Revelation, Part 1

All right, let's go to the sermon. As I talked about in the weeks previous, I had a three or four-part series I'm wanting to do. Start today with the title is, The Book of Revelation and Endtime Prophecy. I've had some questions about that, and many people are interested in it, and I've been here for 19 months and have not covered that one single time. Basically, I had some other things that I wanted to try to get across and to get you to dive into. So today will be part one. I will miss next week, and then we'll come back and I'll talk about part two in two weeks.

Richard Todd Davis. Have you heard that name before? Richard Todd Davis. He was the founder of a company called LifeLock. You might have seen his commercials. Matter of fact, he even had commercials on the Super Bowl. He's had them on TV. It's an identity theft and protection company. Mr. Richard Todd Davis not only had his picture in the commercial and him speaking, but he also had his Social Security number right behind him. The Social Security number of 457-55-5462. And dared anyone to attempt to steal his identity because his company, LifeLock, would protect them.

It appeared on television to millions and millions of people.

And 87 of those millions decided to try to steal his identity. 13 succeeded.

13 succeeded to steal his identity, at which time he was sued by many people who joined LifeLock and found their identities too could be stolen. His excuse before a judge was that it did work. 87 people tried and only 13 succeeded when he guaranteed they would not be able to do it.

Even to the point it was so egregious to the judge that he actually slapped a 12 million dollar fine on LifeLock for false advertising. You could not believe Richard Todd Davis. Do you have people that you know you cannot believe? There are some people. We all know them.

Who can you believe? I'd like you to turn to 2 Timothy 3 and verse 16. We need to be able to believe this book, the Bible.

We need to believe the statement that in 2 Timothy 3 and verse 16, it says, all scripture is given by inspiration of God, or as it's translated, God breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness that the man of God and woman of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work that God has for them to do. I believe that statement. I also believe that Hebrews 6 verse 18 where it says it is impossible for God to lie. I believe that statement. So I can believe what is in this book.

Now, there may be a few mistranslations. I'll even talk about that today. So that you have a thorough understanding that the Word of God does not lie.

It would take months of sermons to cover all the aspects of prophecy. I can't do that. Don't have that much time. We have to cover other things, too. But we are going to get an overview of not only Revelation but end-time prophecy. I think it's important to rewind down to the fall Holy Days as we begin to envision end-time events and the return of Jesus Christ.

I do this to teach you, to instruct you, and I want you to understand that prophecy is not a salvation issue. It may sound strange. Salvation is not. I'd like you to turn to 1 Corinthians.

Make one of my points. 1 Corinthians 13. You all know it as the love chapter, the agape chapter.

1 Corinthians 13, verse 1, says, Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the ... and you realize the gift of prophecy, but in the original Greek, the gift of is not in there.

And though I have prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains but have not love, I am nothing. So I can tell you everything there is about prophecy, but unless I have agape, I'm not one of his.

1 Corinthians 13 is telling us. There are more important things than prophecy. Is prophecy important? Yes, it is. Should we know it? Yes. Are there other things we should know more? Yes, the words of life that came from Jesus Christ.

That's why he said of faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these in verse 13 is love or agape. I've known so many people who have gone off the deep end over the years, becoming obsessed with prophecy. I ask that you please stay grounded, be balanced, stay alert, but please don't go crazy.

2 Thessalonians, if you will turn there. 2 Thessalonians 2. 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 1. It says, Now brethren, concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled either by spirit or by word or by letter as if from us as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means, for that day will not come, unless the falling away comes first. 4 If you go back to 1 Thessalonians, you realize that he is telling about the coming of Jesus Christ. 5 But between the first and second letter, people came in and they got everything messed up. 6 Some have said, well, Christ already came, and there's no need to worry about that anymore. 7 And others brought other things in to where they had the church of Thessalonica group over here talking and talking and talking. 8 So Paul had to write the letter. 9 I'd give you many stories of unbalanced people who knew God's truth over the years. 10 I just want to touch on a couple that stand out to me. You may know some also. 11 One was a gentleman in the early to mid-1970s, 12 found out about God's truth and had been keeping God's truth for quite a few years, 13 and he became obsessed with prophecy and just knew the end was coming. 14 So he wanted to get a jump on everybody. 15 So he figured things were going to happen in the Middle East, as the books tell us. 16 So he sold everything he had, took the money and flew to England. 17 In England he bought a big vehicle and jammed it with a whole bunch of living stuff 18 and everything he would need to last him for about three and a half years 19 and decided then to drive down to Jerusalem.

20 To which point he found that they weren't really welcoming people like that in.

21 And so he drove around trying to find somewhere to go. 22 Until years later, no one ever really knew what happened to him. 23 Another story of some people who went out into the desert, 24 because they were told at a certain date, 25 which was in the early 80s, that Christ was returning out in this desert.

26 He didn't return. Disillusioned. Don't know where they are today. 27 He met a man in the Bahamas, the kingdom of God seminar did, 28 who said he was a prophet, a prophet sent from the two end-time prophets. 29 The two we will discuss later on in this series. 30 He was sent by them to give me a message to take to President Barack Obama. 31 He was demon possessed. 32 I don't know whatever happened to him. 33 After he got my message, he delivered it to me. 34 He left. 35 He had new knowledge and new truth. 36 He had some understanding.

37 Even we discussed a few other things in my short time with him. 39 He was only concerned with prophecy. 40 We do not have all the answers. 41 You'll turn back to Daniel 12. 42 You probably know the Scripture I'm going to. 43 Hopefully you do. 44 And Daniel 12. 45 Chapter 12, verse 4.

46 4-10. 47 Just read this. 48 Because Daniel was given a vision of so many things that were going to happen. 49 He was even given a vision of Alexander the Great before Alexander the Great was even born. 50 And told what was going to happen and how the Roman Empire would start. 51 Daniel was given incredible visions. 52 He knew kind of how everything was going to start and kind of what was going to happen at the end, but he really needed to know.

53 Let's tie him up. 54 God, I really need to know what's going to happen in the very last. 55 You told me there's three and a half years of tribulation in the God's people. 56 But tell me before Christ returns what I need to know. 57 And in verse 4 it says, 58 But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end.

59 Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase. 60 And boy, has knowledge not increased? 61 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank. 62 And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, 63 How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?

63 These signs and these symbols! How long is it going to be? 64 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, 65 When he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, 66 And swore by him, who lives forever and ever, 67 That it shall be for a time, times, and half a time, as we know three and a half years. 68 And when the power of the holy people have been completely shattered, 69 All these things shall be finished. 70 Although I heard, I did not understand. 71 Then I said, My Lord, what shall be the end of these things?

72 And he said, Go your way, Daniel. 73 For the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 74 We have a greater understanding as we see how the world could be destroyed now than even in one day. 75 The whole world could be destroyed with nuclear warfare. 76 It could never happen before. 77 You brought this a hundred and a hundred and fifty years ago. 77 How in the world could that happen?

77 How could these things have happened? We understand now. We understand the symbols of some of the scorpions and so forth and their bite lasting for five months as people were tortured. We understand biological warfare, ways that we could never understand before. There are a lot of things we see.

We see the powers as never before. 77 Some have said that UCG doesn't teach much about prophecy anymore. 79 I don't feel like that's a right statement. 70 It has even brought to my attention that I've been here 18 months and I've very seldom touched on prophecy.

71 Well, there's one thing that we do not do. 72 We do not teach prophecy as a scare tactic. 73 I'm not going to do that. 74 I prefer to teach the Word of God like Jesus Christ preached the Word of God. 75 He said, repent! 76 Something very important. 77 We need to repent. 79 John the Baptist said it, Jesus Christ said it, the disciples said it. 79 And to this world they need to know it. We need to repent. Or else you likewise will die.

He also said in Matthew 25, watch! Watch these things as you are coming to the end time.

I also like to teach that you're not alone here. You're not alone down here. We're here as a church. But we're not alone because He's up there and He's down here too. And He's with us. And Jesus Christ will guide us, protect us and direct us.

Those are some of the weightier matters of the law. Justice, mercy and faith. It's been a problem down in the church for years. Like you turn back to 1 Timothy, if you will.

1 Timothy 6.

Paul is writing his adopted son, spiritual son, Timothy, writing him as he closes his letter after giving him so many instructions on how to take care of and start new churches and Ephesus.

And in 1 Timothy 6 and verse 20, he said, Oh, Timothy, guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and vain babblings and contradiction of what is falsely called knowledge. By professing it, some have strayed concerning the faith.

As we know, knowledge can puff up. So many times it does. I have seen people go off so far on prophecy because they believe that God has revealed this special knowledge to them.

And so many times it turned out they were a false prophet. It's not the way it really turned out.

Many have strayed from the faith because they haven't been balanced in their approach to this book.

I know some have been overcome with fear. Didn't have a sound mind, and they were so fearful that they actually went out and bought what is called Petra shoes, special shoes that would last a long time so they could wear them in the place of safety called Petra.

None of those who have bought one-way tickets to Jordan so they could have a jump on their cave in Petra.

Out of fear. Well, if I can say what my Caribbean friends say about worries, no problem, mon.

No problems, mon.

I take my worries and I lay them down before God each day, and I ask you to do the same. Matthew 6 and verse 34, you don't have to return there, but I'll read it from the New Living Translation, said, So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worry. Today's trouble is enough for today.

So usually, what I'm thinking about today, there's enough there without worrying about tomorrow. Now, we shouldn't be so blind that we don't even think about tomorrow, but why would we worry about something tomorrow when we have enough to take care of today? That's what Jesus Christ is trying to teach us. So let's start at the back of this book, the book of Revelation. We'll start at the back. Have you ever wondered exactly why it was put at the back? Why not put it at the first? I think you find that God, the word Genesis, Genesis in Hebrew, means a beginning to start, and Genesis is at the first.

Revelation is at the back. And oh, Revelation, some people are really, I remember as a kid, I went to a church, not this one, went to a church, and a man was talking about Revelation and said, that's a book written by a crazy old man on an island. And it really doesn't have much to do with us. It's full of symbols, signs, and I wouldn't waste my time. Well, if it's in the book, it's worth your time. I'm just saying it's not worth all your time, right?

But it is in there. And if you start at the first and you work your way through the Bible, you will see that this Bible is, the words are full of signs and symbols, which kind of brings up those things as you get to the end book, the last book. You're going, wait a minute, I read about this back in Zachariah. Wait, I heard about this and this, and this and this, and Matthew 24, and these things begin to...

fall into place a little more.

But the word revelation in Greek means apocalypse. Apocalypse!

That's the Greek word for revelation, and it means unveiling. The unveiling.

Revealing. The unveiling of mysteries, as it's been called. Because a lot of stuff in here is explained by other places in the Bible.

Hear a little there, a little word upon word, line upon line, precept upon precept. That's how we study, not just pull one verse out and say, oh, there he is. Let's make a church and a doctor now to one verse. I want to teach you, I hope to teach you in such a way that you can teach others.

That's why we're going to take small bites of revelation. And when I finish this series and another three or four messages, next year we'll take another bite.

We'll take some other small bites. But to me, it's very important you can read the entire Bible. And I've known people who said, I read the Bible seven, eight times all the way through.

But they've never studied the Bible. And what's important is for us, we're going to follow it. We need to study it, not just read it. So I hope and teach you in such a way or that you can teach others, but at least you can understand and be grounded in what you know.

It's not important to memorize big parts of revelation. You have it before you. For most of us, practical Christianity can be our lifelines, and they should. The Gospels, Song, Proverbs, the Sermon on the Mount.

I like to call this written medicine.

Written medicine. And most of us need some written medicine during the week. So we will launch in if you will turn back to the first chapter of Revelation.

First chapter. The first chapter tells us who, when, why, and what this is about. I kind of look at it like some people will skip over Revelation 1 chapter or 2, and just kind of jump in over here. I want to see the false prophet, or I want to read about the seals. We're going to go into the seals and the trumpets and the trumpet plagues.

The two witnesses in the seven churches, we're going to cover that.

If you were to read a book, a novel, most of you have read novels before. And if you were to pick up that novel and just skip the whole first chapter, you're going to spend a lot of time trying to figure out who is this guy, who is this woman, what is their relationship, where are they at, and what are they doing? And so I like to think of the book of Revelation, the first chapter, as being crucial.

And that's why I want to touch on it today. That's why I want to give it to you in a way, as we will cover all 20 verses. But I want you to understand it to a point you can explain it to someone else. Or that even if you don't explain somebody else, you know in your own mind, when you turn there, exactly what you were reading. And the perspective of it. Revelation 1, verse 1, says, It says, Understand that? Most people don't. They leave out and think, in fact, well, this is a revelation of John. No, it's not. Oh, yeah, but it's here. My book says it's a revelation of Jesus Christ. Well, it says that, but where did he get it? We have to understand there is a way that this book is so important that there are four entities involved. There is God the Father that starts it. And he gives it to Jesus Christ, who then gives it to an angel, who then gives it to John.

That's how it's done.

So it's not Jesus Christ to John, but the Father is involved in it. Jesus Christ is involved in it. An angel is involved in it. And of course, there is John. Verse 2, it says, Who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ and to all things he saw? Like you turn back to John, if you will, the Gospel of John, same man, wrote this book. Like you turn back to John 12.

This meant something to John when he wrote this. When he wrote this. Because he lived during this time of John 12 and verse 40. When Jesus Christ said while he was on earth, For I have not spoken on my own authority. But the Father who sent me gave me a command which I should say of what I should say and what I should speak. So even when he was on earth, Jesus Christ got his instructions from his Father. Just like he did in John and in Revelation. And I know this command is everlasting. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told me, so I speak.

And then in verse 3 it said, So blessed are you who read these words, and also blessed are you who hear these words. It's the only book in the Bible that says you will be blessed if you read it or you hear it.

Makes it interesting to me. Blessed in what way? Blessed in understanding? Are blessed in being able to see God as you've never seen him before.

Because Moses sure wanted to see God.

Here we have a vision of God. Bless is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those words which are written in it for the time is near.

Interesting, the word keep there is translated from the Greek teriyo, which actually means to keep an eye on. So it says keep an eye on those things which are written in it. So it's like, okay, you want to, you can't just let this fly out. Okay, read it, know it, that's it. You need to keep an eye on these things that are written in this book.

As Jesus Christ said, watch when you see these things happening. You know when the Son of Man will be heading back this way.

For the time is short. He also said up there earlier, things which must shortly take place. Well, some of this unveiling, this revelation, happened rather quickly in John's life.

Others, we are still 2,000 years almost and waiting for things to happen. But with God, it says that a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day. And we really have a hard time wrapping our minds around that, don't we?

But what's interesting is, so to him, this is like six days since the beginning of creation, in time. What were you doing six days ago?

This week went by pretty fast for most of us, didn't it?

So with God, this is going to happen. For him, it's 2,000 years from the time this book was written. It's two days. What were you doing two days ago? See, our minds cannot grasp a thousand, two thousand, but they will.

When we are changed, we are spirit, we will understand. That's why it's called eternity.

1 John 3. We will see him as he is.

But then he comes down to verse 4. It says, John, to the seven churches which are in Asia, seven churches which are in Asia, 1 And from the seven spirits who are before his throne. Who is this talking about?

It's talking about God the Father.

It's talking about God the Father.

And the seven spirits are seven angels who are before God's throne.

They are seven angels of the seven churches.

And I know it's God because it says from the seven spirits who are before his throne and, verse 5, from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness.

Two beams here.

The firstborn.

The firstborn are the first of many brethren. The firstborn from the dead. Because even though there are people who were raised from the dead, Lazarus was raised from the dead, the other people were raised from the dead. But Jesus Christ is the first one of the spirit.

Will be like us. It says that's why he's the first of the first fruits. And the ruler over the kings of the earth, to him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. That was Jesus Christ, the Savior. And has made us kings and priests to God and the Father, and to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. What? Amen. Amen. Now, it's interesting there that it says it's made us kings and priests.

If you look in your Bibles in the margin, you'll at times see that kings has a little number by it. Does yours have that? Some Bibles have a little number or a little designation by the king. Right? Well, I think I want to try to make this as simple as I can. Because I could have a whole sermon put together on this. But I'd like you to understand because I want you to understand Revelation. In your margin, it also has, as it does in mine by 6, it says, in you, in a kingdom. Does yours say that? Most everybody say that. Has a little in you, and then it has an in and then it says a kingdom. Does yours have that, Bertha? No. Okay, some do and some don't.

The reason they put that there, in you and in, it represents two types of translations. Okay? And in you, if I had a Nestle's candy bar, you would understand this. N-E-S-T-L-E. I want you to understand, Nestle is pronounced, we do it Nestle, but back then it was Nestle-A-Lang. That's what the N represents, the N-U. You can see it in your margins. That, in you, represents the Alexandrian text.

Now, you say, well, what's that got to do with me? The Alexandrian text is what historians that got together and pulled together all these written texts of the New Testament. And so, one group studied what they considered to be the great text, the Alexandrian text, because a lot of these texts were found in Egypt, in Alexandria, Egypt. And so, they all got together and they had like 50 different texts to study different writings of the New Testament. And there were 50 of these different texts. Some of the words were just a little different. Some of the words felt different, a little tweak. Some words left out of some text. And so, they would put all, fill 49 of these together to try to bring a translation of the New Testament. And that's why it was called N-U, because it's known as the New Testament. N-U, because it's known as the Nestle United Greek text.

And that is one half of how the Bible was translated. That's the N-U.

And then we have on the other side, the M, capital M, and it means majority text. It came from the Byzantine text. Now, what did the Byzantine text? It was also a group of writings that they all brought together, all they could find.

And they studied those texts and wrote and translated the New Testament. We, as a church, basically believe they are more correct from the visiting text, the majority text. If you have to know its official name, it's Textus Receptus. But that's in the Greek and the Latin, and I don't want to go into that. But it was called majority text. So here we had the N-U and the M. The N-U was the Alexandrian text, where they took these 50 different writings, text, and put them together and translated. Over here, the majority, that's why it's called majority, over 5,000 different texts put together. This is a pulled it together to translate. So we have always, even though the Alexandrians were later, the Alexandrians were actually bonafide, if I can use that, bonafide by the Catholic Church way back, as that's the only text you should use, because it's the oldest. Even though historians have come over here in the majority text and went, 5,000 of them put together, you kind of get a better understanding. Your old King James and your new King James comes out of majority texts. So many of the other Bibles come from the Alexandrian text. The N-U. Now, why do I bring this up? You're going, I don't care about history, but I want you to understand what you're reading. Because when you read, and it says here, has made us kings and priests to our God, I look across there and I see the word, King. Kings. And I look and I look and it says, N-U and M, which means all the texts. Those texts that's used, the M and the N-U, over 5,000 texts were put together, and the word is kingdom, not kings.

So when you see that, you understand somebody else put that in.

It wasn't in the original translation. That's what's very important. So when you see something that doesn't fit, you can a lot of times look in your margin and it says, N-U or M, you realize, okay, what was in the original text? Not what somebody put in or added. Bertram Molita asked me a question the other day about some part of Scripture. Well, some stuff was added in there, and some just left out.

Now, how do we know that the Bible then is accurate? Because you put all the 5,079 or whatever, 5,077, I think, texts together, and there's less than 1% is there a difference in any of them. And most of the times it's spelled words or phrases used in that language.

They're no longer used.

It's like our word gray.

Gray. It's two different spellings, G-R-E-Y and G-R-A-Y. Why? Why is there two? Gray's gray, isn't it?

Goes all the way back to the Civil War is what I was told. Gray was spelled one way in the North, gray was spelled another way in the South. Okay, how do we spell it now? Is it G-R-A-Y? How many raise your hand? Or is it G-R-E-Y? G-R-E-Y? Okay. But G-R-A-Y can be right, too. Right? And that's what the translators were running into. Is, wait a minute, this word's spelled over here. That's why sometimes in the Bible you see a guy's name spelled differently in different chapters of the Bible, because it translated itself. So I bring that up because it says, has made us a kingdom of priests. Is how the original was translated. So I want you to know, when you see an M or you see an N-U, look at what it says, because if it says it was in the N-U and it was in the M, the majority text and the Alexandrian text, then who put this one in here?

Somebody else did. Some man just trying to make his translation, because it's a translation. So I like to go back and study. Whenever I see that, I want to know, okay, God, show me what you were trying to say, not what some man stuck in there. And so thankfully we can go back and look at that, because it's also down in verse 8. Now, I bring that up so that that will help you in your studies, because I hope you will study this. And when something doesn't sound right, look in the margin. Say, wait a minute, was it in the original text?

And then he said, To him be the glory and dominion for ever and ever what? Amen. And behold, he is coming with clouds, and every eye will see him, and they also who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth were mourned because of him, even so, amen.

What does amen mean? Does anybody know?

Okay.

So be it. Yes. Yes.

I have this up here for a reason. Nope, not going to throw it.

It's a rock.

Amen.

Would you ever relate a rock to amen?

See, amen is not an original English word. It's not an original Greek word. It actually comes from the Hebrew. It's translated from the Hebrew. And it is associated with a particular image.

Amen is related to this rock. Now, you may say, how is that relevant? Well, so how is this rock? So be it, or I agree.

Well, it actually means in the Hebrew where it came from, it is firm. That's what it means. And it's actually, there's this, amen, amen. They sometimes say, amen, amen. And we got that from them, and we translate it, being, it is firm like a rock.

Because with them, something solid was solid as a rock. And in the rocks are what they use for the foundation of all buildings. So when we, or they say, amen, they are saying, that is solid.

That is solid. I agree, it is solid as a rock.

In other words, it is so solid, you can stand on it. It will support.

Psalm 18 says what? The Lord is my rock of my salvation. He is the rock. Bless be the Lord, my rock, in Psalm 144. So see, it's very important when these words are in here, they're just not thrown in for amen. He is the Lord. He did do this. He did come back. He is part of the God family. This did happen. These things were it. Bank on it. It's a rock, which also tells us one thing. How many times have you said amen when you shouldn't have said amen?

Means if you say amen, it is solid like God, like a statement from God. And here you hear amen just used all the time, don't we? Amen, brother. Amen. Oh, amen. Amen. Not a word be taken lightly because you're relating it to being something solid like God. If you hear someone say an open and closing prayer, I've heard it before. They said some I couldn't agree with. I didn't say amen.

So it's important before you just say amen that it is something you thoroughly agree on.

Because if not, you're just lied. As you said amen to something you don't agree with.

So you see amen mentioned a few times here.

Verse 7. And you may say, Well, wait a minute. If he comes back, how are the people who pierced him, who actually killed him, the Roman soldiers going to see him too? Because we understand. But it does not say that this is only referring to the first resurrection.

It can also refer to the second resurrection because they will see him. All those when he returns, when he comes back, everybody on earth will see him that are alive. That's what Scripture says. But also, I guarantee you in the second resurrection, all will see him, even those who pierced him, which I would love to be standing by at the time that soldier who smacked him gets to find out who he is, who he really was. And then it says in verse 8, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, if that's in your new. And as you can see from the N-U and the A, the beginning and the end wasn't there. Men put it there. Wasn't in the original translation of anything. The Almighty. Who is and was and who is to come, the Almighty. And what's interesting there, says the Lord God, because that Scripture there talks about both the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ and God. And then we go down to verse 9. And it says, I, John, both your brother and companion in tribulation and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos, for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I think you'll find it interesting that Patmos is this little island. You can still go there today. You hadn't been there, have you, Traceland? You've been everywhere else, and I thought you might have been there, too. But it's a little bit of island that's only 13 square miles. And it was a penal colony at the time of Rome. And Domitian was the emperor at the time. And so, according to tradition, and this is just tradition in history, that Domitian was the emperor from about 50 AD to 95 or 96 AD. And most of the disciples were already, or all the disciples, were put to death, they thought, by the destruction of the temple in 69 AD. And so, they kind of believe, historians do, that John was put on the island of Patmos somewhere about 69 to 70 AD. Just before the destruction. And he was actually sent there because he was the last of the disciples. And according to tradition, Domitian wanted to kill him. So, they brought him before one of the huge stadiums. And because he was the last who was alive, according to this tradition, they wanted to, in front of all these people, put him into this huge vat of boiling oil. Tarr. They heated it up, got it boiling, and after part of the games, they brought before them this great orator, this great man, supposed to be something, a mystery man, and something that denied the Roman way of life and all the gods. He was monotheistic. They brought him forward, and so they decided to dump him into that oil. Boiling oil so they could watch him. And according to tradition, the only thing that happened, he came out with a bunch of tar on him, and he was alive. And it so intimidated and scared the people there watching, and especially Domitian, that he said there must be something to this. So, they sent him to the island of Pacmos.

And he was there for, it's guessed, between anywhere between 15 and 20 years. And on the island of Pacmos, it's actually called Pacmos, which means my killing. And actually, it means that because it's sterile, it was a sterile land. It was rocky, barren, and desolate, unable to produce anything that would be living. And so, they had mines there, and they would mine some of the rocks and quarries there, and they had caves. That's what's actually, if you go there today, you can see what is called the cave of the apocalypse. And that is where John was supposed to have written, or had these revelations revealed to him.

And so, here he is on this island.

And then it says in verse 10, I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice as a trumpeter, saying, I am the Alpha, the Omega, the first and the last. And what you see right in a book, and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia. To where? To Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. Seven churches. So, God told him, at this book, I want you to write this down. Everything you're about to see, and I want you to send this book to the churches. So, each one of them would be reading this. Okay? Now, I would like to...

If I can borrow somebody to hand this out. I ask you to be... Because this will come into play two weeks from now, because we will go into the seven churches. You have to understand, the seven churches were in a circle, a route. It was a male route, as they would run this route. There were seven churches of God. You remember Ephesus? If you don't, go back and read Ephesus, the book. That's the churches talking about. But I want you to understand, so I made these copies, and they're in heavier paper, just so you could have them, so you could remember, because we go through this. If you don't mind handing those out. Who there? So, God wanted him to write what you see down in a book, and send it to the seven churches. So, as interesting as this male route, you would see where this was delivered to this. They would read it, and then pass it on to the next church, to where it made a complete circle.

So, every one of these churches got this book of Revelation, which had to be very interesting. Now, when we talked there, it said, I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. Now, what does that mean? Well, according to most experts, and I read here from the Bible Knowledge commentary, John's revelation occurred on the Lord's Day while he was in the Spirit. Some have indicated that the Lord's Day refers to the first day of the week. However, the word, Lord's, is an adjective, and this expression is never used in the Bible to refer to the first day of the week anywhere. So, probably John was referring to the Day of the Lord, a familiar expression in both Testaments. He was projected forward in his inner self in a vision, not bodily, to that future Day of the Lord when God will pour out His judgments on the earth. So, he was actually having a vision. Through the Spirit. And he was able to be projected forward to the Day of the Lord. Now, if you have doubts about that, turn to Isaiah 13, verse 6, where it says, it was the Day of the Lord, or Joel 2, and verse 31. Zephaniah 1, verse 14, the Day of the Lord. I was standing there and saw this on the Day of the Lord. Acts 2, and verse 20, over 50 different scriptures. The Day of the Lord is referred to.

So, John is projected forward in his mind. God is showing him what's going to happen on the Day of the Lord.

What happens on the Day of the Lord? Well, why they call it the Day of the Lord? Because it's when He's returning.

These things are going to happen, or when it starts. Because we actually know, from one of the scriptures, that the Day of the Lord is called a year of recompense. And when the plagues are finally poured out. So, we'll go through that at a later time. I don't want to touch on that today. I'd like to stay focused in this.

And then it says, then I turned to see a voice that spoke with me, and having turned, I saw seven gold lampstands. What do the lampstands represent? The seven churches. That are before God. This is a vision. They are standing before God at the throne. And in the midst of seven lampstands, one liked the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to his feet, and girded about the chest with a golden band. Well, wait a minute. Like the Son of Man? John knew what Jesus Christ looked like, right? He was called the Son of Man. Why wouldn't he have read it? Why did he say, look, because he was in his glorified state?

As he looked like him, there was something there. And he had this length, and he had this gold band, which represented royalty.

And it said, and his head and his hair were white like wool. I mean, that's pretty white. Why, I wouldn't... I don't know. I don't know that I would recognize Juan if he came in and had white hair. You know, I might say, that looks something like Juan, but I'm not sure that's Juan. But here, all his hair is just white like wool, and white as snow. And his eyes were like the flame of fire. There was, you know, this brightness in his eyes.

And his feet were like fine brass as refined in a furnace. And his voice as a sound of many waters, thundering waters. He had this incredible deep voice. It just resonated. That just made you shake almost because you've heard the sound.

And it said, and he had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword. Here are symbols. It's showing how is he holding these stars? Well, it looks like he's holding these stars in his hands. The stars represent what? The angels. What angels? The seven angels over the seven churches that I just gave you a map to.

And said his, out of his mouth, went a sharp two-edged sword. The sword is the Word of God. It is power. And it brings judgment and disobedience to the church and to the world. But he speaks the Word of God, and it's a two-edged sword, and it cuts both ways. Remember?

Because sometimes we like the Word of God, and it cuts us in a good way. In other ways, it cuts us in a bad way.

And he was sunshining in his full strength, as countenance was. So he was so bright, this is his glorified state. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet, as if dead, but he laid his right hand on me, saying to me, Do not be afraid, I am the first and the last. I am he who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. And what did he say? Amen! So be it! Because you have to realize that there were churches at the time when John left that said, Jesus Christ, he really wasn't the Son of God. He really didn't die. He really wasn't resurrected. He really wasn't anything you said he was.

But we know he was. Amen.

And I have the keys of the grave and death. Write the things which you have seen. Christ controls whether we live or die. Christ controls in the grave whether we're resurrected or not and when.

Write these things which you have seen and the things which are and the things which will take place. So we are going next time to look in because he's saying this is multidimensional. He said, write the things you have seen and the things which are that exist now and then the things which will take place after this. The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.

And the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches. Why are the churches, why are they symbolically represented by a lampstand? He's the light of the world! All the churches, no matter who we are, where we are, we are alike. We represent him. We walk out of this building. Guess what? Doesn't end here. We are his lights when you are the body of Christ. And these churches, as we will see, they not only represent the seven churches that are there, they represent the seven churches down through the time. They also represent the seven attitudes and churches that exist today. We will go through that next time. That's why I wanted you to see how these are all tied together.

And it's interesting that the seven stars are in his right hand, which in the right hand always talks about power, protection, and authority. So these seven churches, even though these angels, each church had an angel, and it was his job to look after the churches and to report back, as we know that angels are called messengers.

And the church of God today as angels reporting back.

And you also see these lampstands that you might have always wondered about because you saw them in Zechariah 1. Zechariah 4 and verse 14. You still remember those? Here's a lampstand. Wait a minute. And then we had some olive trees and we had oil. What does that mean? Well, we're going to get to that as he talks about the two witnesses at the end time.

But I want everyone to think about what I have talked about. I went longer than I should have. I didn't want to go that long today. But I want to leave you with the with the words of God that we need to be looking at these things. We need to be aware of things that are going on in the world. And one thing that we need to do and that's the reason I wanted to give this handout to you before I show up two weeks or two weeks from today, we're going to talk about those seven churches.

Which one are you in?

Or in other words, which one are you?

Next time.