Revelation Part II

Synopsis Bible study 8/30/17

Delivered by Bishop Walker III, DMin

1. Introduction

• Revelation 12:11 (NKJV) 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
• When dealing with the book of Revelation, you are dealing with two heavenly places.
• Pay attention to where each of the seven churches are located and it will give you a better understanding of the letters.
• Revelation is about a human experience from a heavenly perspective.
• In the letters to the churches of Asia, God offers divine solutions.

1. The Fourth Letter: The Church at Thyatira
2. Thyatira was known for its trade market.
3. It was a small town located north of Ephesus
4. This is the home town of a woman in the bible called Lydia. Lydia is introduced to us in Acts 16:14-15 (NKJV) where it says 14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.
5. The 4 Letter: Revelation 2:19 (NKJV) says 19 “I know your works, love, service, faith,[a] and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first.- The letter to the church of Thyatira starts out as saying they had done some amazing things, as it relates to works, love, service, faith, and patience. God said that this church had incredible character in these areas
   1. What then could be wrong? Revelation 2:20-23 (NKJV) 20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow[a] that woman[b] Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce[c] My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.[d] 22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their[e] deeds. 23 I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works. – The woman mentioned here is Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab. She not only seduced people into sexual immorality, she also called herself a prophetess.
   2. There is one thing we must know about the Spirit of Jezebel. It is not gender specific. There are some men walking around with this same Jezebel Spirit. This spirit uses sexual seduction to manipulate people and gain power.
   3. The revelation of this is letter was this. You can be a church of service, but you have to guard against seducing spirits. The Spirit of Jezebel is a seducing spirit. These spirits are brought in to pull you away from God.
   4. Another thing to know is seducing spirits always have titles. In other words, it is common to find this spirit in someone that you may follow.

• The Fifth Letter: The church of Sardis

1. Sardis was located 55miles north of Ephesus.
2. It was called the dead church. They existed in name only. They looked live on the outside, but they were dead on the inside. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 23:27 (NKJV) when he said 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
3. This Fifth Letter: In Revelation 3:1 (NKJV) it says 3 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. – You can look the part and have all church paraphernalia, but the people inside the church can be dead as a door nail.
   1. Revelation 3:2-5 (NKJV) says 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.[a] 3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. 4 You[b] have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.- God says in this letter to Sardis to be mindful, come alive, an get yourself together.
      1. Having said this, we must remember not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. This simply means, don’t kill or condemn the whole church, because of a few people that refuse to do right.

1. The Sixth Letter: The Church of Philadelphia
2. The Church of Philadelphia was called the faithful church.
3. Revelation 3:7-8 (NKJV) says 7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”:[a] 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it;[b] for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.- God says to the Church of Philadelphia, you are faithful and have done what I asked you to.
   1. God says, since they have done what he asked, he knew he could trust them. As a result, God would lay an open door in front of them. The open door represents the faithful person.
      1. Revelation 3:10-11 (NKJV) 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold,[a] I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.- According to the letter, the church of Philadelphia was going to be granted Immunity from the tribulation, because they were faithful.
   2. Because they were faithful, stuff would come to them. Revelation 3:12 (NKJV) says 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.- God is basically  laboring over us. God chose to put his name on them, because they were faithful.

1. The Seventh Letter: The Church of Laodicea
2. This church is fascinating.
3. This was a wealthy city near the city of Colossae,
4. It was known to be a strategic banking center.
5. It was so wealthy that around 60 AD, an earthquake destroyed them and they were in a position where they were able to refuse money from Rome, because they had enough wealth to rebuild their own city.
6. Its water supply was relevant to the message today. The water that this city used had to travel lots of miles underground before reaching this city. Because of this, it was often foul and warm when it finally reached the city.
7. John 3:14-18 (NKJV) says 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but[a] have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. – Know that he who does not believe is condemned.
8. God says here’s the problem. God says He would rather them be all the way or all the way out. He said the going back and forth, made him sick.
9. Because they are lukewarm, God says, “Remember, if you come to me and stop pretending, I can fix whatever is wrong in your life”.
10. The Seventh Letter: Revelation 3:19-21 (NKJV) says 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. – When God whips the Church of Laodicea, it is because he loves them. God is at the door knocking. If you let him in, he will dine with you.
    1. We spend a couple of hours in church on Sunday and approximately one hour in Bible Study per week, so let’s say most people are spending about 4 hrs per week communing with the Lord. The problem is, this is not enough time to help us deal with all week. God says that we need to let him come in and dine with us.

1. A Vision of Heaven
2. The Throne of God
3. John was invited to see these things in heaven.
4. Revelation 4:2-3 (NKJV) says 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who sat there was[a] like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. – Remember, we said that the use of capitalizations on certain words used in the bible, was representative of divinity. Having said this, pay attention to the grammar and the Capitalization of words in this particular scripture.
   1. John says in the scripture that he was in the Spirit and he saw that One was on the throne. – Again, the capitalizations found in the scriptures represent God’s deity.
   2. John said he was like a jasper and sardis stone. What does this mean? Well think of the most brilliant stone you could think of. With this in mind, think about it. When he looked at God on the throne, it was so brilliant, he couldn’t make out the construct of what he was seeing. It was so brilliant and amazing, John was saying that we can’t even behold that kind of
5. Twenty-four thrones – Revelation 4:4-5 (NKJV) says 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns[a] of gold on their heads. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices.[b] Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the[c] seven Spirits of God.-
   1. Who are these 24 elders? Some scholars argue that they were angels. Let’s take it off the table, because angels don’t have thrones, therefore, they can’t be angels.
      1. Also, angels don’t wear robes.
   2. Who then could these elders be? They are humans who represent something.
      1. You will later hear about 12 gates in the city, but lets go back to the Old Testament when God was putting Israel into order. God allowed them to be 12 tribes of Israel. In the New Testament, he chose 12 disciples. Even the one that hung himself was replaced. The disciples became apostles. The foundation was 12tribes and the manifestation of this were the 12 apostles. Just like this, the Elders are the manifestation of the redeemed Church of God.
      2. Look at how the elders were dressed. They had on white robes and they had golden crowns. Remember we used to sing the song with the phrase, “I’m going to put on my robe, tell the story, of how I made it over”? Also, remember Paul talked about a crown of righteousness being laid up for him.
   3. Lightning, thunder, and voices from the throne – Typically there is lightning, thunder, then rain. So if we look at it, there is lightning, thunder, then water. God’s voice was like the sound of rushing water.
   4. Sea of glass – This represents the progression, before the throne. It was like a reflection. What was on the throne was reflecting off the sea of glass around the throne. The closer you get to God, the more you see him in the glass. Revelation 4:6a-7 (NKJV) says 6 Before the throne there was[a] a sea of glass, like crystal.
   5. 4 living creatures. – Revelation 6b-7 (NKJV) And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.- The word of God is living. That is why it said 4 living creatures. That word was moving around the throne.
      1. Revelation 4:8-9 (NKJV) 8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy,[a] Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” – These 4 creatures had eyes in front of them and behind. They could see what was ahead them and what was behind them.
   6. The four LIVING CREATURES are CHERUBIMS (Refer to Ezekiel 10 :20, 21).
      1. In describing the four living creatures, John says that the first “beast” was like a LION. A LION is the “King of the beasts” and represents majesty. Thus Christ is portrayed in the Gospel of Mathew as “King of Kings”.
      2. The Second living creature is said to be “like a calf”. The word translated “calf” can also be translated as “bullock” or “heifer”. This of course, was an animal frequently used for sacrifice. CHRIST here is portrayed as “Sacrifice” for our sins. Mark in his Gospel presents “CHRIST as the SERVANT who was to be sacrificed.”
      3. The Third living creature “had a face as a man”. The third creature would represent CHRIST as a MAN. The Gospel of Luke presents CHRIST as the Perfect Man. Also, as described in Philippians 2, Christ left His position of Glory with the Father and became a man so that He might die on the cross for our sin.
      4. The fourth living creature was “like a flying EAGLE”. The eagle symbolizes Sovereignty and Supremacy. Thus the living creature represents CHRIST in all his DEITY. The Apostle John in his Gospel presents JESUS CHRIST as the SON OF GOD and shows His relationship with heaven.
         4. These four living creatures do not rest day or night as they protect the throne of GOD in its holiness. In the old testament we read something very much similar to Rev 4. When Israel was camping in the wilderness, there were special precautions taken with the tabernacle which was the habitation of God in their midst. The Tabernacle was always in the center of the camp and was surrounded by 12 tribes.

1. EPHRAIM WEST -> OX FLAG

• DAN NORTH -> EAGLE FLAG

1. REUBEN SOUTH -> MAN FLAG
2. JUDAH EAST -> LION FLAG.
   1. On the east side was Judah which had a banner of a Lion. Ephraim was on the west with a standard of the ox. Reuben was on the South with the standard of a Man and Dan was on the north with a standard of an eagle. The 4 beasties represents the 4 gospels. Eyes represent what has happened and what shall be.
3. They did not rest – the word was moving around the throne. Once the word of God is in your life, seeing where you’ve been and where you are going, it creates a spirt of worship. When the word gives God glory, there is a corresponding action. Revelation 4:10-11 (NKJV) 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 11 “You are worthy, O Lord,[a] To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist[b] and were created.”- The elders fell down before him and cast their crowns. In other words, they were saying this gold crown doesn’t mean nothing right now. They exist and were created to worship!

1. The Unopened book.
2. Revelation 5:1-6 (NKJV) says 5 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. 4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read[a] the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose[b] its seven seals.” 6 And I looked, and behold,[c] in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. – Abraham had Isaac who had Jacob, who married Rachael, but not before marrying tendered eyed, rejected Leah.
3. It was rejected Leah who had sons name Simeon, Reuben, and Levi, trying to get Jacob to love her. When she got tired of bearing children for one that didn’t love her, she had one that she named Judah, which meant “praise”. She had decided that now she would just give God praise.
4. Out of Judah came King David and eventually Jesus.
5. There was a the Lamb – Revelation 5:7-10 (NKJV) 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us[a] kings[b] and priests to our God; And we[c] shall reign on the earth.”- First the elders fell down before the Lamb. When the blood of lambs and bullocks wasn’t enough, God sent his son, the Lamb that had been slain.
6. Why were they worshipping the lamb? The golden bowls of incense contained the prayers of the saints. When your prayers get to heaven, they will trigger something to happen in heaven. They were worshipping the Lamb, because Jesus is worthy to be worshiped. He was worthy to open the scroll. He is worthy, because he was the Lamb that was slain.
7. The bible says, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess. This holds so true that in recent days, even Louis Farrakhan professed that Jesus was his savior.

 

“I thank God for guiding me for 40 years absent my teacher. So my next journey will have to answer the question. I’m gonna say, I know that my redeemer liveth. I know, I’m not guessing, that my Jesus is alive. I know that my redeemer liveth and because he lives I know that I, too, will pass through the portal of death yet death will not afflict me.

So I say to the devil, I know I gotta pay a price for what I’ve been teaching all these years. You can have the money, you can have the clothes, you can have the suit, you can have the house but, me, you can’t have.” ~ Louis Farrakhan