Will you please turn to the last book
in the Bible, the book of Revelation.
Revelation, chapter one, the first three verses.
Revelation, chapter one, from verse one through verse
three.
Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to
him to show to his bondman what must
shortly take place.
And he signified it, sending by his angel
to his bondman John, who testified the word
of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ,
all things that he saw.
Blessed is he that reads, and they that
hear the words of the prophecy, and keep
the things written in it, for the time
is near.
Chapter nineteen, verse ten, the last sentence.
For the spirit of prophecy is the testimony
of Jesus.
The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of
Jesus.
May we look to the Lord in prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father, how we do praise and
thank thee for giving us such honor and
privilege together, together unto the name of thy
beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
How we praise and thank thee knowing that
thou art with us, even now.
We ask that thy presence shall be so
manifest that we just bow before thee and
worship thee.
We ask thee, Lord, that we may hear
thy voice, that we may respond to thee,
that we may love thee with all our
hearts, with all our soul, with all our
understanding, and with all our strength, in the
name of our Lord Jesus.
Amen.
We have been going through the New Testament,
book by book, and this morning we will
be on the last book of the New
Testament, the book of Revelation.
Now Genesis, in the Bible, is the beginning.
And we know in the beginning we are
revealed the purpose of God.
Revelation is at the end of the Bible.
It is the end.
In other words, it is the realization of
the purpose of God.
In this book of Revelation, we find that
all things are summed up in Christ.
Now this book of Revelation is a book
of prophecy, because we are told at the
very beginning, Blessed is he that reads, and
they that hear the words of the prophecy,
and keep the things written in it, for
the time is near.
It is a book of prophecy.
But let us remember that the spirit of
prophecy is the testimony of Jesus.
In other words, in this book you find
many prophetic words on coming events.
Many things will happen, and happen soon.
But these coming events are but the letter
of the word.
The spirit of the word is the testimony
of Jesus.
Now brothers and sisters, we are all naturally
curious.
We like to know what is coming in
the future.
In a sense, we feel more secure if
we know what is coming.
We are curious about coming events.
But this is not the purpose of this
book.
It is true that these books give us
the coming events, things that must shortly come
to pass.
But the purpose is not that we may
know what is coming, but we may know
who is coming.
In other words, it is the testimony of
Jesus that is the spirit of prophecy.
What if we know all the coming events,
and yet we are not ready for the
Lord?
What if we come short at the word
of prophecy without going to the spirit of
prophecy?
Now if we do that, you will find
that the letter kills.
It is the spirit that gives life.
In other words, if we have mental understanding
of the coming events as recorded in the
book of Revelation, and yet there is not
a corresponding spiritual preparedness in our heart, you
will find such knowledge will condemn us instead
of save us.
So I think it is very important when
we approach this book of prophecy that we
be very clear in our heart that it
is not the events that we are interested
in, but it is the one who is
coming that we are waiting for.
And if we do that, then surely we
are happy.
Blessed are we who hear the words of
the prophecy and keep the things thereof.
This book of Revelation is the revelation of
Jesus Christ, which God gave to him to
show to his bowmen what must shortly take
place.
John the Apostle, he is not the author
of this book.
You know his name is mentioned four times
in this book of Revelation.
When we read the Gospel according to John,
we find his name is not even mentioned.
When we read 1 John, his name is
not mentioned.
But here in the book of Revelation, you
find his name is mentioned four times.
In chapter 1, verse 1, verse 4, verse
9, and chapter 22, verse 6, you find
that his name is mentioned four times.
But he is not the author of this
book.
He is just a scribe.
He is just taking down what is shown
to him.
The author of this book is none other
but God himself.
Why?
Because at the very beginning we are told
the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave
to him.
In other words, it is the revealing, the
unveiling of Jesus Christ.
And this unveiling of Jesus Christ is given
by God.
God unveils Jesus Christ.
To whom?
To Jesus Christ.
The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave
to him.
God unveils his beloved son.
What's going to happen to his beloved son?
To his own beloved son.
To none other but Jesus Christ himself.
And then our Lord Jesus showed this to
his bondmen.
To all those who are his servants, his
bond slaves of the things that are coming.
So let us remember that this book of
Revelation actually is God the Father revealing the
Son to his own Son.
And then in turn his Son shows all
the things that are coming to pass to
his bondmen.
This book, the immediate receiver of this book,
are the seven churches in Asia.
But let us remember that it is not
just the seven churches in Asia who receive
this book.
Because this is written or this is shown
to the bondmen of Jesus Christ.
Now who are the bondmen of Jesus Christ?
The bond slaves of Jesus Christ.
We remember how Paul, he takes pride in
calling himself the bondmen of Jesus Christ.
Brothers and sisters, we who are purchased by
the precious blood of the Lord Jesus, we
are his bond slaves.
Every one of us who are purchased by
the precious blood of the Lamb is a
bondman, is a bond slave of Jesus Christ.
We are his love slaves.
He has purchased us and we do not
want to go free because we love him,
we want to serve him, we are his
bond slaves.
Now if you turn to Revelation chapter 22,
you find the same thing is being mentioned
there.
Verse 6, And he said to me, So
this book actually is written to us.
We are his bondmen.
Not only that.
But again you find in Revelation chapter 22,
verse 16, I, Jesus, have sent mine angels
to testify these things to you in the
churches.
I am the root and offspring of David,
the bright and morning star.
And the Spirit and the bride said, Come.
In other words, you find that these things
are shown to the churches, to the church
of God.
And as the church of God is shown
all these things, the Spirit and the bride
said, Come.
So in other words, you find that this
letter, this book actually is written to the
bride.
The church, the bondmen, the bride are one.
We are the bondmen of Jesus Christ, purchased
by his blood.
We are the church of Jesus Christ.
And we are his bride.
And we are the people who receive this
book.
Many people when they read this book, or
they don't read this book because they think
it is a horror story.
But let us remember this is a love
letter.
It is not a horror story to terrify
people.
No, to us who are the church of
God, who are the bondmen of Jesus Christ,
who is the bride of Jesus Christ, this
is a love letter.
In other words, this is the last love
letter.
Our bridegroom writes to us before the marriage.
Now if you see this in that way,
how precious is this book of Revelation.
Now this is the last love letter we
receive.
And then the next thing will be, he
is here.
And there will be the marriage.
Wonderful.
So this is the book of Revelation.
The Apostle John received this Revelation on the
island of Patmos.
He was exiled by Emperor Domitian.
Now some people think that it was during
the time of Nero, but this is not
true.
Why?
Because during the time of Nero, we find
not only the persecution has not extended to
Asia, it is centered in Rome.
But also you find that the way of
punishment actually is throwing to the lions, or
to be lighted in the garden as light.
Exile is the method used by the Emperor
Domitian.
So it was during the time of Emperor
Domitian that we find John was exiled to
the island of Patmos.
It was a barren, rocky island off the
coast of Asia Minor in the Aegean Sea.
And there the Apostle John received this book
of Revelation.
We mentioned that this being the last book
in the Bible, it is the consummation of
God's Revelation.
What is the eternal purpose of God?
The eternal purpose of God is centered upon
His beloved Son.
It is the will of God that His
beloved Son should be the heir of all
things.
We find that in Hebrews chapter 1 verse
2.
God has established His Son to be the
heir of all things.
In other words, all things shall be brought
into subjection to Christ Jesus.
And to bring everything into subjection to Christ
Jesus, the central, most important thing to be
brought into subjection to Christ is man.
Because man is the center of all things
that are created.
And it is through man that Christ is
to inherit all things.
So first of all He has to inherit
us.
After He has inherited us, man, then through
man He is to inherit all things.
So here you find man plays a very
important role in the economy of God.
You know Psalm number 8 is a beautiful
psalm.
And in that psalm you find the psalmist
said, Out of the mouth of babes and
sucklings thou hast established praise, because of thine
adversaries to steal the enemy and the avenger.
Now so far as man is concerned, man
is like babes and sucklings, in comparison with
other created things.
Why?
Because you find man was created last, on
the sixth day.
Then God said, let us make man.
According to our image and our likeness.
And He made man in His own image.
So, so far as the time of creation
is concerned, if you compare mankind with the
earth planet, if you compare mankind with the
universe, then we are the latecomers.
We are like babes and sucklings.
But out of the babes and sucklings God
said He will establish praise.
God will be praised through the mouth of
babes and sucklings.
Why?
Because of thine adversaries.
God has an adversary, Satan, the adversary.
But God will use one who is made
lower than the angels, man.
To steal the adversaries and the enemies.
In other words, God is going to use
man as His vessel and instrument in bringing
all things into subjection to Him.
And God is going to use man to
defeat His enemy, Satan, to close the mouth
of the enemy, to bring in the purpose
of God that Christ may inherit all things.
So no wonder the psalmist said, what is
man that thou art mindful of him?
Dear brothers and sisters, it really humbles us
to think that we who are nothing but
dust and ashes, we are the latecomers of
the universe.
We are just babes and sucklings.
And yet God should be mindful of us.
That He should come to us first to
inherit us, and then through us to inherit
all things.
That He should use us as His vessel
and instrument to defeat His adversary, and to
bring in His eternal purpose.
Now it does humble us very deeply, and
causes us to worship Him.
So in this book of Revelation you'll find
that He deals with mankind.
It is the final revelation of Jesus Christ
in relation to mankind.
How He will bring mankind and all things
under His feet.
Now according to 1 Corinthians 10, verse 32,
you find that mankind is divided into three
groups.
The Jews, the Greeks, and the Church of
God.
Or to put it in another way, the
Church, the Jews, and the nations.
This is how mankind is classified.
So in this book of Revelation we will
try to approach it from these three different
areas.
In other words, we will see how Christ
is to inherit the Church as His bride.
How Christ is to inherit the Jews as
the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the
Root of David.
And how Christ inherits the nations as the
King of kings and the Lord of lords.
First of all, the Church.
In the eternal purpose of God concerning His
beloved Son, there is the Church.
The Church is a mystery, hidden in God
through the ages and the generations.
Until in the fullness of time God reveals,
open up this ministry by the Holy Spirit,
through the apostles and the prophets, that today
we may know what the Church is.
The Church was an unknown in the past.
It was hidden in God.
Why?
Because it could not be known.
It had to be hidden until first of
all Christ came into this world.
Because without the coming of Christ into this
world there can be no Church.
It is through His coming, incarnation, through His
life on this earth, through His death, through
His resurrection, that the Church came into being.
We find that our Lord Jesus as He
was crucified on the cross, as He died,
as the soldier thrust a spear into His
side, that out of His side came out
blood and water.
And the Church is built with that which
comes out of the side of our Lord
Jesus.
Through the death of our Lord Jesus His
blood came out for the remission of our
sins.
Through the death of our Lord Jesus His
life pours out like water that we may
receive life.
And it is by this blood and water
that came out of His side the Church
is born.
And on the day of Pentecost the Holy
Spirit came.
And you find 120 individual believers, they were
baptized into one body, one Church.
Now the history of the Church, of the
early Church, is given to us in the
book of Acts.
Roughly we will say our Lord Jesus lived
on earth for 33 years.
And again you find the book of Acts
actually roughly is 33 years.
From the day of Pentecost to the time
we find Paul in a hired house apartment
in Rome, teaching, preaching the Kingdom of God,
teaching the Lord Jesus.
That was approximately A.D. 62 to 63.
So you find that the history of the
early Church that is covered by the book
of Acts is roughly 33 years.
Up to 62 or 63 A.D. And
now you find the book of Revelation takes
that up and continues with the history of
the Church.
So you find that in the first three
chapters of the book of Revelation, the seven
Churches.
And the seven Churches actually reveals to us
the Church towards the end of the first
century.
Because we know by this time all of
the twelve apostles have passed away except John.
John is the one who lived the longest
and it was during his later years that
he received this revelation.
So there you'll find Revelation chapters 1 to
3 actually or 2 to 3 actually continues
with the book of Acts.
It gives us the history of the Church
at the end of the first century.
Now what is the Church?
Here you'll find in the book of Revelation
the seven Churches are represented by seven golden
land stands.
Now land stand is not an end in
itself.
Land stand is a means to an end.
Land stand is to uplift the light.
In other words, the Church is not an
end in itself.
The Church is a means to an end.
And the end is to uplift the testimony
of Jesus.
That's the light.
Now if the Church fails to shine forth
the testimony of Jesus, then the Church has
failed in its mission.
The Church is not to draw people to
itself.
The Church is to point people to Christ.
So you'll find in the seven Churches of
Asia they are represented by seven golden land
stands.
You know this is a book of prophecy.
So when you look at the seven Churches
in Asia, even though at the end of
the first century there were actually these seven
Churches in Asia Minor, or in the Roman
province of Asia, not Asia as a continent,
actually they were these seven Churches in Asia.
And as a matter of fact, Apostle Paul
in his later years, he labored in these
seven Churches.
Then he was taken away from them as
an exile.
So no wonder he was thinking of them
on the Lord's Day.
And that's how he received the revelation.
So actually there were these seven Churches in
Asia towards the end of the first century.
And these were their conditions, their spiritual conditions
before God.
That's true.
That's historical.
But this book being a book of prophecy,
so we believe that the seven Churches of
Asia were so picked, selected, because actually there
were more than seven Churches in Asia at
that time.
For instance, Colossae, Periopolis, you'll find Churches there
too.
But the Holy Spirit picked these seven Churches.
Why?
Because these seven Churches prophetically speak of the
whole history of the Church until the coming
of Christ.
So the first Church, the Church in Ephesus,
represents the Church towards the end of the
first century, or even go a little bit
into the early part of the second century.
Ephesus, that word Ephesus, means desire or loosening.
And you'll find this Church in Ephesus, in
the beginning they do have a desire for
the Lord.
You remember Psalm 73 verse 25, it says,
Whom do I have in heaven but Thee?
Whom do I desire on earth but Thee?
Now this should be the attitude of the
Church.
The desire of the Church is the Lord.
Love the Lord with all her heart.
That is the desire of the Church.
And if you read the book of Acts,
and you read the history of the early
Church, you'll find there was such a desire
towards the Lord.
There was that first love towards the Lord.
And even in the Church in Ephesus, you'll
find if you read the Letter to the
Ephesians, you'll find that the reason why they
received such revelation is because they loved the
Lord.
They loved the Lord.
But this desire gradually loosened up.
You'll find that towards the end of the
first century, so far as the Church is
concerned, they have left their first love.
There is nothing that the Lord is looking
for more than love.
You'll find the Church at that time, they
have labors.
They have works.
They have knowledge.
They have understanding.
They have not deviated from the teaching of
the Lord Jesus.
And yet they have lost their first love.
And the Lord said, I'm against you.
I'm against you.
Repent.
So here you'll find towards the end of
the first century, the Church began to lose
her love towards the Lord, her desire for
the Lord.
And then the second Church, the Church of
Smyrna.
Smyrna came from the root of myrrh.
And myrrh means bitterness.
In other words, you'll find when the Church
began to lose its first love towards the
Lord, then the Lord reacted.
He reacted by sending persecutions to the Church.
Persecution is not all that.
You'll find that God used persecution to awaken
the Church out of her lust of first
love.
So in the second and the third century,
you'll find that the Church was persecuted.
Deeply persecuted.
But out of these persecutions, there was a
reviving towards the Lord, a desiring for the
Lord, a love for the Lord.
But then you'll find the third Church in
Pergamos.
Pergamos means high tower.
High tower.
In the beginning of the fourth century, 303
A.D., you'll find Constantine the Great.
He became the Roman Emperor.
And you know the story.
Whether it was true or whether...
I don't know.
But the story was told that he was
one of the generals, and when the Caesar
died, when the Emperor died, then these generals,
they all tried to be the next Emperor.
And they fought with each other.
And Constantine, he was a general in the
land of Gaul, which is French today, and
many of his soldiers were Christians.
So the story was told that one night
he dreamed a dream.
And he saw a banner with a cross
there.
And in this sign, conquer.
So he used that as his banner.
And he marched to Rome, and he got
the Empire.
And after he got the Empire, he tried
to patronize Christianity.
Christianity was no longer persecuted.
Christianity was patronized by the Emperor.
And immediately you'll find from being persecuted, it
became the most popular religion in the world.
So many people flocked into the church.
The Emperor said, now if any of my
soldiers will be baptized, he will be rewarded
with certain amount of silver and two suits
of clothing.
So lots of his soldiers got baptized.
Not only for material purpose, but for the
favor of the Emperor.
So immediately you'll find the church became a
high tower.
The church had fallen into the world.
There was a mixture of the church and
the world.
Teaching, other doctrine, other than of the truth
of the Bible, began to be accepted.
I cannot go into detail.
I'll keep you until I don't know when.
But anyway you'll find that from the 4th
century to the end of the 6th century,
that is represented by pyramids.
And after that you have Taikira.
Taikira means sacrificing untiringly.
Full of sacrifices.
And that represents the Roman system starting from
the end of the 6th century up to
the time of Reformation.
In other words, if you want to be
more exact, it began actually with the pontific
of Gregory I in AD 590.
And then you'll find the Roman system is
firmly established.
And with that, of course, you have the
special priesthood.
And you have the idol worship.
So all these things began to come into
the church.
Then after that there is Sardis.
Sardis means revival or restoration.
So in the 16th century you'll find God
raised up these reformers.
Martin Luther, John Calvin and all these people,
you know.
And there is a reviving.
There is a restoring.
But unfortunately you'll find nothing is perfect.
And it becomes a matter of names instead
of reality.
It gradually dies out.
There is a name, but there is no
life inside.
And that is what Protestant churches are today.
Even today.
You'll find that there is a name there.
But where is the reality?
Where is the life?
But thank God you'll find God again react.
And that was Philadelphia.
Now Philadelphia means brotherly love.
Approximately 150 years ago, in the beginning of
the 19th century, you'll find that God began
to raise up what we today call brotherly
movement.
You'll find that there were brothers all over
the world.
Began to come out of all sects.
And they just called themselves brothers.
And they love one another.
And they keep the Word of God.
Lots of truth that had been buried for
centuries were recovered by these dear brothers.
A tremendous movement in Christianity.
But unfortunately you'll find gradually it became Laodicea.
And Laodicea means people's opinion.
Very democratic.
Instead of theocratic.
And then you'll find when these things happen,
there is such lethargy.
There is such false pride.
They think they have everything and yet they
are naked, wretched, poor.
And the Lord calls them to repent.
Otherwise the Lord will spew them out of
His mouth.
And that represents the church in our days.
We are living in the Laodicean era.
But brothers and sisters, as you go through
the history of the church, what conclusion do
you come to?
You come to two conclusions.
Number one, whenever God entrusts the testimony of
His beloved Son into the hands of man,
very soon you'll find man failed.
When God acts, when God reacts, when He
gives revelation, there will be a revival.
There will be a restoring.
And in the first generation it seems living,
vibrant.
Then you'll find it began to be organized,
to preserve it.
So in the second generation you'll find the
organization becomes strong.
In the third generation all you'll find is
the organization without the life within.
It seems to be repeated and repeated and
repeated in church history.
Whenever God entrusts His revelation to man, man
loses it as quickly as possible.
That's the one conclusion you'll learn from history.
But thank God there's another conclusion.
And the other conclusion is God never gives
up.
No matter how man failed, no matter how
many times man failed, and repeatedly failed and
always failed, but God never fails.
He never gives up.
You'll find that He's always stepping in and
trying to recover whatever can be recovered.
And He did recover.
And that's the reason why.
You'll find that in the book of Revelation,
in chapter 2 and 3, you'll find at
the end of every letter to every church
there is the call for overcomers.
Yes, it is true.
I have entrusted my testimony into your hand,
but you have failed.
In spite of your failure, I'm calling overcomers
in your midst.
Now, who are the overcomers of the church?
They are not some people outside of the
church.
They are in the church, but they are
the normal Christians.
Not super.
Everybody is subnormal, abnormal.
But God is calling for normal Christians, those
who will respond to His grace, those who
will be faithful to His testimony.
And you'll find that at the end of
the first century, in the seven churches, invariably
you'll find God calls for overcomers.
And God got His overcomers.
And it is by these overcomers that the
testimony of Jesus was maintained at the end
of the first century.
And they did it for the whole church.
In chapters 2 and 3, you'll find the
overcomers of the church at the end of
the first century.
They maintained the testimony of Jesus in the
world.
Then when you turn to chapter 7, you'll
find in chapter 7, in the second part
of chapter 7, you'll find countless people.
There were countless people standing before the throne
of God.
And they have in their hands palm branches.
They were clothed with white robes.
And they cried with a loud voice, Now,
who are they?
We know that the overcomers are rewarded with
white robes.
The righteousnesses of the saints.
And we know palm in the Scripture, palm
trees, palm leaves, palm branches in the Scripture,
always represent, signifies victory.
So, in other words, what you see here
is a vision of the overcomers of the
church from the end of the first century
to the last.
In other words, as we look back, we
find from the end of the first century
up to the last days, God has His
overcomers through the centuries, through the generations, everywhere,
countless.
We may see failure, failure, failure everywhere, but
thank God He had His overcomers, overcomers, overcomers
everywhere.
They may be hidden from the eyes of
man, but they are known to God.
And it is by these overcomers that the
testimony of Jesus had been preserved through the
centuries.
Thank God for these countless overcomers.
Then you come to chapter 12.
In chapter 12 you find another vision, the
vision of a woman bearing child.
Now, what does that represent?
You find it is, it tells us of
what is going to happen in the last
days.
Now, brothers and sisters, just let me say
this, we are living in the last days.
What will happen to the church in the
last days?
The woman in the vision represents the church
in the last days.
She was clothed with such glory.
That is what the church ought to be,
a glorious church.
But, she was even neglected by the dragon.
Now, think of that.
This woman who was clothed with such glory,
and the dragon just neglected her.
In other words, the dragon knew that she
was of no use, no effect in the
spiritual realm.
Now, that is what the church is.
You know, the church is a glorious church.
Think of the church.
It ought to be a glorious church, gloriously
saved, gloriously endowed, and yet you find in
spiritual reality, Satan represented by the red dragon.
He knew very well there is no power
there.
The church will not affect his kingdom.
He will leave that woman alone.
But, what he pays attention to is the
man-child within that woman.
That woman is in labor to bring forth
a male-child.
Now, who is this male-child?
And, the dragon is waiting there to devour
the male-child because he knows the male
-child is powerful.
The male-child will mean his downfall.
So, he wants to swallow him as soon
as he comes forth.
But, when he comes forth, he is raptured
to the throne.
This man-child is a collective term because,
as you read on, you'll find the brethren.
They overcome the enemy, the accuser, by the
blood of the land, by the word of
their testimony, and they love not their life
even unto death.
In other words, the man-child represents the
overcomers in the last days.
In the last days, God will still have
his overcomers.
And, these overcomers will be raptured alive to
the throne.
Brothers and sisters, we are not waiting for
death.
We are waiting to be raptured.
We are living in the end times.
We have the opportunity.
We have the privilege.
This is thrilling days.
We are looking forward for that overcomers to
be burned.
And, as soon as it is completed, it
will be taken to the throne.
And, the enemy will be thrown down from
the air.
The overcomers in the last days.
And, they overcome by the blood of the
land.
Not because they are perfect.
They are just as weak as anybody else.
But, they confess their sin.
They trust in the blood of Jesus.
They are being washed continuously.
So, their robe is kept white all the
time.
And, by the word of their testimony.
What is their testimony?
Their testimony is Jesus is Lord.
Jesus is Lord of their life.
And, they speak out.
And, with a life at the back of
what they say.
It has power.
And, they love not their lives even unto
death.
They are willing to lay down their life.
Their soul life for the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, these are overcomers in the
last days.
These are the people who have maintained the
testimony of Jesus in the last days.
Oh, that we may be read by the
grace of God among them.
And, then in chapter 14 of the book
of Revelation.
You find in the beginning 144,000.
They were standing among Zion with the Lamb.
And, they were singing that new song that
nobody could sing.
Now, who are they?
No doubt, they are the overcomers.
Overcomers towards the end of the great tribulation.
Because, you find as you read on, there
is the harvest.
The harvest is the end of the great
tribulation.
So, these represent the overcomers towards the end
of the great tribulations.
And, then you read on through chapter 19.
And, then you find a man rode on
a white horse.
None other but the Lord Himself, the Word
of God.
And, He has an army following Him.
And, this army represents the overcomers at the
second coming of Christ.
And, they will be the bride of the
Lamb.
Then, in chapter 21, 22, you find the
consummation.
In other words, the whole church will be
in that new city, the new Jerusalem.
Because, the foundation is the twelve names of
the apostles.
And, the Lord will inherit His church.
The church will be His eternal bride.
So, brothers and sisters, this is Revelation.
Revelation tells us that in spite of man's
failure, God will have the bride for His
Son.
And, His Son will eventually have a glorious
church without spot or wrinkle or any such
thought.
Holy and without blamish.
And, there will be that eternal union with
Christ.
Thank God for that.
He is worthy.
Now, that's the church.
All right, let's see the Jews.
You know, the Jews is another mystery.
God chose the Jews.
Because of their father, Abraham.
The Jews are a chosen people of God.
If you read Romans, chapter 9, you find
that the apostle Paul tells us, he said,
"...whose is the adoption, and the glory, and
the covenants, and the law-giving, and the
service, and the promises, whose are the fathers,
and of whom according to flesh is the
Christ, whose over all God blessed forever.
Amen."
In other words, you find the Jews are
the privileged people.
Because of their father, Abraham, they were being
chosen as a chosen race.
Adoption, Sonship, Glory, Covenant, Law-giving, Service, Promises,
their fathers, and even our Lord Jesus came
from them.
What a privileged people they were.
But, because of their blindness.
When the Messiah came, they rejected Him.
And because of their blindness, they have been
temporarily set aside as a nation.
Now, we must remember this.
It doesn't mean that all Jews are being
set aside.
The nation was set aside.
Temporarily, not permanently.
But, you find through the centuries, there were
many Jews that were saved.
As a matter of fact, in the first
century, in the beginning, all the believers are
Jews.
They were Jews, believed in the Lord.
And Paul said, I myself, being a Jew,
was of the Lord.
So, through the centuries, you find Jews and
individuals have been added to the Church.
Because the Church is made up of Jews
and Gentiles.
Neither Jews nor Gentiles.
But, as a nation.
Because of their blindness in part, they have
been set aside by God temporarily as a
chosen nation.
Until the fullness of the Gentiles, or the
fullness of the nations, become true.
And then, all Israel shall be saved.
That's in Romans chapter 11, verse 25 and
verse 26.
So, brothers and sisters, you find so far
as the Jews are concerned, the Jews, because
of their blindness, they were scattered all over
the world.
Our Lord Jesus, while He was on earth,
He only cursed one thing.
A fig tree.
Because that fig tree had leaves, but no
fruit.
Fig is a symbol of the Jewish nation.
God had been good to them, Christ had
come to them and worked on them for
three years, but they bore no fruit.
They only had leaves, good appearance, the form
of godliness without the power of it.
So, the Lord cursed it.
And it was withered for centuries.
The Jewish people were scattered all over the
world.
Without a land.
Without a government.
Without a country.
But, strangely, they had never been assimilated.
Not only they had not been assimilated, but,
in many ways, they controlled the world.
They were persecuted without cause.
Until the Lord said, when the fig began
to be tender and began to sprout, to
bud, then you know the summer is near.
Then you know, I'm at the door.
To the surprise of the politicians' statement of
the world, as if out of nowhere, in
1948, the nation of Israel was re-established.
But remember, this was a political recovery.
It is not yet a religious recovery.
Even though you find the nation of Israel
was established, but they were surrounded by enemies.
They never felt secure.
Security was the biggest problem to the Israeli
nation.
How could they find security?
There was none.
The Prince of Peace hadn't come yet.
They had no peace.
And because of that, their greatest desire is
for security.
And, brothers and sisters, according to Daniel chapter
7, towards the end, one day there will
be someone who said he could secure, he
could guarantee their security.
One day the Antichrist will make a peace
pact with the nation of Israel to promise
to guarantee peace, security for the nation for
seven years.
And because of that, they fell into their
trap.
Because that was their great concern, greatest concern.
How could they get peace?
But in the middle of that seven years,
the Antichrist will show his real color.
He will break the covenant.
And then the Jewish nation will enter into
what Jeremiah chapter 30 verse 7 said, Jacob's
trouble.
Jacob's.
Now you go to the book of Revelation.
Now, in the book of Revelation, you'll find
surely God has the Jews in His mind.
Why?
Because if you read the first chapter, verse
7, Behold, He comes with the clouds, and
every eye shall see Him, and they that
have pierced Him, and all the tribes of
the land shall will because of Him.
Yea, amen.
It said, Behold, He comes with the clouds.
That is the Messiah.
Christ will come with the clouds, and every
eye shall see Him, and they which have
pierced Him, and all the tribes of the
land.
Now, the tribes of the land, that is
the literal translation.
In your version it may be different.
But the tribes of the land is a
literal translation.
It always refers to the Jewish nation.
And they shall will because of Him.
Yea, amen.
Now, turn to Zechariah, chapter 14.
The prophet Zechariah, chapter 14.
No, chapter 12.
Zechariah, chapter 12.
And you'll find that this is actually a
quotation from Zechariah, chapter 12, verse 10.
In that day, you know, the nations were
surrounding Jerusalem.
They were breaking into it.
In chapter 10, verse 10.
And I will pour upon the house of
David, upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit
of grace and of supplications.
And they shall look on Me whom they
pierced.
And they shall mourn for Him, as one
mourns for their only Son, and shall be
in bitterness for Him, as one that is
in bitterness for the firstborn.
And as you read on, you'll find a
fountain will be opened to cleanse them from
all their iniquities.
So, dear brothers and sisters, here you'll find,
in the book of Revelation, at the very
beginning, the Lord gave us a hint.
That at the end, He will return again
to the Jewish nation.
He never forgot His promise.
He never forgot His covenant.
With Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
So, in chapter 7 of the book of
Revelation, you'll find, in the first part, 144
,000 being sealed with the seal of the
living God.
Now, don't mix up with these 144,000
of chapter 7 and chapter 14.
Because they are two different groups.
In chapter 7, you'll find these are the
Jewish people.
Out of the twelve tribes of the Jewish
nation.
And they will be sealed with the seal
of the living God.
Now, remember, they are not sealed with the
seal of the Lamb.
They are sealed with the seal of the
living God.
In other words, you'll find, before Jacob's trouble
comes, God prepared His chosen people.
There will be among the Jewish nation a
number of pious Jews.
They are not Christians.
Because the name of the Lamb is not
there.
But they are Jews.
Pious Jews.
They are sealed with the seal of the
living God.
They believe in the living God.
So, you'll find that, towards the end, even
though the revival of the Israeli nation is
a political one, but you'll find that God
will have among them a people who are
sealed with the seal of the living God.
They are pious, godly Jews.
So, when the Jacob's trouble comes, they will
be greatly persecuted.
But God has already sealed them.
Preserved by the power.
And then, as you read on, you'll find
that in chapter 11, God will send two
men to their midst.
Two prophets.
To strengthen them.
You know, because they will be in Jacob's
trouble.
You know, to the Christians, it is called
great tribulation.
To the Jews, it is called Jacob's trouble.
Actually, they are one and the same thing.
Going on at the same time.
Because when the Antichrist wants to have his
image made, and everybody has to worship that
image, of course, the Christians will never do
that, and the pious Jews will never do
that.
So, these will be persecuted during their three
years and a half.
But God sent two men to strengthen these
pious Jews.
In chapter 11 of the book of Revelation.
Now, most likely, these two men, one is
Moses, and the other is Elijah.
And God will send them back, because Moses
and Elijah are the most respected among the
Jewish people.
The lawgiver and the prophet.
So, they will come and strengthen them during
that period.
But, at the end, if you go back
to Zechariah chapter 14, you will find that
the nations will be gathered, and they will
surround Jerusalem, and they will break into it.
But when they break into it, then it
says, Jehovah, the Lord Himself, will come down,
and He will step on Mount Olive.
And Mount Olive will be broken into two,
and the one-third of the Jewish people
in Jerusalem that were left, they will flee
through that passage, and the Lord will come
to deliver His people.
They will see Him with their own eyes,
and they will weep, because they have rejected
Him.
They will repent, and will be washed clean,
and all Israel shall be saved.
And, dear brothers and sisters, you find that
after the battle of Armageddon, and then you
find the Kingdom, the Millennium Kingdom.
Now, during the Millennium Kingdom, all the promises
of God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the
covenant of God with the forefathers of the
Jewish people, will all be fulfilled during the
Millennium Age.
During the Millennium Age, the Jewish nation will
be the center of the nations.
They will be a nation of priests.
They will go out to teach all nations
of the ways of God, and then, finally,
in New Jerusalem, they will have a place
there, because the twelve gates, they are the
name of the twelve tribes of Israel.
In other words, it will be the consummation
of all the work of God through the
centuries, both the Old and the New Testament
saints will all be gathered together to be
the eternal bride to the eternal Son.
That is the book of Revelation.
Christ will inherit the Jewish nation.
He will be accepted as King David, the
lion of the tribe of Judah.
Now, finally, just a few words about the
nations.
How are the nations?
Well, if you read the book of Revelation,
you will find in Chapter 5, Here you
will find the Lamb standing before the throne
and received from the One who has in
His hand a little book.
And that little book is the title deed
of the earth.
In other words, Satan is the usurper of
this earth.
He is the squatter.
He usurps the world.
He is not the owner.
God is the owner.
God never gave us His ownership.
But now you will find God gives the
ownership to His beloved Son who has overcome.
And there you will find the Lamb began
to open the fields in other words, to
execute.
To execute the counsel of God in bringing
the earth, the nations, back into subjection to
His feet.
But when God, through His beloved Son, began
to bring the earth, the nations, back to
Him, you will find there was resistance.
And that's why you will find these seals
when they are open or the trumpets when
they are open, you will find all these
disasters coming in.
Now these disasters actually are the resistance that
came from the enemy.
You will find Satan and the world trying
to resist, resist Christ from inheriting the earth.
And because of that, you will find all
these disasters, all these woes coming into the
world.
Don't blame God for that.
As a matter of fact, out of all
these woes, you will find it is said
it is the beginning of birth pain.
God is able to bring out something that
will answer to His heart out of these
disasters.
That is the wisdom of God.
And then, of course, you will find that
as we come to the end, you will
find the Antichrist, Satan, trying to make his
last effort to resist the Kingdom of God.
But the Lord will come in chapter 19
and He will slay the enemies with the
word of His mouth.
And Satan will be bound and will be
sealed in the bottomless pit.
The Antichrist and the false prophets will be
thrown into the lake of fire and all
those who resist Him will be killed.
And there will be the judgment of the
nations, the goat nations and the sheep nations
in Matthew chapter 25.
And there will be the millennium.
Now during the millennium, brothers and sisters, that
is what the philosophers or the idealists are
always looking for, the utopia.
And finally you will find the utopia came.
If you read from Isaiah chapter 11, just
to show you what that will be.
When Christ shall reign upon this earth, He
will reign with righteousness.
He will reign with a rod of iron.
Verse 5.
And righteousness shall be the girdle of His
reins, and faithfulness the girdle of His loins.
And wolves also shall dwell with the lambs,
and the leopards shall lie down with the
skid.
And the calf and the young lion and
the fat beast together, and the little child
shall lead them.
And the cow and the she-bear shall
feed.
Their little one, young one, shall lie down
together.
And the lion shall eat straw like the
ox, and the sucking child shall play on
the hole of the adder.
And the weaned child shall put forth his
hand unto the viper's vein.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all
My holy mountain for the knowledge of Jehovah
as the water covers the sea.
And in that day they shall be a
root of Jesse, standing as a banner of
the peoples.
The nations shall seek it, and its resting
place shall be glory.
And then in Micah chapter 4, verse 3,
you find people will beat their soul into
plowshares.
The spears into pruning knives.
There will be no more war, and people
will not learn war anymore.
Peace shall be upon this earth, because the
Prince of Peace has finally come.
That's the millennium.
And then after millennium, you'll find in chapter
20 of Revelation, the Last Rebellion.
And after the Last Rebellion, you'll find the
Last Judgment.
All the dead will be raised, and where
they will be judged according to the works
they do on earth.
Anyone whose name is not in the Book
of Life will be judged at that time,
and will be thrown in a lake of
fire.
And the old earth and the whole heaven
will be burned.
New earth and the new heaven will come,
and new Jerusalem will descend upon this new
earth.
And the nations shall walk in the light
of the holy city, New Jerusalem.
And they will bring their glory to God.
Dear brothers and sisters, Christ shall be the
King of kings, and the Lord of lords.
This is the Book of Revelation, the testimony
of Jesus.
God testified that His Son shall be the
heir of all things.
The church, the Jewish people, and the nations.
Now, brothers and sisters, what should be our
response?
Our response as a bride should say, Come.
The Lord said, Behold, I come quickly.
I come.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
That should be our response.
Shall we pray?
Dear Heavenly Father, we do praise and thank
Thee that through these prophetic words Thou has
revealed Thy beloved Son to us.
He is the center of Thy purpose.
He is the heir of all things.
Oh, how we consider it a great privilege
that He should inherit us, that we should
be His bride.
O Lord, we pray that by Thy grace
we may be faithful to Him, that we
may be overcomers, that we may be useful
in His hand, that we may glorify His
name.
And Lord, we do pray that in spite
of what we see around us and even
within us, we do praise and thank Thee
because Thou art faithful.
Thou never faileth.
Thou wilt get what Thou hast ordained from
the beginning for Thy beloved Son.
So, Lord Jesus, our cry to Thee today
is perfect us for Thy glory.
In the name of our Lord Jesus, Amen.