Revelation
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.
There is a large problem facing God's people. It is a lack of revelation. It isn't a lack of information. It isn't a lack of desire to obey God. It is a lack of revelation...connecting truth to a discernible plan of action:
Revelation 1:1-3 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
Revelation that inspires heart-change...wholehearted forward movement of God's people...is connecting truth to action. The Revelation of Jesus Christ is the most concentrated action plan for connecting my actions to the truth of who Jesus is. BUT, I have to "keep it" if I want it to actually work. I can read the prophecy all day long, but if I have no intention of "keeping it" then I have no revelation...I WILL cast off restraint.
I have gotten the privilege of teaching Revelation a little bit. My observation from spending a little time in simply attempting the process of reading and keeping the prophecy is that by and large, many who have taken the time to hear the whole prophecy not only desire to keep it, they are willing to keep it at cost. A person loyal to Jesus, when shown the action plan intended to reveal Jesus to the world, will enter into that action plan quickly most often despite the cost, because simply agreeing with the One they love is WORTH it.
Jesus IS worthy. Many believe that truth, but have little revelation on how to practically live it out. If you think living out the worth of Jesus is mostly about not breaking commandments, then you have little revelation. If you think it is about being ready to die or get raptured, then you have no revelation. You will live without restraint...mostly unfocused and without intention to agree with the very specific action plan Jesus has designed to make you pure and spotless.
It is one thing to cry out "Jesus you are worthy" at a time when there isn't much immediate cost, and quite another to honestly face tribulation...to see within your own heart that you are willing to live out His worth with endurance despite the promise of great trouble. Putting aside the fairy tale of "the good life" now and eyes-wide-open saying yes to Revelation changes you...on purpose. It brings a focus...a restraint to your life that is God-designed to redirect and fulfill you by filling you with confidence in endurance. Revelation "steels" you in great confidence when you understand it, accept the true intensity of it, and then willingly say "yes" to it.
There is nothing like signing up for living out...called by John "keeping"...the prophecy once you understand it. It will change your whole life. This is probably the most powerful Biblical experience next to that initial moment of salvation. There are three types of people that receive salvation: 1. those who gladly hear but are not rooted with any revelation...they cast off restraint...they will perish. 2. Those who ignore revelation, and instead pursue life without God despite revelation...they believe they can have life on their terms and are quite wrong And 3. Those who patiently endure because they heard the word with a noble (recognizing their family position...kingdom minded) and good (agreeing with God, who is the only one who is good) heart. This is what it means to be rooted:
Luke 8:13-15 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
"Bear fruit with PATIENCE." Patience is required. Jesus prayed I would be "one" with John:
John 17:20-21 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.
This is what John said about the kingdom of God: you don't get the kingdom without tribulation and patience. John heard the prayer of Jesus in John 17 and agreed with it. John considers himself my brother in these three things:
Revelation 1:9 I, John, both your brother and companion in the TRIBULATION and KINGDOM and PATIENCE of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
The kingdom is costly! This is why the Revelation of Jesus Christ was given...the unfolding of it is SUPPOSED to be costly, like on purpose. Anyone who tells you Jesus wants to protect you from the Revelation of who He is doesn't understand the book, or the intention of Jesus to get a bride who participates in bringing it about!
Right now MANY in the body of Christ quickly talk about the "end-time" generation, the end-time army, the end-time revival...but they only want half of the Revelation. You can't cherry pick what appears "good" to you out of the truth. It is ALL good, because it is all God's plan.
It is not only dishonest to strip the promises out of these days and ignore the patient endurance...it is incredibly unhelpful. It won't bear fruit. Patiently enduring the release of the plan in agreement with Jesus...not just watching it unfold, but "keeping it"...is what will manifest heaven on earth. When the spouse agrees with the groom about His intense action plan instead of hoping she will be spared it, she becomes ONE with Jesus!
For this reason, this is the worst time in human history to cast off restraint, but Paul promised Timothy that is exactly what will happen. Paul was talking about the Church casting off restraint:
II Timothy 3:1-5 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
The warnings in the Bible...all of them...are for believers. Unbelievers don't read the Bible. Believers are the warning to unbelievers. The Bible contains the warnings for God's people, but many of God's people read the warnings in the Bible and assume they must be about unbelievers. The enemy is super tricky. Revelation...knowing it and keeping it...is the safety valve. It changes the way you see the warnings and the promises. Ignoring the warnings is warned about time and time again!
Don't settle for the promises without the full Revelation. This is a satanic setup designed to destroy. You are supposed to know and remain in...rest in... the truth of God's judgments and have confidence that His leadership is good, even if you know it is costly:
Isaiah 30:8-15 Now go and write down these words. Write them in a book. They will stand until the end of time as a witness that these people are stubborn rebels who refuse to pay attention to the lord ’s instructions. They tell the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” They tell the prophets, “Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies. Forget all this gloom. Get off your narrow path. Stop telling us about your ‘Holy One of Israel.’” This is the reply of the Holy One of Israel: “Because you despise what I tell you and trust instead in oppression and lies, calamity will come upon you suddenly— like a bulging wall that bursts and falls. In an instant it will collapse and come crashing down. You will be smashed like a piece of pottery— shattered so completely that there won’t be a piece big enough to carry coals from a fireplace or a little water from the well.” This is what the Sovereign lord , the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.
Amos 9:10 But all the sinners will die by the sword— all those who say, ‘Nothing bad will happen to us.’
Jeremiah 23:16-20 This is what the lord of Heaven’s Armies says to his people: “Do not listen to these prophets when they prophesy to you, filling you with futile hopes. They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for the lord ! They keep saying to those who despise my word, ‘Don’t worry! The lord says you will have peace!’ And to those who stubbornly follow their own desires, they say, ‘No harm will come your way!’ “Have any of these prophets been in the lord's presence to hear what he is really saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen? Look! The lord's anger bursts out like a storm, a whirlwind that swirls down on the heads of the wicked. The anger of the lord will not diminish until it has finished all he has planned. In the days to come you will understand all this very clearly.
Now is the time to "put on" Revelation. This is what will focus God's people to actually build cities in agreement with God, not just based on the amazing promises...but also the warnings. Where the people read and keep the prophecy, that is where the blessing is. The time is at hand:
Revelation 1:3 God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.
There is a large problem facing God's people. It is a lack of revelation. It isn't a lack of information. It isn't a lack of desire to obey God. It is a lack of revelation...connecting truth to a discernible plan of action:
Revelation 1:1-3 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
Revelation that inspires heart-change...wholehearted forward movement of God's people...is connecting truth to action. The Revelation of Jesus Christ is the most concentrated action plan for connecting my actions to the truth of who Jesus is. BUT, I have to "keep it" if I want it to actually work. I can read the prophecy all day long, but if I have no intention of "keeping it" then I have no revelation...I WILL cast off restraint.
I have gotten the privilege of teaching Revelation a little bit. My observation from spending a little time in simply attempting the process of reading and keeping the prophecy is that by and large, many who have taken the time to hear the whole prophecy not only desire to keep it, they are willing to keep it at cost. A person loyal to Jesus, when shown the action plan intended to reveal Jesus to the world, will enter into that action plan quickly most often despite the cost, because simply agreeing with the One they love is WORTH it.
Jesus IS worthy. Many believe that truth, but have little revelation on how to practically live it out. If you think living out the worth of Jesus is mostly about not breaking commandments, then you have little revelation. If you think it is about being ready to die or get raptured, then you have no revelation. You will live without restraint...mostly unfocused and without intention to agree with the very specific action plan Jesus has designed to make you pure and spotless.
It is one thing to cry out "Jesus you are worthy" at a time when there isn't much immediate cost, and quite another to honestly face tribulation...to see within your own heart that you are willing to live out His worth with endurance despite the promise of great trouble. Putting aside the fairy tale of "the good life" now and eyes-wide-open saying yes to Revelation changes you...on purpose. It brings a focus...a restraint to your life that is God-designed to redirect and fulfill you by filling you with confidence in endurance. Revelation "steels" you in great confidence when you understand it, accept the true intensity of it, and then willingly say "yes" to it.
There is nothing like signing up for living out...called by John "keeping"...the prophecy once you understand it. It will change your whole life. This is probably the most powerful Biblical experience next to that initial moment of salvation. There are three types of people that receive salvation: 1. those who gladly hear but are not rooted with any revelation...they cast off restraint...they will perish. 2. Those who ignore revelation, and instead pursue life without God despite revelation...they believe they can have life on their terms and are quite wrong And 3. Those who patiently endure because they heard the word with a noble (recognizing their family position...kingdom minded) and good (agreeing with God, who is the only one who is good) heart. This is what it means to be rooted:
Luke 8:13-15 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
"Bear fruit with PATIENCE." Patience is required. Jesus prayed I would be "one" with John:
John 17:20-21 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.
This is what John said about the kingdom of God: you don't get the kingdom without tribulation and patience. John heard the prayer of Jesus in John 17 and agreed with it. John considers himself my brother in these three things:
Revelation 1:9 I, John, both your brother and companion in the TRIBULATION and KINGDOM and PATIENCE of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
The kingdom is costly! This is why the Revelation of Jesus Christ was given...the unfolding of it is SUPPOSED to be costly, like on purpose. Anyone who tells you Jesus wants to protect you from the Revelation of who He is doesn't understand the book, or the intention of Jesus to get a bride who participates in bringing it about!
Right now MANY in the body of Christ quickly talk about the "end-time" generation, the end-time army, the end-time revival...but they only want half of the Revelation. You can't cherry pick what appears "good" to you out of the truth. It is ALL good, because it is all God's plan.
It is not only dishonest to strip the promises out of these days and ignore the patient endurance...it is incredibly unhelpful. It won't bear fruit. Patiently enduring the release of the plan in agreement with Jesus...not just watching it unfold, but "keeping it"...is what will manifest heaven on earth. When the spouse agrees with the groom about His intense action plan instead of hoping she will be spared it, she becomes ONE with Jesus!
For this reason, this is the worst time in human history to cast off restraint, but Paul promised Timothy that is exactly what will happen. Paul was talking about the Church casting off restraint:
II Timothy 3:1-5 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
The warnings in the Bible...all of them...are for believers. Unbelievers don't read the Bible. Believers are the warning to unbelievers. The Bible contains the warnings for God's people, but many of God's people read the warnings in the Bible and assume they must be about unbelievers. The enemy is super tricky. Revelation...knowing it and keeping it...is the safety valve. It changes the way you see the warnings and the promises. Ignoring the warnings is warned about time and time again!
Don't settle for the promises without the full Revelation. This is a satanic setup designed to destroy. You are supposed to know and remain in...rest in... the truth of God's judgments and have confidence that His leadership is good, even if you know it is costly:
Isaiah 30:8-15 Now go and write down these words. Write them in a book. They will stand until the end of time as a witness that these people are stubborn rebels who refuse to pay attention to the lord ’s instructions. They tell the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” They tell the prophets, “Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies. Forget all this gloom. Get off your narrow path. Stop telling us about your ‘Holy One of Israel.’” This is the reply of the Holy One of Israel: “Because you despise what I tell you and trust instead in oppression and lies, calamity will come upon you suddenly— like a bulging wall that bursts and falls. In an instant it will collapse and come crashing down. You will be smashed like a piece of pottery— shattered so completely that there won’t be a piece big enough to carry coals from a fireplace or a little water from the well.” This is what the Sovereign lord , the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.
Amos 9:10 But all the sinners will die by the sword— all those who say, ‘Nothing bad will happen to us.’
Jeremiah 23:16-20 This is what the lord of Heaven’s Armies says to his people: “Do not listen to these prophets when they prophesy to you, filling you with futile hopes. They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for the lord ! They keep saying to those who despise my word, ‘Don’t worry! The lord says you will have peace!’ And to those who stubbornly follow their own desires, they say, ‘No harm will come your way!’ “Have any of these prophets been in the lord's presence to hear what he is really saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen? Look! The lord's anger bursts out like a storm, a whirlwind that swirls down on the heads of the wicked. The anger of the lord will not diminish until it has finished all he has planned. In the days to come you will understand all this very clearly.
Now is the time to "put on" Revelation. This is what will focus God's people to actually build cities in agreement with God, not just based on the amazing promises...but also the warnings. Where the people read and keep the prophecy, that is where the blessing is. The time is at hand:
Revelation 1:3 God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.
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