Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We still read in Revelation 2: 9-10 (the church in SMYRNAthat has been explained in General Service in Surabaya, September 14, 2014)
2:9."I know your works, tribulation, and poverty(but you are rich); and I know the blasphemyof those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
2:10 "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
The physical conditions of the church in Smyrnaor the one in the last days written in verse 9 are as follows.
Nevertheless, the church in Smyrna is rich spiritually.
The condition of the church in Smyrna is also in the peak of suffering as it is written in verse 10 as follows.
We have learnt the tribulation for ten daysDanielexperienced to live in holiness and get the wisdom of Godand the one Rebecahexperienced to be shepherded and become the bride or wife of Isaac. The church in Smyrnaalso experienced the tribulation for ten days. It means the suffering in the flesh together with Jesus to receive the love of God(it is explained in General Service in Surabaya, October12, 2014).
The figure tenreminds us to the two tablets of stone (God's love).
Matthew 24: 12
24:12. "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
We extremely need the love of God in the last days because there will be the crisis of love. It is the greatest crisis that the love will grow coldor be frozen like ice. The hard heart and the fire of lawlessness will also increasethat the condemnation of God comes to the world in the last days.
Thus, God lets the tribulation happen for ten daysnot tomake us perish, but get His love.
It has happened and becomes a prophecy.
Exodus 9: 23-24
9:23. And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.
9:24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
= the seventh plague, namely the hail and fire mingled with the hail when Israelites were going out of Egypt.
It will happen again in the last days.
Revelation 16: 17, 21
16:17.Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, "It is done!"
16:21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.
The great hail with the firewill happen when the church is going out of the worldto meet the Lord on the glorious clouds.
2 Peter 3: 10
3:10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
Therefore, we have to keep the love of Godin our life now so that we are not struck by the hail with fire from heaven.
God shows the plague for the world, but He provides the safe place for us.
There are places for keeping the love of Godso that we do not be cold or rebellious as follows.
God blesses you.
We still read in Revelation 2: 9-10 (the church in SMYRNAthat has been explained in General Service in Surabaya, September 14, 2014)
2:9."I know your works, tribulation, and poverty(but you are rich); and I know the blasphemyof those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
2:10 "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
The physical conditions of the church in Smyrnaor the one in the last days written in verse 9 are as follows.
- In tribulation.
- In poverty.
- Being slandered.
Nevertheless, the church in Smyrna is rich spiritually.
The condition of the church in Smyrna is also in the peak of suffering as it is written in verse 10 as follows.
- In prison.
- Being tested.
- Having tibulation for ten days.
We have learnt the tribulation for ten daysDanielexperienced to live in holiness and get the wisdom of Godand the one Rebecahexperienced to be shepherded and become the bride or wife of Isaac. The church in Smyrnaalso experienced the tribulation for ten days. It means the suffering in the flesh together with Jesus to receive the love of God(it is explained in General Service in Surabaya, October12, 2014).
The figure tenreminds us to the two tablets of stone (God's love).
Matthew 24: 12
24:12. "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
We extremely need the love of God in the last days because there will be the crisis of love. It is the greatest crisis that the love will grow coldor be frozen like ice. The hard heart and the fire of lawlessness will also increasethat the condemnation of God comes to the world in the last days.
Thus, God lets the tribulation happen for ten daysnot tomake us perish, but get His love.
It has happened and becomes a prophecy.
Exodus 9: 23-24
9:23. And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.
9:24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
= the seventh plague, namely the hail and fire mingled with the hail when Israelites were going out of Egypt.
It will happen again in the last days.
Revelation 16: 17, 21
16:17.Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, "It is done!"
16:21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.
The great hail with the firewill happen when the church is going out of the worldto meet the Lord on the glorious clouds.
2 Peter 3: 10
3:10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
Therefore, we have to keep the love of Godin our life now so that we are not struck by the hail with fire from heaven.
God shows the plague for the world, but He provides the safe place for us.
There are places for keeping the love of Godso that we do not be cold or rebellious as follows.
- Home or marriage and household.
Exodus 9: 18-20
9:18. "Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now.
9:19 "Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die." ' "
9:20 He who feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses.
'tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down'= God had revealed His Word before the condemnation came.
The facts found in keeping God's love in the household or marriage are as follows.- Colossians 3: 18
3:18. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Wives first must correct themselves when there is problem in marriage because Eve first fell in sin.
The wife must submit to her husband in everything.
The wife who resists or disobeys her husband has a frozen love or the cold one and the heart is hard; there is fire of lawlessness and God will send His condemnation.
The example of submission is Sarah.
Sarah kept on submitting toAbraham although she was given to other man twice. As a result, God pleaded her and opened her wombalthough she was barren.
As long as a wife submits to the husband or there is the love of God, there is a hope and the opening of beautiful future in the marriage until the door of salvation and heavenly kingdom opens.
The submission is the core of Tabernacle Teachings. - Colossians 3: 19
3:19. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.
= husbandloves the wifeas his own body and does not do bitterly toward her.
The wife is like a weak vessel. She will have a cracked heart when hearing the rough words of the husband, but there is a healing when he asks her forgiveness. Nevertheless her heart will be broken in pieces like a fallen vessel if her husband does bitterly toward her or hits her; it is difficult to heal her except by the great mercy of God.
Lovingis the centerof Bride Tidings.
Combining both the husband loves the wife as his own body and the wife submits to her husband, the marriage is united and we are trusted to bring or testify the Bride Tidings in the light of Tabernacle. The marriage also becomes the house of prayer, not the den of thieves. Our prayer is answered by God and we rejoice.
Matthew 18: 19
18:19. "Again I say to you that if two of youagree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Fatherin heaven.
'two of you'= husband and wife.
The heaviest problem in the marriagehappens when there is no unity in the marriage or there is divorce, both in secret like Joseph who wanted to divorce Mary or legally in governmental office.
The divorce will cause spiritual deathbecause the head is separated from the body and there is the atmosphere of the hell in the marriage.
Remarrying with other man or woman after divorcing, the spirituality is rotten and one has been in the hell. - Colossians 3: 20
3:20.Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
= childrenmust be obedientto the right parents at home (the Court of Tabernacle), spiritual parents or pastor (the Holy Place) and Great Shepherd or the Word (the Most Holy Place), and God will give the beautiful future lifealthough they have no potential.
On the contrary, great potential without obediencewill hang the youth until there is no beautiful future life like Absalom has experienced.
2 Samuel 14: 24-26
14:24. And the king said, "Let him return to his own house, but do not let him see my face." So Absalom returned to his own house, but did not see the king's face.
14:25 Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
14:26 And when he cut the hair of his head--at the end of every year he cut it because it was heavy on him--when he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels according to the king's standard.
2 Samuel 18: 9
18:9. Then Absalom met the servants of David. Absalom rode on a mule. The mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth tree, and his head caughtin the terebinth; so he was left hanging between heaven and earth. And the mule which was under him went on.
'the hair of his head'= one of the potentials of Absalom which hung him ('his head caught').
'he was left hanging between heaven and earth'= there is no beauty in life but perdition. - Colossians 3: 21
3:21. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
= parentsmust not discourage the children.
Discouraging the children means as follows.- The parents force their own will that is not in line with the Word of God to the children.
- The parents follow the will of the children that is not in line with the Word of God; they never rebuke or advise them like Eli to his sons. Eli knew the mistake of his sons, but let them. Consequently, there was Ichabod (there was no God's glory, but the condemnation).
- Colossians 3: 18
- Shepherding pen.
Exodus 9: 25-26
9:25. And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field.
9:26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.
Genesis 47: 6
47:6. "The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock."
Pharaoh or Satan himself confessed that the land of Goshen was the best place. Therefore, Satan tries to destroy this shepherding system. The pastor is struck first so that the spirituality is dead and the sheep are scattered and dead spiritually.
The pastor dies spiritually when he does not feed the congregation.
All of us (pastor, apostles, evangelists, prophets, teachers, musicians, ushers, and so on) must be shepherded.
The sheep must be shepherded well and correctly. There are many false shepherdings, foolish shepherds, and the merchants of sheep.
The foolish shepherdadds and takes away the verses in the Bible to please the congregation.
The merchant of sheepis a pastor who becomes a manager and trader of sheep.
There are two things that must be heeded in the right shepherding as follows.- Shepherding penor Holy Place in which there are three kinds of equipment that refer to perseverance in doing three main servicesto God as follows.
- Golden Candlestick= perseverance in doing General Service to have fellowship with Holy Spirit God in His gifts.
- Table of Showbread= perseverance in doing Bible Study Service with Holy Communion to have fellowship with the Son of God in the Word and the sacrifice of Christ.
- Golden Altar of Incense= perseverance in doing Prayer Service to have fellowship with Father God in His love.
John 10: 1, 9-10
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.
10:9 "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
We must pass through the narrow doorto enter the shepherding pen or Holy Place. It is a pain or suffering for the flesh, but there is abundant life behind the narrow door. It means as follows.- We are preserved directly by Great Shepherd until we can always give thanks. It is not measured by how much money we have.
- We are used by God. The abundant life is the same as Canaan that was full of milk and honey. Canaan refers to the revival for building the perfect body of Christ.
- We receive everlasting life.
If a sheep wanders, it will meet a lion or the beast, so it is swallowed and destroyed. It falls in sin up to the peak and is deceived by false teachings.
If a shepherd wanders, he is putting a lion in the shepherding pen to swallow and destroy the sheep in the sins up to the peak and false teachings. - The voiceof the shepherd.
John 10: 3
10:3. "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
Do not hear strange voice!We must run away when there is strange voice.
The voice of the shepherd or Shepherding Word is the true teaching Word God trusts to a pastor for preaching to the congregation faithfully, continually, or in order like the sequence of baby food that is known only by the mother, and repetitively as the food for the congregation.
1 Peter 2: 2
2:2. as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
The Shepherding Word is like the pure and spiritual milk of mother's breast.
The puremilk refers to the Word that is right, written in the Bible, and revealed by God through a verse that explains other verses in the Bible.
The spiritualmilk refers to the Word in the anointing of Holy Spirit.
The duty of a mother or pastor is feeding or nursing. Not doing that, it means egoism or there is no love to God and to others, regardless of the reason.
The duty of the baby or sheep is drinking or eating the Shepherding Word, or else there is egoism also.
It is dangerous when there is winter in the shepherding.
The consequenceis there is no spiritual growth or renewal.
2 Timotius 3: 1-5
3:1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
3:2 For men will be lovers of themselves(1), lovers of money(2), boasters(3), proud(4), blasphemers(5), disobedient to parents(6), unthankful(7), unholy(8),
3:3 unloving(9), unforgiving(10), slanderers(11), without self-control(12), brutal(13), despisers of good(14),
3:4 traitors(15), headstrong(16), haughty(17), lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God(18),
3:5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
'lovers of themselves'= egoism.
'unholy'= mixing religions.
'lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God'= disobedience = not loving God.
There is no renewal because one keeps the flesh and blood human that is without the love of God. There are eighteen characteristics of the fleshor the stamp 666to be the same as the antichrist that will be destroyed forever.
- Shepherding penor Holy Place in which there are three kinds of equipment that refer to perseverance in doing three main servicesto God as follows.
- Our own heart.
Romans 5: 5
5:5. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our heartsby the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
What kind of heart can receive and keep the love of God?
Matthew 11: 28-30
11:28. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
11:29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
11:30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
We are learning to be gentle and lowly in heartto Jesus on the cross when we are in the suffering like the church in Smyrna. Jesus did not get angry but said to Father God to forgive the people who had crucified Him.
Be careful!There are many people who make mistake by being hard in the suffering and getting angry or not feeling guilty when they are rebuked.
We must learn to Jesus on the cross also when we are in success because the success may cause the hard heart.
Being lowly in heartmeans as follows.- The ability to confess the sins to God and other people, not to blame others. After being forgiven, do not repeat the sins.
- The ability to confess all our failures and the success of others.
- The ability to receive the teaching Wordthat is hard and sharper than any two-edged sword.
Such person can be hoped and get the progress. Although he was unclean, there is a hope to be used by God.
On the contrary, a great person like Judas cannot be hoped because of rejecting the hard Word even blaming others. Although he is very holy, soon he will fall in sin. - The ability to forgive and forget the sinsof others.
The gentle and humble heart will be filled with the great love of God. As a result, we can experience the relief, quietness, and peace.
We do not feel anything that our flesh feels. We are not disappointed, hopeless, proud, envious, bitter, unclean, and so on, but we only love God more than anything.
The results of having the peace are as follows.- We are used by God in the ministry for building the body of Christ.
Matthew 11: 29-30
11:29. Take My yokeupon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
11:30 "For My yoke is easyand My burden is light."
Such ministry is easy and light and all aspects of our life will be too.
Complaining in the service and ministry to God, there are many complaints in the marriage, job, and study because the heart is not peaceful.
God will never burden us because of the ministry, but he wants to make all things in our life easy and light. - We can be obedient.
John 21: 18-19
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."
We can fully surrender to God regardless of any risk we have to take and any sacrifice we have to give. The nail-pierced hand of the Great Shepherd will be stretched out to us.
Isaiah 40: 11
40:11. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gatherthe lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.
The resultsif the hand of the Great Shepherd is stretched out are as follows.- 'gatherthe lambs with His arm'= the merciful hand of God is able to gather or uniteus although we have been separated in our marriage shepherding, inter-shepherding fellowship service, until the one perfect body of Christ is formed.
- 'carry them in His bosom'= the merciful hand of God carries us to bear all our burdens and wearinessas well as solve all problems in time of need.
- 'gently lead those who are with young'= the merciful hand of Great Shepherd leads us to the successful, joyful, and beautiful future life until we reach the last shepherding pen in New Jerusalem.
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." - The hand of God writes our namein New Jerusalem.
John 10: 3
10:3. "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by nameand leads them out.
'calls his own sheep by nameand leads them out' = the voice of the Shepherd calls us by name and writes our own name.
Being led, but there is not our name, we will be driven out. We cannot be driven out when our name is written in it.
Do not stop being shepherded before our name is written completely!
Revelation 21: 14
21:14. Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them werethe names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
- 'gatherthe lambs with His arm'= the merciful hand of God is able to gather or uniteus although we have been separated in our marriage shepherding, inter-shepherding fellowship service, until the one perfect body of Christ is formed.
God blesses you.