Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 6:7-8
6:7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see."
6:8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
The opening of the fourth seal is the same as the fourth judgment of Holy Spirit to the world, namely there is the revival of a pale horse that the Death and Hades have power over a fourth of the earth to kill men with many ways.
There are three kinds of death as follows.
Revelation 6:7
6:7When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see."
Revelation 4:7
4:7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
The fourth living creature said "Come and see."It was like a flying eagle, namely the life that is active or ready to welcome Jesus' second coming on the glorious clouds. Thus, we must be active or ready to welcome Jesus' second coming on the glorious clouds to be set free from the death.
Revelation 22:20
22:20 He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
"Surely I am coming quickly." refers to the readiness of Jesus to come a second time.
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!refers to the readiness of the perfect church to welcome Jesus' second coming.
Thus, there is a meeting between Jesus, the heavenly Bridegroom, with the perfect church or the heavenly bride to enter the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9), the future Paradise [Revelation 20], and the New Jerusalem [Revelation 21-22] or the eternal heavenly kingdom. There is no more death.
The entrance to Paradise and the heavenly kingdom is the marriage supper of the Lamb or the spiritual marriage. Therefore, let us keep the righteousness, holiness, and unity in our physical marriage, from the beginning and during it until we can reach the spiritual marriage.
The requirements to welcome Jesus' second coming are as follows.
God blesses you.
Revelation 6:7-8
6:7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see."
6:8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
The opening of the fourth seal is the same as the fourth judgment of Holy Spirit to the world, namely there is the revival of a pale horse that the Death and Hades have power over a fourth of the earth to kill men with many ways.
There are three kinds of death as follows.
- Bodily death because of old age, sickness, and so on.
- Spiritual death, namely living or enjoying in sins up to the peak or the sins concerning eating-drinking and marrying-being given in marriage. One does not want to repent until he cannot repent. Consequently, he is separated from God.
- The second death in the lake of fire or the hell.
Revelation 6:7
6:7When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see."
Revelation 4:7
4:7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
The fourth living creature said "Come and see."It was like a flying eagle, namely the life that is active or ready to welcome Jesus' second coming on the glorious clouds. Thus, we must be active or ready to welcome Jesus' second coming on the glorious clouds to be set free from the death.
Revelation 22:20
22:20 He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
"Surely I am coming quickly." refers to the readiness of Jesus to come a second time.
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!refers to the readiness of the perfect church to welcome Jesus' second coming.
Thus, there is a meeting between Jesus, the heavenly Bridegroom, with the perfect church or the heavenly bride to enter the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9), the future Paradise [Revelation 20], and the New Jerusalem [Revelation 21-22] or the eternal heavenly kingdom. There is no more death.
The entrance to Paradise and the heavenly kingdom is the marriage supper of the Lamb or the spiritual marriage. Therefore, let us keep the righteousness, holiness, and unity in our physical marriage, from the beginning and during it until we can reach the spiritual marriage.
The requirements to welcome Jesus' second coming are as follows.
- Receiving and experiencing the work of the prophetic Word, namely edifying, comforting, and exhorting.
Revelation 22:18-19
22:18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;
22:19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. - Receiving and experiencing the work of the grace of God.
Revelation 22:21
22:21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."
Titus 2:11
2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
The grace of God happens in our life through the sacrifice of Christ. It is able to save the sinners. It forgives the sins, so we are not condemned or destroyed, but set free from sins. Moreover, it is able to perfect us.
1 Peter 5:10
5:10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
2 Corinthians 6:1-3
6:1 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
6:2 For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
6:3 We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed.
The attitude towards the grace is not making it in vain. It means that we do not easily stumble or get angry and we do not become stumbling-block for others.
Matthew 18:6
18:6 "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
The consequence of being the stumbling-block is that the millstone are bound to the neck and such life is drowned in the sea. It means that he lives in heavy burdens, weariness, sorrows, and tears, without the beautiful future life. His spiritual life decreases. He lives in the sins of Babylon, namely the ones concerning eating-drinking and marrying-being given in marriage until he is drowned and destroyed in the lake of fire and brimstone.
Revelation 18:21
18:21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore.
Be careful! The stumbling-block happens in the servants of God whom He uses.
Matthew 16:18, 21-23
16:18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
16:21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
16:22 Then Peter took Him asideand began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"
16:23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."
For example, Jesus had just confessed Peter as the rock or the strong foundation in the edification of the perfect body of Christ or he had been set free from the death. Nevertheless, only a while he changed into the stumbling-block. Therefore, we must be careful when God uses our life. We must keep humble before God, so we will not fall.
Peter used his fleshly mind, so he changed from the rock to the stumbling-block. He was hard-hearted, stubborn, and egoistic. Jesus would go to Jerusalem to be persecuted and crucified, but Peter took Jesus aside. It might have been right in the logic, but there is no spiritual value. Consequently, there is no salvation.
The mind of the cross seems foolish, but it brings salvation up to the perfection.
The facts found in the fleshly mind are as follows.- Rejecting the cross or the experience of death and resurrection with Jesus.
It starts from the water baptism. The true water baptism happens when one who has believed in Jesus and died to sin is buried in water with Him to be raised with Him and receive the new life.
Using the fleshly mind, one will reject the true water baptism. Consequently, he does not experience the renewal of life from the fleshly man to the spiritual one like Jesus. It means that he keeps on being a man in blood and flesh who will not inherit the heavenly kingdom, so he perishes forever.
Ephesians 4:24-26
4:24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
4:25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.
4:26 "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
The characteristic of the new man is that he does not lie and get angry with hatred or without the love.
Peter lied and denied Jesus three times. He got angry with hatred, so he cut the ears of Malchus. He became the same of Satan.
John 8:44
8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.- Being the enemy of the cross.
Philippians 3:18-19
3:18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
3:19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on earthly things.
It means the servant of God whose mind is set only to the fleshly or worldly things that fade away.
John 21:3
21:3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.
Peter had been appointed as the fisher of men, but he returned to become the fisherman because of using the fleshly mind to get the physical things although it was not in line with the will of God. It might have been right in the mind of human because Jesus had been dead or none would feed them, but he lost the grace of God because what he did was not in line with the will of God.
"We are going with you also."refers to the fellowship which is not in line with the will of God or without the true teaching Word. They only followed him to be the enemy of the cross. The facts found in being the enemy of the cross are as follows. - Unfaithfulness; even one leaves the service and ministry because of the fleshly or worldly things.
- Serving and ministering to God only to look for fleshly things.
John 21:7
21:7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.
Peter became naked. It means falling and rising in sins up to the peak, namely the sins concerning eating- drinking and marrying-being given in marriage. - Being the enemy of the cross.
- Only making Jesus as the king of the world to fulfill the physical things. Such life is the same as Satan.
John 6:15
6:15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.
Matthew 4:8-10
4:8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
4:9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."
4:10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"
Peter took Jesus aside means an arrogance. He did not want to be shepherded.
John 10:4
10:4 "And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
The true shepherding happens when a pastor goes forward as the example to the sheep behind that follow him. The requirements to be shepherded are as follows.- Always dwelling in the shepherding pen or the Holy Place by the perseverance in doing the three main services to God as follows.
- Golden Candlestick or perseverance in doing General Service to have the fellowship with Holy Spirit God in the gifts. The sheep is drinking.
- Table of Showbread or perseverance in doing Bible Study Service with Holy Communion to get the fellowship with the Son of God in the Word and the sacrifice of Christ. The sheep is eating.
- Golden Altar of Incense or perseverance in doing Worship Prayer Service to get the fellowship with Father God in the love. The sheep is breathing.
10:1 ""Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
We indeed have to pass through a narrow door or experience the cross to enter the shepherding pen. It is heavy to our flesh, but our life becomes easy and light.
As a result, our body soul, and spirit attach to the Trinity of God, so the trinity of Satan cannot touch us. We get the spiritual growth towards the maturity or perfection. We become the bride of God. We are set free from the death. - Golden Candlestick or perseverance in doing General Service to have the fellowship with Holy Spirit God in the gifts. The sheep is drinking.
- Doing our duty in the shepherding pen.
The duty of a pastor is feeding the sheep with healthy food, namely the repetitive true teaching Word, as well as lifting up the intercession prayer for the physical and spiritual salvation of the congregation, so that they are not scattered.
The duty of a sheep is eating or hearing and obeying the shepherding Word. Peter was arrogant, so he took Jesus aside. It means disobedience and being the same as Satan who will be destroyed.
- Always dwelling in the shepherding pen or the Holy Place by the perseverance in doing the three main services to God as follows.
21:15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."
21:16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep."
21:17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.
21:18 "Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish."
21:19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."
The solution is returning to the shepherding pen by the perseverance in doing the three main services to God. We get the spiritual growth to be mature spiritually.
Hebrews 5:14
5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discernboth good and evil.
We can receive the solid food as well as the rebuke and advice. We do not easily stumble or become stumbling block. We can have the good five senses or conscience. The facts found in it are as follows.- The gentle heart which is able to discern expressly between the true teachings and the false ones. We can confess the wrong thing in our life, so we can confess our sins to God and others. We can make reconciliation by confessing and forgiving one another.
- Being strong and of good courage or obedient until the flesh does not speak anymore and we can willingly offer all things for God. We are not disappointed or hopeless. We do not give up, but surrender all impossible things to God. We keep faithful and believing in God. As a result, God will stretch out His great merciful hands to solve all impossible problems. The guarantee is the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
Revelation 7:17
7:17 "for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
There is a beautiful successful future life. We are sanctified and changed until we are as perfect as Jesus is and able to welcome His second coming on the glorious clouds; even we can enter the New Jerusalem.
Revelation 21:14, 19
21:14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
21:19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,
Through the shepherding pen, Peter who had been a stumbling block or the millstone could be appointed as the jewel or the foundation in the New Jerusalem. - Rejecting the cross or the experience of death and resurrection with Jesus.
God blesses you.