| John the Beloved Becomes John the Revelator |
Today's Text:
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John. Revelation 1:1
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The Message:
After Christ had ascended, John's testimony concerning Christ disturbed those in authority. With power he bore witness that Christ was a risen Saviour. To please the Jews, the Romans had crucified Christ, and now they sought still further to please them by placing John where his voice would not be heard by Jew or Gentile. He was banished to the Isle of Patmos.
Apparently the Lord permitted His enemies to triumph, as far as outward appearance was concerned. But God's hand was moving unseen in the darkness. God permitted His faithful servant to be placed where Christ could give him a more wonderful revelation of Himself to give to the world. The Lord was preparing John to endure hatred and scorn for the sake of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. He was hidden as it were on a desert island, and here Christ visited him, giving him a most wonderful view of His glory, and making known to him what was to come upon the earth. The man who exiled John was not released from his responsibility. He was the instrument used by Jehovah to carry out His eternal purpose, and the very effort to extinguish the light, placed the truth in bold relief.
John was deprived of the society of his brethren and of the pleasure of association. But no one could deprive him of the light and revelation of Christ. A great light was to shine from Christ to His servant. Richly favored was this beloved disciple. With the other disciples he had traveled with Jesus, learning of Him and feasting on His words. His head had often rested on his Saviour's bosom. But he must see Him also in Patmos. On the holy Sabbath day the risen Saviour made His presence known to John; and the testimony then given him is given also to us. God would have us search the Scriptures, that we may know what will be in the last days of this earth's history.
"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 first begotten 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 to God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 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." [ Revelation 1:4-7.]
"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 seeth write in a book. ... And I turned to see the voice which spake with me. And being turned I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the feet, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. ... And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forever more, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." [ Verses 10-13, 17, 18.]
This is a most powerful testimony, but its true significance is but dimly discerned. Let every student of Scripture carefully ponder every word in the first chapter of Revelation, for every sentence and every word is of weight and consequence.
The appearance of Christ to John should be to all, believers and unbelievers, an evidence that we have a risen Christ. It should give living power to the church. At times dark clouds surround God's people. It seems as though oppression and persecution would extinguish them. But at such times the most instructive lessons are given. As in the darkest night the stars shine the brightest, so the most brilliant beams of God's glory are revealed in the deepest gloom. The darker the sky, the more clear and impressive are the beams of the Sun of Righteousness, the risen Saviour.-Manuscript 106, 1897.
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Commentary:
My friend, the words of John in preaching the risen Christ was a powerful message to the world. The leaders of the church did not like this message for it revealed them as responsible for the crucifixion of the Messiah. Though it was the Roman authority that had exiled John to the desolate island of Patmos, the religious leaders were happy to have him seemingly silenced.
The same is true today, the message of the Faithful and True Witness given through His servants is not popular within the church, for it cuts straight to the heart. The message that the church is "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." (Revelation 3:17) because they have forsaken the One true God for the false god of the trinity, enrages the leadership of the church against the messengers of truth. Those who give it are ridiculed, derided, and driven from the church.
Though they seem to have silenced these voices of truth, the Spirit of God is working unseen to bring this message to bear upon the church. Those who accept it will join with those who are giving it, while those who reject it grieve away the Spirit of Christ, never to return. The great shaking foretold by Sister White comes to bear upon the church. The church must be purified and made white. It must be filled with the Spirit of Christ that the first angels message may go to the world.
Through the adoption of the false doctrine of the trinity, the SDA church is in the Laodicean condition, for it is no longer following the Spirit of Christ, but is following the spirit of Satan. This is evident in Christ's message to the church saying "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20). This is further evidenced by the fact that they do not have the righteousness of Christ, and are counseled to buy of Him "... white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear" (Revelation 3:18).
Since the time when the prophet of God and the pioneers were laid to rest, the spirit of iniquity has worked to supplant the worship of the One true God for the false god of the trinity. Little by little the seeds of error were woven into the minds of the people until it bore fruit in the adoption of the trinity in 1980. Since then all of the abominations that have plagued the fallen churches of Protestantism, have come into the church today.
The one distinct message that we are to bring to the world is the three angels message. In the time of 1844 the message was given with power, "Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." (Revelation 14:7). But today the message seems to have lost its power. The reason for this is because the emphasis of the message has been changed to the worship on the Seventh-day rather then unto the worship of the One true God.
Through the adoption of the trinity, which is the foundation of all of the doctrines of the Catholic Church, the Spirit of Christ is no longer leading the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He is standing on the outside seeking to gain entrance upon the hearts of the people. Those who open the doors of their hearts to Him, will be purified and made white, and be filled with His Spirit. These will go to the Laodicean church and give the message of warning. Those who respond to this message will also be purified and made white. Then with the Spirit of Christ attending the message, the true three angels message will go to the world with power, calling them to worship the One true God through His Son Jesus Christ.
My friend, we are on the cusp of great and marvelous events. We are living in the time that apostles and prophets desired to live. We have the opportunity to give the last message of hope to a dark and dying world, and vindicate the character of God. Now is the time for you to break away from the deception that Satan has pulled upon the elect of God. "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15).
May you eyes be opened by the eyesalve of the Faithful and True Witness today.
God bless,
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Video of the Week
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| The Nature of Sin - Prove All Things 9 |
The nature of sin. Just what is sin? How does the Bible reveal to us the depth of this problem? What is the proper definition of sin? And how does that impact our practical walk with Jesus?
Nader Mansour explores these questions in this episode of Prove All Things.
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