Daily Inspirations

   Good morning. And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. When does this war take place? It appears right after the 1260 days; so is it during or at the end of the tribulation? There is a lot more discussion about this situation that follows. [My Bible says that Michael was an archangel who defeats Satan in heavenly warfare. In Daniel he is the protector of Israel who will deliver her from tribulation in the last days.] If that part is true, it gives us an idea of when it will happen. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him. There is a lot more that follows. Father thank You that You protect us from all the power of the enemy.

   Good morning. And the woman gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron (mentioned more than once in revelation); and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. This sounds like Jesus. So it would seem that this is not a continuation of where we were before, but rather going back to the cross. Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for 1260 days. There is no timeframe given between the child being caught up to God and the woman fleeing into the wilderness. So it could even have been 1000 years or more. Again, the 1260 days is 3 1/2 years. So is this half of the “seven years of the tribulation?“ The next part is lengthy, so we will wait till tomorrow. Father just like You prepared a place for the woman, so You also prepare a place of refuge for us in time of need.

   Good morning. As we said last time: Is the following a rehash of things that happened before, or something brand new? After all, last time it seemed like the end was at hand. A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars (could represent the 12 tribes of Israel); and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: a great red dragon (who will be identified shortly)  having seven heads and 10 horns (the beast will also have seven heads and 10 horns), and on his heads were seven diadems (usually reserved for royalty). And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth (again not literal stars). And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. Father keep us safe in Your arms.

   Good morning. After all that has happened, did the nations change their ways? “And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth”. Again, we are only halfway through and yet it says it’s time for judgment and reward. So does that mean what will follow shortly is just looking at everything that has happened already in a different way; or is it entirely new? And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm. So is that what happened to the ark of the covenant - that it is in heaven and has been for millennia? Or perhaps it was hidden somewhere and at that particular moment appeared in heaven. Tomorrow it w...

   Good morning. So after the two witnesses went up into heaven in the cloud: and in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a 10th of the city fell; 7000 people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. It does not say that they repented though. The second woe is past; the third woe is coming quickly. Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever“. If that sounds familiar, it is part of Handel’s “Messiah” The 24 elders fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. Before this, voices would also say “and who is to come“; but now He has come. This is all setting up the next big event in Revelation. Father thank You for Your loving care for the...

   Good morning. Those from the… Nations will look at their dead bodies for 3 1/2 days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. When this was written, there was no such thing as satellite TV coverage; but when this actually happens, there will be, and all the earth can watch their dead bodies. I’m sure there will be commentary 24/7. And they will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. We may think that is horrible; but there were people who celebrated the death of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. Then, surprise! After the 3 1/2 days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and greet fear fell upon those who were watching them. Well, duh! And I heard a loud voice coming from heaven saying to them, “come up here“. Then they went up into heaven in the cloud (things like that seem to happen a lot in the Bible), and their ene...

   Good morning, and Merry Christmas! We are going to digress and look at the first Christmas. This was something that had been foretold centuries before; and yet people still did not understand what was going to happen. They were thinking that the Messiah was going to come as an adult and was going to re-establish the nation of Israel above all other nations. They were not expecting Him to come as a baby, supposedly born to a carpenter and placed in a manger. Many things had to happen at precisely the right time. You had to have the right person to be His mother and the right person to be His supposed father. You had to have a reason for them to be in Bethlehem on the night He was born – the census. It had to be when shepherds would be in the field near Bethlehem watching their flocks. And just at the right time – an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before the shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them...

   Good morning. And their dead bodies will be in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. There is debate about which city this is. Of course Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem; so that is where one would think it would be. But it says mystically that it is called Sodom and Egypt, which does not seem to fit Jerusalem. Others say that it is referring to Rome (which would seem to be a bit of a stretch) since the Roman government was the one that actually crucified Jesus. Seemingly going along with the idea that this was Rome is the fact that in chapter 17, it talks about the beast “having seven heads, which are seven mountains on which the woman sits”. Since Rome was built on seven hills, they say that’s what the seven mountains represent. So do these things add up to it being Rome, or was it the fact that at one time there was extreme anti-Catholicism in the rest of the Christian denominations, and they were wa...

  Good morning. Back to the two witnesses: these are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. (These are mentioned in the book of Zechariah. The angel tells him that they are the two anointed ones who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth.) And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying (this is reminiscent of Elijah); and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, so often as they desire (sounds like Moses). When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss (not really talked about until two chapters later) will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. Tomorrow, we will see what happens next. Father help the reader to look t...

   Good morning. Then there was given to me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it“. [My Bible says that the measuring rod was a bamboo like cane that often reached a height of 20 feet and was a convenient measuring rod.] Leave out the court which is outside the temple (in the Old Testament it was reserved for the Gentiles) and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread underfoot the holy city for 42 months (3 1/2 years. That time length is mentioned several times in the book of revelation). And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1260 days (3 1/2 years), clothed in sack cloth. Their deeds seem to match those of Moses and Elijah. Remember Jesus telling the disciples that Elijah indeed comes first, and that it was John the Baptist. So is one of these witnesses someone like John the Baptist? Father help the reader to under...

   Good morning. Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land“. So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey“. I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. Can anyone say Rolaids? It doesn’t say what was on the scroll. I don’t know if this is what it means, but some things really seem great at first glance; but later turn out to be a disaster. And they said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings“. Remember that yesterday it seemed like everything was coming to an end; but this is only halfway through the book of Revelation. So is what is to follow a cont...

   Good morning. After the seven peals of thunder… Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth, and the sea, that there will be delay no longer, but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God [My Bible says that in apocalyptic thought mysteries were secrets preserved in heaven and revealed to the apocalyptist] is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets. It sounds like the end has come, but there’s a lot more to the book of Revelation. As we said yesterday, perhaps what the seven peals of thunder said would reveal when this would happen. There is a lot of speculation and debate today about when all these things will take place. It is not for us to know. Even the Son did not know; only the Father. If people knew, they might relax their guard and not be diligen...

   Good morning. I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; and he had in his hand a little book (scroll) which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices. When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, “seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them“. Why was John told to not write what they said? It is possible that it would have revealed something about the timing of what the angel was about to say, which we will see tomorrow. Father thank You that You love the reader and his/her family. Continue to go with them and bless them.

   Good morning. How about the 200 million person army? The horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone. A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm. The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and ..., which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries [My Bible says this involved the mixing of various ingredients for magical purposes] nor of their immorality nor of their thefts. That’s pretty bad when after all of this, they still did not repent. For some people the more “punishment“ they receive, the more adaman...

   Good morning. The sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “release the four angels who are bound at the great River Euphrates“ [My Bible says that it marked the boundary between Israel and her historic enemies to the east.]. And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year (this was not some haphazard timing. God knew from the beginning exactly when this would happen), were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. The number of the armies of the Horsemen was 200 million; I heard the number of them. There has been a lot of speculation about from where these Horsemen came. People look at the nations of the world today, and try to figure out which ones would have an army that large. It may or may not have been exact. It could have just expressed an extremely large number like we would say today “a gazillion“. I “googled...

   Good morning. The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. They had breastplates like of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses running to battle. They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is the power to hurt men for five months. These may seem strange, but we’ve already had the four living creatures full of eyes, having six wings. They have over them, the angel of the abyss; his name is Abaddon/Apollyon. The first woe is past; two woes are still coming after these things. Thanks for the warning, huh? By this time people will be singing the old song from the show Heehaw: “gloom despair and agony on me. If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all“. Father help us to keep our eyes off of the darkness aroun...

   Good morning. Out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. (Kind of like Egypt with the grasshoppers). They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, not any green thing, nor any tree (normally these are the things that the locusts would be interested in), but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads (most likely the 144,000 - possibly the only believers left on earth). They were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months [My Bible says it is a limited period of time suggested by the lifecycle of the locust.]; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. Add in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them. I guess the stings were so painful that they got to the point where they wished they were dead. We will see what the locusts looked like tomorrow. Father just like You wi...

   Good morning. Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!“ The four that have sounded so far have been bad enough, and now we get a warning of the three that remain. They must be horrendous! Fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star (The seven stars at the beginning of revelation were the seven angels of the seven churches) from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. [My Bible says that the bottomless pit was conceived of as the subterranean abode of demonic hordes.] He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. Next time we will see what comes out of the pit. Father thank You that the bottomless pit is not for us, rather a glorious home in heaven.

   Good morning. Then the angel took the censer (The one that had the incense which was mixed with the prayers of the saints) and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. There’s a lot of this going on in revelation. And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. The fraction 1/3 shows that it was significant, but not over the entire earth. The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed. Again, a significant ...

   Good morning. Looks like the half hour of silence was the calm before the storm. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God (are these the seven spirits/Spirits we heard about earlier?), and seven trumpets were given to them [My Bible says that in old testament times the trumpet served to announce important events and give signals in time of war. The seven trumpets of revelation announce a series of plagues more severe than the seven seals but not as completely devastating as the bowls that will come]. Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. Father we ask that You add incense to our prayers that go up before You continually.

   Good morning. For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat. In today’s world, there are only a few places where that is true of believers, that they experience these things. Most have food and shelter. However, in the times to come, that might not be the case anymore. For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd (the Lamb will be their Shepherd), and will guide them to springs of the water of life (will be mentioned again at the end of Revelation); and God will wipe every tear from their eyes. After this interlude the Lamb is ready to break the seventh seal. When He broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour (not necessarily literally, but long enough to be obvious). Father thank You that whatever hardships ...

   Good morning. … Saying, “salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb”. And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God. “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever.“ Then one of the elders said to me, “these who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from“? “My Lord, you know“. In other words, I ain’t got a clue. These are the ones who came out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Note: you can’t come out of something unless you were in it. So, are these people who became Christians during the great tribulation, or were they already Christians when the great tribulation came? If the first, it would fit with the rapture. We’ll see more about them next time. Father thank ...

   Good morning. And I heard the number of those who were sealed 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel - 12,000 each but with a slight aberration. First, the tribe of Dan is missing. Remember at the end of the book of Genesis that Jacob took the two sons of Joseph to replace him. Joseph‘s son Manasseh is mentioned, but not Ephraim. So, were these the only believers alive at that time? If so, that could give credence to the rapture. Since they are from the tribes of Israel, they are Jewish believers. After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands. In other words, there were a bunch of people in heaven. Next time we will see what they were saying. Father thank You that no matter what happens, You are still in charge.

   Good morning. We have a pause in the breaking of the seals. After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth (North, south, east, west), holding back the four winds of the earth (Matthew 24:31 adds to “ four winds of the earth“ – from one end of the sky to the other. Mark 13 adds - from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven) so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads“. Next time we will find out more about these bond-servants. Father help this to be a turning point in the lives of the readers and their families.

   Good morning. Now He breaks the sixth seal: there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood (reminds you of the book of Joel); and the stars of the sky fell to the earth (of course it wasn’t really stars), as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. As the old song made famous by Jerry Lee Lewis says, “there’s a whole Lotta Shakin’ goin’ on“. Then all the great and small hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?“ All this, and we haven’t even come to the end of Judgement Day! (where is Arnold Schwarzenegger when you need ...

   Good morning. underneath the altar… there was given to each of them a white robe (symbol of blessedness and purity); and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number (the word “number“ is not in the Greek) of their fellow servants and the brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also. [My Bible says that Jewish thought held that God rules the world according to a predetermined time schedule, and that the end awaits the death of a certain number of the righteous.] If at this time the church has been “Raptured” as some say, this would mean that there were believers on the earth who had not been “raptured” and were yet to be killed. Would that mean they became believers during the tribulation? Remember we said yesterday that a lot of bad stuff has already happened, and if this is not the tribulation but merely “birth pangs“, then the tribulation was going to be unbelievably bad. Father help us to be patient un...

   Good morning. Now we have the fourth seal and the fourth living creature: an ashen (describes the ashen appearance of the dead) horse and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth (is it geographical or number of people?), to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. If it is number of people, does that mean that a fourth of the people still living were killed, or just affected by these things? When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar (the altar was where the old testament sacrifices were made) the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “how long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth“? This does not sound like they were all the peo...

   Good morning. When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “come“. I looked, and a black (symbolizing famine) horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “a quart of wheat for a denarius, and 3 quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine“. After the war and bloodshed of the first two horses, it would seem reasonable that there would be famine in the world. [My Bible says that 1 quart of wheat would be enough for only one person. 3 quarts of the less nutritious barley would be barely enough for a small family.] A denarius was basically how much a common laborer made in an entire day. In other words, you would work all day and barely make enough to feed your family for that day. Father thank You that no matter what happens in the world whether it’s a war or famine, You will continually take care of us.

   Good morning. Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a loud voice of thunder, “come“. I looked, and behold a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. [My Bible says the imagery of the four horsemen comes from Zechariah. The colors in Revelation correspond to the character of the rider; white symbolizes conquest.] The fact that he is carrying a bow seems to agree with that interpretation. When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “come“. And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. [My Bible says that red symbolizes bloodshed and war]. Father help us to remember that no matter what happens we are safe in Your hands.

   Good morning. Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads and thousands, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing“. And every created thing (we are born not created) which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever”. Can I get an amen? And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen“. And the elders fell down and worshiped. All of this was because the Lamb was found worthy to open the book! Next time we will see what happens when the Lamb starts breaking the seals that sealed up the book. Father we agree with all of these that the Lamb is worthy! Help us to live our lives so that we are worthy of Him.

   Good morning. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints (The book of Revelation is full of metaphors and things that have double meanings). Incense was used a lot in the worship of God. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests (KJV says kings and priests) to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.“ It cost a lot for Jesus to be found worthy to open the book. Father thank You that Jesus was/is worthy to open the book. Help us to also be found worthy as Your children.

   Good morning. No one was worthy… Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; and one of the elders said to me, stop weeping; the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals. I saw between the throne with the four living creatures and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. If the phrase seven Spirits of God, not only mentioned here but also earlier in the book, referred to the Holy Spirit, it would seem strange to me that He would be sent into the world. It would seem reasonable that seven other spirits would be sent into the world. As an interesting side-note, there are seven continents; though I think it would be hardly likely that Antarctica would need an entire spirit. We will see next time what happens when He opens the book. Father thank You that J...

   Good morning. I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. Of course it is not talking about a book like you and I read. It was a scroll. My Bible says that the fibers of a papyrus scroll run horizontally on the inside, which makes writing easier than on the reverse side where the fibers are vertical. Notice that it is sealed up with seven seals. My Bible says that that indicates absolute Inviolability. It’s not like the old days with envelopes where you could steam them open and hopefully nobody would know that you had looked at what was inside. Remember that they also put a seal on the tomb of Jesus so that they would know if anybody had gotten inside to steal His body. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals“? And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. Tomorrow we will ...

   Good morning. The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. In Ezekiel‘s vision his four creatures had four faces – human in front, lion on the right, ox on the left, and eagle behind. Back to John: each of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “holy, holy, holy is the Lord God the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.“ This is the part where they are worshiping God. And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the 24 elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne and will worship, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of your will they existed, and w...

   Good morning. Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. That sounds like God on Mt. Sinai in the book of Exodus. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits (spirits) of God (we talked about this previously); and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. John does not give us a definitive answer of what kind of creatures these are. From their description, they sound like the creatures in the book of Ezekiel. My Bible believes that they are an exalted order of angelic beings, not necessarily angels, whose task is to guard the heavenly throne and lead in worship and adoration of God. We will continue with their description next time. Father bring healing and deliverance to the reader and his/her family.

   Good morning. And now we switch from Jesus talking to John about the seven churches. After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things (The things happening to the seven churches?)“. This sounds like Paul being caught up into Paradise. Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. Around the throne were 24 thrones; and upon the thrones I saw 24 elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. This is a scene that will be repeated many times throughout the book, and which I will shorten the description in the future. Father continue to go with the reade...

   Good morning. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline (in Hebrews it says that God deals with us as with sons; but what son is there whom his father does not discipline?); therefore be zealous and repent. And now a verse that is normally used to bring sinners to repentance: behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He is talking to the church members, so they may or may not be unbelievers. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Remember Jesus told that church that they were lukewarm. If you are lukewarm, you do not want to be in the presence of Jesus; so you would not be willing to open the door to Him. Whether the appeal was to the believers or unbelievers, do not be reticent to open the door to Him. Father help us to be on fire for You!

   Good morning. We come to the last of the seven churches, Laodicea. The Amen, The faithful and true Witness, the Beginning [My Bible says that in Greek the word can mean either first in point of time or first in rank] of the creation (Jesus was not created, so I believe it means first in rank) of God says this: I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. While there are some things that are OK lukewarm, most foods or drinks are best when they are either hot or cold, and taste horrible if they are not what they are supposed to be. God can deal with us if we are “cold“, but if we are lukewarm, we refuse to respond to anything from Him. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing“, and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked; I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that...

   Good morning. I am coming quickly; hold fast (in a strong manner) what you have, so that no one will take your crown. When Jesus said “I am coming quickly“, does that mean soon or in a swift manner whenever He comes? Bibles translate it both ways. The word means swift, fleet, quick; metaphorically ready, prompt. That plus the fact that Jesus said, “I am coming like a thief”, seems to me to mean the manner in which He comes, not the time. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar (a pillar helps to support a building) in the temple of My God [My Bible says that all 16 references to the temple in the book of Revelation use the word that designates the inner shrine rather than the larger precincts. It is a place where God‘s presence dwells.], and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. John will be talking about these thin...

   Good morning. The next sentence begins with the word “because”, which kind of supports my assertion from the previous lesson about how that sentence should be punctuated. Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I will also keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. My Bible says the phrase “keep you from“; that the Greek for this phrase can mean either keep you from undergoing or keep you through the hour of testing. Is it talking about the great tribulation or something less? In relationship to all of time, the great tribulation is “just an hour“. That particular church has been gone for centuries, so that would seem to indicate a lesser tribulation. However, it does say the whole world will undergo an hour of testing which seems to indicate the great tribulation. But all of this could have double meaning – one for that particular church with a lesser tribulation, and another fo...

   Good morning. Philadelphia (City of brotherly love): He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David (Jesus was the Son of David), who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: I know your deeds. I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, (to me it seems like there should be a period instead of a comma, and the word “because“ that follows should be capitalized as the beginning of the next sentence) because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan (that’s pretty harsh. He didn’t just say that they weren’t Jews; He said they were worshiping Satan), who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie – (because they have a little power…) I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. He’s not going to just let it slide. He’s going to rub their noses in the fact that they were not the true Jews. Jesus help us ...

   Good morning. Continuing: you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white (that is the way the redeemed are described throughout the book of Revelation), for they are worthy. We can never say that we are worthy of anything; but He can. He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and will confess his name before My Father and before His angels (Jesus said the same thing in relation to confessing or denying Him). [My Bible says that the book of life was first mentioned in the book of Exodus. It was a register of all citizens in the kingdom community. To have one’s name erased from this book would indicate loss of citizenship.] Note that you cannot have your name erased unless it is already written there. Does that mean you can lose your salvation? Perhaps there is some other explanation. Father help us to not soil our garments. Jesus, help us to always con...

   Good morning. Now we come to the church in Sardis (it was a city of great wealth and fame): He who has the seven Spirits of God (we talked about this in chapter 1) and the seven stars, says this: I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. One of the worst things for a church is to be thought of as doing great deeds for God, when in fact as a church you are dead. It’s not what you do, but who you are that matters. If you are who you are supposed to be, you will do what you’re supposed to do. So what does God tell them? Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain; which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. When they started out, they were doing great things; but they have slacked off and have not finished what God had for them to do. God’s remedy – remember what you have received and heard; and keep it; and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not k...

   Good morning. But I say to you, the rest who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them – I place no other burden on you. [My Bible says that the later Gnosticism taught that in order to defeat Satan one had to enter his strongholds, i.e., experience evil deeply. This is more than the tactic of going to places where sinners are in order to bring them to Christ.] Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; And he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the Morning Star. Father help us to not get arrogant and think we know all of the “lesser things“ of Christianity so that we turn to the deep things of the enemy.

   Good morning. I gave her (Jezebel) time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. We are all the time wanting God to bring judgment upon people that we believe are evildoers; but He is patient, giving them time to repent. If we were the ones doing wrong, we would want Him to give us all the time in the world. Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery (it may or may not have been physical adultery) with her into great tribulation (not The Great Tribulation), unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children (not physical children) with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. We will finish this church next time. Father thank You for taking care of the reader and his/her family. Continue blessing and protecting them from all harm.

   Good morning. To the angel of the church in Thyatira (it had many trade guilds): the Son of God, Who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. Now that sounds like a church that you would want to go to. But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel (unlikely that was her real name; [My Bible says that she undermined loyalty to God by promoting tolerance toward pagan practices]), who calls herself a prophetess (as I’ve said before, there are many people even today that call themselves apostles or prophets), and she teaches and leads my bond servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. Even in the Old Testament it warns against people claiming to be prophets: even if something comes true, if their deeds do not match the word of God, have no regard...

   Good morning. Continuing: You are also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth (remember that at the beginning of His word to this church He said He was the one who has the sharp two edged sword). To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna (remember that Jesus is the Bread of Life), and I will give him a white stone, and a new name (Isaiah 62:2 says: And you will be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord will designate) written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it. [My Bible says that certain kinds of stones were used as tokens for various purposes.] Father thank You that You will give us a new name and a white stone with that new name written on it.

   Good morning. Pergamum: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this: “I know where are you dwell, where Satan’s throne is (Pergamum was the official center of emperor worship in Asia), and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas (first martyr of Asia), My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you (tradition says he was slowly roasted to death), where Satan dwells. Now the bad – I have a few things against you, because you have some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. That was the incident where Moses broke the two stone tablets upon which God wrote the 10 Commandments. We’ll see tomorrow what else God had against them. Father help us to hold fast Your name and to not deny Your faith even in times of stress in the world.

   Good morning. And to the angel of the church in Smyrna (I forgot to mention this on the last church; these may or may not be literal angels - you don’t write letters to angels) write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this: I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. That’s pretty harsh. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation (probably not The Great Tribulation) for 10 days (in other words, a short time). Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death. We will see what Jesus means by the second death when we get to chapter 20. Father help us to be faithful unto death and to not fear those who or what comes against us.

   Good morning. … have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen (does not necessarily mean that they “lost their salvation“. It does mean that they went from living on a high level down of faith and sanctification to an extremely low level.), and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I’m coming to you and remove your lampstand out of its place – unless you repent. Remember that the lampstand represented the church. Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans (they compromised with the pagan society and thought they had liberty to practice idolatry and immorality), which I also hate. That sounds like a lot of Christians today. They compromise with the people of the world and do the same things that the world does. He who overcomes (with all the pressure to behave just like the people of the world, you do have to overcome the pressure to do the same), I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of ...

 Good morning. To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands says this: I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles (you don’t accept everyone who says they are an apostle or evangelist or teacher), and they are not, and you found them to be false (Paul said that he showed the signs of a true apostle by miracles etc.); and you have perseverance for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. That’s good news; here’s the bad. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. All the good works in the world cannot compensate for turning away from your true love – Jesus. Tomorrow we will see what else Jesus says about them. Father help us to never leave our first love, but to wholly and truly embrace Him. Below is a map of the location of the seven churches of Revelat...

   Good morning. … Placed His right hand on me, saying, “do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore (so He is not like the founders of other religions who are long dead and buried), and I have the keys of death and Hades (so we need not fear either one of them anymore). Several times throughout the book Jesus says similar things about Himself. Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. Some of them were current for John’s days, and others still have not taken place. As for 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 are the seven churches. Tomorrow we will continue with what Jesus said to John. Father thank You that You have control over death and Hades. We have nothing to fear from them....

   Good morning. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze and His voice like the sound of many waters. This description is reminiscent of appearances to Ezekiel and Daniel. In His right hand He held seven stars and out of His mouth came a sharp two edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me. Later in the book, John falls at the feet of an angel who says “don’t do that“. This person doesn’t say that, meaning that He deserves that respect – which suggests that it is Jesus and not an angel. Tomorrow we will see what He says. Father thank You for all that You have done for us. Continue guiding and protecting us from all harm.

   Good morning. Now we look at the setting in which this was written: I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day (so it was on Sunday, and he was “having church“), and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, “write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches to Ephesus and to …“ Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven (seven was a very important number in the Bible) golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man (it doesn’t have an article in front of “son of man“, so in Greek it normally means “a” son of man - that is, a human not “the“ Son of Man, but in context it most certainly was Jesus), clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. Father bring healing and deliverance to the reader and his/her family.

   Good morning. Behold, He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. Even Jesus said that He, the Son of Man, was coming on the clouds. Since every eye, including those who pierced Him, will see Him, then it is not the “secret coming, or Rapture” that many talk about. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.“ John just said this in verse four. I, John (this reaffirms that it was John that wrote it), your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. My Bible says that it was a small rocky island in the Aegean Sea and probably served as a Roman penal settlement. So now we know where all of this took place and tomorrow we will find out the setting when it took place. ...

 Good morning.… Seven spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead (if there is a firstborn, then there are others – us), and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood. It took His blood; nothing else was adequate. There are some groups that dismiss this requirement. They say that we have a “bloody” religion; but it was the blood of Jesus that was necessary for everything from God.  Not only has He released us from our sins: and He has made us to be a kingdom (The King James version translates it as kings), priests to His God and Father – to Him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Father thank You that the blood of Jesus released us from our sins and made us to be a kingdom of priests to You.

   Good morning.… Seven spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead (if there is a firstborn, then there are others – us), and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood. It took His blood; nothing else was adequate. There are some groups that dismiss this requirement. They say that we have a “bloody“ religion; but it was the blood of Jesus that was necessary for everything from God.  Not only has He released us from our sins: and He has made us to be a kingdom (The King James version translates it as kings), priests to His God and Father – to Him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Father thank You that the blood of Jesus released us from our sins and made us to be a kingdom of priests to You.

   Good morning. Today we start the book of Revelation. This is a book that many Christians either avoid like the plague, or delve into continuously to try to discover what the end times will bring, and when certain things will happen. We should avoid both extremes. While it is a book that new believers will not benefit greatly from, they should, after a time, read it. Some of the things were current when John wrote them. The majority of it is for the end times, which many Christians believe we are in today. Some things have double meaning – both for when they were written, and also throughout history that followed. I am assuming that all of you have heard of “the Apocalypse“. Apocalypse is simply the Greek word for revelation. The book begins with: the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond servant John. This opening verse tells us the purpose ...

   Good morning. Have mercy on some, who are doubting (possibly those who have been deceived by these apostates); save others, snatching them out of the fire (possibly those who have gone so far down the rabbit hole that there seems like there’s no way out); and on some have mercy with fear, heating even the garment polluted by the flesh. And an extremely important verse: now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy. That is awesome beyond belief! He can even keep us from stumbling. It is one thing to “sneak in the back door of heaven“, but it is something else that here on earth He can keep us from failing to live the Christian life. Here is our collective exultation: to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen! That is the end of the book of Jude. Next time we begin (wait for it) the book of Reve...

   Good morning. But you ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts“. [My Bible says that the Greek for this phrase indicates that the apostles continually and repeatedly warned that such godless apostates would come.] These (the ones we talked about last time) are the ones who cause divisions, worldly minded, devoid of the Spirit (that would indicate that they were not Christians). Instead of that - But you, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, (how?) praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. Father help us to do as Paul says, “pray without ceasing“ in the Holy Spirit, like Jude says.

   Good morning. These men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds, … for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever. They pretended to be a part of the believers, but they had ulterior motives. What they showed to the other members of the church was not their true selves. Their punishment is very strong. These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage. This last item is a technique that many deceivers use. They flatter people, telling them how great (in this case a Christian) they are. The listeners will then accept things that they normally would not. Father help us to listen to words from You no...

   Good morning. Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming (possibly claiming to have a revelation through a dream), defile the flesh, and reject authority (they hold to what their dreams says, rather than listening to those in authority in the church), and revile angelic majesties (there are even some today who “take authority over“ angels and other powers in the heavens). But Michael the Archangel, when he disputed with the Devil and argued about the body of Moses (this is not mentioned in the Old Testament; but could be from one of the books of the apocrypha), did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “the Lord rebuke you!“. The implication is that, if Michael did not personally rebuke the devil, neither should they. Father it is You and You alone who has authority over the enemy. You said that we should pray that You would keep us from the power of the evil one, and so we do for the reader and his/her family.

   Good morning. Possibly as a warning: now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. Just because God brought them out of Egypt, it did not mean that they would be able to enter the promised land. Also it says that they did not believe. Of course some will say that that example shows that you can lose your salvation. Not all who came out of Egypt were believers, at least not in Moses. And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day. There are varying views on what that means, some of which sound like science fiction. Jude then talks about Sodom and Gomorrah. These indulged in gross immorality and are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. Father help us to not fall away from believing in You and what You...

   Good morning. Today we begin the book of Jude. He does not claim to be Jesus’  brother; but he says he is the brother of James - accepted as the brother of Jesus. While I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. It sounds like people were arguing against what Christians believed and were trying to portray salvation as something different. We are not to lie down and let people trample all over our beliefs. Certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. This sounds like what is known as “greasy grace“. You can do whatever you want because God will forgive you through His grace. Father thank You that while Your grace is all encompassing; i...

   Good morning. Today we begin third John - A letter of encouragement to Gaius. I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. Here John is not just talking about financial prosperity. That by itself is useless, as Jesus taught about several times. John commends him on his behavior towards other believers. John mentions an individual in the church who loves to be first among the members and does not accept what John says. If I come, I will call attention to his deeds, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who desire to do so; and puts them out of the church. Do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God (just like he said in first John). This is the end of third John. Father, just like John, I pray that in all respects the reader may prosper and be in good health, just as his...

   Good morning. Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ (my Bible says that most likely it is not the teachings that Christ gave, but rather the teachings about the Christ that refute Gnosticism), does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive them into your house (my Bible says this means do not let them stay with you if they are teaching the wrong things about the Christ i.e. Gnosticism), and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds That is the end of second John. Father thank You that we can have confidence in Your Word’s teaching about Jesus; who He is and what He did for us.

   Good morning. Today we begin second John. He writes to “the chosen lady and her children“. My Bible says that it could be to an actual woman or to a church and its members. He talks about the commandment that we love one another, just like he did in first John. And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. Once again a statement against Gnosticism: for many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Father continue to go with the reader and his/her family, blessing them richly every day.

   Good morning. Remember that one of the key tenets of Gnosticism is knowing. We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. That is obvious if you look at the situation around you objectively. The people of the world are getting worse and worse. We know that the Son of God has come (again against Gnosticism), and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God (my Bible says that it could either be talking about the Father or the Son) and eternal life. As a Christian, we are not dealing with good platitudes, but with the person of Jesus Christ. The result is eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols. We are not concerned about idols that are statues. We are concerned about things or ideas that take first place in our hearts, instead of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the end of First John. Father thank You that we can know Jesus...

   Good morning. John then says that if you see a brother committing a sin not leading to death, you should ask and God will give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death. It is not clear exactly what sin he was talking about. It could be that the sin leading to death was the denying that Jesus is the Son of God. We know that no one who is born of God sins (doesn’t mean never sins); but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. That is definitely awesome! We will finish the epistle next time. Father thank You that Jesus keeps us, and the evil one does not touch us.

   Good morning. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God (he is writing to believers, not unbelievers), so that you may know that you have eternal life. Some Christians go through their entire lives flip-flopping back-and-forth between believing they are saved and believing they are not saved. This says that you can have confidence that you are saved. What is one of the really great results of this? This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will (that is key – you don’t get just any old thing that you ask for), He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. That is awesome! It also reminds us of Mark 11. Father thank You that we can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we have eternal life, and that whatever we ask You, we shall receive!

   Good morning. The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. And what is that testimony? The testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. Too many times Christians get hung up on something that a nonbeliever does or says. They go after them vigorously, trying to convince them that what they do or say is wrong. This says that we should be concentrating not on what the person says or does, but on the question – do they have the Son, Jesus Christ. That is what is most important. It is our job to catch the fish – it is the Holy Spirit‘s job to clean them. Father thank You that we have the Son, and hence, have eternal life!

   Good morning. Speaking of Jesus: this is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. There is disagreement about what this means. Many say that the blood refers to the cross and the water refers to the water baptism of Jesus. When that happened, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus, and thus testified that He was the Messiah, the Son of God. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son (“this is My Beloved Son. Hear ye Him”. John was there when this happened). There are other beliefs about what the water, the Spirit, and the blood mean. Whatever they mean, Father we thank You for testifying that Jesus is Your Son.

   Good morning. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. Here is something exciting: for whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. We are over-comers. It is difficult to overcome many things; but to overcome the world is astonishing! The world is implanted upon us from birth. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Again, this goes against Gnosticism. But you say, “that is something from ages ago; it has no affect on me today“. There are many different religions that say that they are the way to God; but Christianity is the only one that says that Jesus is the Son of God. Father thank You that we are born of You and have overcome the world!

   Good morning. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,“ and hates his brother, he is a liar (liar, liar, pants on fire); for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom He has not seen. As we said before, people generally do not love someone that they have not seen. And this commandment (not a suggestion) we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. Here is another litmus test: whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God (this reiterates a verse from a few days ago, and from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians), and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. You can’t help yourself. If you truly love God, you will also love your fellow believers. That does not mean that you won’t have disagreements with them. All families have disagreements; but when the chips are down, they stay together. Father we believe that Jesus is the Messiah and ask that You manifest Your lov...

   Good morning. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world (not just when we go to heaven, but while we are still here on earth). One of the greatest tools of the devil is the fear of having to face judgment after death. If you are uncertain about your standing with God, he can manipulate you into doing things that he wants instead of what God wants. Instead – there is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. Are you confident in what will happen to you on the day of judgment? If not, you are not perfected in love. Father help the reader to be perfected in love so that he/she will have confidence in the day of judgment.

   Good morning. We may not have seen but John: we have seen (John actually did see Jesus) and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. (This is going back to the verse that we just read the other day.) We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. “all you need is love, Love – love is all you need“. Father help the reader to experience Your love completely every day in his/her life.

   Good morning. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. God made the first move. It could have been like a boy giving a box of candy to a girl for Valentine’s Day, and she rejects him. Sadly, a lot of people in the world do that very thing to God. If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Like Father, like child. No one has seen God at any time (we humans generally do not love someone if we have not seen them); if we love one another (this is the evidence), God abides in us and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit (and it is this Spirit that generates the love for one another). Father help us to act on this love that You have given us for one another.

   Good morning. A Valentine’s Day message from John: Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Can’t you imagine one of those little candy hearts with a message on it – love one another? The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. The word “is“ does not mean equality. Just because God is love does not mean that love is God. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Christianity is the only belief system (it’s not a religion) that says that God sent His Son to die for us. Jesus was God’s valentine to us. Father thank You that not only can we experience Your love, but also we can express it to other believers.

   Good morning. And now one of our favorite verses: you are from God and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. The voice of Christianity gets drowned out by the voice of the world because it is saying what the world wants to hear. On the other hand: we are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. The world loudly and dramatically says, “listen to us!“; Those from God quietly and effectively speak God’s Word – the word of truth. Next time we will look at the perfect Valentine’s Day passage. Father thank You that we have heard Your Word, the word of truth, and it has done its work in us.

   Good morning. So how do we know whether or not it is the Holy Spirit or another spirit? By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God (I Corinthians 12:3 - no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed“; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,“ except by the Holy Spirit.); this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming and now it is already in the world. [My Bible says that by the statement “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh“, John excludes the Gnostics who taught that the divine Christ came upon the human Jesus at His baptism and then left Him at the cross so that it was only the man Jesus who died.] Father thank You that we have the Holy Spirit in us confessing that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.

   Good morning. ... Whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments… This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another just as He commanded us. It’s not one or the other – it’s both. And the results – the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him (are you keeping His commandments?), and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. Here is the litmus test – is the Holy Spirit dwelling in you? If so, then He abides in you. Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God (this sounds like the beginning of first Corinthians chapter 12), because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Just because someone says, “the saith the Lord…“, does not mean that they are speaking from God. Father thank You for Your Spirit dwelling in us. Help us to keep Your commandments.

  Good morning. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Sometimes Christians feel like they have done something wrong or don’t love their fellow believers. They go around condemning themselves. But God knows that we really meant to do the best. However, when we feel bad about something, there’s a good possibility we really did do something wrong. If our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him (that is astounding), because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. Most of the time our heart is a good indicator of whether we have done well or not. Next time we will see what commandment John is talking about. Father whenever our heart condemns us, help us to seek You to find out if there is something we have done wrong.

   Good morning. We all love, but exactly what does John mean by love? We know love by this, that He lay down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. That is a true demonstration of love. Whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? That’s a good question. James asks virtually the same thing in his letter. Love, when talking about God‘s love, is an action verb. It is not touchy-feely – it is doing something for a brother or sister in need. In other words – let us not love with words or with tongue, but in deed and truth. Father help us to show the same love towards our fellow believers in Christ as Jesus did for us when He laid down His life for us.

   Good morning. So, how does John tie together not practicing righteousness and not loving your brother together? This is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. When you practice sin, you despise/hate anyone who practices righteousness. Most people, however, do not resort to murder when this happens. The end result of practicing righteousness – do not be surprised if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. That is the litmus test. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. That’s really strong – to call them a murderer. Father help us to love our fellow Christians even as You loved us.

   Good morning. The one who practices sin is of the devil (uh-oh SpaghettiOs); for the devil has sinned from the beginning. No one who is born of God practices (in Greek this is indicated by the tense of the verb) sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. Remember that we are not talking about a one time sin. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor (can be translated even) the one who does not love his brother. The first is obvious; the second is not. John is going to tie these two together next time. Father thank You that when we allow You to control our lives, we practice righteousness and not sin.

   Good morning. Everyone who practices (doing) sin also practices (does) lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. It’s not the idea of a one time thing; it’s a repetitive doing sin. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Again this is not a one time sin. John is not talking about the concept of sinless perfection. Make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. Just like with sin, this is not a one time doing of righteousness. We are talking about a lifestyle of either doing sin or doing righteousness. Father thank You that we can live a life of righteousness just like Jesus did.

   Good morning. Now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. Isn’t that something amazing to be looking forward to – to be like Jesus? And what should the result be: everyone who has this hope (confident expectation) fixed on Him purifies himself just as He is pure. If we want to be like Jesus when He comes, should we not act like Him before He comes? Father thank You that we will be like Jesus when He returns. Help us to purify ourselves before He comes.

   Good morning. Abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. This happens in the natural. People will say bad things about some leader when he/she is not there; but when he/she shows up, they feel shame at having disparaged his/her name. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him. If we are born of God, we should be exhibiting His characteristics; namely, righteousness. See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us because they did not know Him. The world cannot truly know us, if they do not know the Father. Father thank You that we are like You. When the world sees us, they see You.

   Good morning. This is the promise which He Himself made to us; eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. He mentioned earlier those who went out from them, but were not really of them – who were trying to deceive them. As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. [My Bible says that John is not ruling out human teachers. At the time when he wrote, however, gnostic teachers were insisting that the teaching of the apostles was to be supplemented with the “higher knowledge“ that they the Gnostics claimed to possess.] When someone is not grounded in the Bible, he or she can easily be deceived by a bunch of “righteous” sounding words to believe things that are not true. The anointing of the Holy Spirit will either confirm or ref...

   Good morning. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. (here comes another litmus test) Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; The one who confesses the Son has the Father also. There are numerous religious groups who say they believe in God, but they deny that Jesus was the Son of God. They say that there is more than one way to God. As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. Father help us to abide in what we have heard in Your Word.

   Good morning. If you invest your life in the things of the world – the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. Investing your life in the temporary things of the world results in temporary satisfaction. It is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist (The one and only) is coming, even though many antichrists (ones who oppose Christ) have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. It is one of the signs of the end times. They went out from us (they were a part of the church), but they were not really of us (seems to imply that they were not true believers); for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. Too many people say that they belong to a particular church, but they’re not really believers. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. With the anointing of the Holy Spirit within us, we sh...

  Good morning. A very important admonition – do not love (agape, not phileo) the world nor the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Of course John is not talking about the people of the world, but rather the world system and all of the things that the people of the world go crazy over having. And why not? For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The things of the world generate sinful desires. If you go back to where the devil tempted Jesus after His 40 days in the wilderness, you will find that the three temptations fit these three things that John just listed - lust of the flesh (turn these stones to bread), lust of the eyes (I will give You all these kingdoms of the world), and the boastful pride of life (God will not allow His Son to suffer harm). Jesus also faced the same three temptations on the cross. Father...

   Good morning. The one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness… the darkness has blinded his eyes. I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one (just like in the “Lord’s prayer“, it literally says in Greek the evil). I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. … have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Father thank You that Your Word abides in us, and we have overcome the evil one!

   Good morning. The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old one which you have had from the beginning. On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you (in the gospel of John, he records that Jesus said, “a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you; by this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another), which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The way we act reveals how we truly believe. So, how do we know we are in the Light? The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. Father help us to walk in the Light, loving our fellow believers.

   Good morning. By this we know that we have come to know Him (want to know how you can tell if you have come to know Jesus – John is about to tell you), if we keep His commandments. I bet you weren’t expecting that. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,“ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. That is the litmus test. But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him. If you know Jesus and have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, you should be keeping God’s word. If we truly love someone, we want to do things that please them - why not God? Father help us to keep Your word and show that Your love has truly been perfected in us.

   Good morning. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. The following lengthy comment is from my Bible. [Propitiation refers to turning away God‘s wrath. God‘s holiness demands punishment for man’s sin. God therefore out of love sent His Son to make substitutionary atonement for the believer’s sin. In this way the Father’s wrath is propitiated (satisfied or appeased).] The mercy seat on the ark of the covenant was also known as the propitiatory. Once a year the high priest on the day of atonement applied the blood of an animal sacrificed to the mercy seat to make atonement for the sins of the people. The Father did it for us once for all time (made propitiation) through the blood of Jesus. Father thank You that You did that for us, and we don’t have to sacrifice animals continually to make atonement for our sins.