By the time the last book of the Bible was written, the book of Revelation, the church was under severe persecution.

• As mentioned this morning, the church was something that, if you belonged to it and dedicated your life to Jesus Christ, might mean your death or at least heavy trouble.
• John was on the isle of Patmos, and slaved away in a marble mine due to the fact that he was Christian.
• There to spend the rest of his life.
• Suddenly one day, after working all day and walking into his cave for the night, he heard a voice speak to him.
• He turned around to see and the walls of that cave disappeared and he saw a huge menorah, -- seven golden candlesticks branched together, blazing with light.
• Jesus was there standing in the middle of it.
• His hair was not the normal dark colour of a Hebrew man's hair, but white as snow.
• His eyes were like flaming fires.
• He wore a golden cloth over his chest and His legs looked like glistening, burning brass pillars.
• And the voice said WRITE WHAT YOU SEE.

• He began writing as God dictated a letter to each of the seven churches nearest to the island of Patmos -- churches John once pastored that were placed so perfectly that which in turn would take the letters and send them to all the other churches of God.
• Then the walls of the cave changed again, and he began soaring upward as the walls looked like clouds shooting from above to below him, and he seen a door open and he was seeing heaven.
• A throne appeared, and flashes of lightning and claps of thunder came from the throne.
• A booming Voice came from it that was to loud to comprehend.
• One sat on the throne holding a book and a majestic angel shouted "WHO IS WORTHY TO TAKE THE BOOK AND OPEN IT?"
• It was so real and John was right in the middle of this scene, that he began crying uncontrollably because nobody could take the book.

• Then he turned and saw a Lamb appear with seven eyes and seven horns.
• The lamb went to the throne and took a book and suddenly a choir larger than anything imagined on earth began singing.
• Then 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of thousands of angels began shouting.
• What a loud volume of worship and praise.
• I am sure John wondered if half the planet could hear what he was (hearing.)

• And suddenly John's voice became so booming loud that when he praised God he said the entire earthly creatures, and the creatures under the earth and in the heaven and in the sea heard him say, "Blessing and glory and honour and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the lamb forever."
• Imagine shouting that loud and hearing your voice boom throughout all the universe!

• Suddenly he saw the book open and a CHERUBIMIC LION roars for him like thunder to come and see the book,
• And suddenly a white horse and rider run past him.
• Then A beast like an OX boomed and a red horse flies past him with a rider who holds a sword.
• A MANLIKE beast calls, and a black horse races past him that way with balances in the riders hand.
• And an EAGLE-LIKE beast cries and a pale horse with hell following after.

• A voice told them to wait, the Lord shall avenge them.
• The cave' walls changed again and it was as if he looked up into the sky.
• The sun turned black and the moon to blood.
• And the entire world that worked against the christians and the Lord Jesus Christ, rich man and poor man, cry out in fear to hide from the face of God and the wrath of the Lamb.

• You see, Revelation 1 opens up by saying...
• Reve 1:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
• Imagine the saints of God in Ephesus and Thyatyra who read these words from their pastor who was taken away and exiled for a life sentence on the Devil's Island of that day -- the Alcatraz of the first century.
• In the midst of their troubles, losing jobs due to faith in the Lord, suffering abuse from Christ-hating, emperor-worshipping Romans and fellow citizens of their towns, they get this letter.
• They read it and wonder what it means.
• Any pagan persecutor or Roman could not make heads or tails out of it. Should one grab it and look for something solid to imprison the "sick" christians with (sick as far as heathen were concerned), they would think, "Yea, I thought they were crazy."
• So what God did was give John visions of pictures that would make no sense to the pagans.
• But the believers who knew the OLD TESTAMENT, it would make a lot of sense.

Reve 1:1-2 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified [it] by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

The Christian would read about the Lamb redeeming them with his blood, and remember, "Hey! I know what this means."

• God did not make it complicated.
• It was written in a code that anybody who knew the old testament would understand.
• The LAMB redeeming us.
• EXODUS.
• The average Christian would come home from possibly being beaten up at work only to lose his job for not showing up at the union orgy for the goddess venus, worrying if God saw him and his troubles, and think of this letter.
• By the sounds of "a lamb" who was dead and resurrected again, and "redeemed" us with His blood to make angels worship more than ever they worshipped before, cry, he might suddenly cry out, "I KNOW WHO THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE!!!"
• "JESUS."
• "So the message God is telling us is that as Egypt was a nation where a Pharaoh tortured the people of God, whom God saw all along, and delivered them from it by a lamb's blood, and that picture is a perfect parallel with what God is doing for His people."

Exod 13:13 And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.

Exod 13:15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem.

• God redeemed.
• And we read that the following happened to the persecutors of the people God redeemed.

FROM THE SONG OF MOSES.

• What encouragement to the persecuted christian, redeemed by the Lamb!!!
• John said you''ll be blessed if you just READ this and HEAR or UNDERSTAND what it is trying to.
• And it is not hard to understand if you realize that you must simply notice that almost every verse is a picture of an Old Testament story. And that story is hand picked by Jesus and given to John in a vision, in order to perfectly parallel the ENCOURAGEMENT He wants to give to you...."my companions in tribulation for the word of God."
• And when you look over past the seals and the horses and the red moon, you see the very thing that was written in the Song of Moses and the Psalm 78..... INNUMBERABLE PEOPLE standing on a sea of glass before the throne.

Psal 78:43-55 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan: And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink. He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them. He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust. He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost. He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts. He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels [among them]. He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence; And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of [their] strength in the tabernacles of Ham: But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, [even to] this mountain, [which] his right hand had purchased. He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

You see THE SANCTUARY.

Exod 15:17 Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, [in] the place, O LORD, [which] thou hast made for thee to dwell in, [in] the Sanctuary, O Lord, [which] thy hands have established.

Exod 15:2 The LORD [is] my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he [is] my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.

• JEHOVAH IS MY SALVATION.
• Do you realize what that means in GREEK?
• JESUS.
• JESUS means "Jehovah has become my salvation."
• HE IS MY GOD.

• And God used that picture IN THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST.
• You took my Son and crucified Him, ROME.
• They killed Jesus Christ.
• My Church IS THE BODY OF CHRIST.
• My firstborn.
• Hebrews 12:23 calls the church the church of the firstborn.

Exod 4:22-23 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel [is] my son, [even] my firstborn: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, [even] thy firstborn.

REVELATION should bless your soul through your daily trials.

Exod 15:1-17 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. [the horses of revelation's persecution depict the enemies of God that He will thrown down -- ed..] The LORD [is] my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he [is] my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. [He is your strength -- ed.]. The LORD [is] a man of war: the LORD [is] his name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. [call on that NAME and that POWER -- ed.] And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, [which] consumed them as stubble. And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, [and] the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. Who [is] like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who [is] like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful [in] praises, doing wonders? Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people [which] thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided [them] in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. The people shall hear, [and] be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be [as] still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, [which] thou hast purchased. Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, [in] the place, O LORD, [which] thou hast made for thee to dwell in, [in] the Sanctuary, O Lord, [which] thy hands have established.

Reve 7:9-11 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and [about] the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

Reve 7:13-17 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

• And with teary eyes, every persecuted lover of Jesus looked up to heaven after reading these words, and thanked God for the ENCOURAGEMENT from Jesus Christ, Himself!