THE PART OF THE VISION WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND

April 24, 2011
WINNIPEG EASTER RALLY
NIGHT 3
MF Blume

Revelation 1:10-20 KJV I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, (11) Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. (12) And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; (13) And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. (14) His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; (15) And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. (16) And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. (17) And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: (18) I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (19) Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; (20) The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

There are several elements of this vision that John saw that each represent a spiritual truth.

His face shines like the sun.
A sword comes from His mouth.
He has keys of death and hell in his right hand.
He walks amongst seven golden candlesticks.
Etc.

But of all the elements of the vision John saw, ONLY TWO are interpreted for us.

The seven candlesticks and the seven stars.
And of all the elements of the vision, when these are interpreted for us we find that THE ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE CHURCH.
US.
YOU AND I.
None of the other elements really have to do with us so much as these two.

He said the seven candlesticks are seven churches.

The seven stars are the MESSENGERS of the seven churches.

God has been showing us that we have learned so much about Jesus.

But we have not heard much preaching and teaching through the years about WHO WE ARE IN HIM.
In these days GOD is opening up just that revelation.
WHO WE ARE.

John is seeing the POST-RESURRECTED Jesus.

The last time John saw Jesus Christ’s face shining like the sun was in Matthew 17 when he, Peter and James fell down in fright.

Jesus came over to them and said:

Matthew 17:6-7 KJV And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. (7) And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.

He does the same thing with John.

Revelation 1:17-18 KJV And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: (18) I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Notice that after John fell in fright, like a dead man… unconscious?... who knows.

Jesus says to NOT FEAR.
Jesus died and is alive for evermore.

Notice how he said that.

He speaks of three stages of Himself.
IS ALIVE.
WAS DEAD
ALIVE FOREVERMORE.
Present – past – and future.

And notice what he says next.

(19) Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

Write of the PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE.

Notice the connections.

John falls LIKE A DEAD MAN.
Jesus tells him to not fear BECAUSE JESUS IS ALIVE, DIED AND LIVES FOREVERMORE.
There is a connection to John acting DEAD in fear and Jesus saying John need not fear because JESUS WAS DEAD AND IS ALIVE FOREVERMORE.

But we see another connection.

After speaking of His PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE power – three times emphasizing HIS POWER OVER DEATH….
Jesus tells John to write of the PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE to the seven churches.

And He explains to John that the seven ministers of those seven churches he is going to write to are THE SEVEN STARS THAT ARE IN HIS RIGHT HAND.

And He also explains that the seven candlesticks Jesus stood in the middle of are THE SEVEN CHURCHES he is going to write to.

Jesus did not speak about the church in Gilbert Park that day, but He is no respecter of persons.

And our church is as much a candlestick in which Jesus stands in the midst as much as they were.
And the ministry here is as much a star in His hand as those seven were.
And there is one thing God is wanting us to realize…
We have to SEE OURSELVES as the CHURCH AND MINISTRY when we SEE JESUS!

We catch a vision of Jesus and get all excited that we saw Jesus.

But we need to see US with JESUS.
And it was such a mystery that Jesus did not bother to tell John what his face shining like the sun meant, or his feet like brass burning in a furnace.
But he took the time to talk about the churches and the ministers.

God is giving us a revelation of JESUS WITH US INVOLVED WITH HIM.

And John was to GIVE WORDS FROM JESUS to these churches and ministers.

God gave us a prophecy this morning in service before service even actually started.

The seven stars were in Jesus’ RIGHT HAND.
And it was specifically HIS RIGHT HAND that reached out and touched John when fear overcame him.
And He told him to not fear because HE WAS DEAD AND IS ALIVE FOREVERMORE.

Revelation 1:16-17 KJV And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. (17) And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

His right hand comes on JOHN, and he tells JOHN to not fear since He died and is now alive, and TO WRITE.

That is why we read the seven stars were in his right and a sword came from his mouth and THEN He touched JOHN WITH THAT HAND and SPOKE TO JOHN WITH THAT MOUTH.

The SWORD is the WORD OF GOD!

From the mouth of Jesus from which a sword came also came a WORD to those churches whose pastors were like stars in his right hand.

And this present, past and future connection with Jesus gives a message underneath everything here.

He was dead, is alive and lives forevermore, and there is WORD to churches about the things John saw, sees and will occur in the future.

We do not have to fear because He who lives, was dead and is now alive forevermore has words about past, present and future for us.

Many terrible things were going to occur.
But Jesus is amongst us and has ministers in his hand!

And I like how he associated his death and resurrection with thinking of past, present and future, and have a feeling that is implied underneath all of this to show us our deaths and resurrections with Him.

We learned so much of Jesus, but the mysterious part has always been “WHO WE ARE” IN ASSOCIATION WITH HIM.

John saw THE RISEN LORD in a vision.

It was not a vision that shows what Jesus actually looks like now, for it is packed with symbolism and biblical imagery.
A sword literally does not come from His mouth.
That only means HIS WORD is sharper than any twoedged sword.

But it shows IN HIS GLORIOUS RESURRECTION STATE, WE ARE RIGHT THERE WITH HIM.

He stands amongst us like amongst candlesticks.
And OUR MINISTRY IS IN HIS HAND!

The prophecy given in church this morning also said this.

As His RIGHT hand had the seven stars who are the MINISTERS of the word, HIS OTHER HAND HAD THE KEYS OF DEATH AND HELL.
Sheep go to his right and goats to his left in Matthew 25.
The sheep are those who enter the KINGDOM and the goats are those who did not obey His words and are lost for hell and death.
So it is HIS RIGHT HAND with which he touches John.
And as the keys were death and hell in his left hand, the ultimate opposite of that was noted in the words he spoke to John when touching with his right hand – I WAS DEAD AND AM ALIVE FOREVERMORE.
Eternal life on one hand, literally, and death and hell in the other.