Bible Study With Jairus

Bible Study With Jairus - Revelation 8

Bible Study with Jairus - Revelation 8

 

The Prayers of the Saints Advance God’s Plans for Judgment on the World

 

In Revelation 7, we learned how Jesus, the Cornerstone, connects the Jewish and Gentile believers and lays the foundation for the New Jerusalem. The construction of the New Jerusalem is one of the themes of the Book of Revelation.

 

Another theme is that the newly-built body of Christ will judge evil spirits. Paul says explicitly, “Do you not know that we are to judge angels?”(1 Corinthians 6:3) This judgment of angels culminates in the judgment of Satan and his evil spirits, as they are cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10). This judgment is also pictured in the earlier chapters of Revelation, such as Revelation 8. God’s judgment is seen in the sixth seal, as well as in the vision between the sixth and seventh seals. The prayers of the saints are necessary to bring about God’s just judgment on humans and angels.

 

 

Why Is There Silence in Heaven for Half an Hour?

 

When the Lamb unveils the seventh seal, there is silence in heaven for half an hour. Why? Because when the seventh seal is opened, it will unveil seven more trumpet judgments. I believe that these judgments are dependent on the powerful prayers of the saints. The saints must cooperate with God’s sovereignty through prayer so that the Lamb can open the seven seals. The prayers of the saints are a necessary condition for the advancement of God’s kingly work. This is why verse 2 says that when the seven trumpets are given to the seven angels standing before God, they do not blow them right away. Instead, the angel offers up incense, which is the prayers of the saints. Its smoke rises up before God (3-5). Those prayers are necessary to bring about God’s judgment. Only after the incense of the prayers ascends to God do the angels prepare to blow the trumpets (6). Only then does God’s judgment unfold at last (8:7-13). So it is natural to infer that the prayers in verses 3-5 are the driving force for the blowing of the trumpets in verse 6.

 

Another reason for the silence in heaven is revealed in Revelation 6. God asked the persecuted saints "to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been" (6:11). These slain saints asked God to take revenge on those who had shed their blood (6:10). But after the judgment of the sixth seal was complete, God waited quietly for the prayers of the saints to fill up the golden censer. This was a gradual process. When the prayers of the saints reached the required amount, the next step of judgment occurred, as recorded in verse 5: “Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.” Judgment comes from the throne of God, but the prayers of the saints have great power in bringing it about (James 5:16). Prayer can influence God, who sits on the throne, to carry out his judgment on evil spirits and on the world.

 

Don’t think that the seven trumpet judgments are too cruel. Peter predicts that God will even judge believers: "For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And ‘If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?’”(1 Peter 4:17-18)

 

I can say from experience that it is extremely difficult to go through judgment. Years ago, I went through a long-lasting period of God’s discipline, and I learned many lessons of obedience through these times. In the end, I was able to praise God for what he taught me. The author of the book of Hebrews says, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him” (Hebrews 12:5). When we experience God's discipline, our knee-jerk reaction is to feel discouraged. When my wife and I were experiencing ten years of infertility, a sister was going through the same difficulty at the same time. She had been barren for many years and had no children. One time, she lamented, “For so many years, nothing has gone well for me. Everybody else is having a good life but me.”

 

Of course, we felt the same way at the time. But I frequently comforted myself with the words of Hebrews 12:11, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” I knew the Lord was disciplining me because of his love: “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves” (Hebrews 12:6). I knew in my spirit that God would use me greatly in the future and in order to prepare for that time, I had to grow in faith and yield my flesh to Him. I had to stop serving Him by my own power. The journey was a slow process. Learning to obey took a long time, and it took even longer to learn to thank God from the heart for His discipline. The process required time, and I kept praying desperately for God’s work.

 

After ten years of God’s discipline, I had an internal breakthrough. Though I still hadn’t seen God's blessing outwardly, I had surrendered myself to God inwardly. Even though the external difficulties didn’t go away, and Satan's attacks often made me burst into tears, I still worshiped and prayed to God from the bottom of my heart. I sang songs and praises to God, even while weeping. At this time, I experienced a miracle in my life. God gave me a miracle baby. In addition, the infertile sister I mentioned earlier also received a son and a daughter.

 

The judgment of the sixth seal depicts an extremely difficult lesson of God’s discipline. Even the martyred saints struggled to learn this lesson. After this difficult lesson, it took them a while to send enough prayers to fill God’s censor. God was patient with the process. During the half an hour of silence in heaven, he was waiting patiently to begin his spiritual discipline of mankind as a whole.

 

This is not a wild guess from me, but a lesson that I have learned through my own spiritual experiences with God Himself. Even though God’s word is greater than our personal experience, yet our experiences are necessary to help us better understand His word. We should not only learn His words, but also experience them for ourselves. The spiritual lessons a person learns through experience can help him understand the words of the Bible from a higher spiritual vantage point. In this case, God’s discipline reveals his love and patience.

 

When Jesus was on earth, he lived a life of meekness and patience. No one can immediately utter words of praise when they are slapped in the face. Most people would complain or even curse. For example, when James and John were rejected by the Samaritans, their first reaction was to command fire to come down from heaven and consume their enemies. But Jesus responded differently. His prayer was full of gentleness: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will” (Matthew 11:25-26). Why? Because Jesus knows the loving nature of God the Father. Through suffering, we can learn about God’s love, patience, gentleness, and meekness.

 

Watchman Nee says that when a person goes through suffering, he either becomes spiritually stronger or spiritually weaker. No one goes through difficulties without transformation. He says, “A believer can never be the same after passing through suffering. Either he will have his capacity enlarged or he will become more hardened. For this reason, when believers are passing through suffering, they must pay attention and they must realize that maturity in life is the sum total of receiving the discipline of the Holy Spirit.”^[1] Through suffering, our hearts become more tender toward God, and we learn more about his attributes. This will equip us to advance God’s work through prayer. This can only be accomplished by the overcomers who win a final victory, represented by the male child in Revelation 12. These overcomers are the ones who will judge evil spirits and the entire world on behalf of the church.

 

The Transition of Judgment

 

Another reason there is silence in heaven for half an hour is because all of heaven is waiting with bated breath for a huge transition that is taking place in this chapter. As we’ve mentioned, Revelation 12 is a turning point in the book of Revelation. Revelation 8 is another turning point. The focus of God’s judgment is turning from the house of God to the fallen world!

 

As 1 Peter 4:17 says, God's judgment begins with the house of God. We can see this truth in Revelation. God starts by disciplining the seven churches through His letters to the churches. This leads to heaven being opened. John sees God sitting on the throne with a scroll in his right hand. This scroll contains God’s plan for the church, the victorious body of Christ. Although this scroll includes God’s judgment for the world, it mostly focuses on God’s judgment for his chosen people. This is why the saints in Revelation 6 shout, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Revelation 6:10) The saints are undergoing God’s judgment, and they are longing for God to judge unbelievers as well.

 

The vision that follows the sixth seal reveals that a large number of Jews have been saved and that countless Gentiles have turned to Christ. They are the firstfruits chosen by God. Though some people will need further discipline, others have experienced God’s discipline process and have matured spiritually. They now sit on the throne with God, judging the world. So we see that the seven seal judgments are focused on helping the church mature so it can bring forth conquerors. However, the seven trumpet judgments are for unbelievers and are brought about through the prayers of the conquerors. This is the difference between the seven seals and the seven trumpets.

 

This also points to the reason why heaven is silent for half an hour after the Lamb opens the seventh seal. Times are about to change. Why did God stay quiet 400 years after Malachi’s last prophecy? Times were changing, Jesus Christ was about to be born, and heaven was holding its breath for the coming of the great era. In the same way, even now, “the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God” (Romans 8:19). After the sixth seal, God is already beginning to reveal his sons. God’s times are changing. His creation is about to be set free. Romans 8:20-21 says, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” All of creation is awaiting the revealing of the sons of God with great anticipation. And after three short chapters, the great production is about to happen in Revelation 12.

 

My wife went through great difficulties when giving birth to our daughter. Since the delivery didn’t go well, we had no choice but to agree to a Cesarean delivery on the spot. I was full of anxiety at that moment. I prayed to God but got no response from Him. I was restless and kept pacing up and down the hospital corridors. When I saw the doctor pull our baby girl out of her mother and pat her buttocks to make her cry, I was so relieved. How can heaven not be silent for half an hour? The earth has been going through birth pangs. The moment of birth has arrived! The drama is about to unfold! It is so exciting! Just like God waited in silence for 400 years while he was preparing to send Christ at just the right moment, God is also waiting in silence at this pivotal junction in human history. He is filled with awe and is waiting with bated breath!

 

Many people read the book of Revelation as if they were chewing on wax. They are neither excited nor amazed. Why not? Because they cannot visualize this amazing picture in their spirits. We need to be spiritually enlightened, just like Simeon, to whom God revealed that he would see Christ Jesus with his very own eyes before he died. When he saw baby Jesus, he recognized him instantly and glorified and praised God (Luke 2:26-28). Many other people did not have spiritual eyes to see Jesus, so they did not recognize Him. This led to "the fall and rising of many in Israel" (Luke 2:34) because people could not recognize God's work.

 

The Terrible Judgment of God on Unbelievers

 

The Bible repeatedly warns that God's judgment on unbelievers in the last days will be great and formidable. Malachi 4:5-6 proclaims, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”  These are the final words of the Old Testament, and they uncover God’s principle for the New Testament. God has appointed a day of great terror on which he will judge all human beings, especially unbelievers, with finality. But before that, God will continue to work through His grace and through the Gospel of His Son. He promised to send the Spirit of the prophet Elijah to reconcile people with the Father. The Spirit of Elijah is represented by the Baptism of Repentance proclaimed by John the Baptist. The Lord Jesus says clearly, "But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands" (Matthew 17:12). The Lord Jesus is referring to John, and also alludes to His own destiny.

 

After the turning point in Revelation 8, the target of the judgment turns to unbelievers. During the transition, God’s grace is still available. However, the hardness of the human heart is incredibly great. Even though a third of the human race was killed after the severe trumpet judgments, (Revelation 9:18), people still worshiped various idols. The Bible says, “They did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts” (Revelation 9:20-21). Therefore, God's hand strikes more harshly, and the judgment keeps getting crueler. It’s not until the great earthquake happens in Revelation 11:13, killing 7,000 people, that humans finally are terrified and give glory to God in heaven. Later, Revelation 12 describes the birth of a male child who will judge Satan. This child is persecuted by Satan, and the curtain opens on the catastrophe of the last three and half years of the tribulation. But even during the great tribulation, people are still getting saved and overcoming sin. God’s grace is still visible and available, even in His judgment.

 

The Seven Trumpets are God’s Judgment upon Evil Spirits

 

The ten plagues of Egypt were not only God’s judgment upon Pharaoh, but also God’s judgment on the ten evil spirits they represented. The same principle is found in the seven trumpet judgments of Revelation 8. Here is a fun fact: evil spirits like to live where there is water. Many of the trumpet judgments involve water so that God can judge the evil spirits in the water. Here is a summary of the way God judges evil spirits through the trumpet judgment:

• The first trumpet is God’s judgment upon the earth, because the earth is filled with human beings possessed by evil spirits. The earth is defiled by demons.
• The second trumpet judges the sea. This is God’s judgment upon the evil spirits in the ocean.
• The third trumpet judges the evil spirits in the rivers.
• The fourth trumpet, which strikes a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, is God’s judgment on the head of all rule and authority.
• The fifth and sixth trumpets of Revelation 9 release the locusts from the bottomless pit to torment people. In addition, the angel of the Euphrates River is released to bring in mounted troops to kill one-third of mankind.

 

In the first trumpet judgment, God judges the spirits that are targeting humans. Jesus says that when an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it is unable to find rest in waterless places, so it returns to the house from which it came. When it returns, it brings seven worse spirits with it, so the person ends up worse off in the end than he was in the beginning. Jesus says the same principle is true of the evil days (Matthew 12:43-45). Humankind is created in the image of God, so evil spirits target humans. They possess humans and try to influence them to commit sins. This is why God’s judgment starts with driving out evil spirits.

 

However, when the people who have been released from Satan refuse to allow the Lord to enter their hearts, their hearts will be like empty houses. Even worse spirits will take up residence inside them. This is seen in the locusts that come out of the bottomless pit. Those who refuse to repent and break free from evil spirits will eventually be tortured by unclean spirits that are far worse than the original ones. Their situation will only get worse and worse.

 

We will learn more about the seven trumpets in our study of Revelation 9.

 

^[1] Watchman Nee, A Seer of the Divine Revelation in the Present Age, Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministries, 1991.

Bible Study With Jairus - Revelation 7

Bible Study with Jairus – Revelation 7

 

The Cornerstone Brings Together Jews and Gentile Believers

 

The end of Revelation unveils the beauty of the New Jerusalem, a magnificent city that has been recently constructed. First Peter 2:5 tells us that we as believers are the living stones that compose that spiritual temple, the New Jerusalem: “You, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Jesus is the cornerstone of the entire structure. First Peter 2:4 states that Jesus is “a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious.” First Peter 2:6-7 also agrees that Christ is the cornerstone. Both Isaiah and Ephesians talk about how Jesus Christ, the cornerstone, unites Jews and Gentiles.

As the body of Christ matures at the end of Revelation, the construction of the spiritual temple is completed. Naturally, we would expect to see more about the progress in earlier chapters as well. And that is exactly what we find when we study Revelation.

The image of the New Jerusalem from Chapter 21 correlates to the vision in Chapter 7. Chapter 21 says that the New Jerusalem has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and on the gates are written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel (Revelation 21:12). The city has twelve foundations, and on them are written the names of the twelve apostles (Revelation 21:14). And Chapter 7 describes a vision that takes place between the sixth and seventh seal. It encourages believers to stay hopeful when going through suffering because God is already building his spiritual temple.

Let’s look at the vision more closely. In this vision, God describes 144,000 people from the tribes of Israel who had been sealed (Revelation 7:3-8). He also introduces “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9). This vision is a vivid depiction of the truths revealed in Ephesians 2. The hatred between Jews and Gentiles has been removed. The Israelites and the multicultural tribe are all united before the throne of God. Because Jesus Christ is the cornerstone, believers from every nation can grow together into the temple of the Lord (Ephesians 2:11-22).

 

We Need to Understand the Overall Structure of Revelation

 

When we go for a walk in a forest, there are signposts or maps to guide us. If we do not see the signposts or misinterpret the signs, we will get lost. In the same way, when we read the Scripture, it’s easy to get lost. Especially when we read a difficult book like Revelation, we often miss the signposts and take the wrong path. There are signposts everywhere in the Bible. But sometimes we fail to see them. Perhaps they are overgrown with moss or shrubs and we must make extra efforts to find them. In the same way, when reading the Bible, we need help from the Holy Spirit to help us find the signposts.

In addition, we must not pay too much attention to the details in the Bible, or we will lose the forest for the trees. We will get lost because we fail to see the big picture. Just like you solve a jigsaw puzzle by creating the outer border and the main picture first, we need to see the outline and the big picture in the Bible. Only then will we be able to fit the details into place.

So here is an important question: What is the overall picture of Revelation? The overall structure is that God will judge the church and the world in order to mature the bride of Christ (the New Jerusalem) and prepare her for the second coming of Jesus Christ. In Revelation 12, we see a description of the bride giving birth to a male child. Because he knows that the church is destined to judge the angels, Satan’s anger grows exponentially after the male child is born. He begins to persecute the church and the overcomers. This event initiates a three-and-a-half-year tribulation.

Let’s review the structure of the Book of Revelation:

• Revelation 1-3 describes the Lord’s judgment upon the church.
• The Lord shows John a heavenly vision of God’s throne (4-5).
• After cleansing the house of God, the judgment of the world begins, which is the purpose of the seven seals (chapters 6-8) and the seven trumpets (chapters 9-11).
• In between the judgments God includes visions to encourage believers to see God’s grace and kindness amid suffering and judgment. The vision between the sixth and seventh seals reveals the foundation the New Jerusalem is built upon: Christ.
• Through Jesus Christ, the Cornerstone, the Jews and Gentile believers are united (chapter 7).
• The vision between the sixth and seventh trumpets encourages believers to see that the mystery of God will be fulfilled (10:7). This is the signpost of Revelation. And this is the overarching structure: judgment comes first, then comes encouragement. Then the cycle repeats itself.
• After Revelation 12, the battle between Christ and Satan intensifies until it culminates in the Battle of Armageddon. Of course, Christ and His bride win the final victory over Satan and his demons. God puts down the rebellion, destroys all evil in His universe, and invites the New Jerusalem to come to earth.

We must see the hidden structure of the Book of Revelation so that we will not get lost as if we were in a forest.

 

The Vision in Revelation 7 Reveals the Foundation of New Jerusalem

Revelation 21 mentions the names of the twelve tribes written on the twelve gates, as well as the names of the twelve apostles written on the twelve foundations. The angel has a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, including its gates and its walls (Revelation 21:15). Those who have worked in construction or visited a construction site know that measuring is an important part of the building process. Whenever the Bible is talking about taking measurements, it is often referring to the building process. Both Revelation 21 and Revelation 11 talk about an angel taking measurements. Revelation 11:1 says, “Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there’” (11:1). Here, the idea of measurement may indicate sizing up the building and the building materials.

Even though the Book of Revelation contains a lot of judgment, it also contains rebuilding and growth. Paul says it in this way: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). God’s judgment demolishes the old creation, while God’s renewal builds up the new creation.

Although the Bible says that the New Jerusalem came “down out of heaven from God” (Revelation 21:2), it does not exclude the possibility of building it on Earth. The word "parousia" contains both the idea of a public appearance and a hidden manifestation. Jesus Christ will return to earth publicly, but he also manifests himself in more subtle ways within the hearts of his followers. He appears quietly, like the morning star mentioned in 2 Peter 1:19. In the same way, the construction of the New Jerusalem has two aspects. On the one hand, she comes down from heaven; on the other hand, she is built up in each of our hearts. This is what Peter proclaims: "You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house" (1 Peter 2:5).

The themes of tearing down and building up are two main themes of the Book of Revelation. They mirror the concepts of judgment and encouragement. God never tears down if he doesn’t intend to build up again. God's work does not stop at tearing down or judging. He also rebuilds and encourages his people, the world, and the new creation.

We can see this structure clearly at the beginning of Revelation 7. After the first six seal judgments, the four angels at the four corners of the earth were about to harm the earth and the sea (7:1-2). This judgment would have been part of the sixth seal, because it was happening before the seventh seal. However, another angel asked them to hold back the judgment until he sealed God’s servants with the seal of the living God (7:3). The severe judgment was temporarily suspended.

Chapter 6:12-14 says, "When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth… The sky... was removed from its place.” Jesus uses a very similar description of the end times in Matthew 24: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29). In Matthew 24:21, He goes on, "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be." Then verse 31 says, "And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Jesus’ words correlate closely to the vision in Revelation 7. After the angel with the seal of God stops the four angels who want to harm the earth and the sea, the chapter never records that the four angels actually executed their plans. Perhaps Jesus was referring to these four angels when he said that unless these days were cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of God’s chosen people, God's grace had cut these days short.

In addition, Matthew says that an angel will blow a trumpet to gather His chosen Jews together. This corresponds with the opening of the seven seals. Revelation 7 says that 144,000 Israelites were sealed, and their return to God may have begun during the blowing of the seventh trumpet. However, none of the 144,000 came from the tribe of Dan. Perhaps this tribe comes back to God in Revelation 21. This is beyond the scope of our current discussion.

 

Let’s return to our discussion of tearing down and building up. Judgment is not an end, but only a means to an end. The purpose of judgment is to bring people to repentance and gather God's chosen people—not only the Jews but also the saved people from all nations—to himself. Jews and Gentiles are built together on the cornerstone, Jesus Christ, who is the foundation of the temple.

Christ, the Cornerstone, Unifies the Jewish and Gentile Believers

Christ is not only the Lamb of God who takes away sin, but he is also the Designer and Architect of the City of God. Speaking of Abraham, Hebrews 11:10 says, "For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." I believe this city is the New Jerusalem in Revelation. That raises a question: What is the building material? As a spiritual building, the temple is made of living stones. And who are those living stones? Believers! Both Gentile believers and Jewish believers are the living stones that make up this building. The Jewish people rejected Christ as their cornerstone, but he nonetheless became the Chief Cornerstone that united Jews and Gentiles. Acts 4:11 maintains, "This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone." (See also Matthew 21:42.)

The Bible refers to Jesus as the cornerstone many times. Isaiah 28:16 says, "Therefore thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I am the one who has laidas a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone.’" The cornerstone refers to Christ, who is the foundation of a spiritual building. Obviously, Jesus Christ is not a physical stone; he is a "spiritual Rock … and the Rock was Christ." (1 Corinthians 10:4). Jesus is the foundation of the church, and we are the living stones being built upon it. We are being built into a spiritual temple, the dwelling place of God’s Spirit.

Nowhere is this building process better described than in Ephesians 2. First, Paul reminds the Gentile believers of how they were formerly separated from the promises God made to the Jews (2:12), but how that hostility was removed through Jesus Christ (2:14). They now have access in one Spirit to the Father (2:18). Paul tells them that the church was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone (2:20), "in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit" (2:21-22). The "whole structure" includes both Jewish and Gentile believers who grow together into a holy temple in the Lord. This temple is the New Jerusalem. Christ, as the cornerstone, must include both Jewish and Gentile believers as he builds his temple.

Paul’s words can help us understand John’s vision in Revelation. If we are not familiar with Paul’s writings, our understanding of Revelation will be limited. The Bible is written by different people, but they are all inspired by one Holy Spirit. We must look at the Bible as a whole and interpret the vision in Revelation in the light of the inspiration that Paul saw and received.

 

The Building of the Foundation in Revelation 7 Is Necessary for the Seventh Seal and the Seventh Trumpet

 

In the Bible, we see a spiritual principle: God gradually does away with the old as he incrementally brings in the new. He does not get rid of the old too quickly, or the new growth wouldn’t have a foundation to stand on.

We see this principle in Revelation 7. In the seventh seal judgment and the seventh trumpet judgment, God judges the old creation so he can bring in the new creation. But he will not destroy the old creation before the new creation is fully formed because we still need the old creation to supply the physical needs of our natural existence.

In the same way, when we first put our trust in the Lord, the Holy Spirit gives us some sense of repentance, but he doesn’t show us all of our problems at once. Instead, as we mature, he gradually reveals more and more sins that we need to deal with. Another example comes from the Old Testament. When God commanded the Israelites to drive out the Canaanites, he didn’t allow them to do it all at once. If they had, the wild beasts would have grown and multiplied in the vacated land before they could fully take possession of it (Deuteronomy 7:22). Israel needed to drive out the Canaanites gradually. The Canaanites represent the aspects of the physical body and the physical world that are still useful. In Deuteronomy, the Canaanite’s presence served a purpose: to restrain the increase of wild beasts. The same principle applies to us today. We need our physical bodies so we can continue to develop our spiritual lives. Only when we reach heaven or obtain a glorified body will we escape the restrictions of our physicality. Until then, we need our bodies. Although there is no way to escape from the physical body, we can still experience freedom from the bondage of the sinful flesh.

Our spiritual maturity determines how well we deal with our flesh. For example, Watchman Nee often held trainings to help brothers and sisters mature spiritually and overcome the flesh. Sometimes when people asked him questions, he would speak out about their spiritual problems very frankly, sometimes even mercilessly. But other times, he refrained from pointing out their shortcomings, instead giving them compliments. People asked, “Why do you have such a strange way of handling questions?” He responded, “Everyone's spiritual life is different. For those who are more mature spiritually, critical words can help them. But for those who are spiritually immature, words of criticism would make them stumble.”

 

This story illustrates this principle well. Before the old creation can be judged and torn down, the new creation needs to be built up. The seventh seal and the seventh trumpet judgments that take place after Revelation 8 will be even more severe. That’s why Revelation 7 is so important. This chapter serves to build up the Jews and the Gentiles and bring them together in reconciliation. As God unites Jews and Gentiles upon the cornerstone, Christ, he lays a solid foundation for the spiritual temple. Only then will the church be able to endure God’s harsh judgment on the old creation. We hope that this spiritual principle helps you better understand God’s words in Revelation 7.

Bible Study with Jairus —Revelation 6

Bible Study with Jairus —Revelation 6

 

The Beginning of Birth Pains

 

In Revelation 6, God reveals the first six of the seven seals. In Revelation 7, God gives John an encouraging vision that takes place between the sixth and the seventh seals. And in Revelation 8, the Lamb unveils the seventh seal and begins to reveal the seven trumpet judgments. The vision that takes place between the sixth and seventh seals encourages believers to notice the positive things that are going on in Heaven, despite their suffering on Earth. And the vision between the sixth and seventh trumpets encourages believers that they will be able to overcome these judgments and enter into their final victory.

 

In Matthew 24, the disciples ask Jesus, “What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3 ESV) The Lord Jesus replies, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” (Matthew 24:6-8 ESV) What are these labor pains? They are the first four seals mentioned in Revelation 6! The first four seal judgments bring war, famine, pestilence and death, just like Jesus described in Matthew 24.

 

If these signs are the beginning of birth pains, what is being born? I believe the Bride of Christ and her victorious child are about to be born (see Revelation 12). The request of the martyred saints in the fifth seal is the appeal of Christ’s bride. God tells these saints that they must continue to endure until the number of martyred saints is completed. When the sixth seal is opened, an earthquake occurs, the sun turns black, the full moon becomes like blood, the stars fall from the sky, the heaven is rolled up like a scroll, and the mountains, seas, and islands are removed from their places. These are labor pains as well, because a new heaven and a new earth are about to be born. In the process, the old heaven and earth will shake violently and eventually pass away. Then God will create a new heaven and a new earth.

 

These birth pains remind us of a chick hatching from an egg. When the chick is ready to hatch, it pecks through the eggshell that once protected it and comes out of the shell. The old heaven and earth are like an eggshell that formerly housed the growing chick. Once this new life is ready to be revealed, the eggshell is no longer needed.

 

The Paradox of the Future and the Present

Does the book of Revelation reveal things that will happen in the future, or things that have already happened? On the one hand, it does reveal things that will happen in the future. Revelation 1:1 clearly says that one purpose of the book is "to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass.” This verse is clearly speaking about things that are going to happen in the future. But at the same time, we notice that the whole book of Revelation is written in past tense. Since time does not exist (or is limitless) in the spiritual realm, we must go beyond the limits of linear chronology when we try to understand the prophecies of Revelation. Even though there are events in Revelation that have not happened yet, we can still apply the timeless principles the book reveals.

 

This concept will help us to better understand the following question about Revelation 6: Does the opening of the seven seals represent a future event, or an event that has already happened? It is obvious that many of the events described in this passage are still future. The stars have not fallen from heaven, the great tribulation has not occurred, and heaven has not moved out of its place. However, I believe that Jesus has already opened the seven seals in the spiritual realm, and it just takes time for these events to unfold in the physical, earthly realm. Many interpretations of Revelation focus too much on assigning meaning to each of the seven seals by linking them to events and chronology. However, this often leads us astray. We are not God, and only God controls time. Jesus warned His disciples not to speculate about the time of the Lord's second coming. If the angels and Jesus himself do not know when Jesus is coming back, how can we presume to know (Matthew 24:36)? Even though we can’t assign specific dates to these events, we can make sure we are always ready for His return, watching and praying, so that his return does not catch us off guard (Matthew 24:44). Therefore, the most important thing about Revelation 6 is not the timetable, but the principles that Jesus reveals. The Lord Jesus has commanded us to watch and pray, and this is our most important mission.

 

An Interactive and Dynamic Book

In Revelation 5, we began to discuss the seven seals. The scroll in God’s right hand is sealed tightly with seven seals. Only Jesus Christ is worthy to open them. As we read the accounts of the seven scrolls and related visions in Revelation 6, we must not forget that each seal is bringing us one step closer to seeing what is written inside the scroll. The scroll contains the ordained plan of God for man. Until the seven seals are opened, no one can see what is inside.

 

Maybe the scroll was more than just words printed on paper with ink. Perhaps it was more like a multimedia presentation with moving images. This movie was not just a record of past events, but like a live broadcast happening in real-time. Perhaps it was like the multimedia presentations I often see in my prophetic dreams. Frequently, in a dream or vision, I first see a video playing on a big screen and then I go inside that video to participate in the events it is depicting. Later, I come back out to observe from the outside. For example, in one dream, I first found myself watching a TV program about Chinese people sent to Japan to preach the gospel. Then I entered the TV screen and joined this live event. In the dream, I was walking with the Chinese evangelists as they went from village to village, sharing the good news. In the dream, I saw that their testimony was initially rejected, yet they eventually gained traction and established a stronghold. At first, I was watching them up close and in person. Yet at the end of the dream, I was once again standing in front of the TV and watching the scene from the outside. As you can see, spiritual revelations are not limited by time and distance.

 

This prophetic dream is about a great future revival in China, after which numerous missionaries will be sent to Japan to bring about a great revival. This dream has not yet been fulfilled in the physical realm. But since God has ordained the revival to happen, it has already become a reality in a sense. God is not bound by time, so this event is already taking place in the spiritual realm. God used the dream to reveal His will to me so that I could prepare for it in the physical realm. Even though I have never been to Japan, I was able to interact with Japanese people and missionaries through my dream.  For this reason, I am considering translating my Bible Studies into Japanese to prepare for this great revival.

 

The reason I am telling this story is that John must have experienced similar things. He could interact with and observe the events God was revealing in the scroll judgments. Although the events he was seeing were not happening in his physical world, he was able to vividly experience them (like watching a live show). This type of occurrence is very common in the spiritual realm because the Spirit is not limited by time and space.

 

The Meaning of Four Horses

One time, a Buddhist friend asked me how I understood the four horses. My answer was that many people believed the four horses were the representation of the gospel (white horse), war (red horse), famine (black horse), and death by pestilence (gray horse). There is a lot of agreement on these points. But are these horses referring to future events, present events, past events, or all of the above?

 

My personal understanding is the latter. John wrote Revelation about 90 years after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, when the Lamb won his final victory. Did the Lord Jesus Christ have to wait over 60 years after His crucifixion and resurrection to be worthy to open the scroll in God’s right hand? No! He was worthy the moment he was crucified and resurrected. Moreover, the Bible reveals that the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). Christ was foreordained by God before the foundation of the world, but did not come to earth until much later (1 Peter 1:20). Therefore, Jesus Christ was worthy to open the seven seals of the scroll even before He was crucified by Pilate. He has been worthy since the beginning of time and from eternity past.

 

We must leave behind our limited, time-based perception so we can better understand the Book of Revelation. These events took place outside of time in the spiritual realm, which is why Revelation was written in past tense. They also are taking place within time at this very moment. And they will happen again in the future. In the spiritual realm, the four horses are always running. In the physical realm, these four horses’ running causes things that have happened, things that are happening, and things that will happen in the future.

 

Let's talk more about these horses and the principles they represent. First of all, the white horse represents the gospel, which always brings conflict. The Lord Jesus says, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law" (Matthew 10:34-35). No person can have a neutral opinion about the gospel; they either accept or reject it. To some people, the Gospel is the “sweet savour of Christ,” but to other people, it is “the savour of death unto death” (2 Cor. 2:15-16). Those who reject the gospel have been influenced by Satan. They not only reject the gospel, but they also oppose those who have decided to accept it.

 

After my conversion, many spiritual battles took place in my family. For many years, I suffered spiritual warfare regarding my unbelieving family members, especially my unbelieving father and my mother who worshiped Bodhisattvas. It took more than ten years for them to be saved and baptized into the Lord. There are still other relatives who persecute us. These actions are motivated by Satan, for Satan does not want people to leave the realm of darkness and enter the kingdom of light—just as Pharaoh did not want the Israelites to be set free from Egypt.

 

So how does God respond to these objections? He sent famine, pestilence, and death to Pharaoh because he was being used by Satan and the evil spirits. God judged Egypt over and over again with famine, pestilence, and death before He eventually led the Israelites out of Egypt. Outwardly, these judgments were against Egypt, but spiritually speaking, they were against the hosts of spiritual wickedness in high places. Only after God struck down the firstborn did Pharaoh finally allow God’s people to leave Egypt. In the same way, famine, pestilence and subsequent death will bring people freedom from the kingdom of darkness. In an ongoing spiritual cycle, the gospel brings warfare, which in turn eliminates wicked people and the evil spirits behind them. Finally, through war, famine, and pestilence, people are released from the power of darkness into God’s glorious Kingdom. That is why the description of the saints under the altar follows directly after the description of the four horses.

 

The Appeal of the Slain Saints

In the book of Acts, the story of Paul's encounter with Jesus follows immediately after the account of Stephen's martyrdom. As is often the case, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Martyrdom can bear much gospel fruit. Paul's salvation was certainly the result of his encounter with Jesus, but it is also the direct result of Stephen's testimony at his martyrdom. Stephen’s martyrdom was the seed that later blossomed into Paul’s salvation. When Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission sent Western missionaries to preach the gospel in mainland China, they arrived in the middle of the Boxer Rebellion. As a result, many of them were killed. Hudson was severely distressed by this fact, but what he didn’t realize at the time was that the blood of these missionaries would eventually bear beautiful flowers and gospel fruits. In one such story, the Boxers tied up a female missionary and brought her to the execution ground. A frightened Chinese man hid in the doorway and peeked in. He saw the Christian sister's face glowing, just like Stephen’s did when he was martyred. This man was deeply touched by what he saw and eventually became an evangelist. At that time, there were only a few Christians in China. But now, just 100 years later, that number has increased to about 100 million. The blood of the martyrs has truly been the seed of the church. God loves us so much that besides giving up His only begotten Son, He also allows many to be martyred so the gospel of God and the message of His love for mankind can be spread to as many people as possible.

 

In the fifth seal, the martyrs cried “with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" (Revelation 6:10) These saints knew that God was righteous and would surely judge those who shed their blood. They knew God would give them justice; they just did not know when. They were not blaming God for not giving them justice, but were asking Him when the "cycle of the four horses" would end. God comforted them by giving them white robes and letting them rest for “a little season until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled” (Revelation 6:11). God is the only one who knows what the total number of martyrs will be, and when it will be complete. Even though we are not omniscient like God, one thing we know for sure: that time is nearer than ever before.

 

The Conception and Birth of a New Heaven and a New Earth

A sister once asked me how to understand the catastrophic scenes in Revelation 6: the sun turning black, the moon turning to blood, the stars falling to earth, the heaven being rolled up like a scroll, and the mountains, hills, and islands being severely shaken (Revelation 6:12-13). I explained that this was a description of birth pains, like a chick hatching from an egg. Before it develops, an egg has three parts: the yolk, the white, and the shell. The yolk contains the life of the chick and provides food to the growing chick. The egg white provides a liquid medium for the growing chick, and the shell provides protection from outside dangers. A chick cannot hatch successfully if any of these parts is missing. By the time a chick is ready to come out, the yolk and the white are both fully absorbed by the chick and the chick begins to peck at its shell. After the chick breaks out of its shell, the shell can be discarded.

 

Like an eggshell, the old heaven and earth, with their cultures and physical supplies, provide for the material and spiritual needs of human existence. But they will pass away after the new heaven and new earth are born. As the new creation comes into being, the old creation, like an eggshell, will be violently cracked and shaken. Then we will be given a kingdom which cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28). These shakings remind us that the new heaven and earth are real and are about to arrive (Revelation 21:1).

 

(The chick analogy also reminds us of our new life in Christ. Just like a chick looks similar to a hen, we Christians are “little Christs.”)

 

At the end of Revelation 6, people will say “to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (16-17) It is time for God’s judgment to come to earth, in answer to the prayers of the martyrs. But God’s promise of judgment cannot be fulfilled without the birth of the new heaven and the new earth.

 

Paul says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). The old creation is a part of all things that work together for good. The old creation is the eggshell or egg white that supports the new chick as it grows. When the new creation is born, everything in the old creation is discarded like a scroll being rolled up (6:14). Why? Because we have turned a new leaf, and the old creation has passed away. We will enter a new creation. Revelation 6 mentions the scroll in the right hand of God. When this chapter ends, the we will turn over a new page and begin a new reality.

Bible Study with Jairus – Revelation 5

Bible Study with Jairus – Revelation 5

 

The Prayer Of The Righteous Person Has Great Power

 

In Revelation 5, John has a vision of God seated on his throne. In his right hand is a scroll which is sealed with seven seals. This scroll reveals God's plans and mysteries for mankind. And this mystery can only be unlocked by the victorious Christ.

As the chapter opens, John is weeping because no one is worthy to open the scroll (Revelation 5:4). Why is John weeping? In our study of Revelation 4, we saw that something was missing from the throne room scene that John saw. Though he saw God on his throne, the elders worshiping God, the four living creatures, and thousands of angels, he did not see anything related to mankind. He realized that God’s plan for mankind was contained in the scroll in God’s right hand. This was the missing puzzle piece. But no one was worthy to open this scroll and find out the mysteries of God.

 

John, as a human and as an elder of the church on earth, was deeply distressed because no one could unravel the mysteries of God's plan for mankind. He was deeply distressed by the weakness and failure of the church. So one of the elders in heaven told him, "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals." (ESV, Revelation 5:5).[1] I have always understood that John received comfort from the fact that Jesus Christ had prevailed and was found worthy to open the seals. Recently, the Holy Spirit has given me additional insight into this passage. In verse seven, the Holy Spirit shifts the focus from the scroll in God’s right hand to the prayers that were going up like incense. I believe that these prayers played a crucial role in allowing the scroll to be opened.

 

As a film director shifts the focus of the camera lens, the Holy Spirit shifted the focus from the "Lamb who took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne" (vs. 7), to "the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders” who were “each holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (vs. 8). Why did he do so? Because the victory of Jesus Christ, together with the prayers of the saints throughout the ages, eventually brought about God’s just judgment on mankind and the ultimate revelation of His plan for man. John was not only comforted by the victory of Jesus Christ, but also by seeing how the prayers of the saints had had such an impact. John saw that the church’s weaknesses were superficial, while their prayers were deep and effective. The prayers of the saints throughout the ages had been collected by God. As the angels waved the golden censer full of prayers, God delighted in these prayers and the scroll with seven seals was finally opened. James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power.” The prayers of the saints and the power of the victorious Christ finally allowed the scroll to be opened.

 

Why Is John Weeping?

 

How would you feel if God had asked you to write to seven churches and point out their problems? Although these seven letters contained words of encouragement from the Lord, they also pointed out many of the churches’ shortcomings. John, as one of the apostles, would not only have seen these shortcomings as the churches’ problems, but also as his own. As the “Beloved Disciple” and the apostle of the church, he had the spiritual responsibility of shepherding the church. When the church was weak and failed, he, as an apostle, would surely feel responsible for it. So when he finished writing the letters to the seven churches, he must have inevitably felt disappointed with their lack of progress. So why is he weeping? Because the scroll containing God’s plan for the church is sealed with seven seals, and no one can open it. And the failure and weaknesses of the church made him feel that no one—not even himself—was worthy to open this scroll. That's why the elders came to comfort him, saying that the victorious Christ was worthy of opening the scroll. The next verse describes the golden bowls of incense, which contained the prayers of many saints. These prayers on earth promoted God’s sovereign, kingly work.

 

The Victorious Christ

 

Let's examine John's description of the victorious Christ. He is "the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David" (Revelation 5:5). Finally, humankind has shown up in the narrative! Judah is a human tribe, and David was also a man. And of course, the Lord Jesus was a hundred percent man. He, the Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), had been victorious and "could open the scroll and its seven seals" (Revelation 5:5).

 

What are the seven seals? The seven seals include the seven stages of God's dealings with mankind and the church. We will discuss the seven seals in detail in Revelation 6. But for now, we focus on understanding the victorious Christ.

 

Revelation 5:6 says, "And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth." As we were studying this verse, I suddenly noticed the word "between.” This is something I’d never noticed before. What does it mean that the Lamb is "between" the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders?

 

Is this "between" two-dimensional or three-dimensional? I personally envision the throne room as a three-dimensional cone. The throne of God is at the top of the cone, with the four living creatures also at the top of the cone, circling around the throne of God. The four living creatures are around and on each side of the throne of God (Revelation 4:6). Then the elders’ thrones would be circling the bottom of the cone, as mentioned in Revelation 4:4. This is my personal guess.

 

The fact that the Lamb is in between the throne and the four living creatures has a very profound meaning. The Lamb is Jesus Christ. He is over all things, and he leads all things to God (Ephesians 1:22). The book of Hebrews says, "God appointed Christ to be the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." (Hebrews 1:2-3).

 

In the throne room, I envision three concentric circles.

• God’s throne is in the innermost circle, like the Holy of Holies. The four living creatures can enter this area. Of course, the victorious Christ can enter it, along with we who rely on the precious blood of the victorious Christ. We can enter the Holy of Holies with confidence and come before God’s throne in order to receive mercy, grace, and timely help (Hebrews 4:16). Overcoming believers can also sit on the throne with the Lord, just as Jesus overcame and sat down with His Father on the throne (Revelation 3:21).
• The second circle is where Jesus Christ is. He is the Mediator between God and man (1 John 1:2) and is our High Priest in heaven. No one can come to God and His throne without passing through Him. Like the veil that separated the Holy of Holies and the sanctuary in the Old Testament, Jesus opened up the way to God.
• The third circle is where the 24 elders and thousands of angels are. Revelation 5:11 says, "Around the throne and the living creatures and the elders were the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands." Many people seem to be envious of the position of the 24 elders, but I think we have even greater authority in Christ to draw near to God! Can the 24 elders get into the innermost circle? The Bible does not mention that they can sit on God’s throne. My personal guess is that they cannot. Either way, we know that we can approach God’s throne and even indwell God himself. Instead of focusing on the 24 elders and the thousands of angels before the throne of God, we should focus on the throne of God and the Lamb who stands among the four living creatures. The Lamb is in the outermost circle with the 24 elders, and he is with the four living creatures and on the throne.

 

This description depicts the tabernacle of God. To the degree that we trust in Jesus’ sacrifice and live with confidence in him, we can enter God’s tabernacle.

 

Verse 5:6 says, "And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth." The seven horns and seven eyes represent the seven Spirits of God. There are many different interpretations of the seven spirits. The teaching I’m most familiar with says that the idea of the seven spirits refers to the one Holy Spirit, intensified sevenfold. They say it’s like trying to open a bottle cap. When the lid doesn’t open, you exert sevenfold pressure to try to open it. Others say that the seven spirits are angels. Revelation 1:4 mentions "the seven spirits who are before His throne.” Some people say that the seven spirits are angels standing before the throne of God.

 

Personally, I think there are some problems with this explanation. Revelation 5 clearly states that the seven Spirits (the seven horns and the seven eyes) are part of the Lamb. Angels cannot be part of the Lamb, so I believe the seven spirits are manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The Bible clearly states that the "seven spirits of God” were “sent out into all the earth,” which is in line with what the Lord Jesus said in the Gospel of John, "the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name" (John 14:26).

 

In addition to the Holy Spirit, Jesus is also a spirit. The Bible says, "The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (2 Corinthians 3:17). 1 Corinthians 15:45 says, "The last Adam became a life-giving spirit" (NASB). This verse shows that Jesus Christ is already a spiritual being. The Father is also a spirit. Jesus Christ clearly stated, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23). This doesn’t mean that the Father is the same as the Holy Spirit, but it expresses the truth that the Father is spirit.

 

This does not mean that we can confuse the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The Father is the Father, the Son is the Son, and the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit. But they can enter into each other, and they are all spiritual in nature. The Holy Spirit is a spirit by nature. The Lord Jesus Christ and the Father are also spirit, but are not to be confused with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit and the Son are depicted as being before the Father's throne, on the Father's throne, and in the Father. The Father is over all: “For from him and through him and to him are all things” (Romans 11:36). All of the members of the Godhead are spirits, and they can enter into and indwell one other.

 

We as humans are also spirits. We can also indwell and enter into the Triune God. We have the same nature as God, and we have divine life. These are privileges that the angels do not have. Only mankind can become God’s children. This is a great mystery. If we can understand it, we will have a new perspective on the value of mankind.

 

God’s Just Balance

 

In the Bible, God mentions his "just balance" (Job 31:6, Proverbs 16:11). I read a prophetic testimony that described how the "just balance" in heaven worked. The general idea was that our sins were on one side of the scale, and when our sins became too numerous to record, the judgment on the other side would fall. But if we were willing to repent of our sins and accept God’s redemption through Christ's precious blood, “mercy would triumph over judgment” (James 2:13), and God's grace would be given to us. We can clearly see how this principle works in Revelation 5.

 

The seven seals are God’s plan for judgment on humankind, but they are just a means to an end. God’s purpose is to bring about our salvation, applying what Jesus Christ accomplished on our behalf. Through these trials, the church will grow and mature into the body and bride of Christ, leading all things back to Christ and God. The seven seals will also help unbelievers accept the redemption won by Jesus Christ. Those who refused to accept the preaching of the gospel will be exposed to judgment and discipline which will motivate them to repent. As a result, many people will humbly accept the salvation of Jesus Christ. Christ’s redemption is finished, but God in his great love will continue applying the work of redemption to individual lives. The seven trumpet judgments will accelerate this process as many people humbly accept His salvation.

 

In addition to God's discipline, the prayers of the saints are also very important in the process of winning souls to Christ.

 

The Power of the Saints' Prayers

 

Recently, many people have called their worship services “Harp and Bowl.” This name comes from Revelation 5:8: "And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." The harp refers to singing, praise and worship. The bowl refers to prayer. So the combination of "harp and bowl" describes the combination of worship and prayer. This is a pattern we see in many church worship and prayer meetings.

 

Since Jesus Christ has already been victorious, is our prayer still necessary? Do we just need to wait passively, or do we need to actively pray and cooperate with God’s work? The answer is almost undisputed. We must actively pray and cooperate with God's work. Our prayers are very important. James said, "The prayer of a righteous person has great power." (James 5:16). The four living creatures and the 24 elders offered worship and prayer as an incense offering before God. The prayers of all the saints throughout the ages were like a "pleasing aroma" to God (2 Corinthians 2:15). This aroma greatly pleased Him and promoted God’s sovereign work. Prayer is one of the most powerful ways we can influence God’s kingly work.

 

I read another testimony that said that when we sing hymns to God on earth, they will be collected by the angels and stored in the angels’ harps! The angels will collect the praise and worship of saints on earth and dedicate the beautiful music to God. Therefore, not only the prayers of the saints will be collected in the incense, but the praise and worship of the saints will also be collected in the harps. What an honor that when the four living creatures and 24 elders fall down to worship the Lamb, their offering consists of the praises and prayers of the saints! (Revelation 5:8) Angels are God’s ministering spirits, and we are God's beloved!

 

Remember, the driving forces behind God’s work revealed in the scroll are the prayers of the saints and the victory of the Lamb! Both are indispensable!

 

We Shall Reign on the Earth

 

Let's look at the prayers of the four living creatures and the 24 elders. The four living creatures and the 24 elders prayed, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:9-10). Please note that I put the word “for” in bold. The reason why the Lamb is worthy of opening the scroll is that He was killed. He redeemed us with His blood and bought us back to God. In God’s eyes, we are so precious that He gave His only begotten Son to save us (John 3:16). We must never underestimate ourselves. We will become a kingdom, priests, and kings on the earth. This is our destiny.

 

This is also the purpose of the seven seals. When the church submits to Christ, God will use His power to make all things submit to Christ, just as the church does. The church, as the firstfruits, leads all things to worship and surrender to God. The church will reign on earth so it can guide all of creation toward the worship of God. John says in verse 13, "And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’” After the church surrenders to Christ and begins to reign on the earth, all things begin to worship God. Revelation 5 ends with, "The four living creatures said, Amen, and all the elders fell down and worshiped" (5:14). This provides a beautiful picture of the future time when all things will submit to God.

 

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

 

 

Bible Study With Jairus- Revelation 4

Bible Study With Jairus- Revelation 4

 

Where Are the Humans?

 

Revelation chapter 4 records the vision John saw after heaven opened. In previous lessons, we’ve discussed the seven stages of spiritual growth for the church, which are described in the seven letters to the churches. As we pass through these seven areas of growth and deal with the seven aspects of spiritual problems the Lord reveals in this letter (whether corporately or individually), heaven will be opened to us, as well. Not only will we see God’s throne and God sitting on the throne, but we will also see God’s actions performed from the throne, namely his dealings with mankind which are revealed by the seven seals and seven trumpets. I believe Revelation chapters 4 and 5 are closely linked.

 

As I read Revelation 4, I noticed that John saw various visions of God, the twenty-four elders, the seven spirits, and the four living creatures, but there was no mention of humankind. This struck me as odd, because the entire Bible is the revelation of God's plan for mankind. Human beings, especially Israelites, are the apple of God's eye (Deuteronomy 32:10). Man is at the center of God's plan.

 

So where is mankind in this passage? Humans are not mentioned in Revelation 4, but that does not mean they aren’t present. God's plan for mankind is in the scroll in the right hand of God as he sits on the throne (Revelation 5). This scroll can only be opened by the victorious Lamb. We will talk about this scroll next time. The vision in chapter 4 foreshadows the opening of the scroll that contains God’s plan for mankind in chapter 5. The fourth chapter of Revelation is a wide-angle shot that gives us a vast image of heaven, and the fifth chapter of Revelation is a close-up shot. In Chapter 5, the lens zooms in on the scroll in God’s right hand. Although mankind is not mentioned in Revelation 4, mankind is hidden in the right hand of God, who sits on the throne.

 

A New Inspiration

 

In the past, when I read Revelation 4, I always paid close attention to the beautiful realities revealed in John’s visions. I focused on the descriptions of God, the twenty-four elders, the seven spirits, the four living creatures, and the angels. But I never realized that mankind was missing from the chapter until recently. One day, I was teaching about this passage in a Bible study. While I discussed the passage out loud, I was praying internally and waiting for enlightenment from the Holy Spirit. Many other brothers and sisters in Christ do the same thing while teaching or discussing God’s word. We constantly pray for inspiration from God. That’s what happened when I was leading a Bible study recently. I was in a constant state of prayer, waiting for God’s revelation. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit gave me an idea that I had never thought of before.

 

This is one of the most common ways that the Holy Spirit speaks to me. When my mind is quiet before God and I am waiting for the Holy Spirit to speak to me, my mind is like a piece of poster board hanging on the wall. When a brand-new idea suddenly enters my mind, it is like a post-it note stuck on the poster board. These new ideas are not things that I’ve thought of in the past or read somewhere—they are things that have never occurred to me before. When I have a new thought, I pay attention to it and speak it to others with faith. This has often happened during our Bible study meetings over the past few years. As I share these inspirations, I often gain a clearer view of the topic during the process of sharing. As I started teaching, I didn’t have a full picture of this chapter, nor was I completely clear about the little inspirations that God gave me. But as I shared them with faith, God gave me more light.

 

At the beginning of our Bible study, we were discussing the worship of angels, as well as the identity of the four living creatures and the other angels. As I waited prayerfully for the Holy Spirit to speak, I suddenly received an inspiration. I realized that Revelation 4 is like a puzzle with a missing piece. The missing piece is God’s plan for mankind contained in the scroll in God’s right hand. As mentioned above, Revelation 4 contains a discussion of God, the twenty-four elders, the living creatures, and countless angels, but it contains no mention of mankind.

 

In the Bible, God reveals three main things: His character, His plan for mankind, and Satan’s deceit and final destiny. Aside from God’s self-revelation, the most important theme in the Bible is God’s plan for mankind. God’s plan for mankind is inextricably woven into the entire content of the Bible so that they cannot be separated. Since human beings are at the center of biblical revelation, I knew that man must be in the scene somewhere.

 

The answer came to me: the mysteries of God’s plan for mankind are hidden in the scroll in the next chapter, which contains the plan of redemption that the incarnate Christ would accomplish. The missing piece from Revelation 4 is waiting to be unfolded in detail in Revelation 5. After the puzzle is put together, it will point toward God’s next move, the plan of judgment and redemption for mankind revealed by the seven seals and seven trumpets.

 

 

Can We See God?

 

God is the protagonist of the book of Revelation; there is no doubt about this. As Revelation 4 begins, John sees heaven opened, and he sees God sitting on a throne. I believe the image of God depicted in Revelation 4 is God the Father, not the Lord Jesus Christ, because the Lamb described in Revelation 5 is Jesus Christ. But this creates a conundrum: How did John see God, if the Bible says that humans cannot see God and live? John once said, "No man has seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared him" (John 1:18). Paul also said that "no one has ever seen or can see" God (1 Timothy 6:16). Moreover, Moses could only see God's back, not His face, because God says, “Man shall not see me and live" (Exodus 33:20). However, there are also some scriptures in the Bible that mention people seeing God face to face. God says that He spoke to Moses "face to face" (Exodus 33:11), and Moses saw “the form of the Lord" (Numbers 12:8). In addition, at Ford Jabbok, Jacob "saw God face to face and yet his life was delivered.” Plus, "seventy of the elders of Israel saw God, and ate and drank" (Exodus 24:11). Most famously, the Lord Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8).

 

So, can man see God? I personally think that we can see the image of God to a certain degree, but the extent to which we can see God’s glory may be limited. Perhaps John’s understanding of God's appearance continued to grow over time. Biblical truth is ever-evolving, not static. Although God's principles and disposition are unchanging, God's revelation is progressive. I personally feel that John's understanding and experience of seeing God may have developed over time. Perhaps he had a different understanding when he wrote Revelation than when he wrote the Gospel of John. Let’s take a look at John's description: "And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald" (Revelation 4:3). This is John's description of God's appearance. He doesn’t describe God’s face directly, but he describes his appearance. We can at least be sure that John saw God’s appearance to a certain extent.

 

Since God began to give me prophetic dreams in 2015, I have seen the appearance of the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit many times. I even saw the glorious face of Jesus. I am very eager to see the appearance of the Heavenly Father as well, and I am envious of sisters Lai Wang Xiulan from Taiwan and Anna Rountree from the United States, who described their experiences of seeing the Heavenly Father. I often pray for this to happen to me, but so far I have not had the same experience as they have had. Only a few times have I vaguely seen the appearance of the Heavenly Father. Once, my spirit was lifted up to heaven, and after sharing a short greeting with the Lord, the Holy Spirit led me to enter a door. He told me that the Heavenly Father often passed by there in a vehicle. I immediately saw a wisp of smoke, and the Holy Spirit told me it was traces of the Father flying by. Psalm 18:10 says, "He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.” Isaiah 66:15 says, "For behold, the Lord will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind.” Although the Father is omnipresent, He has all kinds of mounts and vehicles in heaven. Many people focus on John's description of the Father in Revelation 4 as the only picture of God, thinking that God the Father has glue on his buttocks and can only sit motionless on the throne and receive everyone's worship. This is a wrong concept. God the Father often walks around in heaven. He also makes frequent visits to the earth, including when he warned the Israelites to cover up their excrement so that he would not see anything indecent as he walked through their camps (Deuteronomy 23:14). God the Father is the “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:6). In fact, God the Father visits us far more often than we can imagine. But we don’t perceive His presence because our spiritual eyes are not prepared to perceive His secret appearance. In the dream I just mentioned, I was very disappointed. I had seen the Lord face to face, and the Holy Spirit was with me, leading me to visit heaven, so I was hoping to see the Father as well. But I couldn’t even see His back clearly, not to mention getting to see a vision of God on the throne as described by John in Revelation 4. So I could not help but feel disappointed.

 

During another spiritual experience, the Holy Spirit was driving a vehicle to take me into heaven for a visit. I saw a lion and a horse lying peacefully on the same hillside. After crossing the hillside, I saw many people playing in a place similar to a swimming pool. Suddenly, someone said that God was coming to visit us. It immediately started raining rainbows, and everybody was so excited. I didn't see the Father clearly, but I was told that the Father had visited through the mode of the rainbow rain. Revelation 4 mentions a rainbow surrounding God’s throne, so we know that rainbows often accompany God the Father’s appearance.

 

In another dream, some believers and I went on a long trek. It was a difficult climb to get to heaven, but we finally got there with the help of Jesus Christ. From a distance, I saw the Heavenly Father and Jesus talking to one another, and I heard them talking about a big performance that was about to begin. God said he was waiting for more believers to join the action. (This may be a sign of The Great Revival to come.) But I only saw them vaguely from a distance and overheard their discussion. I have written more about this dream on Elijah List. You can find a detailed account of this dream by searching for "Shake Off Disappointment and Keep Climbing!" on Elijah List by Sean Song.

 

I describe these experiences of mine to show that after hearing other people’s testimonies, I began longing to see the Father. I had not had these experiences in the past, but after I fervently prayed, I began to have supernatural experiences of seeing the Father. I personally think that we don't need to be limited by our theology. God the Father’s decision to appear to us does not depend on our theology, but on his own will. Remember, the Lord Jesus said, "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him" (John 14:21). Although this verse is referring to Jesus showing himself to us, not the Father, it reveals a universal principle. Our love and desire for God is a prerequisite for God showing himself to us. In addition, don’t forget that the Lord Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Instead of debating about whether or not we can see God, let’s focus on developing a pure heart full of love for God.

 

When I heard other people’s testimonies about seeing the Father, I didn’t condemn or criticize them. Instead, I prayed from the bottom of my heart: “God, let my heart be as pure as that person’s so that I can see You!” I prayed fervently and left the rest to God. Rather than pursuing the experience of seeing God, I pursued becoming a pure-hearted person. Only then did God allow me to see him to a certain extent.

 

Angels Are Ministering Spirits

 

In Revelation 19, John saw an angel and wanted to worship him. But the angel rebuked him and told him to worship only God. He explained that angels and human believers are fellow servants, and we all hold to the testimony of Jesus (v. 10). In his epistles, Paul also critiqued the church's teaching on the worship of angels (Colossians 2:18). Hebrews 1:14 clearly says, "Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" Paul also said, "Do you not know that we are to judge angels?" (1 Corinthians 6:3). Clearly, the Bible prohibits angel-worship.

 

Let’s take a look at John's description of the twenty-four elders and of the various angels (including the four living creatures) that were standing before the throne. Most of us agree that the four living creatures are a kind of angel. Ezekiel 1 has a detailed description of the four living creatures, and a similar description of the cherubim in Ezekiel 4. These beings have multiple wings with wheels under their wings and have four faces: the faces of a lion, a cow, a man, and an eagle. The four living creatures described in Revelation 4 are similar. It seems that the four living creatures are a kind of cherubim, angels created by God.

 

Who are the twenty-four elders sitting on the twenty-four thrones surrounding the throne? Some believe they are the twelve sons of Jacob and the twelve apostles. Personally, I find this statement unreliable. John, one of the twelve disciples, was the one describing the vision, yet he was still alive on Earth. Was he serving as one of the twenty-four elders in heaven while he was still alive on earth? Personally, I think this is untenable. I personally believe that these twenty-four elders may have been another type of creature created by God. I said they were "creatures" and not angels because I can't be sure if they are angels. But I do know that there are many mysterious creatures in existence that are beyond our current understanding. For example, the Bible mentions that Melchizedek has no father, no mother, no beginning no end, and no genealogy (Hebrews 7:3), but he has a physical body and served as the king of Salem and the priest of the Most High God. The Book of Hebrews says Jesus Christ is a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek cannot be an angel, because an angel has no body. He cannot be an ordinary person, because he has no father, no mother, no beginning, and no end. Melchizedek is also not God, because he is a priest of God, nor is he Christ, for Christ is a high priest according to his order. So who is Melchizedek? We do not know. So we can see that there are many kinds of creatures that God has created, and we do not necessarily know about all of them. The Bible doesn’t give us a clear answer, because this is not the main point of biblical revelation. What is the main point of biblical revelation? The center of biblical revelation is God's plan from eternity past to one day come to earth, be crucified, and be resurrected so he could woo his bride, the Church, the manifestation of his glory. In other words, the destiny of the church is to become mature and eventually sit on the throne with God (Revelation 3:21). We need to shift our focus from the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures and the other angels in front of the throne to God, who is sitting on the throne with a scroll in His right hand. That scroll reveals the mystery of God’s plan for mankind. That is, after we have gone through a process of maturation, we will become the glorious bride who sits on the throne with God. We must not seek to end up in front of the throne; we must seek to be on the throne as overcomers (Revelation 3:21). Many people still have the same mentality as John, feeling that angels are very great and we must worship them, but that is incorrect. We must worship God alone. The purpose of us sitting on the throne with God is not to be equal to God or to accept the worship of all things, but for us to embody the fullness of God’s glory, leading all of creation in the worship of God. We are above the angels, not below them.

  

 

We are Seated on God’s Throne

Revelation 4 does not mention God’s plan for mankind, but Revelation 5 contains the missing piece of the puzzle. It contains the mystery of God, His hidden plan for the church. Let's dive a bit deeper into this topic by looking at Ephesians. Ephesians 1:9 mentions the mystery of God, which is “a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (v. 10). The church will first submit to God in Christ as the first fruits. After that, all things will submit to God in Christ. The church is Christ’s body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (1:22-23). God’s plan for the redemption of mankind includes the redemption of all creation: “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God (that is, us), for the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:19-21). In other words, the mystery of God’s plan for man’s redemption (which is revealed in the scroll) will eventually lead to the redemption of all things.

 

God has given humankind an amazing honor. The Bible never says that the twenty-four elders are allowed to sit on the throne with God, but it does say that human believers can sit on the throne with Him (Revelation 3:21). The Bible does not say that angels can abide in God, and God in them, but Jesus said to his human followers, “I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you” (John 14:20). God is a tabernacle into which we can enter, and we are also His tabernacle and dwelling place. Colossians 3 reveals that our life is hidden with Christ in God (3:3). The Bible does mention that before the fall, Satan was a cherub created to cover the Ark of the Covenant, and he was covered in all kinds of precious stones and walked on the holy mountain of God (Ezekiel 28:13-14). But the Bible never says that any angels can receive the life of God like we can. Angels will not become the bride of Jesus Christ, the image of Christ, the brothers of Jesus Christ, or the children of God. But we humans can become sons of God! We are different from angels, and we are higher than angels. Satan is jealous of mankind, so he spreads lies to confuse our minds and prevent us from realizing just how precious our identity in Christ really is.

 

Conclusion: Our Destiny Is To Be Children of God

 

Rather than focusing on the angels and other creatures, we should focus on God and on the scroll which contains the mysteries of God’s plan for mankind (explored further in Revelation 5). When we look at the vision in Revelation 4, we see that man is not standing before God’s throne with the elders, living creatures, and angels. Instead, mankind is seated on the throne with God (Romans 3:21). Man is a child of God, has the life of God, sits on the throne with God, and manifests the glory of God. The purpose of sitting on God’s throne is not to be worshiped like God, but to lead all things to worship God. Just like children have the life of their father but are not the same person as their father, Christians share God’s life but are not a member of the Godhead.

 

Saint Athanasius of Alexandria said that God became man so that man could eventually become God. The Local Church Movement goes a step further and teaches that God becoming man is for man to become God in terms of life and nature, and not in Godhead.

 

This teaching is considered heresy by many Christians. But, in fact, this is not a heresy at all; it is a profound truth. Yet many people’s minds have been deceived by Satan to the point that they no longer accept this truth. Again, we must be clear about the fact that man is not to be worshiped as God, even though he sits on the throne with God.

 

Instead, God’s presence is a tabernacle that people can enter, and only those who overcome can sit on the throne with the Lord, just as the Lord sat on the throne with His Father after He overcame (Revelation 3:21). In order to personally experience this divine truth, we must go through a process of sanctification. We must grow incrementally closer to God, as if we were a worshiper entering first the Outer Court, then the Holy Place, and finally the Holy of Holies and the presence of God (Ephesians 2:18). This process of human sanctification is accomplished gradually through the seven seals and seven trumpets mentioned in Revelation 5.

 

 

Bible Study with Jairus- Revelation 3 Part 3

Bible Study with Jairus- Revelation 3 Part 3

The Lord’s Work in the Church in Laodicea Opened the Heavens

 

Unlike the letters to the other churches, Jesus’ letter to the church at Laodicea does not begin with words of praise. Instead, it only appears to contain criticism. To further understand Christ’s rebuke to Laodicea, let’s look at Christ’s words through Paul to the sister church in Colossae. Colossae and Laodicea were only about ten miles apart. The two churches shared each other’s spiritual resources, and may well have also shared each other’s problems. When Paul wrote to Colossae in 64 AD (about 25 years before the book of Revelation was written around 90 AD), Paul instructed that the epistle he wrote to the church in Colossae should be read in the church of Laodicea. The letter he sent to Laodicea should also be read to the church in Colossae (Colossians 4:16). However, this epistle no longer exists. Because Paul wanted the letter to the Colossians to be read to the church at Laodicea, it’s probable that the Laodiceans were struggling with the same things the Colossians were.

 

The book of Colossians mentions the strengths of the Colossian church and also mentions the areas where they needed improvement. The Bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so the rebukes to the Colossians were likely in the same vein as the rebukes to the Laodiceans in Revelation. We can refer to the book of Colossians to understand what Revelation says about Laodicea.

 

Twenty-five years before the Lord rebuked the Laodicean church in the book of Revelation, God had already warned them through Paul. Yet they had not repented. Neither church worked on their problems. This is why Paul later bemoaned that “all who are in Asia turned away from me” (2 Timothy 1:15). Jesus’ strong words to Laodicea in Revelation were a rebuke for their failure to repent. Paul had warned them 25 years earlier, but they had not repented. Instead, they had fallen into a state of lukewarmness.

 

Jesus promises Laodicea that if they overcome, they will sit on the throne with the Lord (Revelation 3:21). These promises are also consistent with the theme of the book of Colossians. The theme of the book of Colossians is to allow believers to grow up into him who is the Head, Christ. This means we will sit on the throne with Christ (Colossians 1:18). Immediately following the letter to Laodicea in Revelation, we read about John’s vision of heaven being opened (Revelation 4). This shows that God’s work with the church of Laodicea ushered in the opening of heaven.

 

Paul's Exhortation to the Colossian Church

Let’s take a look at the exhortations Paul gave to the Colossian church and the Laodicean church through the book of Colossians. Perhaps this exercise can help us better understand the spiritual situation of the church in Laodicea. Paul begins Colossians 1 by praising the believers in Colossians for their “faith in Christ Jesus and the love they have for all the saints” (1:4). He also reveals that Jesus Christ is “first in everything” (v.18). Paul goes on to say, “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ” (Colossians 2:1-2). This statement reveals very clearly the burden Paul had for the believers in Colossae and Laodicea. He prayed for them to come to a full knowledge of Christ. But did they actually fully know Christ? No, we know that was not the case because Paul mentions in verse 4 that he fears that they will be deceived with enticing words. These enticing words include vain deceit, the traditions of men and the rudiments of the world (v. 8); ordinances (v. 14): meat, drink, holy days, new moon, Sabbaths (v. 16); pious self-denial, worshipping of angels (v. 18) and so on. All these works of the flesh were at work in the church in Colossae and the church in Laodicea. Therefore, after praising their faith, Paul urged them to abandon these deeds of the flesh. Jesus did not need to praise the Laodiceans in Revelation because he had already commended them through Paul in the book of Colossians, which he asked to be read to the Laodiceans as well. The letter in Revelation is just a continuation of this letter, giving further promises and exhortations to the Laodiceans.

 

In Colossians 3, Paul continues to encourage the believers to set their minds on the things that are above and not on earthly things, because they have been crucified with Christ (3:1-4). He goes on to encourage them to “put to death what is earthly in them: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry, on account of this, the wrath of God is coming on the children of disobedience” (3:5-6). Paul also wants them to put away “anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from their mouth” (3:8). He asks them to stop lying (3:9) and to start forgiving (3:12-15). He instructs husbands and wives, parents and children, and earthly masters and servants to love one another (3:18-4:1) and to watch and pray (4:2). These exhortations are the words of the Holy Spirit to both the church in Colossae and the church in Laodicea. This is why Paul urged that the Book of Colossians be read in the church in Laodicea (4:16). The book of Colossians mentions several fleshly actions and attitudes that we must defeat before we can enter into the abundance of spiritual life.

 

Overcoming the Flesh is the Final Stage of Spiritual Victory

I believe there are three stages of spiritual maturity. The first stage is overcoming sin, when new believers overcome sinful habits that characterized their lives before salvation. After salvation, new believers need God’s presence and God’s word to constantly permeate their souls so they can break free from the sinful habits that try to control their lives. Even though the new believer will still be occasionally overcome by sin and transgression, it is possible to break free from habitual sin. For instance, a drug addict who comes to know Christ can be set completely free from his drug habit. Though he still sins occasionally, he has been freed from the habit of sin. Many Christians have experienced freedom and victory to a greater or lesser degree. Yet some still live in bondage to the shackles of sin. God wants us to be free from sin in our lives. This is the first stage of spiritual victory.

 

The second stage of spiritual growth is to break free from worldly influence. Even after overcoming sinful habits, a Christian can still be attracted to the world. Many Christians cannot seem to get rid of their attraction to the world, even though they have had victory over sin. There are many stories of Christians in the past who have learned to let go of the world to follow the Lord. For example, a famous evangelist from China, John Sung (Song Shangjie), had gotten a Ph.D. in the United States. But when he received a call from God to return to his country to preach the gospel, he got on a ship and threw his doctoral diploma into the sea. Another Christian tells the story of how he longed for the infilling of the Holy Spirit but couldn’t get it. He later realized that he valued his Ph.D. too much. He was proud of his doctorate and valued it more than he valued surrender to God. Because of this, he could not receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. When he surrendered to God and was willing to give up his Ph.D., God immediately filled him with the Holy Spirit.

 

The third stage of Christian growth is overcoming the flesh. Being free from the flesh is the hardest challenge of all. Christians may attain victory over outward sin and let go of their love for the world, but it is very difficult to gain freedom from the flesh. Fleshly attitudes like jealousy, competition, and ambition will stand in the way of spiritual victory.

In the temple, there was a veil separating the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, and the veil was embroidered with cherubim. The cherubim represented the glory of God and prevented humans from entering the Holy of Holies. In Genesis 3, God stationed cherubim and a flaming sword in front of the tree of life to keep humans away. This is because man’s sinful flesh had made it impossible for man to get close to God. But after the Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross, the veil that divided the Temple was torn from top to bottom, signifying that God’s salvation on the cross had solved the problems of sin and the flesh. We can come back to God through Christ.

 

Although we understand this spiritual fact mentally, we often struggle to experience it.  The phrase "entering within the veil" is often used as a metaphor for breaking away from the entanglement of the flesh and entering into intimate fellowship with God. Some people find it helpful to use the Old Testament tabernacle as an analogy for the stages of spiritual growth. The Old Testament tabernacle is divided into the Holy of Holies, the Holy Place, and the outer court. These three parts are often used to describe a person’s spirit, soul, and body, respectively. In our earlier stages of spiritual growth, we are in the outer court, working on overcoming sinful habits of the body. Before entering the Holy Place, we must remove the filth and defilement of the world, just like the priests who had to wash themselves in the bronze laver. We must experience sanctification and inner transformation of the soul (Romans 12:1). Inside the Holy Place are the table of showbread, the golden lampstand, and the golden altar of incense. These represent God’s provision, God’s illumination, and intimate fellowship with God, respectively. As we experience even closer fellowship with God, we enter within the veil, just like the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies. God punished Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu for entering the Holy of Holies with strange fire. In the same way, our flesh can not enter the Holy of Holies. If we do not overcome the flesh, it will be difficult to enter into God’s presence and experience deep fellowship with God.

 

The Lord’s Work in the Church in Laodicea Opened the Heavens

The Lord’s harsh criticism of the church in Laodicea does not necessarily mean that the Laodicean church was the worst. Remember, the letters to the churches reveal different stages of corporate and individual spiritual growth. It may simply mean that the Laodicean church should have known better. When we speak God’s word to others, we often deliver the message differently depending on the level of spiritual maturity of our audience. For instance, when a baby starts to walk, we praise everything he does. A six-year-old child, however, needs more discipline; and a teenager can be held to an even higher standard. In the same way, Jesus’ harsh words to Laodicea don’t necessarily mean the church was the worst off spiritually. It may just mean God had higher expectations for them.

 

Revelation 4 says that John saw “a door standing open in heaven.” He saw God on the throne, as well as the visions of the seven seals and the seven trumpets (chapters 5-11). I believe the door of heaven did not open until after John had written the last of the seven letters to the churches. We should all seek to have the door of heaven opened to us so we can see God on his throne and so we can observe his works. Only then can we become overcomers, represented by the male child in Revelation 12.

 

So how can the door of heaven be opened to us? The letter to the church in Laodicea reveals some clues to us. First, we must become people who are on fire for the Lord. A lukewarm believer will not experience an open door in heaven. I had heard testimonies about people being lifted up to heaven to meet the Lord, and I was very eager for such an experience. Every day at noon when I prayed, I asked God to give me such an experience. Then one night, my spirit really was lifted up to heaven and I saw the Lord. This experience shocked me greatly. A lot of people are so apathetic that they do not even pray for such an experience. But if you do not pray for this experience, you will never have it. The Bible tells us to ask and we shall receive (Luke 11:10). The Lord rewards those who long for His appearing. The lukewarmness of the church (Revelation 3:15-16) does not please the Lord.

 

Self-righteousness is another barrier that prevents us from experiencing an open door in heaven. Self-righteousness is a common problem among Christians who have been in the church for a long time. I remember an older brother in Christ saying he had always thought he had a lot of Biblical knowledge, and he was proud of his service to Christ in the church. But one day, he attended a conference where the preacher mentioned that we must not be self-righteous. This man was deeply shocked. He realized that he was actually spiritually poor. He had been distracted with his pride and self-righteousness, and the Lord’s work had already carried on without him. Because of this, he sold the house he had lived in for decades, moved to a new place, started a new church, and became a vigorous witness for Christ. His testimony inspired many people, including me.

 

This older man had a teachable heart and a willingness to repent and change course. His life is a beautiful testimony to God’s transforming work. But many older Christians find it difficult to break free from self-righteousness. To these people, Jesus says, "I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire" (Revelation 3:18a). Fire speaks of trials and God often allows self-righteous Christians to experience the fire of trials. These trials can purify them and refine their faith, like gold tried by fire.

 

The Lord went on to say in Revelation 3:18b, “And buy white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen.” Christians are often prideful about their righteousness and service to the Lord. When we are proud or arrogant about the work we do for the Lord, we often are too self-occupied to notice that we have lost our white garment. Just like the Pharisees, we are no longer clothed with the righteousness of God. Like the emperor without clothes, we live in our own deception.

 

The Lord goes on to say, “And buy salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.” Spiritual blindness is a common theme in the Bible. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their blindness. He said, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt, but now that you say ‘We see,’ your guilt remains” (John 9:41). Spiritual blindness comes from pride, and it is often hard to see because it is hidden under the guise of loving God. Compared to worldly pride and other types of pride, spiritual pride is often the type of pride that is the most deeply hidden and difficult to detect. We become blind to our own pride. The main cause of the church’s blindness is spiritual pride.

 

The Lord rebukes and disciplines people filled with pride and tells them to repent. "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent" (Revelation 3:19). Again, this verse confirms that the Laodiceans may not have been the worst of all the churches. God clearly says that he loves the Laodiceans, and that is why he disciplines them. Jesus also says he stands at the door and knocks, and those who hear his voice will open the door, and he will come in and eat supper with them (Revelation 3:20). In the very next chapter, the heavens are opened. At the end of Revelation 3, the Lord wants to sit on his throne with the overcomers from Laodicea (3:21).

 

Conclusion: The Opening of Heaven in the Spirit

In our study, we’ve reached the end of the seven letters to the churches. The Lord’s work in the seven churches has come to an end. We can now enter into the next stage of his work in the book of Revelation. As we read about the experience of sitting on the throne with the Lord, we will surely see heaven open for us as well. The sky will become clear, and we will see God’s throne and his working. We will become more spiritually aware of God’s will for our lives, as well as his will for the world. Through our spiritual eyes, we will see that everything that happens is under the sovereign control of God. No matter what disasters, discipline, victory, or success may come our way, God is mobilizing all things to accomplish His will.

Bible Study With Jairus - Revelation 3 Part 2

Bible Study with Jairus- Revelation 3, part 2

The Mission of the Church in Philadelphia is to be a replica of the New Jerusalem

 

Traditionally, our understanding of the letter to the Church in Philadelphia is limited to noticing a few key facts. We point out that this church was one of the few churches in Revelation that was not criticized by the Lord. We also observe that the word "Philadelphia" means brotherly love, indicating that the people of this church must have loved one another. We often use the idea of the church in Philadelphia as a metaphor for revival.

These are all helpful observations. However, let's not forget that the theme of the book of Revelation is to bring forth a mature Bride of Christ who can judge angels, ushering in God's ultimate judgment on the world. Therefore, we know that God’s work in Philadelphia will somehow contribute to the maturity of the Bride of Christ. The New Jerusalem, the holy city that descends from heaven, is the Bride of Christ. Revelation 21:2 says that the New Jerusalem is like a bride adorned for her husband. The Lord’s promise to the overcomers in Philadelphia is that they will not only become pillars in the temple of God, but they will also have the name of God’s city (the New Jerusalem) written on their foreheads (Revelation 3:12). From these verses, we see that God wants the church at Philadelphia to become a model of the New Jerusalem.

God also wants his body to mature into warriors who can eventually judge angels. The work of the Lord in the church in Philadelphia brings maturity to the church and defeat to the enemy. Although the church is not yet judging angels, we can tell that the enemy is already losing ground—especially in the church in Philadelphia. For example, Revelation 3:9 says that the Lord will make the false Jews in the synagogue of Satan come to worship at the feet of believers. Demons cannot worship at our feet if they are possessing us or sitting on our heads like monkeys (to borrow imagery from the visions of people with prophetic gifts). How can an evil spirit riding on your head bow down to you? That is impossible. You must first cut ties with evil spirits, cast them out, and distance yourself from them. Only then can they bow down to you. God’s work in the church at Philadelphia is to continue to break Satan’s ties with believers. Only then will the “synagogue of Satan” be able to bow down before believers. This analogy about evil spirits is not limited to evil spirits alone. Many sinners, including the false Jews mentioned in this passage, have the work of evil spirits behind them. Only when we deal with the evil spirits within these false teachers will they be able to bow at our feet.

We will one day reign with Christ, just like Joseph reigned over Egypt. God used famine to humble his brothers so they would repent of their sin and bow at Joseph’s feet. Joseph ruled over them as second-in-command, the person closest to Pharaoh’s throne. In the same way, faithful believers will be second-in-command to God. The believers in the church in Philadelphia will become the bride of Christ, the New Jerusalem, the ones closest to God’s throne. This leads naturally to the next letter to Laodicea, in which we learn that the overcomers will sit on the throne with the Lord (Rev 3:21).

 

The One Who Has the Key of David, Who Opens and No One Will Shut.

At the beginning of this verse, the Lord reveals Himself as "the holy and true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens" (3:7). What does this verse mean? We know that the Book of Revelation quotes about 500 passages from the Old Testament, many of which are woven naturally into the text and not clearly identified. This verse is quoted from Isaiah 22:22. We must look at the context of the book of Isaiah in order to understand the meaning of this verse.

Isaiah 13 to 23 contains God’s judgments on various nations. These countries that were judged include Babylon (Chapter 13), Assyria and Palestine (Chapter 14), Moab (Chapter 15-16), Damascus (Chapter 17-18), Egypt (Chapter 19), Egypt and Ethiopia (Chapter 20), Babylon and Arabia (Chapter 21), Jerusalem (Chapter 22), and Tyre (Chapter 23). In this context, let us talk in detail about God's judgment on Jerusalem. God's judgment on Jerusalem included the dismissal of the king's steward, Shebna, who symbolized an unfaithful steward (Isaiah 22:19). At the same time, Eliakim, a faithful man, was called to God’s service. He was clothed with a girdle, and the government was committed into his hands. He would become the father of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and of the house of Judah (Isaiah 22:20-21). Eliakim symbolized God's faithful servant. He would receive an anointing and authority from God to do God's work. In this context, God says he will give Eliakim the key of the house of David and lay it on his shoulder. What he opens, none would shut. What he shut, none could open. Since Jesus Christ used this sentence to describe himself in Revelation, we can infer that Eliakim symbolizes Jesus Christ. Eliakim is a type of Christ.

As mentioned earlier, Joseph is another type of Christ. Joseph experienced many years of suffering and trials and was even imprisoned in an Egyptian prison. But one day, God opened the door for him to become prime minister of all Egypt. This was an open door that no one could close. When it is God’s time, no one can shut the doors he opens. But when it is not his time, no one can open the doors he has not yet opened. During Joseph’s trials—being sold into slavery by his brothers, being falsely accused, being forgotten by the cupbearer—God refused to open the door to power. God’s time had not yet come. Joseph’s experience helps us understand the letter to the church in Philadelphia. God’s appointed time had come. He had worked in the church of Philadelphia, and it had reached a certain level of maturity. Therefore, he was opening a door for future growth. Just like Joseph matured through trials, the church of Philadelphia had gained a level of maturity. God would now use the key of David to open for them a door that no one could close.

The Key of David in Daily Life

In 2001, I left China to study in the UK. Before a year had passed, I had heard the gospel and repented of my sin. In 2002, I was baptized and became a Christian in the US. In 2004, God appeared to me and I surrendered to His service. After this experience, God did not reveal to me exactly how he wanted to use me. Instead, he led me through more than 10 years of study and experiential growth, including many difficult circumstances in the spiritual wilderness. At the beginning of 2017, God ended our ten-year infertility and gave us a miracle baby. On the last day of 2017, the Lord lifted my spirit into heaven and told me that He would use me greatly. At the same time, I received many prophecies from prophets who said that I would do great work for God in the future. Yet I didn’t see God opening the door for me to serve Him. Although I also served him in a few ways, they were all very small-scale.

As I waited, I was being trained by God. While I was getting my Doctor of Ministry at United Theological Seminary (UTS), I knew I was still preparing for God’s service. I continued to receive prophetic confirmation that God has plans for my life. A sister in Christ with the gift of prophecy told me that when she was praying, she saw in her spirit that the enemy had built a wall around me, trying to block the fruits of my service. Not long after that, I also had a dream. In the dream, there was a wall around me. As I tried to tear down the wall and stab the wall with a dagger, a snake slithered away. These prophetic messages told me that there are indeed enemies around me who have erected spiritual barriers in an attempt to hinder my service to God.

A few years ago, I was praying for two of my relatives, hoping that they would come to know the Savior and experience real repentance. I fasted and prayed every day at noon for one family member for six months, hoping that he would repent and be saved. I gave another family member the book of heavenly testimony, hoping that he would also be saved. However, after the outbreak of the pandemic in 2019, and during the months surrounding the 2020 US election, the enemy used the flesh to stir up conflicts among us. Due to these conflicts, my family members moved further away from salvation and repentance. The discord Satan stirred up among us has temporarily prevented them from getting saved. I believe they will eventually be saved. But in the meantime, I wonder, “Why can’t I win this spiritual battle?” One reason is that I am not yet full of light and love. I am not yet fully filled with love, reflecting the New Jerusalem. For that reason, Satan is attacking and using my life.

God has promised me that one day he will open the door for me to serve Him. He will even use me as a healer of spirit, soul, and body. But before I can be used by God in this way, I must experience the healing of my own spirit, soul, and body. My spirit needs to be uplifted, and my soul and body need to be healed. I need to break away from sin, the influence of the world, the entanglement of the flesh, and the oppression of evil spirits. Only then can I truly experience the infilling and the overflowing of the Holy Spirit, manifesting the rule of righteousness that is characteristic of the New Jerusalem. Only then will I be able to cast out the evil spirits in others.

Madam Jeanne Guyon once testified that she wanted to drive out a spirit that was possessing another person. But before she spoke, the spirit went out. The evil spirits knew and feared Jesus and Paul, but they were not afraid of the seven sons of the Jewish chief priest, Sceva (Acts 19:15). In the same way, the spirits are not afraid of me, and I cannot cast out the demons in my relatives. My fasting, praying, and preaching of the gospel only aroused the resistance of the evil spirits inside of them, stirring up their flesh to oppose me. Although I believe that God is still working on them, my job right now is to learn how to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Only then will I be able to drive out spirits in others.

I once had a dream in which I was taking a shower in a simple outdoor bathroom in my hometown in rural China. As I bathed in lukewarm water with my clothes on, I sang happily. There were some flies around me. Outside the curtain, a group of children was waiting for me to come out. The inspiration I got from this dream is that God wants to use me to help Chinese people (represented by the children) be freed from the ties of evil spirits. However, God must cleanse me first. Bathing with lukewarm water with my clothes on symbolizes the Holy Spirit’s cleansing of my heart, words, and deeds. The flies around me represent my past sins, as well as the evil spirits of my family and nation. My joyful singing reminds me that the joy of the Lord is my strength. With God’s power, I will eventually be freed from the oppression of evil spirits and become a vessel that brings God’s blessing to others. God has confirmed this call to me through the prophecies of many prophets, as well as His direct words to me. But we must become a living copy of the New Jerusalem before we can make the enemy bow down before us.

When will God give us the key of David? God will give it to us in His Sovereign time, and he will wait until we each become a living replica of the New Jerusalem.

What is the New Jerusalem?

So what is the New Jerusalem? As I said, every letter written to the churches reflects a stage of God’s work in the book of Revelation. The mention of the “pillar in the temple of God” and “the name of God and the name of the city of God (that is, the New Jerusalem) written on the forehead of overcomers” reflects what is written in Revelation 21 about the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven (21:2).

First of all, Revelation 21:11 describes the New Jerusalem, saying, “In the city is the glory of God; its radiance like the rarest jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal.” To become a replica of the New Jerusalem, we must be filled with the glory and the light of God. John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness never overcame it.” Whenever we harbor darkness in our hearts, the enemy gains a foothold in our hearts. Only because Christ had no darkness in him could he say that Satan had no hold over him (John 14:30). Madam Jeanne Guyon was able to cast out demons because she was filled with the glory and light of God. Satan and his evil spirits cannot enter the realm of the New Jerusalem. We must remember that any darkness in our spiritual lives provides a dwelling place for evil spirits.

Secondly, according to Revelation 21:12-14, the New Jerusalem demonstrates a unity between Jews and Gentiles. The gates of the New Jerusalem contain the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel (Jews), and the foundations of the city walls contain the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (believers). Ephesians 2:18 says, “For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” The word “both” refers to Jews and Gentiles. Through Christ, Jews and Gentiles abandon their hatred toward one another. They can both approach God through the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. To become a replica of the New Jerusalem, we must abide in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus Christ, before God the Father. Only when we live in this intimate fellowship with God can we manifest the light of the New Jerusalem.

Third, we notice that the walls of New Jerusalem are made of jasper. The city is made of pure gold, and the foundation of the walls is adorned with all kinds of precious stones (Revelation 21:18-20). These precious substances illustrate the final result of God’s dealings with the seven churches. Gold is refined by fire, and gemstones are transformed through immense pressure. In the same way, our personal spiritual lives must be refined through fire and pressure so we can be transformed into precious stones in God’s sight.

Fourth, we learn that the twelve gates are made of twelve pearls (Revelation 21:21). Pearls are produced from the secretion of mussels who have been injured. This demonstrates that suffering and trials can produce beautiful gems in the lives of believers.

Lastly, New Jerusalem is filled with the glory of God, and nothing unclean will ever enter into it (21:23-27). From this passage, we learn that the degree to which we are filled with the glory of God is the degree to which evil spirits can be subdued in our lives.

 

Conclusion: We Need to Become a Replica of the New Jerusalem

The letters to the seven churches reveal the seven spiritual stages of God’s work in the church. These different stages of spiritual work are an outline of the seven stages of God’s work in the entire book of Revelation. If we want to become a replica of the New Jerusalem, we must learn about God’s work described in the six previous letters to the churches.

• We must deal with our sins and return to our first love for God (the work of the Lord in the church in Ephesus).
• We must overcome the attacks of the spirit of death (the work of the Lord in the church in Smyrna).
• We must overcome the teachings of Balaam and deal with all the idols in our hearts (the work of the Lord in the church in Pergamos).
• We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit within (the work of the Lord in the church in Thyatira).
• We also need to outwardly manifest the righteousness of Christ (the work of the Lord in the church in Sardis).
• Only then can we become a prototype of New Jerusalem (the work of the Lord in the church in Philadelphia).
• Finally, we will be enabled to sit on the throne with the Lord (the work of the Lord in the church in Laodicea).

Bible Study with Jairus- - Revelation 3 Part 1

Bible Study with Jairus- - Revelation 3 Part 1

The Epistles to the Seven Churches Reveal Seven Spirit-Filled Stages of the Church and Individual

 

The Letter to the Church in Sardis Reveals God’s Expectation for the Church to Live in Righteousness

 

The letter to the church in Sardis reveals God's expectation for the church to live righteously. As we learned in our last study, the letter to Thyatira reveals God's expectation that the church members become Spirit-filled kings who can rule the nations with a rod of iron. The letter to Sardis describes the outward manifestation of the inward reality revealed in the letter to Sardis. The infilling of the Holy Spirit (Sardis) and its outworking in righteous living (Thyatira) are two sides of the same coin. Without the infilling of the Holy Spirit, we cannot truly manifest the righteousness of God in our actions. We can only live righteously if we are righteous on the inside. If we claim to have the infilling of the Holy Spirit but do not demonstrate any outward righteousness, then our infilling is unreliable. We need to be justified by faith as well as by works.

The letter to Sardis contains some phrases that refer symbolically to people who live in righteousness:

• Those who have “not soiled their garments" (v. 3)
• Those “clothed in white” (v. 4) walking with the Lord
• Those who overcome are clothed in “white raiment.”

The imagery reminds us of the description of the righteous Bride in Revelation 19:8, who is clothed in "clean and white fine linen.” The Bible says that "the fine linen is the righteous works of the saints" (Revelation 19:8). The righteous works of these saints are the righteous deeds that they naturally live out and demonstrate after experiencing the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

From this letter, we can see that God's judgment on the church has produced positive fruits. The church is growing into the spotless Bride of Christ. The stage of growth described in the letter to Sardis will lead naturally to the next stage of God’s work on the church, God’s work in the Philadelphia church. The purpose of the Philadelphia stage is to produce the prototype of the New Jerusalem.

 

The Progressive Spiritual Relationship of the Seven Churches

In our last study, I mentioned that the letters to the seven churches are not limited to describing God’s work in seven different chronological periods of church history. Nor are they limited to revealing God’s different ways of working in the same time period. Instead, it describes the seven stages of spiritual growth as God helps the church grow toward maturity. I believe the letters reveal a pattern of continuous and progressive spiritual growth.

As I read the book of Revelation, God enlightened me about this message of progressive growth. I believe that Satan and his evil spirits work differently in every church mentioned in Revelation. But God has given each church unique provisions that help it combat the work of Satan. In this way, each letter exposes a different aspect of the work of evil spirits, and also reveals an aspect of the Lord's provision. God’s provision helps the individual church escape the deceptions of evil spirits and “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15)

To recap what we have learned, let’s briefly review the ways God provided for the unique struggle in each church.

• In the church of Ephesus, the evil spirit of indifference tempts the Ephesians to abandon the love they had at first. But the Lord reveals Himself as the High Priest who trims the lamps, removes the charred wicks, and anoints the church with oil (the Holy Spirit) to help them return to their first love.
• After the churches and believers return to their first love, Satan raises up the evil spirit of death to persecute them. This is what was happening in the church of Smyrna. The Lord reveals Himself as the resurrection who could strengthen the church to be victorious over the attacks of the evil spirit of death.
• When Satan sees that persecution fails to weaken the faith of the church, he sends false teachers (the teaching of Balaam and the teaching of the Nicolaitans). Just as Balaam tempted the Israelites to sin, these false teachers tempt the church to commit sexual immorality and leave their position of God’s blessing. As a response to this temptation, the Lord reveals himself as "the sharp two-edged sword" (Rev 2:12). His word is powerful in discerning and defeating the wiles of the enemy in the church of Pergamum.
• In the church at Thyatira, Satan raises up the spirit of Jezebel, which is the spirit of the false prophet, to confuse believers. To combat his schemes, the Lord releases the spirit of Elijah to defeat Jezebel. Elijah foretold the death of Jezebel and anointed Jehu to kill Jezebel. In the same way, as believers defeat the evil spirit of Jezebel, they will grow into spiritual kings. God will give them authority to rule over all nations and they will “reign in life.” (Romans 5:17) In this way, the church will mature to such an extent that it can be “filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19)
• This fullness will naturally be manifested in outward righteousness, which is the work that God is accomplishing in the church in Sardis.
• The work of God in the church in Philadelphia is to produce the precursor of the New Jerusalem.
• God’s work in the church of Laodicea is to achieve an ultimate victory, allowing us to sit on the throne and reign together with Christ.

Each of these letters reveals a stage of spiritual growth, a stepping stone toward God’s ultimate purpose for the church. It also represents the seven stages of trials that the Lord sends to the church, the seven ways that evil spirits work, and the seven provisions of God to combat these evil spirits. The Lord’s epistles to the seven churches represent God’s responses to the seven aspects of the work of evil spirits, helping the church to overcome them. In this way, the Church as a whole (the Bride of Christ) continues to grow in all things into Him who is the head, Christ.

God’s judgment begins with the house of God (1 Peter 4:17). Only after the house of God has endured judgment can God continue to judge the rest of the world. This is why the seven seals and seven trumpets (Revelation 5-11) are not revealed until after the Lord's letter to the seven churches. The seven seals and the seven trumpets represent God’s continued judgment and cleansing of the world, which must take place after God’s judgment and cleansing of the church. I believe the letters to the seven churches are the seven stages of God’s judgment and cleansing which purify the church and prepare it to enter the next stage of God’s work.

 

Our spiritual growth and skill prepare us to “level up” in our ability to withstand trials. A video game player can only advance to the second level after gaining sufficient skills and abilities to “win” the first level. In the second level, there will be even stronger enemies which will help the player prepare to face the challenges of the third level. Similarly, a child is only allowed on certain Disneyland rides after he has reached a certain height. In the same way, our level of growth or spiritual stature determines whether or not God will allow us to enter the next stage of his work.

Only when God’s church is mature and cleansed will God be able to begin the process of cleansing the world. In this age, the church is experiencing judgment, cleansing, and trials. The church’s degree of maturity determines the timing in which God begins to cleanse the world. If we fail to mature spiritually, God cannot allow us to advance to the next stage of His work, which is judging the world. Just as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years, many churches and believers are wandering in circles. But we must mature spiritually so we can cooperate with God's work and enter the spiritual land of Canaan.

 

The Hologram Theory: The Seven Churches are a Microcosm of the Entire Kingdom of God

Through an inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I understood that the Lord’s epistles to the seven churches not only reveal seven stages of growth in the worldwide church, but also reveal a microcosm of God’s work in the entire book of Revelation. The church is a microcosm of the kingdom of God. In the future, the whole earth will become the kingdom of our Lord and Christ (Revelation 11:15). But before this can be accomplished, the church must first become the kingdom of our Lord and of Christ, which is why the Lord wrote epistles to the seven churches. He wanted to purify the church and defeat the deeds of evil spirits in the church so the church could fully embrace its status as the kingdom of God.

What is the Hologram Theory? In Chinese medicine, the Hologram Theory says that the acupuncture points of our feet correspond to all the acupuncture points on our bodies. If you go for a foot massage, as long as you find the right acupuncture points, you can treat the diseases of the whole body. Similarly, the abdomen also has acupuncture points that correspond to the acupuncture points of the whole body. All diseases in the whole body can be treated by doing acupuncture on the torso. An acupuncturist from our church frequently administers abdominal acupuncture on me, and it works every time to heal my body. What's even more amazing is that the ears also contain acupuncture points that correspond to the acupuncture points on the entire body. Another Christian brother in Christ gives me ear acupuncture to help me regulate my entire body and health.

This principle is not only true of Chinese medicine. In Western medicine, understanding one cell can help scientists decipher the mysteries of the human body. The Hologram Theory means a partial and tiny thing, which can reflect a whole and entire picture.

As I read the Bible, I realized that the seven stages of God’s work in the churches are a microcosm of the work of God in the entire book of the Book of Revelation. Here are a few examples of this phenomenon.

• The Lord’s letter to Laodicea says that the one who overcomes will sit on the throne with the Lord, just as Jesus overcame and sat on the throne with the Father (Rev 3:21). This mirrors the "throne of God and of the Lamb" mentioned in Revelation 22 (22:1).
• The Lord’s epistle to the church at Philadelphia mentions “being a pillar in the temple of God” and that “the name of God and the name of the city of God (that is, New Jerusalem) are written on the overcomers,” both of which are reflected in Revelation 21 as the "new Jerusalem came down from heaven" (21:2).
• The believers in Sardis are "clothed in white,” walk with the Lord and live righteous lives. This concept is reflected in the bride in Revelation 19. The bride wears fine white linen, which represents the righteous acts of the saints.
• Jesus’ letter to the church in Thyatira mentions an iron rod that governs the nations. This reflects the male child in Revelation 12 who “will rule the nations with an iron rod.”
• In the letter to Pergamos, Jesus rebuked the evil spirit of Jezebel and sent the spirit of Elijah. This mention can remind us of the two witnesses and prophets released by God in Revelation 10 and 11.
• The epistle to Smyrna reveals the work of the spirit of death, which can remind us of Revelation 9, where it says, "In those days men desired death, but never died; they longed for death, but death shunned them" (9:6). Not only is life in the hands of God, but death is also in the hands of God.
• In the letter to Ephesus, Jesus mentions leaving our first love. Perhaps this reference can remind us of the seal judgments and the trumpet judgments, the purpose of which was to encourage humans to return to The One who created them. Humans were created by God, but they have left their first love. These judgments will make them return to God Himself.

These examples show that the letters to the churches are a microcosm of the book of Revelation as a whole. In the book of Revelation, God’s purpose is to ultimately reveal the male child, the Bride, and the New Jerusalem. But God must first produce a prototype in the microcosm of the church. When all the prophecies of the Book of Revelation are fulfilled, Christ will publicly return to earth in the Parousia. But God has already returned in a hidden way to his body, the church, in a miniature Parousia. Parousia means the appearance and coming of Christ. Before the Lord's public appearance to the whole world, He has already made a hidden, early appearance in the church. The word Parousia has a two-level meaning which includes both the public coming of Christ and the hidden coming of Christ.  For the people of the world, the Lord Jesus has not appeared publicly. But for those who walk with the Lord as Enoch did, God has already appeared to us like the morning star appears before the dawn (2 Peter 1:17). Those of us who walk with God have already experienced the appearance of Jesus.

I once heard the story of Miss Margaret E. Barber who was very eager for the Lord’s appearance. She lived in the constant hope of the Lord’s coming. One day, as she and Watchman Nee were walking along the street, she said to him, "Perhaps, when we reach the corner of that street, the Lord will return.” She lived in great anticipation of the Lord's Parousia (the appearance of the Lord). I believe that because of her love for the Lord, she was already experiencing an internal manifestation of the kingdom of Christ. She already had a practical experience of living in Christ's heavenly kingdom.

The epistles to the seven churches demonstrate the seven stages of the Lord’s work in the church as he perfects his body so we can enter his heavenly kingdom. How is today’s church doing in its spiritual growth? How is your church doing? How are you doing? Can you say that you are already living in the spiritual reality of the kingdom of the Lord? That you are living in the reality of the New Jerusalem? This is the question that we Christians must ask ourselves today.

God Wants Us to Live in Righteousness.

The Lord’s letter to the church in Sardis reveals that God wants us to live in righteousness. How do we live in righteousness? We must experience the filling of the Holy Spirit, which is exactly what God did for the church in Thyatira. The filling of the Holy Spirit and a life of righteousness are two sides of the same coin, as demonstrated in this personal testimony. When I was in the Local Church Movement, I was encouraged to pursue the filling of the Holy Spirit. I was taught that only when we are filled with the Holy Spirit can we be greatly used by the Lord. Only when individual believers experience revival can the church as a whole experience revival. And revival comes from the filling of the Holy Spirit. As a result of this teaching, I began to pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit.

First, in order to experience the filling of the Holy Spirit, we must confess our sins. As I sought God’s infilling, I confessed my sins, repented of the weaknesses of my flesh, and removed the spiritual impurity brought about by the filth of the world. Since sin hinders us from receiving the filling of the Holy Spirit, we must deal with our sins before we can please God. We must deal with our sins because they hinder our fellowship with God and pull us away from our first love, our love for God. Jesus addressed the sin of the church at Ephesus, and we must address our sins as well.

Second, in order to experience the filling of the Holy Spirit, we must overcome spiritual death. For example, watching worldly TV programs is not necessarily a sin, but it can bring us spiritual death. After watching TV for a long time, our prayers feel dry and dull. We feel like we are far from God and it is difficult to get into the spirit of prayer. This is the work of the spirit of death. Just like God overcame the spirit of death in the church at Smyrna, God can resurrect us from our spiritual death. Spiritual death comes from our sin and from our exposure to the world.

The third thing we have to deal with is the influence of the world. The church in Pergamos was a church that was married to the world. The word "Pergamum" means "married, united, and strong tower.” This symbolizes that the church and believers were united with the world, and even allowed God’s dwelling place to become "Satan's seat" (Revelation 2:13). We must rid ourselves of worldly influence so we can experience more of the filling of the Holy Spirit.

Fourth, to experience the infilling of the Holy Spirit, we must defeat the fleshly strongholds that allow the evil spirits and false prophets to flourish in our midst. Through our strongholds, we allow false prophets like Jezebel to teach "the depths of Satan" (Revelation 2:24) to the church and to believers. Israel’s entry into the land of Canaan is a picture of the filling of the Holy Spirit. If we want to experience the filling of the Holy Spirit, we need to defeat the evil spirits and the strongholds they establish, just like Israel under Joshua defeated the Canaanites. Only then can we have victory in the land of Canaan.

Fifth, after experiencing the former stages of growth, we can experience God’s work in the church at Sardis. That is, we can manifest outwardly through righteous deeds what God has already filled us with inwardly. Jesus said, "A good tree brings forth good fruit" (Matthew 7:17).  Just like a cup only spills the contents that are already inside it, we can only manifest the things that are already filling us.

As we “level up” to later stages of growth, we face more direct attacks and challenges from evil spirits. While I was in the Local Church Movement, I experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit to an extent, but I did not experience the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the subsequent manifestation that is described in Acts 2. God led me to join the Charismatic movement, where I received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. According to Brother Derek Prince, the most obvious sign of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not tongues or gifts, but increased troubles. After receiving the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, I began to experience more attacks from evil spirits and observed more acts of evil spirits, neither of which I had experienced in the past. When we advance in our experience of the filling of the Holy Spirit, we will definitely experience more attacks from evil spirits. Through these attacks, God is training us to judge angels (1 Corinthians 6:3). God’s work in Philadelphia and Laodicea also demonstrates the continued work of God through the infilling of the Holy Spirit, allowing us to become the “New Jerusalem” (the manifestation of God) and to sit “on the throne together with the Lord” (reigning with Christ).

Conclusion:

The spiritual experience revealed by the letters to the churches not only describes the seven stages of the church’s spiritual growth, but also the seven stages that every individual Christian can experience as they encounter the filling of the Holy Spirit. These seven letters represent a microcosm of the entire book of Revelation. We must see these letters from a new perspective. This inspiration from the Holy Spirit is a timely message for this generation. Both the church as a whole and individual Christians urgently need to grow and mature in their spiritual lives.

 

 

Bible Study With Jairus - Revelation 2 Part4

Bible Study with Jairus - Revelation 2-Part 4

 

Christians Can Defeat the Spirit of Jezebel by Reigning with Christ

 

 

The three main roles portrayed in the Old Testament are Priest, Prophet, and King. All of God’s people were called to draw near to God, like priests. All God’s people are invited to have God reign as king in their lives. This was God’s will for Israel, but they were afraid to speak directly to God, as a priest would. They asked Moses to speak to God instead of them (Deuteronomy 5:27), giving up their responsibility as priests. They also rejected God as their king and wanted to have a king like other nations, which God allowed (1 Samuel 8:7).

Kings complement priests and prophets complement kings. When the Israelites refused to draw near to God as priests, God raised up a king, David, to shepherd His chosen people. When the king (David) fell into sin, God sent a prophet (Nathan) to help him get back onto the right path of loving God.

Herein lies the key to Revelation 2. The letter to the church in Thyatira in Revelation 2 mentions the Spirit of Jezebel and the Spirit of the False Prophet. I believe these spirits are related to the failure of Ahab, Jezebel’s husband, to be a good king. When Christians stop acting like kings, false prophets like Jezebel will come in and make the king worse. But during these times of failure, there will also be true prophets, like Elijah, who will come in and anoint new kings, like Jehu, and defeat false prophets and ungodly kings. Elijah and Jehu worked together to prophesy against King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. They also helped fulfill these prophecies of judgment.

This is true not only in the Old Testament but also in the spiritual reality of the New Testament. The Spirit of Jezebel is operating in the church to produce bad kings like Ahab who cannot manifest the power of Christ. Meanwhile, the spirit of the true prophet Elijah is also operating to make people repent. As Malachi 4:5-6 (ESV) says, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction."[1] When people refuse to accept the words of the true prophet, God will strike the land with a decree of utter destruction. The Lord’s discipline of the unrepentant people in the church of Thyatira resembles the judgment mentioned in Malachi. The Lord will first send the spirit of Elijah to call believers to repent. But when they refuse to repent, God's judgment will come upon them.

When Christians neglect to get close to God, they lose their first love and their priestly status. This is what happened to the church in Ephesus. After a believer overcomes persecution and the spirit of death (church in Smyrna) and the teaching of Balaam (church in Pergamum), he/she gradually matures to the stage of reigning in life. If he/she continues to grow up into the Head, Christ, he/she will be given power over the nations, to rule them with a rod of iron. These believers will be rewarded with Christ, the morning star (Revelation 2:26-28). Believers will also become morning stars since they are the reproduction and manifestation of Christ. This is the heart of the spiritual warfare that took place in the Church in Thyatira. The purpose of the trials in the church of Thyatira was to produce victorious Christians who could reign victoriously in their spiritual lives as they rule and discipline the nations with a rod of iron.

 

 

Progressive Spiritual Growth Demonstrated in the Letters to the Seven Churches

 

As I mentioned before, the seven churches in Revelation could either represent seven churches in different time periods or seven different kinds of churches in the same time period. Through an inspiration from the Holy Spirit, I believe that the seven churches represent the concept of progressive spiritual growth. The progression of themes from the first church to the seventh shows God’s continually unfolding work as the church of Christ bands together and builds one another up through God’s help and discipline. On the other hand, the letters to the churches show the different evil spirits that continue to ensnare sinners, weaving a spider-like web. Throughout the section, the aspect of growth and the aspect of opposition continue building cumulatively. The church will progressively grow into the mature Body of Christ and produce many overcomers, represented by the male child in Revelation 12. Meanwhile, the evil kingdom will continue growing until it manifests as Babylon the Great, producing false prophets and antichrists. The two kingdoms are like two trains, constantly gaining new passengers, both headed towards a final collision point, which is the Battle of Armageddon. Armageddon is a defining moment in the history of mankind, and even in the history of the universe. Since Armageddon is so important, we can’t claim that the rest of the Bible has nothing to do with Armageddon. It's all very relevant and tied together. God’s letters to the seven churches are His battle cry that summons His chosen people to participate in the battle of Armageddon.

 

These letters also prepare and perfect them spiritually for the upcoming battle. The seven letters describe seven aspects in which the churches need to spiritually prepare. It also mentions seven spirits of God and seven stars in Jesus’ hands. Jesus Christ’s seven character qualities provide seven essential provisions for the churches. He judges and exposes the evil spirits’ deception in seven key ways. These difficult exposures will help the church realize its own shortcomings so it can repent, access the seven characteristics of God, and manifest Him fully on earth.

 

The work of the Holy Spirit and the work of the evil spirits are both increasing in intensity from the first letter to the church to the last. The intensification of one is closely linked to the intensification of the other. God wants to make the church into the body of Christ, a pure bride without blemish. Meanwhile, Satan and the evil spirits want to make the church into the great prostitute, Babylon the Great. Therefore, Satan constantly enlists new and more powerful evil spirits to join his team in opposing the church. But God continues to help the church overcome the attacks of these evil spirits. Through his provision, he helps them overcome trials.

 

First, the churches and believers overcame the temptation to lose their first love (Ephesus). Then, they overcame persecution and the fear of death (Smyrna). They fought against the teaching of Balaam (Pergamum). Finally, they have arrived at the fourth stage described in the letter to Thyatira. Believers had to learn to resist the attack of the Jezebel spirit in the church. Just as the Israelites experienced more than forty trials in the wilderness, the church also experienced at least seven trials in Revelation 2-3. Trials always bring lessons of faith. We journey through the wilderness to a Holy Spirit-filled place of blessing. The church in Thyatira had matured to a point where it could confront the attacks and trials of the Jezebel spirit. If they could overcome the test of the Jezebel spirit, they would be able to rule the nations with a rod of iron.

 

The progressive spiritual growth demonstrated in the letters to the churches can be compared to levels in a video game. After you’ve completed the first level, the enemies in the second level will be even more powerful. But after you defeat the enemies in the second level, you will become stronger. We complete increasingly difficult levels in the “game of life” designed by God to eventually select those who are worthy of an eternal reward. People often say that the greater your anointing from God, the greater will be the attacks from evil spirits. But the greater the spiritual opposition, the greater the anointing that God gives to overcome these attacks. As the Chinese say, “the good always triumphs over evil.” The letters to the churches demonstrate the progressive spiritual growth of the church throughout history.

 

The Lord Has Eyes Like a Flame Of Fire and Feet Like Burnished Bronze

 

As the web of evil thickens like a spider web, unsuspecting believers will become prey. Let’s compare evil spirits to spiders. Evil spirits catch sleeping believers and tangle them up in their sticky webs of sin and false teaching. To these believers, Jesus reveals Himself as “the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.” (Revelation 2:18) Evil spirits can deceive some believers, but they cannot deceive the Lord whose "eyes are like a flame of fire.”  The reference to “feet… like burnished bronze" refers to the Lord's judgment. Whether his judgment is against evil spirits or against believers who refuse to repent, God's judgment is severe.

 

In some ways, the church in Thyatira seemed to be doing well. They were told “I know your works, your love and faith and service, and patient endurance,” and their latter works exceeded the first. (Revelation 2:19) So why did they later accept the teaching of the Jezebel spirit and false prophets? The Jezebel spirit uses these false prophets to do its evil work. The false prophets lure believers to commit sexual immorality and worship idols (Revelation 2:20). The Lord gave these false prophets of Jezebel a chance to repent. But Jezebel refused to repent (Revelation 2:21), so God judged her and threw her onto a sickbed (Revelation 2:22). Those who committed adultery with her and refused to repent were also thrown into tribulation (Revelation 2:22). God would strike down Jezebel’s children (her followers), so that the church would know that "I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works." (Revelation 2:23).

 

What happened that led some believers to follow the Jezebel spirit? We know that the Jezebel spirit is against the spirit of Elijah. And the spirit of Elijah "will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.” So the church must have "turned her heart away from the heavenly Father" in order to be deceived by the Jezebel spirit. This explanation makes sense. There are many things that might have turned the believers’ hearts away from God. Here are some possibilities:

• Busyness, both ministry busyness and secular busyness. This may have been what the Lord was referring to in verse 19. The church’s schedule was full of works, love, faith, service, endurance, and latter works that exceeded the first. When we are overly busy, we may unknowingly build new idols. even When our ministry is successful, our service to God may become an idol in our lives. Such idols keep our hearts away from God, thereby providing a bridgehead for Jezebel's false teachings to attack us.
• Another reason why we can be deceived by the Jezebel spirit is our interest in status and power. In the Old Testament, the historical Jezebel helped keep her husband Ahab in power by seizing Naboth's vineyard. It is the same in today’s church. When we regard our status, power, reputation and position in the church as more important than the interests of other believers or God, we fall for the tricks of the Jezebel spirit. In every church, there are people who are greedy for power and profit. They are easily deceived and used by the teachings of Jezebel.

 

But not all the Thyatirans were deceived. There were some who were not in the know, who simply loved the Lord. To these people, the Lord said, "To the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden." (Revelation 2:24).

 

Overcoming Hidden Weaknesses

 

We all have hidden weaknesses. These hidden weaknesses include greed, sexual immorality, and the desire for power, money, and fame. As we embark on the path of loving the Lord, we experience unceasing attacks from evil spirits and temptations from the world. John defines the world as “the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life." (1 John 2:16). What eventually makes us fail is the weakness of our inner life that we are often unaware of. These unconscious weaknesses give the enemy a chance to attack us. As the saying goes, “Nothing happens for no reason.” Our goal is to be free from weaknesses, so we can proclaim with Jesus that evil has no claim on us (John 14:30).

 

We can only be victorious if we overcome first our sins, then the world, and finally our flesh, our ambition and our status. A worship leader I like very much talked about his experience with cheating. His weakness was revealed to the world, which prompted him to do things that he later regretted. After Ravi Zacharias, a well-known apologist died, it was exposed that he molested women. He mentioned that he was under a lot of pressure and could not solve the troubles caused by these pressures, so he turned to molesting women to comfort himself. Many American Christians admit to turning to sex, drugs and pornography in an attempt to find solace when facing pressure from the world. These are the hidden weaknesses we need to overcome. We must allow God to continue to work in our unsanctified souls through prayer and fill us with the love of Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

 

In the process of overcoming our weaknesses through the love of Christ, we often encounter hindrances. The sin of the flesh trips us up and we are encumbered by the strongholds of evil spirits within us. It is difficult to overcome these weaknesses. This was Paul's experience in Romans 7. He said that he kept on doing the evil he did not want to do but didn’t do the good he wanted to do. But the story doesn’t end in chapter 7. In Romans 8, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus set Paul free.

 

For a long time, I have been struggling to overcome a certain weakness of my flesh. I have frequently prayed for victory but have often failed. This weakness took root because I was poor when I was young. The spirit of poverty built a stronghold within me. I have never been able to overcome the attacks of the spirit of greed. I have prayed so hard, asking God to help me.

 

Then one night, I had a strange dream. I dreamed that I was flying while stepping on a ball made of dirt. As I stamped my feet to shake off the dust from my feet, I proclaimed with a loud voice, "I will certainly be able to overcome the world and all its attractions through Jesus Christ who strengthens me." Although I often struggle and fail to overcome these weaknesses, I do not give up on praying for victory. I often pray that the Holy Spirit of God will fill me more, so that the unsanctified part of my soul will be sanctified by the life of Christ, and I will experience the baptism and filling of the Holy Spirit in greater abundance. Although I am still fighting against the weakness of my flesh and the stronghold of the evil spirits inside of me, the Holy Spirit promises that with Jesus Christ strengthening me, I will surely overcome the world and all its attractions.

 

But I know that like the Israelites, many believers cannot defeat the enemy and drive the enemy out. When they hit a plateau in their spiritual life or when they experience more obstacles from the strongholds built by the evil spirits, they give up. The weaknesses continue to dwell among them, becoming a snare. Similarly, if we fail to overcome our spiritual weaknesses through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will experience the same snare. The failure of the apologist Zacharias is just one example of this concept. A person may be outwardly successful in his career or spiritual ministry, but still fail in his inner life and testimony.

 

In addition, our spiritual victory is inseparable from the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The "Holiness Movement,” birthed the Pentecostal Movement. This denomination is deeply influenced by the teaching of John Wesley's "Second Blessing.” These believers not only pursued belief, salvation, and satisfaction in Christ, but also pursued sanctification, victory, and a “second blessing” from God. As they pursued a second blessing of victory, some experienced the baptism and infilling of the Holy Spirit, leading to the start of the modern Pentecostal Movement. As I have mentioned several times, I was saved in a Local Church Movement where I pursued inner growth. But I observed that many believers could not overcome their spiritual difficulties because they did not have the supernatural help that only came through the Holy Spirit’s baptism.

 

Conclusion

 

The letters to the seven churches in the Book of Revelation illustrate the progressive spiritual growth of the church. Just like the Israelites made forty-two stops in the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land, each church experiences many trials along the way. These trials will make the church more mature, building us into a mature bride of Christ which can overcome the evil spirits and Babylon the Great.

 

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

 

Bible Study With Jairus - Revelation 2 Part3

Bible Study with Jairus – Revelation 2 Part 3

 

The Work of Evil Spirits in The Seven Churches

 

The book of Revelation reveals that the church and the Body of Christ will judge the evil spirits who cooperate with Satan to deceive and snare people and drag them into hell. First Corinthians 6:3 says that believers will judge angels, and we will also execute God's judgment upon Satan. After the birth of the male child in chapter 12, God eventually threw Satan in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:12). This is the ultimate destiny of Satan and the evil spirits. That’s why Satan and the evil spirits are strongly opposing the church’s maturity and the maturity of the bride, because the church’s maturity signals the beginning of their final judgment. For this reason, Satan has sent all kinds of evil spirits into the churches to oppose the victory and maturity of the church. These evil spirits tempt believers and try to snare them into sin and deception.

 

The letters to the seven churches in Revelation 1-2 not only reveal characteristics of Christ, but also reveal the work of Satan and the evil spirits in every church. By exposing their works, Christ judges not only the church, but also the work of the evil spirits in the church. For example, Jesus not only exposed the lack of love in Ephesians, but he also exposed the evil spirit of indifference operating in their midst. Jesus said that in the end times, "lawlessness will be increased, [and therefore] the love of many will grow cold." (ESV, Matthew 24:12)[1]. When lawlessness increases, righteous things are suppressed, people's expectations are not met, and love grows cold. This is the result of the work of the spirit of indifference in the church. Jesus exposed the spirit of indifference in His letter to the church in Ephesus. When the evil spirits’ tricks are exposed, their defeat will not be far away.

 

Evil Counterfeits

 

The Bible reveals three major realities about the world:

1. God’s nature and work
2. The tricks of Satan and the evil spirits
3. Humans’ identity in Christ and our weaknesses.

 

When we study the Bible we must learn about God, Satan, and ourselves. The book of Revelation is no exception. In the letter to the church in Ephesus, these three things are revealed.

 

Humans are an object of contention between God and Satan. We were created by God to worship Him, and lead everyone to worship Him. This was once Satan’s role. This is why Satan hates us so much. Satan tempts us to sin and tries to convince us to follow him so he can rob us of our worship of God.  We were created as mirrors and vessels. We reflect the light of Christ, see his face, and become like Him, or we accept Satan’s infusion of sin and the disguise of sin.

 

In the letters of Revelation to the seven churches, there are five major things we can learn.

1. The characteristics of Christ
2. The characteristics of Satan and evil spirits;
3. The positive work of Christ in the church, which is what the Lord praises;
4. The negative work of Satan and evil spirits in the church, in which the Lord criticizes
5. The Lord will give us reward if we correct our mistakes.

To simplify even more, these chapters discuss the characteristics of God, the acts of Satan, and the condition of man.

 

When we think about the church, we often focus on God’s work and on people’s positive testimony or negative witness. But we often ignore the work of evil spirits. And evil spirits will never stand idle. They will design all kinds of snares to lure believers into sin. So we must pay attention to the work of the evil spirits.

 

The Work of Evil Spirits

 

How can we learn about the work of Satan and his evil spirits? This is not an easy task. Many liberal theologians don't even acknowledge the existence of Satan and evil spirits. There are also some church members in the United States who think that evil spirits only exist in the third world where idols are still prevalent. But this is not the case. Evil spirits also exist in American churches.

 

There are different theological explanations about the origins of evil spirits. But we know that the Bible discusses many different kinds of evil spirits, which seemingly rule over different regions and have different functions. Some evil spirits seem to influence politics, such as the spirit of Jezebel. Others seem to be spirits of adultery. The spirit of indifference tempts people to give up on changing the church, and the spirit of legalism shuts down passion for God and focuses instead on dogmatism. We will not be spending a lot of time discussing the sources and types of evil spirits. But we must know enough about the work of evil spirits to know how to spot and avoid their tricks, and to seek God’s wisdom to know how to deal with them. If we ignore or do not understand the work of the evil spirits, we will give them the opportunity to work in the church.

 

For example, the spirit of unforgiveness often use people’s unforgiveness to build unforgiving strongholds in their hearts. These strongholds will become the enemy’s bridgehead, hardening believers’ hearts towards God and causing them to lose their love for others. The Lord Jesus taught us many times that we must forgive others. In addition, if we watch sinful videos or commit sexual sins, it opens the door to the spirit of lust. These are some common ways used by the evil spirits at work.

 

Why Did the Church in Ephesus Leave Her First Love?

 

The spirit of indifference was likely at work in the church in Ephesus. Some theologians believe that the Nicolaitans in Revelation 2:6 were an arrogant group of privileged people within the church. They wanted to control the interpretation of the Bible and restrict the saints from functioning independently and reading the Bible on their own. They wanted a monopoly on God’s word. In many churches, a small group of privileged people does the majority of the work of the church. Only one pastor preaches the sermons every week. As a result, the other members begin to wither and lack functioning, allowing many people to lose their first love.

 

This type of behavior is damaging and breeds discouragement and indifference. As members of one body, believers are supposed to be connected directly to Christ, so he can provide for us. However, when a privileged group tries to control God's word and believers, members will lack the direct provision from Christ the Head. They will also lack training of their senses (Hebrews 5:14) and never grow past spiritual infancy.

 

The spirit of indifference operates in many churches, but many people are unaware of it. When we have been in a church for a long time and friction and misunderstandings continue to grow, we feel a passion to change things. But when a monopolizing group shuts us down, we slowly stop caring. We open the door to the spirit of indifference.

 

When I was small, I remember having a desire to attempt a certain task. But my family wouldn’t let me do it. “You are too young,” they said. I was sad, because I felt capable enough to do it. Since no one encouraged my passions and desires, I stopped bringing the subject up. I was frustrated and no longer talked about my wishes. In the same way, we often hear people in companies or even churches complaining, "I don't want to raise any opinions anymore. They are the ones who have the final say anyway. They don't listen to us at all." Many people are discouraged because their suggestions are not adopted. Therefore, well-managed companies attach great importance to the annual survey of employees. They collect their opinions and adopt reasonable opinions in response. Poorly managed companies, however, don’t usually pay attention to and adopt the opinions of their employees. Over time, they lose the loyalty of their employees. Jesus was right when He said, "For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light." (Luke 16:8).

 

When the monopolizing group focuses on its own interests and shuts down other believers, it prevents them from using their talents. These believers can easily become discouraged and disappointed. Even if they are unwilling to leave the church and their beliefs, they become negative and discouraged. They may even lose their first love.

 

Randy Clark, a teacher at my seminary, told a story that serves as an excellent example of this point. He mentioned that he leads an annual ministry team that preaches the gospel and serves the church in Brazil. One of his burdens has been to train believers to do the work Jesus taught: healing the sick and casting out demons. He believes that everyone can heal and cast out demons. But when he went to a Brazilian church and tried to do this, he was met with opposition from the pastor. The pastor said, “If you teach all the believers to pray and heal the sick and cast out demons, who will still need us?” The pastor opposed their attempts to train the believers in his church. “Please teach the clergy to do this,” they said. “But we do not want all believers to learn it.”

 

There are many reasons why believers can lose their first love (2:4). But one of the reasons may be the work of the Nicolaitans, which Jesus hates. It is no accident that this is mentioned here. In verse five, Jesus mentions that believers should remember from where they have fallen. And immediately following this statement, he mentions that he hates the works of the Nicolaitans (2:6). It logically follows that the Nicolaitans may have caused the Ephesian believers to lose their first love.

 

In historic Catholicism, only the clergy could read the Bible, and only the Pope could affirm the doctrine, which limited the enthusiastic growth of individual believers. After Martin Luther translated the Bible into the common language and the printing press made Bibles widely available, a great revival broke out! But unfortunately, the banal influence of the middle class is still circulating in the church today, even in the Protestant church and some Chinese churches. What a strange and unfortunate situation! When a new servant arises in the church, the long-standing church workers feel threatened. As a result, they begin to suppress these new servants. Evil spirits often take advantage of people's narrow-minded and selfish interests to restrict the growth and functioning of believers. This suffocates the growth of the Body of Christ.

 

Evil Spirits at Work in The Church In Smyrna

 

What types of evil spirits were at work in the church in Smyrna? To answer this question, we must return to the church in Ephesus. When a privileged group oppresses the rest of the church, as it may have done in Ephesus, some believers become discouraged. But other believers are able to overcome the persecution of this evil spirit. These faithful believers continue to love the Lord. They do not lose their first love. Now Satan is left with a conundrum: what should he do with these people? He decides to directly persecute them, just like he did with Job. Satan had attacked Job’s possessions, property, and family, but Satan had not failed to trust God. Satan concluded that direct persecution would cause Job to curse God. Satan said, "Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life." (Job 2:4). In the same way, Satan launched a direct attack on those who had survived his subtle attack of lovelessness.

 

The letters to the seven churches build on one another, just like the progressively difficult levels in a video game. After passing one level, the next level is more difficult. In the same way, trials can be progressively more difficult. John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress portrays a man named "Christian" who goes through increasing difficulties and trials in order to eventually reach his destination and find eternal life. In the same way, God allows believers to experience many difficulties on their way to the eternal city of God.

 

The religious spirit often oppresses believers and tempts them to lose their first love. If believers successfully overcome the religious spirit and stay true to God, Satan may attack them directly to see if they can pass the test. Anyone who can overcome the oppression of the religious spirit in the church will surely suffer persecution. But Jesus tells us that this tribulation will only last ten days. Those who overcome will receive the crown of life (2:10). Not everyone will experience persecution that leads to physical death, but many people will experience the mental and emotional persecution that Paul described in 2 Corinthians 1:8b-9a: “…We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself, felt that we had received the sentence of death..." Many believers have experienced seemingly hopeless situations, yet they have also experienced the hand of the Risen Christ leading them through the valley of the shadow of death.

For example, Margaret E. Barber who trained Watchman Nee was misunderstood and envied by her Christian co-workers. They smeared her with lies, dragged her reputation through the dirt, and left her in the church to serve alone. Despite these struggles, Margaret trained Watchman Nee and others and brought a wave of revival into the Chinese church.

 

As you will recall, the theme of the book of Revelation is to usher in the victorious overcomers and the bride of Christ (chapter 12); judge Satan and his evil spirits; and bring in the New Jerusalem, the New Heaven and the New Earth. Our trials are like a fiery furnace, designed to smelt away the dross and make our faith more precious than gold (1 Peter 1:7).

 

The Evil Spirits Operating in The Church in Pergamum

 

Persecution is not always the most effective method of destroying believers. During the early years of the Roman Empire, Satan's persecution of the church reached its climax. Many Christians were burned at the stake or sent into the arena to fight with wild beasts. But instead of losing their faith, they became stronger. Their willingness to die rather than deny Christ strengthened other believers. The blood of the martyrs made Christianity spread more widely. The number of Christians increased even more. Satan saw that his methods were not universally effective. Though believers shrank back as persecution became more severe, still others became stronger.

 

What would Satan do next? Why not mix the tare with the wheats? He began to introduce the teaching of the Nicolaitans (2:15) and Balaam (2:14). Balaam was a gentle false prophet hired by Balak, King of Moab, to curse Israel. God would not allow Balaam to curse Israel, and blessings poured out of his mouth instead. When Balaam realized he could not call down curses on Israel, he used a trickier method. He could not change God’s attitude toward the Israelites, so he decided to change the Israelites’ attitude toward God. He sent Moabite and Midianite women to entice the Israelites into committing sexual sin. Since the Lord hates idolatry and fornication, the Israelites lost God’s blessings. God sent a plague to punish them. Although God eventually judged Balaam, the Israelites also suffered severely for their sin.

 

In the same way, Satan deployed a subtle tactic against the believers in Pergamum. The believers had not fallen for the trick of lovelessness (Ephesus), nor had they fallen for the trick of death and persecution (Smyrna). But perhaps he could lure them away with sexual sin and idolatry, like Balaam lured the people of Israel. Satan let loose the religious spirit, the spirit of death, and the spirit of confusion at the same time, allowing them to band together. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, "And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken." What is true in the realm of goodness is also true in the realm of evil. Satan knew that if he could attack simultaneously from several angles, he could seduce more people. He sent several evil spirits to band together against the church. The cooperation of evil spirits and human sinners will eventually become Babylon the Great, which is a combination of religious, political, business and other systems which form a giant snare and attempt to drag the church into hell.

 

Facing such a united front of evil, believers must recognize that God’s word is even sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). If believers do not know how to use God’s word as a sword (Ephesians 6:17) or how to put on the whole armor of God to fight against the enemy, they will become prey. Satan continues to use all kinds of evil spirits to weave a sticky net, like a spider web, to bind believers and restrict the church. Like flies that get caught in a spider’s web, some believers will fall prey to Satan and evil spirits. But while a spider's web is strong enough to catch insects, it’s no match for a human with a broom in his hand. In the same way, God’s word will easily conquer Babylon the Great.

 

Why do some believers get stuck in Satan’s spider webs and lose their spiritual vitality? It is because they lack the fellowship with the Lord. The teaching of the Nicolaitans keeps believers from having personal contact with God and His word. It causes them to lose their fellowship with Him and cut off their rich supply directly from the Head, Christ. Furthermore, it discourages them from repenting, asking for God’s forgiveness, and receiving the cleansing of his precious blood. When we fall prey to these beliefs, we get stuck.

 

However, when we draw close to God and study and meditate on His word every day, we will receive the hidden manna (2:17). We will experience spiritual transformation and become a pure white stone which will never be trapped by spider webs (2:17). We will receive a new name. God will know us personally (2:17). God will keep us through all trials. Although thousands of people fall before us, we will not be afraid of evil, because God will keep us safe (Psalm 91:7).

 

Conclusion

 

Despite Satan’s attempts to destroy the church, God's work continues forward despite all opposition. The tests and attacks by the religious spirit (Ephesus), spirit of death (Smyrna), and the spirits of idolatry, immorality, and confusion (Pergamos) only strengthen the church. As they choose to keep their first love, overcome death, and put away idolatry and false teaching, they build up the body of Christ. The church’s progress will eventually lead to the seal judgments and trumpet judgments. Many people will be judged, including the church, since judgment begins at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17). These judgments will further purify the church, separate the wheat from the tares, and reap an eternal harvest of souls.

The more the church matures, the more overcomers it will produce. The more Satan’s forces band together, the stronger the opposition. The train has left the station. The train of evil and the train of good are headed for a full-force collision at the battle of Armageddon.

 

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.