June 27, 2011

Watchman’s Adventure: One night journey from Lamentations to Revelation!

After midnight, while in a hotel room, the watchman could not sleep so he got up and read the Bible. He was led to read the following passages. It was like he was led through the whole salvation plan. He started from Lamentations wherein the poet prophet mourned the sad state of his nation and cried to God for help as he still had hope in the Lord’s mercy and grace (undeserved favor). Then he was led to read Mark on the full passage towards the end of Jesus’ ministry on earth: the humiliation He went through in the hands of human, His crucifixion, death and burial, and then His resurrection and the power and authority He gave to all believers to follow His footsteps.


After that he was led to read a warning message to a church urging repentance, as in Revelations 3:14-22. By the time he finished praying and proclaiming the word, he thought it was over and he could get to bed. But the Spirit said, carry on and read Chapter four. so he continued, ignoring his body and soul being drawn to sleep by then.

However, it was a wonderful surprise as he read on. Chapter Four brought him to the heavenly realm: “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” It was all about worship in heaven! So the watchman was elated. He has always wanted to go up there like John did and see! He prayed and was told he could ask about things for himself. So he did. At the end of his prayer he thought he saw a vision of the Lion of Judah in his room.

He was told by the Spirit to continue to read Chapter Five, and to his amazement and great joy, he found verse 5 says, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne,has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Then he was led to read descriptions of his ‘job specifications’: ‘prayers of the saints’, ‘redeemed to God by His son’s blood’, ‘kings and priests to our ‘God’.

One final bonus for his night journey: he started to hear unusual sound. It sounded like rushing waters or winds or rustling leaves in the most pleasant ways. He thought it was rain as it originated from above and outside his window. He went to the window and looked out but there was no rain. The night was quiet and still. He listened for a long time and wondered what it was. When he decided to sleep, it stopped. The next morning he read the passage again and realized that it could be the sound of a mighty heavenly choir (made up of hundreds of thousands of angels, living creatures, elders in heaven, creatures on the earth, under the earth and in the sea)! (Rev.5:11-13)

Indeed, it was a very awesome night journey for the watchman in the Holy Spirit!

Lamentations 3 Hope in the Lord’s Faithfulness
1 I am the one who has seen the afflictions that come from the rod of the Lord’s anger.
8 And though I cry and shout, he has shut out my prayers.
58 Lord, you are my lawyer! Plead my case! For you have redeemed my life.
59 You have seen the wrong they have done to me, Lord. Be my judge, and prove me right.
60 You have seen the vengeful plots my enemies have laid against me.

(The watchman says: Indeed the Lord has taken up this petition. He has heard and adjudicated. He has even paid the penalty for all who believe in Jesus! Jesus alone has borne the rod thirty nine strokes of whipping on His back.)

Mark 15:16-47 Jesus was mocked, crucified, buried
16 The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor’s headquarters 18 Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 24 Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross. 31 The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. 46 Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth. Then he took Jesus’ body down from the cross, wrapped it in the cloth, and laid it in a tomb.

Mark 16 The Resurrection
but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! 15 And then He (Jesus) told them (the disciples), “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. 20 And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.

(The watchman says: The risen Lord has given His believers power and authority to do the work He has done on earth, even greater ones. This is the Kingdom on God on earth.)

Revelation 3 The Message to the Church in Laodicea
14“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. 15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! 19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.

20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. 21 Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. 22 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”

(The watchman says: This church is in deep trouble, being held bondage by a spirit of deception and a host of other evil spirits! Jesus (and the Holy Spirit) is outside and not inside. Can they hear His voice? Will they open the door? Are they willing to be corrected and disciplined? All these are the conditions set in this passage… O resist the devil and submit to God! Stop fooling yourself that you are already victorious if there is no Jesus (God) with you!)

Revelation 4 Worship in Heaven

1 Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” 2 And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. 3 The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. 9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever).

(The watchman says: He always wants to go up there!!!)

Revelation 5 The Lamb Opens the Scroll

5 But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne,has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.” 6 Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne…He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God 8 And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9 And they sang a new song with these words:

“You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it.

For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

10 And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.”

11 Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. 12 And they sang in a mighty chorus: …13 And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: …14 And the four living beings said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb.

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