People – DON’T BE FRIGHTENED BY THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION! So many people get a LITTLE WEIRD WITH THIS BOOK! To many people, the Book of Revelation:

1. Is a Book of DRAGONS, AND BEASTS, AND CREEPY-CRAWLY CREATURES!

2. Is a book of THINGS THAT GO BOOGEY, BOOGEY, AND BUMP IN THE NIGHT!

3. Is a book of TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO ANTI-CHRIST IS:

a. I remember many years ago, some determined it was HENRY KISSINGER while he was Sec’y of State.

b. Others earlier in history determined it was Mussolini, the Italian Flash in the pan.

-Poor Henry! He really got it from everywhere! Fortunately for the Mussolini theologian, he sold his book before Mussolini died!

-No, No, No, the Book of Revelation is not about DRAGONS, BEASTS, HENRY KISSINGER, OR FOR THAT MATTER BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA. The Book of Revelation is not first of all about ANTICHRIST, if it was I wouldn’t bother with it. The book of Revelation, rather, Praise God, is ABOUT JESUS CHRIST.

-It is not THE MONSTER SATAN that has the leading role in REVELATION, it is the MASTER JESUS. Christianity is CHRIST-CENTERED, not man-centered, not devil-centered. It is CHRISTOCENTRIC or it is nothing at all.

4. We read in Rev. 1:1 about the clear purpose of Revelation:

“THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, WHICH GOD GAVE

TO HIM, TO SHOW HIS BOND-SERVANTS.”

-Note clearly that Revelation is written to Christ’s BOND-SERVANTS, that is, those who are totally bonded to and sold out to Jesus Christ. Bond-servants in the Jewish economy were willingly pierced in their ears as a binding oath that they would only have ears for their master – that is, they would only take orders from him and from no one else. Only Christ’s bond-servants will receive understanding, hope, and guidance from this book, no one else. Only those who BOW BEFORE THE LAMB ON THE THRONE AND WHO HAVE EARS FOR NO ONE ELSE BUT JESUS, WILL RECEIVE FROM HIM WHO SITS ON THE THRONE. It is written to the bond-servants of King Jesus!

-But let’s right from the beginning strip Revelation of all gargoyles and gremlins as the main characters. There are enough sick and creepy movies on the market without turning the Book of Revelation into just another Friday The 13^th.

-A lot of religious people view Revelation like children who are afraid of a the dark, when the fact is, Revelation is flooded with light like this world has never known. In fact, when you read it, you had better put on your SON-GLASSES! Otherwise you will not be able so see anything.

5. Finally by way of introduction – listen real good now:

“THE ULTIMATE OBJECT OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH IS NOT REVELATION,

RATHER, THE ULTIMATE OBJECT OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH IS THE

REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST.”

THE APOCALYPSES OF JESUS CHRIST

-THE GREEK NOUN FOR REVELATION IS APOCALYPSES:

1. Means TO UNCOVER SOMETHING TO ITS FULLNESS!

2. Means to DRAW ASIDE A CURTAIN, A VEIL FOR ALL TO SEE!

SO THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION:

1. Is a GLORIOUS UNVEILING, LIFTING UP THE CURTAIN ON JESUS CHRIST.

2. And if you come to it LOOKING FOR SOMEONE ELSE, YOU WILL MISS THE WHOLE THING. Lots of folks, when it comes to Revelation, feast on hors d’oeuvres rather than the main course.

3. But when you come to it LOOKING FOR JESUS CHRIST, you will see Him as you never saw Him before.

4. Oh My Oh My Oh My!!! When they had pounded the last nail into His body and put down their hammers, they thought that they were done with Him for good. Wait ‘til they get a good look at Him now!!! THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST!!!

5. More and more, the world’s movies mock the Christian and the Christian’s God. They try to make the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity look like the Three Stooges. Wait until they get a good look at the stunning Lamb of God reigning upon the Throne of Heaven one day. Who will be the stooges then?

6. When we see Jesus revealed in REVELATION, we will more and more realize that when it comes to Jesus Christ, we all have a whole lot of serious catching up to do.

7. True, Jesus Christ is presented in ways that are as mysterious as they are revelational. I am reminded when Jesus confronted Nicodemus, a great Rabbi amongst the Jews, and told him that, “You must be born again.” Nicodemus was for the moment lost in a mystery, and asked the question, “How can these things be?” I appreciate his question, for:

“HE SAID NO MORE THAT WHAT THE HEARTS OF MOST MEN ARE APT

TO SAY CONCERNING MOST THE OF THE REVELATION OF JESUS

CHRIST – GOD BECOME MAN BY A VIRGIN  AND NOW

REIGNING IN  HEAVEN AS A SLAIN DEAR

LITTLE LAMB.”

8. Welcome to the world of wonders of Him who the Bible names WONDERFUL-FULL OF WONDERS.

THE WORSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST

And, because it is such A FULL REVELATION OF WHO JESUS REALLY IS, it should not surprise anyone that REVELATION IS A BOOK OF THE PRAISE AND WORSHIP OF JESUS!

-Frankly, the BOOK IS FULL OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP:

1. There is SONG, UPON SONG, UPON SONG, UPON SONG!

2. There is WORSHIP ATTITUDE AND POSTURE UPON  WORSHIP ATTITUDE AND POSTURE.

3. WORSHIP, PRAISE is based ON THE KNOWLEDGE, THE REVELATION, THE APOCALYPSES, OF JESUS CHRIST!

4. AND BECAUSE OF THE GLORIOUS FULL KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST IN HEAVEN, THERE IS THE GLORIOUS FULL PRAISE AND WORSHIP that has never been seen or heard before!

-Revelation reads like a MUSICAL DRAMA interwoven with astonishing war stories and breathtaking victory celebrations in Heaven! No matter how much you understand or don’t understand, one soon finds himself irresistibly joining in the MUSICAL too. The Sound of Music was never like this! There never has been a MUSICAL like this one, and there never will be again.

-It is obvious throughout:

“REVELATION GIVES US A HEAVENLY RULE WHEN IT COMES TO THE WORSHIP

OF THE LORD, AND THAT IS THAT THE TRUE HEART OF WORSHIP

IS CHIEFLY EXPRESSED IN SUNG PRAISES TO OUR GOD.”

-If we do not get that from Revelation, we really get nothing. Prayer is not any longer the language of Heaven, ETERNAL PRAISE IS. It is the eternal calling of the glorified! Yes,

“ON EARTH THE PEOPLE OF GOD WERE TO BE CONSTANTLY PRAYING,

AND NOW IN HEAVEN THEY ARE TO BE CONSTANTLY PRAISING.”

Hear it good:

“ONLY EARTH’S UNCEASING PRAY-ERS BECOME HEAVEN’S UNCEASING PRAISERS.”

THE REVELATION OF THE “NOW CHRIST”

And more than all of this, it’s A BOOK OF WHO CHRIST IS NOW, RIGHT NOW, THIS MOMENT AND FOREVER:

1. The O.T. prophets, pointed forward to Jesus Christ coming!

2. The Gospels, they basically reveal Jesus as He lived on this earth!

3. In the REVELATION, WE SEE JESUS AS HE IS, NOW REIGNING, AS HE IS NOW!

4. So, the PRAISE AND WORSHIP OF THE LAMB IS WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW IN HEAVEN this very moment! The musical is NOW PLAYING IN HEAVEN. BROADWAY never had it this good! It is the longest running MUSICAL-DRAMA that the world has ever known. IT IS ALWAYS HAPPENING IN HEAVEN IN THE ETERNAL NOW.

5. You will see Jesus Christ eternally up to date! You are there! Now! The Door of Heaven is open now. Come on in!

6. Oh Yes, see him as he is now:

“HE WAS PUNISHED WITH A CROWN OF THORNS FOR OUR SINS, BUT NOW

HE WEARS FOREVER THE CROWN OF ETERNAL KINGSHIP IN

THE GLORIES OF HEAVEN.”

7. And by the way:

“WHO ARE WE TO THINK THAT UNLIKE OUR LORD, WE ARE TO LIVE

DELICIOUSLY IN THIS WORLD, AS WELL AS GLORIOUSLY IN

THE NEXT; TO WALK UPON PATHS OFTHORNLESS

ROSES HERE TO MANSIONS OF ETERNAL

HAPPINESS THERE?”

-That is the falsehood and junk that church people are being taught in the apostate church throughout the world today.

THE REVELATION IN SIGNS

-True, this Book of the Revelation has a lot of HARD, STRANGE LANGUAGE IN IT! We read in Rev. 1:1 KJV,

“GOD SENT AND SIGNIFIED IT (this book) BY HIS ANGEL

UNTO HIS SERVANT JOHN.”

-THE WORD “SIGNIFIED” MEANS THIS:

1.The Revelation was given by “SIGNS”, signified, symbols, symbolized! The Revelation was communicated by SIGNS, SYMBOLS, that’s how it came. The Revelation is IN A CODE LANGUAGE, A LAMB RIDING ON A WHITE HORSE, sounds like a circus act. When John the Apostle received the REVELATION, he had been carried away by the Holy Spirit on the Lord’s Day. When you read it, ask the Holy Spirit to help you SIGN IN, or else you will surely SIGN OUT IN FRUSTRATION.

2. It will open even more to you if you SING ALONG WITH THE GREATEST GEM OF SUNG-LITERATURE IN ALL OF THE WORLD. YOU MIGHT THEN BE CARRIED AWAY BY THE HOLY SPIRIT TOO. I strongly recommend that you not only read Revelation, but that you sing it too. It will help you be there!

3. The reason that it was SIGNIFIED, CODED IS THIS:

-Christians at this time were under terrible PERSECUTION!

-The Emperor at this time in the Roman Empire was DOMITIAN! Ever hear of him?

-And Domitian had a REAL EGO PROBLEM, he thought he was GOD! Drats, not another one! The guy was one of history’s REALLY SICK MENTAL CASES. They just keep popping up throughout history in positions of high authority unto the very day.

-The prefix of Domitian’s name ‘DOMI’ means ‘LORD.’ That is who he thought he was, and he would allow no competitors to his ‘LORDNESS.’ Domitian the Domi-nator!

-And anyone who didn’t worship him was BURNED, THROWN TO LIONS, BANISHED TO A HARD-LABOR ISLAND.

-God doesn’t stand for competitors either! When some little, finite, obnoxious pitiful ‘god of his own making’ rises up on earth, God takes notice! These god-players are irresistible targets for God. They always get a large rise out of God. Domitian was assassinated! DOMI WENT DOWN LIKE A DOMINO. ALL SELF-DEIFIED DOMIS ALWAYS GO DOWN HARD.

4. So then, If the Romans picked up REVELATION, UNCODED, and UNSIGNIFIED, and if they read that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, KING OF KINGS, MASTER, there wouldn’t have been one Christian left around! So it was CODED, but Christians by the Holy Spirit, are allowed to see it. In fact, a great blessing awaits the Churches, Christians that read it. Rev. 1:3,

“BLESSED IS HE THAT READETH, AND THEY THAT HEAR THE WORDS OF

THIS PROPHECY, AND KEEP THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE WRITTEN

THEREIN: FOR THE TIME IS AT HAND.”

THE SETTING OF REVELATION

a. The Setting is found in Rev. 4. The Apostle John says in Rev. 4:1-2,

“A DOOR WAS OPENED IN HEAVEN!”

This takes place in Heaven people, you are there! True, the entire history of the world unfolds before our bedazzled eyes in Revelation. It is far from a book of fantasy and magic and Never-Never-Land. It is as earthy and real as the Christian martyrs whose gospel shoes are stained with mud and blood throughout. But to understand what is really going on down here, you have to walk through Heaven’s door up there. That’s the deal!

b. A TRUMPET-LIKE VOICE SAID,

“COME IN, COME UP HITHER!”

-God Almighty, what an invitation, A VOICE THAT IS A TALKING TRUMPET. It was the first voice that he heard. I have never been greeted like that. I remember my first day in kindergarten, being greeted by the teacher who could see that many of us were scared out of our wits. Like the little boy who bolted for the door and freedom. His Mother had to drag him kicking and screaming back down the school corridor to his room. How about being greeted in Heaven with a pristine talking trumpet voice saying, “Come In, Come Up Higher!” I think this was the voice of God Himself, even as the Lord shall come for us with three awesome sounds: A SHOUT, THE VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL, AND THE TRUMPET OF GOD – all of them too signaling to us – COME UP HIGHER. 

-Dear God, if it wasn’t for the fact that John was in the Spirit of God, he too might have bolted for Heaven’s door. Right from the outset, it became clear for John that his was not going to be just another Lord’s Day. That leads us to our next point!

c. And John says HE WAS IN THE SPIRIT ON THE LORD’S DAY. (Revelation 1:10)! This is huge! We can’t be in the flesh either when we are in Revelation. If we are IN THE FLESH (unenlightened natural understanding), WE WILL NOT BE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOLY SPIRIT’S REVELATION, BUT WE WILL BE DEPORTED TO THE EVIL SPIRIT’S CONFUSIONS AND DECEPTIONS. It will all be gobbledygook. But if you are in the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is in you, the Revelation will open to you like a Japanese flower dropped into water. Otherwise, you enter at your own risk.

-Remember:

“IF ANYONE THINKS THAT HE CAN MAKE OUT THE BOOK OF REVELATION BY

BARE REASON, HE WILL BE ON A FUTILE MISSION TO EXPLAIN THINGS

THAT ARE, IN THE NATURAL,IMPOSSIBLE TO BE EXPLAINED.”

d. Remember:

“THE HOLY SPIRIT OF REVELATION ALONE GIVES A SPECIAL ILLUMINATION

THAT NOT ONLY GIVES THE LIGHT OF UNDERSTANDING, BUT ALSO

GIVES THE LIGHT OF CONVICTION.” 

-Yes, you don’t have to walk away from the Revelation CONFUSED, but rather CONVINCED. Indeed:

“THIS ENLIGHTENMENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN AND FOR HIS WORD,

IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST ATTAINMENTS OF THE SOUL ON THIS

SIDE OF SAVING GRACE.”

Hear it:

“THE ILLUMINATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT UPON THE HUMAN SOUL IS

ONE OF HIS GREATEST WORKS, WITHOUT WHICH WE WOULD BE

IN THE DARKNESS OF  NIGHT, WITHOUT THE RETURN

OF THE DAY.”

e. To be enlightened by God’s special light is talked about in Hebrews 6:4-5 in this way,

“…of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted

of the Heavenly gift and have been made partakers

of the Holy Spirit,”

“and have tasted of the good word of God and the powers of the

world to come….” 

Of course, there have always been, and still are today, those who think they have a corner on the Holy Spirit, and that they receive special enlightenment that the rest of the Body of Christ does not have. They are the self-declared ILLUMINATI, sons of THE ENLIGHTENMENT, who think they live in greater light than all of the rest. Watch out for them, for they will always lead you into deception and darkness, just like the popes of Roman Catholicism, who think they receive revelation that no one else receives. Welcome to the heresies of Purgatory and Mariolatry.

Listen now:

“THOSE THROUGHOUT CHURCH HISTORY WHO PURPORTED TO BE THE EXCLUSIVE

RECEIVERS OF TRUTH, THAT THE REST OF THE RIFF RAFT IN THE

BODY OF CHRIST DID NOT HAVE, MOST ALWAYS WERE THE

PROPONENTS OF UNTRUTH.”

THE STUNNING GLORY OF THE ENTHRONED ONE

Here briefly are some of the REALITIES THAT WERE SHOWN TO JOHN in Revelation 4:2-3,

1. John SAW A THRONE SET IN HEAVEN, AND ONE SAT ON THE THRONE!

2. And THE ONE WHO SAT UPON THE THRONE WAS LIKE A JASPER AND SARDIUS STONE:

-JASPER is a SHINING, TRANSPARENT, A RADIANT DIAMOND LIKE LIGHT!

-SARDIUS IS FIERY RED, and this is the LIGHT COMING FROM THE ONE ENTHRONED.

-And from Him on the THRONE COMES RADIANT LIGHT – Fiery Glory!

3. And, THERE WAS A CIRCULAR RAINBOW ROUND THE THRONE, EMERALD IN COLOR.

-It means A COMPLETE CIRCLE, LIKE SOME CELESTIAL, SOLAR, HALO!

-And, the COLOR WAS EMERALD, that is GREEN!

4. When you walk through Revelation, you are not WALKING ON SOME DISMAL, SPOOKY SIDE STREET IN DARK SHADOWS as some have purported. I have sensed from some people, after having been in the Revelation, that they report it as if they have been in a dark cave with swooshing bats. They are not in the Spirit, and have missed Revelation’s awesome glory.

-Those in the Holy Spirit are enabled to see that all of Heaven is outrageously and gloriously lit up in multi-colored splendor that is emanating from Him who sits on the throne. It would blind our flesh eyes, and can only be seen by Spirit eyes. If John had not seen it in the Holy Spirit, the glory-light might well have popped his eyeballs right out of his head. Heaven’s glory-light makes the Aurora Borealis look like candlelight.

-In fact, in Heaven there is no SUN, only the SON. In Heaven, THE FATHER IS THE LAMP, AND JESUS IS THE LIGHT. And we have not ever seen light like THE SONLIGHT ON THE THRONE.

5. And one eternal day without night, JESUS’ COMPLETED WAR BRIDE – THE REDEEMED CHURCH will bask in THE SONLIGHT forever. Unlike John, we will not be visiting Heaven for a WEEKEND, but FOREVER. But for now, she is Christ’s militant army fighting against godless forces all around her:

-A Christian couple in Oregon was forced to close their bakery very recently because they conscientiously objected to providing a cake for a same-sex wedding.

-Senior Master Sgt. Philip Monk, a 19 year Air Force veteran, was relieved of his duties after his openly lesbian commanding officer pressed him on is evangelical Christian views regarding same-sex marriage.

-A Mennonite couple, Dick and Betty Odgaard, are facing a suit from the Iowa Civil Rights Commission for declining to host a same-sex wedding at the gallery they own because it would violate their religious rights.

-This is only the tip of the iceberg of persecution that is well underway in America:

“RELIGIOUS RIGHTS OF CHRISTIANS ARE BEING SACRIFICED FOR THE RIGHTS

OF IMMORALITY AND PERVERSION.”

-We shall more and more discover the true War Bride of Jesus Christ and those who are religious in name only.

6. And note throughout:

-THE THRONE IN HEAVEN. The throne is not set on earth, it is set in heaven! We are looking upon THE CONTROLLING HALF OF THE UNIVERSE! In Revelation, John and we here are walking about IN CONTROL CENTRAL OF THE UNIVERSE! The Throne Room of the Universe in Heaven makes the White House and Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. look like outhouses, which they in fact have become today.

-Here we see DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY IN THE BOUNDLESSNESS OF HIS POWER. All the nations, all the armies of the whole earth are to God nothing but a drop in the bucket, or the small dust in the balance. I ask you:

“WHAT IS THE WORLD TO HIM THAT MADE THE WORLD?”

-Listen:

“ON THE THRONE OF HEAVEN IS THE ONE WHO BRINGS DOWN KINGDOMS AND

EMPIRES, DISPOSES OF CROWNS AND SCEPTERS, ALL WITH THE

BREATH OF HIS MOUTH.”

-Here we are:

“IN THE THRONE ROOM OF HEAVEN, AND SEATED ON THE THRONE IS THE

DIVINE POTENTATE COMPARED TO WHOM ALL EARTHLY RULERS IN

ALL OF HISTORY ARE NO MORETHAN IMPOTENT PIPSQUEAKS.”

THE GLORIFIED CHURCH AROUND THE THRONE

We are now in Revelation 4:4–

1. AROUND THE THRONE ARE 24 SEATS, AND THERE ARE GATHERED 24 elders with white apparel, as well as “Gold-Crowned.” This is the 12 tribes of Israel, the O.T. church of Glorified Believers reigning forever with Christ. And the 12 Apostles, which is the N.T. Church reigning with Christ forever. The 24 elders is a SHORT HAND FOR THE WHOLE CHURCH OF GOD! Here are the BELIEVERS IN GLORY, their garments washed white in the blood of Christ. What a sight! For this Jesus came, and for this Jesus died.

2. You see, MOST CHRISTIANS ARE ALREADY IN HEAVEN, seated in GOD’S HOLY, GLORY HUE! We are IN THE MINORITY ON EARTH, 20th Century and 21^st Century Christians. But, they all are there, CENTURIES OLD, CENTURIES NEW, ALL together around the THRONE OF GOD.

-What a glorious spectacle! Oh no, the church has never looked like this on earth. The earliest church was driven into caves, and holes, and rocks. That is the transcript of the ancient church. But here she IS AROUND THE THRONE, HEAVEN’S SUPREMELY ROYAL SOCIETY. I am instantly reminded of II Timothy 2:11-12,

“It is a trustworthy statement: for if we died with Him, we shall

also live with Him;

“If we endure, we SHALL ALSO REIGN WITH HIM; if we deny Him, He

shall also deny us.”

3. The Bible tells us that the numbers of the faithful around the throne cannot be numbered. HEAVEN’S REDEEMED ARE INNUMERABLE. So unlike earthly churches counting SUNDAY MORNING HEADS, forget it. You and I won’t have a clue as to what a MEGA-CHURCH really is until we get to Heaven. All churches on earth are MINI-CHURCHES compared to Heaven’s TRUE AND ONLY MEGA-CHURCH.

-I assure you:

“JOHN’S VISIT TO HEAVEN WAS NOT A COZY, GET-AWAY WEEKEND.”

-If that is your concept of Heaven, your cozy bubble will be popped as soon as you walk with John through Heaven’s Open Door. I would advise that you start fellowshipping with as many of God’s people down here, or otherwise, you will be in for total culture shock up there.

Listen:

“MANY ARE CALLED, BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN. SINCE THOSE IN HEAVEN ARE

NUMBERLESS, HOW MUCH MORE VAST MUST BE THE MAJORITY IN HELL

COMPARED TO THE MINORITY IN HEAVEN?”

THE WORSHIPING BEASTS

1. We move ahead to Revelation 4:8-11 in summary form,

“And JOHN SAW FOUR BEASTS, WITH EYES ALL OVER, AND WINGS,

CONSTANTLY SAYING, ‘HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY,

WHICH WAS, IS, AND IS TO COME!’”

-Suddenly we see THE VERY TOP OF GOD’S CREATION – THE ANGELS, here referred to as BEASTS. Unfortunate translation, for it really means LIVING CREATURES. These are not wild beasts referred to in other places of Revelation. These are angelic beings whose home is THE HIGHEST RESIDENCE – THE PLACE FOR GOD’S IMMEDIATE PRESENCE. We read the words of our Lord in Matthew 18:10,

“In heaven, their angels do always behold the face of My Father.”

-Their purpose is twofold. First, to be continually worshiping and speaking praises to God in the full brightness of His glory! Second, to execute God’s commands in the government of the whole world! Oh yes, they are supernaturally powerful. They are not effeminate things sitting on fluffy clouds playing harps. NO! They are Heaven’s heavyweights for sure. We read in II Kings 19:35 of one angel slaying 185,000 of the enemy of God’s people. What security for believers, over whom God puts His angels for protection in all their ways. This makes the Secret Service look like Barbie and Ken.

-They have WINGS. They are really fast. They can fly the vast spaces and the greatest distances in the twinkling of an eye. They are the real SUPER-ANGELS, FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET. There is NO AIR FORCE IN THE WORLD THAT CAN EVEN BEGIN TO MATCH GOD’S ANGELIC AIR FORCE. We get all spine-tingly when jets fly over a football stadium after the National Anthem. The ANGELIC AIR FORCE OF GOD MAKES MODERN DAY JETS LOOKS LIKE THE WRIGHT BROTHER’S KITTY HAWK ORIGINAL.

-FOUR BEASTS stand for the earth, 4 corners, north, south east, west! These are the angelic beings which the Prophet Isaiah saw around the throne! Eyes all over for AWARENESS EVERYWHERE, WINGS TO FLY AND CARRY OUT GOD’S COMMANDS quickly all over the world.

2. And, when they SAY HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, Who was, is, and is to come, THE CHURCH FALLS DOWN, AND CASTS ITS CROWNS BEFORE THE THRONE.

-And then the 24 0.T.-N.T. Church lets go with,

“THOU ART WORTHY 0 LORD TO RECEIVE GLORY, AND HONOR, AND POWER:

FOR THOU HAST CREATED ALL THINGS, AND FOR THY PLEASURE THEY

ARE AND WERE CREATED.” 

-God does not exist for us, but we exist for Him. Today, people are being taught in churches the exact opposite, that is, that God exists for us and not we for God. Where this flip-flop takes pace, Christianity and its God are replaced by a false religion in which God becomes nothing more or less than a GENIE IN A BOTTLE who exists to the do the bidding of the BOTTLE RUBBERS.

3. All in all, under another analogy, JESUS THE BRIDEGROOM GETS ALL OF THE ATTENTION AND APPLAUSE IN HEAVEN, NOT HIS REDEEMED BRIDE. If earth’s weddings really reflected Heaven’s wedding, the BRIDEGROOM WOULD COME DOWN THE CENTER AISLE WITH TRUMPETS BLARING HIS ENTRANCE, while the WIFE WOULD COME IN THE FROM THE SIDE WITH MUTED TONES.

-I know that this Revelation will not be warmly received by the girls, but if we did it Heaven’s way, when the Bridegroom arrives in great fanfare, the BRIDE WOULD BOW BEFORE HIM, TAKE OFF HER CROWNED VEIL, AND CAST IT AT THE BRIDEGROOM’S FEET.

-Heaven’s marital etiquette is totally different! There, the Heavenly Bridegroom gets ALL OF THE ATTENTION AND THE CREDITS. I know that this is being warmly received by the boys.

-GET IT STRAIGHT – RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE HEAVENLY MARRIAGE, IT IS NOT,

“HERE COMES THE BRIDE,”

BUT RATHER,

“HERE COMES THE GROOM.”

*******

THE SUMMARY SO FAR

1. The APOCALYPSES, THE CURTAIN HAS GONE UP ON THE STAGE OF THE HEAVENS!

2. And John BEHOLDS GOD IN ALL OF HIS GLORY, THE GOD WHO FIRST CREATED ALL THINGS.

3. And, there IS THE CHURCH OF THE O.T. AND THE CHURCH OF THE N.T., seated in glory.

4. And, there, are ANGELIC BEINGS, AND A CRYSTAL SEA BEFORE THE THRONE!

5. WHAT A SETTING, THIS IS THE UNSEEN, ETERNAL WORLD, WHERE WE ARE GOING, Christians.

-The world, the universe where we are, is and will pass away. God, His throne, will never pass away! This is the eternal world of Him that reigneth and liveth forever & ever.

*******

HEAVEN’S SINGING SAYERS

1. NOW NOTE – THEY NOT ONLY SPEAK HIS PRAISE, THEY SING IT! We read in Rev. 5:9,

“AND THEY SUNG A NEW SONG SAYING.”

-We read in Rev. 14:3,

“AND THEY SUNG AS IT WERE A NEW SONG BEFORE THE THRONE.”

-We read in Rev. 15:3,

“AND THEY SING THE SONG OF MOSES THE SERVANT, AND THE SONG OF

THE LAMB SAYING.”

2. You see, the new song in Rev. 5:9 is in contrast to the other cries in Rev. 4:8 and 11.

-So here are some ‘Givens’ which we must understand, we who are in choir practice DOWN HERE FOR THE HEAVENLY UP THERE. If it is a NEW ‘SONG,’ then, when you read in REV. 4 that they WERE SAYING, they really are SINGING. When you get to HEAVEN, you will HEAR THEM SING-SAYING, and when they are SAYING, they ARE SINGING!

-I believe that HEAVEN’S WORSHIP IS A SUNG WORSHIP! They don’t just SAY WORTHY IS THE LAMB, OR PRAISE THE LORD! They SING IT, again and again, THEY SING – SAY!

“HEAVEN’S WORSHIP IS EXPRESSED AS A SUNG WORSHIP!”

3. Now remember, there has never been a CHOIR ON EARTH LIKE THIS HEAVENLY CHOIR. Not even close! The voices are innumerable, and the sound incomparable. In my ministry, a man by the name of Chuck died and went to Heaven, and then was sent back to earth. He told me that he saw such brilliant light and heard such overwhelming praise, the likes of which he had never seen or heard on earth. He also said to me that he was disappointed to have been sent back by an angel to earth, for now everything appeared drab and sounded discordant.

-HEAVEN HAS THE ONLY ORIGINAL UNFINISHED SYMPHONY, BECAUSE IT TRULY NEVER ENDS. What an ORATORIO IT IS, THE TRUE MESSIAH OF WHICH HANDEL’S MESSIAH is only snippets and minor chords.

-Will we all see each other there with our mouths wide open and our arms raised in praise to God? God graciously grant it through Jesus Christ! Remember, CHOIR PRACTICE BEGINS DOWN HERE. Amen!

*******

PRAISING THE REIGNING LAMB Pt. 2

1. When we read about NEW SONGS IN HEAVEN in Revelation 9:5, I believe that HEAVEN WILL BE ETERNALLY NEW, NEVER OLD! NEVER STALE! I believe that WHAT MAKES HEAVEN HEAVEN IS JESUS CHRIST! Always DISCOVERING NEW DIMENSIONS OF HIS INCREDIBLE JASPER-SARDIUS-GLORY! And, ALWAYS BREAKING UPON US IS MORE AND MORE NEW GLORIES OF HIS INFINITE BEING! And that KNOWLEDGE will lead to NEW WORTHSHIP, NEW SONGS, NEW DISCOVERIES, NEW EXPRESSIONS OF THE LORD’S GLORY!

2. Don’t ever think THAT THERE WILL BE ONE MOMENT IN HEAVEN OF BOREDOM! LIKE A DIAMOND, NEW RADIANCE AT EVERY TURN, AT EVERY GLANCE, so will be our VISION OF THE LORD. Just when we see that glory, THERE IS ANOTHER, AND ETERNALLY ANOTHER! And that REQUIRES NEW WORSHIP, NEW PRAISE, A NEW SONG in response to the ever NEW REVELATION, APOCALYPSES OF CHRIST!

3. THAT’S WHAT WE ARE HEADED FOR! It will take an eternity of THE EVER NEW SONG to keep up with the HEAVENLY SPECTACLE, which makes every scene on earth look drab by comparison. And we thought that God had outdone Himself in the creation of the earth. Even as the NEW SONG will make earth’s choruses sound like NURSERY RHYMES, so the NEW HEAVENS AND THE NEW EARTH will make the OLD HEAVENS AND EARTH look like BEGINNERS’ PAINTINGS. We haven’t seen or heard anything yet!

THE SOUNDS AT HEAVEN’S OPEN DOOR

-When you OPEN HEAVEN’S DOOR, WHAT GREETS YOUR EAR IS TUMULTUOUS PRAISE TO GOD.

-They don’t sing in such a way, so that when you OPEN THE HEAVENLY DOOR, you DON’T HAVE TO SAY:

a. “Did someone say something?”

b. “Do you hear something? Is that singing I hear in the background?”

c. “Do you hear something too? Where is that coming from?”

-As a matter of fact, for the first moment or two, we may not be able to speak a word in the midst of such rapturous praise. And before you know it, you will be singing praises to Jesus in Heaven’s choir that makes the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sound discordant and faint.

– In short, we will be ROCKETING INTO PRAISE the sound of which would make your old earthly body’s teeth quiver, and your old earthly chest vibrate.

In fact, we read this in Rev. 14:2-3,

“AND I HEARD A VOICE FROM HEAVEN, AS THE VOICE OF MANY WATERS,

AND AS THE VOICE OF GREAT THUNDER: AND I HEARD THE VOICE OF

HARPERS HARPING WITH THEIR HARPS.”

“AND THEY SANG AS IT WERE A NEW SONG BEFORE THE THRONE….”

a. Note, that IT IS SINGULAR, ONE VOICE, AS WITH ONE MOUTH!

b. And yet, IT IS MANY, MANY WATERS, literally MANY OCEANS!

c. THE SONG, NEW SONG HERE IS LIKE 3 REALITIES all AT ONCE:

-Like the VOICE OF MANY OCEANS, WATERS!

-Like the VOICE OF GREAT THUNDER

-Like THE VOICE OF HARPERS ON THEIR HARPS!

d. IT IS A GLORIOUS ROAR, YET THAT IS MELODIOUS AND SWEET! I BELIEVE, IF WE COULD HEAR IT FULLY, IT MIGHT DAMAGE OUR EARTHLY FINITE EARS. Some day, WE WILL GET THE HEAVENLY SENDERS AND RECEIVERS THAT WILL ENABLE US TO PARTICIPATE FULLY WITHOUT DAMAGE.

Again we read in Rev. 19:6,

“AND I HEARD AS IT WERE THE VOICE OF A GREAT MULTITUDE, AND AS

THE VOICE OF MANY WATERS, AND AS THE VOICE OF MIGHTY

THUNDERINGS,SAYING, ALLELUIA: FOR THE LORD GOD

OMNIPOTENT REIGNETH.”

HEAVEN’S ‘MEGAS’ WORSHIP

1. FRANKLY, HEAVEN’S WORTHSHIP AND PRAISE IS LOUD!!

-It is one of THE KEY HEAVENLY REALITIES, over & over again! LOUD!!!

-It is the REALITY OF VICTORY, COMPLETENESS, ECSTASY, FULFILLMENT!

–REV. 5:12,

“SAYING WITH A LOUD VOICE, WORTHY IS THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN

TO RECEIVE POWER, RICHES, WISDOM, STRENGTH,

HONOR, GLORY, BLESSING!”

2. The Greek word for LOUD IS “MEGAS” (from which we get the prefix mega).

-MEGA means Great, Mighty; in metric system, A MILLION TIMES!

-MEGA, we could well say, “TAKE THE WATERS, OCEANS, THUNDERS, HARPERS, MULTITUDES, and multiply all that sound a MILLION TIMES.

-MEGA, MEGAPHONE, MEGALOPOLIS, MEGATON, MEGA-WORSHIP.

3. WHEN YOU OPEN THE DOOR OF HEAVEN:

a. You ARE OPENING THE DOOR UPON MEGAS!

b. You ARE NOT OPENING THE DOOR UPON DEFEATED WHIMPERERS OR MOURNERS.

c. You ARE OPENING THE DOOR UPON CELEBRATING WINNERS, WORSHIPING MEGA-SINGERS.

-If you will, you have left the MINOR LEAGUES OF PRAISERS AND WORSHIPERS. YOU ARE NOW IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES OF PRAISERS AND WORSHIPERS.

-Really now, a game of WHIFFLE BALL is fun, but it can’t come close to playing BASEBALL-HARD BALL IN THE BIG LEAGUES. So now, we have graduated from earth’s MINOR LEAGUE PRAISERS, to Heaven’s MAJOR LEAGUE MULTIPIED-MILLION-MEGAS-PRAISERS which makes earth’s praising sound like DEAD AIR. The Bible is not exaggerating when it tells us that what awaits us there, EYE HAS NOT EVER SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT EVER HEARD.

4. AND FRANKLY, WHEN PEOPLE COME THROUGH THIS DOOR IN THIS BUILDING:

a. They SHOULD ALWAYS OPEN THE DOOR UPON “MEGAS!”

b. Why, because HEAVEN IS WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, CHRISTIAN!

c. We read in Eph. 2:6,

“AND HATH RAISED US UP TOGETHER, AND MADE US SIT TOGETHER IN

HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS!” (right now, not later)

d. WHEN PEOPLE COME THROUGH THIS DOOR, THEY MUST BE ABLE TO SAY,

“WHEN I CAME IN THERE, I CAME UP HIGHER!!”

e. HEAVEN IS NOT A PLACE FOR SOOTHING SONNETS AND EASTER BONNETS, BUT THE REALITY OF VICTORY MARCHES AND GOLDEN CROWNS. (It doesn’t rhyme BUT IT IS FAR BETTER.)

5. FOR WHEN YOU COME THROUGH HEAVEN’S DOOR:

a. All you hear IS THE MIGHTY ROAR OF INNUMERABLE THOUSANDS WHICH NO MAN CAN NUMBER, SINGING PRAISES TO JESUS.

b. We read in Rev. 7:9-10,

“AFTER THIS I BEHELD, AND LO, A GREAT MULTITUDE WHICH NO MAN COULD NUMBER,

OF ALL NATIONS, AND KINDREDS, AND PEOPLE, AND TONGUES, STOOD BEFORE

THE THRONE, AND BEFORE THE LAMB, CLOTHED WITH WHITE ROBES,

AND PALMS IN THEIR HANDS;”

“AND CRIED WITH A LOUD VOICE SAYING, ‘SALVATION TO OUR GOD WHICH

SITTETH ON THE THRONE, AND UNTO THE LAMB.'”

c. We read in Rev. 5:11-12,

“AND I BEHELD, AND I HEARD THE VOICE OF MANY ANGELS, ROUND ABOUT

THE THRONE, AND THE BEASTS, AND THE ELDERS, AND THE NUMBER of

them was 10,000 times 10,000, and 1,000’sof 1,000’s, SAYING

WITH A LOUD VOICE WORTHY IS THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN

TO RECEIVE……EVERYTHING!”

6. Oh yes, and never forget:

“OUR WORSHIP TO GOD IS NOT FIRST OF ALL BASED ON THE LOUDNESS OF

OUR VOICES, BUT UPON THE LOVE AND RAPTURE OF OUR HEARTS.” 

Whether on earth or in Heaven:

“TRUE PRAISE AND WORSHIP DOES NOT FIRST OF ALL CONSIST IN

THE VOLUME OF OF THE VOICE, BUT IN THE LOVE AND

DEVOTION OF THE HEART.”

So we read in Isaiah 29:13 of God’s disapproval of mere lip service,

“Then the Lord said, ‘Because this people drawn near with their

words, and honor me  with their lip service, but they remove

their heart far from Me….'”

And again:

“SINCE GOD DOES NOT HEAR PRAYERS FROM INIQUITOUS HEARTS,

NEITHER DOES HEHEAR LOUD PRAISES  FROM EVIL HEARTS.” 

What makes Heaven’s praise so glorious is not just its power, but its PURITY. Seldom on earth do the inward and the outward perfectly correspond with each other in praise and prayer. You know what I am talking about. Sure you do. The inward state of the soul is seldom known by the sound of the voice on earth. Frankly, if we were to really hear what man is saying or singing here, we would have to hear it subliminally backwards. But in Heaven:

“THE LOVE AND THE PURITY OF THE PRAISING HEARTS IS JUST AS MEGAS AS

THE VOICES. FINALLY ALL HYPOCRISY IS GONE FOREVER.”

WORSHIP OF THE INFINITELY WORTHY, DAZZLING ONE

1. Yes, I AM TALKING MEGAS, LOUD, GREAT, BOISTEROUS, CELEBRATING, JOYFUL!

-The KEYNOTE OF ALL WORSHIP LEADING TO PRAISE SHOULD BE “MEGAS!”

-If, when God wants us to be OTHERWISE, THE SPIRIT WILL LET US KNOW!

2. THE KEYNOTE OF ALL WORSHIP IS VICTORY, CELEBRATION, LAUDING KING JESUS!

-HE IS NO LONGER ON THE CROSS, AND NEITHER ARE WE!

-HE IS NO LONGER IN THE GRAVE, AND NEITHER ARE WE!

-HE IS NO LONGER CONFINED TO EARTH, NEITHER ARE WE!

-HE IS SEATED IN HEAVENLY PLACES, AND SO ARE WE!

-HE IS REIGNING IN GLORY, AND SO ARE WE!

-IT’S ABOUT TIME WE LIVE IT, ACT IT, WORTHSHIP IT, PRAISE IT, CELEBRATE IT!

-Christianity can no longer be just some sort of nice little PASSIVE PASTIME which we do in OUR SPARE TIME. The Christian life and Christian worship are full time work. Forget the happy medium like so many want in their religion. You know, SOMETHING IN BETWEEN IS CALLED FOR, NOT TOO MUCH AND NOT TOO LITTLE. Keep everything in 70 degree comfort zones. FORGET IT! That is not the REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH – EVERYTHING IS MEGAS AND NOT MEDIUM!

-Once you get what you have become a part of here, your sleeping habits will no longer include church.

AT THE CENTER – THE DEAR LITTLE LAMB

1. WHAT IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS TUMULTUOUS WORSHIP AND PRAISE?

-Right in the middle is this – See Rev. 5:6,

“AND I BEHELD, AND LO, IN THE MIDST OF THE THRONE, AND IN THE MIDST OF THE

FOUR BEASTS, AND IN THE MIDST OF THE ELDERS, STOOD A LAMB AS

IT HATH BEEN SLAIN, HAVING SEVEN HORNS AND SEVEN EYES,

WHICH ARE THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD SENT FORTH

INTO ALL THE EARTH.”

2. What’s ALL THE THUNDEROUS, OCEAN LIKE, MULTITUDINOUS PRAISE CENTERED IN? WHAT IS ALL THIS HEAVENLY EXCITEMENT ABOUT? Well, right there in the Middle:

a. IN THE VERY CENTER OF THE THRONE! OF THE UNIVERSE!

b. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BEASTS, THE MANY WINGED, EYEFUL ANGELIC BEINGS!

c. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 24 ELDERS, THE CHURCH OF CHRIST OF ALL AGES!

d. IS A LAMB! HE’S WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT, THIS IS THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST.

3. And not just a Lamb! BUT A LAMB LIKE ONE WHO HAD BEEN SLAIN!

-Note that THE WORD FOR LAMB THERE IS THE GREEK WORD: “ARNION.”

-It is used nowhere else in the Bible for Jesus Christ but in Revelation.

-It is found 29 times about and for our Savior in Revelation, nowhere else.

-It doesn’t mean LAMB, AS IT would appear!

-It really means DEAR LITTLE LAMB – a young, dear, little lamb!

4. And, IT IS A LAMB THAT HAS BEEN SLAIN:

-It is A DEAR LITTLE SLAIN LAMB! The Greek there word “Slain” there is for “SACRIFICE.”

-That is, Lambs sacrificed by THE SLITTING OF THEIR THROAT! (In O.T. times)

-WHAT JOHN SAW WAS A LAMB, WITH THE LONG SLITTED SCAR ON THE NECK!

-My people, John 1:29,

“BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD THAT TAKETH AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD.”

-THE DEAR LITTLE LAMB, SLAIN FOR YOUR SINS AND MINE ON THE CROSS!

-BUT HE IS REIGNING IN THE MIDST OF THE HEAVEN OF HEAVENS, ALIVE AND WELL!

-And HE IS THE OBJECT AND SUBJECT OF ALL THIS TUMULTUOUS WORSHIP AND PRAISE!

5. WE WILL SEE JESUS, WE WILL SEE THE NAIL PRINTS, THE SLAIN LAMB! He will never let us forget! All of Heaven’s redeemed are in constant remembrance of His greatest sacrifice for their sins. Children, even adults, do not want to talk about death, or be reminded of death. We will never forget His death on the cross, the Lamb on the Throne with the scarred throat. The scarred, slain Lamb will be our eternal reminder that without His agony, we would be in Hellish agony and would be excluded from all of this HEAVENLY ECSTASY. Calvary will never be forgotten, but eternally prominent. There they never cease to glory in the cross. Never!

6. Understand! Worship and Sacrifice in the Bible are married. As a matter of fact, there is no age or nation of the world in which there has not been the expression of worship without SACRIFICE. And there, in the middle of all the praise IS THE SACRIFICIAL-REIGNING DEAR LITTLE LAMB.

-All of Heaven knows that GOD MUST BE WORSHIPPED, and that apart from the BLOOD OF THE LAMB, the worshiper and his worship would be TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. THE DEAR LITTLE LAMB is not only the object of our worship, HE IS THE REASON THAT OUR WORSHIP IS ACCEPTABLE TO GOD.

-We still don’t get the glory of the scene, do we? If it were not for the BLOOD OF THE DEAR LITTLE LAMB, all of Heaven would shudder with revulsion, and make faces that would give the impression of TRYING TO PUT AN INFINITE DISTANCE BETWEEN OUR PRAISING MOUTHS and THE HOLINESS OF GOD. Our praises would then be heard as NO MORE THAN THE JUMBLED HONKING OF A DISTANT FLOCK OF CANADIAN GEESE.

-Our praises do not make us acceptable, THE BLOOD OF THE DEAR LITTLE LAMB DOES forever.

THE SEVEN-HORNED LAMB

BUT, HE IS NOT JUST THE DEAR LITTLE SLAIN LAMB!

Listen:

“JESUS CHRIST DOES NOT SIT ON THE THRONE OF HEAVEN SHEEPISHLY OR

LAMBISHLY BUT HORNISHLY.”

Again:

“YOU WILL NOT BE HEARING BAA-A-A FROM THIS DEAR LITTLE LAMB, FOR THIS

LAMB ROARS LIKE A LION.”

Hear me:

“YOU MUST NOT GET THE IDEA THAT THIS DEAR LITTLE LAMB IS A BA-BA

CUTSIE LITTLE  BAMBI  TYPE LAMB. LITTLE BAMBI? DON’T BE A DUMBO!

HE IS THE MIGHTY GOD.”

Listen:

“THE WORLD’S GOD IS THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR, BUT THE CHRISTIAN’S GOD

IS THE ALMIGHTY LAMB.”

And be assured of this:

“THIS DEAR LITTLE LAMB ELIMINATES ALL OF THE COMPETITION TO THE

THRONE FOREVER.”

Take a good look! Read Rev. 5:6,

“HAVING SEVEN HORNS, AND SEVEN EYES WHICH ARE THE SEVEN SPIRITS

OF GOD SENT FORTH INTO ALL THE EARTH.”

1. Horns in the Bible ALWAYS SPEAK OF POWER! Seven the number of God – Perfection!

-In this DEAR LITTLE LAMB WITH A SACRIFICIAL GASH ON HIS NECK!! GOD SAYS, IN HIM, IS THE PERFECTION OF MY POWER! Some religious people talk about the devil as if he is the boss of everyone, when in fact ultimately he is the boss of no one. Meet the SEVEN-HORNED BOSS LAMB! We already saw Who is the real boss, when Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness when the devil threw in the towel like a prizefighter who had enough. That was then, but now is now. This is the SEVEN- HORNED JESUS GLORIFIED AND REIGNING ON THE THRONE OF HEAVEN.

-He has defeated sin, death, hell, Satan! ALL POWER AND AUTHORITY BELONGS TO THAT DEAR LITTLE LAMB! Satan compared to this SEVEN-HORNED LORD OF ALL is nothing but a punk.

2. IT IS HE WHO RULES OVER HISTORY, THE WORLD, MANKIND, NATIONS.

3. The entire universe is kept in order and hangs together because of Him. The seasons are kept in order through Him, and because of Him we have the spiraling leaves of autumn, the sparkle of fallen snow, the delicate greens of spring, and the feel of clover under bare feet.

4. IT IS HE WHO SHALL COME TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD! HE, MY SEVEN-HORNED SON, IS THE PERFECTION OF MY ALL-MIGTHY POWER and RULE and JUSTICE, says God!

5.  And hear me, once He, THE SEVEN-HORNED – SEVEN-EYED LAMB gets into your spirit, He Who keeps the entire universe in perfect working order, you will totally ditch the world’s concept of PASSIVE, HANDS-OFF, PERMISSIVE PARENTING and EASY-DOES-IT and ANYTHING-GOES. Somehow, you will no longer allow your children to turn your world upside down when you see the SEVEN-HORNED LAMB KEEPING THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE RIGHT SIDE UP.

4. Nor will you allow your disordered marriage and home to wreck the lives of your children who then end up with some wicked and morally bankrupt stepmother or stepfather who step on them. Listen, when the HOME IS OUT OF ORDER, ALL OF SOCIETY IS OUT OF ORDER. Only THE SEVEN-HORNED, SEVEN-EYED LAMB can keep your marriage and family in God’s intended order. He alone has all the authority and power. It is because we have rejected Him that our society is falling apart in a rogue orbit.

5. Apart from the SEVEN-HORNED, SEVEN-EYED LAMB, our society now sounds like that sick, dying child in the next room, wheezing and coughing and weakened from her spiritual and moral illness. I read this the other day,

“THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH, AND THE WAGES OF PERMISSIVE PARENTING

IS HELL ON EARTH.”

-SINCE WHEN ARE WE TO BE HORNLESS-EYELESS PARENTS? We have far too many KOOL-AID DADS AND CHOCOLATE COOKIE MOTHERS THESE DAYS who turn their hornless heads and shut their blind eyes to their son’s and daughter’s rebellion and sin against God. That is until he or she shows up in school in military fatigues and goes on a murderous shooting rage on an increasingly disordered and chaotic planet earth. 

-Hear the words of Proverbs 14:9,

“FOOLS MOCK AT SIN….”

-Let every authority in America know:

“WHEN YOU MOCK AT SIN, YOU ARE PLAYING WITH HELL.”

THE SEVEN-EYED LAMB

-SEVEN EYES – that MEANS THE SPIRITUAL PRESENCE OF JESUS EVERYWHERE!

-What HE RULES, HE SEES, FOR EVERY POWERFUL RULING HORN is informed by AN ALL-SEEING EYE!

-He doesn’t miss anything, 7 eyes, 7 horns, seeing all, ruling all, forever.

-JESUS IS EVER WATCHING US, NEVER A STEP THAT YOU TAKE, but that JESUS IS WATCHING, CARING, EVER VIGILANT!!

-Don’t THINK OF JESUS AS ONLY A DEAR LITTLE LAMB, for HE IS THE SEVEN-HORNED, SEVEN-EYED PERFECTION OF GOD’S PRESENCE AND POWER.

-You had better believe it when someone says in jest, “Be careful now, someone is watching.” The SLIT-SCAR on his THROAT, the SEVEN EYES IN HIS FACE, and the SEVEN HORNS ON HIS HEAD, are not just Heaven’s STAGE PROPS for overall effect. When I see Him the way He really is:

“I AM CONSUMED WITH HIS SACRIFICIAL LOVE, HIS ALMIGHTY POWER,

AND HIS EVER WATCHFUL EYE ON ALL OF OUR LIVES.”

REDEEMED TO GOD – A SONG LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD

1. DO YOU NOTICE NOW IN REVELATION 5:9 – A NEW SONG ERUPTS IN MEGAS!

–In Rev. 4:11, they had been PRAISING GOD’S CREATORSHIP – ALL MEN WERE HIS, HE MADE THEM.

-But, in Rev. 5 something went wrong in the Book of History, MAN FELL, SINNED, TURNED AWAY FROM GOD! HISTORY WAS DISLOCATED, MAN WAS LOST, GOD’S OWN POSSESSION!!

Rev. 5:9 says – NOW A NEW SONG:

a.. The word NEW there is SPECIAL, does not mean NEW, LIKE A NEW SUIT!

b. Rather, it means never before seen or heard – nothing like it ever in the history of the world.

–Rev. 5:9 says,

“FOR THOU HAST REDEEMED US TO GOD BY THY BLOOD!”

-It doesn’t say THOU WAST SLAIN, AND A BUNCH OF SINNERS WERE SAVED! NO, IT SAYS, WE WERE REDEEMED TO GOD.  GOD’S OWN POSSESSION HAS BEEN BOUGHT BACK FOR AND UNTO HIM. Salvation WAS FOR GOD, before it WAS FOR YOU! Jesus shed His blood for God, before HE SHED BLOOD FOR YOU!

2. MY PEOPLE, YOUNG PERSON, OLDER PERSON, EVERYONE HERE!

-You BELONG TO GOD, BY CREATION, that’s chapter 4:11– God made you! And now, in Rev. 5 – God in Christ comes to get His own, lost in sin, bound by Satan, and free them as well as bring us back to God by Jesus Christ. It is THE MOST DARING RESCUE EVERY RECORDED FOR ALL TIME AND ETERNITY.

-That’s why the Parable of the 99 and 1 sheep lost is special! Why did the Shepherd look for the 1 that was lost? Why, because we were, you, I, were LOST! Not just lost, but gone astray from God. Like babies we had managed to crawl out of the safety of Father’s house into the world-zoo of snapping demon teeth. Not only lost, but now being terrorized by the most deranged and maniacal devil of them all – SATAN HIMSELF.

3. Yes, but more than that!

-Because I AM HIS SHEEP, BY CREATION, I BELONG TO HIM! Not JUST BECAUSE I WAS CRYING, BLEATING, BLEEDING, AND LOST! Rather, I WAS HIS, AND IN CHRIST HE CAME TO GET ME BACK, REDEEMED TO GOD! DO YOU SEE IT? And as a reward for His incomparable act of HEROISM, the Heavenly Father gave His conquering Son THE THRONE OF EVERLASTING MIGHT AND DOMINION.

-Listen:

“THANKS BE TO JESUS THAT HE WALKS WITH US AND PROTECTS US EVERY

DAY AS WE HAVE TO GO OUT INTO THAT ZOO. WE WOULD BE DEAD MEAT

WITHOUT HIM. WE WOULD BE LOST FROM GOD FOREVER.”

4. And the song GOES ON IN Rev. 5:12,

“SAYING WITH A LOUD VOICE, ‘WORTHY IS THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN,

TO RECEIVE POWER  AND RICHES, AND WISDOM, AND STRENGTH,

AND HONOR, AND GLORY, AND BLESSING.’”

-WHEN THEY CONSIDER THEIR SALVATION, they ASCRIBE EVERY BIT OF IT TO THE DEAR LITTLE SLAIN LAMB WHO HAS THE SEVEN HORNS AND THE SEVEN EYES! We must ascribe ALL WORSHIP TO HIM! Frankly, we could do nothing to save ourselves. Anything we try to do to save ourselves is as worthless as a sack of dung. Paul counted all of his self-righteousness and religious pomp and pride as human waste. Even our best works stink with filthiness.

5. JESUS, YOURS IS ALL THE POWER. What Power? YOU SEVEN-HORNED LAMB YOU!:

-You CANCELLED ALL SIN, YOU BREAK THE POWER OF SIN, YOU SET PRISONERS FREE! You Alone!

-YOU LAMB, TO YOU THEY SING MEGAS, YOU DEFEATED SATAN, DEATH, HELL, GRAVE, What Power!!

-ALL POWER TO YOU SEVEN-HORNED LAMB, you set ME FREE OF GUILT, SHAME, BONDAGE, SATAN, HELL, FEARS!!

-Silliguri is a town on the border between India and Nepal. It is often referred to as the gateway to Nepal. A Bengali man by the name of Bhattachari, moved to this border city from Calcutta. He was an unmarried traveling salesman who worked for a medical firm. His job was to travel to various remote places, supply medicine, and sell his company products. One day in his travels he was abducted by a terrorist group who thought that he was a spy for the police. They pushed him into a dark hut, tied up his hands and his legs, and left him without any hope for escape. He was sure he would be killed. In the night he remembered a song which he had learned from a missionary several years ago. Included in that song are the words:

“THERE IS POWER, POWER, WONDER-WORKING POWER IN THE

PRECIOUS BLOOD OF THE LAMB.”

He began to sing and pray that song aloud even though he had not accepted Jesus as his Savior. As he prayed and sang, he told Jesus that if He would deliver him from the terrorists, he would turn his life over to God and serve Him. In time, he passed out because of lack of food and the brutal treatment he had received. When he regained consciousness, he found himself on the side of a highway free and untied. He had no idea how he got there. But he did know that somehow the Lord had answered his prayers and demonstrated LIFE-SAVING POWER. After he returned home, Bhattachari committed his life to Jesus Christ, and promised to serve Him for the rest of his life. He has led scores of TIBETANS, BURMESE, NEPALESE,AND BHUTANESE TO JESUS. Many of these new believers have joined him in his evangelistic ministry. (The Tract League). 

-JESUS – YOURS IS THE POWER!!!

6. JESUS, YOURS ARE ALL THE RICHES:

-Jesus, ALL THE RICHES OF SALVATION ARE YOUR RICHES, FORGIVENESS, PEACE, ETERNAL LIFE, HEAVEN!

-We LAY THEM ALL AT YOUR FEET, THEY ARE FROM YOU, AND UNTO YOU TOTALLY!

7. JESUS, YOURS IS THE WISDOM!

-JESUS IS THE WISDOM OF GOD! When I look at Jesus on the Cross, there is the Wisdom of God!!

-WHO COULD HAVE THOUGHT OF IT! MAN FOR MAN’S SINS! Perfect man for imperfect men!

-Virgin Born, Criminally Killed, Victoriously Raised, the ONLY ONE WHO COULD DO IT. AND THE ONLY WAY IT COULD BE DONE!

-JESUS, YOU ARE THE WISDOM OF GOD! Your wisdom staggers me, the bloody cross planted on the Hill of the Skull transcends me. To the world, your cross is foolishness, but to those who believe, it is THE WISDOM OF GOD.

-Children don’t like the PINK MEDICINE. In fact, they hate it. It is so thick and disgusting and distasteful. Yet, it is a must, for it is that exact antibiotic that will kill the infection that is at the bottom of the problem.

-Likewise, children of the world hate the RED MEDICINE – THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB ON CALVARY’S CROSS. To the world, THAT IS THE BAD RED which is shed on a cross to save rotten sinners like themselves. It reminds them that they are all deadly sick with the infection of sin, and only the BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST can cure them. Listen:

“THAT BAD RED WHICH THEY REJECT IS THEIR ONLY HOPE.”

-I will never fully understand it, because Heaven’s wisdom is so far above my own. All I know is that THERE IS POWER, POWER, WONDER-WORKING POWER, IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB.I would have never thought of such a miracle cure. LORD, YOURS IS THE WISDOM.

8. JESUS, YOURS IS THE STRENGTH!

-JESUS, YOU ARE MY MIGHT, MY STRENGTH! I could have never done it without You dying for me and now You living in me!!

-Like the two martyrs WHO WALKED TO THE AMPHITHEATER TO BE THROWN TO LIONS!

-You might think that FAINTNESS, WEAKNESS, COLLAPSE WOULD SET IN!

-No, these TWO CHRISTIANS, I READ, WALKED TO THE THEATER WITH JOY AND RADIANCE, BECAUSE THEY KNEW THEY WOULD STEP INTO HEAVEN ITSELF.

-THAT’S STRENGTH, THAT’S JESUS, GREATER IS HE WHO IS IN ME, THAN HE WHO IS IN THE WORLD.

9. JESUS, YOURS IS THE GLORY!

-WHEN I SEE JESUS ON THE CROSS, THE SLAIN LAMB, I SEE GOD’S GLORY!

-The glory of God was never revealed as IT WAS ON THE CROSS!

-What WE MEAN BY GLORY IS THE attributes, qualities of God!

-I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH GLORY, i.e. LOVE, MERCY, GENTLENESS, COMPASSION as I SEE IN JESUS ON CALVARY.

-IN YOU JESUS, IS ALL THE GLORY!! I NEVER SAW GLORY UNTIL THE CHRIST, THE CROSS, THE RESURRECTION.

CONCLUSION:

1. IF YOU WOULD LEARN TO WORSHIP, MEDITATE ON SALVATION, AND SING IT TRIUMPHANTLY BACK TO JESUS!

2. THAT’S ALL THEY ARE DOING IN HEAVEN, MEDITATING ON EVERY ASPECT OF SALVATION IN JESUS CHRIST, AND SINGING IT “MEGA-TRIUMPHANTLY TO JESUS”!

3. You say, but that’s HEAVEN! Yes, I know, but Eph. 1:13 says,

“NOW THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO US, WE HAVE

THE EARNEST – BEGINNING OF HEAVEN!”

-It’s all one! What I see there, WE ALREADY HAVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT here! Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me BLESS HIS HOLY NAME! Amen!

HALLELUJAH PRAISE THE LAMB,

HALLELUJAH PRAISE THE LAMB,

 MY HEART SINGS HIS PRAISE AGAIN,

HALLELUJAH, PRAISE THE LAMB.