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.

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)

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.