Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Approaching The Prophetic Portion Of The Book Of Revelation

After this I looked, and, behold, a door 
was opened in heaven: and the first voice 
which I heard was as it were of a trumpet 
talking with me; which said, Come up hither, 
and I will shew thee things which must 
be hereafter. And immediately I was 
in the Spirit: and beheld a throne was set
 in heaven,  and one sat on the throne.
Revelation 4:1-2

     Yesterday I could not write the blog as I had to travel to Sacramento and spend the whole day, in fact I did not get home until 1:30 am. Long day, but as I travel I had and have time to think, and think I did about this blog and the reason I write this blog has never changed, it is to bring to you, not just information, but to aid you to grow in your faith, and to be able to defend your faith. As Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church, and that letter being passed around to other Churches it still has meaning for us today for God inspired Paul to write the words He intended to aid the Corinthians, and you, and me, to grow in our faith and sanctification: "casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and having in readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled" (2Corinthians 10:5-6). Imagination, can be good, or bad, but more often if it is not controlled it will lead to bad things, such as reading into Scripture what is not in Scripture due to a person having thoughts that they consider so high that they will not learn what Scripture actually teaches. Every thought must be brought into captivity, you must do it, not God. God gives to you ammunition to blow all those thoughts that are contrary to God into nothing, but you must do it, not God. We must, as Authentic Christians, be able to defend out our faith (1Peter 3:15). Those letters to the seven Churches gives to us warning, blessings, and promises and that we are to be overcomers. This can only happen when God alters out disposition and grow in our sanctification and faith. This is a fight with our nature that is opposed to God, and will be until the redemption in Jesus Christ becomes "real" to you, not just some story from the past. If we do not deal with our sinful nature the choices we may make will not be moral choices, and will not occur to become moral choices until we innocently turn our lives into holy character. Yes, this is a fight, but we can either return to the past sinful life, or determinedly demolish those things that are attempting to ruin your relationship with God, with Jesus Christ, or you can be what you are if you will allow God to lead you and you determinedly demolish and stay in right relationship with God and be another son of Glory, heaven bound, eternally to live. The eternal life begins now, and you are an adopted son of God, live for Him, not for blessings, or experience, live for God and allow Him to aid you in your overcoming to be the Child of God that you are to God. 
     Chapter four begins by speaking of a door into heaven, a voice that was as loud as a trumpet, and a call to come up to to the One speaking and He would show what was to come. This chapter begins the prophetical portion of this book. Nothing that occurs on earth begins without first having been settled in heaven, not that God causes sin, but God in His omniscience knows all things, past, present and future and reveals to us what we need to know now to be able to be the means that God uses to accomplish His purpose(s). John was now admitted to be in the presence of God, and this by being in the "spirit" and was now able to see the wonderful throne of God and the One who sat on the throne who spoke to him what was to come. Can you, now, be at the throne of God? Can you be in the presence of God? Do you have to have some "spiritual" vision? Yes, you can be at the throne of God, Prayer, meditation on His word, quietly be before God and allow the Holy Spirit that resides in you to speak to you, this inaudible voice that pleads for you to obey. In this time you are in the presence of God. This does not requires some "gibberish" form of speech, no does it require of you to do some form of bodily movements, you do not have to act drunk, you only need to come to God in quiet worship. John was selected by God, the last of the twelve apostles, living to the year 100 A.D., to be shown things that he was to write to the Churches, to you. What happened with John does not make this to be the norm for Christians. God will use you in ways that He desires to use you, and that is given to us that we are to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. When you quietly come to worship God, you will be able to hear the call of God, and you will instantly know that the One you are speaking to is Jesus Christ sitting on the throne. Here once again Jesus is shown to be God, for only God sits on His throne. Therefore, you can hear God, and you can come to know God in special ways for God speaks to you personally, and shows you in His word that what you heard from God is Scriptural and not some aberrant thought outside of God. 
     Next I will begin to uncover those symbols to aid us to not wander off into some heretical or false teaching. 

My mercy will I keep for Him for evermore,
     and My covenant shall stand fast with Him.
His seed also will I make to endue forever,
    and His throne as the days of heaven.
                        Psalm 89:28-29

Be in prayer: You will be in the presence of God

Richard L. Crumb

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