Rev 1:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
Do you recall what is it that allows a servant son or daughter to be able to understand The Revelation of Jesus Christ, to be able to know with certitude, without wavering doubt, what those things are in chapter 1 verse 1 that He says must shortly come to pass (in their lives)? The answer is… one must receive the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter, which as Jesus Christ told you, if you are one of His disciples, He cannot send unto you unless He goes away, unless He is crucified and resurrected… and let me add… not just historically, but in you! And when He does go away from you, He will then send you the Spirit of truth who shall enter into your heart, at which time He also desolates the abominations in the earth (all those doctrinal, carnal, images your mind). Once that is accomplished, He will then guide you into all truth… and you will surely “SEE” things to come. Let me repeat John 16:13:
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
So dear disciple of Jesus; If you are walking with the Lord by your side, hand in hand in your daily life, being schooled in the word of God, that’s well and good, for you are a disciple indeed, even a virgin. But until you no longer see Him after that manner, walking with you on the earth, He says there are many things you are not able to receive at this time, one of which would be to understand The Book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which will remain a mystery to you.
And so it is in Rev. 1:1 we see Jesus Christ sent His angel, His messenger, the Spirit of Truth, to His beloved servant John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, who by the way… did see the crucifixion. And in verse two we read that John did “bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all the things that he saw.
Notice this verse declares three things, none of which has anything whatsoever to do with John writing these things down. That instruction, the directive to write the things he has seen, the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter, doesn’t come until verse 19. What this verse does say is that John, the servant son himself, was a walking talking witness, a living record, one who bares the recording of these three things in the heart of his very being! There’s documentation for you dear scribes and scholars, and it’s a living one, not a dead letter one. In other words, He himself, John, the beloved son, was the written-in-his-heart record, the living book, not the things written down on paper with ink (2 Cor. 3:3).
2Co 3:3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
We talked in a previous segment about how the tabernacle was a representation of God’s dwelling place, which is you, His temple, His house. Well, what do you suppose the Ark of the Covenant hidden deep within represents? It represents your heart, dear one, a place guarded by the covering cheribums, and whereupon sits the mercy seat. Do you recall what was placed in the ark of the covenant, which was overlaid round about with gold… a heart of gold for sure? Well, there was the golden of manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant.
I mean, what is the New Covenant… that covenant which takes place past (meaning after) the crucifixion and resurrection? Paul talks about it in Heb. 8:8-9 where he quotes Jer. 31:33-34.
Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Hey, your heart is where it all takes place dear ones. I speak of the New Covenant. Remember, you are the temple of God, and within that temple is your heart of hearts, the holy of holies, wherein lies the ark of the covenant, the place wherein the writing takes place… which when recorded you can be said to bare record of. And when that temple (your heart) is opened… WOW… what experiences you will have! There will be a great shaking in both heaven (your heart) and on earth (your mind). So it’s easy to understand the following verse:
Rev 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Remember, these things happen TO YOU and IN YOU!
So look again at the three things John bare record of; the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, and all the things that he “saw”. The Greek word for “bare record” is martueo, from which we get the word martyr. Boy could we go on about that, but I’ll defer it to later time… like when we get to the beheading.
martureō
mar-too-reh‘-o
From G3144; to be a witness, that is, testify (literally or figuratively): – charge, give [evidence], bear record, have (obtain, of) good (honest) report, be well reported of, testify, give (have) testimony, (be, bear, give, obtain) witness.
When a beloved son or daughter truly bares record of these things, you know what? Jesus Christ will have been transfigured before their very eyes and the Spirit of Truth will now guide them and show them things to come! They will intuitively (defined as quick and ready insight) understand the Book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ because why… it will have happened unto them, and they will have SEEN HIM as He is (a transfiguration indeed)… because He will have revealed Himself, shown himself, to them in all His glory.
Remember, John was one of the three, along with Peter and James, who was taken up high (meaning elevated to the spiritual level) on the mount of transfiguration by Jesus Christ and shown the vision. And this would only be vision, a glimpse for now, because the reality, the actual transfiguration, would not take place until after He goes away, until after the crucifixion and resurrection, as confirmed in Mat. 17:9 where Jesus charged them, saying, “Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.” Now you know why He said that!
But why only these three, Peter, James, and John? Because not all disciples of Jesus will see the transfiguration before they pass away in the flesh, for it is each in his own order according to the determinate will of God. But when they die, then the veil of the flesh, of their carnal minds, will surely be removed from them, won’t it? It’s just that some “die” and enter into the kingdom and receive “life” while still dwelling in earthen vessels. Have you not read, the kingdom of God is near at hand… just like death itself, really! I mean, don’t we all say we could suddenly keel over with a heart attack or be involved in a fatal accident on the way home from work? Either way, flesh and blood does not enter into the Kingdom of God… for it cannot (1 Cor. 15:50)! How truly marvelous a mystery indeed!
Let’s look at Matthew 17 along with some corresponding verses in Luke 9 for a few minutes.
Mat 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
What comes after the sixth day? The seventh day, the day one ceases to labor in the field and enters into REST! That’s followed by a new beginning, the eighth day, a renaissance and new birth indeed!
Mat 17:2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
Wow, when they had ascended, when they were taken up into that HIGH MOUNTAIN (that would signify the mountain or kingdom of God… which is actually where, Luke 17:21?), by Jesus Christ, all of a sudden He didn’t look anything like He did when they were with Him down below, “below” meaning in the eyes of their carnal minds, the realm (kingdom) of the earth. Here’s how Luke says it:
Luke 9:29 And as He prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.
Again, Jesus no longer looked like the man they had been walking with and talking with down on the earth! He was transfigured in form… from flesh to spirit, so that the entire “fashion of His countenance”, how He appeared to them, was CHANGED”! He was no longer “clothed in flesh”! Are you getting this so far?
This white radiant Light is what struck the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus… and he heard a strong voice that day too, didn’t he? And it wasn’t with the ears fixed on the side of his temples either, but with his ears located in the temple… where spiritual thunders and lightnings and are both seen and heard. The outer eyes and ears only see and hear the metaphors.
Can you begin to see how this transfiguration ties right into Jesus’ going away, to His flesh being crucified (and let me add… in you)! Let’s continue in Mat. 17 verse 3.
Mat 17:3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
Bible students (which by definition are those still under the tutelage of a schoolmaster), disciples of Jesus, are very quick to tell you that Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets, to which I say touche! Well, here they appear in glory to Peter, James, and John, for they are glorious indeed, and behold… they are talking with Jesus. Do you know what they are talking about? Luke tells us:
Luk 9:30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elijah:
Luk 9:31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.
They spoke about Jesus’ decease, His death, His going away! They spoke about His crucifixion… which He should accomplish at Jerusalem. Now you know what the law and the prophets speak of. You see, that’s what MUST HAPPEN for you to SEE the transfiguration from flesh (earthly) to spirit (heavenly). The veil of the temple must be rent! And that happens at the crucifixion. Want to take a guess where Jerusalem is? Hope you’re still not looking outwardly… at the geography in the Middle East?
Now pause and try to grasp this as best you can. Moses the Law Giver, and Elijah the Prophet, both appear in glory and are speaking about Jesus death which He should accomplish at Jerusalem! How so and Why? What do the Law and Prophets have to do with the transfiguration of Jesus Christ before your eyes?
Dear ones, to start with, Christ is the end of the law and the prophets… to those who believe! He is the fulfillment of both the law and the prophets.
Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Nothing you do on earth. No rituals, no ordinances, no church going or religious activity of any kind, including communions, water baptisms, etc., is counted as righteousness to the believer.
Rom 10:5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
Look, I don’t an easier, softer way to say this. But if you are still under the tutelage of a teacher, which itself declares you haven’t seen the transfiguration, which by default means you do not understand the Book of Revelation, because Christ hasn’t revealed Himself to you, though you may think you understand Revelation in reference to some man’s creative timelines, then you still live under the old covenant, meaning you live by the law as Paul is talking about in verse 5 above. We are going to get to the seven deadly churchisms in Rev. chapters 2 and 3, which you are going to have to overcome… to be able to hear and see in chapters 4 and 5.
Rom 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above)
Rom 10:7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
Where are you looking for Christ to come from, to appear? Are you standing gazing up into the heavens as those of Acts 1:11? Or are you looking into the deep, into the tombs, in the sepulchers, in the graves, as in among the dead to be resurrected and receive life? In other words, “Are you looking for the living among the dead (Luke 24:5)”? Well, you’re looking for life in all the wrong places!
Rom 10:8 But what saith it (the heart of the believer)? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
And that is the word of faith being proclaimed to you right now! Perhaps you are actually “hearing it”… for the very first time, though you may have heard the words before. I pray you are beginning to wake up! Yes, the kingdom of God is near at hand. Repent (meaning to turn around, change your thinking 180 degrees) and believe this Good News… yea, this fabulous, great, and marvelous news indeed!
Ok, let’s go back and continue with verse 32 in Luke chapter 9:
Luk 9:32 But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him.
Are you heavy with sleep? Is the curtain (veil) drawn and your eyes figuratively closed so that you cannot see His glory? Well, dear disciple, dear virgin, again, it’s high time to WAKE UP!
Wow, there’s so much more to say on this, but we are out of time for this segment. We’ll talk about what happened next on the Mount of Transfiguration in our next discourse… and don’t miss it, because you know what… the disciples are going to HEAR A VOICE from the cloud that overshadowed them and voila, just like that, when the Voice they heard was past, and they rose up and lifted their eyes, the two men, Moses and Elijah, whom they saw before as men, and tried to make dwell with Christ in the transfiguration, are going to disappear and the disciples are going to see Jesus ONLY! Wow, this is exciting beyond words!
… to be continued.
