Category Archives: Mercy

Revelation Chapter 1

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The revelation from 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, who testifies to everything he saw–that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:1-2

Notice that this is the “Revelation of Jesus Christ”, this is not the Revelation from John or anyone else. The words in this prophetic book are from our Lord and Savior directly!

Blessed is the one who reads aloud 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 Revelation 1:3

What a message , “Blessed is the one who reads and hears the words of this prophecy!” This is why studying Revelation is so important as a Christian, to know no matter how out of control the world may seem, we still have victory in Jesus Christ!

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, Revelation 1:4

Here we see Jesus is giving a message (letters) to seven individual churches in the province of Asia, why seven? Seven is the number of completion in the Bible, for example creation was completed on the seventh day. You will see the number seven used throughout the book of Revelation.

We notice the “Seven Spirits” also, this is reference to The Holy Spirit. We remember Paul describing the “Seven gifts of The Holy Spirit ” (1 Corinthians 12) , remember 7 is symbolic for completion. So at this moment we have the Father, Son , and Holy Spirit at the throne.

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, Revelation 1:5

Here we see a couple key passages, first it confirms Jesus is the firstborn from the dead, meaning Jesus physically died during his crucifixion and was resurrected back to life. This is important because there are some groups who don’t believe in a physical resurrection.

Second it says “Jesus loves us” in present tense. This is the only place in the Bible where its stated in present tense. What a wonderful message!

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. Revelation 1:6

Every translation has the same thing, we were all made to be priests to serve God. Not just your local pastor but every Christian. What the means is what Jesus commanded at the great commission ” Go and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19) Share the gospel to everyone whenever you have a chance

“Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen. Revelation 1:7

When Jesus Christ returns , there will be no mistake! Every eye in the world will see him. Some people falsely teach that Jesus already returned, No you will know when Christ returns

And “all peoples on earth” meaning unsaved “will mourn because of Christ”. It will be a horrible day for the unsaved as judgement is coming to everyone on Earth. This is why it’s important to be “Priests for God” to save as many people as possible through Christ

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

Jesus is revealing his deity here, Alpha and Omega are the first and last words of the Greek alphabet, so Jesus is saying he is the beginning and the end (Isaiah 41:4) Meaning Jesus has always existed, he was not created as some false teachers preach

I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Revelation 1:9

John is the author of Revelation , who was banished on the island of Patmos because of Christian persecution. Most are in agreement that this is the Apostle John, who also wrote the Gospel of John and Epistles of John.

On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, Revelation 1:10

This is an important scripture here as John was writing this on “The Lords Day”, which is Sunday the day Jesus was resurrected. This confirms that “The Lords Day” was established and recognized by the first century church.

Those who oppose this view confuse “The Lords Day” with “Day of The Lord” which are totally different. “Day of The Lord” would be referencing Revelation 6:17 when Jesus Christ returns for judgement!

which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” Revelation 1:11

Remember earlier the number 7 is symbolic for completeness, so even though there are more than seven churches in the Asia Minor, Jesus will address only 7 to symbolize the complete “Body of Christ” hence these letters are relevant to all Christians just as all the other Epistles are.

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 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. Revelation 1: 12-13

John is now about to come face to face with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. First he sees 7 golden lampstands, these can be described better as “Jewish Menorahs” As revealed later in the Chapter, the lampstands are symbolic for The Churches.

John begins describing Jesus appearance, Son of Man which was a common phrase for Christ (Matthew 24:30) which Jesus himself described himself fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel 7:13

The robe and golden sash are symbolic for Jesus authority and royalty as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords

The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. Revelation 1:14-15

Here we get some symbolic descriptions of who Jesus Christ is. The whiteness is symbolic for his holiness and purity, while his eyes are a blazing fire, meaning he has come to bring judgement upon the unrepentant sinners.

Bronze is symbolic for Gods judgement. His voice was so authoritative and intimidating sounds like rushing waters.

For those of you who haven’t accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, don’t delay any longer. I would not want to face the wrath of the King of Kings!

In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. Revelation 1:16

Here we see 7 stars in the right hand of Jesus, remember right hand is very symbolic in Jewish culture meaning “special place of honor or authority” as Jesus sat at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19)

Jesus is the living Word and Truth, everything he speaks is like a double edge sword as described in Hebrews 4:12, his truth cuts to the bone of sinners and scoffers, that’s why the Bible is so offensive to the ungodly

Jesus is The Light of The World (John 8:12) is holiness, truth , and righteousness radiate as the Glory of God

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. Revelation 1:17

Again Jesus reveals his deity , Jesus is omnipotent meaning he has no beginning or end ( Isaiah 41:4) Notice also when John fell to Jesus feet to worship him, Jesus did not rebuke him but acknowledged him

I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Revelation 1:18

Again Jesus confirms his bodily resurrection, as he confirms he was dead and now alive forever! This is important because if Christ didn’t die and be raised again, then we would have no hope for ourselves. As Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 15

Jesus holds the keys to death and Hades (grave) Jesus holds the only hope for our souls, only through him can we obtain eternal life

Hades typically means grave or realm of the dead. Its sometimes confused with Hell but has a totally different meaning

Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. Revelation 1:19

This is important to understand that some things in Revelation already happened, some things were happening right then, and many things are prophetic (will be happening in the future)

Remember Jesus said when he is coming “every eye will see him”, don’t fall for a lot of false prophets about the end of the world ect. When Christ comes you will know when the end is near!

The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. Revelation 1:20

Jesus reveals the symbolism of the 7 stars and 7 lampstands

7 Stars = Angels of the Churches

7 Lampstands = Churches

7 Churches = Body of Christ

7 Spirit = Holy Spirit

 

Make Us Clean

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And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Mark 1:40

Why did you come to Jesus? This may sound like an odd question, however when people come to Jesus for the wrong reasons, typically they fall away from their faith. However when we come to Jesus , as the Leper, begging for mercy, then we truly come to Jesus for the right reasons.

Lepers during these times were considered sub human and outcasts. Religious leaders would not even allow Lepers to be part of society, they were banished to deserted places left to die. We are these “spiritual Lepers”, we were dead in our sins, left to die. However Jesus Christ had mercy on us, and he is the only one who can make us “Spiritually Clean”

Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Mark 1:41

What was Jesus motive to heal us? He was moved with compassion, even though we were still sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8) Jesus loved us before we knew him, he said “I AM Willing”, he was willing to go to the cross for our sins, he was willing to take the wages of our sins upon himself, he was willing to love a spiritual leper when nobody else was

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Come to Christ for mercy and salvation, he is willing to cleanse you from your sins in Jesus Name Amen

Ceasefire

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Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? Matthew 7:3

Its easy to point out the flaws and failures of others, but what about yourself? Can you look in the mirror and be accountable for your flaws and failures also? Jesus teaches us this principle, judgement is not ours, whoever judges another is condemning themselves.

Problem is when we spend so much time on analyzing others people’s flaws, we tend to forgot our own. Its important we strive to live like Christ and allow him to live in us. How did Jesus view others? Remember when the woman caught in adultery, instead of Jesus condemning her to death her forgave her of her sins. Then Jesus said “Let anyone of you who is without sin, cast the first stone (John 8:7) Nobody condemned her then, why? Because we are all guilty, we are all sinners and have fallen short to the Glory of God (Romans 3:23)

So is there a plank in your own eye? Meaning do you have some unresolved sin in your life? Is your life a reflection of Christ or the world? Stop looking at the sin in other people lives and reflect on your own life. Are you ready to stand before Jesus with a clean heart and mind? Repent your sins for the kingdom of God is at hand (Matthew 3:2)in Jesus name Amen

 

 

So easy to cast the first stone  Its harder to search your own soul -For King and Country – Ceasefire

Eye For Eye?

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“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. Matthew 5:38-39

With all the violence and hatred in the world today, how do we react? The normal human reaction is for us want an “Eye for Eye” but with this approach when does it end? Jesus taught us to “Turn the other cheek”, instead of answering violence with violence we should try to resist .

Obviously this is not easy and not very popular. Its natural for us to want to avenge our enemies, but the questions is when will it stop? So how as Christians can we apply these teachings Jesus wants us to follow?

Remember Jesus said we must first deny ourselves (Matthew 16:24) before we become a disciple, isn’t violence mostly about human ego and greed? If we truly are a Christian, we must not only Deny Ourselves but also Love our Enemies (Matthew 5:44).

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28

One of the most powerful scriptures in the entire Bible is this one, Satan can threaten you with violence or even death, however we should not fear them. See God gives life and can take it away, he is the only one. Even if your physical body is dead, your soul will live as long as God says it will.

This is why Fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom and understanding, because our Heavenly Father, creator of the Heavens and Earth is truly in control. So resist violence, turn the other cheek in Jesus Name Amen

You Can Be Saved

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You Can Be Saved

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13

There are many people who are living in defeat because they don’t believe  they can be saved, or are not worthy to be saved. But you need to know Jesus came to save everyone including You!

Jesus said in (Luke 5:32) He did not come for the righteous but for the sinners, and since we are all sinners (Romans 3:23), we all need Jesus!  It doesn’t matter your age, race, gender, Jesus came to save everyone, he is the light of the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6)

What is a Gentile?  Gentile is anyone who is not Jewish, this is what the new covenant is all about.  Because of God’s grace through Jesus Christ, we can all be children of God, Jews and Gentiles (Galatians 3:28). Also tells us in (Romans 10:12), that God is the God of everyone, Jews and Gentiles

Many know the scripture John 3:16 but if you continue reading verses 17 and 18 it tells you Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world and whoever believes in Jesus  is not condemned (John 3:17-18)

So You can be saved, If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9) Saved from the enemy of this world including death. Accept Jesus into your heart today and become a new Creature (2 Corinthians 5:17) Amen!

What Spirit are You?

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And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, will you that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elijah did? Luke 9:54

With all the evil in the world, sometimes we feel like the disciples did. When people reject Jesus or even blasphemy his name, its normal to feel some anger. However, we learn from this event that Jesus doesn’t want us to be looking for judgement but to share the mercy of God through Jesus Christ.

In this particular event, the Samaritans rejected Jesus and this obviously made his disciples angry. We see a lot of evil and sin in this world that makes us angry, how do we react? Are we condemning people or praying for them?

But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, You know not what manner of spirit you are of.For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to savethem. And they went to another village.
 Luke 9:55-56

The disciples wanted God to consume the Samaritans with fire, like Elijah had done with the followers of Baal. Jesus rebuked them. So what was the difference? Well Jesus has brought a new covenant from God, filled with grace and mercy paid by his blood at the cross. Consuming sinners with fire would negate the reason Christ died for us.

This same covenant is still here today; God is still granting mercy to sinners through Jesus Christ. So as Christians our job is not to condemn sinners but to lead them to Jesus. Is this easy to do? No, of course not but we must not be a roadblock to someone’s salvation.

As Jesus said to the disciples, what manner of Spirit are you? Are you lead by the Holy Spirit or are you lead by a false Spirit of Satan? You don’t need to save the world, we already have a God who has done that in Jesus name Amen

God Does Love You!

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God Does Love You!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Many people in this world are searching for love, searching for people to value them. Well look no further than your Heavenly Father and Creator. He loves you enough to become human and die for your sins.

First thing you need to realize is you were created in Gods image (Genesis 1:27) so think about how special you are when God looks at you. Secondly God knew you before he formed you in your mother’s womb and has a plan for you (Jeremiah 1:5) He knows the number of hairs on your head (Luke 12:7)

God values all human life, just as he supplies food for the birds, he will supply all your needs also (Matthew 6:26) God says he will never leave us or forsake us  (Deuteronomy 31:6) God says you are the apple of his eye and he will keep you protected (Psalm 17:8)

The most important thing to know is, even because of our sins and rebellion, God forgives us anyway. Jesus said there is no greater Love than to lay down his life for friends, God demonstrated the greatest love on the cross and even called you his children (Galatians 3:26)

Maybe you made some mistakes, God will forgive you and through Christ you can be transformed (Romans 12:2) So don’t believe what the world is telling, believe what your Heavenly Father is telling you, You are special and you are Loved in Jesus Name Amen!

Be Alert

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Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

 

Every day is a battle, every day is a struggle. If you don’t agree with me you’re probably not being honest with yourself. Satan wants to devour us, and usually plays head games so we become our own worst enemies.

 

Being sober minded, does that mean refraining from alcohol or drugs? Not really. Keeping your mind sober from doubt and self-defeat. Our minds can quickly become a runaway train; we can convince ourselves that theres no hope when in reality we are victorious.

 

(Proverbs 23:7) “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he”

 

When you think of yourself what thoughts come to mind? Successful or failure? Hopeful or hopeless? Redeemed or condemned? Might sound extreme, but this is where the battle is won or lost. Satan plants the seed of doubts in your head and you become self-defeated.

 

(Ephesians 6:11) “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

 

This is why we need to put on our “Armor of God” to protect ourselves from Satan’s schemes or propaganda. Read and understand the Word of God:

 

“I can do all things thru Christ who gives me strength”.

 

“No weapon formed against me shall prosper”

 

(James 4:7) “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

 

Put your trust in God, believe in his words and you will be strong to resist the devil. Don’t allow yourself to be vulnerable to Satans schemes, Be Strong in The Lord Amen

Follow my blog at unashamedofjesus.wordpress.com

Peace be with you,

Warren

Be strong in The Lord

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Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

 

Are you struggling today? Are you involved in a battle that you feel like your losing? Who do you call on for strength? Are trusting in God to be your refuge thru your times of trouble? With God you are not alone, if you stand with him he will stand with you. If God is for us, who can be against us?

(Psalms 136:1) “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endurethfor ever”

 

King David understood this principle, when the world was against him and everyone was trying to kill him. He called unto God for his strength and he delivered him as always. For God promises his mercy endures forever. Call out to God today and he will not forsake you.

(Philippians 4:13) “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

 

This is probably one of the most popular scriptures in the New Testament, however when Paul wrote this he was chained in prison. He didn’t proclaim this while living in paradise, he proclaimed this during his time in prison. He called onto God to give him strength no matter what man was doing to him.

(Ephesians 6:10) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

 

Again Paul tells trust in God to get you thru your battle and lean on him for your strength. Do you have this faith today? Are you fighting your battles alone or do you have God on your side? If you trust in him, he will not forsake you.

(Jeremiah 17:14) “Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.”

 

Are you praising God in the storm or cursing him? So this is the true reveal or you faith. Anyone can be faithful during good times, but what about the hard times? This is what reveals who you really are. Thru you faith you will dig deep roots and endure any storm. Be strong in the Lord. In Jesus name Amen