise and worship of our God. It is so moving to see all the hands in the air, and many tears on the cheeks where the realization and impact of some song stirs your heart. You realize your sin; you realize Christ died to save you from it; you realize your life without or before Him, you realize your future with Him. You are moved to raise your hands in praise for thanksgiving for the grace you did not deserve. You are thankful for the promises of the book of Revelation, and not the fear of Revelation. Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

 
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Posted by on October 13, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Time management 101

20 Aug

Time management 101

Mark 13:33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.

We all have the “to do” lists. There are multiple lists for work, play, and even the dreaded ‘honey do’ lists at home. We are bombarded continuously in every arena for precious amounts of our time. We are expected to pack eight days into a seven day week in todays society. And mostly because of the instantaneous satisfaction this world demands, we are expected to do it now. Time management is at the top of every to do lists. I have to explain my time management as a ‘triage’ list like the TV show MASH many times: consistently re-prioritizing. This does not fair well in a self centered society.

Does God and the things of God make your lists? Do you make time for Him? What will you say before Him when He asks you how you managed your time? How will you explain all the things that were more important than Him? His return could be at any time, but His return will be a surprise and not predicted as some have tried and failed. Mark 13:32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. In the book of Revelation Christ is speaking to John about the church at Sardis and of their dead faith. Many had backslidden away from their church and into the world. Their focus was not on Christ and He strongly warned them of their hypocrisy. Revelation 3:3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.

God knows your heart and there is nothing you can hide from Him. There is a day coming that everything will be refined by fire. We all must account for our every action, word, deed, and thought. I dread that day, but I rest in the assurance of that day that Christ has covered all my sin at Calvary by sacrificing Himself for me, and you. How can we not seek to honor the ultimate sacrifice by sacrificing our time and putting Him at the top of all lists? I would hope to stand before God and say I tried, rather than ‘well you see I had to _______” . Make today a day you manage some time to spend seeking Him in His Word and prayer.

 
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Posted by on August 20, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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