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-Revelation is the history of the church from Pentecost till the end of the world. It draws together the Old and the New Testament.
-The definition of Revelation is, something uncovered or revealed.
-A special message has to have a special vehicle, or a special way of getting around. God’s special vehicle was symbols. God didn’t just start using symbols in Revelation, but He started way back in the beginning already.
-The reason why the Lord chose John to write Revelation was because all the other apostles had already died.
-The angel in Rev. 1:1 is the Holy Spirit.
-v.3. Don’t just get a mental understanding, but do it and keep it.
-v.4. John had the understanding that Jesus was not dead.
The seven spirits in verse four means complete presence everywhere, complete power and complete understanding. He’s able to do everything, go everywhere, and know everything.
- v.9 When you are in trouble you have the whole kingdom of God right there with you.
v.10. Why did he hear the trumpet behind him? To see if He would respond properly.
-When you hear the trumpet, the proper response is to turn that way.
-V.12. The very first thing that John saw was the church.
-Because He’s the Ancient of Days, He’s able to give counsel and advice like no one else, and that never fails.

In the evening we had another wonderful study on Revelation 2-3.

-The Lord can tell you certain things about the church because He lives there, just like you would be able to tell certain things about the location where you live.
-He could tell that they had lost their first love because He had eyes as a flame of fire. He’s concerned to see beneath the surface.
-The problem with the church of Ephesus was that they were teaching the people fornication.
-You can’t backslide if you love the Lord.
-By tradition, John started all these seven congregations.
- All these places were visible from the high places of the isle of Patmos.
Matthew 3:12 the fan is the ministry.
-When people are dealing with the church, they’re dealing with what’s in the midst of the church.
-Jesus didn’t speak to the churches directly Himself; He spoke the message through His angels.
- There are very important messages that you will miss if you don’t receive the message from the seven stars that are in His hand.
-Through the ministry He puts judgment in the church.
-All seven churches still had reliable ministers that were still in His hand.
-Around here things boil to the surface. You cannot fool the church because God is walking in the midst, and has eyes as a flame of fire.

Sis. Margaret Braun

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The book of Revelation reveals three major enemies to the church. The first, the dragon, is found in Revelation chapter 12. In rich symbolic language, we see the early morning church producing converts which the dragon sought to devour as soon as they were born. The New Testament, as well as secular history, bears out that paganism was an antagonistic, persecuting power against primitive Christianity. It is at war with Jesus and His angels (meaning messengers or ministers). Many were martyred in this war against the dragon, but Christianity prevailed.

Revelation 20:1-3 reiterates these same events, as this chapter reveals the history of the gospel day from the time of the early morning church right up to its close at the great white throne Judgment Day.

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

The dragon, not the devil himself, is being bound by an angel here. Paganism was a devilish system of false religion designed by Satan to destroy souls. The apostles preached the gospel with the Word and the Spirit (the key and great chain) to the Gentiles who had long been deceived by this dragon power. The light of the gospel penetrated the pagan darkness and multitudes were delivered from their idols to serve the true and living God. We see a practical example of this in Acts 19 where the makers of the idols saw their craft was in danger and were stirred against God’s ministers. Paganism lost its stronghold over the nations to deceive souls when the gospel came around, hence, it was bound or “shut up.” Truth bound the pagan lies. A thousand years simply represents a long period of time.

In Rev. 20:7-9 we learn of events to take place shortly before the return of Jesus Christ to call this world into final judgment. “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison…” (Verse 7).

Many minds now immediately think of a 1000 year future, literal reign on earth. But this prophecy speaks of no such future event, neither here nor anywhere else in the Bible. It is the dragon being loosed out of prison–the same dragon, called Satan, of verse 2. Paganism is loosed after being restrained for so long.

One need not look far to see that this has already happened. Our world is becoming increasingly pagan. Look in the spiritual section of major bookstores. Books on the occult, new age movement, wicca, yoga, meditation, eastern religions (we could list much more), often outnumber Christian books.

Look in any city and see the new age stores and find their annual psychic fairs. Look at the textbooks in public schools. They are not teaching what was taught forty years ago. God has been kicked out of schools and increasingly out of government, while evolution and humanism are being embraced, with an antagonism to anything truly Christian.

Along with the rise of secular humanism and atheistical political powers, we clearly see a revival of fundamental Buddhism, Hinduism, and the Sikh and Muslim religions.

Over the past 100 years the dragon has by slow increments crept back on the scene, bursting forth particularly in the 1970’s and 1980’s, causing a paradigm shift in society as a whole.

The apostle Paul warned in 2 Tim. 3:1 that in the latter days perilous (dangerous) days would come. The peril is in the extreme deceptions rampant in this end time, not to mention the type of people it is producing.

“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” Rev. 20:7-9.

Paganism “shall go out to deceive the nations,” and join itself to Gog and Magog. Here we have the other two major enemies to the church–Gog and Magog. Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 tell us of these literal enemies, who came “up against my people of Israel.” They represent the other two enemies of the church that Satan has used successively to deceive souls after paganism lost its stronghold–Catholicism (the beast of Revelation 13:1) and Protestantism (the beast with horns like a lamb in Rev. 13:11). False Christianity!

In this end time, all three entities have gathered together on the breadth of the earth. This is clearly evidenced in the ecumenical movement. Not only have Catholics and Protestants joined hands, but eastern religions have also found a place in this triad of error, creating a potent blend of unprecedented deception. They’ve all agreed not to judge and everyone can believe whatever they will. As the pagans of old picked the god(s) of their choice, there is now a new type of polytheism under the guise of Christianity–pick the church (or non-church) of your choice; all roads lead to heaven.

Their toleration stops, though, when it comes to the camp of the saints, the beloved city–the church of God. They now compass the true church about with their allied troops to battle together against her. It would seem evident God still has a church in the end of the gospel day, or the devil wouldn’t have one to encompass and fight!

True to other prophecies, God has been and still is gathering His people together back to His one fold, the visible church (Matt. 24:31; Jn. 10:16).

All of these events clearly mark the soon coming of our mighty Saviour. Rev. 20:3 states that when paganism is loosed, it will be but for “a little season.” Very little time is now left before the return of Jesus Christ.“When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.” 

Sis. S. Mutch

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“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost…” I Cor. 6:19.
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? …for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” I Cor. 3:16-17.
There would be no need or sense in the reconstruction of the old temple seeing that a far better and living temple stands today.

God dwells no more in temples made with hands.

“Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands…” Acts 7:48.
“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands…” Acts 17:24.
God has forever forsaken all literal temples, having fulfilled His true desire to dwell within the hearts of His people in this New Testament dispensation. Seeing that God has a temple which shall stand forever, why would He resort back to the cold, lifeless house that was left destroyed and Godless nearly two thousand years ago?

The scriptures refer to the church as the “true tabernacle” or temple.

Speaking of Christ, Paul says that He is, “A minister of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Heb. 8:2.
What tabernacle did the Lord pitch and not man? “…upon this rock I will build my church…” Matt. 16:18. Since God has already built for Himself a temple, it is ludicrous to think that He desires, or that the scriptures predict that the old one will be rebuilt, seeing that it is abolished.

Jesus Christ is the New Testament high priest.

“…consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus…” Heb. 3:1.
“…Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.” Heb. 7:17.
The fact that Jesus is the New Testament High Priest completely voids all hope of the reinstitution of a literal temple’s activities. For the temple to be rebuilt and brought back into a functioning manner, Christ must lose his High priesthood, for Christ could not possibly be a high priest under the law since he was not of the lineage of Levi. “For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.” Heb. 8:4. Since Christ cannot possibly lose His high priesthood, because he dieth no more, then the literal temple could never be reactivated if anyone could ever build a similar one.

There can never be a reinstitution of animal sacrifices, for Christ is our sacrifice.

“But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God…” Heb.10:12.
“Who needeth not daily, as those high priests to offer up sacrifice…for this he did once, when he offered up himself.” Heb. 7:27.
All of the old sacrifices that were offered in the court before the old temple were but representations of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. “All the lambs which had been hitherto offered had been furnished by men: this (Christ) was provided by God, as the only sufficient and available sacrifice for the sin of the world.” –Adam Clarke.
It is wholly impossible that God would inspire the writers of the holy scriptures to speak of the rebuilding of the temple seeing that this would void the offering of the body of Christ.

The scriptures declare that new Jerusalem is the church.

“But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem…” Heb. 12:22.
“But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.” Gal. 4:26.
Here again we see that the focus, by God, is taken off of the literal and is placed upon the spiritual. If God thus continually brings these things before us, how is it that false prophets are doing the opposite? This is a witness that they are indeed false prophets and children of Satan.

Seeing that the scriptures are plain concerning the Old and New Testament temples, let us not be deceived by modern teachers whose practice it is to literalize what God intended to be representations of better things to come. We encourage our readers not to be deceived by any who teach contrary to the plainness of the gospel of God. We cannot interpret the scriptures contrary to what is revealed. If God has revealed that all liars shall be lost then nothing out of the scriptures may be used to say that a liar will escape punishment if he continues to be deceitful. But false prophets are doing just this, they are endeavoring to use the Bible to teach things unbiblical.
But what good would it do to rebuild the temple in this time? Employing the good reason of our minds let us all answer this question. We could find no salvation in the temple, no ark of the covenant, no healing, no glory, no God. It would be useless save for a history lesson and a tourist attraction. Thank God for His truth and thank God to be in and a part of this better temple, that “shall never be destroyed.” Dan. 2:44.

THE SEED OF ABRAHAM

In the seed of Abraham
are all earth’s nations promised life,
Not through those in Israel’s land
but through our seed, the blessed Christ.

Not to “seeds” as unto many
was the promise shining bright
No one nation need we envy,
for the seed was Jesus Christ.

Nay, the Jew can never glory
in the law that he hath shunned
For this law was added surely
till the lowly seed should come.

Now the dark denominations
Israel to be saved expect,
Nay ye blinded generation,
no man’s person God respects.

We’re translated into Jesus,
by His blood our souls are freed.
Now to us belongs the promise
and in Him we are the seed.

By Jason Hargrave

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