PREPARING TO SOUND
272.0504
scottSTANLEY
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Obeying the command to "Come up hither" allows the Lamb of God to open our sealed book and reveal the path we have taken in our quest to serve the living God.
The whole truth of Calvary, the death of God’s only begotten Son, finally becomes a reality by the time of the 6th seal as our old perceptions of salvation are changed.
Standing before the cross, our old man dies as we behold what manner of love the living God holds for humanity.
Our ascension out of the lie brings healing and hope as we prepare to give a pure gospel to those who have ears to hear.
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(All bracketed [ ] words inserted into the following scriptures are the author’s paraphrase.)
OPENING REMARKS
As the church grows in the knowledge of present truth, I grow in confidence of the surety that we’re living in the last days. I’ve said for some time that the evidence of the last days is in the heart of the church – it isn’t in all the outward, literal events going on around the world – it’s in the heart of God’s people. As He reveals who He is and helps us see ourselves, we are going through this process of being brought to a completed perfection and, as you go through it, you recognize the signs of the times. You know, Paul said in Ephesians 4: Till we all come in the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. "The measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" – that’s as perfect as anybody could be and I see, as the truth develops, the potential of that happening to us – those are the signs that God is giving us. You know, Christ said, an evil, an adulterous generation seeks a sign and when you go back and you read the gospels, and you see how the Savior was healing and fulfilling the prophecies concerning Messiah and then to have someone come up and say, "Well, give us a sign if you’re it," – the Lord was already giving signs. They just couldn’t see, or were not willing to see the signs that God was giving them, and He’s giving us signs.
I have said before that I don’t see where the Lord has revealed this information to people. Go back and find a book written where they outline "salvation" the way we understand it – it just isn’t there. I know today, I can go on the internet and I can find various web sites that teach symbols, but I challenge you to find someone who expresses the plan of salvation the way we understand it, and I pray in this study to bring this plan of salvation, the mechanics of it, into the book of Revelation and just try to give you an overview of Revelation. There’s a certain section of Revelation I want to key on in this study. This is the second time I’ve made this study because, when I made this the other day, I talked for an hour and forty minutes and never even got to this section of Revelation that I wanted to key on – and you know, maybe I wait too long to make these tapes because, right now, it’s like I’m loaded and it’s hard to even imagine where to start, but I need to get started don’t I? So I pray you have an open heart; I pray you have an open bible in front of you – as we go through the verses, I’m going to be putting them on the screen for you so you can read them along with bible definitions of words, but you do need to have your own bible. You need to be able to read your marginal references yourself; you need to see these things yourself. I’m going to tell you in all confidence – this bible was written for you – those upon whom the end of the world is come.
This is your book, a book of experience for you. You know, you’re born with two major problems: You don’t know God, you don’t understand anything about Him; secondly, you don’t know the value He places on you. It was pointed out to me: It’s two different things to believe God loves you, as compared to knowing the value He places on you. It’s the value that we don’t recognize. There isn’t a thing in this entire universe that exists, except that humanity needed it to understand their heavenly Father, and that includes the Son of God Himself – there’s no reason for Him to exist except for the salvation of humanity. That is the value that the Father places on us, and you can’t know that without knowing God – you’ve got to understand God; you’ve got to go through the doctrinal process of learning the truth about your heavenly Father so that you can understand Calvary, so that you can understand the problem humanity possesses and be healed emotionally of the problem, of the sin nature. I know, for me, I felt like I have reached a plateau of understanding, in that I knew the mechanics of salvation – I understood what it was about, and when I would sit down to study, I came to the point where I didn’t even know, well, what direction do I go in now. I didn’t need any more reinforcement of that truth – "Babylon" had fallen for me – and I just didn’t know, well, Where do I go, what direction do I take?
And then the Lord pointed that out to me – that, you’ve got two problems: You understand now the doctrinal side of it – now allow the Lord to unravel the iniquity of your heart and, as you go through the scriptures now, apply the inward meanings for healing, not just simply the inward meaning to understand the verse, but seek the healing – and I know that’s where I’m at. I felt impressed, the morning that the Lord revealed that to me, to turn to Isaiah 40 and that’s where I want to begin this study.
SPEAK TO THE HEART
Isaiah, chapter 40, I want to begin reading at verse 1:
Isaiah 40:1-2
1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is
accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath [has] received of the
LORD's hand double for all her sins.
We’ve been over these scriptures in the past, but I want to use this to bring out a practical application of how God heals us – inwardly. In your margin, in verse 2, when it says "speak comfortably to Jerusalem," you’ll see that that word "comfortably" means to the heart – I understand that now as making it practical. It’s one thing to take these verses and give you an intellectual understanding – it’s another thing to say, and this is how it applies to my life; this is an event in my life that, I think, brings this out. See, to me, you’re sprinkling salt on the food – you’re making it more palatable – "salt" is a symbol of experience. So speak to the heart of God’s people – tell them their warfare is accomplished. What warfare? When I see this word "warfare," in my mind, I think of 2 Corinthians, chapter 10, verse 3:
2 Corinthians 10:3
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
Our "warfare" is accomplished concerning the idea that we’re going to reach perfection by going to church on a certain day, or not eating certain things, or all of these outward things that we were trying to do that we thought would make us right with God. See, your warfare of the flesh is accomplished. When Paul writes that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against authorities, principalities of the air – see, spiritual wickedness in high places – he isn’t talking about fallen angels who are out here swarming you, trying to get you to do something bad! He’s talking about the men of your own house; he’s talking about the spiritual wickedness that lies between your ears – the men of your own house are your greatest enemy (Micah 7:6). What we do to ourselves is enough – you don’t need help getting there and, looking at 2 Corinthians 10:
2 Corinthians 10:4-5
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but [they’re] mighty
through God to the pulling down of strong holds [inwardly];)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth [exalts] itself
against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ;
What I have just read for you is key in your salvation, or bringing yourself to the perfection of Jesus Christ. Your warfare is accomplished of these outward things, including the outward "Satan" or this outward individual of Lucifer, you see. All of that is between your ears – it’s you! It’s time now to recognize when these thoughts come up, when your imaginings happen, when these things happen that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God – that you cast down these things. You can’t do it though until the Lord reveals it to you. You can’t know what is from Him and what isn’t until He reveals it to you – and I think, for our church we have moved beyond using our definitions of the book, but now I pray the book is becoming the definition of life experience. You don’t go through here and say: Well there’s clean and unclean meats. I can’t eat this, I can’t... This isn’t even what he’s talking about – he’s dealing with inward things throughout the entire book, and it’s written for those upon whom the end of the world is come.
MADE A DELIGHT
Going back to Isaiah 40:
Isaiah 40:2
2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem [Speak to the heart of Jerusalem], and cry
unto her, that her warfare is accomplished [tell her that her warfare is
accomplished], that her iniquity is pardoned:...
I want to look at that for a second – I want to take you back, I want you to see the first place that this word "pardoned" is used, and I want to put up on the screen the meaning of "pardoned":
Pardon [7521] – Genesis 33:10
"to be delighted"
This is the root of [7522] translated "self will" in Genesis 49:6
This number is [7521] – it goes back to Genesis 33:10 and I want to read to you this word "pardoned."
Genesis 33:10
10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy [your] sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy [your] face, as though I had seen the face of God, (and thou wast [you were] pleased with me.) [7521]
Do you see "pardon" in there anywhere? The last phrase of this verse, "and you were pleased with me" is the Hebrew word the King James translated "pardoned" in Isaiah 40:2. The number is [7521] – it literally means to be delighted with. So when I bring this to Isaiah 40 and He says: "Your iniquity is pardoned," it means that your iniquity is now being made a delight, there’s being made something right about it. Let’s look at that for a second – to understand this, let’s turn to Psalms 85. In Psalms 85, starting at verse 1:
Psalms 85:1
1 Lord, thou hast [you have] been favourable unto thy [your] land: ....
Now this "you have been favorable" is [7521] and this is the word translated "pardoned." Now remember in Isaiah 40, their iniquity has been made a delight, it’s being made something favorable; it’s being made right. Well, here is how He does it, Psalms 85:1:
Psalms 85:1
1 Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land [Lord, you have [7521] been this way unto your land -- favorable]: thou hast [you have] brought back the captivity of Jacob.
It’s interesting that he would use this word "captivity," and I’ve got to tell you this concept – if you don’t get anything out of this study, get this: If you think salvation is outside of you, that God has this great big book and He’s written your name in it and, out beside your name, are all of the things you’ve done wrong, and those things have to be erased – if that’s the way you perceive salvation, then for God to cover up all your sin would be to pardon it, would be to forgive it. But if that book that the scriptures talk about is between your ears, if your mind is the book, for God to rid your mind of it, He will deliver you. And it’s interesting in Psalm 85, how He points out, you’ve been favorable to your land – this is the word "pardon" – you’ve been favorable to your land, you’ve brought back the captivity. See, for someone to be captive and you set them free – that’s deliverance. You don’t go to a captive and say: Well, hey I forgive you, and leave the person in the chains – you see, you’re delivered. He’s brought back the captivity – this is how He’s being favorable to His land – He brings back the captivity. Notice verse 2:
Psalms 85:2
2 Thou hast [You have] forgiven the iniquity ...
This word "forgiven" is the word lift up: "You’ve lifted up the iniquity." Again, if salvation is out here, in a book, that would probably be "forgive" or "pardon it." But if the book is between my ears, and He "lifts it up"; He’s bringing back the captivity – He’s delivering me from the iniquity of my heart.
Psalms 85:2
2 Thou hast [You have] forgiven [lifted up] the iniquity of thy [your] people, thou hast [you have] covered all their sin.
And this word "cover" means to hide. Take this thought to Proverbs 10, verse 12:
Proverbs 10:12
12 Hatred stirreth [stirs] up strifes [strife]: but love covereth [covers] all sins [sin].
I could come back to Psalms 85 and say, "He’s covered it in His love." But look at Proverbs 17, dealing with this word "cover" – verse 9:
Proverbs 17:9
9 He that covereth [covers] a transgression seeketh [seeks] love; but he that repeateth [repeats] a matter separateth very [will separate from] friends.
To "cover up" your sin is not to expose it; to repeat a matter, see, you’re not hiding it, you’re repeating it – so the Lord has been favorable to His land. What has He done? The Lord has been favorable to His land – He’s bringing back the captivity. He’s lifting up our iniquity and He will not repeat your sin; He will hide that – He will not bring that back up in your face. He’s going to straighten out the iniquity and, as far as your sin is concerned, it will never be repeated – He’s going to cover it; He’s going to hide it.
DRAWN OUT
Now, what about this "delivering me from the captivity, bringing me back, being favorable to me"? Remember in Isaiah 40, "speak to the heart, tell Jerusalem the warfare is accomplished." The Lord is making the iniquity a favorable thing. Here, Psalms 85, He’s showing that favor by lifting up the iniquity, but let me show you a process of how that takes place. Psalms 30 is one of those psalms that, when I read it, I wanted to just stand up and raise my hands and shout for joy, and say "Praise God! Look at what the Lord is telling us here." In Psalms 30, he says:
Psalms 30:1-2
1 I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast [you have] lifted me up, and hast
[you have] not made my foes to rejoice over me.
2 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee [you], and thou hast healed me [and you
healed me].
Micah 7:6 tells you "the men of your own house" are your biggest foe, your
biggest enemy – You are your biggest enemy. What does he mean that
"you’ve lifted me up"? I was actually doing a study on the word "gate" and
"door" when the Lord led me to this scripture. The number for this word is
[1802] -- let’s go back to Exodus 2:16 – here is the same word:
Lift Up [1802] – Exodus 2:16
"To hang down, be pendulous"
This is the root of [1817] "door"
Exodus 2:16
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew [1802] water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
This word "and drew water," that is our word in Psalms 30, you have lifted me up. It doesn’t mean you’ve lifted me up – it means you’ve drawn me out. You see, the word "gate" and "door" means to swing back and forth, a pendulous motion. This word is rooted in that because, to draw water out of a well, you put a bucket on the end of a rope and it swings, and you let that rope down and you draw the water up. So in Exodus, the King James put: "and drew water," but when they went over to Psalms 30, instead of "you drew me out," they put "you lifted me up." Well, a better explanation of it is to draw out. Notice that it takes a drawing out of self to bring healing to the human soul. See, you’ve drawn me out – you didn’t allow the enemy of my mind to govern over me; You drew me out and healed me.
Several months ago, I told you a story that I want to bring back up again because it points out the principles of salvation and what he is talking about in Psalms 30 – I should say, the principles of the healing in helping us see ourselves. I had an incident in my life with my father-in-law, where he wanted to come and read a story to my children and, because of past events, when he called and said, "Well, I want to come over and read a story to the kids," I instantly refused him, saying, "I don’t need your influence on my children." The Lord, after I had time to calm down, the Lord gave me a picture – now just follow this – the Lord gave me a picture of me robbing a bank. I mean, this just came to my mind, a picture – well, what if I went out and robbed a bank, and came home from this robbery? I could see my daughters running out and hugging me, and kissing me the same way they would anytime I come home. The fact that I robbed a bank wouldn’t matter to them. They love Daddy, and if that be the case, to think someone’s going to come over and sit and read them a story, and influence them against me is ludicrous – there’s no way he’s going to do that. And then the Lord showed me the real reason why I didn’t want the man to come and read to my children: It’s because he has said things, things have been said that I don’t like and I was wanting to stab back at him – The reality of it was, it was my own pride. When I saw that, I called him right back and said, "Hey, I’ve made a mistake, I’m sorry. Come and read to the kids – come and read to them all day long." I didn’t care anymore when I saw the truth of the matter.
Now listen – when he suggested coming to read to my children, that lie that he’ll influence my kids, happened that quickly [a snap of the finger]. I deceived myself with a lie, and I couldn’t see it – it took God to reveal that to me. I couldn’t see it because it was my own lie. I had invented this thing; I had come up with it – that’s why, for me, this was truth – and if I were to call somebody and tell them, "This is what’s going on, and this is what I said to him," I had a way of verbalizing it that would cause people to agree with me because I wasn’t honest with myself. You see, the Lord had to draw me out and help me see myself, and I had to be willing to say, "Well, that’s right. I’m in error," before the Lord could bring healing to my heart. And notice what he says here in Psalms 30:2:
Psalms 30:2-3
2 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast [you] healed me
3 O LORD, thou hast [You] brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast [have] kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
I want you to see the verb of this word "pit."
Pit [953] – Genesis 37:20
"Cistern, Prison, Sepulchre"
Rooted in [953] translated
"declare" in Ecclesiastes 9:1
"Pit" is [953] but it’s in Ecclesiastes 9:1, and listen to a word that to you canl equate to "pit" – now here’s the verb of it, now listen to this:
Ecclesiastes 9:1
1 For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth [knows] either love or hatred by all that is before them.
Did you hear "pit"? Well, let me tell you, it’s the word "declare." See, when you think of a pit, you dig a hole – the digging of it. You dig and create the hole, or you dig out the side of a rock and you create the pit; you create the cave; you create the hole. And the verb of this is "to declare, to speak to somebody." Have you ever had someone try to tell you something, and you describe it as: They just kept digging at me; they just kept digging – because that’s what’s going on? You see, the mind is an awesome thing, and to declare something to someone, you are digging in... It’s like taking a stone and etching out words. See, that’s what you’re doing – here’s the stony heart [pointing to his head], and to declare it to someone – that’s why when he talks about the wicked "falling in their own pit," it’s because the pit is between their ears, and if they really believe the things they’re trying to tell you, they’re in their pit... it has been dug out for them, you see. The information God is giving us is lifting us out of a pit. See, think of a pit, falling down into a hole, you’re just surrounded by "earth," or earthly understanding – self. But the Lord will bring you out of that pit and set you in high places, see? He’ll give you His understanding; His understanding isn’t based on your self. His understanding brings you out of the pit – and it’s interesting that in Psalms 30, He says, "You drew me out," see, now that word makes even more sense. I was surrounded by my own understanding. You pulled me out of that by showing me that if I robbed a bank, that wouldn’t even influence my children. What makes me think that a person reading a book is going to influence them? It won’t.
See, He drew me out of the pit and helped me see myself, and then He showed me the real reason – He healed me. He didn’t leave me; He didn’t let my enemy rejoice over me – the "enemies" are between your ears. The enemies present the lies to you – it is your pride, all of these things that you have to deal with – and the Lord can bring healing and help you see that. Take this thought to Proverbs 20, reading verse 5, he says:
Proverbs 20:5
5 Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.
This word, "draw it out" – there’s our word that we just read – this is our word [1802]. But now looking at the word "counsel": "Counsel" is [6098] and, when you look up this word "counsel," it means plans or purposes.
Counsel [6098] – Deuteronomy 32:28
"Plans, Purpose"
Let me give you another word – motives. Your plan, your purpose, the motive you carry is like deep water – a man of understanding can draw it out. Well, let me tell you, the man of understanding is our Savior – only Christ can draw these things up for you to look at. Now I want you to look at this Proverb, in Proverbs 20:5, and connect verse 6:
Proverbs 20:6
6 Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?
When the Lord draws you out, draws you up so that you can see it, can you declare that? It’s easy to get someone to talk about how good they are, but what about the iniquity that He exposes in you? And go back and look at Proverbs 20:4 – let’s back up two verses and look at this one:
Proverbs 20:4
4 The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.
When I was doing this study and I saw this in Proverbs 20, verses 5 and 6, when I had seen those, I knew intuitively that verse 4 went with it – I just couldn’t understand how. I sought the Lord for the understanding. The next morning I had a dream about my wife and, when I woke up from this dream, having her on my mind, a picture of her working out in her garden came to my mind. Martha has a garden and she will spend hours out in this garden, planting flowers and different vegetables and so on – and it hit me that when the cold comes, the cold will kill this garden. She can spend hours in it but when it gets cold, the garden dies and, lying in bed, it just dawned on me the difference between cold air and warm air. Warm air gives you the warm fuzzy feeling – this is what we want – warm air. But cold air is when something is shown us that we don’t like to have to see. The sluggard will not plow between his ears because of the cold. He doesn’t want to see it; he doesn’t want to be shown the iniquity and when harvest comes, he’s going to have nothing – he will beg in harvest – because he didn’t spend the time to allow the Lord to show him himself.
When I saw that these three verses went together, I went back, re-read the whole chapter and realized the entire chapter, Proverbs 20, is dealing with this inward recognition of iniquity and how the Lord brings healing. Every verse is applied in a different way inwardly – when he talks about the weights of the bag and how you’ve got to allow the Lord to give you the meaning of the weights – that you’ve got to allow God to give you His definitions of things. It’s His understanding that you weigh in your heart. All of these verses are dealing with inward truths, and I challenge you – take the time to read Proverbs 20 – put it inward, knowing that God is trying to draw you out, to expose the iniquity of your heart, to bring healing to you.
THE DOUBLE
Now there’s one more part to Isaiah 40 that I want to cover. In Isaiah 40, I want to read verse 2 again:
Isaiah 40:2
2 Speak ye comfortably [Speak to the heart] to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned [being made favorable, is being made something right]: [because] for she hath [has] received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins.
To key on this word "double," I want to take you to the gospel of John, chapter 3, to the story of Nicodemus – and I know we’ve read this story; I know we’re very familiar with it, so I don’t want to read every verse here, but I want to read a couple of verses to point out something Christ says. Now we know Nicodemus comes to Him and Jesus tells him that except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God, and as you read a little further, in fact when you come to verse 8, Christ defines being "born of the Spirit." Once you understand being born of the Spirit, you’ll understand why He said water and the Spirit. Reading verse 8 from the literal translation it reads like this: John 3:8 – The Spirit breathes where He desires, you hear His voice ... now skipping the next phrase... so is everyone who has received birth from the Spirit.
You see, the Spirit of God speaks to you. If He is speaking, that means there is a concept He is impressing you with, and that concept, the symbol of that, is water. "Water" is words – words convey concepts – the water of the word. You must be born, given life from water and of the Spirit. The concept is what brings you alive, but it is the Spirit that has to give it to you. Remember in John 6:63, Christ said: "The words I speak to you are spirit and life." See, He may have laid something on the heart of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – when you read the book, that is not the "spirit" of it. The spirit of it happens as you read the book, and you feel the impression of the heart – that is life, see? The words I speak, they are spirit and they are life – no, the words I speak to you are spirit and life. What He spoke to these men has been recorded, and for you to just simply read it and take that intellectual understanding of it is death. For you to read it and apply it to the heart is life, and allow Him to impress you with the meaning of it.
So He tells Nicodemus, you must be born of water and spirit – He defines what that means. Nicodemus doesn’t understand it, and I want you to notice what Christ says to him after Nicodemus reveals the fact he doesn’t know what Christ means. Christ says: Are you a master or a teacher of Israel and you don’t know what I’m talking about? This is where I want to pick it up – in your bible, starting at verse 11, He says:
John 3:11-12
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee [you], We speak that we do know, and
testify that we have seen; and ye [you] receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye [you] believe not, how shall ye
[you] believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
Christ has just pointed to this born again experience and said, "If I have told you earthly things, how are you going to understand if I tell you heavenly?" He’s made that an earthly thing. I took that to the Lord – "What does it mean; what do you mean an earthly thing?" I look at the born again experience as a heavenly thing and this is where I saw the meaning of "the double." When I asked the Lord, Help me understand – how is this an earthly thing? What is an earthly example of being born again? And the Lord showed me the sunrise. Now consider this: The "sun" is a picture of Christ. As the sun rises in our understanding where we can walk in God’s light, that born again experience is pictured in a sunrise – where you see the sun coming up, and the "light" on the "earth" becomes more and more and more to the person. And if you stand on the earth and view a sunrise, it looks like the sun is coming up – it looks like the sun is coming right out of the earth in your understanding – here He comes. But what if you view it from the heavens? Think of a sunrise from the heavens – the sun isn’t coming out of the earth at all! What’s happening is the earth is turning toward the sun. The sun isn’t moving – the earth is turning toward the sun. You see, when you view it from the earth and from the heavens, you receive a more, true picture – a truer picture, a better understanding of that process of a sunrise.
I began to recognize Calvary – notice this principle from the earth and from the heavens, and notice what Christ brings out. I want to read the next few verses with commentary so that you can understand – I want to paraphrase it so that you can grasp the concepts that Christ was bringing out here. Now notice what He says to Nicodemus – let’s start at verse 12 again:
John 3:12-15
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not [and you didn’t believe], how shall ye [you] believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man hath [has] ascended up to heaven [or, no man has the heavenly
understanding], but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is
in heaven [which is in the heavens; which is possessing the heavenly
understanding now].
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of
man be lifted up: [and He must be believed]
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Now, just follow what He’s saying here: If I’ve told you earthly things and you didn’t get it, how are you going to understand when I tell you the heavenly things...the heavenly side of it? And, no one can give you this heavenly side but Me – I’m the one who came down from heaven – I’m in the heavens now as I tell you, Nicodemus. You’re going to have to listen to me, and I’ve got to be believed. Just like Moses lifted up that serpent and stood it on the pole, even so must I be lifted up. Stop. The "serpent" on the "pole" – there is your earthly view of Calvary – standing on the earth, looking at the Son of Man hanging on that cross, all of the symbols that were portrayed in His death. What do I see? Son of Man – He is sin; He’s the serpent. That’s what it is – that is my problem – God is defining for me what needs to die in my heart; darkness. But now what happens if you look at it from the heavens? The very next verse is:
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son...
See, from the "earth" I look up, I see the Son of Man – disobedience, sin, darkness, serpent. From the "heavens," I look down and I see the Son of God – perfect light, perfect obedience. There is your double edged sword that comes out of the mouth of Christ. It is allowing Him to give you His earthly view and heavenly view together that will bring healing. Speak to the heart of Jerusalem. Tell her, her warfare is accomplished. Her sin, her iniquity is being made something favorable because she’s received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. You receive the double and He will bring healing to your heart, you see? The earthly understanding with the heavenly understanding gives you a fuller picture and your Savior possesses a perfect understanding of both. Look at, since we’re on this double thing, Job 11, verse 6:
Job 11:6
6 And that he would shew thee [show you] the secrets of wisdom [remember "wisdom" is Christ. The secrets of wisdom...], that they are double to that which is!...
Now consider it: The secrets of wisdom... the secrets of wisdom. See, you come and you read the book – you’re not getting the double. You come and you read the book, and you put your own interpretation to it, you’re in the pit – you’re surrounded by the "earth." The "secrets of wisdom" are double to that which is. Consider it.
REVELATION: AN OVERVIEW
Now let’s take this understanding of this "drawing one out," helping one see themselves – let’s bring this to the book of Revelation. I want to talk about one part of Revelation. Remember in the past, I think most of you would remember the seven seven’s of Revelation – I pray that you also remember that I’ve changed that – that when you take Revelation and you just let the book fall open, it falls into seven parts of its own. I want to put these seven parts on the screen just to remind you of them.
The churches are seen in Chapters 1, 2 and 3; the seals, in Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7 and up to 8 verse 5;and the trumpets, then, in 8:6 through 9, 10 and 11. The fourth part, I’ve called it "Completion of Faith" – Chapters 12, 13 and 14, because the Lord speaks of the righteous and the wicked being brought to a completion – and I want to say that each section that you’re seeing here has a beginning and an end to it, and this completion of faith is no different. It has a beginning and an end. The vials are the fifth section in Chapters 15 and 16. Then 17, 18, 19 and 20 is the judgment of the whore, and the Holy City is seen in Chapters 21 and 22.
The Churches – Chapters 1, 2, 3
The Seals – Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, 8:5
The Trumpets – Chapters 8:6, 9, 10, 11
The Completion of Faith – Chapters 12, 13, 14
The Vials – Chapters 15, 16
The Judgment of the Whore – Chapters 17, 18, 19, 20
The Holy City – Chapters 21, 22
If I could just give you an overview of the book of Revelation right now – just to kind of lay out for you where the Lord is taking us here, because I want to key on this section: "The judgment of the whore" – 17, 18, 19 and 20. So if I could just work my way through some of this, and tell you that when you come to the Lord and you begin this process of growing in faith to a completed perfection, the churches reveal that process of going from "Ephesus" through "Laodicea," and it is this process where the Lord brings you the doctrinal understanding of truth – the doctrinal understanding; the revealing of who He is – and when you look at the seven churches, by the time you come to "Thyatira," you have been doing this all on your own. At "Ephesus," you lose your first love – you stop abiding and you go through the churches, until you reach this part of "Thyatira" where you’re allowing Jezebel to teach you. And it is in this state, this mindset of Thyatira, that the Lord reveals Himself to you as the Son of God. That "Son of God" – that phrase is only in Revelation one time, and it’s to the church of Thyatira – and once you see the truth of the Son of God, you will come out of the denomination that you’re in. There isn’t a single denomination that teaches accurately the truth that God brought forth a Son in eternity past. They might say He was the Son of God, but they’ll tell you either He was created or they’ll have some twist that just isn’t right, and when you see the truth of the Son of God, you will be separate from denominations – you will have to be.
And then comes "Sardis." You enter into that Sardis mindset thinking: OK, I’ve got it now. And the Lord says, Well, you have a name that you’re living, but you’re still dead – you’re dead. And He brings to you the abiding truth of listening to the voice for life, and when you accept that, you enter into "Philadelphia." And it’s to Philadelphia that He opens the doors of heaven and starts feeding you information – His understanding of truth. And now you think you’ve got it: All I have to do is abide – hear and do – I’ve just got to hear it and go do it, and I’ll be saved. And the Lord then says: No, now you’re in Laodicea. That’s the true Laodicean condition, right there – you see, you’re "rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing." The truth of the matter is, you have a sin nature and that needs to be straightened out. Hearing and doing has brought you to this place of "Laodicea," now the Lord wants to straighten out the iniquity of your heart. And once you see and can accept that, you enter into "the seals," beginning at Revelation 4. The voice says: "Come up here," and you ascend out of the lie – and there is now One sitting on the throne, and the Lord goes through the picture in Revelation 4 as an inward picture of the heart of that believer.
And as He takes you through the seals, what He is doing now is straightening out the crooked places. He is showing you: Well this is where you were: The white horse, red horse, black horse, pale horse – and He takes you through, helping you see that process of how you went forth, "conquering and to conquer," that someone handed you the "great sword" (the book) and suddenly you became literal. Your horse turns "red," peace is taken from the "earth" until now you’re on a "black" horse, and you’re holding those "scales" – you’re judging everyone around you until it becomes Christ-less, and the Lord can bring that abiding truth to you to help you see the truth. Then that fifth seal, you’re crying out for the Lord to rid you of the enemy within – to bring you to that perfection and, in so doing, the sixth seal is where He "darkens the sun." The "moon turns red" and He closes your heavens, see? He turns your world upside down, because everything you believed was wrong. Remember Jesus in Matthew 24: The gospel of the kingdom will be preached when you see the abomination that leaves you empty – it’s self, between your ears. When you see the lie: that you have no value to God, and that your whole life has been based on that lie – when you see that, "take nothing out of your house." Flee to God’s holy mountain, take nothing out of your house, see?
So here we are, you come to that seventh seal and this is where the Lord is going to bring you to a completed perfection, and it’s during the time of this seventh seal, the "trumpets" prepare themselves to sound – the messengers with the trumpets. I personally believe that is where we are right now in time; that we’re at the time of this seventh seal and the Lord is preparing us to sound – to sound the trumpets of the healing that He has brought to us, that we can express the healing. And here then, you have the trumpets: Trumpet 1, 2, 3, 4, then a warning. Why a warning after the fourth trumpet? Because when you "trumpet" the truth, and this trumpet is poured out on another person’s "earth," and you destroy their green grass and a third of their trees – when you start telling the truth (see, you’ve already been through this yourself – the Lord has already shown you and destroyed your "green grass" and your "trees" and blotted out your "sun" and your "moon"; rolled your "heavens" together – He’s already done this to you) and when you bring this message to another person, that is what’s happening to them. It isn’t something you’re unfamiliar with – you recognize the pain and struggle that they’re going through to hear what you’re saying. But after giving them "four" trumpets, after bringing them this far and revealing Jesus Christ to that extent (and remember "four" is earthly completeness), after giving them the earthly completeness, giving them those trumpets, the warning comes: "Woe, woe, woe to you people who are still on the earth because of the voices of the next trumpets that are going to sound," see? If after being given this message in the four trumpets, you’re still on the "earth," woe be to you. In other words, they’re rejecting it – and that’s what you see in trumpets 5 and 6 – a retaliation against; the rejection of what they’re being told.
So here we see this inward process that the Lord is taking us through. In Revelation, you’re actually seeing the history of His church being brought to a completed perfection, and how He cries out to the world to receive healing through His high priests who have experienced the healing. See, if you’re hearing and doing, you might be a priest – a "high priest" is the person who can explain the healing – you get beyond Laodicea; you ascend up into the "heavens." Jesus Christ’s ministry as High Priest began after He ascended – so does yours! After you ascend, you enter into this high priestly role that you can now bring healing to a lost soul – not just simply: Do you believe in Jesus? – but you know how to apply that to the heart.
The next section, the "completion of faith" comes in, after this trumpet section – completion of faith. Whether you’re following God or not, you will be brought to completion and, if we have time, I want to come back and key on chapter 14 of Revelation, but let’s get over to the "judgment of the whore."
JUDGMENT OF THE WHORE
The "judgment of the whore" starts in Revelation 17, and I would just simply like to read to you verses 1 and 3:
Revelation 17:1, 3
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither [here]; I will shew unto thee [show unto you] the judgment of the great whore that sitteth [sits] upon many waters:
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
So here we see this is going to be the judgment of the whore, and he goes through chapter 17 describing the "beast" and, when you come to the very last verse of chapter 17, the "woman":
Revelation 17:18
18 And the woman which thou sawest [you saw] is that great city, which reigneth [reigns] over the kings of the earth.
And we know "that great city" is Babylon. The "woman" is the city – she is being carried by a beast. As we look at the beast, we see two things you’ve got to remember about the beast – now taking from Revelation and from Daniel – the beast rises out of the sea (Revelation 13:1). The "sea" is the lie; we know the "beast" is the pride, the lion; the feet of the bear – the unchanging attitude – and it comes out of the lie – the lie produces it. But in Daniel 7 (Daniel 7:23), what He points out is that when "the four winds of the heavens blow on the sea" – "four" is earthly; "winds of the heavens" are heavenly – you’re seeing God’s church on this earth. When they give truth, the beast comes up out of the sea – it is the four winds of the heavens blowing on the sea that causes the beast to come up, and we know the "beast" is our pride, and so on.
There’s another beast in Revelation 13, before I get over to the "woman," there’s another beast in Revelation 13 that comes up out of the "earth" (Revelation 13:11) – two horns like a lamb, speaks like the dragon – that is a beast; a "beast" is a thought, a concept. That is your definition of God before the Lord reveals Himself to you. I say that because I look at a "lamb" as a child of God – he has horns like a lamb. "Horn" is that symbol of light – the root of it in the Old Testament is to shine – the horn is that which is shining. It’s where you’re getting your "light"; "horn" is like a lamb – Father and Son – but you’re defining it with your own...you’re speaking like the dragon, see? See, when you come to the Lord, that first beast of pride... when you’re born again, that pride, all of those things are subdued – that "beast" is slain. But it comes back – the way we define God; the definitions that we put upon God allow that pride to come back, see? You have this definition of God you’ve gotten from the scripture or, maybe, from some denomination, and your pride defends it – you can’t let anyone take your god away from you – you’ve got horns like a lamb, but you speak like a dragon. And it’s the "dragon" that’s giving it its authority – it has the same authority that your pride has, because it’s coming from the same source – you. One’s out of the "sea," the other is out of the "earth" – they’re both you.
So looking at this "woman," this is the beast that she’s riding, and this second beast out of the earth becomes the "false prophet" – it is this definition you have of God that prophesies to you, that teaches you how to interpret the book. It’s the way you’re defining God, the way you perceive God, and the Lord tells you in Psalms 50: You’ve made me like unto yourself, see? So when we see sin and the big book that needs to be corrected, we see God as having to "slay," have a human sacrifice, and taking that blood and splattering it on the book somehow – when the "book" is here [in your head], that "blood" has to come in and rid me of sin, so the Lord has to re-define the blood and the meaning of it; re-define Calvary, see? The way that you perceive God prophesies to you – the Lord says: "Well, this is the false prophet. You have your pride coming up out of the sea, and you have out of earth, out of your own concoction, your definition of God – the beast and the false prophet – and these are dealt with in this section of the judgment of the whore. Revelation 17, the last verse, the "woman" is the city of Babylon. That’s why, in chapter 18, the very next chapter, you see "Babylon" destroyed. Revelation 18, Babylon falls – the doctrinal confusion falls, as the Lord is bringing you truth – and you come to Revelation 19, and you see many people, now, in the heavens saying "Hallelujah!"
I want to show you something in Revelation 19. In Revelation 19, verse 7:
Revelation 19:7-8
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the
Lamb is come, and his wife hath [has] made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and
white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
The bride: Go back to The Character of God studies; look at the study on The Bride. Understand the bride is the 144,000; it is not the whole church. You know, a thought hit me yesterday that the 144,000 will be in sinful flesh as they are brought to a completed perfection, but all of the rest of His church will be brought to a completed perfection inwardly after receiving a glorified body. Through all eternity, the remnant church will stand out as that group of people the Lord perfected while in sinful flesh. [And see, you have nothing to do with it. What I mean is, you’re the "man of opportunity" (Leviticus 16) –– God chose your time and place, and you have nothing to do with the time in which you live…… He chose this, and this is a gift He is offering to you.] They will forever hold that distinction – they are the first fruits unto God.
THE SUPPER
When we read Revelation, we will never understand it as long as we keep it outside. It’s when you can apply it inwardly, to the heart, that you see the true meanings. In Revelation 19, here is the marriage supper of the Lamb. Now, I was told that in Revelation 19 there were two suppers, because it’s in Revelation 19, down to verse 17, that you see an angel standing in the sun, calling all the fowls of the heavens to come and eat the flesh. Let me tell you what you’re seeing in Revelation 19 – let me give you something to think about. What you’re reading in Revelation 19 is happening in the heart of God’s church. When He destroys Babylon, and now these people are in the heavens saying "Hallelujah!" – they’re called to the marriage supper. They’ve made themselves ready – how Babylon’s fallen! Now, with the doctrinal confusion out of the way, you can be brought to a completed perfection. You’ve gotten through Laodicea, now come up here and let me start showing you the process, see?
You’re called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. It’s at this marriage supper that God heals you, that Christ heals you of all the iniquity. So there is going to be a battle take place between Christ and His armies of truth and your "beast" and "false prophet." All of that has to be consumed, all of those lies, all of those things need to be reconstructed. You need to see the truth about God, and that is what you’re reading in Revelation 19. As for the angel, when he describes – and the heavens were opened and there was Christ on the white horse – that is now how you perceive Him, with your doctrinal understanding now accurate. The "heavens" are opened, see, the heavens are opened – you begin to understand the heavenly truth, and here is Christ on the white horse. He is called faithful and true, the word of God, the double-edged sword is coming out of His mouth – see, this is how, now, we perceive Christ, and how He is going to bring healing to us. In righteousness He makes war against the men of your own house, your worst enemies. He’s going to come and conquer the heart. So here is an angel, standing in the sun – see, the "sun" – this is a good thing. And he calls all of the spiritual truths to come and consume the "flesh," come and consume their flesh – this is positive! Look at the very last verse of Revelation 19:
Revelation 19:21
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
See, it’s positive and it makes perfect sense. The marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19 is the supper of the great God, where you sit down at the table with the Lamb and you allow His armies to conquer your foes, and you allow His spiritual truths to consume your fleshly interpretations – it’s a positive thing. Let me tell you what it isn’t: God is not calling all the birds to come and eat everybody who’s trying to attack you – to come and eat all the Baptists and Pentecostals, and all the Mormons. That isn’t what that means – that’s insanity! I hope some of you are laughing, or at least chuckling to yourself. That’s silly, isn’t it? He is consuming the flesh of His church, and this is totally positive.
LAKE OF FIRE
But look at verse 19:
Revelation 19:19-20
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies,
gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his
army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles
before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast,
and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of
fire burning with brimstone. [Now here’s a more literal reading: These two
were cast living into the lake of fire burning in brimstone.]
What does it mean, "To cast into the lake of fire"? What does it mean to take the beast and the false prophet and cast them into the lake of fire? I want to key on "the lake of fire," and I beg of you to bear with me as I go through this. In past studies, I can remember years ago doing a study on "fire" and showing the sanctified and unsanctified meanings of fire. But now we come to a lake of fire and this word "geenna." Where does "geenna" come from? Do you remember how we have talked about the word "baptism" and the word "Christ" and "Messiah," the word "angel" as being transliterated into the English – that "baptism" and "angel" – those are actually Greek words that were just brought into the English language. If we had translated the word, "baptism" would have been immersion; "angel" would have been messenger; "Christ" would have been Anointed One. But we transliterated it and kept that rendering from the Greek and just brought it over to the English. Well that is what "geenna" is, but "geenna" is a Hebrew word – transliterated into the Greek. In the Greek language, they kept "geenna," the Hebrew word. Had they translated it, it would have been Valley of Hinnom. The King James comes along, taking this Greek transliteration and putting the English to it, and they call it "hell."
The Hebrew word "geenna" should have been translated son of Hinnom, Valley of Hinnom; brought into the English – then they say, well that’s "hell." My understanding is: The valley of Hinnom (Jeremiah 19:5-6) is where they would offer sacrifices to Baal and burn their children in the fire, and that years later, I guess, by the time of Christ – that this "valley of Hinnom" was used to burn refuse. Whether that is true or not, I don’t know, but it was where you would bring trash and so on, the things you wanted to get rid of, and the fire was always burning and it would consume the trash, anything being thrown away – and that Christ used that, played upon that as a symbol, and we call this geenna fire, "hell."
***
Geenna [1067] – Greek
Heb. [1516] (Valley) + Heb. [2011] (Hinnom)
HINNOM
(American Tract Society Dictionary)
That is, the valley of Hinnom, or of the son of Hinnom, in its lowest part, towards the southeast, and near the king’s gardens and Siloam, the idolatrous Israelites made their children pass through the fire to Moloch. 1 Kings 11:7; 2 Kings 16:3, Jeremiah 32:35.
The place of these abominable sacrifices is also called Tophet, Isaiah 30:33; Jeremiah 7:31.
According to some, this name is derived from the Hebrew toph, drum, because drums are supposed to have been used to drown the cries of the victims. But this opinion rests only on conjecture.
King Josiah defiled the place, 2 Kings 23:10, probably by making it a depository of filth.
It has been a common opinion that the later Jews, in imitation of Josiah, threw into this place all manner of filth, as well as the carcasses of animals and the dead bodies of malefactors; and that with reference to either the baleful idolatrous fires in the worship of Moloch, or to the fires afterwards maintained there to consume the mass of impurities that might otherwise have occasioned a pestilence, came the figurative use of the fires of Gehenna, that is, valley of Hinnom, to denote the eternal fire in which wicked men and fallen spirits shall be punished. This supposition, however rests upon uncertain grounds.
***
Now what is it? I was told that because the scriptures say God is a consuming fire, therefore that "lake of fire" is a symbol of God Himself, and it’s a cleansing fire – God will cleanse you from sin. But I want to show you something that proves beyond a doubt that cannot be what it is and, of course, I don’t mean to be obstinate – I do mean to be accurate. If you’ll go back, I believe it’s Proverbs 16, looking at verse 27:
Proverbs 16:27
27 An ungodly man diggeth [digs] up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.
In the lips of an ungodly person there is a burning fire – don’t tell me that’s God! That is not God – that is the man. Remember where Christ said, "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask what you will and it will be done unto you. If you don’t abide in me, you’ll wither, and you’ll be cast forth as a branch and men will gather you up and cast you into the fire." Let me make that practical: If you’re listening to Christ, allowing Him to move your heart, and following the impression of your heart, as He leads you, you’re safe. But when you quit listening, you’re going to wither, and men will gather you up like sticks and cast you into their fire, the fire of their understanding. You see, in a lot of ways, man is already like God. I know that it’s future – you will be made in His image – but already, in a lot of ways, you’re like Him, with the feelings of emotions, the love, the hate, the anger, the jealousy – see, God possesses those things. God is a consuming fire – so are you! You possess a fire within and that is what Christ refers to as "geenna fire," and I’m going to prove this to you. Certain facts about geenna fire, if you’ll look at Mark 9, certain facts concerning geenna fire – let’s look at Mark 9, verse 43:
Mark 9:43, 45-46
43 And if thy [your] hand offend thee [offends you], cut it off: it is better for thee [you] to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell [here it is: geenna], into the fire that never shall be quenched:
45 And if thy [your] foot offend thee [offends you], cut it off: it is better for thee [you] to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell [geenna], into the fire that never shall be quenched:
46 Where their worm dieth [dies] not, and the fire is not quenched
Two things he points out here: It’s an "everlasting" fire, it’s an eternal fire – it can’t go out; and the "worm" will not die in it. Take this to Psalms 22 where Christ is on the cross – Psalms 22, where He becomes sin itself; He becomes the old man – Psalms 22, verse 6:
Psalms 22:6
6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
This word "worm" is used in Isaiah 66, the very last verse:
Isaiah 66:24
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
Same word – "worm." What is he saying? The "worm" is the old man. You see, in geenna fire, the worm doesn’t die – the fire will not be quenched; it is an abhorring to the people of God. The "lake of fire" is not God. God will rain a consuming fire to consume sin, but the "lake of fire" – a "lake" is an earthly body of water – but a lake of fire, it’s earthly, and it’s a symbol of self. And let me tell you something interesting: There are "six" things that God puts in the lake of fire. "Sin" is not one of them – sin is never put in there. He puts six things in the lake of fire – if I can remember off of the top of my head what they are: the beast and the false prophet, the devil, death, hell and anyone not found written in the Lamb’s book of life – six things put in the lake of fire. He does not put "sin" in the lake of fire. Sin is cast into "the depths of the sea." Now, what does that mean? He doesn’t put sin in it – He reveals to you that that is where sin comes from. The "lake of fire" is the same thing – for Him to put the beast (see, your pride and unchanging heart), for Him to put it in the lake of fire, He is saying that’s where it stems from. In other words, He puts you in your place – the "lake of fire" is self. Look at James 3, before we come back to Revelation – James, chapter 3, and we’ve read this in past studies but I want you to see this again, verse 6:
James 3:6
6 And the tongue is a fire, [it’s] a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth [defiles] the whole body, and setteth [and it sets] on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell [geenna].
He has just put "geenna" between your ears. The tongue is a fire; it’s a world of iniquity. What ignites it? Geenna – the fire that rages within the human spirit. This fire will devour, want to devour others. The fire of God will devour sin – sin is never put in geenna fire. You can’t find the verse where He puts sin in geenna fire. "Hell" is in geenna fire – what is "hell"? It’s self – see, the grave – I’m surrounded by the "grave," by my own ideas. Well, that’s in geenna fire. "Death" is in geenna fire; anyone found not written in the Lamb’s book of life is in geenna fire; satan, well, he’s in geenna fire. What about my pride? It’s geenna fire. What about the false prophet? It’s from geenna fire. Sin isn’t – it’s from the sea, the lie you’ve been given. Your pride, your resistance to God – all of those things are in geenna fire, and that is what He is saying.
SATAN IS SEALED
So let’s come back to Revelation 20, after looking at 19, and let me show you what He is saying here. In Revelation 19, the remnant are "slain with the sword out of His mouth," and "the birds eat their flesh." What He is showing you is chapter 18, the "woman" is destroyed; Babylon is destroyed. In 19, the beast and the false prophet are put into that "lake of fire" – He shows you this is what you’ve been dealing with. His armies are conquering "the men of your own house" and then you come to Revelation 20, verse 1, where Christ has the key to your mind, the understanding of your "abyss." He gives you the understanding with the chain of truth, and He binds satan and puts a seal on him so he won’t deceive you anymore.
I want to give you a story – I told this at our meetings in Arkansas – it’s the bag story, but it was at this point the Lord revealed to me the meaning of this scripture, that’s why I want to say it again. I had gotten into a small argument with my wife in telling her – we were in a motel and we had had company. The company had forgotten their swimsuit and I said, "Just take it down to the desk. Leave the swimsuit at the desk and they can come and get it when they have time. You don’t have to mail it to them." She said, "Great idea," and she says, "Let me find a bag for it." I said, "You don’t need a bag. Just take it downstairs and give it to them – this is a motel, they’ll have a bag." "No," she says, "I need a bag."
Well, I walked out of the room thinking, what does she need a bag for? Just take it down there; they’ve got a bag. What’s the big deal? She doesn’t need a bag... and I was saying that all the way down to my car. By the time I got to the car, I could feel anger starting to rise and I was thinking: What does she need a bag for? And it was at that point, I actually ... I got to my car and I stopped, and I said out loud, "This is satan... I sound like satan...this is ridiculous. Why would I care if she has her own bag, or gets one? This is ridiculous... What’s happening to me? This is satan." And it was right there the Lord showed me: You see, I’ve put a seal on him and he will not deceive you anymore. That is how it works. The Lord gives us the understanding, you see. As you see Babylon fall, then Christ and His army are fighting against all of your definitions and He sends His spiritual truths to consume your fleshly ideas. In that process, He will redefine "satan" for you, so that you see it inward. It isn’t a guy out there trying to trick me – it’s you! You’re deceiving yourself – and it happens that quickly.
And the Lord says: I’m going to give you understanding of the abyss. I’m going to give you the chain of truth and I’m going to put a seal on satan, meaning I’m going to explain to you what it is so you can see it, and from now on when it comes up, it won’t deceive you anymore.
A THOUSAND YEARS
So what does it mean, later in this chapter, when "satan is let loose out of his prison," because that is the resurrection of the church – how can I say that? Because it keys on the "thousand years" – you see, I have known for some time that Revelation was in symbols and, when I came to this "one thousand years," I knew it was a symbol... I just didn’t know what it was a symbol of. Well, this thousand years – let me put on the screen the thousand years, and how it goes back to Genesis 20:16 – the number is [505] and the root means "to be in agreement with":
Thousand [505] – Genesis 20:16
Rooted in [502] which means
"to be accustomed, familiar"
To put it in my own words, it means "to be in harmony with." You see, the word "year" simply means repeatedly, to repeat.
Year [8141] – Genesis 1:14
Rooted in [8138] which means
"to repeat"
And what you have here – once Babylon falls and the spiritual truths of Christ are consuming your fleshly ideas, and Christ can come down now and reveal to you the true meaning of satan as He gives you the key to the abyss, and the chain of truth – He now can reveal to you the true meaning of "satan." He puts a "seal" on it so that it won’t deceive you anymore, so that now you can walk in agreement with God repeatedly – thousand years – walking in agreement with God. If you’ll notice, in Revelation 20, verse 3:
Revelation 20:3
3 And [He] cast him into the bottomless pit [or, into the abyss], and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be [are] fulfilled: ...
This word "fulfilled" [5055] means until a goal is accomplished. Once He puts the seal on satan so you see it, and he won’t deceive you anymore – and when these things happen, you can realize this is satan and it dissipates, it goes away, so that you can walk in agreement with God repeatedly, until the goal is fulfilled, which is the completion of your faith, which is your perfection. When once that happens, you come to Revelation 20, verse 5 – let’s read this:
Revelation 20:5
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were
finished [was complete, or finished]. This is the first resurrection.
Now, if I wanted to take you back to John 5, to show you – there will be two
resurrections: the righteous, and then the wicked (John 5:29):
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
16 ... the dead in Christ shall rise first: [This is the first resurrection, see – the dead in Christ rise first.]
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds [then we which are alive and remain all are caught up together with them], ...
When I come to Revelation 20:5, when you’re walking in agreement, when it’s brought to completion:
Revelation 20:5
5 But the rest of the dead [in Christ] lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
How can I say "in Christ"? Because Paul said the dead in Christ rise first – Revelation 20:5 – the rest of the dead rise. This is the first resurrection. So just simply put, the rest of the dead in Christ will come alive when the 1000 years has reached its goal, or walking in harmony with God repeatedly is finished. This is the first resurrection. That is why "satan is let loose out of his prison," because all of the church who has died trusting in God did not have the understanding the 144,000 have. They were not given the "key to the abyss" and the "chain of truth" the way you have been, and when the church comes out of the grave, the church needs to be taught the truth of the gospel and it needs to be applied to their heart to straighten out the iniquity of their heart. All of the people who have died in Christ were living up to the light that they had, in the sincerity of truth, but they did not have the truth as the 144,000 have it. This process of salvation is not simply I believe in Jesus, but it is allowing the blood of Calvary to heal the iniquity of the heart – and you have people in the grave who died as Trinitarians, who died as Sabbath keepers, who died believing everything under the sun, and that doctrinal understanding needs to be corrected – then the iniquity of their hearts will be straightened out.
That is what you see in Revelation 20, when "satan is let loose of his prison" – Gog and Magog – see, he deceives Gog and Magog, and the fire of God from heaven rains down on it, and cleanses His church. That is not the "lake of fire" – the lake of fire is seen in Revelation 20, starting at verse 11, where the sea, then, gives up the dead. This is "the great white throne judgment." What you’re seeing in Revelation 20 is the 144,000 perfected, the church raised from the dead and perfected, and then the wicked brought to their completion– the great white throne judgment. What He literally does to the wicked is not recorded here – what He literally does when they’re cast into the lake of fire, that is not literal. What that means is: He puts them in their place – He puts them in the lake of fire; He shows them this is where this stems from. Anyone not found written in the Lamb’s book of life is put into that lake of fire. Again, the lake of fire is "geenna" – geenna is in the human psyche; it’s in the human heart.
Let’s turn back now to Revelation 14 for another witness to this truth. Revelation 14, in this section – I’ve just simply called it The Completion of Faith – because whether you’re righteous or wicked, your faith will be brought to a completion. In Revelation 14, we know this is where we have the 144,000, but let’s read at verse 14:
Revelation 14:14
14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
This can be none other than Christ Himself – only Christ will raise the dead and that is why He has the sharp sickle. He’s going to reap the earth – One like unto the Son of Man, sitting on the cloud, having the sharp sickle. This is Christ – One like unto the Son of Man shows you that the son of man in His church is now like Him... it’s time to reap. Now notice what it says here:
Revelation 14:15-16
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him
that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy [your] sickle, and reap: for the time is
come for thee [you] to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth
was reaped.
Here you have the resurrection of the church, but notice verse 17:
Revelation 14:17
17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a
sharp sickle.
Why "another" angel? It’s still Christ, because He has the sickle. Only Christ will raise the dead – but why say "another"? Well, I want you to imagine Christ’s enthusiasm, His excitement when He raises His church and whatever He says to raise the dead – think of the joy in His heart when it’s finally time to raise the dead. But when He comes to raise the wicked, those who have rejected His truth, He is "another" angel... He has another message for them. It isn’t going to be this joy and happiness, because these are the people who have rejected Him – and I want you to see how He knows it’s time to raise the wicked in this chapter, Revelation 14. Read verse 17 again:
Revelation 14:17-19
17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a
sharp sickle.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power [authority] over
fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust
in thy [your] sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth;
for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel [He] thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine
of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
And this is where the blood comes up to the horse bridles. "The angel with authority over fire" – let me tell you who that is: It is His church who has been raised, given the truth, iniquity is straightened out – that gives you authority over the fire of the human spirit – geenna fire. They have authority over fire and when the church reaches completion, just like with the 144,000, when they have reached...when the 1000 years is complete; when they’ve walked in harmony repeatedly and they are brought to a completed understanding, a completed perfection, He knows it’s time to raise His church. Well, when His church is brought to a completed perfection, where they have authority over fire, He now knows it’s time to reap the earth again, and raise the wicked.
You cannot find a scripture in this book that states all of mankind will be saved if you have an open heart and you read it with God’s understanding. It is not in this book. The "lake of fire" is geenna fire – the "lake of fire" is humanity. God is a consuming fire, but in "geenna," the worm will not die. The fire will not be quenched, and God cannot heal you if you don’t let Him because you do have a free will. We are our own universe and if we don’t allow the Lord to govern us, we will not be healed.
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