Light of the Nations' Foursquare Church in Denver Podcast

In chapter 12 there is a story of a dragon and a woman and a child. The dragon fights the woman (Israel/ the people of God) and the child (Jesus). The dragon cannot reach the child (Jesus) so all his anger is against “the woman” and her descendants (us) - the true believers.

Satan cannot get to Jesus anymore. Recognize that the devil is turning his attention to you - for one reason - to get at Jesus through you!

God is in control. He is in control through all of the hard times and the good times.

We cannot ignore the devil. He is active and present and he wants to destroy any of God’s creation. You don’t have to believe in him for him to destroy you. He wants to kill and steal and destroy.

Modern, educated people don’t believe in the devil. They think he is a myth. But that is part of his trick. If you don’t think he exists, you let your guard down and make yourself vulnerable to him and his tricks.

Hyper religious people can be so scared of the devil that they become paralyzed by fear. These are the people who see the devil behind every door.

The devil has only limited power. God is stronger. You have no need for fear because God is on your side.

Today, there are kings who want to be like God. In chapter 13 another beast comes out of the sea. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority to rule. It has the body of a leopard (represents cruelty and cunning), the feat of a bear (represents strength and power) and the mouth of a lion (which represents a bloodthirsty nation).

One of the beast’s heads appeared to have been killed, but the lethal wound had been healed. And the whole world followed the beast in amazement. Bible scholars think this refers to king Nero.

The beast was given a mouth speaking proud words and blasphemies, and he was permitted to exercise ruling authority for forty-two months. (limited time) So the beast opened his mouth to blaspheme against God - to blaspheme both his name and his dwelling place, that is, those who dwell in heaven. The beast was permitted to go to war against the saints and conquer them. He was given ruling authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation, and all those who live on the earth will worship the beast, **everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed. If anyone has an ear, he had better listen! The people worshipped the dragon & the beast.

This is not the end. God is in charge! True believers will have abundant life. This requires steadfast endurance and faith from the saints.

Then there is another beast. Sometimes called a prophet or false prophet. This beast looks like a lamb but is actually the devil. We need to beware of these false prophets.

God provides things and activities for us to have and do. But it is important that we choose the right time. There is a time for everything that God provides. For example, pregnancy. This is a wonderful thing and a blessing to us. But for a young girl, not so much. In Genesis, there is there tree of knowledge of good and evil. It is beautiful and pleasing to the eye. Genesis actually says the fruit was good to eat. But God commanded that Adam and Eve not eat it. The would likely have been a time when eating of that tree would have been a blessing. But they eat from it at the wrong time and it was a curse for all mankind.

They had to grow. They were so young and innocent. The word of God is the only thing that would help them grow. It needs to be understood and a part of them. Then and only then can the next step be taken.

When we don’t do things at the right time, we may not be the only ones facing the consequences. God wants us to do things at the right time. But how do we know that it is the right time? We need to go to the school of God. The word of God is the only way.

The Bible says faith comes by hearing. And what we are hearing is the Word of God.

It is time to receive the salvation and grace of Jesus Christ. To let Him in. This is true for believers and non-believers alike. We need to repent and go back to Him.

Jesus is fighting to take the world back to himself. At the time of the birth of Jesus there was an invasion of Heaven to Earth. The devil si committed to fight against the Lord, always. When we testify about the Lord, when we pray we are fighting the battle against the devil. We need to go and lift up our prayer in the place where we want the results of prayer to happen.

Light is stronger than darkness. Light will always overcome the darkness.

Then a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and on her head was a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was screaming in labor pains, struggling to give birth. v 1-2

Where in the Bible do we read about twelve stars, the sun and the moon. Joseph’s dream!

The woman represents the people of God, Israel/

Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadem crowns. Now the dragon's tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. v 3-4

The woman is the people of God. The dragon is the devil. The seven heads of the dragon represent the seven kingdoms on earth. The dragon works through the kingdoms on the earth. The dragon is the anti-Christ and the kingdoms represent the heart of Satan. This vison occurs in the Old Testament as well. In the book of Daniel. The ten horns are the power of ten kings and they are all concentrated in a single anti-Cristian power coming against the people of God.

So the woman gave birth to a son, a male child, who is going to rule over all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was suddenly caught up to God and to his throne, and she fled into the wilderness where a place had been prepared for her by God, so she could be taken care of for 1,260 days.

So that huge dragon - the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world - was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him. v 9

There are times when we have to say no to the devil. But the strongest power we have is to say yes to God. To pray and worship brings down the power of God and changes reality. It can be hard to praise God when you are angry, but it can change the world.

Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But the dragon was not strong enough to prevail, so there was no longer any place left in heaven for him and his angels. v7

“The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the ruling authority of his Christ, have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, the one who accuses them day and night before our God, has been thrown down. But they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Therefore, you heavens rejoice, and all who reside in them! But woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you! He is filled with terrible anger, for he knows that he only has a little time!” (10 - 12)

We have to recognize we are in a war. And we have to decide which side we are on!!! When we lie, steal, commit adultery, we do the work on the side of the enemy - the dragon!!

We had some technical difficulties the past few weeks so there are some missing episodes.

John is commanded to measure the Temple area. He is going out to surround a space that is holy and protected. The temple was a safe place and a place of refuge. He was not to measure the outer space where the gentiles could come in because the city had been overrun. So he was only to measure the inner sanctuary. The message is that there is a place of protection for us from the spirit of this world. But we can only be protected if we go there. You need to have a place where you go to praise God in your home. Have regular times of prayer and devotion at home every day.

Revelation is not like a movie telling the events of history one at a time. like a DVD (although many people interpret it that way). The purpose of Revelation is to give people who are facing trying times a HOPE so they will remain FAITHFUL TO GOD.

THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION IS TO PERSUADE US TO BE FAITHFUL TO GOD (both ancient readers and today’s readers) IN SPITE OF PAST, PRESENT OR FUTURE SUFFERING.

There is a single message of revelation: to the people of earth who are threatened by the political leaders and deadly forces, we are assured of heavenly victory!!!!! That’s it. Because our Jesus has victory

The head that once was crowned with thorns Is crowned with glory now. The Savior knelt to wash our feet, now at his feet we bow.

The one who wore our sin and shame, now robed in majesty. The radiance of perfect love now shines for all to see.

Yesu Anakupenda!

The security of the church.

The church is held secure and safe in the time of the anti-christ. Jerusalem, the holy city, has been given over to the world. Only the temple is secure. The world is trying to overrun us.

Parents, beware of what your kids are watching on TV. In fact, beware of what you are watching on TV and the internet! Ask the Lord to show you what is OK.

In the Bible, the story of Lot is a picture of how we interact with the world. At first his tents were way outside the city of Sodom. Then he moved them closer and eventually his tents were inside the city. This was Sodom with all of the evil associated with it. We need to not compromise on our morals. God has called on you to be like Abraham and intercede on behalf of your family.

In verse three, we read about the two witnesses. Who are they? They speak for God in the midst of the holy city.

These witnesses have the power of Elijah and Moses. The olive tree and lamp stands are symbolic of the church in its prophetic and priestly capacity, like Elijah like Moses. You are the prophet and the priest. You need to represent God to your neighbors. We need to use this power in school. in work. in your neighborhood. The people next door. This is your battle.

Sodom, Egypt, Jerusalem. = all together rejected and killed the Son of God. But after 3 and a half days the breath of God raises them. This is a picture of a revival so tremendous so as to awe the whole world.

The seventh trumpet begins to sound at the end of this chapter. It signals the beginning of the rest of the events of revelation. It starts a 1000 year reign of Christ on the earth.

In verse 18 it says “The nations were angry and your wrath has come.” People are angry and God’s wrath is coming. There will be judgment of the wicked and rewards for the righteous.

After this I saw…

Revelation is not written like a story book. It is a repeating of the same events from different viewpoints. There is a list of the twelve tribe of Israel and it states that there are 12,000 from each tribe that gets into heaven. This is probably a symbolic number. The angel puts a seal on the forehead of each person and that protects them from the events of the tribulation.

Verse 9 describes a multitude beyond count. These are all of the people who are saved and they come from every tribe and every language.

In verse eleven it lists several words. This is what the multitude is saying. Praise, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power and strength. Seven words. Remember that the number seven represents completeness or perfection.

As Christians we are called to strive for holiness. We are not perfect but we are to try to do better. And our sin is covered by the blood of Jesus. Our sins are forgiven.

What God is expecting from me? What could this powerful God expect from me, a simple human? Good news! Although we were the people under the leadership of ourselves and the devil, God sent His Son to rescue us! Do you think that God did everything for no reason? NO!

We are to serve the Glory of God.

In Joppa there was a woman named Tabitha. She was a simple woman but even though she was not rich, she did good things for everyone around her. She became sick and died. Peter came and told her to get up and she did. This was a great thing. But it wasn’t for her benefit, or even for the benefit of those she touched. It was for the Glory of God. This is what people will notice. It is time for us to take action. So people will notice. Do something that has value to God.

It is good for you to go to church but God wants more. He wants you to go further. He wants you to touch the people around you.

Everyone in church looks so holy, but when you ask the people around them it is something different. This is the face that you are actually showing on behalf of God. This does not reflect well on God.

There was a widow with a daughter. She had a sewing machine. During the war she buried the machine. This was very valuable. An evangelist came to her town and preached. She dug up the machine and gave it to the church. Seven months later her daughter became very sick. The doctors tried to help but the daughter died. The woman was crying “My machine!” She was reminding God that she gave away her machine for the church. God heard he pleas and answered. So a man came and prayed for the girl. The doctors were preparing her for burial but allowed the man to pray. She came back to life! God honors those who honor Him!

The bible says that we will see the difference between those who serve Him and those who do not. But these days it is hard to see the difference. The church in the world and the world in the church. There is much confusion.

The time has come to stand up and show the glory of the Lord. We need to be different from other people. We need to do good things. If we aren’t doing anything good for God, He may see you as useless. This is a big danger.

All of chapter 6 is the opening of the scroll. There are seven seals and one is opened at a time. Each seal reveals a new prophesy. Only Jesus can open the seals.

The first seal. A voice said “come” calling out to someone. There came a white horse and its rider held a bow. He rode out as a conqueror. This isn’t Jesus because he is a conqueror. We think this rider is the Anti-Christ.

The second seal. A voice said “come” and out comes a rider on a red horse. This rider has power to take away peace from the earth. The red horse stands for war.

The third seal. A voice said “come” and out comes a rider on a black horse. This stands for famine. The rider said two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages.

The fourth seal. A voice said “come” and out comes a pale green horse. This horse stands for death. Followed by hades. They were given power over one-fourth of all of the people.

The fifth seal. There is revealed under the alter in heaven the souls of all of the people who died for Jesus’ name. These souls are calling out to God and asking how long until their blood is avenged. They are told a little while longer until the full number of martyrs is reached.

The sixth seal. The sun turns black and the moon turns red. A third of the stars fall from the sky. There was a shaking wind. Heavens rolled back like a scroll and they could see straight up into heaven. There is a huge earthquake and the mountains moved and the islands of the sea were covered. The kings of the earth, the princes and the generals, the rich and the mighty and everyone else hid in the caves and the rocks. Everyone had to go into hiding. They were praying for the mountains to fall on them. No one could look into the face of God.

Then the great day of the wrath of the Lord comes and no one can stand it.

Report on youth conference and Sports Camp!

God is on the throne in heaven. He is always on the throne, in charge. No matter what.

There are 24 elders who are before the throne. They bow down and remove their crowns. This is a lesson for us. There is no room for pride before God. Whatever you have done that makes you think you are pretty good, it is nothing before God. Pride is a sin and there simply is no room for that in heaven. Take it to the throne and lay it down. The song in heaven is “All praise, all honor, all glory to God.”

On the right hand of God there is a scroll. On the scroll is the prophesy the God is about to say. But it has seven seals. Each seal reveals more prophesy. But there is no one who can open the seals. So John is very distraught over this. Look! The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the root of David has conquered! He can open the scroll and the seven seals!

We run into the number seven a lot in Revelation. Seven is the number of perfection or completion.

Suddenly John sees the Lamb standing on the throne. The Lamb is Jesus and Jesus is God! The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes. When you see a horn in the Bible it means power. So seven horns means complete power and seven eyes means perfect sight. The Lamb looked as though it had been slain.

When the Lamb takes the scroll, the four creatures bow down and the 24 elders bow down.

There are golden bowls of incense and the elders are holding the bowls. The smoke from the incense is our prayers. The sweet aroma of our prayers. Your prayers go to the throne of heaven and God hears them.

The people in heaven are singing a song.

Kids church time – Father’s Day.

Chapter four is our first look into heaven. In chapter five we will have another look into heaven. In chapter four we will have a revelation of God and in chapter five we will have a revelation of Jesus Christ.

John is being given a vision of what heaven looks like. He isn’t actually going there but he has an experience of it. The first thing he sees is a throne with someone seated on the throne. It is God sitting on the throne in all His majesty. The throne is in the center. The one sitting on the throne is described in color. He looked like jasper and ruby. These are red colored stones. That is all it says about the description because God is indescribable.

Around the throne is this emerald color and around that is 24 elders dressed in white with crowns of gold. From the throne comes flashes of lightning and peals of thunder. Sound, light and power!

When you pray, your prayers go to the most powerful force in the whole universe. The most powerful force in the whole universe is listening to your prayers.

In front of the throne are seven lamps blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. (Wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, fear of the Lord, delight in the fear of the Lord.)

In front of all this was something like a sea of glass. We have glass everywhere. But in this day it was very rare. It is meant to imply a window into heaven. In Ezekiel this is all described also as being above us in the sky. In Genesis it is described as dividing the waters. And the sky is like a solid platform.

There were seraphim and cherubim. There were four of them. The first one was like a lion. The second one was like an ox. The third one had a face like a man. The fourth one looked like a flying eagle. Each had six wings and was full of eyes al around them. The main purpose of these angels is to worship. The eyes are to see everything. God and His angels see everything. You can’t hide from God.

The lion speaks of courage. The ox symbolizes strength. The man symbolizes intelligence in the service of God. The eagle symbolizes the speed of God.

Fathers need to pray for and with their families.