When I shared with leadership in our local church that it was time for a series in Revelation, the response was not as I had hoped. “We can’t go there. So many are scared of giants, horned beasts, stinging bugs, and people eating little books.” OH MY… There is so much more to this end time book and as disciples of Christ we need to read, embrace, and understand its contents.
Below are my notes from a teaching for Transformation Michigan Prayer lines on Nov 13, 2021. The thing with notes though is they are close to the message but the actual. Below is the recoding from that session also. Enjoy.
Nan Schut…Blessing and Beauty of Revelation
Jesus in Matthew 4 announces Himself, hires/calls His staff, and then laid the groundwork for His ministry/the disciples ministry/our ministry.
- He healed the sick / cast out demons
- Taught hope and the Coming Kingdom Rule
In Chapter 5 known as the Sermon on the Mount Jesus lays out the corporate rules for the Kingdom
- Humility
- Waiting on the Lord – to mourn
- To walk in Gentleness/meekness
- Crave Righteousness
- To be merciful
- To have Pure hearts resulting in seeing Glory and being changed by
- Be a Peacemaker
- Understand persecution for His name to experience the Kingdom
Strange how Revelation is the ONLY book in scripture with a blessing for those who read and embrace yet it is the least understood and the most controversial. Now I had heard about a blessing for reading text, but never once that we need to embrace the words in this book.
Embrace is a verb and a noun. It means to hug, cling to, or support. To accept something willingly and enthusiastically. To fasten on as armor. To summarize it means, to completely welcome with open arms, to hold, and accept what is written. TPT in the notes says, “the book is unveiled when the reader is ready to understand it.” Our First WOW –
Jesus is inviting us to embrace and understand the words of this book with our hearts rather than sensory gifts of hear/see/taste as in other passages of scripture. He desires us to open our heart to Him and His words.
Revelations, what is it? Some view the text as a prophecy of things to come yet understand little of the meaning in its verses and then become frustrated when time frames, dates and clear images are not found.
In Revelation there are 404 verses that link to over 800 verses in the OT offering interpretation to what we are reading. But what is even more interesting are the Sevens.
“The number seven, when used in scripture — and especially when referring to pronouncements from God — often carries with it the meaning of “wholeness” and of a “sworn oath “.
When we see a series of seven things, the final (seventh) thing is often “special” in some way, different from the first six. We see this in creation where God worked in the first six days, but He rested on the seventh day and declared that day holy. In several cases, we can also see this “special seventh” aspect in Revelation.
There are 55 Seven’s in Revelation signifying an end to something or a wholeness being brought forth. How many times have we heard, “if God is all powerful why doesn’t he do something about…” Revelations seems to indicate that He is making all things new. He is doing something about it. Making it new.
To list a few of the 7’s there are
7 Stars/7 lamps of fire/7 horns on the Lamb/7 rewards/7 angels with plagues/7 plagues/7 titles of Christ to the Church/7 letters to the church/7 seals/7 times the words “come quickly” are used/7 times it says, He that has an ear, let him hear/7 judgement/7 times “the kingdom” is used/7 beatitudes/7 final visions – There are 55 Seven’s in all.
Being Transformed into the New Rev 21:5 says Behold I make all things new. We know WE were part of that “new”
1 Cor 5:17 17 Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new person. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new.
1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children right now; however, it is not yet apparent what we will become. But we do know that when it is finally made visible,we will be just like him, for we will see him as he truly is. 3 And all who focus their hope on him will always be purifyingthemselves, just as Jesus is pure.
I found that each letter contained Who He Is to that church (each was a different manifestation of His glory/ the church strengths / weakness / and a promise. Each one started with the “who” was speaking, each being different. There are times, now that my girls are adults, that I say, “this is MOM” speaking. I must let them know at that moment I am speaking from the authoritative role of Mom. I am a wife, friend, mother, grandmother, consultant, prophet, all different roles, yet the same person.
Is it possible the letters in chapter 2 and 3 were written or given as a wakeup call to prepare the bride for the final battle against evil and for her wedding? Could they have also been written to prepare us for the days ahead? Could the letters be a heart cry of the bridegroom as He approaches the maidens on the road – OIL DO YOU HAVE OIL?
The book was written or revealed in a time of great persecution and scattering, a time when Christians were being martyred and hiding in caves, John receives a vision on the Isle of Patmos and begins sharing it by writing the letters to the churches. John was exiled there for domestic terrorism. Political realms were threatened by their prayers, their songs, their witness of love and forbearing with each other, threatened by their faith in Jesus the true King.
Heb 11:32 TPT gives us some insight into their plight at that time.
32 And what more could I say to convince you? For there is not enough time to tell you of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. 33 Through faith’s power they conquered kingdoms and established true justice. Their faith fastened onto their promises and pulled them into reality! It was faith that shut the mouth of lions, 34 put out the power of raging fire, and caused many to escape certain death by the sword. Although weak, their faith imparted power to make them strong! Faith sparked courage within them and they became mighty warriors in battle, pulling armies from another realm into battle array. (Through their faith, angelic warriors wheeled into battle formation ready to fight with them in battle.) Faith-filled women saw their dead children raised in resurrection power.
Yet it was faith that enabled others to endure great atrocities. They were stretched out on the wheel and tortured and didn’t deny their faith in order to be freed, because they longed for a more honorable and glorious resurrection!
36 Others were mocked and experienced the most severe beating with whips; they were in chains and imprisoned. 37 Some of these faith champions were brutally killed by stoning, being sawn in two or slaughtered by the sword. These lived in faith as they went about wearing goatskins and sheepskins for clothing. They lost everything they possessed, they endured great afflictions, and they were cruelly mistreated. 38 They wandered the earth living in the desert wilderness, in caves, on barren mountains and in holes in the earth. Truly, the world was not even worthy of them, not realizing who they were.
- In a canyon in the desert a cave was found, nicknamed the cave of horrors due to the large number of skeletons, including children’s skeletons, that were found inside. Together with the skeletons were personal documents, a fragmentary copy of a prayer written in Hebrew, and the scroll to which these fragments belong, which was hidden at the back of the cave.
- Remains of a Roman camp at the top of the cliff suggests the refugees sheltering there died because of a Roman siege. The occupants were determined not to surrender. There were no signs of wounds on the skeletons, suggesting the occupants died because of hunger and thirst, or possibly smoke inhalation from a fire in the center of the cave.
- They buried their most prized possessions, including the scroll from which these fragments come, to keep them safe.
39 These were the true heroes, commended for their faith, yet they lived in hope without receiving the fullness of what was promised them.
40 But now God has invited us to live in something better than what they had—faith’s fullness! This is so that they could be brought to finished perfection alongside of us.
They were living in a time when it appeared as if all was lost, but Jesus reaffirmed His vision and mission with I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning, and the End. Nothing is happening that I am not aware of, and there is no greater power in heaven or earth. He let John know that His Kingdom was “running” things and not satan’s and that He would have the last word.
Christians had become steadfast and bold, so much that they became a threat to the satanic political rule. They were right on track. In the vision John has on Patmos, Jesus started with the churches, His Bride, to prepare them and us for what was coming, and to let them know what problems lay in their path to victory.
We must ask, will the day come when the songs we sing, prayers we pray, the messages we preach, and our love for each other become a threat to those outside our boundaries and we become domestic terrorists? It has already begun, look at Canada, just to our north, Pastors arrested for singing songs and holding services. During the pandemic we seen California try to shut down churches, home groups and meeting places. Could this happen again?
Recently Patricia King had the following word. It appears to be a combination of Joel and the letters to the churches in Revelation.
Rising up out of the earth, I saw a company of ferocious, uncompromised, lovers of God, marked by righteousness, integrity, love, and truth. They were single-minded, determined, marching forward steadfastly with unwavering faith, willing to make any sacrifice, and fully committed to obeying any command of the Captain of the Hosts of Heaven – the King of Glory Himself. This company included men, women, and those of all ages and ethnos. They were glorious. These were those who were shining as bright lights.
Some of this God-loving company served large spheres of influence and others served smaller spheres but what they had in common was their fearless, uncompromised, love for God and radical obedience to His Word and Ways. They were unstoppable and were destined for great eternal reward. The more suffering and resistance they faced, the greater the reward.
I asked, “Who are the others Lord – those who are not among this righteous remnant? What is their fate?” The Lord answered, “These ones have lost their focus. They have in many cases called evil good and good evil and have transgressed my Word with little fear or reverence of Me in their hearts. They have hardened their hearts with offense, bitterness, unforgiveness and immoral acts. They have not hated evil as I hate evil. I love them and desire them to turn fully to Me, but the choice is theirs to make. I have poured out grace upon them that enables them to follow Me, but they have used My grace to empower their own lusts, desires, and ambitions instead. Some have great influence and others small, but I am not a respecter of persons for I look at the heart. Some will repent and follow Me but there will be others who side with My enemy and will be filled with dangerous deception.
I am so excited for the move of glory that is coming upon the kingdom. Is 60 has been at the forefront of all I read lately. As we near the end of this age we are increasingly seeing, and nothing to the scale that will be revealed shortly as the Lord Jesus leads His church in greater and greater displays of glory.
As we move into the end of this age and the harvest, we will have only one message. The confession of who Jesus is and what He has accomplished, that is All that matters. Revelation 12:11 says, “They have overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and did not love their lives unto even death.”
It is the only message the Father promises to confirm with power. To reveal Jesus through obedience to what He taught is to bring the life of His kingdom to the world. By returning to pure devotion of Jesus as Paul expressed in 2 Cor 11:3 we will discover the most powerful manifestations of the Lord Jesus. The church that loves Him will reveal His glory.
Ps 110:3 NIV says Your troops will be willing on the day of battle (other translations say in the day of Your Power). They will be arrayed in holy splendor.
In review, I started with Chapter 5 of Matthew, known as the Sermon on the Mount Jesus lays out the corporate rules for the Kingdom
- Humility
- Waiting on the Lord – to mourn
- To walk in Gentleness/meekness
- Crave Righteousness
- To be merciful
- To have Pure hearts resulting in seeing Glory and being changed by
- Be a Peacemaker
- Understand persecution for His name to experience the Kingdom
In the times ahead we can’t war in the natural, nor fight with natural weapons. Our weapons are found in 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 The Message Translation
3-6 The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.
The weapons of our warfare are Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, long – long suffering, they will know us by His love for us, our Love for each other, and for the harvest. In the next couple Saturdays, God willing, we will walk through the churches, their strengths, and where they were missing it.
