Dear Student of the Word,
I just got back from Israel with a side trip to Rome and had a great visit. Along the way, I had a few opportunities to talk about Revelation and how it related to Jesus' life and ministry. As I wrap up this study (we finish next week), I have an idea for another book - this one called from To Rome: From Galilee through Jerusalem. Before I get into the them of that book, however, let's finish up our study of Revelation 21. This chapter introduces the picture of a new Jerusalem coming down from heaven, which I maintain is not a picture of heaven, but rather the church on earth (you can read more about that if you download the document attached below). I also addressed two interesting verses in this chapter, 21:8 and 21:9. Here is what I wrote:
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8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
21:8 – I can understand that the idolaters and murderers will be in the lake of fire, but what are the cowards doing there? What are the unbelievers doing there? I don’t consider cowardice and unbelief as sins worthy of hell or in the same “league” as adultery and theft, but there they are. Maybe the fearful would have sinned, but their fear was their motivation instead of their love for God. Also, fear is the opposite of faith, for it causes the potential believer to shrink back from action and without faith it is impossible to please God.
Where is fear crippling your life and your walk with the Lord? Perhaps fear has more serious implications than you have thought and needs to be treated like you would address more serious sins, like stealing and lying? You need to ask yourself today and every day: “What could I do if I was not afraid of . . .” and then finish the sentence? Then address where unbelief is causing you to displease God and address it for what it is: a serious sin.
The second death is the final judgment when all are assigned their eternal destination, either heaven or hell. I am glad that heaven is my destination, but I’m also glad I don’t have to wait until I get to heaven before I can enjoy God’s blessings. That is another message of Revelation: No matter how bad things are now, we can live in the kingdom of God right her and now. Praise the Lord!
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9One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
21:9 – In this verse, we have another visit from the angel who carried one of the plague-filled bowls. These angels obviously did “double duty.” This particular angel carried one of the plagues to earth, but he also brought a revelation or message to John. He offered to take John to see the bride of Christ, the Church.
The angel told John to “come.” That tells me that you have a role to play in anything that God wants to show you. You must come to the place where He wants to reveal Himself and His will. That may even be a specific place or geographic location. When I first wrote the commentary on this verse, I was in Asia. That was where God wanted me at the time. For me to learn what God had for me then, I had to be in Asia and not remain in my home town. That is my role in hearing from God: positioning myself where He wants me to be. Where does God want you to be?
This also tells us that we cannot see the Church with its glory and majesty unless God shows it to us. Are you discouraged about the state of the Church and all its human imperfections? Then allow God to show you His Church from His perspective, with all its glory and beauty.
Church leaders and members have offended and hurt many people throughout history, and do so even today. I too have been hurt, and I have also hurt others. Yet I am not walking away from the Church, nor am I discouraged about her. The Church is the apple of God’s eye and the bride of Christ. I must serve what He loves and be where He is. That is in the Church, more specifically a local church.
The church is the bride of Christ. If you said to a man, “I like you, but I hate your wife. I would still like to be friends.” That would be difficult for the husband. When people say I love Jesus, but I don’t like His church, they have a problem that they must resolve.
Are you a member of a church? Are you holding back? Have you been hurt and withdrawn your gifts and time from God’s bride? I urge you to get healing for your wounds and then get back into the Church, into a local church, where you belong:
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:23-25).
When Jesus was raised from the dead, He met the women who were coming to the tomb. What did He tell them?
Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." (Matthew 28:7-10)
Jesus had all the disciples assembled there in Jerusalem where He appeared to the women. Yet He told them to instruct the disciples to meet Him in Galilee, some distance north of Jerusalem. God determines where and how we will encounter Him. It is by His grace that He reveals Himself, but He also reveals Himself as part of His Lordship. His revelation is based on His terms, not ours.
Is God telling you to “come” or “go” somewhere and to do it “quickly”? He may want to show you something that He will not show you if you stay where you are. It is not a matter of convenience; it is a matter of obedience. I had a professor say once, “When God wants to say something to you, He often takes you on a trip.”
As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled Your Life Matters: Daily Reflections from the Book of Psalms. Thank you and soon I will begin sending you my edited studies from James' epistle. After that, we will only have the book of Revelation to complete before the entire New Testament is on the site where this study is posted.
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