Revelation 1:10-20

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John was banned to the Island of Patmos and was given a vision in which he was told to write what he saw. Part of the revelation given him related to local churches to which John ministered before being incarcerated. Each one of the churches has an associated city name, and the name identifies the character of that church. It’s fascinating how these names were given to those cities just so that they would reflect those churches at the right time in history. Additionally, John puts them in a particular order, beginning with Ephesus, so that he can reveal to us the progress of the Church through the ages. I don’t think anyone would question we are living in the Laodicean age which was a lukewarm church as judged by Jesus in the vision. The next video will cover those churches (Revelation Chapters two and three.)

What would you do if you heard the voice of a trumpet behind you? You would do what John did in Revelation 1:12, namely, “turn to see the voice that spoke with me, and having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, but the seven golden lampstands are pictures of the churches I saw.” The lampstands John sees are not “under a basket” but lights to the world. John also sees “one like the Son of Man” in the midst of the lights. Why would John say it that way? Well, he knew “the Son of Man” well, didn’t he? While Christ was on this earth, who was the closest disciple to Him? John knew him better than anyone else. The phrase “Son of Man” also harkens to Daniel Chapter seven, where you’ll remember Daniel saw the “Ancient of Days” seated on the throne. That was God, the Father, and “one like the Son of Man.”

John sees Jesus Christ clothed with a garment “down to His feet, and He is girded about the chest with a golden band.” Now, in the ancient world, the higher your rank, the wider your belt. The widest belt or golden band from your waist up to the chest speaks of His deity and authority. His head and his hair were white which connotes purity, and the holiness of God. His eyes “a flame of fire” speaks of judgment. He is coming to judge those who belong to Him. Those who walk in fellowship with him have nothing to fear. His eyes were a flame of fire and notice His feet were like, fine brass. An Old Testament idea of burnished bronze was judgment as it had been purified through fire. You’ll remember Peter talks to us about the fact that, “our faith being more precious than gold tried with fire, may be found onto praise, honor and glory of a Lord Jesus Christ.” So, our faith has to go through the refining furnace, just like gold or here as burnished bronze or brass.

John heard “His voice was the sound of many waters.” If you’ve been in Niagara or Victoria Falls, you know that thundering sound. “He had in His right hand, seven stars, and out of His mouth went a two-edged sword.” There are two kinds of swords mentioned in Scripture. The Roman short sword measured from the elbow to the fingertip a broadsword which measured which could be 6 feet long. “His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last.’” That’s what Jesus would say to you and me, “Do not be afraid.” We have nothing to fear from our Savior. “I am He who lives and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore.” This speaks of His humanity. “I have the keys of Hades and death.” Why the keys of hell and death? He can open the “door to death” behind which you are locked and set you free. Or he can take the keys to hell and lock you in there for eternity. Jesus Christ alone has the power of life! One more note from this passage. “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.” The word “angel” means messenger. I take then that an angel of a church is the pastor, the messenger in that church. So the seven stars are the pastors of the churches and the seven lamp stands are the seven churches. John has made this easy for us because he has explained the meaning of the signs that he saw.

This world seems to be hurtling in the direction of the tribulation period. How important it is that we understand this book and know and apply it to our lives considering the nearness of the coming of our Lord. We should be challenged to do everything we can to bring other people who are saving knowledge of Christ and be faithful to His word in these perilous times.

Gene Cunningham - August 17, 2022

"When you see all these things..."

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In Matthew 24:32 Jesus turns to parables. Why? To illuminate and illustrate His prophecy stated before. In Matthew 24:32, Jesus says, “Now learned this parable from the fig tree.” The fig tree has a definite article. And what fig tree is he talking about? Jesus is making THAT fig tree is the symbol of Israel, a specific fig tree. Matthew 21:18 says, “Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry and seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on the leaves and He said to it, ‘Let no fruit grow on you ever again.’ And immediately the fig tree withered away and when the disciples saw that, they marveled, saying, ‘How did the fig tree wither away so soon?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, be removed and be cast into the sea, it will be done.” Israel the fig tree He's talking about in Matthew 24 is the fig tree he cursed in Matthew 21. That's why He says, “Learn a parable from the fig tree.” They still have this in their mind. It was only two days previous. They learned a parable from that cursed fig tree because it represents the nation of Israel when its branches become tender and puts forth leaves. You know that summer is near Jesus saw this fig tree and it had leaves on it, did it not? Fig trees put forth the fruit before the leaves so when the leaves are visible, there should be fruit on it. When Jesus came to the nation of Israel, they had the appearance of having fruit but there was no fruit. In Matthew 23, He had just cursed them (eight “woes”), had he not? He cursed them because there was no fruit, because their religion and ritual and activity and careful observance of the law, there was no fruit. So Jesus says, learn a parable from the fig tree. "When you see all these things, you know that summer is near.” All what things? Everything He's been talking about earlier in Matthew 24,. What is the summer? Summer is the kingdom. The kingdom is near. Have you and I seen “all these things” yet? Many of them are still future. The Rapture is still future. Tribulation still a future. Abomination is still a future. Great tribulation and everything else is still future. But one day there's going to be a group of people who are going to see those things happening and they're going to know if they're well instructed. When they see antichrist sign a covenant for seven years, they're going to know they have seven years till the Lord returns. There's not going to be any question. You and I have no idea when Christ is going to return. They're going to know. Matthew 24:34 says, “Assuredly I say to you, this generation will by no means pass until all these things are fulfilled.” Because the fig tree is symbolic of the nation of Israel, with the appearance of the nation of Israel, our generation is not going to pass until all these things are fulfilled. He's saying this generation is not going to pass. By interpretation it's the generation that sees all these things happening. We're not there yet. But by application, we do see one the fig tree blossoming. Right? When you see these things, you know that His coming is near. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.” The Word of God is going to be fulfilled he says. “But of that day, and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my father only.” In another passage, He says, not even the son of man.” Why would Jesus, as God in the flesh, not know when that day He will return? The answer is in Philippians 2:6-8, where it says that “He emptied Himself…” In the Greek this means to voluntarily lay aside certain privileges. Jesus Christ voluntarily laid aside the exercise of certain of His attributes or of it. He didn't lay aside his duty. He simply laid aside the use of certain of His divine attributes for a time in order to make Himself subject to the same uncertainties and difficulties that we are subject to. He did everything he could to make himself as much like you and I as He could without sin. Hebrews 4:15 says, “He was tempted in all points as we are, yet, without sin.”

From Series: "Jesus' Roadmap for the Future"

The Olivet Discourse -- Jesus' Roadmap for the future, is one of the three major discourses (sermons) of Jesus. They include: 1. The Sermon on the Mount/Galilee Discourse (Matthew 5–7) 2. The Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24–25; Mark 13; Luke 21 3. The Upper Room Discourse (John 13–17) Each of these messages is aimed at a specific period of history, which we call a dispensation. They lay out God’s dispensational plan, like a road map, from the time of the crucifixion to the end of time. The Sermon on the Mount was directed to the generation in which Jesus lived and was His platform as King—if Israel would receive Him. Obviously, they rejected Him as their King. However, this will be the basis of Jesus’ administration during the 1,000-year Kingdom Age (Millennium). Then, the Olivet Discourse was aimed at the consequences of Israel’s rejection of Jesus as Messiah, and anticipated the destruction of the nation (70 A.D.) and the final Tribulation period. Remember that the Church Age is an intercalation—meaning an insertion, like a parenthesis, into the Age of Israel. This means that with the Rapture of the Church, the Tribulation picks up where 70 A.D. leaves off. This is why the Church Age is called a “mystery” (Rom. 11:25; 16:25; Eph. 3:1–13; Col. 1:26–27), which is a graduate course to “the principalities and powers in the heavenly places” (Eph. 3:10). Finally, the Upper Room Discourse was directed toward the Church Age, which began at Pentecost and would continue to the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:13–18). The uniqueness of this Age is summarized by Paul’s phrase “in Christ,” and all of the elements involved in what we call “positional truth”—our total union with Christ and the indwelling of His Spirit in us, which occurs nowhere else in history. With the removal of the Body of Christ, the Church, Israel would again become the focus of God’s working on this Earth (Romans 9–11; Revelation 6–19).