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Have the right “mark” (seal) and win the race: God’s winning strategies in Revelation 2-3

The essence of strategies is to choose what to do. This is a really difficult one unless you have been sealed with the right mark on you. What? Do all who profess to be Christians have mark too? Wait. We shall see who has the mark and who does not, according to Jesus.

Firstly, beware of the wrong mark, the mark of the beast, as warned in the Book of Revelation (13:16, 17, 14:9, 11, 15:2, 16:2, 19:20, 20:4). Those with the evil mark (on their forehead or on their hands) will be tormented (16:2) and eventually cast into the lake of fire (19:20).

Only the saints, those without the mark of the beast, and instead have been sealed with the mark of Christ, can reign with Christ for 1000 years.

Revelation 7:3 “Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.”

Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

What is the mark of Christ and how do believers of Jesus receive it? Here are the Scriptures: The seal (mark) is the Holy Spirit and comes from God through Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:19-22. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. 20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

2 Corinthians 5:5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

Ephesians 1:13-14 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

1 John 2:20 But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth.

1 John 4:13 And God has given us His Spirit as proof that we live in Him and He in us. 15 All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we liv like Jesus here in this world.

From the above verses we see that the believers of Jesus have been sealed with His mark, which is the Holy Spirit. This mark distinguishes us as belonging to Jesus and not to the devil (the beast) who will also brand his followers with a mark on their forehead or hands. The mark of the Holy Spirit in us enables us to live like Jesus in this world, a victorious overcomer.

The outcome of each group is entirely different. The beast and its followers will end up in the lake of fire. The group who belongs to Jesus, marked by Jesus, and follows Him to the end and overcome will reign with Him. What are the keys given to us to overcome the adversaries and adversities? Let us read Revelation 2-3 again to find them.

1. Jesus reiterates the truth that He has overcome the NUMBER ONE FEAR in human, that is, DEATH. Jesus has died and resurrected, and He now holds the keys of death and the grave. And He tells us not to be afraid. The Good News is He is alive forever and ever, and so are His followers. (Revelation 1:17-18; Hebrews 2:14-15) The key is to “remain faithful to what we have been taught from the beginning”, the apostle John assures us this in 1John 2:24-25, “If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son (Jesus) and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life He promised us.”
2. Jesus also reassures that He knows all the things we do and the situations we are in, and what the enemy is doing. (Revelation 2:2-3, 2:9-10, 2:13, 2:19, 2:24, 3:1, 3:4, 3:8, 10, 3:15-16) All we need to do is to listen to the Holy Spirit and understand and act accordingly.
3. Jesus says He loves us. Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. 3:9 Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love. 3:19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.
4. 1 John 4:4 Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist], because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.

Our application: Make sure we have the right marking, listen to the Holy Spirit, understand what He is saying and act accordingly.

Kainotes, December 12, 2020

Begin at the finish line and win the race with focus and boldness

In my corporate days, I have taught a useful leadership management topic called, “Begin at the end”. What it means is that when you know your finish line, you will run with focus, boldness, and even ease. How do we know what the finish line of our life is? The Bible is our plume line. When we know what God uses to measure our lives, and what resources and abilities He has richly given us, we know the finish line.

I cannot think of a more essential strategic book to read than the Book of Revelation* in December 2020. In the early 1980s when first baptized in the Spirit and started to feel the hunger pang for God’s words, I was posted by my company to a town with only one evangelical church and the pastor, a fervent missionary, who decided to teach the handful of us the book of Revelation in nightly Bible classes! Imagine suddenly throwing someone who cannot swim overboard into the vast ocean. That was exactly what happened to me that winter. Looking back, I still remember listening and reading the unimaginable words and phrases night after night, with my mouth wide-opened in awe, and it turned out to be one of the best years for a “novice” in Christ. Unlike what many Christians may think, the book of Revelation is not a book of bad news for us. I believe that after one learns to swim proficiently in this vast ocean, there will be great rejoicing reading any other Book of the Bible (including the Leviticus)! For those who are familiar with this Book, it is still good to meditate on it and prepare for the year 2021. Begin at the finish line and you will not go astray.

The Book of Revelation is the finish line for mankind, including believers and none believers of Jesus Christ. There are already many easily accessible good online teachings and free Bible study tools for anyone interested. I would only share some of my notes on a few passages. Today I am led to look at three passages in chapter one: 1:1, 1:3, and 1:10 which speak to me.

What does Jesus mean by telling John in the three passages, highlighting:

“the events that must soon take place”, “for the time is near”, and “write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches”?

1:1 This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John,

3 God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.

10 It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. 11 It said, “Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

The watchman’s notes:

1. The apostle John was worshiping in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day when he saw and heard Jesus talking to him and revealing to him the future events about mankind. 1:10
2. John describes the Jesus he saw and what he heard in 1:10-20. he summarized what he understood who Jesus really is in 1:5-7. Briefly, Jesus is the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. He loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood. And He is coming again, and every eye will see Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.
3. What are the events that must soon take place? They are all recorded down by John in the Book of Revelation. How soon will they take place? John wrote this book while in exile on the Patmos Island around 95AD. The message of Revelation is about what is to come. John is writing in two spaces: what was happening then and what would happen in the future. The book gives a picture of what will happen as we close the doors on human history as we know it and we look forward with anticipation to Jesus’ second coming.
4. What does it mean by “must soon take place”? When we read the Bible we can note that there is an emphasis on time, which reminds us that God does things in His time, the right time. From the definition of the word “soon” from Strong’s Greek 5034: Quickness, speed; hastily, immediately, it would appear in God’s view it would not be delayed when that right time comes. With God, a thousand years is like a day. In Matthew 24, Jesus Himself gave some answers to His disciples about the Jesus’ second coming and of the end of the age, and what will be the signs to watch. (Also read Mark 13; Daniel 9:23-27)
5. There are many teachings on how to interpret Matthew 24. I have noted two clues in 24:7-12, verse 10 for Christians, “Then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.” How can this be? Yes, it is happening today, sadly, even among Christians and “believers” of Jesus as Lord and Savior. Verse 9 gives another frightening clue, “you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.” Verse 8 concludes what these mean when they happen, “All these are the beginnings of sorrows.”
6. The development and rise of influencers’ power through media (communication) via the internet and digital technology has accelerated the speed and spread of information and shaping of the mind (attitude, value and belief). It also means that “all nations” can access to big information, including hate speeches/news almost simultaneously.
7. The above development and clear signs mean that “the time is near“. Revelation 1:3
8. What shall Christians do when we read, hear, understand these words? Do what John was asked to do. Obey. Spread the words and help others to understand.
9. Jesus came to this planet with a clear and focused mission, to save mankind from the power of sins and bondages and eternal damnation. And He did His part before He left earth. What did He tell tell His followers to do before He left? Matthew 28:17-20; Mark 16:15-20; Luke 24:44-49; John 21:15-17; Acts 1:7-8.
10. Take note that 1:10-11 clearly states that the Book of Revelation is for the Christians to read, listen and obey, and the Lord Jesus singles out seven kinds of condition a conglomerate of Christians could be under.

Revelation 22:6 6 Then the angel said to me, “Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true. The Lord God, who inspires his prophets, has sent his angel to tell his servants what will happen soon.”

Jesus Is Coming

Revelation 22:7 7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”

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*Revelation (Easton’s Bible Dictionary)

an uncovering, a bringing to light of that which had been previously wholly hidden or only obscurely seen. God has been pleased in various ways and at different times ( Hebrews 1:1 ) to make a supernatural revelation of himself and his purposes and plans, which, under the guidance of his Spirit, has been committed to writing. (See WORD OF GOD .) The Scriptures are not merely the “record” of revelation; they are the revelation itself in a written form, in order to the accurate preservation and propagation of the truth.

Revelation and inspiration differ. Revelation is the supernatural communication of truth to the mind; inspiration (q.v.) secures to the teacher or writer infallibility in communicating that truth to others. It renders its subject the spokesman or prophet of God in such a sense that everything he asserts to be true, whether fact or doctrine or moral principle, is true, infallibly true.

Kainotes, 12/03/2020

REVELATIONS 11:11

Revelations 11:11 RESURRECTION

But after three and a half days, by God’s gift the breath of life again entered into them, and they rose up on their feet, and great dread and terror fell on those who watched them. (Revelation 11:11 AMPC)