Title Deed to Everything

Who is worthy of owning everything? Who is worthy of claiming the title deed to the earth? Jesus Christ, of course.

Revelation 5:1 starts, “I saw in the right hand of Him the sat on the throne.” That’s significant because we know that at the resurrection of Jesus Christ, according to Psalm 110:1, where was Jesus seated? “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” So, the Lord Jesus is going to have to go very far to receive this from the Almighty, because He’s right there. “In the right hand of Him who sat on the throne, a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.” What is the significance of being written inside and on the back? It was typical of a title deed in the ancient world that it would be written front and back and then it would be sealed. The fact that it’s sealed with seven seals shows something very important. To break the seal, back then, you had to be the person to whom the deed was given.

While weeping and as John admits, he reports in Revelation 5:5 that “One of the elders said to him, “Behold the lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed.” When did Jesus prevail? Obviously, on the cross. “It is finished.” That was Christ’s victory. “He has prevailed to open the scroll and to lose is seven seals. “And I looked,” John says in Revelation 5:6, “and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders stood a Lamb.” Jesus, The Lamb of God, is standing “as though it had been slain having seven horns and seven eyes.” Once again, symbolism is being used. It’s not always describing the actual appearance of the person is describing something about them. And the horn in Scripture is a symbol of strength, power, and authority. And the eyes, intelligence. “So it had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God set out in the earth. And he came and he took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne when he had taken the scroll. The four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls of incense which are the prayers of the saints.” Did you ever stop and think that every prayer you pray is on record? And it says here that the prayers are incense offered before God. Before the veil separating the Holy of Holies, the assigned priest would light the altar of incense and the smoke of it would go up. And what was it a picture of? It was a picture of the prayers of the saints.

In Revelation 5:9,” they sang a new song.” Who is singing the new song? Well, it’s the elders and those who are with it, and I include us in that group. They sang a new song. “You are worthy to take the scroll and open a seal for you were slain.” The idea of redemption when it relates to people has the slave market in mind. You’re a slave. You’re standing on the slave block. Redemption means to pay the price to set you free and then you were let go. That’s the idea of redemption. “You have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue.” No group not represented. And notice in Revelation 5:10, “you have made us kings and priests.” Who again are these people? Church age believers. No Old Testament believer was King Priest. 1st Peter 2:9 says, “we are a royal priesthood.” The very fact that these people are singing and saying, “You redeemed us and you have made us kings and priest,” tell us, those are church age believers. Are any believers in the tribulation going to be royal priests? No. Church age only. That’s one of the privileges we have that no one of any other time of history is going to enjoy among many, many of the things that we have in Christ.

Revelation 5:10 concludes, “…and we shall reign on the earth.“ One day I believe each one of us is going to be a lot of certain responsibilities in the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we’re going to exercise authority. John says in Revelation 5:11, “Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was 10,000 times 10,000 saying with a loud voice say, ‘Worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” Now we’ve had the first chorus church sing, second the second chorus is angels. Revelation 5:13 says, “and every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and as are in the sea and all that are in them. I heard saying blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne under the Lamb forever and ever.” There is a day coming when every created thing is going to be singing praises to Jesus Christ. In fact, the Old Testament tells us that when the kingdom begins, the mountains and the hills and the trees and the rivers will begin to sing. You might think that this is just imagery. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem and the Pharisees rebuked his disciples, to stop speaking messianic prophecy. Jesus replied, “I tell you of these keep silent the rocks of the earth would cry out. I believe it’s going to happen one day. I can’t wait to see all creation, just joining in and singing, “blessing and honor and glory and power to Him who sits on the throne in the land forever and ever. Revelation 5:14, ends the chapter, “The four living creatures said, ‘Amen!” and the 24 elders fell down and worshiped Him, who lives forever and ever.” That is the last beautiful picture that you’re going to see until Chapter 20.

Gene Cunningham - September 8, 2022

Where's the Bride?

$Where\'s the Bride?$

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We have shown in previous videos, that when Jesus talks about throwing people into “the outer darkness,” He’s making a contrast between the fate of those without faith versus verses those with faith. This video examines Matthew 22:1-14, the Parable of the Wedding Feast. Who’s the King? Who’s the son? Why is the bride missing? Who are those that eventually come to the feast? In Matthew 22:1, Jesus is still talking to the chief priests and scribes and Pharisees, from Chapter 21. Were these guys, believers, or unbelievers? Unbelievers. He starts His parable, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son. Who is the king? It's God, the Father. Who is the Son? Jesus Christ? Who is the bride? The church. The bride but isn’t even mentioned here, because the bride isn't around yet. Matthew 22:3 continues, “He set out his servants to call those who were invited,” Another way of translating the word “invited” is “called.” They were called. "... they were not willing to come.” This sounds like Matthew 23:37, where Jesus says in part, “How often I would have gathered you together, …but you were not willing.” The king is very patient. It says, “Again, he sent out other servants saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, ‘See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen, my fatted cattle are killed and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” The word “dinner” here means “breakfast” or “brunch.” This is important. This is not the wedding feast yet. Why not? The bride hasn't showed up. In the ancient world, the bride groom would only come and get the bride only when everything was ready (to include the feast). The anxious bride would run to meet the bridegroom with her trousseau or her hope chest. They would go to the place prepared, to the wedding feast. Meanwhile, the guests are showing up through the day and taken in and there was food for you. Jesus continues with the parable, “But they made light of it and they went their ways, one to his farm and another to his business. The rest seized his servants and treated them spitefully and killed them.” Matthew 22:7 says, “When the king heard about it, he was furious. He sent out his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned up their city.” What happened to Jerusalem? God sent an army to destroy the city. Verse eight continues, “Then he said to his servants, The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.” Note, the Centurion from Chapter 8, because of his unworthiness, turns to faith, and the others don't. In the parable, the king says, “They were not worthy, therefore go into the highways.” This means the side roads, the gravel paths. “…as many as you find invite to the wedding.” These are not the normal guests that you would pick. Jesus uses this analogy because, in the mind of the Jewish people, the Gentiles, as one rabbi said, “are fit only to ignite the flames of hell.” Jesus pictures a people who are blind, crippled, and deaf to shock his audience. The parable says, “The servants went out on the highways, and they gathered together, all whom they found both bad and good.” This is bad and good in human estimation not God’s. God knows that all of us are bad and that there's only one thing that makes us good. And that's Christ. “The wedding hall was filled with guests.” Is the guest and the bride the same thing? Some preach this that way. Here's the controversy. “When the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who didn't have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” According to the custom of the day, it was the king's responsibility to provide the guests with a wedding garment. What does the wedding garment picture? Imputed righteousness. We'll explain in the next video. It says, “The man was speechless. So the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'” Here, “the outer darkness, the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth” refers to the same thing as with the four other Matthew passages. Matthew 24:14 ends the parable, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Who are “called?” All. Who are chosen? Only those who respond to the call. When God the Father chose Christ the Son to go to the cross for sinful man; He automatically chose all who would be in Christ (Ephesians 1:4). All who would believe.