Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Tues.’s Devo - God’s Kingdom Come

Read Rev. 20 & 21 How fitting that we would end the year with the last two chapters of Revelation. I’m sorry I had to hurry the last of this, but I want to start the new year with a new thing. I’ll explain tomorrow! Being an artist I love the imagery of Revelation. Today we see an angel come down from heaven holding a key and a chain. He seizes the Devil and chains him up and throws him in the bottomless pit where he locks him up for one thousand years. The martyrs of the tribulation were given thrones or positions of authority. They were now being released to reign with Christ a thousand years - the Millennium. Everyone else who had died still slept. This is called the first resurrection of the dead. They are saved from the second death which is eternal damnation. After this thousand years, Satan will be released for a while. Don’t you know he comes out angry. He gathers his troops from the earth to fight the saints. They surround Jerusalem, but God sends down fire and kills them. The devil is cast into the lake of fire where the beast and false prophet were thrown to be tormented forever. Next is judgment of the dead. The book of life and the book of deeds are opened and everyone is judged. Death, hell, and all who went the way of death are thrown into the fire. This is the second death. God’s new earth and new heaven comes down from heaven in majesty and splendor. This is where God’s people will live - pain-free, and full of joy. Next, John was taken to see the Bride which was the whole city of Jerusalem - God’s new kingdom. It is perfect. Every detail describes God’s holiness and his love for his creation. It is always illuminated and always open. No evil will penetrate its borders. Halleluiah! Lord, how glorious and great is your plan!

Monday, December 30, 2013

Mon.’s Devo - The Feast

Read Rev. 18 and 19 Chapter 18 is the account of the system of evil and marketing failing. When this happens there will be no reason to work or do anything. One moment it will be “business as usual”, and the next moment, total chaos. I was not alive when the stock market crashed in the thirties but I’ve see pictures of men jumping out of windows and people in total despair. That was just a drop in the bucket to what this final collapse will be. This will be God’s judgment on the whore. Chapter 19 is heaven’s perspective about that terrible day. In heaven, there is rejoicing and gladness. God has judged and his judgments are true and righteous. All heaven is praising God. It is now time for the marriage supper to take place. The Bride had made herself ready. She had earned the right to dress in white linen because of her righteousness. The heavens open and Jesus, called Faithful and True, appeared on a white horse. He is coming to judge and make war. There is a fire in his eyes, and many crowns on his head. Another name is written on him that is a secret. His robe has been dipped in blood and he is named The Word of God. Heavenly armies dressed in white linen follow him. A sharp sword comes out of his mouth which we know is God’s Word. On his robe and his thigh is written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Another angel gathers all the fowls to the supper of the great God. The food is the flesh of all the men and horses that fought against his kingdom. The beast and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire. All of the people who followed them are killed by the sword of Jesus because the Word contemns them. The birds eat their flesh. This was be the fate of many people and kings in the Old Testament. Lord, who knew that the marriage supper would be the flesh of the wicked? I trust your judgments and your ways for they are so much higher than mine.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Fri.’s Devo - The Whore

Read Rev. 17:1-18 Who is the great whore? We can look at verse five and get a good clue. She is mystery Babylon. Since Babylon stands for all the evil Satan can muster, then this mystery Babylon is a spiritual city that is the counterpart of the New Jerusalem that will come out of heaven. Both are a spiritual city. Babylon is Satan’s capital and he runs the world from it. All the money, all the systems of business are run by him and stem from him. Banks, the stock market, business, buying and selling is his department. Every wrong act done in the church has had money and power at its roots. The whole world has bought into it. The church has bought in to it. Verse nine tells us that the seven heads are seven mountains. There are seven mountains around Rome and seven mountains around Jerusalem. The devil always counterfeits the real. Mountains spiritually mean leaders or systems like business, entertainment and sports, science and medicine, education, religion, politics and the family. Satan desires that they all depend on the beast of finances and power to generate them. When all this falls and our money system fails, then the true monetary system of God will stand. Believers who put their trust in God will rise up and not be afraid. God will supernaturally provide for them and take care of them. When the market falls the only two mountains left standing will be religion and family. The devil’s system is the eighth. The ten horns are the men who are the leaders during that time. Satan will hand pick them and they will hate the saints and God. They will hate all religion that worships anyone but them. Lord, how easy it is to fall into the devil’s system of money and power. Help us to keep our hearts and our garments clean and walk in your provision and your will, and not in the world’s. Bless your people who depend on you to do business for them and haven’t fallen to the devil’s mark.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Thur.’s Devo - The Sixth and Seventh Vial

Read Rev. 16:12-21 The sixth angel poured out his vial on the Euphrates River. The Euphrates River flows through Iraq and Syria today. When the angel poured out his vial it made the Euphrates River dry up so that there would be a road for the enemies of the East to travel on. This was what God did to the Red Sea so that the Israelites could exit the slavery of Egypt. This time it will be to make a way for the Eastern countries to enter to fight in the last battle - Armageddon. During that time a spirit of witchcraft will be released like frogs. Theses spirits will be so manipulative that they will be able to convince the kings of the earth to gather in the Valley of Mediggo. This is when Jesus will come like a thief, as is prophesied in Luke 17:39 and 1 Thess. 5:2. This is time when they need to be watching and keeping their garments clean. The seventh angel came with a vial full of woe. When he poured his vial, God spoke from heaven saying, It is done. The earth heard voices and thundering. They saw lightings and felt the earth quake greater than it had ever experienced before. The earthquake divided Jerusalem into three parts and other great cities were affected. God remembered his anger towards Babylon and poured out his wrath on all evil. Every island was demolished and the mountains were leveled. Isaiah prophesied of the coming Messiah who would exalt every valley and make every mountain and hill low. He would level and make everything even so that Jehovah could be revealed. (Is. 40) Lord, what an awesome sight. May you be revealed through us today.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Wed.’s Devo -

Read Rev. 16:1-11 Judgment! Merry Christmas! What a topic to be talking about on such a wonderful celebration. I am tempted not to continue today, but I am on this race to finish Revelation by the first of the year. I have an idea of something different I feel like we are suppose to do next year and we need to start on January 1st, so I am going to continue on with Revelation today. I pray you are having a wonderful day full of loving family, lots of laughs and lots of great food. In today’s reading, we are talking about THE Judgment on the earth. Jesus has reaped all of his fruit from the earth and it is time to end the earth as we know it. All of God’s wrath is being poured out on the earth and it is coming in the form of plagues like God sent on Egypt during the time of Moses. The first plague attacks their bodies. Sores which are evil in character will appear. I can’t even imagine what this could be - maybe some sort of VD. The second plague fell upon the sea. It killed everything in the sea, which made the sea bloody. The next plague is upon their source of water. The rivers will be turned to blood. The angels seemed very pleased that God would choose to make them drink blood, since they were responsible for shedding so much innocent blood. The forth plague was upon the sun. It became hot enough to scorch men with fire. Instead of repenting, they just cursed God more. Interesting fact: the sun was created on the forth day and was used in the forth plague. The fifth plague fell on the government - “the seat of the beast”. Verse 10 says that “his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain.” I don’t know if this was a physical darkness or just a description of the evil and deception of this government. When this government falls, it’s deception might be exposed and it might cause anguish which will cause them to bite their tongues. Whatever it means, it doesn’t sound pleasant. God is judging the kingdom of Satan and his followers. Lord, Ps. 19:9,10 says that your judgments are true and righteous altogether and that they are to be desired above gold and silver, so even though they sound so awful to us, we praise you because your judgments declare your holiness.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Tues.’s Devo - The Great Harvest

Read Rev. 14:12-15:8 All throughout scripture, we see where the people are told not to reap their whole land, but to leave some for the poor. (Lev. 22:23) Remember Ruth? This is the first time the whole earth gets completely reaped - even the corners - the four corners of the earth. Verse 13 is a great promise. It blesses these who die in the Lord, who die a Christian. They enter into rest and will be rewarded for everything they did for Jesus. In verse 14, Jesus is the angel who reaps the harvest. He is the one who planted the seed and watered it with his prayers and watched over it till it grew. The next angel is the angel of fire. He is waiting for Jesus to reap his fruit, because he is coming with fire to extinguish what is left. - the wood, hay and stubble. While this was happening, John sees a sea of glass that has flames of fire, where the overcomes are standing, singing their song of victory. This song is the song of Moses - the song of deliverance, and, it is the song of the Lamb - the song of salvation and victory. As they sing, the curtain to the Holy of Holies is opened. Out of the temple comes the seven angels with the seven vials of God’s wrath. The whole temple is filled with the smoke of God’s glory. The seven plagues are about to be poured out on the ones left on the earth. Note that there are no believers left on earth at this time. Lord, what a day this will be! All glory to Your Name!!!

Monday, December 23, 2013

Mon.’s Devo - The Last Messengers

Read Rev. 14:1-11 This is the taking up of the faithful 144,000 that came to the Lord during the Great Tribulation. Are these the same 144,000 in chapter 7? I don’t know. I think the number is more than a numerical number. It stands for government completed - so it is the sum total of those who made God their king. They didn’t defile themselves with the world so God found them virgins to sin, true followers. As these people are taken up from the earth, an angel is released to preach salvation to those who are left on the earth. We have learned that these messengers come in the form of men on the earth. So, there must be a person that has been close to being a believer on earth that becomes a believer when these 144,000 leave. This person is filled with the gospel and has the opportunity of preaching to everyone still left on earth. His message is one of repentance because judgment is quickly coming. Another messenger rises up prophesying the fall of Babylon. Babylon stands for the whole worldly system of money, religion and politics. Satan is its leader. A third messenger is raised up to warn the people against buying into the government’s promises of help and protection. The person who puts their trust in the Babylonian kingdom will be judged by God. Their judgment will be an everlasting judgment of fire and brimstone. As I read this I realize that we are living in a type of this right now. We have a government that is Babylonian by nature and is always promising help, welfare, hope, and protection. You don’t have to be very discerning to see that it has failed miserably in all these areas. Our only hope is to put our trust in God. He is our king. He is our Protector, our Provider, our Hope. He is the only one who can come to our aid. Lord, we are so grateful and honored to call you our King.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Fri.’s Devo - The Mark of the Beast

Read Rev. 13:13-18 The anti-christ is going to be able to call down fire from heaven and do miracles. Some wonder if Vladimir Putin isn’t the Anti-christ coming with a promise of peace. There is a comet called ISON that is suppose to hit the earth this next year. Could this be the fire from heaven? I don’t know, but, I seriously doubt it since a comet is not something man calls down. I would speculate it is not going to be an actual fire, but more like a passion like the one that hit the world when the Beatles hit the stage. The mark is an interesting topic. Many have said it would be a computer chip or tattoo, but since everything else in Revelation has been esoteric in nature, I would think this would be the same. I wonder if it isn’t a belief that is engraved in the hearts of the people. The ones who buy their lies will be the ones with the mark of the beast. The fact that it is on their right hand or their foreheads speaks of their actions or their mindsets. No one will be able to buy or sell without having the mark, the name of the beast, or the number of his name. I think to understand what this means we have to look at it in reverse. If we are Christians then our heart is marked. We bear the cross in our hearts. We also confess the name of Jesus and take his name as our own. We are a part of God’s family. Every letter in the name Yaweh characterizes who he is. It will be the same when the anti-christ comes to power. The letters of his name will describe him. Jewish letters also have numerical weight. The anti-christ’s name will equal 666. Six is the number that means “man”. Man was created on the sixth day. This “man” will be Satan’s embodiment: body, soul, and spirit: 6 - 6 - 6. These are just my thoughts. I know that the closer we get to the end, the clearer this will all be. Lord, may we see with spiritual eyes and not be lulled asleep with “business as usual”. Remind us that we are living in the last of the last days.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Wed.’s Devo - Rome - The Beast

Read Rev. 13:1-4 I want to go back to yesterday’s reading and explain more of the history of Rome. Rome was the head that was wounded to death. This happened when Emperor Constantine came to power and united the nominal Christian church with the State at the First Nicea Council of AD 325. Two years later, Constantine made Byzantium the new capital and named it Constantinople. It is Istanbul today. This created rivalry within the administration and the empire eventually split forming East and West (symbolizing the two legs in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2). This split spread to the Roman church. Emperor Theodosius outlawed the worship of ancient gods and made it mandatory to convert to Roman Catholicism. When Theodosius died his sons ruled the East and the West and the Empire was occupied by their enemies of Gaul, the Visigoths from Germany, and the Hun. Pope Leo was able to persuade Attila the Hun not to invade Rome thus empowering the Roman church and the office of the Pope. The West eventually fell to the Germans. They planned to rebuild the Roman Empire and Emperor Justinian was in charge of its restoration. He tried to rid the land of heretics and rebuild. At his death he had depleted the funds for restoration and the land was open for attacks. The shift of Rome from an Imperial to a Papal power healed the beast’s womb. Today, Rome rules a universal Empire with greater power than she has ever known. The United States is a type of Rome and the Protestant doctrine is a type of the Roman Catholic church. I know we don’t want to hear that, but it is true. They have in the past and will continue to persecute the true Bride of Christ. The foolish virgins will conform, but the wise virgins will keep their oil always in their lamps and continue to wait and watch for her bride groom to come for her. Lord, may we be full of oil and ever waiting for your return.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Tues.’s Devo - The Beast

Read Rev. 13:1-3 This beast rising up out of the sea is the Roman Empire. The ten horns are the ten kings of the Holy Roman Empire who were crowned. They were considered divine and took names that were blasphemous. Nero claimed to be “Savior of the World” on the Roman coins. There was a rumor going around after he committed suicide, that he would rise from the dead and join their enemy, Parthia in conquering Rome. The king who was probably was king during the time that Revelation was written was Domitian. His name meant “Our Lord and God”. This emperor cult influenced the church who wanted to appear to be loyal supporters in exchange for protection, and prosperity. They didn’t want to seem unpatriotic to their nation by not paying homage to Rome and the emperor. Satan was the dragon who gave the kings their power, their position, and their authority. (vs. 2) He was cast down out of heaven in chapter 12 and now we see him rising out of the sea in the form of a beast. The womb was healed when political Rome was merged with papal Rome. All the world marveled and followed the beast. I remember watching on television a new Pope coming to office and how ritualistic it was. It was a big deal when the Kennedy’s came to office and they were Catholic. The world thought they were going to set up the Pope in America and they were outraged. His religion almost cost him the Presidency. Now it is the popular thing to show a Catholic mass instead of the traditional church service in a television program. There are many Christians in the Catholic religion, but their doctrine is mixed and unbiblical. God is calling us back to the purity of the Word. We don’t need to add anything to it or take anything away. Lord, help us to know how to think during the age we are living in. Give us your heart and your thoughts. We want to honor You above all.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Mon.’s Devo - War in Heaven

Read Rev. 12:5-17 In Ps. 2:9 David prophesied that God’s son will one day rule the nations with a rod of iron. Jesus came preaching salvation and grace to the poor in spirit, but he was a rod of iron to the religious that were self-righteous. He preached for three and a half years, or 1,260 days, then was caught up to God to sit with him on the throne. The church fled into hiding for fear of her life. Of course, the devil was furious that Jesus had conquered sin and death and rose victorious, so he waged war on the spiritual beings of heaven. He had been in heaven until this time. He was now cast down to earth just like Jesus prophesied to his disciples when they came back from ministering. (Luke 10:18) Satan and all his demons were cast to earth where they roam to and fro looking for a place to dwell. No longer can the devil accuse us to the Father. The heavens were cleansed, but the earth was polluted. Now the Devil reigns on earth and he is very angry because he knows he only has a short time of reign. He immediately brought persecution to the church of Christ. He is still at war with the church - anyone who keeps God’s commandments and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. An interesting note is that from the time of the meeting in Nicea to make the pope the incarnate God, to the day the pilgrims landed on Plymoth Rock it was 1,260 days. America was God’s “promise land” for those seeking to worship him and flee false doctrine and persecution. Our nation was founded on the principle of “In God We Trust” but has adulterated herself in the name of political correctness and tolerance. The gospel was never suppose to be seeker friendly. It is a knife that cuts asunder soul and spirit, bone and marrow, and the thoughts and intents of man’s hearts. The truth is always the narrow road that is hard to follow and not popular. Lord, may we walk the path of truth and not care about what man can do to us.

Friday, December 13, 2013

Fri.’s Devo - The Travailing Woman

Read Rev. 12:1-4 In Revelation 12 we see the entrance of the woman. This woman is redeemed Israel. The Bride is a Gentile bride and represents the Gentile believers of the early church. This woman is pregnant with the Word. She is bearing Jesus, the son. The moon is the church, which is her foundation. The crown of twelve stars shows that her headship is the teachings of the twelve apostles - the witnesses of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. This woman is about to give birth and is in labor. The dragon stands for Satan who is waiting to devour her child, as soon as it delivers. This red dragon used Imperial Rome to try to destroy Jesus when he was born. Caesar Augustus ruled Rome and called himself “son of the divine Julius”. The insignia on the pennants of the Roman armies was a red dragon. The seven heads of the dragon were the seven Emperors who deified themselves. The ten horns represented Papal Rome and were the ten kings of the Holy Roman Empire who are crowned. His tail represents the “tale” Rome used to deceive Israel causing a third of man to reflect the Messiah. The deceived stars were blotted from the Book of Life according to Is. 9:15 and Ps. 69:26-28. Satan tried to kill Jesus and Moses, a type of Jesus, at birth, by having all the male boys killed. His plan failed and both were born. The woman in verse 5 fled to the wilderness just as Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt until God told Joseph it was safe to return. Moses fled to the wilderness when his life was threatened. America is like political Rome. Even though America is not the strongest nation now, she is still looked up to and admired by all nations. Most nations want to dress like Americans and they all think that Americans are rich. They watch American television programs and think we all live like that. Our denominational churches are like the Papal Rome. We all have our doctrines that we follow, even if they defy the Word and we persecute one another because of our different beliefs. Lord, may we rise up out of our blindness and see the truth of your love and your Word.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Thurs.’s Devo - The Second and Third Woe

Read Rev. 11:13-19 When the two witnesses ascend to heaven, a great earthquake follows. It destroys one tenth of the city and 7,000 men. Even the remnant, the believers that are still left are afraid and they praise God because they know He is in control. That was the second woe and the third is on its heels. The first woe was in Revelation 9 right after the 5th trumpet. The four demons were loosed who killed a third of the population. The seventh trumpet sounds and a voice comes out of heaven saying, “the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” When God says this, the twenty-four elders that are seated around the throne get off their thrones and fall to the ground, faces to the ground, and worship God. This marks the end of God’s judgement on the earth. It says in verse 18 that the nations are angry that God would end it and call for judgment. Not only is the earth going to be judged for their sins, but all who have lived over time will be judged. Those that feared God and spoke for him were rewarded. The temple of God is opened in heaven and all must attend. In the sky there are lightnings, voices, thunderings, earthquake, and great hail. One of the positive sides of judgment is after it comes restoration. Lord, thank you for your plan to restore the earth in righteousness. Forgive us of polluting your earth with sin. May your righteous kingdom come!

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Wed.’s Devo - The Two Witnesses

Read Rev. 11:1-12 John is given a rod and told to measure the temple of God, the altar, and the people that worship there. He is to measure the true believers that are around the throne of God. The nominal Christians are called the Gentiles and they are in the outer courts. Daniel prophesied the last 7 years of Tribulation in Daniel 9. The first half of that 7 years are these 42 months where the Gentiles will tread upon the holy city. The true Christians are the holy city. They are the city set on a hill. The true Christians will be under severe persecution. During this time, God will send two prophets, the two olive trees and the two candlesticks. The fact that they are described as olive trees tells us that they are sent to the Jews. They are also described as candlesticks because they will be living menorahs to bring the revelation and light of God. They will have the spirit of Elijah and Moses and do many of the same miracles that they did, like stop the rain and turn the water to blood and call down plagues. Once they have established their name on the earth, the Beast will fight back. He will finally kill them, and their bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem for three and a half days while the earth celebrates their death. After the three and a half days, God will breath life back into these beings and they will stand up to the amazement of all the cameras and people watching. Then, they will ascend to heaven in a cloud. All through the Bible, there are heavenly beings who make appearances on earth. They come in the form of watchers in linen, angels, big fish (Jonah), etc. I think these two witnesses are witnesses of heaven and earth. They were sent down to prophecy for 260 days wearing sackcloth. This was their mission and they performed it. They will be the part of God’s judicial system in the end. Lord, open our eyes that we might see you now and be able to present you to our world.


Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Tues.’s Devo - The Angel of the Lord

Read Rev. 10:1-11 A new angel came down from heaven clothed in a cloud and had a rainbow on his head. His face looked like the sun and his feet looked like pillars of fire. God sent the children of Israel a cloud to follow during the day and a pillar of fire to follow at night. The cloud shielded them from the heat of the sun and the fire gave them light at night. These symbols are also used to describe the Shekinah Glory of God himself. The rainbow was the promise to Noah and all generations after, that God made a covenant with us that He would never to destroy the earth again with water. When Moses came from being with God on the mountain his face shone so much that, Moses had to put a veil over his face to make the people unafraid of him. Fire has to do with judgment, cleansing, and the power of the Holy Spirit. These were all pictures of covenants God has made with man. But as a whole, this is the picture of God himself. He is reclaiming his creation. This angel had an open book in his hands that was small. This book is the covenant - The Bible. He sets his right foot on the sea and his left on the earth to reclaim his creation. He let out a roar like a lion, then the seven thunders spoke. This angel - God, is about to pronounce the end of all time. When it is time for him to sound, all the other thunders will be released. God’s mysterious plan for the earth will finished and it will happen just like the prophets said it would. These seven thunders, or judgments are sealed. John was allowed to see them, but not write them. John was told to go take the little book from the angels hand. When John did, the angels told him to eat it up. It would be sweet to his taste, but bitter to his belly. That is just what the Word is. It is sweet to those who find shelter in it, but bitter if you are using God’s Word for your own personal gain or you disobey it. In the last verse, God promised John that he would prophesy again before the world. Lord, you are mighty in splendor and who can stand before you?!! 


Monday, December 9, 2013

Mon.’s Devo - Personal Thoughts

I have to say that blogging Revelation has been my biggest challenge and I am very tempted to quit and start a new book. I am by no way a theologian on the subject of Revelation so we are going to glean what we can and keep going. There are many websites full of info, most of which I find questionable, so read them with discernment. I have more questions than answers. One of my questions is: if we are living in the Laodecian Age, then what are we doing still here, if the church was to be raptured between the 3rd and 4th age, unless we don’t understand the rapture. I always thought that Enoch was a picture of the rapture. He was just taken from the earth, much like Elijah only no one saw Enoch leave. It is like he just walked with God right off the earth into heaven. I also thought that Noah was a type of the church that went through tribulation. God created a safe place for Noah and his family to ride through the tribulation of the earth and not be harmed by it, but preserved to start civilization over again. Now, I don’t know what I believe. I know that the word “rapture” is not in the Bible. So, are we in the last age, about to see the world end in a One World Government? It is amazing to see how many states have bowed to the doctrine of same-sex-marriage. It is because, if they don’t, they won’t get governmental help and favors. The mark of the beast will be economic in nature, and it sure looks like the mark is a covert mark - more of a standard of conduct or reasoning. If we are the last generation, and if God took a bride from the believers who chose to believe him and his Word already, then he is still taking a bride. Joseph took a Gentile bride Asenath, which means “I shall be hated”. I think that would describe the true bride. It also means, “she has stored up”. May we be the bride that has stored up the Word of God in our hearts, that no matter what they do to our flesh, we will overcome. The last angel was to return the hearts of the children to the father and vise versa. Our fathers are the fathers of the faith and their teachings. The speakers of today have reminded us of the prophets of the last generation, like William Brahnam, Downey, A. A. Allen, Katherine Kullman, Elizabeth Edder, and others, not to mention our Biblical fathers like Abraham and Paul. The bride is the one who hears the voice of the father and obeys it. She is the one who will proceed from her closet of prayer and intimacy with Christ. She is the one who loved him to the end. Lord, may that be us.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Thurs.’s Devo - America in Revelation

Read Rev. 13:5-12 This beast, the Roman Catholic Church will have power over Jerusalem for 42 months. Forty-two is the number of “man’s opposition to God”. In Judges 12:6, Ephraim refused to join Israel in their conflict against Ammon. As punishment, Jepthah killed forty-two thousand Ephraimites. In 2 Kings 2:24, some teen-agers made fun of Isaiah and God sent she-bears to kill forty two of them. Man cannot oppose God and get away with it. Jesus was 42 generations from Abraham. Israel set up camp in forty-two sites before reaching the Promised Land. The leaders of the Roman Catholic Church persecuted everyone that disagreed with them. God sends out a warning in verse 10: if we lead someone into bondage, we will follow them. If we kill someone with the Word, we will also be condemned by the Law. Our mission is mercy, forgiveness, and truth. Verse 11 tells of another beast emerging that had two horns “like a lamb”. This is America. America’s number is thirteen. Thirteen original colonies, thirteen stripes. And now, here she is in Revelation thirteen. She embraced the Roman Catholic teaching and adopted it for herself. America was founded because she ran from Catholicism and wanted religious freedom. She fashioned a Constitution and government that would protect that freedom, but little by little, she sold herself to the enemy and now she “speaks like the dragon.” This forty-two weeks is the same “time, times and half a time” spoken about in Daniel 7:25 and 12:7. In Daniel 7 it says that this leader will try to change the set times and the laws. We see that right now in our present administration where the Constitution is constantly being compromised for what our leader wants. I wonder if one of the laws and set times he will try to change will be to enable him to run for another office. Lord, don’t allow us to shrink back in fear. The devil runs a great smoke screen, but You are the real deal. You are the conquering King and we are your bride!

Fri.’s Devo - The Sixth Trumpet Part 2

Read Rev. 9:13-21 I want to talk again about the four angels. These four angels are released to bring divine wrath on Israel by the princes of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome until the times of the Gentiles is complete (Luke 21:22; Daniel 9:24; and Acts 3:21). In a type, it ended when Daniel was taken out of the land to Babylon, and it will end when the end is here. These four princes and their vast army are supernatural forces (Daniel 10; Zech. 6) They will fight in the battle of Armaggedon. Their king will be Satan who is the angel of the bottomless pit. Abaddon is the name of a destroying angel (or demon). Apollyon identifies this destroying angel as Satan himself as identified in the 5th seal. This trumpet corresponds to the sixth church age, Philadelphia - the church of brotherly love. During this time, the believers on the earth will bind together like never before. They will need each other to survive. The mark of the beast will be in operation, so they will have no way to buy or sell. God will supernaturally provide for them. The few that survive will be the generation that doesn’t taste death. They will be on earth when Jesus returns. Others on the earth, who take the mark, will have hard hearts and they will keep doing their evil works. They will face judgment and have to account for their sins. Lord, I am so grateful for your blood that covers me and the little knowledge I do have of you. Increase our understanding and love for you. 


Thursday, December 5, 2013

Thurs.’s Devo - The Sixth Trumpet

Read Rev. 9:12-21 The golden altar John saw was the one that the ark of the covenant was placed. These horns represent power - four aspects of God’s power. God looses the four angels that are bound in the river Euphrates. Bound up angels are fallen angels that have now become demons. They had been bound for centuries in the river Euphrates. If you recall in Genesis, the Garden of Eden had this same river running through it. They are given permission to kill a third of mankind for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year. They had with them a calvary of 200 million demons. Instead of breastplates of righteousness, they had breastplates of fire, jacinth, and brimstone. Fire is the symbol of cleansing, trials, and judgment. Jacinth is a blueish, reddish, purplish stone. It is symbolic of color and royalty. The brimstone is the symbol of Satan’s destructive power and hell. They had heads of lions and out of their mouths spewed fire, smoke and brimstone. What a depiction of the devil. He looks really scary, but out of him mouth is smoke. Their power was in their mouths and it has always been. It is what the Devil says to us in our ears that trips us up and robs us of our confidence and power. Tails have to do with our past. It is always there, behind us. How the devil uses our past to enable us. This creature had heads in his tail. He is very smart about our past and these heads are specific demons that he uses against us. They are specific to our circumstances. Even through this terrible time on earth, there will be many people who will not repent just as their were many Egyptians who lived in the time of Moses who refused to repent. There was a small remnant of Egyptians who did repent and followed Israel out of Egypt. Lord, we pray for the ones who have to go through this time. May they choose to follow you.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Wed.’s Devo - The Fifth Trumpet

Read Rev. 8:13-9:11 Chapter 8 ends with a “Woe”, for the next three trumpets. The church is raptured at this point and those left will have to go through the “woe”. When the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, Satan fell from heaven to the earth. He opens the lid to hell and releases great evil. This evil is so great, it changes the atmosphere. Locusts are released that sting the ungodly like scorpions. It is so painful, that many contemplate suicide to escape the pain. They are only allowed to sting the ones who don’t have God’s seal on their foreheads. The fifth trumpet corresponds to the fifth church age - Sardis. The locusts of those days were the false teachings that rose from the pit of hell. Scorpions kill by raising their tails overt their heads but do not kill. The church leaders of their time exercised power over the people. Their stings spiritually paralyzed the weak followers. It was written to them to be watchful, and to strengthen the things which remain, because they were not found perfect before God. These people who remain after the church is taken, will be left so that they will have another opportunity to repent. In Rev. 3:3 they were told to remember what they had received in the past and hold fast to it, and REPENT. On them, Jesus will come like a thief and steal the true church from them. They will not understand or know when that will happen because it will be hidden from them…. but not from the true church that is ready. God never does something he doesn’t first tell his prophets. In the fifth seal we see the repented ones who die during this time. They are given white robes and told to rest till others join them in death. We see these locusts have hair like women, iron breastplates, and wings. Their king was Abbadon in the Hebrew, and Apollyon in the Greek. This is the angel of the bottomless pit. Lord, we pray for those who will be left that they will be strengthened for the time they will have to endure. Give them repentant hearts.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Tues.’s Devo - The Fourth Trumpet

Read Rev. 8:12-13 This fourth trumpet goes right along with the fourth church age - Thyatira, and the fourth seal. It also correlates with the fourth day of creation. Before this, the judgment was falling on the earth, but in this trumpet, it moves to the heavens. On the fourth day the sun, moon, and stars were created and that is what was touched in this trumpet’s judgment. In the first four trumpets it talks about a third. This will be the time when the church exits the earth. I wonder if that is why a third of the moon is darkened. The moon represents the church, since we reflect the light of the sun or God. If a third is darkened, then I wonder if these are the ones taken. Only those who have made themselves ready will be taken. The rest will stay to go through tribulation. When the righteous are taken out of the earth, darkness will reign. Scientifically, there was an article in the New York Times in May 2004, which was titled, “Globe Grows Darker as Sunshine Diminishes 10% to 37%. After WW11 the should literally became a darker place. (Probably from the atomic bomb and its effects on the atmosphere). Remember in the age of Thyatira, the Pope was raised to the position of Jesus and many fell to believe the lie. This caused a spiritual darkness. This is also the time when Satan is kicked out of heaven and comes to earth. Lord, be with your people who are left on the earth during this time. Give them strength and courage to stand.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Fri.’s Devo - The Second Trumpet

Read Rev. 8:8 The second trumpet corresponds to the second church age and the second seal. This was the age where apostasy became doctrine in the church. This Satanic doctrine is the mountain burning with fire. Jesus talked about moving mountains into the sea by faith in Matt. 21:21. He said this right after he cursed the fig tree for not having fruit for him. When Jesus comes back he is looking for fruit that is mature and ready. The fig tree always represents the Jews. This was also an age of great persecution of the saints. When this Satanic doctrine became official in the church of Rome, anyone who opposed it in any way was killed. The sea is the sea of humanity. In the second seal, the rider was on a red horse. We see that color again in the blood. In the second seal the rider was given a sword to kill. Death by martyrdom was the theme of the second age and the second seal. Personal note: I feel like I have walked into a new room spiritually by studying Revelation. Every time I pick up my Bible, I am seeing prophecy about the end times. Just studying Revelation has heightened my spiritual antenna. I hope it has done the same for you. I realize that Revelation is not a book of fear, but a book to embrace. This is our future and it looks very good! God does not want us to fear in any way his plans. They are good to the righteous and we are righteous because Christ’s blood covers all our sins. Lord, than you for covering us and giving us a hope and a future. Prepare our hearts for what you are doing in the coming days.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Thurs.’s Devo - The First Trumpet

Read Rev. 8:1-7 Happy Thanksgiving! The first four trumpets are different from the last three just as the seals were. The trumpets give us another look at what was happening in the times of the seals. The first four trumpets bring judgment on the earth, sea, rivers, the sun, moon and stars. The last three bring judgment on man. The church won’t be around for the last three, but the first one has already happened. The first trumpet to sound in the Bible was when Moses brought the children of Israel up to Mount Sinai to receive the commandments of God. (Ex. 19:13-25) Trumpets produce a vibration that makes everything shake. When God sounded the trumpet, the people and the mountain trembled (vs. 16 and 18). God blows the trumpets to shake the earth to repent. There were also thunders, and lightnings. The whole mountains smoked of the fire on top. As the trumpet sounded louder and louder, God spoke for Moses to come to the top of the mountain. Hail and fire are both tools of judgment that God uses. (Remember Sodom and Gomorah?) This trumpet was fulfilled again in 410 A.D. when the Goths sacked Rome. The city of Rome, at that time, was known as “the eternal city” and the spiritual center of the Empire. It was a shock to the people and the first time in 800 years that Rome had fallen to an enemy. When the first angel sounded, hail and fire mingled with blood was cast to the earth; and a third part of trees was burnt up. The trees represent nations. All the green grass was burnt up also. Green grass represents peace on earth. When Rome was sacked the peace of the people was taken away. Lord, thank you that we don’t have to fear your judgments because we know that they are true and righteous altogether. (Ps. 19)

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Wed.’s Devo - The Seventh Seal

Read Rev. 8:1-5 The seventh seal is yet to be revealed. When Jesus opened it, it was silent in heaven for half an hour. This is the first time the Bible tells us that heaven is silent. 1 Samuel 2:9, 10 says, “He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness: for by strength shall no man prevail. 10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.” Here we have a picture of complete silence while God obliterates the wicked from the earth. We even see the thunder of God which is about to happen in chapter 10. If you look ahead in 10:4 you see that when the seven thunders sounded, John was not allowed to write it down. I don’t know if it was too horrific to write about or what, but I have a feeling the bride will not have to watch it so, maybe God is shielding us from knowing. What we do get to see is the seven trumpets. These same seven angels are now given trumpets. An eighth angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, which is used for burning frankincense. He was at the table of incense where the priest would light the incense to take into the Holy of Holies. Since God is the Holy of Holies and the veil has been rent , the angel just stands exposed, and lights the incense. The smoke and scent from the incense represent the prayers of the saints. The angel fills the censer with the fire from the altar, then he throws it down to earth. When he does this, there are voices, thunderings and lightnings, and an earthquake. We will talk more about this tomorrow. Lord, the heavens declare your glory!

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Tues.’s Devo - The Sealing of the Sacred

Read Rev. 7 The next chapter doesn’t go straight into the 7th Seal because there are things that need to happen first. Before God executes judgment on the earth, the Jews that have come to know Christ during the Tribulation will be sealed. Twelve thousand from each tribe are sealed. Four angels, that are each responsible for a quarter of the earth, hold the four winds. These are the same four winds that blew over the dry bones in Ezekiel and made them come to life. They were also mentioned in Daniel 7 as being the winds that blew upon the sea and brought forth the four beasts. This time they were not allowed to blow, yet. These winds were not to blow on the earth, the sea, or any tree, even though verse 2 tells us that the angels were given the command to hurt the earth and the sea. The earth has to do with the physical earth - dirt. The sea has to do with humanity and the thee has to do with the upright man. The upright man was to be protected from harm. Then all the people who have lived through the tribulation, that had been saved appeared with white robes and palms in their hands. They are there to praise and exalt the Lamb just as they did when Jesus made his entry into Jerusalem right before his crucifixion. When the elders asked who these people might be, John deferred back to them. The elder then answered that these were the ones who came out of the great tribulation and became believers. They will be the ones who will serve in the temple of God - the new heavenly Levites. They will be well-fed and given an eternal home of joy and fellowship with Jesus. Lord, you are so gracious and compassionate. You have a place for everyone and your patience and long-suffering is amazing. You truly want all your children to come in.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Mon.’s Devo - The Sixth Seal

Read Rev. 6:12-16 The sixth seal is the judgment seal. The church was taken out after the 3rd seal to fulfill Daniel’s prophecy of the 70 weeks. He said after half of the time was over the church would be taken. Jesus was in his ministry for three and a half years then he was taken to heaven. So the last half is the rest of the time of tribulation. Darkness always comes in the time of judgment. One of the plagues of Egypt was thick darkness (Ex. 10:21-23) for three days. When Jesus was on the cross there was darkness for 3 hours - from the sixth hour to the ninth. This sixth seal is explained by Jesus in Matt. 24:29-35. When the darkness fell in Egypt, God delivered the children of Israel and they had light. So it will be in the tribulation. When God brings the darkness, he will deliver the nation of Israel out. They are the fig tree. God will once again gather his elect from the earth. This time it will be the predestined Jews who have come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah. This will the the fulfillment of Daniel 12:1,2 when Michael stands up in heaven. On earth, there will be tribulation like never before, but the people whose name is written in the book will be delivered. Everyone that has died will rise to be judged. Both Moses and Elijah had power over the elements. Moses turned the water to blood. The water reflects the light of the sun just like the moon does. Isaiah 13:9-11 gives us the same picture. The Lord comes down to destroy the sinners . The stars of heaven and the constellations turn dark and the sun and the moon stop shining. It is God’s judgment on earth. The rest of the chapter is of how horrible it will be for theses on the earth. There will be earthquakes and the earth will move out of her place. God will start the process of destroying and renewing his earth. This was a heavy seal. Lord, may we shine forth your light and bring many to repentance. Thank you for your Word.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Fri.’s Devo - The Fifth Seal

Read Rev. 6:9-11 In this seal, there is no beast to beckon John to come and see. In fact, we don’t have a creature in any of the next seals. Let’s capsulate the first four beasts one more time. The first beast was the lion, that came with a teaching ministry to teach the anti-christ doctrine. God combated that with the Lion of the tribe of Judah who came with the true Word of God. God raised up teachers and sent forth his Word to teach his remnant. The second beast was the red ox, which was also the animal they used in their sacrifices. The Christians were sacrificed and martyred if they didn’t comply with the Roman Church. The ox is also a beast of burden and the body of believers had to work to preserve the Word. The third beast was a man who is more wise and cunning than the animals. God spoke to this church at Thiratira and talked about balances and the economy. God combated this spirit with men like Knox, Calvin, Martin Luther, and John Wesley. God brought his light to the Dark Ages, when the “Church” was taking the Bible away from the people. The fourth beast was the eagle which stands for the prophet - the revealer of the true Word. Jesus said that Elijah would come before that terrible day. He came in the form of John the Baptist for his first appearing and he will come again before his last appearing. This man who stands for Elijah will come right before the Rapture, when the Bride is taken. The rest of the seals are after the Rapture. So, let’s look at the fifth seal. Who are the souls under the altar? They can’t be the Church, because she is gone. They have to be predestined Israel - the ones that God prophecied would come to know him in the end days. Ro. 11:25-26 talks about when the fulness of the Gentiles has come to pass, then all Israel will be saved. They are given white robes because they have been cleansed from their sins. I know this is a lot to take in… so we need the Holy Spirit to help us understand. Lord, give us the spirit of discernment to understand your Word and the end times.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Thurs.’s Devo - The Fourth Seal

Thurs.’s Devo - The Fourth Seal - 11-21-13 Read Rev. 6:7-8 The fourth beast, which was the eagle, told John to come and see what was in the fourth seal. When John looked, he saw the horse had turned to pale and the rider is given a name. His name is Death. He had a riding companion whose name is Hell. This was the age where the Roman Catholic church killed 68,000,000 protestants. They died by Death, but many others who believed the Roman Catholic doctrines died spiritually by Hell. Why has his horse turned pale? If you were to mix the colors of the other three horses together, you would get pale. God is three in one. The Devil is the same. The first horse rode the white horse which stood for the spirit of antichrist. The second was red which stood for the false prophet. The third was the black horse, which stood for the Dark Ages. This was the time the vicar was put in place, who was to take the place of Jesus to the people and taught the doctrine of purgatory. This forth horse was the culmination of all the other three. This will be when Satan gets kicked out of heaven and comes to earth, according to Revelation 12:13. He is the beast, in Chapter 13:1, who will rise up out of the sea and all that dwell in the earth that don’t have their names written in the book of life will worship him (vs. 8). The anti-christ becomes incarnate into a person. This actually happened as a type when we brought in the first Pope. But it will happen again when Satan stands incarnate in a man in the last days. Where is this horse riding? He’s riding to the last battle of Armageddon. He is riding to meet Jesus who will be riding on a white horse. White is the only original color and God is the original God. Everything else is a false, anti god. Lord, open our ears to hear the truth, our eyes, to see the truth, and our hearts to understand the truth.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Wed.’s Devo - The Third Seal

Read Rev. 6:5-6 Yesterday, it was the second beast who told John to come and see. That was the ox. Today, it is the third beast, or the one that looks like a man. When John looks into the book, he sees the same rider only, this time, on a black horse and this seal stands for the third church age. The first church age brought the doctrine of the Nicolaitians. It became a sanctioned practice and the spirit of antichrist became incarnate in a man. He is the antichrist in the first age, the false prophet in the second, and the beast in the third. The church is going through the Dark Ages during the black horse’s ride. The Devil’s plan has always been to conquer God’s people and reign over them. In the first seal the rider had no sword, but in the second seal he was given a sword, and in the third we hear Jesus say, “A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” Jesus is explaining what is going on during that time. They were selling indulgences and people were trying to buy their salvation. Wheat was the fruit during the time of Passover and barley the fruit during Pentecost. So they were trying to buy salvation and the Holy Spirit with human resources. Only, there is always a remnant that don’t follow the crowd and stay true to the Word and these were the ones Jesus said not to touch. These were the oil and the wine - the true believers. Lord, thank you that you always protect your people from being deceived. Help us to keep our eyes only on you.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Tues.’s Devo - The Second Seal

Read Rev. 6: 3-4 The Anti-christ is going to be a very religious man who looks like Christ. He will do signs and wonders and amaze the people. He will eventually make all religions void, except his. He will look wonderful at first, and when he has hooked the people, he will turn from white to red. The seals show a progression of his rule. In the first seal, he conquers the laity and becomes the main focus of their worship. In the second seal he turns blood-red as he starts killing the people. Even though this is an event that will happen all at once in the last days, it has been slowly happening throughout history. We see the white horse imerging from the first church age when organized religion began. The truth became clouded in man’s doctrines and formalities. The rider on the second horse came when Rome started persecuting the church. It was the Roman government that crucified Jesus. The anti-christ will come through the Roman system just like it always has. The Anti-christ has always been a spirit and will incarnate into a man in the last days, just as God is a spirit who became a man. This red horse rider is the same rider of the white horse, he has just changed the color of his horse as his true colors come out. He is given a sword to kill, Jesus was given a sword of the spirit. Jesus sword was the word that came out of his mouth. It could kill or give life. The devil’s sword will only kill. This sword of Jesus’ is our weapon against the devil, so we have no need to fear. Lord, your ways are so wonderful and above ours!

Monday, November 18, 2013

Mon.’s Devo. - The First Seal

Read Rev. 6:1-2 The Lamb is about to open the first seal of the book. This important book had 7 seals on it. What is the significance of these seals? Sealing a document was equivalent to the signature of the owner of the seal. The Bible is full of seals. Circumcision is a seal, it represents the covenant God made with his people (Rom 4: 11). Believers are sealed with the Spirit, as God's mark upon them (Eph 1: 13; 4: 30). Converts of Paul are the seal of his apostleship, (1 Cor 9: 2). It is proof of ownership and marks a finished work. When Jesus died they found his grave cloths folded up where he had lain. That is what a carpenter does when he finishes his piece, inspects it and finds it perfect: he folds up his apron and lays it on the piece to signify he is pleased with his finished product. These sealed books hold the events of the last days and the end of God’s work on earth. When he opened the first seal, out came a white horse. The rider had a bow (no arrow) and a crown was given him. His job was to conquer. This white horse rider is the Antichrist. The Devil is an angel of white and copies everything God does. God wears white so the Antichrist is going to look a lot like God…. at first. He is minus his sword or arrows because Satin is one big smoke screen. Only Jesus has the Sword which is the Word. This first seal had to do with the first church age. So what was the antichrist of the first church age? The first church age was Ephesus and their fault was being deceived by the Nicolaitans. Remember Nicolaitan means “to conquer the laity”. What started as an idea in one age, became a doctrine in the next ages. They took the Holy Spirit out of the church and gave it to one man. The first organized church was the Roman Catholic Church. Rev. 17 describes her as a harlot. Notice the rider didn’t start out with a crown and ended up with one. The pope didn’t immerge with a crown till many church ages later. He will be revealed for what he is in the last days when the church is gone and the world goes through tribulation. Lord, help us not to get overwhelmed by this book and let us walk in peace and the revelation of who You are.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Fri.’s Devo - Who is Worthy to Open the Seals?

Read Rev. 5:6-14 The elders are weeping because no one is worthy to open the seals, when one of the elders speaks and tells them to wipe their tears because the lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed and he is worthy to open the book. In the midst of this scene of the throne room, appears a Lamb that has been wounded almost to death. The elder calls a lion and gets a lamb. Jesus is the lion and the lamb. He was from the tribe of Judah which is represented as a Lion and he is the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the earth. This lamb has seven horns and seven eyes which represent the seven spirits of God. He steps forward and takes the book out of God’s hand. When he does, the beasts and 24 elders start praising him with their harps and incense. This incense represents the prayers of the saints. We see this same table of incense in the tabernacle and the temple. They start singing a new song of why this Lamb is worthy to open the seals, since, no one else in heaven was. This Lamb, which is Jesus, can open the seals because he spilt is holy blood to redeem the whole earth. Because of what Jesus did, he was worthy to open the seals. He died that we might be raised with him to be kings and priests. This is happening now in the spirit and will manifest in the natural in the Millennium. Then the throne room is filled with angels- too many to number - worshiping the Lamb. It reminds me of when they did this in the audience of the shepherds, the night Jesus was born. Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto You, Jesus, who sits upon the throne!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Thurs.’s Devo - The Beasts and The Book

Read: Rev. 5:1-5 It is a very daunting endeavor to try to blog Revelations, so let me reiterate something. I am just a seeker of truth, I don’t claim to have all truth, so, if you don’t agree with me, I probably won’t agree with me either in a year or so. I have found that revelation is forthcoming and it grows over time. I don’t agree with things I use to believe just a few years ago. This blog is just an attempt to dig and discover who God is and what He is wanting to tell us in his Word. I pray that my revelation will spur others on to seek the Word and get their own revelations. I did some research today about the four beasts and found something I think worthy of sharing, so here it is. God told Moses to place the tribes in a certain order when they camped and when they marched through the wilderness. The tabernacle was to be in the middle with the Camp of Judah on the east. The Camp of Judah consisted of three tribes whose Standard was a lion. The Camp of Ephraim camped on the west and they consisted of three tribes. Their Standard was an ox. Rueben camped on the South and consisted of three tribes whose Standard was a man. Dan camped in the north and his Standard was an eagle. No doubt, this was the position that John saw them standing around God’s throne which was the Tabernacle. Next, John saw God with a book that is full of words that are sealed. The angel wants to know who is worthy to open it. No one in heaven or on earth was worthy until the Lion of the tribe of Judah was mentioned. He had prevailed and could open the book. This was none other than Jesus. This book is the revelation of all the prophecies and all the mysteries of the Bible. It is God’s book of Redemption. So where is the bride at this time? She is raptured up. She is not mentioned again until Chapter 19. Lord, you offer blessings to all who read the book of Revelation. Bless our ears to hear what you are saying to your church.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Wed.’s Devo - The Four Beasts

Read Rev. 4:5b-11 God gave Moses and David the instructions on how to make the tabernacle and the temple. Everything they did was a replica of what is in heaven so it is no wonder that we see the menorah, the candlestick before the throne. In the tabernacle and the temple the ark was kept in a separate compartment that only the High Priest could enter, but in heaven it is all open because Jesus blood rent the curtain that separated us from the throne. John sees this menorah with its seven lights which stand for the seven spirits of God found in Isaiah 11:2. The center one is the spirit of the Lord. The others come in pairs: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. Next we see the sea of glass which was the basin that the priest used to wash his hands before, during, and after the sacrifices. It was a picture of being washed from sin and becoming clean. Around the throne were four beasts. One looked like a lion, one a calf, the third a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. They each had six wings and had many eyes. They spend all their time saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” In Daniel 7, Daniel saw these same creatures coming up from the sea of humanity. They stand for the great powers through the ages that have defied God’s children. They each used different weapons which we find in Jeremiah 15. God said, “And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.” These beasts were also God’s tools to bring judgment on His people when they rebelled. Like Haman had to lead Mordecia through the streets of Sussa and proclaim, “Thus shall if be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honor.”, these beasts must worship the Lord day and night as their punishment. Lord, you are an Almighty God who is worthy to be praised. We choose to worship you.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Tues.'s Devo - The Throne

Read Rev. 4:1-5a After this, door was opened in heaven. I believe that is where we are in prophecy, right now. The door to heaven is open and people are able to access that door. There have been so many stories lately of people actually going to heaven and coming back. I have had several dreams of being in rooms in heaven like the prayer room, the creative room, the map room, the secret place, and others I can’t remember right now. I know others who have accessed the library, the body part room, and others. Some have accessed the throne room which John is in, in this chapter. He was immediately in the spirit which means he was activating 100% of his brain and senses. When John saw God, he was like a jasper and sardine stone. The jasper stone is glittery and white as a crystal. This means that God is totally holy and pure. The sardine is the color of blood red. So the Father and Son are meshed into one. There was a emerald green halo around the throne. The emerald is a glowing stone known as a “live coal”. In Isaiah 6 an angel came to Isaiah with a live coal off the altar of God and placed it on his lips. When he did this Isaiah was cleansed of his sins. I wonder if the green emerald glow was from the altar since God is the altar. There were 24 elders around the throne. Could these be the 12 tribal leaders from the Old Testament and the 12 apostles from the New? They had white robes and crowns of gold which means they had lived on earth where they earned their robes and crowns. Out of the throne came lightnings and thunderings and voices. It reminds me of the Sinai experience. It says in verse 1 that the voices were like a trumpet. On Mount Sinai they heard a trumpet that got louder and louder. It was the voice of God. The lightnings and thunderings are the display of God’s mighty power and judgments. Thunderings are the announcement of something about to happen which is not understood by the world. Voices are God’s voice that is heard and understood by the world. God uses both to let us know He is about to do a new thing. Lord, open our eyes to understand this book.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Mon.’s Devo - Promises to the Overcomers

Read Rev. 3:18-22 Besides wisdom, which is the gold, we are to buy white raiment to cover our nakedness. Isaiah 61:10 says that God has clothed us with the garments of salvation, and covered us with the robe of righteousness. This is the clothing of the overcomer who has had his sins washed in the blood and chosen to walk in righteousness. Our eyes are also to be anointed with eye salve so that we can see. This is, of course, talking about our spiritual eyes. They need to be anointed to see what we need to see in these last days. This is the last church age. We are living in the age Jesus will return. Jesus talks about having eyes to see in Matt. 13. He teaches that only the people who have good ground for the seed of the Word to grow in, will be able to see and grow spiritually. We cultivate good ground by preparing a place for the seed to grow. It grows in our hearts, and when our hearts are pure, our ground is pure. The comforting thing about God is that he disciplines those he loves and those he knows have a heart for him. Hebrews says that the High Priest had to offer sacrifices for himself because he was weak, so God knows we are weak. Jesus blood was the perfect sacrifice for our weaknesses. In Him, alone, can we be strong. God always makes provision for our weaknesses. He comes to all who hear his knock and if we open our doors, He comes in and dines with us. What an honor! To the overcomes of this age, He gives position with Him on his throne. Ephesians 2:6 and 7 says that God has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. That is our position right now if we can “see” it. We have been given this honor to show how wonderful grace is. How can we be faint or depressed when we really “get this”? Lord, how wonderful is your grace and your plan for your overcomers. May we be of this company of saints in your last age.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Fri.’s Devo - Gold Tried in the Fire

Read Rev. 3:15-18 This is our age so we should have our ears pricked. God says that we are neither cold nor hot and that he wishes we would be one or the other. Since we are lukewarm, he will spew us out of his mouth. If we look at the conversation, the work ethic, and the general attitude of this generation it is one of apathy. Our catch words are “whatever” as if we have no care or control over anything. Work ethic is astounding. What has happened to professionalism. And now it is in the churches. I belong to a huge church of thousands and though our pastor pushes service, it is a small percentage that end up doing the work. But it is not the work that needs to be done as much as the praying and ministry that needs to be done. It is much easier to put in your hour of service on Sunday and forget to pray all week long unless you have a crisis. We say we are rich because we live in America and have nice lifestyles. We have the Word easily accessible and teaching galore. Our churches are equipped with cushy seats, coffee shops and the latest technology that would wow the world, but God sees us wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. How can this be? What are we missing? God’s counsel to us that we buy God gold tried in the fire. That is what is makes us rich in God’s eyes. We get spiritual gold in the wisdom in the Bible. The men and women in the Bible have been tested and tried and proven that the Word of God is real and true. Wisdom only comes through experience. So, our trials and attitudes through them buy us gold. That is when the Word of God becomes more precious to us than gold. Lord, help us desire this gold more than the tangible gold we see around us. May we have no other gods but You.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Thurs.’s Devo - The Laodicean Messenger

Read Rev. 3:14 The messenger of the Laodicean Church will be a prophet who has a spirit like Elijah according to Luke 1:17 and Malachi 4:6. He will turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children and vise versa. They called John the Baptist, Elijah because he had the same spirit that Elijah had. This man will also have that same spirit. Both John and Elijah were men of the wilderness. They both lashed out against the religious orders and leaders of their day. They both prophesied against the immoral women: Elijah against Jezebel and John against Herodias. They both walked in the power of the Holy Spirit and signs followed their words. John prophesied the coming of Jesus and paved a road for him to walk on. So will this prophet do. He will pave a road for the Messiah to come back on. John got to live to see Jesus arrive on the scene. I wonder if this prophet will be living when Jesus comes back. There have been many great men of God since the age began around the turn of the century. Many people were offended by both Elijah and John the Baptist and many people will be offended by this prophet. Not only will he turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children back to the fathers, but he will reveal the mysteries of Revelation. In the days of John the Baptist, there were people who thought John was the Messiah, and likewise, many will believe this last day prophet will be the Messiah. So far, I don’t know anyone who has fit this description, though there have been many great prophets during the last hundred plus years. The important thing is not that we identify this prophet, but that we look for Jesus’ coming and be ready. Lord, stir our hearts to be ready when you come back.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Wed.’s Devo - The Church of Laodicea

Rev. 3:13-14 The church ages overlap and the fruit and the curses are carried on to the next age. The church at Philadelphia seemed to be the culmination of all the blessings and the next church, Laodicea, seems to be the culmination of all the curses. This is the church age we are living in and it is the last. Laodicea means “people’s rights”. We have another term we use to mean the same thing- entitlement. The city of Laodicea was a financial and political powerhouse. Many philanthropists lived there and it was the seat of a great medical school. It was known for its arts and sciences and the people worshipped Zeus, only. They had many earthquakes there which eventually lead to its evacuation. The fact that they worshipped one god caused the statement, “one God, father-of-us-all” to become a motto. It is meant to bring unity and sounds good, only it is pertaining to the wrong god. It will lead to the one-world government. This age believes in Socialism - socialized medicine, housing, etc., the belief that we all should have the right to have the same as another. This will continue to grow until God comes down and shakes everything that can be shaken just like an earthquake. The city was rich just like our churches. We have chosen to be seeker friendly over godly friendly. Who do we want to come to our church - the world, or God? I think it is fine to have nice churches, because the temple that Solomon built was opulent and beautiful, but every brick had a meaning. And most importantly, God orchestrated that blueprint. Looking at the ministry of Jesus, he didn’t say what was politically correct, he said what was true. He was not afraid to point out sin, and he wasn’t concerned by dwindling crowds. If we have to become seeker-friendly to pay a monthly note, then our motives have become totally off. We are not to glitter with bling, but we are to shine as lights. When we shine forth the Holy Spirit, he draws people to us like a moth to the flame. Lord, help us to not get wrapped up in our image but to be immersed in yours.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Tues.’s Devo - The Bride

Read Rev. 3:12 Today we have the picture of the Bride. She will be a pillar in the temple of God. When Solomon built the temple, he set up two pillars. One he called Jachin, and the other Boaz. Jachin means “he will establish” and Boaz means “in him is strength”. God is going to establish a bride that is full of power. She will bear the name of Jesus and the name of Jerusalem, his city because she will be married to Him. When we get married, we get a new name and that is what she will get - God’s name. This is the same picture we get in Rev. 21. The angel is sent to show John the Bride, but instead shows him a city - Jerusalem, coming out of heaven in the glory of God. But, interestingly, there is no temple, so where is the pillar? It says that the temple is God himself (vs. 22) and we are in Him. What a picture of us in Him and He in us. Isaiah talks about God taking away the voice of the bride, because Israel had fallen into such sin, but Amos gives us hope. In Amos, God calls the bride out of her closet. That is where we are right now. We are preparing in the closet to come out and have a voice. God is going to call the bride out of her closet and the bridegroom out of his chamber. So what do we do in the closet? We do what Ester did - we spend time preparing ourselves for Jesus’ coming. We bathe in the Holy Spirit and spend time sitting at his feet so that we smell like the aroma of intercession and praise. We learn obedience and submission. We are in premarital counseling and our teacher is the Holy Spirit. He is our Hegai (Esther 2:8). Lord, help us to prepare for your coming, to be the pure bride you have created this world to produce.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Mon.’s Devo - Our Crowns

Read Rev. 3:11 Jesus warned the church of Philadelphia not to let any one take their crown. Jesus wore a crown of thorns on his brow that pierced into his skin and brought forth blood - the blood that saved us and gave us the right to wear a new crown. In 2 Tim. 4:8, this new crown is called a “crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing”. In James 1:12 it is called the crown of life to him who endures temptation and to those who love him. 1 Peter 5:4 calls it a crown of glory that doesn’t fade away. Our crown is incorruptible and can not lose its glory. It is given to those who finish their course and rise to rule and reign with God. In the Old Testament when they would conquer a kingdom they would take the crown of the king and wear it to show that they now have the authority over the kingdom. It was a symbol of control and power. We wear this crown when we conquer the enemy in our lives. One day we will throw these crowns at the feet of Jesus because it was by his name that we have them. God’s warning to us is that we not lose this authority that Jesus purchased for us at the cross. He gave us his name to cast out demons and evil, so we need to wear the victor’s crown and win over defeat, depression, strife, and any name that the devil fights us with. The name of Jesus is much more powerful. I4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Jesus is the Name above all Names. Thank you for giving us your name and your authority. May we use it for your glory.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Fri.’s Devo - The Messenger and the Hour of Temptation

Read Rev. 3:10 The messenger of the age was William Carrey, the father of modern missions. He was a village shoemaker, who pastored the Particular Baptist Church at Moulton, England. He preached that it was our obligation to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth until Christ returns. Though he was a humble cobbler, he taught himself Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, and other languages. He married and had 7 children of which 3 died young. He felt led to go preach the gospel to India, so he moved his family there and got a job managing a factory. He learned their language and ended up translating the Bible into their language. He trained many missionaries to go forth and preach the gospel. This was door to missions was the open door to the sheep fold to which Jesus was the door. Verse 10 says that God will keep his true church from the hour of temptation which will come upon the earth. The Bible teaches a rapture of his children, but we are already seeing this temptation beginning. This hour of temptation will be when the government takes over the churches. There is such a move toward that in the movement of “tolerance”. Today being “politically correct” is a strong power. One slip of the tongue and you are crucified like Paula Dean. Noone wants to hear a sermon on sin, but they will flock to one on grace. When the government takes over, you will have to conform to their guidelines or lose your job or church funding. The temptation will be to comply and think you can serve the government and God. That is the lie. You are a servant to whomever you yield to. The true believers won’t be deceived. This move will end in the image erected to the beast which will happen after the church is taken up. Lord, help us to keep our eyes on You and not be tempted to conform to anything but your Word.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Church Vs. Satan’s Church

Read Rev. 3:9 During this age, the power of the Roman Church became lessened. People had started demanding freedom of religion. France fell in revolution, but the Wesleyan revival kept the revolution away from Great Britain. God’s Word was being preached in one kingdom, and communism and liberal thought was being preached in another. Spurgeon, Edwards, Bunyan, Meuller, Brainard and many other great preachers were raised up during this age. But Satan had his members and his church. The problem is that his members went to God’s church. They were tares among the wheat. They said they were Christians, but they contained another spirit. They loved organization and authority, but were missing the fruits of the spirit. They built their beliefs around what they think was right. These people are the ones that 1 Co. 6:2 says that will be judged by the saints. There are always tares that are planted by Satan in every church. Judas was a tare sewn in the group of disciples. No one knew it but Jesus and he chose not to expose it till the end. It is not our job to get rid of the tares, that is God’s job. Our job is to not be a tare. Studying this really makes me check my motives about everything. We as people love organization and we love to have a leader. We just can’t be side-tracked by thinking this can come in the form of another human being. It can’t. But it can come by Jesus. He is our sole leader and he will organize what He wants to organize. We just follow Him. Lord, we want to see You only, and follow You alone.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Wed.’s Devo - The Keys and the Open Door

Read Rev. 3:7-8 We see God give this age the key of David hat can open doors and shut them. The key of David is the key to David’s house: the house of David. This is all those who love God, like David did, and are part of his spiritual offspring. Isaiah 9:6 says that this key is on Jesus’ shoulder. We get a picture of this in the eastern wedding ceremony. The bride wears a veil that she takes off in the ceremony, and places it on her groom’s shoulders signifying that she is placing herself under his covering. She is saying that no other person but him is responsible for her or has any rights to her but him. I sometimes forget that God chose me, for some reason. He called me, saved me, and washed me, that I might be his bride. I now belong to Him and Him alone. So do you. It is Jesus that is the head of his church. He is the one who gives out his gifts. And he choses his members. He has the key to the church door. To his members he gives the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 16:19) to bind up the evil spirits and loose the good spirits. That has been given to us. Jesus alone, has the keys to death and hell. To this age he sets up an open door. Brother Andrew has a ministry called “Open Door” which reaches out to the unreached countries with the gospel. This is exactly what happened during this age and is still happening. God is opening doors to countries never before reached for the gospel. This is also an open door to heaven. Never before do you hear of people accessing heaven - going there and coming back. The door to heaven is open. Lord, help us to walk through your open doors in our lives here or in the heaven lies.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Tues.’s Devo - The Church of Philadelphia

Read Rev. 3:7 Yay! We finally get to the good church - the church of brotherly love. But first, let’s look at what was going on in the city of Philadelphia. It was the second largest city in Lydia and was famous for the wine grown there. Along with the Christians, there were heathens that worshipped Bacchus. Bacchus is the same god as Nimrod. Nimrod was a mighty hunter who built Babel. So we see a strong demonic presence and a strong Godly presence. This age lasted from 1750-1906. It is known as the age of brotherly love because Philadelphia means, “love of brethren.” Our messenger is John Wesley. John Wesley was one of 19 children!!! He was born to Samuel and Susanna Wesley in England in 1703. He studied religion in Oxford and became a missionary to America. On the ship over, he met some Moravians and was impressed by their meekness, peace, and courage. Up till this time, Wesley only knew a life of self denial and hard work. His mission trip to America was a failure and he went back to England defeated and in need of salvation. When he got back to England he found the Moravians and they showed him the way of salvation by grace, not works. He then started preaching grace. He was opposed by the religious system, so he went to the fields and preached. He would begin at five in the morning preaching and would preach four times every day. He traveled around 4500 miles a year preaching. Manifestations of the Spirit followed his ministry. The Methodists were formed of his members though this was never Wesley’s desire. His life was based on living for Jesus, not having a creed or doctrinal statement. He died at 88 having fulfilled his destiny. It is amazing to me that many famous men and women of God started out with a zeal for God before they had a salvation experience. I think we will encounter many more people like that as the days get closer to Jesus’ coming. Lord, give us discerning spirits and remind us that grace and love is better than doctrine and knowledge.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Mon.’s Devo - Names Blotted Out

Read Rev. 3:4-6 In verse three, God promised to come as a thief just like he will come in the last days. But he tells us that there are a few that he could name, that haven’t been soiled by the false teaching of the Roman church, who have found the grace of God that comes by faith and continued to walk in it. It seems that it is easy to get excited in the beginning of our walk, but not so easy to stay when persecution and rejection comes. The ones who stay true to the truth will be clothed in white like a bride. They will be called worthy. Verse 5 brings up a very controversial statement. It says that those who are dressed in white will not have their name blotted out of the book of life, but have their names read out loud in front of God and the angels. Why would it tell us these names were not blotted out, if there was no way for this to happen? I noticed one day while reading Revelations that when it gives the names of all the tribes in Revelation 7:4-8, it leaves out Dan and Ephraim. I wondered why they were not written. After some study I found that when God gave the curses in Duet. 29:16-20, He warned about those that turned back to the idols of Egypt. He said that he would blot their names out from under heaven. 1 Kings 12:25-30 states that both Ephraim and Dan turned away to fornication and idolatry. Hosea 4:17 says, “Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone.” Could that be why they are not mentioned in Revelation 7; they had their name blotted out? Is it possible to have your name written in the book of life, then blotted out? It looks like, according to the Word, it is. I know of one way to be sure your name is not blotted out - obey God and serve Him only. It’s really simple, and not something we should be afraid of. Consequences are only scary to those who disobey. Our commandment from God is to love him first, then others. Lord, I thank you that our names are forever written in your book.

Mon.’s Devo - Names Blotted Out

Read Rev. 3:4-6 In verse three, God promised to come as a thief just like he will come in the last days. But he tells us that there are a few that he could name, that haven’t been soiled by the false teaching of the Roman church, who have found the grace of God that comes by faith and continued to walk in it. It seems that it is easy to get excited in the beginning of our walk, but not so easy to stay when persecution and rejection comes. The ones who stay true to the truth will be clothed in white like a bride. They will be called worthy. Verse 5 brings up a very controversial statement. It says that those who are dressed in white will not have their name blotted out of the book of life, but have their names read out loud in front of God and the angels. Why would it tell us these names were not blotted out, if there was no way for this to happen. I noticed one day while reading Revelations that when it gives the names of all the tribes in Revelation 7:4-8, it leaves out Dan and Ephraim. I wondered why they were not written. After some study I found that when God gave the curses in Duet. 29:16-20, He warned about those that turned back to the idols of Egypt. He said that he would blot their names out from under heaven. 1 Kings 12:25-30 states that both Ephraim and Dan turned away to fornication and idolatry. Hosea 4:17 says, “Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone.” That is why they are not mentioned in Revelation 7; they had their name blotted out. So is it possible to have your name written in the book of life then blotted out - according to the Word, it is.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Fri.’s Devo- Justification Without Sanctification

Read Rev. 3:2-3 Is. 11:2 gives us the seven spirits of God: 1. the spirit of God 2. the spirit of wisdom 3. the spirit of understanding 4. the spirit of counsel 5. the spirit of might 6. the spirit of knowledge 7. the spirit of the fear of the Lord The messenger, Martin Luther, operated in all these attributes of God. These are the lights in the menorah with the spirit of God being the center light. Even so, the people were for the most part, spiritually dead. He warned them to stay awake and not let their faith die. This was the age of “justification”, but that is where they stopped. They never grew into “sanctification”. Their works were found not perfect which means unfulfilled. Martin Luther preached the sovereignty of God, election, and grace. He separated the church from the ecclesiastical hierarchy. He tore down the idols, casts out the confessions to the priests, and denounced the pope. These were all good things, but wrong must be replaced with right, and if you are going to bind a bad spirit, you must loose a good spirit, etc. Luther brought down the bad which eventually was replaced with worse spirits. The people went back into slavery under the name Lutherans. When we try to organize the Holy Spirit, we box him right out. Our goal is to get back to the power and spirit that was given on the day of Pentecost. Verse 3 tells us to remember what God gave us at the beginning of our walk with Him and repent of what we have added to it that is not Him. If not, we will be of the five foolish virgins that had oil, but theirs ran out without them realizing it. Lord, draw us back to our roots with You and let us not organize you out of our lives. Sanctify our hearts.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Thurs.’s Devo - The Messenger of Sardis

Read Rev. 3:1 The Age of the Sardis church was from 1520-1750. This age was also called the Age of the Reformation. The messenger was Martin Luther. Martin Luther was studying to be a lawyer when one of his best friends got sick and eventually died. He was faced with his own spiritual condition. So wrought with despair, he enrolled in the Augustinian convent to study religion in 1505. Though he lived a very righteous life, he could not rid himself of the conviction of his sin. He became a priest and traveled to Rome. He saw all the works and rituals they required the people to do, to get pittance from sin. They proved futile to him, but one verse came back to him over and over: “The just shall live by faith.” It sunk deep into his heart, and he was, at last, saved. He then spent the rest of his life teaching the Word of God which diabolically opposed the churches creeds and doctrines. The pope started selling indulgences for sin, and Luther stood up against this by preaching the truth, then nailing his famous 95 thesis to the door of Castle Church in 1517. This began the reformation - the Roman Catholic church vs. Luther and his followers. Martin Luther also translated the New Testament and gave it to the people. Remember, the Catholic church had rewritten all the scriptures to Latin and burned all copies written in the language of the people. With the help of Jewish scholars, he translated the Old Testament. He was endowed with all the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Lord, thank you for the abundance of your Word we have at our convenience.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Wed.’s Devo - To the Church in Sardis

Read: Rev. 3:1 Sardis was at that time the capital of ancient Lydia. It was usurped by the Persians and then Alexander the Great. Antiochus the Great leveled it, then it went to the kings of Pergamos until the Romans took over. It was further destroyed by earthquakes and plagues. Today it is a heap of ruins. At one time the city was a commercial success. The art of dying wool was said to have been invented here, and gold coins minted here for the first time. They worshiped the goddess Cybele. She had a son who was the sun god; and she was the moon god. He, Deoius, was the lord of heaven and she was the queen of heaven. They were equal in power. When he was killed, raised and ascended into heaven; he carried her with him. He was referred to as the son of God and she the mother of God. Sound familiar? The worship of the son began to fade to the worship of the mother. She wore a key like Janus which gave her the same authority as him. He was the father. This key was the key to heaven and earth and the mysteries. The worshippers would whip themselves until blood spurted from their bodies, which is a custom done still to this day. During this age the Protestants broke with Rome as Luther received his revelation of justification by faith rather than what the Roman Catholic Church was teaching which was justification by works, penance, prayer, and other means. As the Protestants worshipped Jesus, the Catholic Church increased their worship of Mary. Jezebel worshipped Astarte, which resurrected in this age as Cybele and has resurrected again as Mary. They are all the same. I do not want to dishonor Mary, the mother of Jesus, who God chose to carry Jesus into this world. What a privilege and an honor. What they have done to her is dishonoring and sacrilegious. People have worshipped the creature instead of the creator. Lord, as we study history, help us to do it without having malice in our hearts.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Mon.’s Devo - The Spirit of Jezebel

Read Rev. 2:20 The church of Thyratira was rebuked for allowing Jezebel to teach and seduce God’s people into idolatry. It is important to know who Jezebel is to recognize her spirit. She was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of Sidon (1 Kings 16:31) “Sidon” means “hunting” because it personified the devil who is always roaming around hunting someone to devour. Her father was a priest unto Astarte. He had gained his position as king by murdering his predecessor making Jezebel the daughter of a murderer. Jezebel was not a child of Abraham. She came into Israel by a political marriage to Ahab. Her goal was to bring her idolatry into Israel. She became a priestess in the temple and erected a temple to Astarte (Venus) and Baal (the sun god). She was greatly used by Satan for the downfall of Israel. The church married the state under Constantine who was a pagan disguised as a Christian. He tried to bring everyone under one religious group. When the true Christians realized it wasn’t working and split apart, they were branded as heretics and persecuted. Jezebel did the same thing. She tried to force her religion on all the people and killed the prophets and priests of God. I watched that happen in the 70’s when people all over the US got filled with the Holy Spirit, and the organized church labeled them heretics and had them thrown out. They might not have been persecuted physically, but they sure were persecuted emotionally and some even asked to leave the churches they attended. Many new Charismatic churches rose up. This spirit of Jezebel was alive and well in the Roman Catholic church. The popes changed the wording of the Bible to reflect their beliefs, came up with rituals that taught the people they could buy their way to heaven. Without the Bible to read for themselves, the people were easy targets of seduction. Jezebel spread her idolatry to all who would believe. Lord, help us to stay awake to truth and discernment.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Fri.’s Devo - The Messenger - Columba

Columba was born in North Ireland to the royal family of Fergus. He was brilliant, and memorized most of the Bible. God called him, with an audible voice, to be a missionary. His ministry was marked with signs and wonders and he preached the pure gospel. On one of his missions he came to a city that was surrounded by bars. They refused to let him enter to preach the gospel. The court magicians started harassing him with loud voices, so he prayed and started singing to God. God magnified his voice above theirs and the gates burst open. He was then allowed to come in and preach, winning many to the Lord. He sent out many workers throughout Scotland to preach the Gospel. His tactic was to send 12 men of all walks of life into a town that used their scope of influence to spread the Gospel to every man. Eventually, the whole town became a Christian town. He took a forsaken, infertile island and planted a Bible school, with literal seed in one and and the Bible in the other. He made that island a fertile island that sent out thousands of missionaries into the world. During this time, in Rome, the Pope was elevated to have the same power as God and had power over salvation. 1 Tim. 2:5 says that there is only one mediator between God and man and it is Jesus. No wonder God’s eyes are like a flame of fire and his feet like fine brass. Brass has to do with judgement. This age was marked with great tribulation and death for Christians. The papacy was filled with adulterers, fornicators and homosexuals who fathered many illegitimate children and sold priestly offices to the highest bidder. Another name for Thiratyra was “continual sacrifice”, which well describes the life of the Christian during this time. Lord, how like today these churches are, and yet you always have a remnant of true believers. May we be counted in that number.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Thurs.’s Devo. - The Dark Ages - 606-1520 A.D.

Read Rev. 2:18-20 Thyratira was a city of many rivers which brought many leeches. Thyatira hosted many artisans who came here to sell their wares. This is where Lydia, the seller of purple came to sell her clothes and was led to Jesus by Paul. The major religion of Tyratira was the worship of Apollo, the sun god. He was known as the “averted of evil” who presided over religious law and atonement of sins and how to get to get to the afterlife. He communicated his knowledge of “the future” and “the father’s will” through his prophets. This ritual was conducted by a woman who sat in a tripod chair and spoke through a trance. In order to be a part of the social and commercial life one had to be a member of this cult and participate in all the licentious orgies and pagan feasts. (A type of the mark of the Beast.) Thyatira means “dominating female.” In this age the dominating female is Mystery Babylon, the great whore. She is personified in Jezabel and is the bride of Satan - the opposite of the Bride of Christ. The devil always takes God’s plan and perverts it. He produces a counterfeit that looks so much like the real, but once it has seduced its followers, it shows its true colors, which are evil to the core. The false church of this age plundered and destroyed for over 900 years. She killed the arts, destroyed the sciences, and produced nothing but darkness. But, in the midst of such dark times, there remained a remnant of true believers who belonged to God and knew that their citizenship was not of this world. There were several men God rose up to be a standard, like Francis of Assisi, St. Patrick, and Peter Waldo of Lyons, but the messenger of the age seems to be Saint Columba. We’ll talk about him tomorrow. Lord, let us be a messenger from you to our generation. May our walk qualify us to speak for you.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Wed.’s Devo - The Reward to Those Who Overcome

Read Rev. 2:16-17 Repent, is the only hope for those who take the Word and twist it to fit their lifestyle. To those who overcame during this age will God give to eat of the hidden manna and give him a white stone with a new name written on it. The hidden manna is the new revealed Word of that age. Every age in history has gotten more and more revelation into this Word. When Martin Luther got the revelation that the just were saved by grace - it was new revelation for their time. It was the hidden manna that God chose to unveil at that time. In the seventies, their was a new revelation that we will be raptured out of here. I don’t know if anyone through history had this revelation or if it was just not taught, but in the seventies, it became a predominant theme in the church. Then came the knowledge of the Bride of Christ. The Bride is not even mentioned in the Old Testament. They were building up to becoming the Children of God. When Moses led the people through the wilderness, God instructed Moses to put a portion of manna in the Ark of the Testimony for the priest to eat once a year. Miraculously, this manna stayed good all those years and didn’t have maggots. This is the manna that the messenger will get from heaven and share with his flock. Then it says we will receive the white stone with a new name written on it. God changed many men’s names in the Bible after they had had an encounter with him. Abram’s name was changed to Abraham. It was after Abram and Sarai’s name was changed that they were ready to receive the coming of their son. Saul’s name was changed to Paul. When we become a Christian, God gives us a new name. This has to happen to make us ready to receive the coming of God’s son. When we get to heaven, we will get this new name. What a gift it will be to learn what God calls us. Be sure, it will come with a meaning. Lord, thank you for such promises. May we remain faithful and true to your Word.