Rev 1:9-20 - Sunday May 16, 2021

Let's pick up in verse 9 where we left off last week. I 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. I was in the spirit on the Lord's day and I heard behind me, a loud voice, like the sound of a trumpet saying, write in a book, what you see, and send it to the seven churches to Ephesus to Smyrna, to pergamum to Thai Thai, rest, Thai, Star diss to Philadelphia and Toledo to see you. Then. I turned to see the voice speaking with me and having turned, I saw seven golden lamp stands. And in the midst of the lamp stands, I saw one like a son of man. Fulton Road reaching to the feet and girded across his chest with a golden sash. His head and his hair were white like white wool, like snow. And his eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze when it had been made to Glow in a furnace. His voice was like the sound of many Waters in his right hand. He held Seven Stars and out of his mouth. Came a sharp two-edged sword and its face was like the sun shining and its strength when 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 and the living one, and I was dead and behold. I am alive for Evermore. I don't have the keys of death and of Haiti's. Therefore, write the things which you have seen and the things which are and the things which will take place after these things. As for the mystery of the Seven Stars, what you saw in my right hand and the Seven golden lamp stands. The Seven Stars are the Angels of the seven churches and the Seven land stands are the seven churches only. Father. We thank you this morning that we can be together. Lord. We don't take this time for granted as our brothers and sisters around the world are not able to meet openly like this not only around the world. All right. Here are our neighbors in Canada. They're not allowed to me openly like this. Oh so Lord. I Thank you that we still have this this opportunity and we don't we don't take it lightly Lord, but we we come and we're glad we can come and worship you and open your word and this morning. Lord. We pray that you would speak to us, become expecting to hear from you. And Lord. We just pray that you would speak and have your way in our hearts this morning. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. So just a quick reminder to get us up to speed here.

It's a revelation of Jesus Christ. Write this is all about Jesus, first and foremost. And so we want to keep that in mind as we go through this, the outline of the of the book, we will put this up quite often so that you can kind of see where we are and what we're doing as we go through this and I want you to be so familiar with the book. You kind of know it inside out and backwards. So you'll see that quite a bit and then of course, let's not get too carried away. I mean that he is that we're studying. At a particular way. We have a particular view, but we want to be charitable to those who might see the Book of Revelation in a different way, might have a different eschatology concerning, geology concerning the book. Basically, we fellowship with people, even right here in our town that have a different theological views. End Time stuff than we do. But ultimately, they're still looking for, Christ's return, right? So that's what matters, right. It doesn't matter. If you're premillennial, post-millennial, pretribulational, doesn't matter if you're looking for Christ's return. Now, there is a a branch of Christianity that has gotten off track in there. They don't believe that Jesus is returning. They don't believe in the person of Jesus is going to return. And with them. We have a problem, right? Because the Bible is clear. Jesus said, I'm coming back and so that's the only place only time but that's a small group. So for the most part we can fellowship and have good fellowship with Christians who may believe completely different than us. So with all things charity, right? But the reason we study this book primarily is to know Jesus and receive the blessing. That is Promised, when we read it, we hear it. And we actually keep it when we prepare our hearts accordingly, right? That's the whole point of the blessing, right? You drop blessed. If you only read it, you're not blessed if you just hear it, but it's all three have to do all three. You been. Okay. So review real quick. When was the book written? And why is it important? 95-96 80 right in there. I think last week, if you need to go back and listen to that. It's out online. I spent a lot of time laying out a good case for the later, date of 95-96 80 and why it's important. Now, it's not as crucial to our view of eschatology, that it be a later date. And when I say a later date, it's that, that date opposed to preet before 70 AD. When the temple was destroyed, our view is not Tendon on the later date, but the other views of eschatology, primarily omelet in the end of all millennialism or postmillennialism are dependent on the, the early date, prior to 7084, their view to have any parents, right? So, and so, I think I last week I showed pretty clearly that all the evidence primarily points to this date, right? Of of the 95-96 ad simply based on the the dating that the people who were around at the time said, right? They said this is what it was written. So why should we change that way to make it some other time? Right? So,

And this is why. And then it does affect how you interpret this in which case we interpreted literally, if it was written after the temple was destroyed. We can't make any of the things that happened in the book. Be about the temple being destroyed. And that's what many have tried to do is, like, we'll all these things are talking about when the temple was destroyed, and Andrew slim with Siege. And the fact is, it was written long after that. So he can't be about that because it's a book of Prophecy, right? And so are, we will study it in the literal sense, taking into account, you know, contacts and just follow the Golden Rule and interpretation and and then the two views mainvue, just keep it in your mind is preterism. Are those people who think that every most everything in the Book of Revelation has already taken place 70 AD in earlier and then futuris, which is the majority of you still in Christiana. We all do, it's losing ground to the preterist view, because they are pretty adamant about it. And they're, they're working hard to get people to change, but the primary view of a scripture of the Book of Revelation is still that most of it is yet to come, right? That it's not been fulfilled. And so that's how we are looking at it. Because I believe that the Book of Revelation is meant for us to understand and that it was given for us to, to get it. And so, he didn't hide a bunch of messages in some esoteric imagery that we can't decipher write. This, it says what it says. And it means what it says, and that's how we're going to interpret interpret it and we saw that Jesus introduced himself. So let's remind ourselves of that. He calls himself, the person who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits were Before, the Throne. He said he was faithful. He was the firstborn of the Dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth and he loved us and released us from our sins. And he has glory and Dominion forever and ever. And behold, he is coming with the clouds. Everyone will see him. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The one who is and was, and who is to come the almighty. If you didn't catch it, it's all about Jesus, right? He's gone. He wasn't his to come. That's that's, that's the great. I am, right. He's always, he always has been. He always has. He always will be, he is eternal. So Jesus has identified himself as the Eternal God. He is identified himself as the faithful. God, who is faithful to us? The first born from the dead, he is above all things. First, born is a place of prominence and he calls himself the almighty and the ruler of the kings of this Earth. So he is above all, and, of course, he says, behold, I am coming. I am the one. Who loved you and released you from your sins. I'm the one who did that. I redeemed you, and I'm coming back and this is the guy that we serve. He's introducing himself. Now, he's going to reveal himself to John as he truly is, but he has identified himself as being over all that is. Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end there is nothing before him. There will be nothing after him. And that's cool. John is now about to have this encounter with that is going to be Completely life-altering for him. I John your brother starting in first nine and fellow partaker in the tribulation and Kingdom of perseverance, which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Now Joanne and I have no idea if that's what he look like. I just liked the picture and I'm not sure that he wrote things down while he was there or if he wrote them down after he left the island. But again, it's the cool picture but don't put too much stock in it. Nobody know artist. Was there saying hold still John while but in this statement. He says, I am your brother. I'm a fellow partaker in the tribulation in the kingdom and in the perseverance that is persevering through the tribulation to see God's kingdom and I identify with you. That's who he wants to know. I'm one of you and he's writing to the churches and he's saying for those who are in Jesus, right? He's identifying himself as one whose in Jesus just like, you just like me. Suffering tribulation persevering through that tribulation and he's trying to let them know. I know. What you're going through because tribulation had ramped up under damisha now under Nero Nero killed Christians. If they did something, he didn't like, or if he needed someone to blame for something, right? And he was very good about doing that very, very good about the person getting killed, but he didn't go out of his way throughout the kingdom to find them and kill them. When he began to Reign. He wanted to stamp out or at least try to discourage Christianity. So he began persecuting Christians wholesale. He wasn't killing them. He was making a spectacle of them, torturing them. Sometimes, throwing them to the Lions for sport, but often boiling them in an oil publicly till they died or banishing them, exiling them to concentration camps. Like the one that John is in even a Christian Concentration, Camp Christian, early Christian writers on Patmos, which was a mine that they mind people went through. And they mind to death, right? They went there and they worked them to death and So John is suffering here on this island and he knows that other Christians are suffering too. And that's part of the Christian experience. Right? It's it's something that we're told is going to happen. Jesus Promised it to his disciples. In this world. You will have trouble Elation but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world, right? They hated me. They're going to hate you. Just the way it is. And all through. The New Testament were encouraged take joy. When you when you enter fiery trials, Peter would say or When Trials, come upon you James tells us to rejoice in that hear Paul is encouraging the Roman, the people in the Christians, in Rome to glory in tribulations, it be be happy about it because it works in you great face. That's the idea. It's going to work in you. Great faith is going to build character and hope and and you're going to have hope in God because of it. So it was station that we would suffer as Christians and we have brothers and sisters around the world that are suffering. I got a message this morning from our missionaries in India, Pastor Gideon in and his wife, Excellency are they are in the midst of a real tough time? And I mean, I don't know if you're aware of what's going on in India, but the Hindi people, Hindi religious, people have risen up. They are getting very militant against Christians. They're attacking Christians. And in the midst of going on there struggling with the covid, pandemic. The corruption people are not getting the medical supplies that are intended for them because they're so much corruption in the government and in the the gangs and then just the end of it. There's just so much there in the government has dispensed enough medicine for a population of a billion people, but it's never made it to the people and they're dying by the thousands. They sent some pictures. Some of them are good pictures. They were showing, they were delivering food to some of the villages that were basically in isolation, and Pastor Gideon's taking food. And they wanted us to know that our monthly gift that we give to them, is what made that possible for them to take the food to those people that are suffering. So they wanted us to be encouraged by that, you know, even though we're not, there were part of the work, but they also just heartbreaking pictures of them building. The funeral pyres, the did the burn, the bodies, get so many people are dying and I didn't want to show you because it's me, it's heartbreaking. But basically, there's just a filled with your hundred fires going and these are people's bodies being burned, because so many are dying of covid in. And there were there working at the same time because they're such an outpouring of ministry opportunity, to share the gospel, with these people who are hurting so bad, but at the same time, Suffering and of course, the Hindu religious, don't want them to share the gospel. And it's just, it's just one of those things where there is a lot of people out of Christians. Even like that. Even our neighbors to the north Calvary Chapel Affiliated, pastor of horizon Fellowship. There. They got their Church shut down. There locked out their Pastor was thrown in jail for 2 weeks for holding services, and he just got out. The church is meeting somewhere in an undisclosed location. This morning. There was a gone underground one of our own their underground there and be in North America. This is happening. So Christians have suffered. And the reason that were able to endure is we serve a God who knows that we've suffered, and he's likewise injured suffering, but also because we have each other John's here is saying, hey, I'm a companion in this. I'm a brother and fellow saw. Along with you and sometimes it's a good misery loves company. Is it a saying? But it's true, you know, it's good to have people who understand what you're going through and we have a church body and people that love one another and nothing gives me a heavy, your heart than hearing. Someone say, you know, that's been coming for. I don't know anybody and I don't have anybody to talk to you. I mean, that should never be in our body, right? If you see someone who's not connecting reach out to them, if you're here and you haven't connected, reach out to somebody, we want to show you the love of Christ. I want to be known as as a church that loves people regardless here. I want to be known as a church, that it doesn't matter who walks through that door. First and foremost, we love them, right, regardless of where they come from regardless of their background, regardless of whatever lifestyle they choices they may have made. You know, I just I want to be known as a church that loves. I want to be prepared to love the heroin addict who was walking in off the street or the person who comes in high or drunk and maybe doesn't smell too good. I want to be prepared to love them or the person who is chosen to live in the lgbtq community, your lifestyle and they walk in that door. I want to be prepared to love them. People need Jesus. Regardless of what their particular sin is just like you and I need Jesus, regardless of what our particular sin is. I just want to be clear about this, if you're not comfortable, loving people, no matter where they're at. You're in the wrong Church. There's other churches in this town that you can go to. And I, I'm going to guess though. They got the same policy, right? I don't know. We're prepared to let the Holy Spirit. Do his work in their life, right? Our job is to love them. And you don't obviously there's some lines will have to draw depending on how public their sin is or how bad they're struggling. As far as we're not going to let someone who's in open blatant spin. Struggling. Be in a leadership position or something like that. I mean, the Bible speaks to all of that but for it first and foremost, we don't worry about that. If it comes up, we'll deal with it. But first and foremost, we love them, right? That's our first priority is to love and accept and say. I don't I don't care where you came from, or you know, what's happening in life except that, how can I pray for you? How can I be here for you? How can I love you? How can I show you that? Jesus loves you. That's, that's, are gold. And that's because time is getting short and life is getting harder. Right? For people. You probably noticed that our life is getting harder. I mean, the suicide rate alone in the US. I heard of statistic. I don't know if it's true, but I was told that it tripled. It has tripled. Since the pandemic started, that's, that's not good. That's people that are hurting so badly that they're at their only Resort. They think that they have is to take their own life. We at the church, we can help. We can help, we can love. And so I want to be like John and say I understand I'm with you. Jon was not having an easy life. He was old, you know, I can't imagine how hard it must have been him sleeping on the cold hard, ground and whatever accommodations they gave him if any he was suffering and he says, he was suffering for one thing, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. He wouldn't stop talking about Jesus, right? And here's the thing, if you suffer because you're dumb, That's why you don't get any credit for that, you know, but they're you get credit if you're suffering for Christ. If you're taking a stand, if you're doing, what God has called you to do and you find yourself suffering. Because there's there's a reward for those who endure and John says, I'm here on this island suffering because I wouldn't stop preaching Jesus. And I hope every one of us has made a commitment and and just decided in our heart, no matter what, no matter what. Yet though, they slay me. I will serve him. If they eat, they kill me. They can only kill the body, right? I hope it doesn't come to that, but we should all make that decision right now. And let me be, let me just say something that's going to be hard for you to hear. Okay, you need to have this conversation with your kids. If you haven't had this conversation with your kids, you need to approve page appropriately. But listen, when and if things go badly for Christians, they will. But if they do, they're not going to threaten your life. They're going to threaten your child's life if you don't.

We can't if you don't go along. If you don't you need to have the conversation. My kids know. I've told them listen no matter what they tell you. I have not denied Christ cuz they're going to separate you from your kids and they're going to tell your kids just forget about that Christian stuff. Your parents have? They want you to to but no matter what they tell you understand. I have not denied Christ and if they killed me, it's because I didn't deny Christ. Don't believe what they say. I know that's really a scary thought and I don't mean to throw you guys, you know offer to get you thinking about where things but and I hope this never takes place, but we should be prepared and are prepared to understand that we are prepared to go to our death. For our witness for Jesus Christ. Again. I pray, it never happens that were told to pray that we escaped these things, right? That were found, worthy to escape these things. So but that's why John was suffering was because of his testimony and he's there. But even in the midst of that suffering, he says that he says I was in the spirit on the Lord's day and I heard behind, U-boats loud voice, like the sound of a trumpet, John, even when he's in the worst conditions, in a concentration camp for Christians, on the Isle of Patmos bring greatly, he's still on Sunday morning. And that's what this means on the Lord. Say there have been. Those who said, well, he, he might be talking about the fact that he was transported in a vision to the day of the Lord. Will talk about that in the early church Sunday with called the Lord's day. Was the day Christ rose from the dead, right? Sunday morning, it was the tradition among the Christians to meet on Sunday mornings. Just like, we're still doing two thousand years later and to fellowship and Worship the Lord. And so, John, even in the midst of suffering. He had prepared his heart for worship and he had begun to enter into Spirit-filled worship. He was in the spirit on the Lord's day. He was he was ready to receive from the Lord spiritually as he was there on that island. And he was thinking what you have for me today, Lord. He was ready to receive Spurgeon would right. Why is it? Some people are often in a place of worship and yet, they are not wholly. It is because they've neglected their prayer closets. They love weed, but they do not grind it. The water flows at their feet, but they do not stoop to drink of it. Are we tired of God? If not, how is it that we do not walk with him from day to today. Really spiritual worship is not much cared for in these days. Even by professing Christians, many will go to a place of worship if they can be entertained with fine music or a grand oratory. But of communion with God, is the only attraction. They are not drawn there by He broke that a hundred years ago. How much more true is it today? Right? I mean, if people, you know, if all there is, is just a Bible study. Are you going to take the time to come out and prepare your heart for worship, whether the band comes or not? Or whether the band stinks or not, you know, that the enemy had this morning? And I'm not saying it cuz I was playing but it was pretty good. Right? But what is the band was horrible? I mean what if the band you know, I'm just playing wrong notes. Can you still are you still here to Worship? The Lord? Are you is your heart still prepared? What is the guy standing up here is just boring and way off. You know, are you still here to receive from God's word regardless of how bad the guy walking up front is? I mean, that's the question. Are we coming to commune the fellowship with God himself? Is that our heart when we come, that's To prepare our heart to be drawn into spiritual Worship in. This was for John, this paid off, right? He came, he prepared his heart to worship. He was in the spirit on the Lord's day and God showed up, literally, right? So he seriously was rewarded for being in the spirit on the Lord's day and it said it was an experience that didn't happen all the time, but it did happen. Paul talks about it. He says it's doubtless not profitable meet for me to boast. I will come to visions and Revelations of the Lord. I Know a Man in Christ who 14 years ago, weather in the body. I do not know where where they're out of the body. I do not know. God knows such a one was caught up to the third heaven, and I know such a man weather in the body of the body. I do not know, God knows how he was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible Words, which is it is not lawful for a man to utter. The Apostle Paul in it. In the Greek. It is clear that he's referring to himself, but he's not saying, is our name. He had this experience with God, where he was caught up. He doesn't know if it was a vision literally left of the Earth, but he saw something that was so incredible. He couldn't even talk about it, right. So being ready to receive from the Lord. No, I'm not going to say your have in have an out-of-body experience or Vision. That's so powerful. You don't know whether you've you've been translated into heaven, but God does speak. And he does want you to hear heat, if, if you will, truly. Listen. God wants to speak. Now, he might speak in different ways to different people. Some people heat. They hear a still Small Voice. They actually hear your voice, some people, they get pictures. I mean when the Lord speaks to me, it's usually in in pictures. I don't know why but that's just the way he has chosen to to maybe I'm just dumb and I need them to draw me a picture yet. He's not going to get it but but he will speak. And so John is there. He hears the sound of a voice like a trumpet and I can't imagine what that sounded like. I've heard my son play, the trumpet the most of time. He sounds really good, but he was first playing. I was not as impressed. It was like that's if that's what the fence sound of John heard. I'm surprised he didn't run but He's got much better, but he hears a sound like a trumpet now. We know that when Christ returns, we're going to hear a sound like a trumpet. And I wonder if John maybe thought this is it, you know, here's the voice like a trumpet. I don't know what John would I just know that if I was gone and I heard the sound and I turned around, I would not be expecting to see what John and I don't think John was either. I don't think you would prepare door expecting to see what he actually saw. What he heard before he turned was write in a book, what you see, and send it to the seven churches to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to pergamum and a tie tire and is Sardis and the Philadelphia and Tulio to see if he wants to write this to the church has now notice here. He's told to write and he's going to be told this over and over, God is really wanting John to get this down to record it properly. Like I said, he wanted people to understand that he wanted people to hear it. It wasn't just for John. It wasn't just for the time. That it was important that he get it down in detail 11 times in the Book of Revelation.

I want you to remember to keep recording this. Could you imagine the things he seeing? He probably was like, you know what? I'd stopped writing. Oh, no, wait, write it down. You know, I want you to get and noticed that he calls out. Seven churches down. There were other churches. There were lots of these would be seven areas and Asia Minor. These were the two churches. They were that representative churches of these areas. They would have been groups, small groups that Mountain Homes, but they were part of a larger group in that area and they were Gentiles radiator, Gentile churches. He specifically saying, I want you to write what I'm about to tell you what I'm about to show you. I want to make sure that my church in Smyrna gets at my church in Philadelphia. Get to my church in thyatira, gets it. He's calling them by name. Jesus knows these churches. He knows each person in these charges. He could just have easily said, the church in Montesano. I want to make sure they get it in Aberdeen. Getting personal here. He's making this as these are personally addressed letters to people in. We're going to see if he's going to get real personal. You can talk all about their business. And point out that they've got some stuff that's not quite right. He does encourage them with the things that are right though, cuz he knows them. And he's going to say that over and over, he's going to say, I know you to each of the churches. He's going to make a reference affect. Hey, I know. I know this about you and I know that about. You don't think that you're that something's hidden from me. Cuz I know every little detail. I know you and he knows Calvary Chapel Montesano. And I wonder what the letter would look like. If he was writing to the church in Montesano.

John turned to see the voice that was speaking with him. I don't, then I turned to see the voice of a speaking with me and having turned, I saw seven golden lamp stands. And in the middle of the Lambs dance. I saw one like a son of man clothed in a robe, referring to the feet and girded across this chest with a golden sash. I really don't think John expected to see this right here. Is that talking to me? He turns around and the first thing you see the seven golden lamp stands. Now, a golden lampstand would more than likely refer to what would appear to be like a menorah, right? Cuz that's what is traditionally, call the lampstand in you know in the Jewish culture. But whatever they were, they were these lights right on Stan's of some sort burning and he sees those first. That's the first thing that caught his attention and he turned around here, C7 lampstands. Lighting up this place. And then he sees this one, like The son of man now that was Jesus. Favorite name for himself was the son of man. He's taking that from Daniel chapter 7 where Daniel says I was watching the night vision to behold one like the son of man coming with the Clouds Of Heaven. He came to the Ancient of Days and they brought him near before him in his vision. He seeing all of the stuff in the Heavenly realm and he seemed just a wild wild Vision, you know, these, these cherubim and creatures of All Sorts that look, all different ways. And here's the the Ancient of Days God himself, who exists an unapproachable light. He can, you know, he's looking, he's seeing if everything's bright and just otherworldly and then all the sudden he sees one like a son of man, right? Someone like him. And goes with what in this picture does not belong, is what he was saying and yet he can go right up to the Ancient of Days. They brought him near another words. Whatever was conveying him. He was able to go, right up to that were told to the right hand of the father. He was able to be the only one who could approach the one who exists in unapproachable light. So when Jesus Calling himself, the son of man be so angry because he was make as, in their own accusations, was you make yourself equal with God, but he didn't make himself equal equal with God. but the fact that he would call himself the son of man, they understood that he was talking about this one that Daniel saw that could go right to The Ancient of Days right to the Holy One, which no, no one or creature or thing could ever approach. Except this one son of, man. That's when he called himself that, they immediately know it knew what he meant. He was calling himself, God and hear, John uses that same turn because that's how Jesus had referred to himself for all the years, John knew him. And so he said one like the son of man, right? And Again, we're going to see that in Revelation chapter 14 that picture that similar to the one Daniel saw of him sitting in the you know, like the son of man with a Golden Crown basically sitting at the right hand of the father. So this is what John is seeing. Is this person who I know, he knows it's God, but you seen him in a completely different way that, you know, this isn't the Jesus that he knew it is but it isn't. John remembers him as the as a friend as the, the rabbi, the one he referred to as the one who loved me, right? That's what John called him. You know, I was with the five people whom Jesus loved and used to and we talked about how he used to use Jesus as a pillow. That's what John said. Can I used to when we were all lounging around, I just, you know, probably Jesus up as a pillow. Lay my head on him. That's they were butts. They hung out. And so that's the Jesus. He knows. But now he's being reintroduced to the Jesus as he is now, right? And he sees him, and he has his golden sash orb. And now, the golden sash was only worn by one priest and that was the high priest, right? The one that actually went into the holy of holies, the one who could offer up sacrifice on behalf of all of the people of Israel. He was the one who wore the golden ban Joe. And John sees this, he seen Jesus, he seeing him in a completely different way in the midst of the seven, golden lamp, stand wearing the golden sash of a high priest. Which is Jesus, current role, recalled from the writer. If he received them that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens. Jesus, the son of God, let us hold fast. Our confession for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all points tempted. As we are yet without sin, Let Us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find Grace in help and to help in time of need to hear. He sees Jesus. He's in the midst of the lampstand. He's wearing the golden sash of the high priest. This is Jesus as he is now. Our great high priest, one who has suffered and gone through things that we could only imagine beyond our imagination. That the, the suffering that he took on our behalf. He was tempted in all ways like us. He understands our weaknesses, cuz he was a human. He got hungry. He got tired. He got you. No hurt just like everybody else. He knows what it's like. He can relate to us and John seen him, but now he seems something completely different and it's not the Jesus that he remembers his head and his hair was white, like white wool, like snow is eyes, were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze when it's been made to Glow in a furnace and his voice was like the sound of many Waters in his right hand. He held Seven Stars and out of his mouth came a two-edged sword and his face was like the sun shining in its strength. John has seen Jesus and and it's completely different different perspective. He's got eyes of fire. He's his his He's glowing, right? He can see his feet out from under this robe. And it stands. He's blowing and his he's got a sword coming out of his mouth. And I do just freaked him out. Now. I think that's meant to be understood. I don't think when we see Jesus in glory. He's always going to have this stored coming out of his mouth. But the vision was clear, was that he has conquered, he has the sword and he's going to use the sword, right? We know at the end that he's going to speak a word and it will defeat all of the army, right? So his his word is, is powerful. And he is shining like the sun. This is who he seen. This is the only actual physical description in the word that we have of Jesus. I find that interesting that God did not see fit to have any of the any of the writers of the gospels or any of the Apostles, write down a physical description of him in scripture. The closest thing we have is from Isaiah chapter 53, where it says, you know, there is no form nor comeliness in him that people should desire him, right? That's the closest thing. We have to a description of human physical body was that he wasn't much to look at. That's what I'm paraphrasing. Isaiah, you know, that he was average. People weren't drawn to him because of his chiseled Jaw or is, you know, ripped physique. He looked like your average Jewish guy. He probably had dark complexion brown eyes, dark black hair, the pictures. We see of Jesus that artists have drawn for, you know, so many years, you know, you can just kind of put that out of your mind. I mean, that's that's an artist rendition. You probably look nothing like that, you know, go to Israel and find your average looking Jewish guy. That's probably what you like. I know. But the whole point is even described that because he is, that was a short blip in all of eternity of what Jesus look like while here. Now. He looks like this. This is who he is resurrected and glorified and back in transformed into his glorified glorified person right now. He will forever Be identified with us in a human form. He will always be a son of man yet Gore fighting and empowered in a way. Well, all of the godhood is in him, right? He is gone. And so this is how he now currently is for man to see. And of course, it does do just what I said. It would it's him when John saw him, he fell at his feet like a dead man. He was freaked out. And he placed his right hand on me saying, do not be afraid. I am the first and the last Jesus. Father, John was dismayed at seeing him and he thought he put his hand on him. So don't be afraid. It's me right on the first and the last I am the living one and I was dead and behold. I'm alive, forever and ever more. And I have the keys of death and Hades another words, John, it's me, right? I was I'm alive. I was dead. You, you know that I died, but I rose from the dead. It's it's me. Don't be afraid even though I look completely different and I'm your seeing me in my glory and my power, it's still me. I like the way the King James would because I am, he that liveth and was dead and behold. I Am Alive forevermore and I have the keys of death and Hell. It's everything about who Jesus is for John centers around this, right? That he was dead. And now he's alive and his death saved us. His resurrection paid our are paid it forward for us that we too. Will rise. He's the firstborn of the Dead. That means there's going to be more born to New Life and because Heroes, we have the promise of eternal life. And so all I took the keys of death and hell, I now have those keys. He's like, look, I got the keys right here. To death and Hell. Which means? That I now have the authority. I have one. I'm Victorious. I beat deaf. I have the keys. I means I have the authority. Which means I get to decide.

I have the final say on people's destination, right? I'm in control. He wants John to see him as he truly is Victorious and in control. And he says, now, write the things which you seen and the things which are and the things which will take place after these things. As for the mystery of the Seven Stars, which keeps on my right hand and the Seven golden lamp stand. The Seven Stars are the Angels of the seven churches and the Seven lampstands are the seven churches. To hear, he gives John what is referred to as the Divine Outline by theologians? Right? So you've seen the light layout of the whole book hear Jesus gives his outline of the book, which is this. I want you to write the things that you seen that is chapter. 1 me speaking to you. I'm in the midst of the seven churches, my glorified person that you seen for yourself. I want you to write that but I also want you to write about the things that are the things that are going on in the world as it is right now. That's chapters 2 & 3, the church, right? And so we're going to see that as I said last week. We all can find ourselves Christians as a whole. Today can find themselves in one of these churches, their representative of all churches throughout time. Now, they also represent the church throughout ages down through history, but still today there's vestiges of those churches. Still in You can find yourself in one. Or the other of them. And so he's riding to the whole church and these are the things that are, this is how we are right now. We are doing our best to serve God and we're falling short in Saint Mary's, we're doing well. We're doing things wrong sometimes. And we're doing things right sometimes? And we on fire, it's all of those things are going on in. So he doesn't want you to write about the things that are and then goes, then I want you to write about the things that happened after those things, right after the church, that's true chapters 4 through the end of the book chapter 22, so that's how it's going to break down. And the Book of Revelation is not hard to understand. If you just take it chronologically the way that it's written, it starts with Jesus showing up and saying this is what I'm going to tell you. This is who I am now. And I'm going to tell you how things are going to progress from now until eternity, right? And if you just take it that way, it's very easy to understand. Now, he tells them. Here, he says.

I want to let you in, on a secret John, cuz I know you're freaked out, but let me explain. The Seven Stars are the Angels of the seven churches. Now, that could be pastors at the word. There could be translated Messengers, or it could be that there's literally Angels protecting his church. You don't working and in the midst of his church in every Church. They're there could be an angel assigned to Calvary Chapel Montesano, boy. The Lord bless him. If he is, he's got his hands full but there could be or it could be referring to the pastor or the messenger. The person who speaks their, we don't know for sure, but he he is sure about this. He says, and the Seven golden lamp Sam's are the churches against Evan being complete the church and where is Jesus? He's right in the middle of his church. What is he doing? His role as high priest. They're representing his people. To the Lord, our advocate. Being ready to give help when we need it. We can approach boldly to the throne of grace because we have such a high priest. I want to encourage you this morning to see Jesus. As he is today. All powerful Victorious, has all authority and is the ruler over all the kingdoms of this Earth. The world thinks that it's in control, governments. Think they're in control. They are not They are, they've got their time is limited. Ultimately Christ will have the last word. But right now he has all authority over hell. Over death. He gets the final say where every person go, so they might go through their life, thinking they're in control. But when it really matters, the biggest Choice. The biggest thing that's ever going to happen to them where they will spend eternity to them. It's up to Christ where they will go. Understand he this is the God, we serve. Now the powerful Mighty Jesus are, as I said earlier Heat. This is Jesus 2.0 diesel. He is fully upgraded and he is in the midst of his church, so don't fear. This is where he feels. He is right now, standing in the midst of his church and he knows Us by name. So don't fear, no matter what happens. The world's going to do what it does. But Jesus is in control. A men stand with me and let's pray.