Daily Inspirations

  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 Jesus, ...

  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 were cr...

  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 reader and his/he...

  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 you m...

  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 things aga...

  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 for the ...

  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 to kee...

  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 confess Y...

  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 know at...

  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 for t...

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 God. F...

  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 Revela...

  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. Father...

  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.… John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ even to all that he saw. So John saw all of what is about to follow. It was probably a vision and not a dream; but it could’ve been either. It was written during a time when things were really bad for Christians, during a great persecution. I’m sure there were a lot of Christians that thought that this was the end, when Jesus was going to return. Blessed is he who reads (not everyone had a Bible like today’s Christian) and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near. Some of the things were near to our way of thinking, but others still have not happened, and that was 2000 years ago when John wrote this. First some words about things that were “near“. John to the seven churches that are in Asia (my Bible says they were about 50 miles apart): grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the sev...

  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 of the...

  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 Revelation...

  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 not from...