701 - Les Feldick Bible Study - Lesson 2 Part 1 Book 59 - The Isle of Patmos Vision

https://lesfeldickbiblestudy.com Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 2 * PART 1 * BOOK 59 THE ISLE OF PATMOS VISION REVELATION 1:11-2:10 "Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: (the Jesus, the Christ who is speaking says to John) and, What thou seest, (in these vision experiences that are coming) write in a book, (not books, write in a book) and send it (not them) unto the seven churches…" God is instructing John to take this whole body of truth, these seven church letters, make a book of it and evidently a copy was sent to each one of the seven churches. Revelation 1:11b "…send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia;…" Revelation 1:11c-12 "…send it (this book) unto the seven church, which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. It’s unfortunate, I think, it’s terribly unfortunate, that our English translators used the word "churches" or "church" all the way through the New Testament. It would have been so much easier to understand if they had used "assembly" because the word "church" really is a Scottish word, which was "Kirk "and you’ve heard that. And from that old Scottish word "Kirk" the English translators came up with this word "church," and I think it’s unfortunate. Do you remember? Synagogues. James 2:2a "For if there come into your assembly…" Synagogue!! Synagogues! They don’t call them a church; they call them a synagogue. Coming back with me to Acts chapter 11, verse 19. And I’ve said it many, many times before, and I’ll probably say it many times more if the Lord continues to bless me with life; this is the one verse that probably did more to opening my understanding as I teach than any other verse in Scripture. The Jewish synagogue of believers that believed for salvation that Jesus was the Christ) and they were all (all of that Jerusalem congregation were) scattered throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria except (whom?) the apostles." So anyway, we have to understand that as all these little Jewish writers back here, James and Peter and John, and now as John writes in Revelation come back there again, Chapter 1, that these were Jewish congregations, called synagogues. All right, Revelation chapter 1 then, again reading verse 12: Revelation 1:12-13a Does the Apostle Paul ever refer to Christ as the Son of man? Paul refers to Him as the Son of God, He’s the Christ, but never as the Son of man. Revelation 1:13b Now, just in the light of that kind of language, does that speak of a God of love, mercy, and grace, or a God of judgment? Judgment!! All these terms speak of judgment. Judgment! So brass is always that which speaks of judgment. It spoke not of love and grace, but judgment, see? It speaks of what? Judgment! Now, remember, ever since we started the little letter of James, what do these Jewish believers anticipate right out in front of them? Tribulation. The seven years of God’s wrath and vexation is right in front of them. We’ve been spoiled. I call it the buzz saw of persecution. Intense persecution. If you know anything about ancient history, the dark ages if I’m not mistaken, there’s one history book that maintains that during that 1000 years, from 500 A.D. to 1500 A.D., 50 million Christians, believers, lost their lives through persecution. Psalms, Chapter 2, which I always call the outline of the Old Testament program; how the Old Testament prophets saw how it would all unfold. Jews and Gentiles both reject Him. Then verse 4. Psalms 2:4-5 (confusion, Then the next thing on God’s program) Psalms 2:6 All right, so all of Scripture has that unfolding of God’s agenda for the human race. Now remember, as we’ve been pointing out for the last several weeks or months, there’s not a word about the Church Age in prophesy. Not one word. Now of course we’ve stressed, we know that God opened that timeline, stopped the wrath and vexation before it happened, and brought in the Church Age, but we’re not dealing with that here in Revelation, we’re dealing with the seven year period of the wrath and vexation programmed into the Old Testament prophecy. Now, this Son of man who is revealing Himself to this transplanted area of God dealing with Israel, to these 7 little churches, synagogues, assemblies. Revelation 1:16a The Word of God. "For the word of God is quick, (It’s alive. I’ve had, "Oh, I never sin." God sees them. That’s a sobering thought isn’t it; that God sees every thought. Back to Revelation again and verse 14. Revelation 1:14a "And His head and hairs were white like wool, as white as snow;…" Daniel chapter 7, verse 9. Daniel 7:9 Almost word for word) his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. Now here we see then that God, in Daniel as well as in Revelation and in other places, is also going to be the God of Judgment. #LesFeldick #BibleStudy #Bible