What Does It Mean For John To Become In The Spirit?

I John, who also am your brother,

 and companion in tribulation, 

and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ,

was in the isle that is called Patmos,

 for the word of God, and for the

 testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the 

Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard 

behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

 saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first 

and the last: and, what thou seest, 

write in a book; and send it unto the 

seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus,

 and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, 

and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, 

and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

Revelation 1:9-11

     The word "patience" in the Greek means endurance and we must understand that we too must have endurance to be able to run this race, a race that has enemies that do not want you to not only run this race, but will do all to stop you in your endurance to finish this race. John the apostle knew about tribulation as he now was on the island of Patmos a place where Rome put criminals. John walked and talked and was with Jesus even unto His death and even there when Jesus ascended into heaven. John knew Him, the Savior, and by this knowledge, albeit very personal that at this time we cannot have, we do have what was written about Jesus and we can, if we study His word, come to know Jesus and by this knowledge we can endure unto the finish. We too can know Jesus. 

     Now, here once again many speculative words, books, movies, etc., have made money, fame, and fortune by their speculation that is based on their theology that may or may not have Scriptural foundation. Many do not have this foundation and are leading people to do and think, and believe in something other than the truth. It is this word "Spirit." John says that he became in the Spirit. Some have and do apply this event to teach that we too must become in the Spirit of God and have gone so far as to teach how they must act if they are in the Spirit. The Greek word: πνεύματι does not mean to writhe and shake, and scream and froth at the mouth, and speak in some gibberish tongue, no, this word has a greater meaning and the context will tell us how to know what the meaning is in this verse. First, we must look at the word translated as I became, and once again this Greek word has meaning meanings and applications so we must do our due diligence and study this word. this word in Greek and is aorist, that is, something in the past, time is not important but just to know that this was past tense. Here we find that John had an occurrence, a phenomena, to have come into a condition, to be subject, to come to know, a knowledge that he did not have before this occurrence. This occurrence was spiritual in nature, to be inspired, inspired by God, by His voice that sounded like a trumpet. Notice that when God does something it is often preceded by a trumpet as it will be done when Jesus come for His bride. 

     What did this Spirit say? He said that He was the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last and that John was to write what He was to experience in a vision given by the Alpha and the Omega. In verses 4, and 8 we have established that the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end is Jesus so it was then Jesus giving this vision to John. It was previously established that those seven Churches could be actual Churches, but also that the number seven means complete and also then means that all of Christendom should be reading what John was about to write. 

      To use the words beginning to mean that Jesus had a beginning and is not God, but a god, is wrong translation and only to injecting a theology made by man and not founded upon the truth of Scripture. Yes, there was a beginning and Jesus created so that then He established a beginning but to do so could not have Himself a beginning. Scripture never assigns to Jesus that He was a created being. The Mormons, and Jehovah Witnesses do teach that Jesus had a beginning and that the Father has a beginning and that the Father as does Jesus have a body. All of that is evil and is false teaching but many are fallen prey to them and the good that the present and once in their arms of false teaching will teach even greater evil. John came to be inspired by God, by the Alpha and the Omega, the One who was, and is and will come and this occurrence happened on the Lord's Day, the Sabboth. John held the Sabboth to be a day of meditation and a sacred day. We too should follow the example of John and keep the Sabboth holy as commanded by God in the Ten Commandments. 

The wicked have laid a snare for me:

    yet I erred not from they precepts. 

Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage

    for ever: for they are the rejoicing 

of my heart. I have inclined mine heart

    to perform thy statures alway, even

unto the end.

                       Psalm 119: 110-112

Take the law of God as your heritage

Richard L. Crumb

He Comes With Clouds: What Does This Mean?

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. 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.

Revelation 1:7-8 

     Once again we are told that Jesus is in clouds, once when He went into Heaven and now when He comes again. What is meant by clouds? Many have given all sorts of speculative ideas as to what this means, but what does it really mean according to Scripture? The Israelites as they traveled through the desert after leaving Egypt had a cloud, and even had a cloud at the Red Sea so that they were not perceptive to the rushing of the Egyptian Army. Here the clouds were a protection (1Corinthians 1:1-2). On the Mount of Transfiguration once again we read of a cloud (Mathew 17: 1-8). In this account we read that those present heard a voice out of the cloud, those there those three apostles were covered by a cloud. All the Authentic Christian who have converted to Jesus Christ will rise to meet Him in a cloud. The unbelievers are said to by stormy clouds who are reserved for darkness forever (2Peter 2:17). Jude states the same thing (Jude 12). And of course here in Revelation we read of clouds once again. Therefore, clouds have specific meaning and we must reach that meaning so that we can understand why clouds were used to reveal the will of God for His people and for those who are not His people. The Greek word: νεφελω̃ν, here used as a genitive plural so it is speaking of clouds has two possibilities, one literal, the other metaphorically. We must decide which of the two meanings is the meaning in any verse where it is used, as in the case of the clouds covering the Israelites it then is literal. When it is used, as it does, speaking of evil doers as clouds then it is metaphorical. 

     How then are we to understand the word clouds here in these verses of Revelation. First, He comes with the clouds and the Greek word for with is present here so it is with clouds that He comes, and furthermore, every eye shall see Him. Now, here is where much speculation finds fodder. As always we return to the Greek for our help. The Greek word: ὸφθαλημόςcan mean the physical eye or by implication vision,  and is from the root word that means penetration, sharpness. It is used for the unity of God, the Trinity, a singleness of motive, and can even mean an instrument of evil, or the eyes of the heart as a means of knowledge. Furthermore, every eye will see Him. If this is so then if He is in a clouds or comes with the clouds then how can one see physically Him? Or does the  word "clouds" mean something different from a physical cloud? Even those who killed Jesus at the cross will see Him. How can they who have been dead for all these years see Him, or is this speaking only of Israel as a whole? Every tribe, that is, every person will be able to see Him. How? Some speculate that due to our technology, the internet, this is very possible as to how all can see Him. Well, this may be true but what about those who do not have a computer? Will God wait until all have access to the Internet before He comes? Or, does the coming with the clouds mean that He comes when all will know of Him, and have the opportunity to convert and believe upon Him, but some will not, and does this knowledge about Him mean that those dead will know Who He is and why they are in light or darkness? Here is what I know: Jesus is coming and when He does He will judge all people and that knowledge exercised by faith will give a positive answer and life eternal or there will be a negative answer that leads to life. To speculate as to how He comes, and to whom He comes and when He comes is to not have faith that He is coming and we know when: on the Last Day! Spend your time speculating may be fun, and even give a person some sense of belief but that is not true faith and does not hold fast to Scripture, Jesus comes and all will know of Him, about Him and be judged by Him. Every person will have had an opportunity to know about Jesus and to believe upon Him and you, as and Authentic Christian have the responsibility to be the means by which this knowledge of Jesus Christ is made available. 

     Now, Jesus is called the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the One who was, Who is, and the One Who is coming. Jesus is the beginning and the end. Furthermore, Jesus is called, not the might, but the Almighty an attribute only God has and Jesus is said to be the Almighty. Jehovah Witnesses who do not believe that Jesus is God and who hold to an Arian theology have to work their way around this verse where Jesus is called the Almighty. For all of God's children this is comforting to know that Jesus is God, and as God all that He has done is firmly, and truly everlasting and true. We will come back to these verses as we go into the last chapter of Revelation. Your faith, your defense of your faith will have firm foundation. Until then, go and spread the Gospel. 

My substance was not hid from thee,

     when I was made in secret,

and curiously wrought in the lowest

    parts of the earth. Thine eyes did

see my substance, yet being unperfect; 

    and in thy book all my members were

written, which in continuance were

    fashioned, when as yet there was

none of them.

                Psalm 139: 15-16

Clouds of knowledge are yours: if you study His word

Richard L. Crumb

What Does It Mean Here In These Verses: Firstbegotten?

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; and from 

Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, 

and the firstbegotten 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, and hath

 made us kings and priests unto God and 

His Father;  to Him be glory and dominion 

 for ever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 1:4-6

 

    I am sure you have noticed that I have not moved off these verses and this for a very good reason; there is too much information in these verses that we must cover if we are to understand other verses and to come to a decision about those controversies, and theories being tossed around in Christian Churches, Christian Universities, and other Christian circles.

     Last blog I addressed the number seven so that we could get a "handle" on what that number means and how we are to understand its use. Now we must examine the words: "Him who is and who was and who [is] to come." Without a doubt those words are describing Jesus Christ (John 1:1) comes to mind for the same writer, John, wrote both and reveals to us that Jesus is the "One Who is, Who was, and Who is to come." Jesus is to bring to those who believe upon Him, peace, and grace. Now, those Seven Spirits who are around the throne speak of the complete beings (angels) that are at and around the throne of God. Does God have a throne, a chair, a place for Him to sit? NO! Mormons teach that God has a body, (Doctrines and Covenants 130:21) so to them God sits on an actual chair, a throne made of something. God cannot be measured for God is a Spirit not a being with a body. God is everywhere, and He is, and was, and will be, the same words given to Jesus Christ, therefore when we speak of the "one Who is, Who was, and Who will Come we are saying that Jesus Christ is God. I will elucidate on this as we study this Book. Now Jesus Christ is said to be the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead. Who can that be did not other people rise from the dead, where given life by Jesus, or taken into heaven by God? Yes! So is it that Jesus is the firstborn of the dead, so how can we understand this? First the Greek word: πρωτότοκος, used here means something different from "the Only Begotten" and from that Greek word we get the English word prototype. The Greek word πρωτότοκος is made up of two Greek words: 1. protos, and 2. tiktw. Protos means the foremost, in time, place, order or importance. Here in this verse this word is used as an adjective, therefore we can understand it to mean the first in superiority, or of dignity, and denotes the first, whether in time or place. Tikto means to produce, bring forth, be delivered, even be born, or to be in travail. So then, we can understand it to mean that Jesus is the prototype of all those who will be raised with him from the dead when He comes to be like Him as He is now in His risen body. Did not Jesus rise bodily into heaven? Yes (Acts 1:9), Jesus was taken up from their eyes, in other words they could no longer see Him but they did see Him rise from the earth and they were looking intently into heaven as He was going up, they saw Him bodily rise. Are not Christians going to get a new body? Yes! In fact when we go to meet Jesus Christ  will be be made alive. Are we not alive now? Yes! This new life is different from the life we have now and each will have their rank, and Jesus is called the "first fruit" and Jesus will have annulled all sin and the last enemy will be destroyed and will rule with all authority and power. At this time we will be given a New body: "Behold, I shew you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1Corinthian 15:52: see also 1Corinthians 15: 29-22). Jesus is the prototype of what we will become and have, a new body one that is incorruptible a body that will no longer be under the original sin, we will be like Jesus in that He has a body that is incorruptible, and we will also have an incorruptible body. Jesus did this be the shedding of His blood on the cross paying that debt of sin that we owe to God but cannot pay, Jesus, God, paid His own debt satisfying His Justice. Due to this then we have something that we do not have in full now: we will be made to be kings, and priests to God and His Father. Jesus in the body has a Father who begot Him to have this body and so rightly calls as Jesus to the Father who begot Him. We are to be given a new body for it was by Jesus death that we are able to be given this body, therefore we should call upon Jesus who can aid us, save us, and give to us eternal life. 

     All this given freely by our choice to believe upon Jesus and to convert to Him and to be an Authentic Christian, not some nominal Christian who only hopes that he/she has got it right. We have it right for we are studying the Scriptures and they are given to us the right understanding of what God requires of us, what He will do, and that Jesus is the reason we can have God's promises. To Him be all the glory and might. God has elected to all His children eternal life and all that He will give to them, all the promises for His people, but to have that election: You must believe Authentically.

 

So shall ye know that I am 

     the LORD your God dwelling

in Zion, my holy mountain: then

     shall Jerusalem be holy, and

there shall no strangers pass

     through her any more.

                  Joel 3:17

 

You are now a king and a priest: live it!

 

Richard L. Crumb