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 Sermon > Official Service |
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Title |
Revelation Lectures(95) - Revelation Lectures (95) |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
Revelation 22:6-10 |
Date |
2009-04-24 |
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Scripture
Revelation 22:6-10
[6] And he said to me, "These words are faithful and true"; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.
[7] "And behold, I am coming quickly Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book."
[8] I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things.
[9] But he said to me, "Do not do that I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God."
[10] And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
By the grace of God the Father, I'm safely back from the 10th Israel Mission Trip.
I appreciate your support with prayer, fasting, and mission offerings.
I accomplished the providence of God well, and it was prosperous.
When it's convenient, I may tell you about this mission in more detail.
Up to Revelation 22:5 was covered in the 94th Lecture on Revelation.
Revelation 22:6 says, "And he said to me, "These words are faithful and true"; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place."
God has had the prophets diligently preach what will take place in the future.
Every word of God is faithful and true.
It is the word that causes the hearer to understand and lead a worthy life.
God has also shown the evidences to the souls who would only listen, but would not believe.
By His power, God has demonstrated what is impossible by the power or ability of human beings.
God moves people to believe in God and live a worthy life even in ways like this.
Those who truly believe the word of God surely obey and live by the Word.
Jesus says in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."
Jesus also says in Matthew 7:23, "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'"
If you truly believe these words, how can you practice lawlessness and live in sin?
In addition, if you believe that you reap what you sow by faith, you won't be stingy in sowing.
However, no matter how many times they are told the will of God, if they won't believe, they cannot obey.
They will seek the benefits that lie before their eyes instead of the rewards in Heaven, and they will pursue the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of this life.
No matter how many words they hear, no matter how many signs they see, those who don't believe in their heart will love the world more than God.
Even so, God continually sends the people of God and teaches again and again in order to make them believe.
Revelation 22:6 says, "The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place."
So far, God has sent angels to many prophets and revealed the things that would take place.
Even today, as needed, God is foretelling the things of the future to the people who are proper before God.
The prophecy that God gives is surely fulfilled.
Deuteronomy 18:21-22 says, "You may say in your heart, 'How will we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?' When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him."
People of this fleshly world can never foresee the future.
Though they know the past and they are the beings of the spiritual realm, even the evil spirits cannot see the future.
Some say they prophecy through the communication with the evil spirits, what they prophecy may either right or wrong by chance.
It is only God who precisely knows the future.
Only when almighty God, who governs the history of mankind, allows for it, can people correctly prophesy.
They should prophesy, not from their own ideas, but in spirit through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, by communicating with God, who is the Spirit.
That's why tonight's scripture says, "the God of the spirits of the prophets," not 'the God of the prophets.'
Amos 3:7 also says, "Surely the Lord GOD does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets."
"His servants" in this verse refer to those 'true servants' who meet the spiritual qualifications.
They should not have their own opinions, they should be in complete obedience to God, and they should accomplish their duty even at the risk of their lives.
Not only prophets who can prophesy, but also those who are of goodness and true faith can learn the will of God from time to time.
Those shepherds who were tending flocks in the field, and magi from the east were able to know of the birth of the Messiah when God let them know.
God saw their good hearts and told them the future.
Revelation 22:7 says, "And behold, I am coming quickly Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book."
When he ascended into Heaven our resurrected Lord made a promise to come back.
He said that He would come 'quickly' indeed.
However, when we preach that the Lord is coming quickly, chances are that we will be criticized saying that we are wrong.
"The Lord is coming quickly"; is the Word of God clearly written in the Bible, and it is the promise the Lord, our bridegroom, made.
Nevertheless, people don't like to hear it, which proves that they are not ready yet to welcome the Lord who is coming quickly.
Some people wrongfully interpret the word regarding the last days of the world, and they may go astray.
"If the Lord is coming quickly, I don't have to live a diligent life. I may as well live my life as I think fit." They misunderstand.
They may put aside their given-duty, and live an unfaithful life that hinders the glory of God.
However, we cannot hesitate to preach what we should preach only because there are people who wrongfully apply the word of God.
A saying goes, "If you can't stand heat, keep out of kitchen."
It is the duty of the church to correctly preach the will of God.
If some people misunderstand the Word, the church ought to be able to clarify it.
Those who truly believe the end time is near won't live an intemperate or dissipated life.
They rather live a more (spiritually) organized, clean and neat life.
They will make their hearts more holy, be faithful in all God's house, and adorn themselves as brides of the Lord.
As the end time is nearer, you should preach this Word more passionately, encourage each other, and always be awake.
If you truly love the Lord, how happy and thankful you should be when you hear the Lord is coming quickly!
How many times do you imagine this day in your everyday life?
The moment when the Lord comes back, as trumpet will blow with a resounding voice in the air, our Lord will come in the clouds of glory.
Heavenly host and angels, and countless souls will come with the Lord in the air.
Our bodies will instantly be transformed into holy bodies and taken up to Heaven, and we will in the arms of the Lord we have missed so much.
If you imagine this impressive moment, shouldn't your heart pound to the point of being unable to sleep at night?
If you are like this, you will think, "I will quickly finish preparing myself and adorn myself as a bride to meet the Lord," and wait for that day with joy
It will be serious if you suddenly meet the Lord after you idle your time away without longing for the Lord who will come back.
Suppose you come to know that the Lord is coming back in a week or a month.
Even if you know the time the Lord comes back, do you think you can adorn yourself as a bride during that time?
No matter how quickly you hurry, it will not happen as you wish.
Since you have cried out in prayers everyday till today to become sanctified, you can sense the truth of it far more acutely
Spiritually adorning as a bride cannot be done over-night.
That's why God wants His people of God to testify to the Lord who is coming quickly.
Even a woman of the world prepares her wedding for months or even for years.
In my childhood, when a daughter was born and still very young, her parents started to prepare for her wedding.
Even though they eked out a scanty living, they prepared a bride's outfit such as fabrics and certain household items.
If they prepare even the fleshly wedding like this with all their hearts, just how much should we prepare with our utmost sincerity for the wedding with our spiritual bridegroom?
That's why the people of God preach again and again that the Lord is coming quickly and that you should wake up from spiritual sleep, and that you should be ready to meet the Lord, the bridegroom.
Revelation 22:8-9 says, "I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things and when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. But he said to me, "Do not do that I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God."
Apostle John was greatly moved to hear the word of deep prophecy, and fell down before the angel who showed him these things.
Then, the angel told him not to do that, but worship only God.
It is because all the providence and the glory of heaven that Apostle John heard and saw were from God the Creator.
It is God who created us, saved us by giving up His only begotten Son, and gives us heaven.
It is not that we receive salvation because we did something well. It is not that we go to heaven because we are of goodness, either.
Our whole life is only by the grace of God, and for this, we should give glory only God.
Of course, when you do your duty in the Lord, you may sometimes be commended.
For example, a special praise that is full of grace can draw a thunderous round of applause.
However, unlike the applause that is directed to the secular singers, it is not the applause to cheer up the singers for the good performance.
It is the applause to give glory to God who gives grace and emotion through the special praise.
Well, it may contain an expression of encouragement and appreciation toward the praising team that presents the performance.
However, all the grace and emotion can be given only when God allows, and thus the glory should be directed only to God.
The praise singers should not become arrogant, thinking "I did a good job," or try to keep and enjoy the glory to themselves.
When they give glory only to God from the depth of their hearts, their performance can become rewards in heaven.
This principle applies to everything.
1 Peter 4:11 says, "Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."
When members receive grace through the visitation of a cell leader, the cell leader should give glory to God who gives the grace to the members by using the cell leader as an instrument.
If you receive an award for voluntary works which have continued for a dozen years, it is also by the grace of God.
It is because God gives you health and integrity that make you faithful.
We give testimonies in the church not because we want to show off, but because we want to give glory to God.
Please, when you eat or drink, or no matter what you may do, live your life to give glory only to God.
I hope that you will make a heart-felt confession, saying "I am what I am by the grace of God."
Then, God will make the reasons to give thanks and glory overflow in your life all the more.
Revelation 22:10 says, "And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near."
"The words of the prophecy of this book" refers to John's Book of Revelation, but in a broader sense, it refers to all the words of the 66 books of the Bible.
God desires every word of the bible to be heard, read, and preached by people.
You can find in the Bible that God tells prophets not "to open to the public" when He reveals a secret.
It is because it is not the time to open it yet.
For example, Daniel 12:4 says, "But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time."
There is the most proper time in accomplishing the work of God.
No matter how important a prophecy is, it may be useless until the proper time comes.
It may bring in unnecessary persecution when not revealed at the proper time.
That's why God prevents what will take place in the future from being declared until the most proper time comes.
I've experienced this from time to time.
With the passage of time, God gives us foresight into world situations, the domestic affairs of our country and the Christian community.
I immediately proclaim some of them, but not all of them.
I talk about them with some workers around me, but otherwise, I keep silence about them.
I once took the initials from the sentences that explain the things in detail, and published them in a weekly bulletin.
When God explains about the secrets of the spiritual realm, God doesn't teach me all the things of deep level from the beginning.
In order to help the congregation understand, God explains some of them step by step, then deeper and deeper.
In the beginning, God described the levels of heaven as 3 levels. But as the faith of the congregation grew to some degree, He further it broke down into 5 levels.
In addition, God clarified some of them, but told me to keep in silence.
However, when God told me to proclaim something as it was the time, I surely obeyed.
I didn't hesitate even if I knew I would suffer difficulties because of it.
It is because whatever God says should be fulfilled, and also because I am certain that the result will be blessing to us.
God says that in this end time of the world, the word of the Book of Revelation should not be sealed, but be proclaimed.
It is because the time is near.
However, some people insist that the word of the Book of Revelation should be sealed.
They think that people should not interpret and apply at will the word of the Bible which is written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
However, they cannot stop others from reading the Bible just because the teachers themselves do not understand the spiritual meaning of the word.
Why would God put the word into the 66 books of the bible if people didn't need to learn it?
If an exam covers a whole text book, the teacher should teach everything in the book to his students.
If the teacher says, "I myself cannot understand this part, and so you don't need to study it, but skip it," how can his student get a good grade?
If the teacher has a sense of responsibility, he should learn what he doesn't know and teach it.
The same principle can be applied to the Bible.
Those who are entrusted with a duty of teaching the flock should learn the word of God and teach it, if they don't understand the word.
If it is something that cannot be understood by human wisdom, they should learn it even by fasting and praying all night and then teach it to their flock.
Only then can the learners open their spiritual eyes, learn the correct will of God, and walk the right path.
The scripture says, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book" because "the time is near."
When it says, "the time is near," it means two things.
First, it means that the period of human cultivation that God has set is almost over.
It can be confirmed through "the signs of the end time" written in many parts of the Bible.
For instance, the Lord says in Matthew 24:12, "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold."
And He also says in Matthew 24:14, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come."
Daniel 12:4 says, "Many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase."
You can see from many other words of the Bible that the final day of the human cultivation is so close.
Therefore, in many parts of the world, those who are awake and communicating with God proclaim "the end time of the world."
Moreover, as you listen to this Lecture on Revelation, you can actually feel how close it is to the end time.
Therefore, when it says "the time is near," it means that the final moment of human history is coming very close.
Second, "the time is near" has a meaning for individuals.
The moment when a man dies is the "final moment of judgment" for the man.
Psalm 90:10 says, "As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away."
Even in this short course of life, there is no one knows when the exact day of death is.
No matter when it is, once God calls their spirit, the life is over at that moment.
Even if the history of mankind extends another few thousand years, there is no second chance.
One more thing, people don't die of "old age".
There are many occasions that people suddenly die at a young age due to diseases or accidents when they should still be able to be active and work.
It is seldom the case with the members of Manmin, but you may find such a case with your unbelieving relatives or neighbors.
Then you may think again of a man's life, and become solemn.
Regarding the fact that the period of a man's life is limited, the "time being near" for people 2,000 years ago and all of you is the same.
Therefore, you should live everyday with the heart of preparing for the last day of your life so that you can welcome the Lord any time.
And, to declare that the time is near is to help others who hear and realize to well prepare for the end time.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 says, "For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape."
Those who are spiritually asleep think the Lord will come at some time in the future.
But they will welcome the Lord without being prepared the same way they might unexpectedly come across a thief.
The Lord is not suddenly coming to the souls who are awakened.
The Lord allows them to live in the light everyday and prepare themselves to welcome the Lord with joy and emotion.
I urge you to hear, read, and understand this word of prophecy, and keep it with your innermost heart.
May you enjoy great glory when you face the Lord, our bridegroom, in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray!
[Amen] |
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