#promotechrist

jesussimplified.com/blog post published 06-13-2020. Send Questions » [email protected] Adoration of Jesus. After greeting the churches in Asia, John presents the adoration of Jesus, who is the source of our existence. “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory dominion forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1:5 – 6. John, here, summarizes what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf, while in the body here on the earth. Jesus’s accomplishments became a reality in the time of the sounding of the seventh trumpet. Jesus accomplished it all in His body on the cross at Golgotha. Later in these series of blogs, the events associated with the sounding of the seventh trumpet, and Jesus’s accomplishments will be addressed in more detail. Even though we have become God’s enemies, because of our sin in the garden of Eden, God loved us always. He united Himself with us in flesh and blood in the body of Jesus Christ. Jesus is ‘God with us.’ Matthew 1:23. John presents to us this kind of Jesus, in the book of Revelation. John presents to us a Jesus who, as God’s Grace, in the fullness of time, suffered the cross to remove from us our sin that made us God’s enemies. He not only removed sin from us but also destroyed the sin forever. Romans 3:25 – 26; Romans 8:1 – 3. John presents to us Jesus, who, through the wonderful exchange on the cross, destroyed the sinful life of humankind and replaced it with His perfect and eternal life. 2 Corinthians 5:14, 17. Jesus did not take our sin to heaven; He took it into the eternal abyss, the eternal death. “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sin, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24. The “old self,” who got hopelessly enslaved in sin, died forever in the body of Jesus Christ on the cross at Golgotha. The yielded believers have, here and now, the “New Self,” the new and holy identity of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, whom the book of Revelation presents, “has made us kings and priests to God.” Revelation 5:10. In the Old Covenant time, the high priest presented the people to God and spoke to Him on behalf of the people. However, through Jesus Christ, our permanent High Priest, the Old Covenant system was superseded with the new. By the blood of Jesus Christ, the yielded believers have freedom and power to approach the throne of God in prayer; without fear. They do not fear because they approach God in the name of Jesus. The yielded believers do not need anyone to stand before God on their behalf. The yielded believers are free to praise and petition their heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ. John 16:26 – 27. He is their eternal connection to God. “in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.” Ephesians 3:12. Therefore, “Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16. John’s desire to see Jesus fulfilled. Read the next blog.

jesussimplified.com/blog post published 06-06-2020. Send Questions » [email protected] Greetings to the churches. John begins the letter to the churches by stating from whom the message is. “John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.” Revelation 1:4,5. John refers to Jesus as “He who is and who was and who is to come.” Jesus was dead, now Hi is alive, and He will come as promised. John, throughout Revelation, will identify Jesus in this manner. The above description of Jesus also refers to “I Am; I am now, I will always be. And I will come again” Revelation 1:18. Jesus, while speaking to the Jewish leaders, referred to Himself as “I am.” John 8:58. John, in his greeting to the churches and his adoration of Jesus, announces what kind of Jesus he will present in the book of Revelation. Accordingly, throughout the book of Revelation, John presents Jesus Christ, who, while in the body here on earth, accomplished everything the humankind needs for its salvation. The victorious Jesus is the Grace God promised centuries before the birth of the Messiah. Zechariah 12:10. In Jesus Christ, and Him alone, the fallen and redeemed humankind has peace with God. The sin in the garden of Eden made humankind God’s enemy. However, through Jesus Christ, God removed our sin from us and established peace between heaven and the earth. The vertical peace with God, we have in Jesus Christ, is His unilateral and unconditional gift to humankind, no strings attached. John 14:27. Jesus Christ, whom John presents to the readers, is “the faithful witness” to the eternal truth, that is, God is love. “For God so loved the world that He sent…” John 3:16. God, because He loved the world with an everlasting love, sent His Son, whom He loves, to save the world. 1 John 4:14. Jesus remained faithful to His mission, and by His faithfulness, we were justified and have gained access, into God’s grace, by trusting Jesus. Romans 5:1 – 2. The same Jesus is also the firstborn from the dead. Because of our sin in the garden of Eden, we were dead in sin. “The sting of death is sin, and the sting of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:56 – 57. By His resurrection, Jesus Christ guarantees that all who accept Him as Savior, have His perfect and eternal life, here and now and forever. The adoration of Jesus. Read the next blog.

jesussimplified.com/blog post published 05-30-2020. Send Questions » [email protected] How should we read the book of Revelation? The message in the book of Revelation is clear. The entire book presents Jesus as the key figure, not some influential individual, not the Antichrist, not Satan. The only hero in the book of Revelation is Jesus Christ. However, a sincere reader of Revelation must avoid the temptation to concentrate his attention on the nature and possible meaning of the symbols and images. The book of Revelation presents Jesus relative to the conflict between the good and the evil. Accordingly, symbols and imagery used, with associated metaphors, provide contrast between what God is doing on behalf of humankind and what Satan is doing in efforts to disrupt God’s plans for the helpless and sinful humanity. The metaphor in the book of the Revelation serves to contrast good and evil in a more vivid, stunning, and noticeable way. Therefore, concentration on the various symbols and images to decipher their meaning distracts the reader from the main subject, Jesus Christ. Understanding who Jesus is and why He is the Christ was becoming lost in the first century of the Christian era. Therefore, Jesus reinstates the picture of Him throughout the conflict between the good and the evil. Thus, the readers of the book of Revelation should consider: First, John did not write the book in historically chronological order. Two, he did not write it in the sequence in which the vision appeared. He concentrated on what attracted his attention the most. The entire Revelation of Jesus appeared to John in a single day and a single picture. John wanted to know where Jesus is and what was He doing. Accordingly, he concentrated first on the parts of the vision that presented Jesus in the center. He received the entire Revelation on the day he was in the spirit but wrote it down sometimes after he observed it. The key focus of the vision is to present Jesus and Satan as the only participants engaged in the conflict. In support, the book depicts human agencies that have and are assisting Satan in his effort to frustrate God’s plan for humankind. To this end, the book of Revelation shows clearly, in a comprehensive presentation, the true nature of the Messiah, and why He had to come. What kind of Jesus do we find in John’s letter to the Churches? We see Jesus, who is the full and final unveiling of God to sinful humankind. John 17:6. Jesus is neither an addition to the previous announcement of God to humanity nor is He just one of the events in the history of the battle between good and evil. The birth, life, and death, of Jesus Christ is the only relevant and essential message in the entire Bible. The book of Revelation speaks to us about Jesus, who is above and superior to all and the reality of everything the Old Covenant people ever heard about God. The message from Jesus, in Revelation, encourages the yielded believers not to be apprehensive concerning the future. Jesus will, in just the right time, return to the earth, and bring with Him unimaginable reward for their loyalty and faithfulness. Revelation 1:7. Greetings to the churches. Read the next blog.

jesussimplified.com/blog post published 05-23-2020. Send Questions » [email protected] Introduction This series of Blogs will cover the book of Revelation. The Blogs will follow neither of the four (4) traditional interpretations. These series of Blogs will not employ the traditional interpretation of the prophecy. The goal of this series of Blogs is to present Jesus Christ. Who Jesus is, and why the Christ? This series of Blogs will build on the understanding, needs, and events as it was in the first two centuries of Christianity. Projections to the modern-day will follow the logical path as much as possible. This series of Blogs will not engage in fruitless analyses and dissection of various words. These Blogs will not present any conspiracy theories. All projections and applications to the future will accord with the Bible and a source to which the author of these Blogs had privileged access. “Revelation,” What does it mean? Is it a revelation of something or someone, or is it a revelation from someone? Proper understanding of the Revelation depends on how we apply the noun Revelation. The noun Revelation 1:1, in the Greek, begins, “Apokalupsis Iesou Christou,” which means literally, Revelation about Jesus Christ. The book of Revelation reveals something that has been hidden, or unknown. It tells us about the mystery of God, that will be covered later in this series. John wrote the letter to the Churches in Asia, from the Ephesus after his release from the prison on the island of Patmos, because he uses the past tense when he says “was” on the island of Patmos. The letter was then copied and sent to the seven churches in Asia. Also, the first three verses could have been written by those who copied it and sent it out to the churches in Asia. In verse four, John begins by introducing the subject of the letter to the churches. The title of the message to the Churches can be translated as “Revelation from Jesus,” however, because Jesus Christ is the central subject of the book of Revelation, the “Revelation about Jesus Christ” is the most probable and appropriate translation. The book of Revelation gives us an expanded picture of Jesus. It reveals to us who Jesus is and why He is the Christ. Accordingly, this series of blogs will always refer to the book of Revelation as “Revelation about (of) Jesus.” It is about Him and Him only. The assertion that Jesus Christ is the central subject of the book of Revelation raises a question. Why was it necessary for Jesus to again explain the truth about Him, to the first-century Christians? The same need does exist today in various displays. Jesus, after His resurrection, unrecognizably joined the two of His apostles on the road to Emmaus. He explained to them everything the Scripture says about the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Luke 24:25-27. Also, before Jesus ascended to heaven, He expounded the Scriptures to the apostles; and He opened their mind to understand it. Luke 24:44-48. He promised to come back to them. Accordingly, apostles preached that Jesus would return to earth in their time, the first century AD. Appropriately so, the converts to Christianity expected Jesus to return in during the first century of the Christian era, and while the Roman Empire still ruled. Their hope was high. The first century, however, was almost at its end. The eye-witnesses to Jesus, except John, were already dead or have been martyred; however, Jesus has not returned yet. The Christian church was experiencing severe persecution under the Roman Emperor Domitian. Accordingly, many questions and doubts arose in the minds of believers. Is Jesus really whom He said he was? Is he at the right hand of God? Does He see their difficulties? Will the Kingdom of God triumph over evil? These were the expected questions and doubts. Therefore, they needed to know the events that must transpire between Jesus’ coming as the Messiah, and His return as the King of kings. Also, they needed reassurance that Jesus will keep His promise no matter what. Accordingly, Jesus again reveals the truth about Him. He assures the churches that He is with them, and seas their troubles. He tells them that He will, in the fullness of time, return to earth as promised. No one should doubt that Jesus will, in just the right time, come back to earth and bring with Him the unimaginable rewards to those who are loyal to Him. How should we read Revelation? Read the next blog.

jesussimplified.com/blog post published 07-27-2019. Send Questions » [email protected]