Category Archives: Visions

Fear / Reverence for God, Seeking God, Study the Word, Through Prophets, Visions

The Patmos Vision Begins – Revelation

John reminds us that to be a partaker in the kingdom sometimes means we are also a partaker in tribulation, or trials. It is the perseverance through Christ which strengthens us for such a challenge. John did not say this lightly, as he was stuck on an island due to his sticking with the word of YHWH and the testimony of Christ.

I find it interesting he notes that he experiences the vision on the Lord’s day, which I presume to be Sabbath (Saturday by today’s calendar). He also notes he was “in the Spirit”. He was in a mindset where he was set aside and focused on the LORD.  We should each ask ourselves how often we create that environment for ourselves to be with YHWH, absent other distractions. For me it is not often enough.

Revelation 1:9-20

The Patmos Vision

      9I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

      12Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. 14His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

      17When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. 19“Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. 20“As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Clearly YHWH intended for John to receive and deliver this vision to seven churches identified. This message is for them rather than us, but it appears as we read and study Revelation that there is plenty for us to apply in our lives as well. Humans have not changed. We are still embroiled in the same struggles with rebellion, sin, and self as ever. We should heed the messages to the churches and test our own lives and with the body of Christ where we engage with others.

There is much symbolism throughout Revelation. It communicates real tangible prophecy and warnings that are not fictional or imaginary. Studying the symbolism unlocks more depth of meaning. I encourage you to study more, but you may need to explore a couple of different sources to test and validate the understanding of all the imagery in Revelation. I am not an expert here and have much to learn. Ultimately, test Revelation vs. the rest of the scripture.

In Revelation 1, we get a break… Yeshua tells us what some of the symbolism means. Keep in mind, however, that the Hebrew word for angel and messenger is the same. Recognizing Revelation may have been written in Aramaic, it would still be interesting to test if it really says “angel” or “messenger” of the seven churches, which could be their leader or pastor. The sword perhaps is the sword of YHWH, which is His word. This is how it was referenced by Paul when he spoke of putting on the full armor of YHWH. It would make sense. Nothing comes from Yeshua except the true word of YHWH.

I look forward to exploring this book with you. One book you may consider as a reference to help you get started is The Apocalypse Code, by Hank Hanegraaff.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Seeking God, Study the Word, Through Prophets, Visions

Hear and Heed What Is Written – Revelation

The book of Revelation can be very intimidating. There is a tremendous amount of imagery and prophecy and deep meaning on many levels. There are many studies into Revelation and if or when you feel ready to dive in and fully understand it (as best we can), then I encourage you to start with prayer and perhaps a study partner. Test what others say about it. Give yourself time to explore and understand. Do not be in a rush. Be ok with not having all the answers as you begin and move through it.

I will be walking through Revelation and will look to focus on some of the more obvious elements to help get us all started. I have studied some, but not a lot considering the depth available to explore. Keep in mind, that YHWH wants His people to hear this message and understand. It was written to John thousands of years ago, but there is much significance to us still today and in the future.

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it.

Revelation 1:1-3

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

      1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, 2who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Arrogance, Bitterness / Resentment, Complaining, Consequences of Sin, Contentment, Controlling Thoughts, Dreams, Humility, Speaking, Through Prophets, Tongue / Gossip / Slander, Visions

Petty Jealousy and Complaining Do Not Please the Lord

Jealousy can raise its ugly head in surprising places. Don’t think the church or church leadership is exempt. Maintain vigil against it. Be content with how Jehovah uses you and guides you. Envy not His relationship with someone else.

Even Miriam and Aaron fell to this sin and they had seen many mighty miracles and received guidance from the Lord. However, it appears they became jealous of how the Lord lifted up Moses with a more personal engagement. Their focus shifted from the Lord to themselves and perhaps their ego. Suddenly they are murmuring against Him. The Lord was not pleased.

Do not confuse this jealous murmuring with a correct rebuke or discernment against false teaching. We are to discern and call out false teachers or false doctrine. However, this was different. This was a jealous resentment for the attention Moses was getting and then undermining the unity of the leadership of God’s people.

Note how Moses does not hold a grudge. This is consistent with scripture referring to Him as a humble man. I would guess he was not pleased with Miriam and Aaron, but he intercedes for Miriam with the Lord anyway. We can only speculate if the Lord limited Miriam’s punishment to 7 days because of Moses or if that would have been the case anyway.

Numbers 12

The Murmuring of Miriam and Aaron

     1Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman); 2and they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And the LORD heard it. 3(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.) 4Suddenly the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and to Miriam, “You three come out to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them came out. 5Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tent, and He called Aaron and Miriam. When they had both come forward,

6He said,
“Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision.
I shall speak with him in a dream.

      7“Not so, with My servant Moses,
He is faithful in all My household;

      8With him I speak mouth to mouth,
Even openly, and not in dark sayings,
And he beholds the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid
To speak against My servant, against Moses?”

      9So the anger of the LORD burned against them and He departed. 10But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous. 11Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12“Oh, do not let her be like one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes from his mother’s womb!” 13Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “O God, heal her, I pray!” 14But the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days outside the camp, and afterward she may be received again.” 15So Miriam was shut up outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again.

      16Afterward, however, the people moved out from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

I pray our Father would help me to be his humble servant. Let me not get caught up in “being right” or “getting personal glory or credit”, but rather only in serving Him and doing His will for His glory. Let us pray for one another and not murmur against one another in jealousy.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Offering Sacrifices, Visions

Sometimes The Ball Is In Our Court

Have you ever wondered why you do not hear from God during a difficult time in your life? You know He is there, but you do not hear from Him. There are several reasons why this may happen and we do not cover them all in this devotion, but to start with the basics… Did you genuinely seek Him? Or are you waiting for Him to “pop in” uninvited?

In order to hear from God, we should recognize that sometimes the “ball is in our court”. We must reach out to God… to genuinely seek Him and He will answer.  As a father, I find this principle to be true in leading my children as well. I love them. Sometimes I even already know what their concerns or problems are… but I want to let them learn how to handle a difficult situation. Will they ask for help? Will they try to figure it out all on their own?  Do they know how to solve this particular problem? Watching them work through issues can help me to have wisdom about where they are and how I can help them grow in maturity as their father. However, if they come to me and ask for help I will respond and help them directly. I want them to know that they can come to me when they have trouble and I will always help them.

Jacob made the mistake of not seeking God in Genesis 42 when deciding whether or not to send Benjamin to Egypt. He acted in fear and kept his sons from returning as Joseph, governor of Egypt, had demanded. Jacob’s son, Simeon, suffered by remaining in Egypt in captivity while Jacob delayed.

In Genesis 46:1-7, Jacob sets out with all he has and then offers sacrifices to God. He reaches out to God to honor Him. God, in return, speaks to Jacob in visions and gives confirmation about the decision to go to Egypt.

Jacob Moves to Egypt

      1So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. 4“I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes.”

      5Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob and their little ones and their wives in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6They took their livestock and their property, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and came to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him: 7his sons and his grandsons with him, his daughters and his granddaughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

God loves us and wants to help His people. However, He will not force us to come to Him for help or force His help on us. Sometimes He waits for us to approach Him. There may be many reasons why He does this in different situations. One example may simply be to remind us to bring our needs before Him, humbly in prayer and ask for help… to depend on God in tough situations instead of depending on ourselves.

What problems or difficult situations are you experiencing in which you have not heard from God? Have you asked Him for help, genuinely and humbly seeking Him and expecting Him to answer?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.