TIMES OF THE GENTILES PART 5

The third vision is found in verses 9-12.This vision takes place in heaven.In verses 9=10 the vision is of the throne of GOD the FATHER who is described under the title of the Ancient of Days.He is viewed as a judge and the book of judgement is opened.He is surrounded by myriads of angels who will be responsible to carry these judgements out.What is being judged is the fourth Gentile empire verses [11-12].In verse 11 it is the fourth beast,particularly the little horn,that judged and destroyed.As for the other three [verse 12],two things are stated:first there dominion was taken away;and secondly,their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.The exact meaning of this will be discussed under the third passage relating to the times of the Gentiles.The third vision is of God the Father,ready to move out in judgement against the fourth empire.Verses 13-14 contain the fourth vision.It begins with the setting of the kingdom of GOD following the destruction of the fourth Gentile empire.In verse 13 the second coming of Christ is viewed and this is followed by the setting up of the messianic kingdom in verse 14.Having described the four visions which he saw,which present essentially the same overview of the four Gentile empires as was found in Daniel two,he now gives the interpretation in verses 15-27 of Daniel 7.The major emphasis will be upon the fourth empire; 15 My spirit trembled, I Daniel was affrighted at these things, and the visions of my head troubled me. 16 I went near to one of them that stood by, and asked the truth of him concerning all these things, and he told me the interpretation of the words, and instructed me: 17 These four great beasts are four kingdoms, which shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the most high God shall take the kingdom: and they shall possess the kingdom for ever and ever. 19 After this I would diligently learn concerning the fourth beast, which was very different from all, and exceeding terrible: his teeth and claws were of iron: he devoured and broke in pieces, and the rest he stamped upon with his feet: 20 And concerning the ten horns that he had on his head: and concerning the other that came up, before which three horns fell: and of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth speaking great things, and was greater than the rest. 21 I beheld, and lo, that horn made war against the saints, and prevailed over them, 22 Till the Ancient of days came and gave judgment to the saints of the most High, and the time came, and the saints obtained the kingdom. 23 And thus he said: The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be greater than all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. 24 And the ten horns of the same kingdom, shall be ten kings: and another shall rise up after them, and he shall be mightier than the former, and he shall bring down three kings. 25 And he shall speak words against the High One, and shall crush the saints of the most High: and he shall think himself able to change times and laws, and they shall be delivered into his hand until a time, and times, and half a time. 26 And judgment shall sit, that his power may be taken away, and be broken in pieces, and perish even to the end. 27 And that the kingdom, and power, and the greatness of the kingdom, under the whole heaven, may be given to the people of the saints of the most High: whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all kings shall serve him, and shall obey him.After Daniel requests the interpretation in verses 15-16,he is given a summary interpretation in verses 17-18.In verse 17 Daniel is told that these four beast represent four kingdoms.Nevertheless,it is the servants of the Most High who will possess the kingdom ;for whatever will be possessed by the four Gentile empires will be only temporary[verse 18].We will pick up here next time GOD BLESS.

The Times of the Gentiles part five

The Times of The Gentiles part Three

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart. (Daniel 7:1-28 KJV) After giving the time and location of the four vision (verse 1),in verse 2-6 the first vision is described.It begins with a vision of the sea (the Mediterranean ),representing the Gentile world (Isaiah17:12-13,Matthew 13:47-50,Revelation 13:1, 17:1,15),troubled by the four winds(verse 2). Suddenly four beast arise from this sea,each one being different from the other (verse 3). All four then arise out of the Mediterranean area.The first beast is lion-like (verse 4),representing the Babylonian Empire(Jeremiah 4:7,48:40,49:19,22,50:17,44 Ezekiel 17:3).The latter part of verse four is probably a reference to Nebuchadnezzar 's experience recorded in Daniel 4:1-37.The second beast is bear-like and represents the Medo-Persian empire(verse 5).The bear is lop-sided,being raised up on one side;for although the Medes and the Persians were confederate,the Persians were by far the dominant power and it was a lop-sided alliance.Furthermore,the bear is found to have three ribs in its mouth,having devoured the flesh.Historically,these three ribs represent the three kingdoms conquered by the Medo-Persian forces giving them their empire status:Lydia,Babylonia,and Egypt.The bear is less majestic than the lion and is bulky and weighty.Medo-Persia conquered by shear force of numbers.The third beast is leopard -like,representing the Hellenistic Empire(verse 6).The leopard is also less majestic than the lion and less grand than the bear but is swifter than both.With leopard -like speed Alexander the Great conquered the Medo-Persian Empire and greatly extended the Hellenistic Empire.At his death,however,the empire split into four kingdoms.The four wings represent the four kingdoms rising out of Alexander's empire,and the four heads represent the four generals who took control of the four kingdoms:Ptolemy over Egypt,Palestine and Arabia Petrea;Seleucus over Syria, Babylonia,and as far east as India;Cassander over Macedonia and Greece; and Lysimachus over Thrace and Bithynia.The second vision found in verse 7-8 describes the fourth beast Unlike the others it is non-descript.While the others are given animal-like discriptions, none is given for this one.This fourth beast is described as being diverse, emphatically different,from all the others it completely subdues and breaks in all that precedes it.It appears as far more ferocious than the previous three empires.The fourth beast has ten horns.But while it began with ten horns,an eleventh horn arises,the little horn,who uproots three of the ten others.Having uprooted the other three,it begins to speak great things . With the uprooting of the three horns,seven of the original remain and the little horn is now an eighth.Once again,as in Daniel two,the uniqueness of the fourth empire is emphasized stating that it goes through several stages.The interpretation will be discussed later.But for now it is enough to note that the fourth beast does represent a fourth Gentile empire. We will pick up here next time God Bless

Times of the Gentiles part three

Having thus described the awesome image that Nebuchadnezzar dreamed,Daniel proceeded to give the interpretation in verse 36-45(read).After the declaration of the interpretation (verse36),Daniel interprets the meaning of the head of gold(verses37-38)as being Nebuchadnezzar ,the head of the Babylonian Empire.It was with this empire that the times of the Gentiles began,when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and the Solomonic Temple in 586 B.C.Thus Babylon was the first of the four Gentile empires to dominate Jerusalem .The two arms of silver united into the breast of silver represents the two nations of the Medes and the Persians who established the Medo-Persian Empire(verse 39a).The Medo-Persian Empire was followed by the Greek or Hellenistic Empire symbolized by the belly and two thighs of brass (verse39b)for the third territorily embraced both east and west.The two thighs may also represent Syria and Egypt which arose out of the Hellenistic Empire and controlled Jewish territory. The rest of the image represents the fourth Gentile empire (verses40-43).The fourth empire goes through several stages,three of which are presented in this text.First there is the united stage(verse40).But this united stage gives way to the two division stage(verse41) which still has the strength of iron.Eventually,however,the four Gentile empire gives way to a ten division stage as is seen in the ten toes(verses42-43)being composed of iron and clay.Part of this ten division stage will be strong and part will be brittle and weak.The Fourth Gentile empire is unique from all the previous ones.It totally subdues and crushes all that precedes it.It is the fourth Gentile empire that is particularly emphasized by the text dealing with the times of the Gentiles.However,the fifth empire,that will follow it,will not be Gentile but Jewish (verses 44-45).Two prominent symbols are used here,but they are consistent with their usage elsewhere.Whenever the word stone is used symbolically,it is always a symbol of the Second Person of the Trinity,God the Son,the Lord Jesus Christ,the Messiah of Israel .Whenever the word mountain is used symbolically , it is always a symbol of a king,kingdom,or throne.Thus,following the fourth Gentile empire,God will set up His own kingdom.The kingdom is set up during the ten division stage (verse44a),and this brings to an end the domination of the other kingdoms (verse44b).In the end the image of Gentile domination will be smashed at the second coming . Once Gentile domination is thus smashed by the stone,Christ,the kingdom of God is set up,and it is set up by this stone.To summarize the first passage dealing with the times of the Gentiles,this is a period of time when four Gentile empires will follow one another in sequence with the fourth empire going through several different stages.But eventually this will give way to God setting up His own Kingdom. God bless!!!

The times of Gentiles part 2

Daniel 2:31-45 The basic content of Nebuchadnezzar 's dream is in verses 31-35: Thou, O king , sawest,and,behold,a great image.This image,which was mighty,and whose brightness was excellent ,stood before thee;and the aspect thereof was terrible,as for this
image,it's head was of fine gold,it's breast and it's arms of silver,it's belly and it's thighs of brass,it's legs of iron,it's feet part of iron,and ,and part of clay,Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands ,which smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and clay , and brake them in pieces,Then was the iron,the clay,the brass , the silver,and the gold,broken in pieces together,and became like the chaff of the summer threshing -floors, and the wind carried them away,so that no place was found for them;and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain,and filled the whole earth.After a general description of the awesomeness of the image (verse31), Daniel describes the composition of the image (verses32-33).The image is described as having a head of gold,the breast and arms composed of silver,the belly and thighs of brass,legs of iron ,culminating with the feet and toes of part iron and part clay.Two things should be noted concerning these metals:first ,they
increase in strength;but secondly,they decrease in value.The fulment will be in decrease of the character of authority and rule.Yet there will be an increase in strength.Then the image is destroyed by a stone,and the stone smites the image on its feet(verses34-35a).Then,with the image destroyed ,the stone becomes a great mountain that fills the entire earth(verse35b).we will pick up here next time,God Bless

The Times of the Gentiles

A definition of the times of the Gentiles can be gleaned from Luke 21:24: (And they shall fall by the edge of the sword,and shall be led captive into all the nations:and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles,until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.) The times of the Gentiles can best be defined as that long period of time from the Babylonian Empire to the second coming of Christ during which time the Gentiles have dominance over the city of Jerusalem.This does not rule out temporary Jewish control of the city,but all such Jewish control will be temporary until the second coming of Christ.Such temporary control was exercised during the Maccabbean period (164-63 B.C.),the first Jewish revolt against Rome(66-70 A.D.),the second Jewish revolt against Rome(132-135 A.D.),and since 1967 as a result of the Six Day War. This,too, is temporary as Gentiles will yet trod Jerusalem down for at least another 3 and a half years (Revelation 11:1-2).Any Jewish take-over of the city of Jerusalem before the second coming of Christ must,therefore,be viewed as a temporary one and does not mean that the times of the Gentiles have ended. The times of the Gentiles can only end when the Gentiles can no longer trod down the city of Jerusalem.To understand the course of the times of the Gentiles,four passages will Need to be studied and then combined.we will start here next time with Daniel 2:31-45. God Bless

Sufferings part two

We have the blessed promise that if we suffer with him we will reign with him.Thank God, the sufferings of this present day are insignificant compared to the glory we will share with Jesus!! Praise the living God I'm ready to see my Lord aren't you? The John to whom God gave the Revelation on the Isle of Patmos is the same beloved John to whom Jesus entrusted His mother on the day of His crucifixion .This is also the same John to whom God gave the marvelous salvation message (John 20:30,31).He is the same John to whom the Holy Spirit dictated the three epistles that bear his name-1,2,and 3rd John.This is the the John"whom Jesus loved"...... the John who laid his head on Jesus'breast at the last supper and asked,"Is it I,Lord?"He was a man just like you and me -but he was a man entirely yielded to the will of God,Oh saints if we could only get hold of this if we could be like our brother John how much better our lives would be oh saints how much better could we serve our God!!!!! Preaching to myself here (smile).Praise God for His mercy!!!.He served God with all of his heart and soul,with all of his strength.He was perfectly contented to suffer whatsoever he was called upon to suffer for the sake of the Word of God.He did not mention the trial,the condemnation,the parting with friends (if he had any friends.....I wonder if he had even one friend except Jesus),Can I get an AMen on that if you have ever felt like that.(smile).Not one word of reproach or complaint fell from the lips of John the Beloved.His arrest,trial,and the proceedings before his cruel exile,are passed over in complete silence,not even worthy to be mentioned by him.He simply says,"I was in the Isle called Patmos."What A Man Of God!!!!! God Bless

Three great periods of suffering

There are three great periods of determined suffering for God's people:1.The sufferings under pagan Rome.2.The persecution under papal Rome during the middle ages and the dark ages.3.The coming persecution under the power of the two Beast in Revelation 13-the Ecclesiastical Beast and the Political Beast.These Beast will be energized by the devil himself.It will be a time of such persecution as has not been known in the past,or at any time during man's stay upon this earth.The Jews will suffer most during the reign of the two Beast.John the beloved disciple was not schooled in the ability to trim the word of God to fit the times in which he lived.The modernists and liberals of today are trained in our preaching-manufacturing plants-known as schools of theology(smile).They are trained exactly how to preach a gospel that will suit the times and the people to whom they preach.But John preached the word without apology,and because of his true Gospel he was banished for his testimony and the Word of God which he preached.The Word of God declares,"if any man will live godly in Christ Jesus he shall suffer persecution "(11Tim.3:12).The only reason some of us are not exiled or thrown into prison is simply because we do not preach as fervently and as sternly as did Paul,John,Peter and others.This modern "Santa Claus " religion that is sweeping the country today is not the religion Jesus taught and John practiced.Jesus did not say,"Follow me and I will put a big automobile in your garage,money in your bank,and give you a host of friends and a flowery bed of ease!"Jesus said,"Follow me-and I will give you a cross to carry! I will let you walk beside me in my yoke.I will let you come after me and see where I live ....no place to lay my head.And if you are willing to carry the cross,you can be my disciple,but if you are not willing to carry the cross,you cannot be my disciple,you cannot share my crown.If you refuse to suffer with me,you cannot reign with me.If you put your hand to the plow and look back,you are not fit to be my disciple.If you deny me,I will deny you!" we will pick up here next week God Bless

"The Patmos Vision"

Read Rev.1:9-18: In verse 9 we learn that John was not a superhuman.He was a man just like you and me.John was our brother in the Lord.He was also our brother in persecution and in patience.He lived during the time of terrible persecution under Nero,and received the Revelation during his exile to Patmos for his testimony and for the Word of God.With the exception of John the Beloved,all of the disciples were martyred;but in God's providence John was exiled to the lonely island of Patmos because God had. Job for him to do.God's servant is indestructible ...he cannot be destroyed by the devil and all the forces of hell until God is finished with that servant here on earth.John was such a servant.He was faithful and true to the Lord God Almighty.The island to which he was banished was almost unknown in that day.It was extremely dreary and lonely.It lay in the Aegean Sea,just off the coast of Asia Minor.It is only fifteen miles in circumference,and today it is inhabited by a small settlement of Greeks.When the emperor banished John to the Isle of Patmos,he thought he had destroyed the old fanatical preacher;but God made the bitter wrath of the ungodly emperor to praise Him! Folks everyone and everything will praise The Living God!!!!! God will carry out His program,even if He must use an ungodly Herod,Pharaoh,Nero-or,in our da,a Putan of Russian to fulfil His plans.God does not compromise with the devil nor with sin,and many times God causes the devil's program to backfire and in the end bring honor and praise to God.Such was the case with John and his exile to Patmos.The devil slipped up in his plans when he caused the emperor to exile John to the lonely,barren island of Patmos .For John,his stay there knew no dull moments.Every minute was alive.Praise the Living God for Men Like John,God Bless!

A Divine Declaration

Rev.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. The announcement of these divine titles-"I am Alpha......Omega......Lord God.....the Almighty!"-is certainly a fitting conclusion to the introduction of The Revelation of Jesus Christ,Which God Gave Unto Him.God Himself is the speaker here....the great"I Am."He announces His own titles.The words "Alpha"and "Omega" refer to the first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet.God is the source of all things...He is the beginning of all things.He is the beginning of all truth,all life,all creation.....He is the Alpha.But He is also the Omega-the end.God's glory is the ultimate goal of his program.Everything finds its answer in Jehovah God. God is eternal.He has always been(John4:23,24).Jesus is God in the flesh (2Cor.5:19;John1:1,14).God is one God,manifest in three persons-Father,Son,and Holy Ghost.The Trinity had always been.Jehovah God is an eternal Spirit. He was,He is,He is to come......He is the Almighty! In Him all things consist.Without Him nothing could continue,either in secular life or in heavenly life.Without Him the solar systems would cease to operate and the earth would fly from its orbit to dash through space into oblivion.God is the Alpha and the Omega.He is the Lord.....Which Is,which Was,which Is To Come!He is the Almighty!God Bless.

A Prophetic Declaration part two

The prophets throughout the era of the Old Testament had two great prophetic themes:Judgement -and Glory.The Old Testament prophet did not see the church age..... it was a mystery until it was revealed to the Apostle Paul,who makes known that revelation in the book of Ephesians.As the end of the church age draws near,Jews and Gentiles will become wicked as never before on the face of the earth (Isaiah60:2).The nations will be gathered in open rebellion against the Lamb of God (Rev.19:19)and they will fight against Jerusalem (Zech.14:2).Therefore,the earth must be cleared of evil and ungodly men before the Lord Jesus comes back to reign in glory,with His Church.Before leaving this section,let me point out that Christ is nowhere said to come with the clouds to gather the Church out of the earth.On the contrary,the saints go up in the clouds(1Thess.4:17).God provides a royal carriage to convey the saints from the earth to meet the Lord in the air.Pardon me for a minute while I have a Praise Break,you missed your chance to shout right there (smile) Let's get back on track,Clouds in the Old Testament were the well-known symbol of the presence of Jehovah with His people (Ex.13:21-40;Ex.40:34-38;Luke 9:35).Christ is not only said to come "in the clouds"(Mark13:26) but He will come with the clouds (Rev.1:7) and in the clouds (Matt.24:30).The clouds which attend His coming are symbols of His majesty and glory.Read Psalm 18:9-12.The Lord sits on the clouds,as on His Throne.We believers will be caught up in the clouds (1Thess.4:17).The Lord Jesus ascended in the clouds (Acts1:9)and He will come in a cloud (Luke21:27).These facts are very interesting to spiritually minded believers.The statement "every eye shall see Him"is to be taken literally.Every eye will not see Him at the same identical split second-but every eye will see Jesus.One class is singled out from the mass of mankind and mentioned as "they which pierced Him".The entire earth will be open conflict against the Lord God and His Anointed (read Psalm2),but this one group is pointed out specifically.John is the only one who records the incident of the Gentile spear which pierced the Saviour's side (John19:33-37).Pilate admitted three times that there was no fault in Jesus(John18:38-19:6);but in spite of the fact that Rome knew Jesus to be innocent,they allowed Him to be scourged and crucified .The Jews screamed aloud for His death.They invited His blood to be not only upon them,but upon their children;and their children have inherited that guilt for generations.They will see Him "whom they pierced"(read Zech.12:10).The people's referred to as "those who pierced Him"are the people whom we know today as Jews."All the tribes of the earth shall wail because of Him."This coming in the clouds in great glory and power will take place over the the entire universe at the same identical time.All the people's of all the earth will see the Son of God coming in the clouds of Glory.In chapter six we will learn that a world-wide prayer meeting will immediately be in progress.....but the prayers will be unanswered.Verse 7 closes with the words"......Even so,Amen".That is a double "amen",and certainly carries much weight spiritually.Amen means "so be it."The Spirit is saying here,"This is true.It will happen exactly as stated."Folks Jesus is coming soon I want to be ready how about you? God Bless

A Prophetic Declaration

Rev.1:7:Behold,he cometh with clouds;and every eye shall see him,and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.Even so,Amen. The second coming of our Lord is a vital part of Christian doctrine,and there has never been a time of greater need for the preaching of this truth than today.It is essential to distinguish the two parts of His second coming.There is definitely a period of time between the Rapture(the time when Jesus comes For His saints).and the Revelation (when He comes With His saints). The Rapture is mentioned in John 14:3; Philippians 3:20; 1Thessalonians 4:15-18; and 1 Corinthians 15:23. All these Scriptures refer to the next great event for Christians-the Rapture of the Church-the time when Jesus comes for His saints,and every living,born again blood washed child of God will be caught up to meet Him; the bodies of all the saints who have died will be raised incorruptible, and we will all be caught up together to meet the Lord in the clouds in the air. But there is another group of Scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments which distinctly teach another coming,and verse 7 in our present chapter refers to this time when Jesus will come With His saints.(In connection with this read Jude 14; Zechariah 14:5; Colossians 3:4 and Revelation 19:11-14).The statement ,"Behold,He cometh with clouds" agrees with Daniel's statement "I saw in the night visions,and,behold,one like the Son of man came with the clouds of Heaven"(Dan.7:13).This also corresponds with the prophetic utterance of the Lord on the Mount of Olives: "They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory"(Matt.24:30b).All these Scriptures refer to the Revelation-the time when Jesus will come in the air and Every Eye shall see Him.When the Rapture takes place,no person will see the Lord Jesus.He will not come to the earth;He will descend in the air, the trumpet will sound,the voice of the archangel will call the saints up to meet Jesus in the air,He will not stand on the earth when He comes in the Rapture,but He will not stand on the earth when He comes in the Rapture,but He Will stand on the earth when He comes in the second phase of His return.Zechariah 14:4 definitely describes the Lord Jesus standing on the Mount of Olives.more next time God bless

Kings and Priests

Verse 6:"And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father;to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.Amen." Through the writer,John,the Spirit is here glorifying the Lamb who left the Father's bosom,came into the world and shed His blood on the cross that we might have remission of sins.Praise the living God without the blood there's no chance for eternal life thank God He shed his Blood for me!!!! Those of us who are born again are kings and priests:"But ye are a chosen generation,a royal priesthood,an holy nation,a peculiar people;that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of the darkness into His marvelous light"(1 Peter 2:9). This verse definitely refers to Gentile believers.....those of us who in times past were without God and without hope,but who through the death of Jesus are made sons of God.Those of us who are members of the New Testament Church,born again believers ,have been washed white in the precious blood of Jesus.The moment we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ we became sons of God and have access to God through the blood.We are kings,we are priests.....and we approach God through our Mediator, the Lord Jesus(1 Tim.2:5).Therefore,in this day and age there is no such thing as priesthood separate from laity....we are All priests when we are born of God's Holy Spirit and washed in the blood of the Lamb.We approach the throne of God only through a new and living way,purchased by Jesus on the cross(Heb.10:19,20).

Faithful Witness

Verse 5:"And from Jesus Christ,who is the faithful witness,and the first begotten of the dead,and the prince of the kings of the earth.Unto Him that loved us,and washed us from our sins in His own blood." Certainly it was Jesus Christ who came into the world,and He was "the Faithful Witness"... He was the Word in the flesh (John 1:1,John1:14.He was also the first begotten of the dead (1Cor.15:1-30,),and He will be the Prince of all kings in the sweet by and-by (Isaiah9:6,Luke 1:28-35).It is the blood of Jesus Christ that"cleanseth us from all sin"(1John1:7)."Without the shedding of blood is no remission "(Heb.9:22).We are redeemed by the precious blood(1 Peter1:18-23).Certainly in this day of liberalism and modernism,we should cry out as never before that it IS the blood of the Lamb that washes away our sins.

Grace and Peace

"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"(verse 4).The common need among all the redeemed is Grace And Peace.Without the grace of God we would all burn in hell.Without the peace of God in our hearts,We would all be miserable.Grace is the source of all blessing.Peace is the rightful and happy possession of every born again,blood-washed child of God(John 14:27).Grace and peace come by and through"Him which is,and which was,and which is to come."This clearly sets forth the eternal existence of Jehovah God.God is an eternal Spirit.God has always been,God always will be.Perhaps someone is saying,Rick,explain that.I thank God that I cannot explain it.If I could I would be as great as God is,and I am so happy that my God is greater in wisdom and in power than I am.I would not serve a God whom I could explain.I want a God who is greater than human explanation .I want a God who is too great to be defined in the language of man.God Is,God has always been,God always will be.God lives in the eternal present.The grace of God brought salvation down to man(Heb.2:9)and it is only through the grace of God that we have peace with God(Rom.5:1). In this verse,John mentions"the seven Spirits which are before His throne". Please read Isaiah 11:1-5 in connection with this,and we will discuss it more completely a little later in the study.God bless!!!

The journey

In the first six chapters in our study, you will note an overcoming company of true believers,truly born again saints.However,in the seventh (the Laodicean church)there is no saved group;all are spued out of the mouth of the Lord Jesus.In the message to the churches,true believers are repeatedly assured of safety and blessing from God.Before the terrible hurricanes and tornadoes of God's great judgement begin to sweep across this earth,the church will be raptured out of the earth and caught up to meet Jesus in the clouds in the air.Praise the Living God!!!!! The church will have a grandstand seat in the sky when the last great judgments fall fall upon the wicked on this earth.God did not judge Sodom until Lot was safe outside the city walls(Gen.19).Nor did God utterly destroy Jericho until Rahab was saved (Joshua 6). This will be just as true in the future; God will not judge this earth,nor the wicked in the final judgement,until the Church is taken out of the earth.That promise is clear: "Because thou hast kept thy word of my patience,I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation,which shall come upon all the world,to try them that dwell upon the earth"(Rev.3:10).This verse definitely refers to the great Tribulation period.The Rapture takes place at the beginning of chapter four.A door is open in Heaven and a Voice cries out,"Come up hither!" And the Church is raptured out of the earth to meet the Lord in the air. Read 1Thessalonians 4:13-18. Dear saints this is going to happen there is no stoping it our Lord will come for the church and it will be soon.Come quickly Lord Jesus!!!!!!

coming soon

In the Jewish assemblies the Law declared that wherever as many as ten persons were gathered together they could indulge in public reading of the Word of God.You will see this clearly set forth in Luke 4:16-20,Acts 13:14-27,Acts 15:21.Verse 3 closes with the words,"..... for the time is at hand."
       Again,someone may be saying,"The writer John must have been mistaken,or he must have misunderstood,because it has been over 2000 years since those words were dictated to John the Beloved."But again-let me remind you that ever since Jesus came to this earth,was crucified,buried and rose again,ascended back to the Father where He is now seated at the right hand of the Father to mediate for us (1 Tim.2:5,Heb.1:3,)we have been living in the last days.
        "God,who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son,whom He hath appointed heir of all things,by whom also He made the worlds"(Heb. 1:1,2) . Here the Holy Spirit clearly testifies that these are the last days. I emphasize the statement:Since the Church began,we have been living in the last days.
       To further substantiate that statement,listen to these words: "Nor yet that He should offer Himself often,as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world:but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself"(Heb.9:25,26).Jesus came to this earth literally in the "end time,"or-the endof the world.Since Jesus came and died on the cross,we have been living in the closing days of time.
  Again we read,"Now all these things are happened unto them for ensamples (examples)and they are written for our admonition,UPON WHOM THE ENDS OF THE WORLD ARE COME." Surely these three scriptures will will satisfy the mind of anyone who cares to know the truth concerning this age.We are now living in the closing days of time and have been since Jesus came and died on the cross.Therefore,these things will "shortly come to pass,"and truthfully,"the time is at hand!". People please listen to this simple preacher do not fall into the trap of this world or into all the games of the mind that some churches and some so called men and women of God want to play,Jesus is coming soon and we need to be ready search your heart for yourself and let the Holy Spirit speak to you and you will know the truth search the scriptures for yourself and God will reveal the truth to you.TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The book of Revelation promises a blessing-and warns of a curse.The blessing is for those who read the ballybook and keep the things that are written therein.The curse is described in Revelation 22,and will befall those who tamper with the message of this prophecy.The word "Blessed"means happy.So in spite of the fact that some preachers declare that this book is a frightening book,a book to be ignored ,the Holy Spirit in the very outset declares that it is a blessed book,and that it brings joy and pleasure to the soul that reads it.
        One outstanding commentator declares that the literal translation here should read,"Blessed are they that read this book,aloud to the assemblies."That simply means blessed is the man who reads it aloud in the church,and blessed are those who hear the reading and obey the message.Be that as it may,the book carries a definite blessing for those who read it,those who hear it and who keep these verbally inspired communications which came from God,through the angel TO John.The blessing is stated in Revelation 1:3and again in Revelation 22:7.The curse is clearly set fourth in Revelation 22:18-19.God have mercy on some of the men who tamper with the book of Revelation in this day of liberalism and lying prophets!
     Paul admonished Timothy,"....Give attendance to reading"(1 Timothy 4:13).For many years in the first centuries of Christianity,the Scriptures were read aloud in the assemblies , but this has been completely done away with today,wit the exception of a small portion at the beginning of most Sunday morning services.Some churches today do not even have what is known as "responsive reading". However ,those who read Revelation-whether in public or in private , whether they read it aloud or silently, may rest assured of the Lord's blessing because it is promised here ,  and God cannot break His promise. PRAISE THE LIVING GOD!!!!!!!!

It is true that John the Beloved is the writer of the book of Revelation,but he is not the author.The Author of  Revelation is the Lord Jesus, Himself.The Apostle John was the scribe... the holy man to whom God spoke these words.It seems that the Holy Spirit desires to make this known clearly and unmistakably.Revelation1:1 and Revelation 22:8 clearly declare that the revelation came from God Almighty-not from man.Revelation is  the only book in the New Testament that Jesus personally closes with His own signature "I,JESUS,HAVE SENT MINE ANGEL TO TESTIFY UNTO YOU THESE THINGS IN THE CHURCHES!"(Rev.22:16).The book of Revelation is not history,as some would have you believe.This book records past, things present,and things to come.The angel is unnamed.He is simply referred to as "HIS angel."The order of the Revelation is FROM God,TO Christ-then BY Christ's angel to John,and then TO US......to all believers,servants,bondsmen......all who are born again.The first verse closes with the words ".....unto His servant, John."John the Beloved always writes in the third person in the four books bearing his name,but here in the book of Revelation he writes in the first person.He names himself three times in the introduction:Chapter1,verses1,4,and 9.He names himself two times in the closing chapters of the book:Chapter21:2,chapter22:8.Verse 2:"Who bare record of the Word of God,and of the testimony of Jesus Christ,and of all things that he saw."The Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ form the sum total of all the visions and revelations beheld by John the Beloved in Revelation John not only heard the words recorded here,but he also saw the visions.In the Spirit,John saw what will literally take place upon this earth and in the heavenlies at the consummation of all things.COME QUICKLY LORD JESUS I PRAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL IN JESUS NAME!

It is not just a revelation-or the unveiling-of the person of Christ,although in the book we see his high priestly,kingly glory;but the greater portion of it is given over to the unveiling of those events which will precede and accompany the return of the Lord Jesus to this earth.This truth is clearly seen from the fact that the Revelation was given to Jesus Christ by GOD THE FATHER to show unto his servants "things that must shortly come to pass"Just before His death,Jesus was ask by his disciples ,"When shall these things be?"(referring to things Jesus had to declared would come to pass - Mark 13:1-3.HE Replied,"Of that day an of that hour knoweth no man no, not the angels which are in heaven,neither the Son (the Greek word used here neither literally means not yet),but the Father."After the ascension of Jesus,He received from the Heavenly Father the information the disciples had ask for.And before the close of the first century church,while at least on of the disciples(John the Beloved)was still living,God sent an angel to make known to John (and through him to the churches in Asia)the information that is unveiled in this great prophetic book of Revelation.Therefore,we see that the Scriptures would be incomplete without this book-without the unveiling of the Lord Jesus and the events that will occur before and during His return to the earth.Perhaps someone is asking,"Why did the Holy Spirit say,"Things which must shortly come to pass"since it has already been more than 1950 years since the words were spoken?"II Peter 3:8 answers that question:"...Beloved be not ignorant of this one thing,that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years,and a thousand years as one day."We must remember that we are dealing with Jehovah God,and even though time may seem long to us, it has only been almost 2 days (According to Gods great Time Clock of prophecy)since these words were uttered.Therefore,to those of us who are spiritually minded,who compare spiritual things with spiritual,it has not been along time.It has only been 2 days. KEEP LOOKING UP SAINTS HES COMING AGAIN!!!!

May God Bless This Journey In Jesus Name!

Rev. 1:1-3: The Revelation of Jesus Christ,which God gave him to show to his bond-servants,the things which must soon take place;and he sent and communicated it by his angel to his bond-servant John,who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ,even to all that he saw.Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy,and heed the things which are written in it ; for the time is near. This book is not the book of "Revelations" (plural). It is not the "the Revelation of St John the Divine"The word "Revelation"is singular-and as the first verse clearly declares, this book is "the Revelation of Jesus Christ,which God gave to him". In this interesting and only prophetic book of the New Testament,the Lord Jesus is unveiled.The future is made known in a series of visions,beheld by John the Beloved who was on the isle of Patmos,John saw in the Spirit things that will happen literally.In Revelation we will see light and darkness..... righteousness and unrighteousness...... good and evil opposing each other.We will also see Jehovah God,the Lamb Christ Jesus,and Satan.We will see men-saved and unsaved. We will study angels-holy and unholy.We will witness the greatest blood bath and the greatest fire this earth or any planet will ever know.As we study the book of Revelation,the scenes will change-from time to eternity,from Heaven to earth,from the earth to the lake of fire,from the river of blood( 200 miles long,6 feet deep and ten miles wide)to the appearing of myriads of millions of white horses with their riders in the sky!(Rev:11-16).Yes the veil is rolled back.The result? God is Victorious!!!!!!!!! Praise the Living God!!!!   The millennium and the eternal glories of Christ shine forth in Revelation in undying beauty and splendor found no other place in Holy Scripture. At the consumption of all things-when all things are made new-then will be the complete fulfillment of the words of the prophet,"He shall see of the travail of his soul,and shall be satisfied "(Isaiah 53;11a). As we move toward the end of the book,we will witness a new Heaven and a new Earth (chapters 21 and 22) and we will see the righteous and holy abiding in their eternal dwelling places. As we near the end  of the book (chapters 20:10 and 21:8) we will witness the horrible lake of fire and those who will spend eternity in this terrible place of torment. Please pray with me that this will wake people up,because our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is coming soon and as a nation we are not ready.We will pick up here next week.TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!!!!!

Revelation Journey

For the last few months I have been in deep prayer about where to go next on my journey with GOD.As I searched my heart I prayed search my heart o LORD!  because for 24 years I have served our LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST and I did not want to do the same old things , I wanted to do something that would impact GODS people and to do something that will wake up the so called christian people.Now I am not insulting anyone at all , I too am a christian but as we sit on our pews or chairs at church we tend to get into a rut.So with that said I would like to take us on a journey through Revelation with Gods help, I truly believe we are in the end times and I truly believe God is about ready to bring us home.Revelation has always been my favorite book of the bible,it gets me excited when i read what is to come for us Gods people so please pray with me that God will lead us. On the next blog i will begin. TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!!!!