Who is God? Jehovah Elohim...(Day 5) The Creation of Man

The Creation of Man

Hebrews 2:6-8 But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet.”

                God had completed His task of making the earth. The sun in the sky, sea, land, plants and trees along with the other wonderful creations of the earth displayed the remarkable creativity of our Creator. Animals, birds and other creatures were now able to be its residents and were made in accordance to God’s brilliant design. Everything was perfect and God was absolutely pleased with His handiwork. There was just one more creation that God wanted to make and that was a man in His own image. Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (NIV)

               None of the earth’s inhabitants were made in the image of God other than man. God formed him out of the dust of the ground with His own hands and breathed life-giving breath into him; man became a living soul. God gave the man, whom He called Adam, far more intelligence than any of the other creatures He had made. Adam could think, act, love and even make choices unlike God’s other creation for he was given freewill. God gave Adam the responsibility of naming all the other animals in the garden. This was part of his delegated duty, for he was superior to all of creation, but made a little lower than the angels and under the submission to God. Psalm 8:3-9 ⁽³⁾When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, ⁽⁴⁾what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? ⁽⁵⁾You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. ₍₆₎You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: ⁽⁷⁾all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, ⁽⁸⁾the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. ⁽⁹⁾O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (NIV)

               Adam named all the animals, birds and beasts of the field that God created. There was just one thing missing. There was no one for Adam. None of God’s other creation was a suitable partner for him. Therefore, God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, took a rib from Adam’s side and made a woman. Genesis 2:22-23 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought here to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man. Eve was the missing piece to Adam and now God’s creation was finally complete. This was the completion of the sixth day.

 

 

               God rested the seventh day from all His work as an example for man to do the same. He told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply for this was His will in order for the entire world to be populated with people. God is our Creator and no one is superior to Him. He made us all in His image and because He is the Creator of all things, His name is Jehovah Elohim…our Creator. We are to praise Him and bless His holy name for the Lord is good and worthy to be praised. Psalm 100 ⁽¹⁾Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. ⁽²⁾Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. ⁽³⁾Know ye that the Lord, he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. ⁽⁴⁾Enter into his presence with thanksgiving, and enter into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. ⁽⁵⁾For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. (KJV)

 

 

Join us on Monday where we will go into another name of God as we answer the question, "Who Is God?"

 

 

Who is God? Jehovah Elohim...(Day 4) The Creation of Living Creatures

The Creation of Living Creatures

                God’s work was coming together wonderfully as planned. The earth had been formed, the sun, moon and stars were in the sky, and the land and sea were appropriately placed to allow for the trees and plants to spring forth. All that God had created was good. Nehemiah 9:6 You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. (NIV) God was pleased with His work and yet, there was still more that He wanted to add to His design. Therefore, He created the birds of the air and the creatures of the sea. God handcrafted every single creature to be unique according to their own species. From Eagles to parrots and whales to starfish, God made each one unique in its own merit. Isaiah 66:2 “Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord. (NIV)

 

               God pronounced a blessing over His living creatures and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. God did not want His creation to be limited to only the number He made. He wanted them to repopulate themselves and increase in numbers and this was the completion of the fifth day. Genesis 1:22-23 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth” And there was evening, and there was morning – the fifth day. (NIV) Just think, every time you see a blue jay, cardinal, canary, owl, or even a Robin, it is a reflection of the mind that our Creator has.

 

 

                God had more living creatures in mind, so on the next day, He made creatures that would live and move about the ground. These creatures included grasshoppers, turtles, sheep, tigers, giraffes and even zebras just to name a few. There were so many creatures that we can’t name them all, but God was pleased with them all. Genesis 1:24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground and wild animals.” And it was so. (NIV) 

 

 

          The animals did not have a thirst for blood or a desire to feed on each other. The plants that were in the garden were to be used as food for even the lions. Genesis 1:30 “And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. (NIV)

            Everything that God made was perfect and aligned itself to God’s divine order. The lions reproduced with lions, the birds with birds, the turtles with turtles and the list goes one. Nothing was crossbred, but all the living creatures followed suit just as God had spoken that it. God had one more creation in mind and that was to make mankind in His image. Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the ground. (NIV)

 

Join us tomorrow as we conclude this 1st lesson on Who it God? Jehovah Elohim...Our Creator.

 

Who Is God? Jehovah Elohim (Day 3) The Creation of the Universe

The Creation of the Universe

               God had finished creating His beautiful angelic host. You can probably imagine God taking a look at what He had done and was wonderfully pleased at the final results of His creation – intelligent and powerful beings that were not equal to Him, but were magnificent at the level that He made them. Nonetheless, His work did not stop there. God had a vision far beyond the view of Heaven. He desired to create an entire universe full of beauty and life unmatched to anything one could have possibly imagined. Colossians 1:16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. (NIV) God started out with nothing but empty space and made it into being. Genesis 1:1-2 ⁽¹⁾In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ⁽²⁾Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (NIV)

               There was no shape to the earth. There was no model to go by. God took a plain canvas, in a sense, and made it into the earth. The earth was God’s original design because He is the Creator of all things. Because God is Light, He wanted the earth to experience a part of who He is. There was only the existence of darkness, so God had to speak light into existence and it was so. Genesis 1:3-5 ⁽³⁾And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁽⁴⁾God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁽⁵⁾God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day. (NIV) Now, there was a distinction between the darkness and light, which ended the first day of God’s work.  

               God took His creation a step further and created a wonderful sky. The earth needed a covering to enjoy the light that He had created. Therefore, the sky is like the earth’s blanket. It acts as a shield for the rest of creation to behold. Genesis 1:6-8 ⁽⁶⁾And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” ⁽⁷⁾So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.  ⁽⁸⁾God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening and there was morning – the second day. (NIV) The second day had just been completed as the earth was coming together as God had planned.

               There was more work that God wanted to do. Therefore, He arranged for water to be in certain places of the earth as well as the appearance of dry ground. He knew that it would be important to separate the two so that His later creations would be able to thrive in their separate environments. Genesis 1:9-10 ⁽⁹⁾And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. ⁽¹⁰⁾God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas” And God saw that it was good. (NIV) God even gave names to the water by calling it “sea,” and the dry ground He called “land.”

               With there now being a separation of land and sea, God was ready to create more things. Therefore, He created plants and trees with fruit that would have seeds to reproduce themselves. If you notice, you do not see apple trees bearing oranges, or pear trees producing peaches. Everything still follows the rules of God as long as man doesn’t tamper with it. Genesis 1:11-13 ⁽¹¹⁾Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and the trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. ⁽¹²⁾The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ⁽¹³⁾And there was evening, and there  was morning – the third day. (NIV) This was the completion of the third day.

               Now, many of us learned in school that plants need sunlight in order to live. God knew that His creation would be incomplete without the sun, but not only the plants, man would need this fiery ball of gas as well. Therefore, God made two separate types of light. He made one for the day, which was the greater light, and then one for the night, which would give a lesser light. Genesis 1:14-15 ⁽¹⁴⁾And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, ⁽¹⁵⁾and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth” And it was so. (NIV) The word “season” in the Greek is “Kairos” which means, “opportunity or fitting-time.” You may ask, “Why is that important to know?” Well, God also uses the sun and the moon as signs to deliver messages to His people. Joel 2:30-31 ⁽³⁰⁾I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. ⁽³¹⁾The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. (NIV)

               The stars were also used as a sign for the Magi to follow, after the birth of Jesus, as a guide to lead them to Bethlehem. Matthew 2:1-2 ⁽¹⁾After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ⁽²⁾and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” Isn’t it wonderful how God uses His creation to speak to His creation to deliver messages that He wants them to know? God is so wonderful that even His creation speaks upon His command. The creation of the greater and lesser lights marked the end of the fourth day.

 Join us tomorrow as we continue our study into Jehovah Elohim...our Creator.

Who Is God? Jehovah Elohim (Day 2) The Creation of the Angels

The Creation of the Angels

               Before God created the earth, sun, moon, stars and even humans, He created His angelic host. There is no way to know the exact timing that He did this, such as in a calculation of days, weeks and/or years because the Bible doesn’t give us this information and God exists outside of man’s time. However, we do know that they were the first intelligent beings to be created and God took great pleasure in all of His creation.

               God desired to have a wonderful creation to love and appreciate Him. He wanted to be in relationship with other beings; for He could have just existed by Himself being one of the Godhead. Nevertheless, God desired more and therefore, His work began with the creation of His angelic host. These heavenly beings were not equal to God, but He created them with wisdom, intelligence, and beauty for they would be His personal helpers to assist with the needs of mankind who had not yet been created. 2 Samuel 14:20 Your servant Joab did this to change the present situation. My lord has wisdom like that of an angel of God – he knows everything that happens in the land. (NIV) The angels' work would be of great importance as they served their Creator, the God of the Universe.

               There was a difference between the angels and mankind. The angels were created to be spirits. They did not have bodies as humans even though they were able to take the shape of one, but they did possess freewill to choose who they wanted to serve. Hebrews 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? (NIV) The angels were made with mighty power and had the pureness of God’s righteousness upon them for sin cannot exists in the presence of God. Matthew 28:2-4 ⁽²⁾There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ⁽³⁾His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁽⁴⁾The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. (NIV)

               God loved all of His creation, but He took great care into making one particular angel and that was Lucifer. The Bible goes into more details concerning Lucifer’s role in Heaven and His appearance than any of the other angels. This could be for a couple of reasons. Due to his rebellion, God may have just wanted us to know the depths from which he had fallen and/or God could have been letting us know that he was a unique angel in comparison to the others. Either way, Lucifer was special in the eyes of God. Ezekiel 28:12-17 ⁽¹²⁾“…You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. ⁽¹³⁾You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. ⁽¹⁴⁾You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. ⁽¹⁵⁾You were blameless in you ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. ⁽¹⁷⁾Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth…(NIV)

               One can only imagine the great disappointment that God experienced when the loveliest of His creatures turned against Him. God had taken great time to uniquely craft Lucifer with extraordinary beauty, talents, and precious jewels. Nevertheless, God did not allow this act of betrayal to keep Him from creating the human race. God still wanted a race of people to love and to have it reciprocated back to Him. But first, God had to create the universe.

 

Join us tomorrow where we will study further in Who God Is.

 

Who is God? Jehovah Elohiim (Day 1)

          Many people grew up hearing the name, “GOD,” and have associated it with various ideologies. If asked: “Who is God?” you would receive many different answers; most of which, may be contributed to a person’s upbringing. Some people believe that He is the Creator of all things as written in the Bible. Others believe that He is an intelligent being that is subjective to the perception of the individual. There are some who have the belief that God is neither male nor female, but is a state of mind. And others refuse to believe in any type of higher intelligent being who controls the universe, but would rather think of themselves as gods who control their own destiny. Regardless of what perception people have of God, there is one true way to understand who He is and why He is. That is none other than through the Word of God.

               In this lesson series, we are going to search the scriptures in order to understand who God is and why it is relevant for us to know about Him and His character. In order to understand God, we are going to break down His various names and the significance of their meaning to us as we grow in the knowledge and wisdom of Who God Is.

Jehovah Elohim

               Genesis, the first book of the Bible, tells the beautiful and powerful story of creation. It outlines step-by-step what God did and how this world came to be. It gives us a picture of what started out as a plain canvas, with there being absolutely nothing in space, until God spoke it into existence. Then, we learn of His pleasure at its completion, upon the seventh day of the week, where He finally took a rest.  However, when we oftentimes think of creation, we tend to just have a tunneled vision of God creating only the heavens and the earth, and an ending upon Jesus return, where the devil finally gets his reward. Although, those events did and will take place, prior to God making the world, He created perfect and wonderful angelic beings.

 

               The book of Job lets us know that before the universe came into existence, God created the angels who would be the ministering spirits to its inhabitants and the angelic host sang as He laid the earth’s foundation. Job 38:4-7 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone – while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” (NIV) The angels were created prior to the earth ever existing.  God took great care and love to form and create them as He did with all His creation after them. We find evidence of this with how He designed Lucifer with a uniqueness like no other heavenly being in the Word of God.

Join us tomorrow as we dig further into the lesson series...Who Is God?

Revelaton's Epilogue: The Invitation and Warning

Epilogue: Invitation and Warning

Revelation 22:12-15 ⁽¹²⁾ “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. ⁽¹³⁾I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. ⁽¹⁴⁾ “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. ⁽¹⁵⁾Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (NIV)

            Jesus is coming soon! There will be no second chances to get it right. He is coming to give everyone the reward that they have rightly earned. This is why it is important to make sure that our lives are right before the King arrives. Proverbs 11:30-31 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives. If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner! (NIV) He is the beginning and the end of all things. There was no one before Him and there will be no one after Him. All who obey God’s commands and have been washed in the blood of the Lamb will live with God forever and eat from the tree of life. However, those who choose to be wicked and live outside of the will of God will not make it into the kingdom and will have their eternity spent in hell. 1 Corinthians 9:9-11 ⁽⁹⁾Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men ⁽¹⁰⁾nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ⁽¹¹⁾And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (NIV) 

Revelation 22:16-21 ⁽¹⁶⁾ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” ⁽¹⁷⁾The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of the water of life. ⁽¹⁸⁾I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. ⁽¹⁹⁾And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. ⁽²⁰⁾He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. ⁽²¹⁾The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. (NIV)

          God had given this prophetic message to Jesus, and Jesus gave it to the angel; the angel give it to John, and John gave it to the churches. God wanted His church to be prepared for the events that would take place during the last days, but also to give us hope as to the things we could look forward to after the time of testing pass. He sent His son, Jesus, to die for us, so that we can have the strength to defeat the enemy because He did it first. Jesus was born through the line of David and is the Bright and Morning Star. John 7:42 Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David’s family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived. (NIV)

          The living water is offered to everyone who is thirsty and desire to drink as a free gift. John 4:13-14 ⁽¹³⁾Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ⁽¹⁴⁾but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (NIV) With earthly water, we will be thirsty again, but with the water of life that only comes from Jesus, we will never thirst.

            The prophecy, which was written by John, is one of great significance for the last days. God gave a warning to anyone who would try to add or take away from it.

This book was not to be altered in order to diminish or embellish it. One must be careful of false teachers who would downplay the urgency of this prophetic word. The book of Revelation is meant for everyone to know, read and understand its contents. It is a book to be respected and not feared. It is a book of warning and a book of enlightenment. It rebukes, corrects, informs and encourages. May God bless you as you have finished learning one of the most important books in the Bible. Please take what you have learned and carefully apply it in your life, so that you will be ready for Jesus’ soon return.

Thank you for studying with us in the book of Revelation. Join us on Monday for our next Blog.

 

 

 

Eden Restored and John with the Angel

Eden Restored

Revelation 22:1-5 ⁽¹⁾Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ⁽²⁾down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. ⁽³⁾No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. ⁽⁴⁾They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁽⁵)There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. (NIV)

 

            John was shown the river of life that flowed from the throne of God and the Lamb. It was clear as crystal. There was not impurities in the water that would produce a cloudiness as in some of the water that we see today. It was clear and ran down the middle of the Holy City. Jesus promised that if we were to believe in Him, water would flow through us as well. He is the living water where we can drink freely from now and forever more. A water where we will never be thirsty again. John 7:38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. (NIV)

            On each side of the river was the Tree of Life. It had 12 kinds of fruit on it and the leaves were good for healing. Every month, it produced new fruit. In the garden of Eden, there was the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, but in this garden, there will no longer be a need for anything that is evil to bring about death. Genesis 2:17 But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die. (NIV) Only life is offered and will be given. Where one tree tested man’s obedience to God, another tree will reward those who remained faithful to Him.

The Tree of Life is not like other trees where they only produce one type of fruit. There are 12 different kinds of fruit on that one tree, which can be eaten unlike in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 1:11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. (NIV) The leaves are good for the healing of the nation because there will be no more sickness, death, misery or pain. God will wipe all tears from our eyes. Ezekiel 47:12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing. (NIV)

No longer will we be under a curse. We will be able to see God face to face and have His name on our foreheads. Galatians 3:13-14 ⁽¹³⁾Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” ⁽¹⁴⁾He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.  (NIV) No curse that we were under while on earth will exist in the new heaven and earth because Jesus paid the price for our sins so that we may have eternal life.

 

          There will be no more need for sleep because the sun and moon will not exist. Jesus is the only light that we will ever need and His light will last forever and ever. Isaiah 60:19-21 ⁽¹⁹⁾The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. ⁽²⁰⁾Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end. ⁽²¹⁾Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever. (NIV) What a glorious day it will be when we will forever be able to be with our Lord and Savior.

John and the Angel

Revelation 22:6-11 ⁽⁶⁾The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.” ⁽⁷⁾ “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.” ⁽⁸⁾I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. ⁽⁹⁾But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!” ⁽¹⁰⁾Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. ⁽¹¹⁾Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.” (NIV)

            The angel let John know that the words that were written in this prophecy was true. Whatever comes out of the mouth of God will come to pass as He has spoken. Isaiah 55:10-11 ⁽¹⁰⁾As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, ⁽¹¹⁾so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (NIV) God stands by His word because He can only swear by Himself since there is no one greater than He.

          All scripture that is given comes from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God did not want His children to be clueless as to the things that would take place in the last days, so He gave the prophetic word to John in order for him to give it to the Body of Christ. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ⁽¹⁶⁾All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ⁽¹⁷⁾so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (NIV) Jesus let John know that His coming is soon and there was a blessing for those who kept the words of this prophecy. We are not only to be hearers, but doers of the word of God. James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (NIV)

          John fell down to the feet of the angel to worship him, but the angel rebuked John by letting him know that only God is to be worshipped. No one else deserves our worship but the Almighty God. Nehemiah 9:6 You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. (NIV) God is a jealous God. He alone is to be worshipped. All of Heaven know their place when it comes to the Lord and even the angels are subservient to His will.

 

            John was not to seal up the words of the prophecy unlike Daniel. Daniel 12:4 But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge. (NIV) The time of the prophecy given to John was for the times that we now live in. Therefore, God wanted it to be revealed to all who read it. If there was ever a time to understand this prophetic book, it is now. The words of this book are coming to life in real time and we as the Body of Christ must be prepared for what is and what is to come. Those who have decided to follow Jesus must continue to do so, and those who have made a choice for Satan, the time of Salvation is short where no one will be able to switch sides. Hebrews 3:15 As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion." (NIV)
 

Join us tomorrow for our final day in the book of Revelation.