The Fiance

The seven churches in the Book of Revelation reveal the state of Jesus' body going into the real and true events described in the Book of Revelation. This is Jesus' fiance. She is not the pure and spotless Bride yet. No! She's a bit messy. The churches that "look" weak...they are currently in poverty, small, and under tribulation...are in agreement with Jesus (Smyrna and Philadelphia), but the ones that "look" like they have it together, the ones with earthly reputation of being anointed and successful, and powerful...they are barely in the kingdom...for REAL!, one is about to be spit out of Jesus' mouth, another is about to have their lampstand removed, to one He promises to come and fight them (this is a fight you don't want to have!), one is about to be thrown on a sickbed (he's not talking about catching a cold...he is talking about disease and pestilence touching a body of believers), and one will have no idea he is coming and miss the whole thing...these are serious and weighty consequences for some real stains and wrinkles on the Bride-to-Be.


Each Church has something commendable happening within their Body...they are still the Bride to Be, but serious choices must be made if they want to withstand the trouble Jesus is about to release. All of the spots and wrinkles Jesus identifies can be fixed. The cure for these wrinkles and blemishes is the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount and the Book of Revelation are intentionally tied together. They are the two places in the Bible that promise a blessing for teaching and doing the contents of these passages (Matthew 5:19 and Revelation 1:3).


Revelation has an explicit promise of blessing for reading and keeping it, but it is one of the least taught books in the Bible. When it is taught, it is often taught in much confusion, with teachers mixing information from the different eschatological frameworks, adding concepts with no Biblical basis, or making symbolic very clear and intense passages. Most of this bad teaching is aimed at making people feel more comfortable with the contents of the Book, so they will think it has already happened, or doesn't apply to them, since they are saved. Salvation makes all the difference, but Jesus was addressing HIS CHURCH! They are the ones He was correcting so they would be ready!


Jesus really wants HIS people to be sober-minded about the Book. It is why He used such strong warnings for the Bride to Be!! There is a very intense time coming, it is described in the Book of Revelation, and Jesus Bride is supposed to GET READY!


Matthew 24:44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.


The Book of Revelation is very ordered, plain, and straightforward. It means what it says and says what it means. WE make it symbolic, because the events it describes seem too intense to be real. Demon hordes coming out of hell and stinging people is a little much for our minds, so we imagine John didn't have the language to describe something less nasty, like helicopters or other things, to explain away


the intensity. But the truth is, God has all kinds of language available to Himself, and He laid the language and the Book out in a perfectly knowable way, so we would get ready!


The Book of Revelation is the story of the Bride marrying the Groom, Jesus. The Bride and the Groom are living on opposite sides of a veil between the physical and the spiritual realm right now. Revelation describes the veil being progressively removed as the events play out. By the time the trumpet judgments are released, angels and demons will be openly manifesting in the physical realm. People will see both with their natural eyes. Death is what opens the veil. As the Bride dies to herself, the veil will open more and more.


Satan is working overtime right now to condition you to deal with this open-heaven reality in a way that agrees with HIS counter-plan. Many blockbuster movies over the last few years have the exact same theme: large segmented reptilian space invaders coming to get you. Your role in the movie is to rise up, defy the attack, at ridiculous odds of survival, and have victory over these unstoppable creatures with guns and ammo. This is the opposite message of the Bible!! What man is SUPPOSED to do is know God is using the least intense means necessary to reach the greatest number of people at the deepest heart level without violating their free will. Rather than rise up in defiance to demons being released to have their way with those who are loving them, you are supposed to humble yourself, repent and turn to Jesus for divine sealing and protection. He authorizes the enemy and limits him. Nothing can touch those who are living in agreement with God.


The stage is being set for an open-heaven war...and many unwittingly pay good money to go get programmed to defy God....for real. But the truth is, guns, ammo, food, and karate lessons won't save you...what will save you is dying to yourself now instead of waiting until later!


The Sermon on the Mount is the road map to dying to yourself and living on the solid rock of Jesus. Demons may be released, but the authority of Jesus' name won't lose one ounce of power...in fact it is in this time that those who have a history of using Jesus' name like a sword will FLOURISH. Wholehearted all-in (that is key) believers won't make it through this time, they will EXCEL in this time. This is the season of the Bride growing in authority and unity until the world can't tell any difference between Jesus and His spouse:


John 17:20-23 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.


Right now the Bride is supposed to be doing the hard work of dying to her natural desire to resist Jesus' leadership...not getting confident that Jesus doesn't care about being the absolute leader of her life! This is what the Sermon on the Mount tells us to do: cry out with disatisfaction our spiritual poverty, give our money away, give our time away, resist offense, serve others, all in the grace provided...not taking the grace of God in vain. Jesus said greatness was teaching others to go after holiness, not giving comfort for living stagnant and dreaming you will still be great. You can't be spiritually stagnant and be great in Jesus' plan...He is truth...He won't violate truth like that.


Now is the time to press in, bless enemies, help those in need secretly, pray continually, resist offense, contend for casting out demons, healing sick people, multiplying resources....this is the time to come together in one accord! This is how you flourish while the rest of the world gropes for answers...this is how you BECOME their answer!





Daniel 12:1-4 “At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever. “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”