Are deeds “necessary” for raising the dead and freeing the enslaved? From the standpoint of the Spirit’s work, no. From the standpoint of Christianity’s public credibility, generally yes. The Spirit’s work will produce evidence in our deeds. And every good deed becomes one more witness who testifies on behalf of the gospel’s truth and power.
Jonathan Leeman

Revisiting The Revelation

Does the David Wilkerson Msg tie into The Revelation?

Saturday, March 7, 2009 – AN URGENT MESSAGE

  • I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to send out an urgent message to all on our mailing list, and to friends and to bishops we have met all over the world.

  • AN EARTH-SHATTERING CALAMITY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. IT IS GOING TO BE SO FRIGHTENING, WE ARE ALL GOING TO TREMBLE – EVEN THE GODLIEST AMONG US.

  • For ten years I have been warning about a thousand fires coming to New York City. It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires—such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago.

  • There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide. There will be looting—including Times Square, New York City. What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath. In Psalm 11 it is written,

  • “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (v. 3).

  • God is judging the raging sins of America and the nations. He is destroying the secular foundations.

  • The prophet Jeremiah pleaded with wicked Israel, “God is fashioning a calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh, turn back each of you from your evil way, and reform your ways and deeds. But they will say, It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart” (Jeremiah 18:11-12).

  • In Psalm 11:6, David warns, “Upon the wicked he will rain snares (coals of fire)…fire…burning wind…will be the portion of their cup.” Why? David answered, “Because the Lord is righteous” (v. 7). This is a righteous judgment—just as in the judgments of Sodom and in Noah’s generation.

  • WHAT SHALL THE RIGHTEOUS DO? WHAT ABOUT GOD’S PEOPLE?

  • First, I give you a practical word I received for my own direction. If possible lay in store a thirty-day supply of non-perishable food, toiletries and other essentials. In major cities, grocery stores are emptied in an hour at the sign of an impending disaster.

  • As for our spiritual reaction, we have but two options. This is outlined in Psalm 11. We “flee like a bird to a mountain.” Or, as David says, “He fixed his eyes on the Lord on his throne in heaven—his eyes beholding, his eyelids testing the sons of men” (v. 4). “In the Lord I take refuge” (v. 1).

  • I will say to my soul: No need to run…no need to hide. This is God’s righteous work. I will behold our Lord on his throne, with his eye of tender, loving kindness watching over every step I take—trusting that he will deliver his people even through floods, fires, calamities, tests, trials of all kinds.

  • Note: I do not know when these things will come to pass, but I know it is not far off. I have unburdened my soul to you. Do with the message as you choose.

God bless and keep you, In Christ, DAVID WILKERSON

My question to the reader is, What could make men riot like this?

  • Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near.

  • To John, the (a) tribulation was already underway. 1:9, 2:9

  • ”The first and the last” introduces himself to John – notice that John doesn't interject his interpretation of who this is (the ascended Son of God). No, who John sees is completely overwhelming – far greater than the earthly presentation of Jesus Christ who John had seen and knew.

  • The messages to the 7 churches reminds me of Matthew West's ”This might hurt” (see next page)

  • Message summary:

    • Ephesus – works and endurance – fallen from First Love
      • He holds the 7 angels/messengers and walks among their churches
    • Smyrna – tribulation and poverty – encourgagement
      • He is the First & Last who died and came to life
    • Pergamum (near Satan's throne) – some corruption creeping in – warning of discipline
      • He has the two-edged sword
    • Thyatira – works, love, faith, service, endurance – tolerance of immoral teacher, but promise of reward for those who don't follow her
      • He has eyes like fire, feet like bronze
    • Sardis – works (dead, playing like alive) – repent, encouragement for the few remaining alive
      • He has the 7 spirits of God, and 7 angels/messengers
    • Philadelphia – works/obedience – kept from the trial coming to the rest of the world, encouragement
      • He is holy, true, having key of David to open or shut
    • Laodicea – works – self-deluded, lukewarm – discipline on the way
      • He is the Amen, faithful and true, beginning of God's creation (a curious term)

  • Works are the measuring stick for 5 of the 7 churches. The Son of God does not so immediately measure works for the other 2 churches (Smyrna and Pergamum) who are in very challenging situations.

  • The message to the churches was ”what is, and what [will] take place” – it was a real message to real churches of that time, and the future. The message may be to us! Which church are we?

  • The sequence of each communication is:

    • 1. Who I am
    • 2. Who you are
    • 3. What I have for you

If you've never heard it before, listen to the song by Matthew West – The Motions

Seven Seals (events on earth)

  • 1. White: Bow & crown: Conquering

  • 2. Red: Sword: Killing (peace taken away)

  • 3. Black: Balance: elevated prices (rationing?) for wheat and barley, but do not ”harm” oil and wine.

    • Probably safe to assume all are food items
    • ”Harm” implies that some damage is intentionally occurring to production of certain land crops/markets.
    • Other observations?

  • 4. Pale: Death & Hades: Death by sword and pestillence and wild beasts in 25% of the earth

  • 5. White robe: Those slain for their witness are told to wait until their number is complete (there is a limit to how many martyrs God will allow)

  • 6. Earthquake, sun blackened like sackcloth, moon like blood, stars fall to earth [or beyond the horizon?] like fig tree fruit in winter wind (they drop quickly), the sky vanishes, and mountains and islands were (re)moved.

  • The 7th Seal pre-events

  • No wind will blow on earth or sea (imagine the effect on pollination, and the unbearable heat)

  • Earth, sea and trees not to be harmed UNTIL…

  • 144,000 servants of God from the 12 tribes of Israel are sealed upon their foreheads. Note the word ”sealed”, which is different than the word ”marked” used in Rev 13.

  • An uncountable multitude (from every nation – all tribes, peoples, tongues) stands before the throne of God. ”These are they who have come out of the great tribulation”.

    • They will hunger and thirst no more
    • The sun will not strike them with scorching heat
    • God will wipe away their tears

  • 7th Seal Opened

    • Censer of incense filled with fire is thrown to earth – lightning, thunder, voices, earthquake
    • 7 trumpets
      • 1. Hail, fire, blood falls on earth, burning 1/3 of earth, trees – and ALL green grass
      • 2. Something LIKE a mountain burning with fire thrown into the sea – 1/3 of sea becomes blood, 1/3 of sea creatures dies, 1/3 of ships destroyed
      • 3. Great star from heaven (blazing) falls on 1/3 of rivers and fountains, making the water bitter (many men die from drinking the water)
      • 4. 1/3 of sun/moon/stars struck – a third of the day and night ”kept” from shining (increased darkness)
        • 7 trumpets
          • 5. A star (he=angel) fallen from heaven to earth (Abaddon/Apollyon is his name) given the key of the bottomless pit.
            • Sun and air further darkened with smoke from the pit.
            • Locusts given power like scorpions allowed to torture men without the seal of God on their foreheads, for 5 months.
          • 6. Four angels released to kill 1/3 of mankind with 200 million troops:
            • fire, smoke, sulphur from horses mouths
            • Their tails are like serpents with heads, that wound
            • Those not killed by the plagues did NOT repent of murders, sorceries, immorality, or thefts.

  • Earlier above, we reviewed the messages from the Son of God, to the 7 churches (that were and will be). We talked about how our glorified saviour was simply overwhelming to John, to the point that he didn't declare this to be Jesus, who he had known on earth. I also mentioned the Son of God's strange phrase in Rev 3:14 ”the beginning of God's creation”

    • What might heaven have looked like as John saw it in Revelation chapter 4 ?
    • Watch & listen to the people of God as they correct and encourage us…

  • We stopped last week at the 6th trumpet of the Seventh Seal.

    • We're men – we love action – Time for a ”Bazooka Deathmatch” !?
    • Wait…why is God doing all of this?
      • Rev 9:20-21 revisited – how to save the world by charging $50 rent per month.
    • Matthew West: Moment of Truth
    • Read Revelation 19:6-9

  • The book of Revelation is RELATIONAL. This is not some story about how God finally freaks out and goes on a Rambo rampage. God is pulling out all the stops to get mankind's attention in one last effort to wake us up and recognize how powerless and needy we are. It's the same message sequence he had/has for the 7 churches:

    • 1. Who I am – the all-powerful creator, who in the middle of all this, can still stop and offer salvation
    • 2. Who you are – the needy ones who God loves
    • 3. What I have for you – Grace – unmerited and otherwise unattainable means to His presence, forever

In, but not Of

  • Read pg 143 of The Ancient Language of Eden

  • Back to Rev 9:20-21 – doesn't this sound like The Law? Repent…what does this really mean? (I want to hear you say it again)

  • Matthew West – Stop the World

  • NT reference to In, but not Of: John 17:14-16

  • Rev 18:4-5 Come out OF her, my people

    • Story of Shelley and the party she almost went to. God is appealing to us this same way, wooing us to His side

  • In: Romans 12:2

  • Not Of: Romans 8:29

They know not what they do

  • I had a dream about being in a home where there were mentally impaired residents. I was unprepared for the extent of their disabilities, and they were unaware/insensitive to each other. One older man forgot that a baby was lying on his bed, and slept on top of him, breaking his bones and cutting off his circulation. The child was not aware of his own pain, and didn't cry out. This is an illustration of how our world is deluded by Satan today.

  • What is our responsibility and our mission?

  • Will we wake up out of our slumber and let our light shine?

  • Will we share God's grace, or let the world perish?

  • Is this true: Where the church is silent, sin and confusion abound.