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Revelation 1:9 - I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
He says, I John, who also am your brother, and remember he's writing to the seven churches of Asia, and I am also your companion in tribulation,
Now that Greek word is different than the word used for the Tribulation Period. This is the affliction of the persecution the church was going through. And he's telling them, I am your brother, and I am your fellow participant in the persecutions that you're going through. I'm going through the same ones.
I think it's interesting in how that God uses people in a very powerful way through the circumstances that they're in.
Can you imagine, John's writing to these people who are suffering in prison for their faith, or even being put to death for their faith?
And they're probably thinking who is he? He's in his 90's, and he's going to be stuck for 10 years over on an island doing hard labor working in the mines. He's an apostle. He probably gets to sit in his comfortable office and write letters. But we get beaten!
Just wanted to say Amen, I agree! There are so many places in scripture that lead us to believe that Jesus is God. To believe otherwise, we would have to take a black sharpie to our bible and cross out many pieces of scripture!
Blessings to you in Christ!
Always nice to hear from you brother. No need for apology as we are all free to respectfully reply or comment on anything in this forum. I do value the things you have to share, even the things we might disagree on. We all have to answer in our own hearts and minds the question Jesus asked, "Who do men say that I am." Thanks for reading the things I am sharing in this study!
God Bless!!!
While replying to the Alpha and Omega aspect I missed the thrust of new creation. When one is a new creation one is a new creation so he is set in the Man component of the Fellowship of God with Man, It is where man is set in the Alpha Omega mode of Jesus Christ. He comes into the Lamb slain before the worlds began, which is part of the will of the Father. Throne of God and of the Lamb is heavenly place. So eph.1.3-4 becomes a reality to us. " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:/According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
This is simultaneously experienced, so we are blessed in Christ. This is world of the Spirit. In the world of the body, we are responsible to walk holy and without blame befor him in love.
The labels of beginning and beginning do not matter to eternal God but it does to us. This helps us treat death as no big deal. "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."(2 Cor.5.1-4)
You write,"Do the titles Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending, which all have the same meaning, apply only to God?"
It applies to the eternal God not for himself but for man. Fellowship of God with Man implies the Father Son relationship." I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee." David said being inspired by the Holy Spirit. What is the day, is it millennium or 24 hour period? None of this. The day is a decree where man created after our image and after our likeness' is set in motion. In the beginning was the Word that is the Law. 'For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.' So Alpha and Omega applies to Jesus Christ who is the visible image of invisible God. The Word was with God refers to the Man shall be sent to the world so only begotten Son applies to him. Before Abraham was, I am.'
2.
Does the new creation, of which Jesus is the head, warrant these titles? Are these the words of Jesus or of God the Father, who gave this revelation in Revelation 1:8 Jesus who was in the bosom of God has declared. " I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Jesus says, "I and my Father are one'. The Spirit sets these visions so whether the Father or the Son is irrelevant.
If any is in Christ he is a new creation which fills up two worlds. He is in heavenly places, 'abiding in Christ' so at one end we have 'spiritual body' a building of God while we walk in our vile bodies, not by sight but by faith.
"And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God./And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.
The Spirit introduces a covenant and it resonates with the everlasting Covenant where the number of seven ewe lambs reminds of the seven days associated with it. Ewe lambs signal in what sense the following chapter where God tempts Abraham is to be seen.
"between Bethel and Hai;/Unto the place of the altar, which he had make there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord."(Gen.13.3-4) Here the grove is planted after the covenant with the king of Gerar. Abraham called on the name, and the everlasting God indicates how faith also enlarges his understanding. " In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land,"(15.18) He planted the grove and it sets him in the father-son relationshp so Isaac fill the role of the Son. God decreed the day that has no beginning or the ending. (Ps.2.6-7) The Word or the Law is setting Abraham and demanding him sacrifice was to be understood from the POV of the Word which was with God. God the Father did not spare his Son and Isaac is after our image. He is also is after the likeness of the Lamb of God. These two parallel narratives are validated from these verses.. Firstly "I am before Abraham was," and "my Father worketh hitherto, and I work." Also for the word becoming flesh we have this verse,"Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today, and forever"
God planted the garden and when the Spirit refers to the grove, it refers to the trees of righteousness. We have the saying of Jesus," But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up."(Mt.15.13) These are essential so this is not hyper- spiritualyzing the Bible, but meant for edification. 2 Tim.3.16
That's okay about the name; I wrote that I understand you, and many on this site believe Jesus is God, for the reason this subject can be offensive to some, and I do not want to offend anyone. I agree, truth only comes to us with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was baptized and anointed with the Holy Spirit without measure, as He said all He said and all the works that were done, it was the Father, not Him. Jesus was clear that only the Father knows the time when Jesus will return, and yes, we are to watch to be ready, not trying to predict a time or date, as many have done.
Do the titles Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending, which all have the same meaning, apply only to God? Do we let the red letters that some Bible interpreters have used influence us? Does the new creation, of which Jesus is the head, warrant these titles? Are these the words of Jesus or of God the Father, who gave this revelation in Revelation 1:8?
Revelation is a book that can only be studied with the Holy Spirit; it is not written in chronological order. There are things that God has not revealed, and we must not try to fill in, because it warns us against adding to or taking away from this prophecy.
"And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." (Col.1.17). Yes, Jesus, in God's plan is the beginning of the creation of God, Revelation 3:14. All was created in Him and for Him, and the purpose of God and His counsel shall stand, Isaiah 46:10.
God bless,
RLW
And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son./And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman;"
Here in these instance we see the man with his failings and Sarah was foolish to give her maidservant to her husband."after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife." The Spirit gives us a clue to this unwise decision by introducing 10 years. The number Ten is used as number of condemnation to indicate Law of sin and death.(16.3;21.28 On the other hand we have the treaty between the patriarch and the king of Gerar in the seven 7 ewe lambs we see the Spirit ratifies their covenant."that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well./Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them."(21.30-31)
Sarah realises her unwise counsel only after Hagar had delivered her son, who also part of 'thy seed'. The fruit of man relying on his own counsel in case of Lot is different; so is Ishmael whom Hagar bore in the household Sarah. Hagar however obeyed the Angel of Lord and the harsh treatment Sarai meted out to her compensated as well as was sanctified by the word.(16.6,9) 'Thy word is truth.'
'In all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called'. Sarah was both sister and spouse. As such her faith was same as that of Abraham whom she gave respect as due; by the same token God gives her due respect because of faith. Both Abraham and Sarah were equal in that respect. " Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised."
Sarah demanded expulsion of Hagar along with Ishmael, and God validates her right. Does God care for gender politics?
"But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this."(vv.4-5)
The Spirit introduced an incident similar to what is played in Gerar and Abraham showed error of judgment in playing the sister/spouse card once too often. In the case of Pharaoh God made it clear to him the risk he was running by taking Sarai from her husband. (12.15-17) God let it pass and with the king of Gerar we have God in a vision, visiting the Gentile king., "But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife." The king frightened out of his wits pleads the case of his integrity of heart. It was different that the heart of David who smitten by the charm of Bathsheba was a hot oven. Here the Spirit sets before us a heart of a Gentile king again man who is set as the double for the Son. God made them both, is it not? " From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth./He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works." (Ps.33.14-15) From this we shall understand Abimelech's plea, integrity of my heart is not innocency of my hands. So God stepped in to save him from his own destruction. Despite of this evidence Calvinists assert the total depravity and it is devil who has set him up to vitiate the grace of God.
Abimelech must be the first king to make the divine rights of kings as a political statement so whatever course he chose made it right and his nation was ipso facto a righteous nation.
Abraham walked with God and to whom confided before the destruction of Sodom. "Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live:"(v.7)
You write, "I understand you and many on this site believe Jesus is God, but if He is, why would God have to give this to Jesus? "
It pleased the Father than in him (Jesus Christ) should all his fulness dwell. 'All things' mean even the time. He does not say because man is curious to these things. "For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak." So giving the time beforehand would make the command' Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come," nonsensical, is it not?
Ronald try to read the Bible by the light of the Spirit.
Revelation is in series of sevens that itself speak of the Law of the Spirit and the Covenant is by seven days; so are the angels with trumpets, vials and at the centre holding up the events can only be explained by the deity of Jesus. "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." including fulfilling events in ch.21-22. It speaks of ends of the earth. "and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Ending and Beginning, Alpha and Omega is not about geographical places but in him. "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." (Col.1.17)
"I and my Father are one."
John 12:45
"And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me."
John 8:19
"Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also."
Blessings
I will be glad to pray for Leo.
The measurement thus arrived at by Ezekiel and St John are entirely different things. In Ezekiel it is 6x6x6x1000. (Ezek.48.35) And then we have the verse,'The Lord is there. He is referring to Zion while 18,000 refers to the outer darkness, that Jesus spoke about. The v.1 of the book is about the revelation' signifying the complete will of the Father as fulfilled in his Son and the angel is the fellow-servant (22.9) " See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God."
The angel is our double in the world of the Spirit while we are to die to the world and walk in faith.
I won't say much, as this has been discussed before. "Revelation" is the Greek word "apokalupsis," which means the unveiling of that which has not been revealed before. It states that God gave this to Jesus to reveal it to His servants, and He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John.
This was not known to Jesus before God revealed it to Him, just like the day when Jesus will return has not yet been revealed. All the signs and wonderful and horrifying things that John saw were said and shown to him by this angel. Just like the burning bush and Moses, it was an angel of the Lord ( Exodus 3:2).
I understand you and many on this site believe Jesus is God, but if He is, why would God have to give this to Jesus? Scripture tells us we must believe Jesus is the Son of God who died for us and paid the penalty for sin. As in Revelation 1:17-18 it is said, "Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
God is eternal and cannot die. Jesus did. After God raised Jesus from the dead, making Him the first begotten of the dead, God placed Him above all that is in heaven, earth, and under the earth. Jesus did not have full authority of the throne until He was resurrected. We see something similar with what Pharaoh did with Joseph in Genesis 41:38-44.
Scripture tells us Jesus will reign until all enemies are under His feet, 1 Corinthians 15:25-28. We see this in Revelation 20:14, when death and the grave, the last enemy, are cast into the lake of fire. Then the new heaven and new earth, when the new city Jerusalem is placed on the new earth.
Sorry, brother, I know we differ, but I was compelled to reply, I hope you understand. Thank you for all you do.
God bless,
RLW
"An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever." (Deut.23.3) The Spirit uses in the verse an additional safeguard,'forever' to lay Jesus Christ as the authority. He that despises the Son despises the Father as well. "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him."(Jn.5.22-24)
It is thus judgment of Egypt and so shall be in the case of Jerusalem. The river Euphrates shall be dried up so the action of Gog and Magog works at two levels in mid-air or Up and Down and across. "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,/And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea./And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."(Rev.20.7-9)
When does the day of regeneration or the Millennial reign begin according to the everlasting Covenant? Is it not the now'? We walk not by sight but by faith and we walk as Abraham did, "Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee."
"Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates." The Spirit tells us that it is in the same day that God made the Covenant which is like the 'rest frame'. The term is borrowed from astrophysics and we see it as the window where the nations rise and fall according to the Father-Son relationship. God promises 'thy seed' this land which has two limits, the river of Egypt on one end and the great river, the river Euphrates. It extends Up and Down and Across. The Spirit never leave loose ends so we shall look at the earlier instance the river flowing directly from Eden is Across. Thereafter it parts. "And from thence it was parted, and became into four heads." (Gen.2.10-14)
The rest frame tells us the fall of man was set in the divine Will and had taken remedial actions, and the rivers thereafter come under judgment. The four angels are appointed so the river Euphrates is not merely a river and comes under the divine Authority. It is made clear from this passage: "and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,/ Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates./And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men."(Rev.9.13-16) The determined Will is set and Judgment is left for the Son. My Father works hitherto, and I work.' ( Jn 5.22-24) In short the rest frame is opened for us to follow the signposts set up by the Spirit.
After the fall the man relied on his wits and made aprons of fig leaves; similarly the daughter of Lot deliverd two nations and in both cases faith was absent. So God forbids them to the tenth generation. Here we see the law of sin and death to weed out the profane nations from blessings promised in the Son. (Deut.23.3). 'Unto this day' refers to judgment
And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day./And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.
Before we come to the significance of the expression,'unto this day' we shall take up the matter of calling and election which the Spirit sets out in stark contrast between the seed of Abraham and of Lot. Where faith became second nature for Abraham God sets Isaac as the heir of promise. Their father son relationship was after the heavenly pattern of His holiness. So the generation of Jesus Christ made Jacob special. This explains why Moses demanded of Pharaoh, "And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith theLord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:/And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn." (Exod.4.22-23) God set judgment over Egypt on the basis of his Son, the firstborn. From the case of Esau, we understand that in the will of God it is 'thy seed the heirs of promise made holy by faith. When Jesus cast the nation of Israel into outer darkness their judgment was pronounced. In this context let us consider the 'unto this day' and it established the day of judgment. It also explains the seed of the two daughters of Lot. The nations of Moab and Ammon were marked out. The daughters relied on their own rationale while Abraham relied on the promise of God which is always 'yea' in his Son.
In the book of Jeremiah chapters 48-49 carry judgment over these nations but it does not save the nation of Israel whose lack of faith fills the dot all the way to Zoar.
"And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom."
The Spirit gives the time, and evening always in the lexicon of the Spirit holds an emphasis that is consistent. The word of God set the creation in motion and it refers to the complete will of God. Gospel of salvation, as with a two-edged sword has double edge. It heals as wellas wounds. Accordingly the Spirit sets the stage for judging the cities of the plains. Each cities on the list of divine wrath has its characteristic. Rev.11.8 gives us the list of cities. The rivers the hills and the seas refer to Egypt, Jerusalem and the seas.(Rev.18) Each has their spiritual ancillary so the divine judgment covers the kingdom of Satan. " And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness." (Rev.16.10)
'Darkness was upon the face of the deep' Gen.1.2,4 When God divided the light from darkness the Spirit set the judgment over this kingdom. The light refers to the world framed by the word of God and there is only one language and one speech. Faith with works by the Covenant is on those who have entered the rest of God.(Heb.11.3,Gen.2.1)
Lot followed Abraham out of his respect for the person while Abraham followed in faith. This explains his choice."And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar./Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other." God's way is diffferent. "for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."(1 Sam.16.7b)
Abiding in Christ and abounding in good works,"For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come."(Heb.13.14)
' as thou comest unto Zoar' Zoar means outer darkness.
For those who disbelieve Jesus is clearly God, see Is 41:4 comes to mind along with Is 48:12; Ex 6:3; Ez. 1:24; 10:5 and in Rev. 1:18 it is clearly Jesus who is attesting to His divinity because He identifies Himself as the one "who liveth, and was dead, and, behold, I am alive forevermore."
We know that the Father, who is God never died and came back to life, only Jesus did.
The Scriptures contain many verses in which God revealed to the writers that Jesus is God and was with God, the Father before creation, that Jesus is from everlasting to everlasting, and that He is the indeed YHWH.
Revelation 1:8 - I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, says the Lord. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. As it says here, it is the beginning of the alphabet, and the end of the alphabet. It is interesting that if you've ever studied the Hebrew sages and their interest in the beginning and end of the alphabet, but in between those two, you have all the letters you need to express and put things into words and communicate with.
So, they put a lot of emphasis on the alphabet. God is said to be the Alpha and Omega. He is the beginning of everything, and He is the end of everything. But that's only one meaning. By using the first and last letters of the alphabet, it's also saying He's everything else in between. He's everything that you can put into words about creation and God.
He's everything. He's at the beginning of everything, at the end of everything, and He's everything in between! But then he repeats. After He says I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, He adds the phrase the Almighty.
I just went over this. That's from God the Father up in Verse 4. Now Jesus is saying it. Very interesting! Jesus says I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the one who is, and was, and is to come. I am the almighty. Wow! If someone says that Jesus never said He was God, they should read the book of Revelation!
Revelation 1:6 - And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
And made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; three things. Now again, notice it says he made us kings and priests. The fulfillment is in Exodus 19:6. God gives the promise that He's going to make Israel a kingdom of priests for Him.
In 1 Peter 2:5, Peter quotes that for the Jews. Again, this is all within the Jewish Literature section. The Gentiles are never called kings and priests. When Jesus reigns on the earth after His second coming, Jewish believers will be working the temple as priests, not Gentiles.
Then it says to Him be glory and dominion, and the word dominion is the word KRATOS, which means grip. It shows the one who is in control. To Him is glory and control for ever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 1:4 Continued
So here, John says from the one who is, and who was, and who is coming; the I AM, the eternally existing one. That's God the Father. And then it says, and from the seven Spirits which are before His, that is, God's throne;
There are two schools of thought. Remember the number seven doesn't necessarily mean there are seven Spirits. Seven represents completeness, perfection. The Jews take it as a Hebraism. RASHI, one of the greatest Jewish scholars uses Isaiah 11:1-2 to show that what John is using is a Hebraism to denote the seven-fold Spirit of God. It means the Spirit of God is complete and perfect.
But what specifically is he making reference to? In Revelation 4:5, we see the same thing when we study what the throne is like in heaven. It says and out of the throne proceed lightnings, and thunderings, and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
In Revelation Chapter 5, the chapter where we see this scroll with seven seals on it, which is the title deed to the earth. And the call goes out who is worthy to take the scroll and loosen the seals thereof. And no one was found worthy in heaven. And John began to weep. And he was told don't weep; the Lamb of God is worthy.
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.
The seven eyes of Christ are the seven Spirits. So, it represents completeness, perfection. But its application is to the Lord's seeing. You see, he's talking about the all-encompassing Spirit who sees all things and knows all things. That's the way the Jews understood it. For scripture reference, Zechariah 4:10 talks about these seven eyes, meaning that God sees perfectly and completely all things. So, John is using a Hebraism here.
Revelation 1:4 Continued
And so that's why in the scriptures, as we were going through the gospels, I pointed out to you that whenever Jesus would say to people I AM, and of course the translators of the bible put "he" in italics to complete the sentence, only Jesus wasn't saying a sentence. He was saying the name of God, I AM!
For instance, in the garden, when the soldiers came to take Jesus to be crucified, they came with clubs and swords, and their lanterns at night to take Him. But once they got to Him, He said who are you looking for? They said Jesus of Nazareth. And Jesus said I AM, and they all fell over. So, then they get up and brush themselves off, and He says now who are you looking for?
What did He just do? He showed them that they are attempting to take the great I AM of God. And He could have just walked out. But like He says in John Chapter 10, He is voluntarily laying down His life for the sheep. He says nobody takes my life; I lay it down myself! He was showing them, you've come out to take me, but I'm setting the record straight that I'm volunteering to go. You can't take me.
But several times He would say I AM. When the Jews argued about their relationship with Abraham, Jesus said before Abraham was, I AM. They knew what that meant. But notice what God said to Moses, I AM that I AM. There are two meanings that He's presenting, and you can see this carried over into the New Testament.
First of all, the first I AM literally means the eternally existent one, the eternal one. He always is. That's why He can say I AM before you were. He always is. He is eternal! Secondly, He is unchangeable. To the Hebrew mind, I AM that I AM is the God who is eternal and unchangeable, always the same, and it's always now. There is no past, and there is no future for God. Wherever God's stationed, so to speak, outside of this time/space domain that we live in, it's always now. He is always I AM, the eternal, unchangeable God.
Revelation 1:4 - John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
He says, John to the seven churches which are in Asia. The Lord is giving messages specifically for these seven. But they are not the only churches in these areas. It's interesting that each one of these cities is the head of the postal district in that area. These are the main cities within their districts. There were other churches around, but the Lord picked out seven. And again, each church has its own problems, and each church has its own good points.
But everybody's church today has some of these things in it. In fact, if you put them all together, you would have the complete seven messages to the church before Christ comes back.
And then he gives the normal greeting, Grace to you, and peace. Grace is the greeting to the Greeks, and peace is the greeting to the believing Jews. Now this is what gets interesting, who the grace and peace is from. We actually have God the Father, God the Spirit, and God the Son represented in John's presentation.
And he gives us a Jewish point of view as to the name and person of God. And I think you might find this interesting, and it might answer some questions. It says, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come; literally in the Greek text, it's the one who is, the one who was, and the one who is coming. It's all one person!
To the Jews, that is a designation of God. It is an expanded paraphrase of the name of God that God gave to Moses back in Exodus 3:14. And God said unto Moses, and remember that Moses said when I go to Pharaoh, who do I say sent me? What's your name? God said unto Moses, I AM that I AM. And He says thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me to you.
Paul was a wise man, a man of the Lord and is a trustworthy witness.
Another thing the Lord reminded me of today is Praise, Thanksgiving, singing and praising His Name. He who is worthy of all praise and honor. Remember singing and music also take away sadness and make us forget all the things that are difficult. 1 Samuel 16:14-16 For example, if we doubt that we are saved.
Even the creation groans and longs for God's order, peace and joy where Righteousness dwells. Amen In the name of Jesus Christ! 1 Thessalonians 5
May the Lord bless us and keep us from now on and forevermore, Amen.
"And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?"
This question prompts us to think of the field of God where tares also struggle to grow among the good seed? In the case of Sodom it was less than ten, less than a handful of men, and it was the house of Lot. Judgment must begin with Lot so God sent two angel to his house to warn him of the imminent danger
"For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it," (19.12-14). Lot hastens to warn his sons in law, 'But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law." Lot indeed was deceived by going after appearances. God called Abraham because he would revere the everlasting Covenant to which his faith was the common ground. It went Up and Down. We read that he relied on it during wandering to the south which was across. We are speaking of Abraham as the Father of many nations where faith the ground, which is holy. We covered the first section and we have the gospel of God inducting Abraham as the father of Isaac aligning with 'characteristics of after our image and after our likeness. It is the house of God we need keep track of. In the second section we have the nations that failed the test of faith. "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"(1 Pet.4.17)
If God were to send his angels as did, into our present world the only place may be the prisons where many suffer the weight of unjust law not for their crimes but for their colour and beliefs. "For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:/ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me."(Mt.25.35-36) Will the ten righteous men be found in our times?
"There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."
This verse shows that God's presence is continuous and sustaining - you don't need to "keep the fire burning on your own." God promises to be present every day, like a lamp that never goes out.
If we draw a parallel, we can see the connection between oil, lamp, constant fire, and God's presence. In the tabernacle, the priests were instructed to keep the lamp burning continually ( Exodus 27:20-21). The oil represented God's Spirit; the flame, His enduring presence.
Likewise, in Joshua's life - and in ours - God Himself is the source of the flame. We are not alone in trying to preserve our strength or spiritual fervor. The fire of His presence is not dependent on our own might, but on His unchanging promise: "I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."
Let His presence be your oil, your light, your fire - constant, sustaining, and faithful.
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
Blessings
And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;/ Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him,"
In order to understand the mighty nation which Abraham represents against all other nations we shall set faith upon which both heaven and the earth rests is Person specific. The spirit of Christ before the Advent of Jesus Christ is called as the Angel of the Lord or as His presence. In the vision of St John we have the certainty of the four and twenty elders and the four beasts,"And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.". This is followed by an angelic choir,"And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders:..."(Rev.5.10-11,6) Apart from these we find the seven eyes,'seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.'.
God sends these spirits and God is referring to them when He tells Abraham, "And the Lord said, I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know."(vv.20-21)
These seven spirits are one, signified by the turtledove and young pigeon that the patriarch offered as burnt offering. "but the birds divided he not."(15.10)
The Abduction of Lot and family in Ch.14 sets these parallel narratives and it is faith that is the key to understand the fall of nations for the lack of it. Satan also has his false angels assisting the 'prince' on behalf of the king of Persia (Dan.10.13), When Jesus says 'my kingdom is not of this world' he is referring to the the single measurement with which his kingdom is to be measured. The spirit of Christ works with the faith of man and Angel of his presence, 'my name is in him' is what the indwelling Spirit commands. "Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."( 1 Jn 4.4)