Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 15 is about Prelude to the Bowl Judgments. In the arrangement of the Tabernacle, it refers to the ark of the Ark of Covenant. It is the repetition and enhancement of the book of Revelation chapter four and five. The Ark of Covenant consists of the parts as follows:
The ark of the Ark of Covenant is also shown in the book of John chapter fourteen.
John 14:1-3
14:1. "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
14:2. "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
14:3. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
Jesus has ascended to heaven to prepare a place for us. Then He will come a second time in the glory of the King of kings and the Heavenly Bridegroom to receive His bride who is as perfect as He is to Himself. Verse 1-3 refers to the readiness of Jesus as the Heavenly Bridegroom to come a second time soon.
John 14:5,8-9,21-22
14:5. Thomassaid to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"
14:8. Philipsaid to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."
14:9. Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
14:21. "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."
14:22. Judas (not Iscariot)said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"
The three disciples who represent the congregation with the three kinds of fleshly men must be ready too. The fleshly men must be overlaid with pure gold or the divine seed.
Now we learn about Philip.
Matthew 6:22-23
6:22. "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.
6:23. "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
There are two kinds of sight as follows:
In the book of John, there are four times that Philip meets and sees Jesus as follows:
God blesses us.
Revelation 15 is about Prelude to the Bowl Judgments. In the arrangement of the Tabernacle, it refers to the ark of the Ark of Covenant. It is the repetition and enhancement of the book of Revelation chapter four and five. The Ark of Covenant consists of the parts as follows:
- The mercy seat, namely the first cherub refers to God the Father, the mercy seat refers to Son of God, and the second cherub refers to Holy Spirit God.
So, the mercy seat refers to Lord Jesus Christ in the glory of the Heavenly Bridegroom. - The ark is made of shittim wood overlaid inside and outside with gold, so the wood is not seen anymore.
It refers to the sinful flesh and blood man who has been reborn by the divine seed, namely the Word, Holy Spirit, and God's love, so he becomes as perfect as Jesus. It is the heavenly bride who is ready to greet Jesus' second coming to enter the New Jerusalem.
The ark of the Ark of Covenant is also shown in the book of John chapter fourteen.
John 14:1-3
14:1. "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
14:2. "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
14:3. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
Jesus has ascended to heaven to prepare a place for us. Then He will come a second time in the glory of the King of kings and the Heavenly Bridegroom to receive His bride who is as perfect as He is to Himself. Verse 1-3 refers to the readiness of Jesus as the Heavenly Bridegroom to come a second time soon.
John 14:5,8-9,21-22
14:5. Thomassaid to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"
14:8. Philipsaid to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."
14:9. Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
14:21. "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."
14:22. Judas (not Iscariot)said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"
The three disciples who represent the congregation with the three kinds of fleshly men must be ready too. The fleshly men must be overlaid with pure gold or the divine seed.
- The journey of life of Thomasmust be overlaid with the pure gold, so it becomes the journey of faith until he receives the permanent and perfect faiths (the golden pot that had the manna in tabernacle).
- The sight of life of Philip is overlaid with the pure gold, so he has the permanent hope (Aaron's rod that budded, sprouted, and yielded fruits).
- The heart of Judas (not Iscariot)is overlaid with the pure gold, so he is filled with the perfect love (the two tablets of stone).
Now we learn about Philip.
Matthew 6:22-23
6:22. "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.
6:23. "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
There are two kinds of sight as follows:
- The good eye, so our whole body will be full of light. We have the good future, namely we can see Jesus when He comes a second time on the glorious clouds. We have the hope to meet Jesus, and enter the marriage supper of the Lamb of God, the One-Thousand-Year Kingdom of Peace, and the New Jerusalem.
1 John 3:2
3:2. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. - The bad eyeor the fleshly sight, namely one follows his lust, so he commits sins up to the peak. Consequently, he enters the outer darkness in the hell or the lake of fire and brimstone.
In the book of John, there are four times that Philip meets and sees Jesus as follows:
- John 1:43-47
1:43. The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."
1:44. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
1:45. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
1:46. And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
1:47. Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"
Philip was the scribe with the fleshly sight or the one of the Law. But after he was overlaid with the pure gold, he could see Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph who came to fulfill the Law, namely Jesus as the Savior.
Matthew 1:20-21
1:20. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
1:21. "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
Philip could see Jesus who came as the Savior to save the sinners who had broken the Law. Whoever believes in Him should not perish but be saved and have everlasting life. So, our sight must be stable about Jesus as the Savior, so we can become the ark which is overlaid with the pure gold. We know assuredly that Jesus is the Savior.
Acts 2:36-40
2:36. "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredlythat God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
2:37. Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"
2:38. Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptizedin the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
2:39. "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
2:40. And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation."
"to you and to your children" refers to the Israelites.
"to all who are afar off" refers to the Gentiles.
Both of them can be saved by Jesus. The facts found in receiving the salvation from Jesus are as follows:- 'know assuredly' means believing in Jesus as the only Savior. He is the only innocent man who can help us.
- Repenting or being dead to sin or stopping sinning. There is are no more hatred and lie. We are set free from the hand of Satan and returned to the hand of God.
- Water baptism or being born again.
- Holy Spirit baptism, namely we are anointed and fulfilled with Holy Spirit.
3:16. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
3:17. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
If we enter the true water baptism after believing in Jesus and repenting, we will come out or rise from water with Jesus, so the heavens are opened. Holy Spirit is poured out directly from heaven or Jesus Himself, not others. The result is new life or the heavenly one, namely the one like dove. In the book of Song of Solomon, dove is the surname for God's bride.
Revelation 15:2
15:2. And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.
We have the dove's heart, namely the one that is anointed by Holy Spirit. There are no bitterness, envy, and hatred. Our heart experiences peace. We do not condemn others. We are not condemned by Satan, others, ourselves, and God.
1 John 3:21-22
3:21. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.
3:22. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
The good conscience is the strong base, so our prayer is answered by God, and all of problems can be finished by Him.
Song of Solomon 1:15
1:15. THE BELOVED Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove's eyes.
The seeing of the dove is only to Jesus as the Savior and the spiritual or heavenly things, so it cannot look back like Lot's wife. Looking back means being unfaithful as well as leaving the ministry to God. If we have the dove's sight, we will be faithful and fervent in the field of God until Jesus comes a second time. If we are faithful and good, we will be ready to enter the marriage supper of the Lamb of God when Jesus comes a second time. During the pandemic we have the opportunity to do the introspection in our life whether we keep being faithful and fervent in God or not. - 'know assuredly' means believing in Jesus as the only Savior. He is the only innocent man who can help us.
- John 6:5-11
6:5. Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"
6:6. But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
6:7. Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."
6:8. One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him,
6:9. "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"
6:10. Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
6:11. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.
Philip saw Jesus and his sight was changed. Previously, he just saw two hundred denarii. It means seeing our power such as money, certificate, position, et cetera. But after his sight was overlaid with the Word, Holy Spirit, and God's love, he could see Jesus as the Great Shepherd.
The number a hundred and fifty refers to the length and the width of the Tabernacle. Seeing Jesus as the Great Shepherd means that we must be shepherded well and correctly. It starts from five thousand men (husband and shepherd) who must sit down and be firm in the shepherding. If we sit down, we will not fall. Further, wife and children will surely follow to be shepherded well and correctly. It is God's mercy when we and our family can be shepherd.
Being stable in the shepherding means that we just hear one voice, namely one repeated true teaching Word or the voice of the shepherd. We also persevere in the three kinds of main service to God. We keep staying in the sheepfold. As a result, our body, soul, and spirit attach to the Trinity of God. We are taken care of abundantly until we give thanks to God, and we become blessing for others. All things are not by our own power, but the Word. All things we have in this world are just the channel of the blessing of God.
Deuteronomy 8:3
8:3. "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.
The shepherding Word is the true teaching one, namely one verse that explains the other verses in the Holy Bible. We are often brought to the atmosphere of barrenness where we cannot sow and reap, so we can confess that we live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD or the true teaching Word. The atmosphere of the wilderness is difficulties and crisis in all aspects of life.
Matthew 15:21-28
15:21. Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
15:22. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed."
15:23. But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."
15:24. But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
15:25. Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"
15:26. But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."
15:27. And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."
15:28. Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
The Gentiles who cannot enjoy the crumbs or the Word will be demon-possessed. But, if we can eat the Word of God, we will be taken care of in the crisis, and the Word can change the Gentiles from dog to sheep that are shepherded by God. The Word of God also takes care of and unifies our marriage. - John 12:20-24
12:20. Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.
12:21. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
12:22. Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.
12:23. But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.
12:24. "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
Philip with the spiritual sight could see Jesus as the High Priest. It is signified by the following things:- Jesus ministers the ministry of the Israelites and Gentiles. Aaron as the High Priest just ministers the Israelites.
- Jesus comes with blood and incense to sprinkle two times seven sprinklings of blood to the Ark of Covenant to result in shekinah glory. The true ministry of the Gentiles must be signified with the sprinkling of blood, namely suffering without sin with Jesus, so there is a proof that we experience the ministry of Jesus as the High Priest.
2:16. For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.
2:17. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priestin things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
All of our sins are finished by the sprinkling of blood, namely we confess our sin to God (vertical), and we confess and forgive one another (horizontal). As a result, the blood of Jesus washes our sins, so we can live in righteousness. We experience the ministry of reconciliation by the High Priest.
Shekinah gloryis the Spirit of glory that changes us from the fleshly men to the spiritual ones. The fact is being strong and of good courage. We are not disappointed and desperate easily in the ministry, but we are happy as well as give thanks to God. A merry heart does good, like medicine for all diseases. We must do the introspection in our life and confess our sin when we suffer, so we experience the suffering without sin or the sprinkling of blood.
1 Peter 4:12-14
4:12. Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
4:13. but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
4:14. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.
Hebrews 2:18
2:18. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
Further, we experience God's miracle which is done by the Spirit of glory, namely the physical and spiritual miracles. Shekinah gloryis able to finish all of our problems up to the impossible ones. It continues until Jesus comes a second time that we are changed to become as perfect as He is. The shittim wood has been overlaid inside and outside with gold. - Jesus ministers the ministry of the Israelites and Gentiles. Aaron as the High Priest just ministers the Israelites.
- John 14:8-10
14:8. Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."
14:9. Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
14:10. "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
The view of Philip was overlaid, so he could see Jesus as the Heavenly Bridegroomthrough the prayer.
John 15:26
15:26. "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
In the Old Testament (the book of Isaiah), the Heavenly Bridegroom is called husband. In the New Testament, through the prayer on a high mountain, there are Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. It refers to the Trinity of God in Jesus. Jesus teaches and practices all kinds of prayers such as an hour prayer, fasting prayer, and all night-long prayer to be exemplified.
Isaiah 54:5-6, 10
54:5. For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.
54:6. For the LORD has called you Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, Like a youthful wife when you were refused," Says your God.
54:10. For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed," Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.
Having weakness, we must worship God soon, so we are overlaid with the divine gold. If we can see Jesus as the Heavenly Bridegroom, we will receive God's kindness that shall not depart from us regardless of anything that happens. First, the fleshly men must be overlaid with the divine gold, so we receive God's kindness.
The results are as follows:- Psalm 17:7-8
17:7. Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You From those who rise up against them.
17:8. Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,
We who are small and powerless experience God's protection and caring in the midst of the difficulties in the world. God protects and takes care of us miraculously and abundantly. We can give thanks; even God gives us the two wings of a great eagle to evacuate us to the wilderness when the Antichrist reigns over the world. We are taken care of by the Word and Holy Communion. Committing the Bible Study Service and Holy Communion is our practice to evacuate to the wilderness. We become the apple of God's eye, so God does not allow anything to hurt us. God will finish all things for us. - Genesis 39:21-23
39:21. But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
39:22. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing.
39:23. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.
God's mercy is able to give beautiful and successful future in His time. Nothing is impossible for God if we worship Him even though we are in the limited situation and condition. - Exodus 15:12-13
15:12. You stretched out Your right hand; The earth swallowed them.
15:13. You in Your mercy have led forth The people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength To Your holy habitation.
God's mercy is able to drown the great Pharaoh. It means that we win over all enemies, Satan, and the power of death. In the past time, the Israelites walked on dry land in the midst of the Red Sea, and won over the impossible problem. Further, they sang the song of Moses by the sea. Later, we will sing together by the sea of glass mingled with fire [Revelation 15:2].
God's merciful hand also leads us to the last dwelling place, namely the throne of the heavenly kingdom or the New Jerusalem or everlasting home. God's merciful hand will crown us with the crown of the bride. It means that we have won over the death. We are purified and changed up to perfection like Him.
Psalm 103:4-5
103:4. Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
103:5. Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The two wings of a great eagle will lift us up on the glorious clouds to greet Jesus. We enter the New Jerusalem forever.
- Psalm 17:7-8
God blesses us.