What Do You Know
About LIFE?
What Do You Know
About DEATH?
Do You Know
The TRUTH?
Like the beauty of the world is for all to behold ...
may the information and articles here become precious to you.
Where will you go when it's your time to die?
You need to know this today. Tomorrow may be too late!
HINT: It is NOT through a church, baptism, or good works.
What Does The Future Hold ?
Exciting and EASY Study on REVELATION
Uneed2no.com
Here is a great church to attend in Trumbull County, Ohio
FAITH Baptist Church
1401 Shaw Avenue, Niles, Ohio 44446
(330) 652-8151
10:00 a.m. Sunday School
11:00 a.m. Morning Worship
6:30 p.m. Evening Worship
6:30 p.m. Wednesday Services
Pastor Lenny Towle, with wife, Mrs. Amy Towle
Simple & True
Verse by Verse Study of
the Book of REVELATION
The End Times
Revelation is a fairly easy book to understand. Satan wants us to fear the book of Revelation so we will stay away from it. However, God gave us Revelation to reveal to us the End Times. Revelation is God's Word revealing to us our future so we can be prepared. This verse-by-verse study will reveal the coming events of our Lord and Saviour, our earth, Satan's end and our end.
This book will show and teach you about things to come so you can be prepared for what lies ahead ... "for the time is at hand".
"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:"
The book of Revelation is not about us or about John. It is about Jesus Christ. It is the "Revelation of Jesus Christ" as you can see in this verse - "God gave unto Him" (Jesus Christ) the responsibility to reveal all this to "His servants". We are "His servants" if we have accepted Christ as our Saviour. It is the responsibility of the Lord Jesus "to shew unto His servants things which MUST shortly come to pass". God wants us to know these events. These events MUST come to pass and God, the Father, entrusted these events to His Son to reveal them unto us, "His servants".
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It is not an IF these events will come to pass but WHEN... "shortly". All these things that are written in the Book of Revelation "MUST SHORTLY COME TO PASS".
The Lord "signified it by His angel". This is showing authenticity. God used His angel to verify and to prove that this is very true. The angel was proof to John that all these coming events are true and from God. This verse also signifies that John was the Lord's true servant.
Let's pause here to learn just a little bit about John. We see that God called John "His servant". John told others about God's Word and these coming judgments. People do not like to hear about judgment. In the city of Ephesus, John's preaching caused such an uproar that the people stoned him. But this did not kill John. So, the leaders of Ephesus took John and publicly threw him alive into a pot of boiling oil! John was just as human as you and I. But God was not done with John. God had more work for John, so God kept him alive. These leaders of Ephesus were so infuriated that they banished John to the barren isle of Patmos with no food nor any human comforts. The isle of Patmos was a terrible prison camp. Prisoners were not given any necessities. The only food was brought in from time to time by soldiers. John's bed was in a cave of rocks. If you ever get to visit the isle of Patmos, they may show you the stoney cave where John had laid his head.
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Let's now go on to verse 2 ...
"Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw."
Notice that at the end of verse #1 there is a colon (:). That means it continues to verse #2. We are still talking about John and the accurate account of Jesus Christ. In the gospel of John, Chapter 10 and Verse 41, it is recorded: "And many resorted unto him (John), and said, John did no miracle; but ALL things that John spake of this man (Jesus) were true." John bare record of the testimony that Jesus is the Messiah.
Let's take notice of the words "testimony of Jesus Christ, and all that he (John) saw". John was an eyewitness. John was an apostle. He was an apostle because he physically saw and walked with Jesus from the baptism of Jesus until Jesus ascended into Heaven. The word apostle refers to one of the 12 original disciples of Christ. Just like there were 12 patriarchs in the Old Testament, there were 12 apostles in the New Testament. Jesus personally chose His 12 apostles out of all His disciples. Only 12 became apostles, the rest remained disciples. We do not have living apostles today. Acts 1:22 shows the requirement to be a true apostle: "Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that He (Jesus) was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of His resurrection." There is no one alive today who physically witnessed Jesus' baptism, plus His ascending into heaven, plus His resurrection. Churches that teach that there are living apostles today are spreading false doctrine. Galatians 1:9 says: "If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received (the Bible), let him be accursed." Study the Word of God and ask God to show you the truth and He will. Let's go on. What about America?
People say "God bless America" ....
Will He ???
Will God Bless America ???
This will actually be up to us:
"If my people, which are called by my name (Christians), shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
"Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."
Blessed means divinely favored, fortunate, happy. So, IF you READ the Word of God, HEAR the Word of God and KEEP the Word of God, then you will be blessed. I must insert here that reading, hearing and keeping the Word of God does not save a person. Salvation is ONLY through accepting Jesus as your Saviour. When you read the Word of God, it shows that we are sinners. Hearing can be through preachers or others telling us about salvation, and keeping the Word of God is what we want to do after we have accepted Christ into our hearts (2 Corinthians 5:17). Jesus gave His life for us. Salvation is only through the blood that Christ shed on the cross for us. Not works. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly states: "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; Not of works". Blessings are bestowed upon us, as Jesus' children, when we are obedient - not for salvation. This fact cannot be stressed enough.
The last part of verse 3 informs us that "the time is at hand". What time is at hand? Simply the time of the events coming that are written in Revelation.
Warning !! The Time is at Hand !
Things are happening more & more
because we are in the End Times!
Sound the Alarm!
Make SURE you have truly accepted Christ as your Saviour !
Here Are Some Signs of the LAST DAYS:
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Nation shall rise against Nation: Matthew 24:7
Earthquakes and Famine: Matthew 24:7
Men shall run to and fro (traffic): Daniel 12:4
Knowledge shall be increased (computers): Daniel 12:4
Wars and Rumors of Wars: Matthew 24:6
Evil men become worse: 2 Timothy 3:13
Days be like time of Noah: Matthew 24:37
False christs: Mark 13:21-23
Falling away from Faith: 1 Timothy 4:1
People don't want sound Bible doctrine: 2 Timothy 4:3-4
People don't want to hear about 2nd coming: 2 Peter 3:3-14
False peace and safety: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3
People wanting stuff...lust of goods, etc.: Jude 16-18
Heaping Treasures: James 5:3-6
False Preachers: Matthew 24:11
Perilous times: 2 Timothy 3:1
Disobedient to Parents: 2 Timothy 3:2
Love Pleasure more than Love for God: 2 Timothy 3:4-5
Jews Returning to Their Land: Jeremiah 32:36-42
Coming World Dictator: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
The Length of his Rule: Revelation 13:5
Great Tribulation: Matthew 24:21
Many will Worship the Antichrist: Revelation 13:8
Doom to Those who Worship him: Revelation 14:9-11
Gospel Preached to all Nations: Mark 13:10
Signs in the Sun, Moon and Stars: Luke 21:25-27
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"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."
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Matthew 24:44
"JOHN to the seven churches which are in Asia, Grace be unto you, and peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before His throne;"
Verse 4 starts the Church Ages. Just like there are two sides to a coin, there are two implications of the churches. There were seven literal churches in Asia. Brick and mortar, you may say. A church that was actually located in a specific land area during a specific date/time. That's one side of the coin. The other side shows that there are seven spiritual churches. They are called 'church ages'. They occurred and are occurring during specific time frames. We will study these as we go.
The beginning of verse 4 starts out with John greeting the seven churches. He addresses the churches like we would start a letter that we are writing. John first wishes them well. John sends greetings from God to the seven churches. The number seven symbolizes completion. This is important to know. There are not eight or nine churches. There are seven churches. Seven completes. When we come to the seventh church age, it will be the end of the church ages = completion.
John says in verse 4 that God sends 'grace and peace'. God provides grace and peace for all who ask. Verse 4 describes God: "which is, and which was, and which is to come;" This also shows two aspects. One is that God was always here since the beginning of time, God is here today, and God will be there tomorrow. The other aspect shows God's trinity (1 John 5:7), God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. That's another whole study for another time.
Verse 4 also states very clearly that there are seven Spirits which are before God's throne.
"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,"
Verse 5 continues the greetings from verse 4. The greeting in verse 4 comes from God the Father and the seven Spirits which are before God's throne. In verse 5, this same greeting is also coming from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 5 goes on to describe Jesus as "the faithful witness." This is verified in Isaiah 55. Isaiah shows Jesus as the everlasting Salvation. Isaiah 55:4 confirms verse 5 of Revelation 1. Isaiah 55:4 reads: "Behold, I have given Him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander of the people." Jesus is "the faithful witness" spoken of in Isaiah 55.
The second description of Jesus in our verse states that Jesus "is the first begotten of the dead". From Adam and Eve until the time Christ rose from the dead, saints could not go directly to Heaven. This is because Jesus' blood had to be sacrificed first before people could go to Heaven. To put it more simply, Old Testament believers offered a lamb sacrifice on the altar. The lamb indicated that the person offering it had faith in the coming Messiah. The lamb signified the Messiah. Old Testament saints looked forward to the Lamb of God. It was not by works. It was the action of faith in Christ as the Lamb to be sacrificed. Sacrifices of the animals can never take away sins. Hebrews 10:4 says: "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." Today we look back to the Lamb sacrifice. Jesus is the Lamb of God. He was sacrificed for our sins. Old Testament saints looked forward to the Lamb of God. We go to Heaven because we have faith in the blood sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb, on the cross. John 1:36 says: "And looking upon Jesus as He walked, he (John) saith, Behold the Lamb of God! " (Also see Hebrews 9:12-15).
So this raises the question 'Where did saints go when they died before the cross?' Lets first explain why saints could not just go marching on into Heaven before Christ shed His blood on Calvary. God is also known as the Great Physician. Let's say a doctor is going to perform an operation. The room he is in must be sterile. The equipment is sterile and those assisting must scrub up. Suppose you just got off work from working in a sewer plant. You decide that it would be fine for you just to walk right into this doctor's operating room. Do you think you would be permitted to do that? Of course not! You must be sterile.
​This is the same situation with God. God is Holy. He is Pure. In order to be in the presence of God, we must be sterile ... washed. How? By the blood that Jesus shed on the Cross for our sins. Good works can never clean us up enough in order to let us into Heaven. WE can only be cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. So here we can understand that we can only get into Heaven through Jesus' blood that He shed for us. He cleanses us. We cannot cleanse ourselves. We do not have clean enough blood to do that.
So then where did all the people go who died before Jesus was crucified if they couldn't go to Heaven yet?
The Bible tells us the answer in Luke 16:19-26. This passage gives the description of the place where the Old Testament saints went when they died. This is before Christ had died on the cross:
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These are Jesus' own words: (Luke 16:19-26)
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"There was a certain (real man) rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain (real man) beggar named Lazarus, (Real names are not used in parables; thus, this is not a parable, but an actual account by Jesus.) which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in Hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence."
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You can see from this passage that Jesus informed us that people, who were not saved, went to a place called Hell located in the center of the earth. Contrarywise, saved people, who died before Christ shed His blood, went to a place across from Hell known as 'Paradise'. Yes, people from both places could see each other. They could talk and they could reason, but they could not go from one place over to the other.
The paradise side was beautiful and comfortable. There was a documentary on the Discovery Channel which showed scientists discovering beautiful, giant, ivory pillars in the center of the earth. The ivory pillars were broken down and toppled over, but they were huge and extremely beautiful. The scientists looked like little ants next to these giant pillars. This discovery is another proof of the paradise part in the center of our earth. It provides proof of Luke 16.
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"Paradise", or the lower parts of the earth (as the Bible describes), is the place people went that died before the Cross. Abraham was there, as we just read in Luke 16. Ephesians 4:9 says "...He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth".
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Another proof in scripture about "Paradise" is in Luke 23:43 "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." When Jesus was crucified on the cross, there were two men being crucified along with Jesus that day. Jesus said to the one man that he would be with Him in "Paradise". This man went to the Paradise side. Why did only the one man that was crucified on the cross next to Jesus go to "Paradise" and the other man did not? Because the one man believed Jesus was the Messiah and asked Jesus to be his Saviour. The other man did not believe, nor did he ask. If you want to go to heaven when you die, you MUST believe and ask Christ to be your Saviour.
Then this brings us the question, do we still go to "Paradise", or do we go to Heaven when we die? Today we go directly to Heaven if we have asked Christ to be our Saviour. We know this because of Matthew 27:53. After Jesus rose from the dead, He made the Way for the saints to come out of "Paradise" and join Him in Heaven. Old Testament saints, who were in "Paradise", were allowed to appear on the earth to many of the people living at that time! If you have an Old Scoffield KJV Bible, read the notes of Matthew 27:53. Imagine seeing Noah or Moses walking beside you and talking to you?! The Bible says God had permitted the Old Testament saints to walk on the earth in Matthew 27:52-53: "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.".
Today, when we die, we go directly into Heaven. There are no saints in "Paradise" any longer, which was located in the center of the earth. Jesus died on the Cross because He wanted us with Him. Jesus didn't want His saints to stay down in "Paradise" for eternity, He wanted them to be with Him up in Heaven. Jesus had prayed this prayer to His Heavenly Father in John 17:24: "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me (people in Paradise), be with Me where I am (Heaven); that they may behold My glory". Jesus had to shed His blood in order to allow us to enter into Heaven to be with Him. John 14:3, Jesus says: "...that where I am, there ye may be also." Jesus would not had made this prayer request to His Father if the Old Testament saints were already up there in Heaven.
SUMMARY:
1. People who died before Christ's blood was shed went to Paradise to wait for Jesus to die on the Cross. They showed their faith by offering a lamb sacrifice, looking forward to the Lamb to come.
2. Jesus sacrificed Himself as a Lamb for sins.
3. Jesus descended into Paradise and gathered His saints together and took them to Heaven.
4. We now go directly to Heaven because the Sacrifice of Jesus is complete.
Verse 5 concludes with: "Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood." so we could be in Heaven with Him.
"And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
When we become a Christian, God makes us priests and kings unto Him. 1 Peter 2:9 says: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light:"
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As a Christian, we should conduct ourselves like a priest or a king. Not being bossy, but being a reflection of Christ. We are to show forth praises of God, thanking Him for taking away our sins.
John 13:14-15 Jesus says: "If I then, your LORD and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you". We are to serve God by serving others. We do not need to wash people's feet literally, but we should be willing to serve them and help them whenever they need.
Verse 6 also points to the Diety of God. It says "God and His Father". Christ is God. Jesus states in John 10:30: "I and my Father are one." 1 John 5:7 says: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word (Jesus, John 1:14), and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." The Trinity.
The Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is not hard to understand. God gave us a perfect example of the Trinity when He gave us the egg. An egg has a shell, it has the white part, and it has a yolk. It is all an egg. You can separate the shell from the white and the yolk. You can separate the yolk from the white but it is all still called an egg. This is a wonderful example of the Trinity.
Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen."
Verse 7 is not talking about the Rapture. The Rapture is when God takes Christians off this earth. The Rapture is the next main event to happen. The definition of Rapture according to Webster's dictionary is "The transporting of a person from one place to another, especially to heaven, by supernatural means." Christians will go up and meet Jesus in the air. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 says: "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."
Verse 7 here is referring to the 2nd Coming. Jesus does not come down to the earth at the Rapture. Jesus will come down and stand on the earth at the 2nd Coming, not. To be confident that this verse is talking about the 2nd coming, we need to take the complete verse and look at it more closely... ​
"Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen." (Verse 7)
'This verse tells us that: "Every eye shall see Him'. Jesus will be seen by everyone at the same time. Everyone on earth, everyone in Heaven, and everyone in Hell will see Him. This proof is right here in Verse 7. 'They also which pierced Him.' Those who were alive when Jesus was crucified, "They also which pierced Him" will see Jesus at His 2nd Coming. (On our site here - uneed2no.com - under the 'Tools' tab, there are many verses on a literal Hell.)
Verse 7 continues with "all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him". In other words, all the nations in the world will 'wail' when they see Jesus coming. Wail means "to make a long, loud cry, as in grief, sorrow or fear". The people 'wailing' are unsaved. They will be regretting the fact that they did not ask Christ to be their Saviour. They realize it is too late. This will happen in every country of the world. Verse 7 ends with "Amen", which means - 'So Be It'.
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"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord,
which is, and which was, and which is to come,
the Almighty.
God repeats Himself in Revelation 22:13. He says: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." Alpha and Omega means the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
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Genesis 1:1, the first book of the Bible says: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Isaiah 45:18 also verifies this: "For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens, God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else." God declares Himself to be the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending (Revelation 22:13). He was there in Genesis and He is here in Revelation. Remember, this book is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:1 says: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ".
"I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the Word of God,
and for the testimony of Jesus Christ."
Verse 9 is referring back to John. We learnt a little about John earlier, how he preached in Ephesus. We learnt how the town leaders and the people became so angry with John that they arrested him, and threw him into a boiling pot of hot oil. We also talked about how burned he may have been. The terrible pain he may had been in. Then we talked about how he was sent to the isle of Patmos, which is a rocky island with hardly any vegetation. He served as a slave there. We learnt that you can visit this island today and see the cave where John probably had to sleep and lived with very little food. I say all this again so you can get a better grasp on the words here in Verse 9.
John calls you his brother/sister and companion here in Verse 9. Everyone of us, who are saved, are brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. John says "companion in tribulation". Right now, we are not in any real tribulation. Yes, we have trials, but most of us here in America have not been stoned, banished, or boiled in oil. God has really protected America. We have the freedom to tell others about Christ. Are we? Are we sharing the Gospel with others? If we don't witness now in a time of freedom, do you really think we will when times get rough? If we don't stand up for Christ now, with just handing out a simple gospel tract, then how are we going to stand up to persecution? Will we have the "patience of Jesus Christ" like this verse says?
John testified that he was on the isle of Patmos during the writing of Revelation. The isle of Patmos is located off the west coast of Turkey and Asia. Patmos is a rocky, treeless, volcanic island. It is only about 6 miles wide by about 30 miles long. John was on this isle for the "Word of God and the testimony of Christ" (verse 9). In other words, John states that he was sent to this 'prison' because he preached the Word of God. He told people about Jesus Christ dying for their sins and that Jesus was the only way to Heaven. People did not like to hear that, so John was banished to the isle of Patmos around AD 96.
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,"
John says here that he was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. Notice the word Spirit. This is not talking about John's spirit. This is referring to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came upon John to have him write the book of Revelation.
The Word of God, our KJV Bible, is Holy. It is pure. It is the written Word from God. 2 Peter 1:19 says: "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed," 2 Peter 1:20-21 says: "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 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."
The Bible is God's Holy Word. Research these verses: Galatians 1:11-12; Psalm 100:5; Psalm 19:7; and 2 Timothy 3:16. Proverbs 30:5 says: "Every word of God is pure:" The KJV Bible is inspired, pure, true, and very accurate. And we must remember the Bible, God's Word, will be used in Heaven on the day of judgment. Whether we want to acknowledge God's Bible or not, doesn't matter. We will still be judged according to what is written in it. Revelation 20:12: "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books," (We will be covering this verse more in depth later.) You can trust God's Word. He does not lie.
In the second half of Verse 10, John says he "heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet". The voice came from behind John. This must have made John really jump. It was not just a voice. It was a "great voice" . Put yourself in John's shoes. You are standing in a cave or near a cave on a rocky, lifeless island when all of a sudden you hear a 'great voice'. It may have called John's name. We don't know. I would have jumped out of my shoes!
Now, this was not a trumpet, but was as loud as a trumpet. It was a voice so loud and booming that John compared it to a trumpet. A trumpet sounds out proclamations. Trumpets are used throughout the Bible to get people's attention.
Numbers 10:1-2 The trumpet used to summon the congregation,
Isaiah 27:13 The trumpet being used to gather the people together.
Leviticus 23:24 The trumpet blown for a holy convocation.
1 Kings 1:39 & 2 Kings 9:13 Trumpets were blown to announce kings.
Jeremiah 6:1, Joel 2:1, Ezekiel 33:1-8; Hosea 8:1 To sound out warnings.
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Trumpets make very, very loud sounds.
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When a trumpet sounds, especially a loud one, all other noises seem to cease. Like for a proclamation of a king, everyone becomes silent. Three main uses of the trumpet would be to get people's attention. God wants us to listen. Second, would be to give warnings. Warnings to the seven literal churches, to the seven spiritual churches, and to us. Thirdly, to announce Jesus as King.
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In Verse 11, the King speaks ...
"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; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea."
Jesus is proclaiming His Kingship. He is "Alpha and Omega, the first and the last;" Genesis 1:26 says: "And God said, Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness:" Jesus was in the beginning with God. He was there with His Father during the creation of our world.
The Gospel of John says in 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made." John 1:14 - 15: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of Him".
When Jesus was born, the wise men came to find baby Jesus. The wise men asked: "Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him." Jesus is King from creation in Genesis, during His time on earth, and He is King in Revelation: "And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." (Revelation 19:16). Jesus says in Revelation 22:13: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." From Genesis to Revelation, He is the First and the Last.
Continuing with Verse 11, the Lord goes on to give John instructions. He says: "What thou seest, write in a book," Yes, there were books back then. Mankind was created with super intelligence. Look at how pyramids were built with precise mathematics. What about astrologers who went seeking Jesus using accurate star reading? Read the law of Moses in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Tabernacle itself is totally amazing. Mankind was very intelligent - even without computers! Yes, there were books. People knew how to read and write way before John's time of 96 AD. The book that Jesus is instructing John to write is the last book of God's Word, Revelation.
Verse 11 continues with the Lord sounding with the authority, like a trumpet, commanding: "send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea."
These seven churches named here were literal, brick and mortar churches: but also, with spiritual implications to church ages. As a comparison, it would be like the Old Testament saints offering a real, literal, lamb upon the altar. Even though the lamb was real, it had a spiritual meaning. The lamb showed the coming of the Lamb of God, Jesus. The sacrificial lamb was a real animal. These seven churches listed here were seven real places. The lamb sacrifice pointed to the Lamb of God and His sacrifice. These seven churches points to the seven church ages of our times. The number 7 represents completeness.
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Then we come to verse 12 ...
"And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;"
As John turned to see where this trumpeting voice came from, he saw seven golden candlesticks. Gold is very precious. It is valuable. John saw seven precious and valuable candlesticks. Look at verse 20. Here God shows us what these candlesticks mean. Remember, Revelation means to 'reveal'. God did not give us His Word to hide things from us. God gave us His Bible to 'REVEAL' things to us, to show us, and to teach us. The Bible is not hard to understand. The Bible was written on a third grade education level. The Bible was used in schools for learning to read and for learning the alphabet. The Bible was used in public schools from the early 1700's thru 1900's.
The seven candlesticks here in verse 12 are explained at the end of verse 20 where it says: "the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches". God's churches are "precious" and "valuable" to Him.
"And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
This verse shows that in the middle of the candlesticks, which are the seven churches (verse 20), is the "Son of man" . There are many, many verses in the Bible where Jesus is referred to as 'the Son of man'. Matthew 18:11 says: "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."
The Lord Jesus Christ is in the middle of every one of these churches. He will continue to be in the center of every church age. He will be in the very center of our last church age, the Laodicea time.
Ephesus
Smyrna
Laodicea
Thyatira
Sardis
Philadelphia
This verse goes on to describe our Saviour, our Redeemer. It says He is: "clothed with a garment down to the foot". This shows that the LORD is totally pure from head to foot. He is righteous and clothed in humility. He is not dressed as a warrior. He is clothed like this because He is dealing with His church right now. Later on in Revelation, we will see His warrior outfit. But right now He is dealing with the church. The Lord Jesus is showing that He is the sacrificial Lamb.
Pergamos
This verse also tells us that our Saviour is wearing a "golden girdle". In ancient times, men wore 'girdles' to show strength. 'Girdles' are extra wide belts. The Lord's 'belt', also called a girdle, is of fine, pure gold. Gold is a symbol of God’s glory and beauty, and an image of the Messiah. Gold represents the promise of redemption and mercy. God's "golden girdle" shows us that our Messiah is all glorious and beautiful. He promises those who ask Him to be their Saviour, mercy and redemption.
"His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire;"
Verse 14 continues with the physical description of our Lord. His hair and His beard are "white like wool". They are white. His hair is not 'wool'. His hairs are white. This shows the Lord's holiness. "His eyes were as a flame of fire". His eyes are not a flame of fire. They are AS a flame of fire. Habakkuk 1:13 says this about God: "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil,"
Let's go on to verse 15 as it also describes Christ's physical appearance.
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"And His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters."
The Lord's feet were like brass. They were not brass. His feet shined super bright like polished brass. Brass is a type of judgment. Remember, this is the Lord's appearance for the Judgment Seat of Christ, the place where Christians appear before Him.
This verse also describes our Saviour's voice "as the sound of many waters". Have you ever been near a large waterfall? The noise of the waterfall is so loud you really cannot talk over it. You can only stand there in amazement at the power of it.
Ezekiel 43:2 states: "And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east; and His voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with His glory."
Let's continue onto verse 16 as it also describes our Lord.
"And He had in His right hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength."
Let's first look at "the right hand". This is very important. In Hebrews 10:12, it says: "But this man, (Jesus), after He had offered one sacrifice (Himself), for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;" And Mark 16:19 documents: "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God."
Webster's Dictionary defines someone on the right hand, or a righthand man as: an indispensable helper or chief assistant." These seven stars in Christ's right hand are His indispensable helpers and chief assistants. Verse 20 tells us who these assistants are. They are "the angels of the seven churches".
Next in verse 16 is that "out of His mouth went a sharp twoedged sword". Did a real metal sword come out of Jesus' mouth? Not a metal one, but a real one. Remember to compare scripture to scripture. Hebrews 4:12 tells us what this sword is: "For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Ephesians 6:17 also verifies that the 'sword of God' is His Word, the Bible: "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God:"
The Lord Jesus used the Word of God (Bible passages), over and over when He walked on our earth. In Matthew 2:5, the Lord says: "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (God speaks through the Bible, His Word.) Jesus said over and over "It is written". (See Matthew 4:7; 26:24; 26:31; Mark 1:2; 7:6; 9:2; 9:13; 14:27; Luke 4:4; 4:8; 19:46; John 6:45; Acts 7:45; and there are many more verses.) A sword is a tool that cuts. When the Lord opens His mouth, it will cut us to our hearts. The Lord will be judging us according to His Word, the Bible, which He gave us. Our works, as Christians, will be judged according to the works we are to follow that God wrote down for us in His Word, our 1611 King James Bible. Do we read it? Do we study it? When we stand before the Lord, He will not permit the excuse "I didn't know the Bible said that." God gave us His Word, the Bible. You will be held accountable for not reading it, or not studying it, and or not doing it.
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And don't ever change God's Word. He commands us not to never change His Word: "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish out from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you." Deuteronomy 4:2. Also see Deuteronomy 5:22; 12:32; Proverbs 30:5-6; Revelation 22:18-19. If you instruct someone to do something, you expect them to do it according to your instructions. If they do not follow your instructions, they have not obeyed. If they change your instructions into what they want, then they actually are making your words a lie. For example: "Oh, we don't have to follow the instructions, we can do it this way." Yet, this is exactly what people do to God and His Word, His instructions, today!
God's Word
is
HOLY
Lastly with verse 16, it continues to describe our Lord that "His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength." The Lord is radiant, shining. This verse describes Him as radiant as "the sun" shining in it's strength. Have you every tried to look at the sun on a very bright sunny day?! Almost impossible.
When we are close to the sun, people can tell. They can tell by our sunburns. And the more we are in the sun, the more people can tell we have been in the sun. This should apply to us as Christians. The closer we get to God, and the more time we spend with Him in His Word, the more people can tell we are spending time in God's Son shine.
God reveals to us things about Himself in these four verses that we just studied - verses 13-16. Remember, God wants to reveal Himself to us. He walked with man in the garden of Eden. He wants to reveal Himself to us through the book of Revelation. Revelation means to 'reveal' ... not to hide! To sum it up, these verses, 13-16, teaches us things that God wants us to know about Him.
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The Lord is PURE and GLORIOUS (verse 13)
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He is HOLY and MERCIFUL (verse 14)
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He is a God of JUDGMENT and we will be speechless (verse 15)
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He will use His Word in judgment as He shines (verse 16)
"And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me,
saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last."
When John saw the Glory of the Lord, he fell at the Lord's feet as a dead man.
There is a beautiful song written by Bart Millard, lead singer of MercyMe, entitled "I Can Only Imagine". This song really touches our imaginations of when we shall see God. Will we be able to stand, or will we fall at the Lord's feet? Philippines 2:10-11 says: "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, the the glory of God the Father."
Someday we will all stand before God. It is inevitable. But the decision lies with you whether you want to confess Jesus here on earth or later when you stand before God. I'd rather confess and ask Christ into my heart now on earth, than to stand before God in Heaven and be condemned to hell. We will study this in a later chapter in Revelation.
We also see here in verse 17 that "He laid His right hand upon me". This happened to John. The Lord laid His right hand upon John. Remember the significance of the right hand in verse 16? God was signifying that John was divinely chosen to write the Revelation of Jesus Christ. God tells John not to be afraid when He says: "fear not". God had also told these same words to the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 44:8 "Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses". So here in verse 17 we see that God has chosen John to write the book of Revelation. The Lord affirms to John that He, Christ, is "the first and the last", the "Alpha and the Omega", the beginning and the ending, from Genesis to Revelation, from the beginning of time until the end of time, He is LORD.
"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."
Here in verse 18 we see Christ is affirming that He is alive. The Lord states that He was dead, but that He is "alive forevermore".
John had been with Christ while He was on this earth. He leaned upon Jesus. John saw Jesus being crucified and John saw Jesus after He arose from the grave. The Lord Jesus is reminding John what happened and why. The Lord is verifying to John that He has indeed risen and is alive. The Lord is reminding all of us of this in Luke 24:1-8 which reads:
"Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments; And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered His words".
This is the gospel: Jesus was alive from the beginning, He died for our sins, and He arose victorious over death and He lives forevermore! He is the Saviour of the world, but only those who accept Him as their Saviour will be saved. Saved from the second death, saved from hell, and saved from the Lake of Fire. Yes, God does reveal all this to us. Why? Because He loves us so much that He died for our sins so we would not have to go to a real place of torments.
The last part of verse 18 says: "Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Amen means 'So Be It'. Kind of like a judge would say when he hits his gavel. It is said, it is sealed, it is so. The rest of this verse states that the Lord has "the keys of hell and of death".
What does this mean: "the keys of hell and death" ? A key is an instrument used to lock or to unlock a door. Jesus is saying here that He has the keys that lock and unlock hell and death. Let's look at Revelation 20:1-3 briefly: "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season." By these verses, we see that God has the power to lock and unlock Satan, hell, and death. As for death, we see that in 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 "The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. (The Ten Commandments show us that we are not able to keep the law. Look at Exodus 20:7, the third of the Ten Commandments says: "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain." Saying the name of Jesus or God in a derogatory or exclamatory way is a very bad sin that God says He will hold us guilty to. "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" we can be forgiven of our sins. Sin came upon all mankind when mankind sinned in the Garden of Eden (see Romans 5:12). Because of that sin, death has come upon all mankind. However, we are given the chance to have victory over spiritual death because the Lord Jesus died on the cross so we could have the choice of everlasting life in Heaven. The choice is ours. We each are responsible for our own decision. To choose Heaven you must ask Jesus to be your Saviour and forgive your sins. To choose Hell, you do nothing: you don't ask Christ to save you. We all have sin. It all comes down to whether we ask to be saved or we don't ask. The choice is ours.
"Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;"
In this verse, we find the command given to John to write everything Jesus tells him. John is to write about the past, the present, and the future. We saw in verse 2 that John "bare record of the word of God". John is first instructed to write about what he has just saw. The word 'saw' is a past tense verb. John wrote about the Lord loving us so much that "He washed us from our sins in His own blood" (verse 5) John saw this. He was with the Lord when He was crucified. This is the past. God commanded John to write of these things which he had seen, the past.
Then the Lord instructs John to write about "the things which are,". This is the present. The present is Revelation chapters 2 & 3. This is the documentation of the seven churches, also known as the seven church ages. We are covering them next.
Lastly in verse 19, the Lord tells John to write about "the things which shall be hereafter;" This is the future. This is where it really gets exciting. Jesus reveals the future to us in chapters 4 - 22. Remember, Revelation is the Revelation of Jesus Christ and He is revealing to us our future. This is extremely important stuff!
"The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my 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."
Here we go. God is revealing to us His Word. John saw the 'mystery', and then God explains the mystery to us. All through the gospels, the Lord Jesus told parables. Some people during that time did not understand the parables which Jesus spoke. Jesus did not tell parables to keep people in the 'dark', He told them parables to teach them. If you would take the time to read the parables, you would see that they are quite simple. When Jesus was with fishermen, He used parables, or story examples, to teach the fishermen. When Jesus was with shepherds, He spoke parables about sheep, and so on. The Lord does not want to hide His Word from us, like Satan would want us to believe. God sent His Word to us to read and to learn. The Bible is God's love letter to all of us. We need to read it. Don't let people deceive you into thinking the Word of God is hard to understand. Remember, it was written on a third-grade level and used as a school early reading book.
The Lord explains verse 4 where John saw "the seven Spirits which are before his throne;" here in verse 20. The Lord is letting us know that these seven Sprits are the seven special Angels that God had set over His churches. God calls them His Stars. Then the Lord continues to explain that the golden candlesticks, which John saw, are the seven churches or church ages.
God reveals His Word to us! God says: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)
