The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Part 6)

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

This verse not only parallels but is totally and completely complimentary to the previous verse, vs. 2. Let me repeat that verse for you.

Rev 1:2  Who (i.e. John) bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

In our last segment we talked about what it means to “bare record of”. In short it means that these things happened to you, which we can then say they are written within you because they are part of your life’s experiences, something no man can ever take from you. I mean, you can change what you believe in your mind, like you’ve no doubt changed doctrinal beliefs a number of times in your life, but you cannot change the things that have happened to you because… well, because they happened to you!

So what verse two says in a nutshell is that John “bare record of” the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah) and all the things that he saw. Remember the mount of transfiguration and what John saw? By the way, Rev. 19:10 clearly states that “the testimony of Jesus Christ” is the spirit of prophecy.

So when it says, and this is paramount to our discussion today, that John “bare record” of all the things he saw… it means they happened to him, they came to pass in his life, so they are written within him, just as verse one says they will come to pass to a servant son of God. So dear ones, if you bare record of the “testimony of Jesus Christ”, which is the spirit of prophecy, it means the things prophesied to come to pass HAVE COME TO PASS… and you bare record of them too! And you know what, there are many of you out there right now, who do bare record of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ and the things you are now about to see and hear.

And I’ll tell this you this also, when you “see” these things and “hear” them, and then suddenly you HEAR and SEE them, you will be overwhelmed… which is to be blessed indeed! I tell you this from personal experience… but I’ll show you where it’s written, Rev. 22:8. Then later when it happens to you, when you are overwhelmed at HEARING and SEEING these things, even this verse will be written in you.

Rev 22:8  And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

Now let me confess that for the past few days I have attempted to continue on in the Book of The Revelation, but each time I did the spirit moved me in the direction other than the one I intended to go… like from the word “Blessed” that begins Rev. 1:3, to the Blessings listed in Chapter 5 of Matthew, commonly called the Beatitudes. So I’d start to write, but every time I looked at the first phrase in verse three, “Blessed is he that readeth” I kept going back to the 12^th chapter of Daniel. Not only that, but one of the first e-mails I received when I began last week was a question specific to the 1335 days in the 12^th verse of Daniel chapter 12. Here’s what that verse says:

Dan 12:12  Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

Perhaps we will get the specifics of the Beatitudes at a later time, but I am reminded for now that they were given exclusively to the disciples, not the multitudes, when Jesus went up in “a mountain”, and He “was set” on that mountain, and the disciples came to Him. As Mat. 5:12 says “Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven…”, as in high in the mountain, the kingdom of God, where Christ is set, even sits on the throne of your heart. And so it is, those of you who have entered into the Kingdom of God and now come to Him to hear His voice, are experiencing and beginning to experience these blessings within and need not that someone details them for you. To that end, these blessings can be said to be post revelation… so I just got the cart before the horse a little and have been delayed until things got back in order.

I am reminded also that the gospel of the kingdom is not preached to those already in the Kingdom of God itself. Peter didn’t preach the gospel to Paul, or vice versa. The gospel of the kingdom is preached to the world BEFORE “the end” comes! To wit, in the last segment I touched briefly on the topic of “the end”… a subject addressed in the 12^th chapter of Daniel. Sooo… it’s off to the last chapter of Daniel, and as we head that direction it appears it’s a “go”.

Along the way, let’s make a stop in Matthew 24 where Jesus is addressing the “sign of His coming and the end of the world (vs. 3)”, which, by the way, occur at the same time, that is His coming and the end of the world. In other words, when the Kingdom of God is established (in you) that is the end of the world (your world)! Haven’t you read that heaven and earth shall pass away at that time? That would be the old heaven (your old heart) and the old earth (your old mind). And when that happens you will “see” a new heaven and a new earth as John did in Rev. 21:1.

Here are the two relevant verses from Matthew 24, verses 14 and 15:

Mat 24:14  And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Don’t make the same mistake Christians have been making ever since this verse has been in print, and look to the outside world because you don’t understand the signification of world and nations. Christ is speaking to the disciples about the temple (which temple you are) and His coming to it. One of the things He tells them, you, is that they, you, will surely (not “if” but “when”) “see” the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet.

Mat 24:15  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand)

I’ll give you a little heads up on this verse. The “whoso readeth” here in Matthew 24 is tied directly to the “Blessed is he that readeth” in Rev. 1:3 and the “Blessed is he that waiteth” in Dan. 12:12.

You see, “whoso readeth” doesn’t just mean those who read the words written on paper, either to themselves or to a congregation as this is commonly taught, but rather those who read with understanding, who perceive what they read, who “SEE” what is written, who know within themselves, not with reasoning and head knowledge which comes from study, but because of their life’s experiences.

Those who read and SEE that they already bare record of these things are “blessed”, overjoyed, overwhelmed with joy beyond their wildest dreams.

The word “readeth” used in Mat. 24:14 is exactly the same word used in Rev. 1:3, which actually means to “know again”, which I’ll try to explain.

If the things that are written are things that have come to pass in your life, even if you didn’t know they were written at the time they happened, then when you do read them later on, you will instantly understand and relate to what is written because you KNOW you bare record of them. In other words, they happened in your life, they happened to you! Does that make sense?

Let me try it this way. When you read in print about things that have already happened in your life, the words simply bring to remembrance what you already know, what you’ve already been through… because those things are already written in you! Again, that is what is meant by “You bare record of these things”. You are a living epistle (2 Cor. 3:2). So while you may be seeing it written on paper, you don’t just believe it as doctrine, you know it and understand it because it’s in your being, a written record of your life’s experience.

So when Jesus says concerning when you “see” the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (the temple of God), (whoso readeth, let him understand:), it simply means that those who HAVE seen him WILL understand what Daniel said concerning him!

Now we get a little personal. As we go to the 12^th chapter of Daniel, which speaks concerning the time of “the end of these (certain) things (Dan 12:8)”, and since we now know from personal testimonies that for the last 3 ½ years there are many who were present on our last day of “church” in April of 2005, who since that time have been to the bottom of the pit, gone through the fire, even the lake of fire, call it hell if you like (to which I’ll say amen), and have been tried and purified and made white, it follows then that they already have understanding and are wise to many of these things that are written… even if they haven’t read them for years, because they are now written in them! In other words, they bare record of the word of God, the law, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, which is the spirit of prophecy. Do you know what I mean? Is it not written concerning the New Covenant: “I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them”?

Also, at this point let me say to those who may read or hear this message who have not been part of or privy to the common experience I speak of that took place in 2005. We do not claim exclusivity by any means or claim to be special in any way or claim to be the only people or group who have witnessed these things, for there are many others who have shared similar experiences and can relate to all we say.

Nevertheless, I am going to use our common experience in talking about Daniel chapter 12 for two reasons. First, because there were two groups of people present that day, either in person, or via the live broadcast, or who listened later to the audio recording, who can directly relate to what is being said. How many people there were altogether I do not know, but the shaking and repercussions that spread throughout King’s Chapel and Shepherd’s Chapel students affected a sizable multitude, and in that respect it was no small earthquake.

The second reason is because it is by having lived through and therefore having “seen” these things that gives one the ability to “read with understanding” concerning the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet.

Let me take you back to the very last words I spoke that Sunday, on the four and twentieth day of April, in the year of our Lord 2005. They were from Daniel 12:1, “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people…”, followed by, “This day has this scripture been fulfilled in your ears.” And truly, for those who were present and heard the message that day, this scripture was fulfilled in their ears… as in filled their ears full, and so much so, that for weeks and months they kept hearing it over and over and chatting about it incessantly!

But let me say that earfuls like this have also been fulfilled in the ears of many Christians down through the ages, and they are being fulfilled in the ears of many today, and they will continue to be fulfilled in the ears of many in the days to come, every man in his own order (1 Cor. 15:23), for Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I mean, doesn’t nature itself show us that not everyone lives and dies at the same time? Does not nature itself teach that the end of the world, call it the end of the carnal flesh, happens at a different “time” for each of us individually?

Dan 12:1  And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

Now I could post numerous emails from folks who now speak and give testimony not only to the time of trouble which followed, but to the deliverance spoken of in this verse. But more on that later. The point I want to make here is that what happened at that time was clearly the sounding of a trumpet, a reveille, a wake up call to many sleeping virgins that the bridegroom is coming. Go ye out and meet Him. In that respect, it was a call to the wedding.

And so there was an awakening of the sleeping virgins… and although all who were present heard the sound of the trumpet, and felt the shaking, some also “saw the light” while others could not “see” and remained in darkness, which is to remain subject to the carnal mind, even protected behind the veil if you will.

Dan 12:2  And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

In the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25, you will find that there were five wise and five foolish virgins, all disciples of Jesus, who all slumbered and slept while the bridegroom tarried. Yes, everybody is waiting and looking for, some even longing for, the coming of the bridegroom.

But at midnight when the cry was made “Behold the bridegroom cometh”, the five foolish virgins did not take oil in their lamps and so their lamps went out, meaning they could not “SEE”, meaning they remained in darkness. What did they do then? Well, since they could not “see” they looked to others who were awaken to give them oil for their lamps, to show unto them what they could not see… as in tell them what the hell is going on. What’s happening? But dear ones, man cannot cause you to SEE. It is the spirit that quickens one’s mind!

In regard to the those who say “give us of your oil for our lamps have gone out”, I do remember well that day when one gentleman in particular came up to a couple of us who were standing there, got in our faces, and demanded that we tell him what we know. He demanded we give him oil. He was visibly shaken… but he just couldn’t “see” the light ahead… see that he needed to go meet the bridegroom on his own. I mean, you don’t marry your brothers and sisters. You marry the bridegroom. So when you hear the call that the bridegroom is coming, you go to Him… not to your brothers and sisters.

Now notice in Daniel 12:2, that in the awakening there are likewise two groups described. The first group, that would be the “wise” virgins who had taken oil in their lamps, awoke to everlasting life, as in went in with Him (the bridegroom) to the marriage (Mat. 25:10). But the other group who also awoke, ended up continuing in their shame and ongoing reproach.

What that simply means is that they continued in their religious ways, subject to the schoolmaster, following the letter of the law which produces “death”, looking to teachers to guide them and show them the way, relying on scholarship and reasoning among themselves to determine good and evil, to determine what is pleasing to God and what isn’t. What did the wise virgins say to the unwise… “but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves (Mat. 25:9).” So it was back to prep school for them. The ground was not quite ready yet.

On that Sunday in April, the day of the proclamation as some call it, I remember reading the entire prayer in Daniel chapter nine, which is the prayer of repentance and abhorrence at the stark realization of our iniquity and our wicked ways, of our extreme idol worship in following the traditions of men, of trusting and relying on our carnal minds filled with images of what we “reasoned” scriptures to mean. It is the confession, the crying out, the setting of one’s face to the LORD, when he or she “sees” the abomination of desolation.

Here are two verses from that chapter.

Dan 9:5  We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:

Dan 9:6  Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

Up to this point we were steady church goers and scholarly students of the Bible who studied and searched the scriptures fervently and diligently, “thinking in them we had eternal life”. Now we know they but testify of Him… who resides in you!

John 5:39  Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

This was the time for some of us that Christ spoke of in Mat 24:15  when He said, “When ye therefore shall “see” the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (our hearts, the temple of God), (whoso readeth, let him understand…)”.

This was the day we “saw” him, the abomination of desolation… and flee to the “high ground” we did. And we did not go back to the field to take up again our old garments of self righteousness. This was that time when the abomination of desolation was set up before our very eyes… so we could SEE HIM for who he is. And our daily sacrifice to that one, the following of our wicked carnal ways, ceased and desisted immediately and the announcement went forth that “church was over”… even overcome if you will!

This was the day the man of sin was revealed to us, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God (whose temple we are), shewing himself (our self… me, myself, and I) that he is God (2 Thes. 2:4). Yes, it was us, our carnal self, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in our midst, the man of sin, who sat in the temple and was in charge of the whole world, our own world. “Know ye not that the carnal mind is enmity against God”, that is opposes and exalts ITSELF, himself!

This was the day we realized our hearts were hardened and we have been listening to that man of sin and NOT obeying, hearing, the voice of the LORD our God. That too is in Daniel’s prayer we prayed that day. We were too busy listening to Bible teachers and knowledgeable scholars and leaning upon our own understanding to be able to hear His voice.

Dan 9:10  Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

This was the time we realized that we have been eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of us, feeding off of our own carnal minds, instead of recognizing and looking to the tree of life, which is Jesus Christ.

Yes, the prayer in Daniel chapter nine describes exactly the utter abhorrent sense of shame and “confusion of faces” which comes from “seeing” the abomination of desolation, the man of sin, sitting in the temple of God… where he ought not!

Oh what a time it was!

… to be continued.