(new article tomorrow for certain)
"When you study the Bible, if you just read it, it's so weirdly wonderful how it blows out of the water all the things people have always told you that it says and the things that you thought it taught," says Richard Jordan.
"Revelation 1:20 says, [20] The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
"In Israel's temple and in their tabernacle, they had the menorah, but it was one candlestick with seven branches. Here you have seven separate candlesticks. That's telling you you're dealing with a period of time where the nation Israel has been scattered among the nations; they're no longer that one nation gathered together.
"Now, I'm looking for somebody who's got the seven stars in his right hand who walks in the midst of the seven candlesticks.
Verses 16-17: [16] And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. [17] And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
"Who is it that's walking amidst the candlesticks and has the stars? It's Christ. Every one of these letters to each one of these churches begins with an introductory description.
"Well, if you go to Revelation 2:[18] And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass.
"Go back to 1:14-15: [14] His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; [15] And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
"Each one of the angels' telling them, 'I'm the messenger, but the one who's talking to you is the glorified Son of man.' For each description John gives of Christ, you'll see that the issue in the description is the issue He's going to deal with each church about.
"Probably one of the most enlightening things I've ever read came from Thomas Newberry and E.W. Bullinger, back in the 1800s, as they taught through the Book of Revelation and had commentaries pointing out that each one of these churches, in the context of remembering, calls to remembrance Israel's past history.
"It's something out of Israel's history that would bring into the consciousness of someone familiar with the Old Testament, which a believing Jew would be, an issue in Israel's history that will correspond with what these churches are facing in 'the last days.'
*****
"Revelation 1:9 says, [9] I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
"There's more tomfoolery taught about that verse than any other verse in the book. John was not exiled on the Isle of Patmos because they didn't like what he was preaching and got mad at him and stuck him on an island. That's what you're told. That isn't what the verse says at all.
"He didn't say anything about being exiled. He said, 'I'm there to get something from God.' What did John get at Patmos? Revelation 1:2: [2] Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
"He went there for the purpose of getting the information God gave him. He's there on purpose. John writes in verse 10, 'I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet.'
"That's the guy that we read in verse 13 and following; that's the Lord Jesus Christ talking to him. Notice, 'I was in the Spirit.' That was a common statement in the prophets about being in a prophetic vision.
"In the Bible, 'the Lord's day' is a day in prophecy that's future from where we are. John was literally transported out of the 1st Century into the future to see in prophetic vision the things that are going to come to pass out there.
"The literary order of Revelation corresponds to the historical order found in the Bible. He starts in Ephesus with a historical reference and then it travels through the Scripture. It's fascinating how this works, and he's going to point them back to those past things they're going to face where they are.
*****
"Revelation 2:4: [4] Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. He says, 'You're problem is you've left your first love.' Where does that take them back to? The beginning of the nation Israel. That's a concept that's used several times in the prophets to describe Israel when God first formed that nation.
"Jeremiah 2 says, [1] Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, [2] Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.
"Write down by that passage Ezekiel 16 where you'll see God describing bringing Israel out of Egypt and literally marrying her, entering into a covenant. We've studied about Israel being the wife of Jehovah.
"As a nation, Israel's first love was Jehovah. Hosea 11 says, [1] When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. Look at Exodus 4: [22] And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn.
"We sing that song, 'I love Him because He first loved me.' Well, that's what God did. When He says, 'You left your first love,' it's, 'Listen, God gave birth to you and you've forsaken the purpose for which He gave birth to you. You've lost your way.'
*****
"Revelation 2: [8] And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; [9] I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. [10] Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
"There's some satanic doctrines of devils being propagated in Israel back in the Book of Numbers. Balaam was a prophet Balak hired to curse Israel and God wouldn't let him do it, so what Balak did is he taught Israel how to get God to curse them by introducing Baal worship, going after false gods.
"By the way, you notice it's the doctrine of Baal. In Revelation 2 it's the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. The passage reads, [14] But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. [15] So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
"We're talking about a doctrinal issue that's going to curse. The teaching corrupted the nation by causing them to commit fornication and sacrifice things and eat things sacrificed to idols, to devils.
"II Peter 2:15: [15] Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
"You know why Balaam did what he did? He says in Numbers 31 before he gets killed, 'Oh, let me die the death of a righteous man.' You?! Ha! That's a little late, man.
"When you read about Balaam in Numbers 22-24 what you find out is Balak came down with a big bag of money and said, 'I'll pay you to curse Israel.' Balaam, always looking for a buck, goes and asks God, 'What do I do?' and the Lord says, 'Don't go, you can't curse them.'
"So he goes and tells Balak what God said and they come back with, 'We'll give you more money.' God tells Balaam again, 'You can't curse them,' so he goes out and says, 'Well, I can't curse them, but I'll take the money and go with you.' Four times he tried to curse them and God wouldn't let him. But the guy loved the wages of unrighteousness. He wanted the money. The love of money, right there, is the root of all evil.
"I just want you to see how important this stuff in Numbers is to these tribulation saints. Jude 11: [11] Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
"Notice there are three examples (Cain, Balaam and Core) of how the seductive policy of the Adversary is going to seek to seduce the nation Israel into idolatry, the Baal worship.
"Balaam is right in the middle of it. The way of Baal, the error of Baal, the doctrine of Baal. Three different issues. It's a big thing in Numbers and it's a big thing in Revelation.
"By the way, when he says 'where Satan's seat is,' that specific idolatry associated with him, Numbers 31 says they killed Balaam with a sword.
"Look at Revelation 2:12-13: [12] And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; [13] I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
"Come down to verses 16-17: [16] Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. [17] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
"Now, he does that in Revelation 19. My point is the way they got rid of Baal and Balaam, that's the judgment that's going to fall on these guys. So, what Revelation does is keeps pulling back things from that history there, and if you were a biblically-intelligized Israeli at this time, you'd see those connections.
"Ahab and his wife Jezebel were the people who took Baal worship and made it a state religion in Israel. They intensified it, not just to something that some Israelis were doing, but they literally made it the national religion. Instead of God's truth, it became the Balak truth. It's the official religion, by the way, of the Antichrist in Revelation 17: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
"That's why he says in Revelation 2:24: [24] But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.
"The depths of Satan is that intensive zenith form of Baal worship where Israel's completely captivated by that blinding false doctrine. That's when they're carried out into captivity.
*****
"Those first four churches focus on Israel's history up to the captivity. When you come to chapter 3 with the church of Sardis, you're going to see Israel in captivity; the fifth course of judgment begins there.
"Revelation 3: [5] He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.[6] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
"If you're not going to blot the overcomer out, what would you do to a guy who didn't overcome? You'd blot his name out.
"Matthew 10: [32] Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. [33] But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
"So if you don't overcome, you don't confess Him, what does He do? He denies you. That's that reciprocal activity of the Abrahamic Covenant.
"When Israel's fifth course starts, Deuteronomy 29 says, [19] And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:
[20] The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.
[21] And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:
"He says, 'I'm going to wipe you off the record of Israel's history,' and that issue of blotting out their name has to do with sending them away into captivity; taking their citizenship away by taking the nation away. If you're a man without a country, you're gone.
"I know people get bent out of shape about this passage, trying to get around the idea of having your name taken out of the Book of Life, but if you look at Revelation 7, Dan and Ephraim are left out of the list of the tribes who get sealed and out of whom the 144,000 come."