Revelation 22 - 2011.02.27

READY…OR NOT?

“Behold, I come quickly…” — Rev. 22:7, 12, 20

There is much in this chapter which closes both the bible and the book of Revelation that provides food for thought, and it is difficult to pass some of them by. However, we have chosen this phrase for our “nugget” because it occurs three tie in this one chapter. It is interesting as well that the same phrase is employed three times in the opening of the book, in the letters to the seven churches; twice as a threat (2:5, 16) and once as an exhortation (3:11). It seems clear that the Savior wants His own to be on spiritual tiptoe awaiting His appearing. That would, of course, agree with his declaration recorded in Matthew 25:13, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

In the chapter before us the phrase as it is used encourages three things. The first, in v. 7, is to obedience to His word: “blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” In its context the exhortation no doubt relates to the text at hand, that is, the book of Revelation which God wills we should ever keep in mind as a roadmap for the future and a stimulus to holiness. We have a great tendency to become too earthbound and “horizontal” in our thinking. Reflecting on what is here prophesied will help to keep us from fixing our hopes on earth, for it spells out in some detail how “the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” It behooves the believer to focus on “that which is to come” and make our major investment accordingly. It may be, too, that the phrase is reflexive and applies to the whole “book” the Lord has given us, namely the Bible; as for example, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free [John 8:31].” In any dispensation obedience to His word is the key to blessing.

The second occurrence of this phrase, v.12, is a stimulus to fruitful service for Christ, which is of course a corollary to obeying His word: “…I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” There is almost a conflict today among bible teachers, some of whom seem inclined to emphasize grace at the expense of good works and others who emphasis works to the point where the works are essential to salvation. Both are wrong, and a key passage on the issue is Ephesians 2:8-10. There we read, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Our works add nothing to our salvation, but they manifest the reality of our professed faith and are an essential part of our testimony. It is the Savior’s intention that we should bear fruit for His glory, and we will be held accountable for that as is indicated by the “reward” he brings with Him when He comes. The Spirit of God instructs us through the apostle Paul, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire [I Cor 3:11-15].”

Many years ago I heard one piously say, “I don’t want a reward; I’ll just serve Him for nothing.” However, let us remember that the believer’s rewards are symbolized as “crowns,” and in the day of His appearing the saints will cast their crowns at His feet as a love-offering for His redeeming grace. I should like to have many crowns!

Finally, He employs our key phrase a third time, saying in a kind of farewell and with emphasis, “Surely I come quickly (v.20).” And the child of God cries, “Even so come, Lord Jesus.” Those who remember His word and have engaged in His work will ever have as their supreme desire to see their King! Their theme song carries the line, “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.”

His word is our roadmap, His work our preoccupation and Himself our aspiration. And it is “the hope of His appearing” that should motivate us throughout the journey from here to eternity

As an appendix, there remains the final verse, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.” And it is, indeed, His grace alone that secures our redemption, enables us to keep going and assures us of our eternal destiny!

For a sustained pilgrimage,

"Pastor" Frasier

Revelation 21 - 2011.02.19

HE WILL DWELL WITH THEM

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” —Rev. 21:1-5

A number of times of late I have been asked, “What will heaven be like, and what will we do there for all eternity?” Whether through the limitations of our thinking, lack of careful study or unintentional misinformation conveyed by our preachers and teachers, I have come to the conclusion that we may have a wrong conception of the believer’s eternal state. I do not believe we will “spend eternity in heaven.”

To be sure, those who die in the Lord this side of “eternity,” thus becoming disembodied souls, appear in God’s heaven for the present (Cf. Rev. 7:9-10, 14-17), but the passage before us today suggests that this is not the final residence of the redeemed, but rather the “new heaven and…new earth.” In the context it is not suggested that the redeemed will be where He is but He will be where they are: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them…and God Himself will be with them…”

There is, it would seem, a parallel between the final state of man and the order that prevailed “in the beginning” when God created man, before Adam forfeited his position and glory in the Garden of Eden. There God created an ideal environment within which was a special place for Adam and over which Adam was to be lord under the Lordship of his Creator. Adam was given responsibility for the garden “to dress it and to keep it [Gen. 2:15].” In other words, he was given responsible useful activity in his world. In addition, he enjoyed the fellowship of God in a direct and personal way (see Gen. 3:8).

When Adam sinned, tragic consequences resulted. Creation itself suffered some kind of catastrophe to be corrected in the age to come: “For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now [Rom. 8:19-22 ASV; Cf. Gen. 3:17-19, 22-24].”

In our text for today we have “a new heaven and a new earth.” It is, I believe, what the Savior anticipated when he spoke to his disciples of “the regeneration” in Matthew 19:28; a new habitation for the redeemed descendants of the first Adam. It will be under the administration of the Second Adam, our Lord Jesus Christ, sitting “on the throne of His glory.” And, it is reasonable to assume, as would have been the case with the first Adam and his descendants had sin not entered in, there will be all kinds of useful occupations in the management and maintenance of this glorious new creation. No, I do not think we will sit around all day strumming harps and singing hymns; the worship will be constant and “twenty four - seven” God will be glorified in the bodies and in the spirits of His citizenry. Whatever we may “do,” all will be done to the glory of God.

What i wonderfully refreshing is to knjow that all the negatives sin has brought into what is now “this present evil world,” will be forever banished (cf. v.4, 8, 27). Greater still is the fact that immediate correspondence and communion with God, which Adam had enjoyed in the beginning, will be restored. “Face to face with Christ my Savior” will be more than pious poetry! And, there will be nations (v. 24, 26) and the splendid “holy city” will be its ‘crown jewel’ and administrative center.

From this perspective it is interesting to note that this corresponds what the Savior said to His disciples shortly before He left them: “I go to prepare a place for you…” That place, it would seem, is not God’s heaven (the third heaven - II Cor. 12:2), but a new atmospheric heaven embracing a new earth fulfilling, and indeed surpassing what God prepared for Adam in the beginning. It will be pollution free in every sense of the word, and we may be assured, the Second Adam will not forfeit as he first Adam did; He paid too high a price to obtain it!

“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. —Rev. 21:27

Question: Is your name written there?

For a blessed forever,

"Pastor" Frasier

Revelation 20 - 2011.02.12

ONE WAY OUT

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years… And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” — Rev. 20:1-2, 7-9

There is an interesting phrase that often escapes our attention, which occurs three times in the Book of Revelation. In chapter 2 and v. 27 the “overcomer” is said to be given power over the nations and will “rule them with a rod of iron.” In chapter 12 and v. 5 the “manchild” was brought forth Who “was to rule the nations with a rod of iron.” And again in chapter 19 and verse 15, where we focused our attention last week, it is said of Christ that He will “smite the nations” with with the sharp sword out of His mouth and “rule them with a rod of iron.”

All of these references were to the future when written, and there is no indication throughout history from then ’til now that His rule has been exercised in the anticipated fashion. In other words, they must look forward to His millennial reign. That reign we cannot now discuss in detail, but in general it involves a thousand years of ideal government under the direct administration of Christ Himself, and will be a time of peace, prosperity and glory such as this world has never known since Adam committed his great transgression. The inference, from the passages noted above, is that some nations will survive after Christ’s return and be governed not by choice, but by the benevolent but inflexible rule of the Son of God, hence the significance of the “rod of iron.”

Under Christ’s government there will be not only an ideal administration, but an ideal environment as well. Many old testament passages spell it all out for us, but neither time nor purpose will allow us to consider them here. What is of significance for our purpose is simply to note that for one thousand years the world near and far will experience the glory of God “up close and personal,” as they say—whether they like it or not! It will be the ideal environment in every sense of the word. Satan will be bound (v.2) and all wickedness subdued. All nature will be man’s ally and friend.

Now, the amazing disclosure here is that at the end of that millennium Satan will be loosed and given, as it were, his second chance. Observe first that his heart is unchanged. He goes out “to deceive the nations,” as he deceived Adam in the beginning, and will find a ready following. He mounts an army to assault “the camp of the saints” that numbers “as the sand of the sea!” Multitudes, after generations under the manifest care of the Savior, are ready to join forces against Him. It will be a short war; “fire [will come] down from heaven and devour them.”

But what is the lesson for us? There are those who argue, some professing Christians among them, that man is a victim of his environment. Given an ideal environment, we could eliminate crime and corruption. Others argue, our present government a case in point, that with a proper education the human condition will improve, e.g. While history itself should be enough to prove otherwise, such is not the case. Men insist that humanity is perfectible, if we can just find the key. This solemn chapter is the final proof that such is not the case.

Man in his present state is incurably evil. A powerful verse illustrates the point: “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil [Eccl. 8:11, my italics].” This consummation of the millennial reign of Christ will be the final proof. If men are to be changed, it is only by death and resurrection through faith in Christ. If you have never trusted Him, the time to do so is now.

And, if you are a Christian and would see your children in heaven, you must preach the gospel to them, live it before them and pray relentlessly for their salvation. Better schools, a better neighborhood, a better government, bigger, better and costlier toys will not make them good. Only Christ can do that. Evangelize while you can!

This is the fundamental lesson of our “nugget” for today.*

For a real change of heart,

"Pastor" Frasier

Revelation 19 - 2011.02.05

THE WORD OF HIS POWER

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” —Rev. 19:11-15

There are two white horses and their riders in the book of Revelation. This one, clearly, is Christ. The other, who appears early, in chapter 6, is debated by some, but in my opinion is representative of the spirit of antichrist which, though already in the world (see I John 4:3,) will come into full power during the tribulation period. That rider carries a bow, but no arrows. He has no real authority .

This rider is named: “His name is called The Word of God,” and that identifies Him for us. John had before written, as you will recall, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…all things were made by Him…And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth [see John 1:1-14].”

The Word of God is a Person, not a book. We are in the habit of saying the bible is the word of God. Strictly speaking, that is not true. Christ is the Word of God, and the bible directs us to Him. If the written word does not bring us to the Living Word, it avails us nothing. You could read the bible daily all your life, and if you are never brought into a relationship with the One of whom it speaks, you will be more bankrupt than had you never read it at all.

There is no power in the written word beyond its power to introduce us to Christ. However, in the Living Word there is infinite power. Consider, for example, John’s declaration in his gospel, “All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.” Then look at this vast, incredibly complex and marvelous creation, and consider: “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast [Psalm 33:6-9].” Thus does the Psalmist describe the creative power of the Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He simply spoke creation into existence! The writer to the Hebrews in the New Testament takes us a step further. Of Christ he says He “upholds all things by the word of His power.” It is the authority of Christ, the living Word of God that keeps the creation intact. He is the cohesive power of the universe.

All of this to lay a foundation for the nugget at hand. Observe the peculiar figure in v. 15, “And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword…” This is not the first occurrence of this figure in the book. At the outset John was given a vision of Christ exalted and in his description of what he saw he said, “…and out of His mouth went a sharp twoedged sword [Rev. 1:16].” We are reminded at once of the verse in the epistle to the Hebrews which reads, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do [Heb. 4:12-13].” Many commentators will refer this to the scriptures, but the pronouns used make it unmistakably clear that it is a Person under consideration.

We are interested in the One Who has and is a “two edged sword.” We have above described His creative edge. Our nugget refers to its destructive edge, with which at the end of the age He will “smite the nations” that have rebelled against Him. The same Word that brought the creation into existence and upholds it by His power is just as capable of destroying it if and when He chooses. This awesome Word is a friend to those who believe on His Name. He will be a terrifying foe to those who rebel against Him.

Which edge of the sword are you facing?

The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. —Psalm 46:6

For His glory and our good,

"Pastor" Frasier