The Revelation

[Lou Newton]

Dear Friends,
I would like to ask, if I would start an in depth study of the book of The Revelation, how many would be interested in trying to read it daily ( or at least on a regular basis when you can) and praying, reading , commenting, asking questions, or contributing in some way. This would take many posts and some time to complete.

I feel there would need to be a certainly minimum forum to have The Lord reveal the truth to us about the book. I have had much revelation about the book for many years. But people need to have an interest for life to come forth.

Please post your comment if you are interested or not.

Thank you,
Lou Newton

[Travis]

Revelation 1: 3
"Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near."

I'm interested.

[Lou Newton]

Revelation 1: 3
"Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near."

I'm interested.

Amen, good the hear Travis...................Lou

[Jules]

I would be very interested, too.

[Blane]

I'm very interested, Lou. Please count me in, dear brother.

Blane

[Lou Newton]

I would be very interested, too.

Thanks Julie and Blane. Good to hear ..........................Lou

[Baruch]

I can commit to this, and I have great interest. Bless you.

[Lou Newton]

I can commit to this, and I have great interest. Bless you.

Good to see your in Baruch.................Lou

[Lou Newton]

Study - The Revelation

NOTICE that the title is NOT "Revelations". Any time someone speaks the title as "REVELATIONS", they reveal to their audience that they do not understand the first things about the book.

The Title is "THE REVELATION" - verse 1 tells us what is meant by the title "The Revelation" - Rev 1:1 :

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ,

This is NOT a list of future events, or revelations from Jesus. It is The Revealing of Jesus to the universe, or the revelation of Jesus Christ. This revelation is of course FROM Jesus, (for he is the source of all truth, or all revelations), but this revelation is OF Jesus. It is Jesus who is being revealed.

Rev 1:Prologue
1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw--that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place

Those who claim to be His servants, but instead serve their own interests instead, will NOT be able to understand this book. For all revelation of truth comes from Jesus, and as stated here, this revelation is for His SERVANTS only. This is why you hear so many conflicting teachings of what this books means. Many false prophets try to twist this book to justify their false doctrines.

He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw--that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Jesus came to John Himself. For His Angel is Jesus Himself. If you read the text this will become evident. It was The Word of God that spoke. That of course is His testimony. The Testimony of Jesus Christ is whatever He speaks Himself.

In any court of law, no one except you can give your testimony.

Exodus 3
Moses and the Burning Bush
1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight--why the bush does not burn up." 4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." 5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." 6 Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

We can see from this scripture that The Angel of The Lord, is The Lord Himself. Mere angles are referred to as "an angel" not THE angel.

3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near

As Travis pointed out this statement tells us we will be blessed by hearing, or reading, or studying this book, IF they take it to heart. There is no blessing for those who read it and then preach their own interpretation of it. Of course the time is near, because Jesus is always near to reveal Himself to anyone who seeks His face.

Any good author, (and The Lord Jesus is the only perfect Author) will start his book by writing what the book will be about in a short paragraph or chapter. We have that in the first few chapters of Genesis.

That author will then summarize his book ( or state his conclusions) at the end of his book. That is what The Revelation is. One could say it is a summary of the whole Bible. But it is even more than that, for it is a summary of The Revelation of The Lord Jesus.

WHEN DID THE REVELATION OF THE LORD JESUS START

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth

This is the first revelation of The Lord Jesus to the universe.

Ps 19: 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, 5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. 6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.

We can see by this psalm that David knew that His creation was to reveal Himself to mankind. Notice that the creation was BEFORE God revealed His Book to mankind. The natural comes before the spiritual.

All of these things are very important to keep in mind when reading The Revelation in order to understand what is written.

Another thing that I will stress is this:

Pay close attention to who is speaking, WHERE they are speaking FROM, and WHO they are speaking to. The perspective of the speaker is very important to be able to understand The Book.

I will give you a preview of one of the most important things to be able to understand. The book tells the same story more than once. That story is repeated from different view points and to a different audience.

Now read part of The Revelation with these things in mind and see if you see something new, or form a question that you did not see before.

Grace to you
Lou Newton
Bond servant of Jesus

[Lou Newton]

The seven spirits of God

EDIT: I add this comment to help others to understand what God has written. The Lord calls Jesus, The Lamb. Now we do not expect Jesus to have 4 legs and white wool when we see Him in heaven. The Lord is revealing the nature of Jesus to us. Jesus is like a sacrifice lamb. The Lamb was to be perfect and Jesus was perfect, etc. The same is true about the Ox, God is not an Ox, but He came to serve man like the Ox serves man. God is not a Lion, but He is fierce like a lion when He protects His people. God is not an eagle, but He is High and Lifted up like the eagle. God is not man, but He came down from heaven and was born of a woman to become a man. The four beast simply reveal the nature of God to the readers. So God has a Spirit like a Lion, and like an eagle, and like an Ox, and like a man. God also has a Spirit in the from of His Holy Spirit, in the form of the Father, and in the form of the Son. These 3 plus the 4 equal the 7 spirits of God. There is One and Only One God, but He appears in 3 forms and works in 4 different ways.

Greetings and Doxology
4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. 7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. 8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia

- This is a letter to seven natural churches in Asia ( which is now Turkey). But it is also a prophecy about the seven stages the church will go through and the seven types of churches that there are.

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come,

We see here that Jesus does not send greetings of judgment to His servants, but Grace and peace. But Jesus also reveals that this book is NOT ABOUT THE FUTURE. It is about the revelation of Jesus, who WAS, and who IS, and who IS TO COME. The Holy Scriptures are timeless.

So the book is about Jesus being revealed in THE PAST, THE PRESENT, and THE FUTURE. Now this will be true for anyone, no matter when they read the book. For Jesus was revealed in the past, is always being revealed, and will be revealed. This was true for Adam and is true for you today.

and from the seven spirits before his throne

Now here we have something that is not understood by many it seems. It is clear that there are seven spirits of God. What is meant by this. Now we know that there is but ONE God, not seven. One can imagine that someone will start a new doctrine about the Septinity of God.

Mark 12
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" 29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

The fact that The Lord is ONE is the most important command of God. There are those that focus of the THREE of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They preach that God is THREE and is somehow also one. But the truth is that God is ONE and reveals Himself to us in three forms, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But God is NOT three, but ONE.

The FULLNESS of God Almighty is in The Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is not some lessor God, which, if true, he would not be God at all.

Isaiah 9
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

The seven spirits of God:

Father
Son
Holy Spirit
Lion
Ox
Man
Eagle

So this is the source of the number seven. God appears to us in three different ways, The Father on the throne, The Son, or The Holy Spirit, ( who we can not see but we can sense His presence)

But The Son can appear and display any of four different Natures to us. He can be as a Lion, or as an Ox, or as The Man, or as The Eagle.

The Lion is The Warrior who comes to save. The king of all kings. This Nature is shown to us in the Gospel of Matthew, for Mathew shows Jesus as The King of The Jews.

Rev 19 The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

king of kings and lord of lords.

Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.

The Ox is the Servant who comes to serve mankind. The Gospel of Mark reveals this Nature to us. In Mark Jesus reveals Himself as the Servant of man.

Mark 9
35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."

So who is FIRST if not Jesus. Jesus was the Servant of all when he was born of a woman and shed His blood on the cross for us. The Lord obeys His own laws. These laws reveal His Nature. The Lord is the Servant of all, so He is The First. We are all called to be like Him.

Philippians 2
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Man is showing that Jesus was born of a woman to become a man. Also it shows us that we are created in His image, for we men look like Jesus.

Rev 1
12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.

Ezekiel 1
26 Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.

God had to become a man in order to judge us with complete JUSTICE. For who could understand the man's case except for another man. Jesus is able to judge us in complete justice because He is our peer. God chose to become a man before He created the world just so that we would know that He loves us. We know that Jesus understands our struggles, for He went through these struggles too.

The Eagle shows us that God is far beyond us in everyway. He is High and lifted up. The Gospel of John shows us that Jesus is God Almighty.

John 1
The Word Became Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Romans 11
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" 35 "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Colossians 1
The Supremacy of Christ
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Philippians 2
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father

So God appears to us in three different forms and The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit all have these four different natures ( or one could say four different ways that God works).

So 3 + 4 = 7

But all three have each of the four natures.

So 3 x 4 = 12

This should explain why we have four gospels, 12 tribes, and four ministries of the Lord; Teacher, Shepherd, Evangelist, and Prophet. Some will say what about the Apostle ? The apostle is one that has been called to all four of these ministries.

Wow, I only got one verse done and this is getting long. Well I will leave it to you guys to show us how many ways that the Lord reveals Himself to us by 3's, 4's, 7's, or 12's; and add more scriptures about this issue.

Grace to you
Lou Newton
Bond servant of Jesus

[Blane]

Wow, I only got one verse done and this is getting long. Well I will leave it to you guys to show us how many ways that the Lord reveals Himself to us by 3's, 4's, 7's, or 12's; and add more scriptures about this issue.

Grace to you
Lou Newton
Bond servant of Jesus

Hi Lou,

Looking forward to this study, brother.

Here are just a few of many 3's & 7's chronicled in scripture...



Jesus was raised on the third day.

God rested from all His work on the seventh day.

Seven Golden Lamp Stands before the Throne.

Blessings,

Blane

[Lou Newton]

Hi Lou,

Looking forward to this study, brother.

Here are just a few of many 3's & 7's chronicled in scripture...



Jesus was raised on the third day.

God rested from all His work on the seventh day.

Seven Golden Lamp Stands before the Throne.

Blessings,

Blane

Amen Blane, thanks for the reply....................Lou

[Lou Newton]

The four Creatures

Now someone may ask, how do we know that the four creatures have the Spirit of God. Good question.

We know from the Holy Scriptures in Ezekiel's vision of the glory of God:

Ezekiel 1
The Living Creatures and the Glory of the LORD
1 In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth of the month--it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin-- 3 the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the LORD was upon him. 4 I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north--an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, 5 and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man, 6 but each of them had four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings, 9 and their wings touched one another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved. 10 Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out upward; each had two wings, one touching the wing of another creature on either side, and two wings covering its body. 12 Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13 The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. 14 The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning. 15 As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. 16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. 17 As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not turn about as the creatures went. 18 Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around. 19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. 20 Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 22 Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome. 23 Under the expanse their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. 24 When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. 25 Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. 26 Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

We can see here that the creatures had the Spirit in them.

So, we know that The Father has the Spirit, the Son has the Spirit, The Holy Spirit has the Spirit, and now these four creatures have the Spirit. That is simply seven.

Now there is only one God.

I am one man. But if someone would try to take my child's life, I would suddenly become like a Lion. If my child fell sick, I would become like a servant to care for them.

If someone tries to harm you, they will deal with the Lion of Judah. If you are sick, or have a broken spirit, God will care for you like The Servant He is.

There is but one God, but He sits on His throne in such glory that no flesh could look upon Him and live. When God walked among men, He looked just like a man, and we call this appearance of God, Jesus. But there is only one God. He can be on the throne and on the earth at the same time. When God lives in our spirit, we can not see the Holy Spirit, but He is the same God. We know that when God walked with Adam and other men, that He looked like a man sometimes, because they were not afraid of Him. Joshua even drew his sword on The Lord and asked if He was an enemy. But when The Lord told Joshua who He was, Joshua bowed before Him and took off his shoes for it was Holy ground.

Some teach that the seven Spirits indicate the completeness and perfection of the Holy Spirit. Well that is obvious and does not answer what these seven Spirits are. Also The Father is complete and perfect, and so is The Son.

Others teach that the seven Spirits are listed in Isaiah 11:

The Branch From Jesse
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD

But this list has only SIX listed, for the first one listed in the Holy Spirit. The rest are simply characteristics of The Holy Spirit.

Why do I teach what I wrote, simply because that is what The Lord Jesus told me. And I asked Him to confirm that in scripture, which He did.

This subject will not get anyone to heaven, or keep them out of heaven. But it will help someone to understand the Book of The Revelation.

BTW, someone might wonder why the rims of the wheels are COVERED with eyes.

Well when mere men drive large vehicles they sometimes run over others because they do not see them. They put beepers on large vehicles to warn people the driver is backing up and he might not see you. If a mouse was an inch away from your front tire, you could not see it.

Now put yourself in Ezekiel's position as he is seeing this vision of the glory of God. These wheels were very high and awesome. As they were far away you might fear the creature could not see you, because he is so big and you are so small. And if the creature is very close, you might fear that he could not see you, for the wheel rim would obscure His vision.

But you need not fear, because however, and where ever God meets you, He will not run you over. You will be looking right into the eye of God. For the wheel is covered with eyes.

Grace to you
Lou Newton
Bond servant of Jesus

[Lou Newton]

Greetings and Doxology
4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. 7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. 8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

and from Jesus Christ - so John writes that this letter in not only from John, but from The Lord Jesus Christ. No one claims today that John is boasting, he is just telling what he has been told to write. No one should think anyone boasts today for making the same claim.

who is the faithful witness- there is ONE AND ONLY ONE FAITHFUL WITNESS, and that is The Lord Jesus, who is The Christ.

the firstborn from the dead - While The Lord Jesus is fully God Almighty, we should not forget that He is also fully man. That Man was nailed to the cross and shed His blood for our sin. He died and then raised Himself ( His human body, or His temple) from the dead. So Jesus is the firstborn from the dead.

Someone may ask, were not other mere men raised from the dead BEFORE Jesus was raised from the dead. Yes, but they were raised to yet die again. Jesus was raised to eternal life.

and the ruler of the kings of the earth - We should not forget that Jesus is the ruler of all. That would include every King of the earth, even those who worship false gods. Nebucahdnezzer worshipped false gods and had a 90 foot statue of himself erected. He ordered everyone to bow to that statue. Three refused to bow and Nebuchadnezzer had them thrown into the fire. But Jesus overruled that king of the earth and walked in the fire with the three. Even Nebu himself had to cry out that Jesus looked like the Son of God. Never fear any King of the earth, but fear The King of all Kings, The Lord Jesus.

Nebuchadnezzer was the mightiest King of the earth in that day. He was the one who destroyed Jerusalem. But it was nothing for Jesus to stop him from taking the lives of the three. It was also nothing for Jesus to cause the King to exclaim, he looks like the Son of God. Just as Jesus had Nebu's son shaking in his boots by simply having His hand write on the wall.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood - Jesus proved His love for us by shedding His blood for us. How blessed we are that the One who loved us so much was also the one who was righteous and able to pay for our sin. It would have done us no good, if Jesus loved but had sinned. Also it would have done us no good if Jesus was righteous but did not give His own life for us.

and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

Jesus not only paid for our sin so that we can be forgiven; but much more than that He has adopted us into His family as brothers and sisters. You see because Jesus became a man, He made Himself of our family. ( the family of mankind). BUT Jesus is also God Almighty, so we are adopted into His Royal family too. We are Princes and Princesses of the Kingdom of heaven, not some mere earthly kingdom.

What else can we do for such a loving and generous God; but give Him glory and honor for ever and ever.

Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him

Now John speaks of THE Revelation of Jesus. - Jesus is coming back with clouds of witnesses. EVERY EYE will see Him. Even those who pierced Him. That includes everyone. For it was for our sin that Jesus was pierced. ALL the people of the earth will MOURN because of Him. Those of us that love Him will mourn because we will see His TERRIBLE wounds and mourn that Jesus was pierced for our sins. Those who rejected Jesus will mourn because they rejected Him and now they will be filed with deep regret that they rejected the King of Heaven.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

Here Jesus reveals to the readers of the book who He is. Jesus is the FIRST and the LAST. For Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last letter. There can only be ONE FIRST. If Jesus was not God Almighty, He would not be FIRST. For God Almighty would be FIRST and Jesus would be second. Jesus stands alone at FIRST and LAST.

Jesus also reveals that He is the One, WHO IS, WHO WAS, and WHO IS TO COME. This is important, so Jesus tells us twice in the first chapter. This book is about The Revelation of Jesus. He has revealed Himself from the beginning, He is revealing Himself as we speak, and Jesus will reveal Himself. This book is about the Revelation of Jesus which takes place in the past, the present, and the future.

the Almighty - and in case anyone missed it, Jesus will reveal to the whole universe that He is The One and Only Almighty.

Grace to you
Lou Newton
Bond servant of Jesus

[Jules]

Thank you so much, Lou, for doing this study through The Revelation for and with us.

Please delete this if it is drifting away from or interfering with your lesson, but two things jumped out at me as I've been reading your messages. They are probably "common knowledge" among all the better-educated here, but...

It would have done us no good, if Jesus loved but had sinned. Also it would have done us no good if Jesus was righteous but did not give His own life for us

It would have also done us no good if He were not God Himself. A created being - even an angel - could not have given his life for mankind and fulfilled the law.

I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty

The adversary loves to imitate our Lord. I find it striking, in comparison, that the adversary is identified as such:

Rev 17:8 (in part)

The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit

There are several other thoughts rolling around in my head, but wanted to separate these two so you can delete this if it will interfere with where you're going, Lou.


Jules