this adventure with the Most High: Revelation

Showing posts with label Revelation. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Keeping Watch

Day...who knows. My early ambitions for documenting all of the insights God granted during my study of Revelation have fizzled to a few sporadic writings. But today, as we had our final Wednesday morning study, I found myself so inspired--so fired up--from the Revelation prophecy. Here are three closing comments that I hope stay impressed upon me:

God's Word can be fully trusted.

Some may say it is outdated. Some may question its validity. But His Word, graciously given to us--His creation--is profitable, piercing, and powerful. His promises will come to pass. His instruction is an anchor regardless of feeling.
Jesus Christ will come again.

God the Father--out of His immense love for us--sent His Son to be the sacrifice for the sins of mankind. And as hundreds of eyewitnesses attested, Jesus was killed on a cross then rose again three days later--defeating death. Who does that?! Who plans such a redemption?! Only God. Jesus then publicly ascended to the Father where He said He was going to prepare a place for those who choose to believe.

I know it may seem crazy, mind-boggling in its detailed perfection. But if it is true...

This same Jesus who ascended to the Father will come again to this earth. He will come for His own. He is waiting for the Father to say, "It is time." So what will He find you and I doing this day--fighting the fight of faith or succumbing to the hopelessness of this fleeting world?
God is worthy of continual praise.

We in our finite minds cannot even fathom His glory. If we could just get a glimpse of His holiness, then our only response would be continual praise. Pray to see Him rightly.

These truths are not just distant ideas that have no effect upon our day. These truths have the potential of completely transforming our days...if we will simply believe. True--the road will be bumpy. But He desires we know Him intimately and trust Him fully every step of this momentary path. I am telling you, nothing else can fulfill that aching in your soul. Nothing.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Heavy Stuff

There seems to be a disconnect--a disconnect in grasping our spiritual depravity and our gaping need for a Savior. In our culture we as humans tend to think we can do this "life" thing fairly well--at least on the outside. We can make a little money, get a house, have a family, work a job--all the while somewhat disconnected to our true spiritual dilemma. Truth is, when viewed next to the perfectly Holy, righteous, Creator of the universe, we are desperate for His mercy.

I have sporadically been working through the book of Revelation. And the one thing that continues to hit me is the complete "other-than"ness of this sovereign God. He is infinitely beyond our minuscule comprehension. He is absolutely just and abounding in love. By His grace He gives us--His creation--a glimpse of His glory...if we choose to look. And the closer we get to Him--the more defined His character becomes in our being--the more depraved we know ourselves to be.

By His grace, out of His unmeasurable love for you and me, He made a way for us to rightly enter His presence--namely through the sacrifice of Christ. His love for you and me goes beyond the intellect and invades the spirit. He desires for us to know Him intimately. He pursues and prods that we might trust fully in Him. Jesus came to die a substitutionary death for us--enduring a vile ripping on a rugged cross then crushing the power of sin under His feet when He rose again. We no longer have to drink the cup of wrath rightly due to our natural, rebellious selves. By faith in His sacrifice for our own sin we are made new--cleansed.

That is the victory.

Accepting His sacrifice does not mean life will always go as we think it should. But it does mean that we are now called His son or daughter--and He will never forsake His child. He gives peace in the most devastating of storms. He empowers and renews the faintest of hearts. All the while transforming us to the place of freedom through faith.

Just preachin' a little today. Run to Him, friend. He is worthy.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Ways Unsearchable

Day...18...I think: Revelation 19:9-16; so...you won't be able to publish a commentary from my sporadic writings on Revelation. But, here I am, pressing through.

Today in the text we get a glimpse of the almighty Jesus. You know, there is a tendency to picture Him in our minds as petting little lambs and picking dandelions. But that does not fully portray the savior who bore God's wrath for our redemption. Yes, He is the giver of peace. He does welcome the little children to Himself. But there is a dimension of His character--His righteous, holy character--we often overlook. He is almighty.

In Revelation today He appears riding on a white horse, eyes blazing, robe crimson stained, with the armies of heaven behind Him. His power and glory are revealed in the fullness of time. And juxtaposed next to His scorn upon the cross, our minds clamor to grasp this God-man.

Truth is He humbled Himself, letting go of the glory due His name, when He came as a servant on this earth. (Philippians 2:5-11) Then He submitted His will to that of the Father and drank the cup of wrath rightly due to us--those who reject God's love in our flesh. (Matthew 26:36-46) This Jesus then died a brutal death--physically and spiritually--out of His love for you and me, then defeated death that it would no longer hold its sting. He is almighty.

God's ways are not our own. He is infinitely higher than us. His plans go beyond our reach. But He is seeking those who will trust in Him, that He may then lavish His grace and wisdom upon the faithful follower.

The days and moments of this life can be so difficult at times. But when our understanding ends--when our hearts go astray--if we as His children will come back to what we know is true, this almighty God will bless our walking by faith--abundantly beyond our conceiving. He is that good.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Defend the Fatherless

Day 15: Revelation 11:15-19 spurred my thinking.

She had us skip to chapter 11 today. Here we are told that there will be a day to come when God will rightly judge everyone--both those who loved Him and rejected Him. And this got me thinking. You know, it is difficult to rectify the presence of evil--absolute, putrid evil--with the sovereignty of God.

Volumes upon volumes have been written in an effort to grasp this complex co-existence. So my mere blog entry could never do justice to the discussion. But I want throw a couple of things out there for us to ponder.

There is great evil in this world. Over the past few months I have become increasingly aware of the atrocity of child sex trafficking, not only around the world but in our very nation--the land of the free. It is horrifying to hear the stories and see the faces of these young children in the grip of perverse enslavement. So, the presence of evil is not debatable.
When faced with incomprehensible matters, we must go back to what we know is True. I believe the Bible to be true. I think Christianity is a reasonable faith. Based upon rational evaluation, I also believe the Bible to be both reliable substantially and piercing theologically and spiritually. That said, the place I return when faced with incomprehensible matters is the Word of God.
The character of God is a resting place. There are certain aspects of God revealed throughout scripture that bring great peace in the presence of evil or uncertainty. He is motivated by love for His children. His grace is sufficient in trial. He sees all and is our perfect Avenger. He is affected by our pain--moved with compassion. He is good, faithful, righteous, holy, and completely trustworthy. He is all-powerful. This is where we rest.
There will be a day when everyone will be rightly judged. We see only a vapor of time, God holds eternity in His hands. For us, justice should happen in the now, making the wrong things right. But God's vision is from beginning to end. If we have chosen to love Him, then we are just pilgrims on this earth--this is not our ultimate home. He can be fully trusted with the injustices of this life--even the precious children being exploited.

We are called to seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless, and plead for the widow. (Isaiah 1:17) But in so doing, we must trust Him and His character with the outcome. Every human has been given freedom to choose--love Him or not. For those who choose to reject His ways, He sees. Time will unfold. The victory is our faith.

***********************************************

To find out more on how you can "defend the fatherless" check out http://www.tinyhandsinternational.org/.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

That Day

Days 11-14: Revelation 4-5

I haven't given up.

The basic theme of these past few days in Revelation has pointed back to one thing: Worship is the automatic response of being in the presence of God. Seeing Him evokes praise--pure and powerful.

Truth is this life is full of distractions--from morning til night. But one day, that day, we will see Him without distraction--in the fullness of His glory; and multicultural, indescribable, uncontainable joyous worship will ensue. What do you think about that?

In the meantime, though, He graciously gives us glimpses if we choose to look--if we choose to seek His face. I desire His gaze to stop upon me, seeing that I long to be a true worshipper of His--through the distractions and all.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Molecular Change

Day 10: Revelation 4:1-3a, somewhat forcing myself to the text

No, honestly, I have noticed that on the days I am in Revelation I really have to make a conscious choice to be there. Not that it isn't inspiring, it just takes effort because much of it is so completely "other-than" our day-to-day happenings. But God is completely "other-than" so teach us Lord.

The phrases that made an impression this morning were Christ's words, "Come up here," followed by "at once" John was in the Spirit. Though I cannot fully explain what it means that John was immediately "in the Spirit," I would venture to say that he was somehow transformed with a view of the spiritual realm of which we on this earth have no idea. Wow.

The point? God's spoken word has the power to molecularly change anything He wills. Just think about that. We see in creation that He simply spoke it and the world was created out of nothing. That should completely blow our minds. His power is infinite and consuming. For a short time on this finite earth, He is allowing His plan of redemption to unfold--seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4) But dare we let our "freedom" of choice take anything away from His absolute power.

So how should that affect me in my moments of today? Moments that are often really messy--literally. If He has promised it, spoken it, either in His Word or personally to your spirit, it will come to pass. A door He opens cannot be shut. This is a place of great rest--a place on which to stand when our vision seems so limited. When He declares blessing over those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, believe. When He declares blessing over the merciful, believe. When He declares blessing over the pure of heart and the peacemaker, believe. (see Matthew 5)

I want to stand on His word rather than riding the waves of my emotion or circumstance. Lord, transform our minds so that we might be awed by your power and rest on Your promises, even when the moments may seem so uncertain.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

On Fire

Day 9: Revelation 3:14-22

You have to just read this passage to get the full effect, but Jesus basically tells the church in Laodicea that their deeds and motives were lukewarm--rather than hot or cold. Because they were lukewarm He is about to spit them out of His mouth. Ouch.

Their "lukewarmness" (I love making up words by adding "ness" onto the end) was due to their dependence upon material wealth. They had come to believe in their hearts that they did not need anything else--their lives were comfortable. But Jesus informed, "You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked." (3:17b)

He then called them to repent with earnest heed, that they may be overcomers. Two things I want to meditate upon today from this text:

Is there any aspect of my faith that is lukewarm? Lord, reveal it to me.
Do you know what lukewarm means in the Greek? Lukewarm. Hmmm. It is synonymous with tepid. Tepid means something is marked by a lack of enthusiasm and conviction. Wow. How goes our enthusiasm for the God of the universe? Have we grown comfortable with His presence or does seeing Him afresh send us to our knees? Do the things that "affect" Him also affect us? Something to ponder.
The second thing that hit me was the very fact that Christ rebuked those who had grown lukewarm. He did not just "spit them out" without warning. He loved them--which He declared in verse 19. Because He loved them He rebuked them. That is the role of a faithful Father--out of his great love He disciplines that His child might stay in the safe, healthy boundaries He created. Thankfully He does the same thing with us today. If He did not love us, then He would not counsel us back to Himself. Thank you, Lord. So as His children, are we going to listen and respond to His Word?

Thinking of my earthly relationships helps me to tangibly grasp this concept. Totally hypothetically speaking--If I walked into the room and my husband was completely indifferent to my presence, how would that make me feel? If he was so familiar with my ways that I no longer kept his gaze, what response would that evoke in me? "I would rather you be hot or cold--to know that I had some effect over you." Oh, that we would never grow so indifferent to the infinite worth and uncontainable glory of God.

Get into His Word and see His face. Enthusiasm will follow.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Overcomer

Day 7: Revelation 3:1-6; Mrs. Lotz had us skip a portion. Are you still with me?

One thing I read both yesterday and today in my readings of Revelation was the word "overcome." More specifically, those who "overcome"--or "overcometh" if you read KJV--will be with the Father in paradise for eternity. I was curious, what does it mean to really overcome in this life? Some days I feel far from an overcomer.

So I looked in my "handy-dandy" Strong's Concordance--I've seen way too much Blue's Clues, people--and found that it means "subdue." But I still needed more; something more tangible. Something that could help me when I am juggling the daily tasks of mommyhood and everyone needs 18 things at one time. I discovered that the same word was used in 1 John 5--written by the same John who authored Revelation. So there I went.

In 1 John 5:1-5, we see John bookending this passage with the concept of belief. He does a circular explanation, in a way, and the reader learns that to be an overcomer means that we believe Jesus is the Son of God; and this belief is evidenced by our daily lives.

"How is it evidenced?" you ask. Great question. The answer hinges on love. Jesus says that if we love Him then we will obey Him. That means we choose to forgive when we feel like being bitter. We choose to serve when we feel like being waited upon. We choose to bless with our minds when we feel like tearing someone down. That is love--selflessly flowing from the gracious love of the Father and in the power of His might...not our own.

So do my moments reveal the belief that Jesus is God's Son? That He came to overcome the power of sin and freely gives that gift to me? Or do I act more like a three year old, demanding my desires be met and my rights be fulfilled--still living the "me-life"?

Hmmmm, depends on what time of day you ask me.

Truth is, the demands of life can only be "overcome" by continually bringing our thoughts into captivity to obedience. In Him is freedom.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

First Love

Day 6: Revelation 2:1-7, in full force

If you have done any study in Revelation, this may be one portion you remember. This is the section written to the church at Ephesus. Here Jesus commends their hard work and perseverance, their standing for righteousness and rejecting falsities. Then the sobering judgment, "Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken your first love." (vv. 2-3) He then tells them to repent, "and do the things you did at first." (v. 5b)

These were people "working hard" for the kingdom of Christ. They were defending His name, not growing weary in the process. They were probably meeting together regularly, doing all the "good things" that Christians should do. But something was missing.

I actually thought back to early love in my own life. I remember getting constant butterflies in my stomach and not eating as well, hanging on every written and spoken word of the other, waiting with longing to see them again. Distant past?

Similarly, when we first experience the love of Christ--His great grace and forgiveness--it spurs us as young believers to get to know Him more deeply. I think that's what was missing. No longer were they "sitting at His feet" and listening to His heart; rather they were busy "doing" for His name. (see Luke 10:38-42)

He sees the heart and is acquainted with all of our ways. (Psalm 139:1-4)

I, by nature, like to be busy. Oh how I do not want His assessment of me to be, "But you left your first love." May we as believers serve Him in the overflow of fellowship-with-Him and worship-of-Him.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Piercing Within

Day 4 in Revelation--pressing on, questions and all

Wow, I was so tired last night. I try not to do much housekeeping on the weekend--my own little rule for myself--but by Sunday night there is stuff strung from one end of the house to the other. And just looking at it all makes me exhausted. Why should you care? Well, I guess you shouldn't. But understanding my mindset last night upon finally crawling into the bed, may help you appreciate the words I read this morning.

"Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest (the rest of God)..." (Hebrews 4:11a) Hmmmm, rest...remind me again, Lord.

You see I was led to this Hebrews passage because of something I actually read in Revelation this morning. Today's portion was 1:12b-16. In these verses John is describing the vision of Christ that he saw; and he uses a lot of "likes." "He looked like this or that." He had to use a lot of "likes" because seeing an actual vision of the Lord is His glory is completely "other-than" our understanding. John was doing his best to help the reader somewhat envision this view of the glorified Lord.

In verse 16--the verse that led me to Hebrews--he says, "out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword." Light bulbs went off because we had just read a verse in Hebrews yesterday at church that explains this description. Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Nice. One thing I understand.

This sword coming out of the mouth of Christ reflects His actual words. His word--the word, or truth, of God, the scriptures--is living and powerful. It pierces the depths within us as we submit our hearts and minds to it. I wanted to understand more. Why did the writer of Hebrews say this now? So I went back a number of verses. We learn that there is a rest of God that He gives to man--a rest of spirit, a peace within. But this rest can only be entered through belief, i.e. faith.

"They could not enter (into His rest) because of unbelief." (Hebrews 3:19)
"The word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith." (4:2b)
"Those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience." (4:6b)

Then we come to the verse just preceding this description of the word of God, "Let us therefore be diligent (persistent, strive) to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience." (4:11) At this point the writer describes the word of God. Why? Because it is through the word of God we learn how to truly love our Creator and Sustainer.

We will have to know the word, in order to have faith in the word, to then obey the word, and then enter the rest that He has promised in the word. Are you with me? His word is living and powerful. As we submit ourselves to it, and apply it to our lives, then we will enter the rest He gives--the peace that passes understanding.

Thankfully He gives physical rest--my bed was much needed last night--but more than physical He promises a deep spiritual rest to those who believe. Let us dig deep into His Word and stand firm on what He says, even when our feelings may declare otherwise--love the unlovely, forgive those who betray, speak only words that lift. He is that good.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Blessing in Suffering

Doesn't that blog title just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Yeah, right.

Day 3: still hangin' with Revelation

Today it was just 1:9-12a. John identifies himself as a "brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ." He is writing while in exile on a prison island named Patmos. The situation of the church is heavy. The Roman empire greatly persecutes anyone who does not confess the emperor as divine. So under these circumstances God spoke to John, instructing him to write down the vision He was going to reveal and to then pass the writings along to the seven churches.

Fairly straight-forward.

It is the backdrop to all of this that gets me. As Americans it is not our fault that we typically do not suffer torture and exile for our faith--and I am not saying that I necessarily want to. But, the expectation of prosperity and popularity and health simply because you or I follow Jesus seems a bit twisted to me.

We read the word "suffer" or "suffering" for righteousness many times throughout the New Testament. Here are just a few:

Romans 8:17-18--(if we are children, then we are) heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I (Paul) consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Philippians 1:29--For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake
Philippians 3:8--Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
1 Peter 5:10--But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

If you think about it, we are following the God-man who was stripped, mocked, spat upon, struck, ripped, and nailed (Matthew 27:27-44). Why do we secretly expect to prosper? Yes, we have a very good God who faithfully provides, protects, and cares meticulously for His own; but often it is through the sufferings of this life that we gain the immeasurable blessing of seeing His face and understanding His gift of unfathomable grace through trial...if we choose to seek after Him.

I want to be a daughter that holds my hands open wide, dies daily to self, letting love be my guide. This earthly life is not the end. There will be a glorious day. May we keep our eyes set firmly on eternal things rather than the temporal tides.

*******************************************************

Go to the "Revelation" tab on the right of this page to read all of my related ponderings spurred from a study on Revelation.

Friday, September 18, 2009

For Freedom

Day 2: Me vs. Revelation

So today I read Revelation 1:4-8. It went fairly well as I came out on the other side with only two questions of uncertainty about the text. But if I were to pull one thing that stood out this morning--a place upon which to meditate--it would be verse 5b, "(Jesus Christ) loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood."

Freedom. What does that mean? He says that by His blood we have been set free from our sins. Way back in the beginning mankind chose self over God--imagine that. And the consequence of sin, or the self-life, was death. God's original design did not include dying; death, sickness, and perversion, all entered this world because of rebellion. But out of God's love for His creation, He had a plan of redemption.

I am coming to understand that you cannot have love without choice. God desires that we learn to love--both Him and others--with every ounce of our being. For us to choose love, we must have the option to not love; we cannot be robotic. So He gave us choice. And left to ourselves we will always choose the "me" life--what is best for me, what benefits me, what do I want, etc. In essence we are bound.

He displayed early on, in fact in the garden, that innocent blood must be shed to cover the guilty. This was a foreshadowing of what would come. Jesus was sent by the Father, a perfectly pure Son, to be the unblemished sacrifice for the sins of man...forever. His blood would free us from the penalty of sin--the bondage to self and consequential death. We just have to choose to accept the gift.

Jesus said, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Then further down, "Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin...if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:31-32, 34, 36) Then in Galatians we read, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." (5:1)

The work of Jesus on the cross has the power to free us from the bondage of sin, we simply have to believe. So my place of pondering today is, does my life show that I believe this to be true? Am I entangled with the self-life or do I allow Him to transform me and love through me, selflessly?

Hmmmm...Revelation.

************************************************

To read the when and why to my Revelation study, go to the blog entry entitled "Disclosure." http://unrehearsedadventure.blogspot.com/2009/09/disclosure.html

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Disclosure

Today I started a study on the book of Revelation. That's right. And if you are like me at all, just the thought of that brings a slight sigh. I have to admit, in preparation for beginning this study, I had my doubts as to how much God would actually teach me--how proud and ignorant. I have read through Revelation a couple of times but never delved too deep--I mean, lampstands and horses and... is God really going to speak to me through this? And already--day 1, three verses--the answer is yes.

So why don't you walk with me these coming weeks through a workbook of discovery called The Vision of His Glory by Anne Graham Lotz (daughter of Billy Graham). I think He has something to say. :)

Revelation 1:1-3--
In these verses we learn that God gave this revelation to Jesus Christ, the Son, so that He could then reveal it to His servants, namely through the pen of John. He brings this revelation to John, sent by an angel, who then testifies to everything he saw.

OK, did I already lose some of you? "An angel?" you are thinking, "Come on!" Well, throughout the Bible we see God using angels to reveal to mankind that which will soon happen--messengers of God. We also learn of spiritual battles continually waging which we cannot see--an entire series in and of itself. So if you are hung up here then get into the Word and ask God to speak to your spirit. He promises wisdom to those who honestly seek.

Now, back to Revelation--or disclosure from God, otherwise unknown by man. After we learn that John is the one who testifies to the revelation--most likely the same John who walked with Jesus during His earthly ministry, wrote the gospel of John, and the three epistles (1, 2, 3 John)--a beautifully convicting statement is made.

"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it" (v. 3) So much for my pride. God declares us blessed as we first read, then hear, then actually take to heart, all that John records. "Bless me indeed, Lord, as I set my heart and mind upon You."

As I closed my time in Revelation today I thought, "I want to be verse 3 so that He would do verse 1." You know, prophecy is not only fore-telling the future. The word literally means, "The declaration of that which cannot be known by natural means; it emanates from God and is forth-telling of the will of God; signifying a 'speaking forth of the mind and counsel of God.'" (see Strong's 4394)

God did not reveal this vision to just anyone off the street, He revealed it to one of the few who walked intimately with Jesus Himself--one who loved Him and gave his life for Him. I want to be one who not only reads but hears and then takes to heart the Word of God--one who loves Him wholeheartedly and trusts with abandon.

There is no new revelation--dare we add to or take from His already revealed word. But as we draw close to Him, He will draw close to us, and we will then be more equipped to hear and speak forth His mind and counsel. Wow. Thank you, Lord.