Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 18 refers to the golden pot that had manna or the perfect faith or life.
All men in the world are the same as the mortar pot which is easily broken and destroyed although it has been filled with all great things from the world.
2 Corinthians 4:7-9
4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
4:8 We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
4:9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--
Therefore, the pot of our life must be filled with the heavenly treasure or the true teaching Word so that we can endure and not be destroyed by the temptations and sins until the death cannot touch us.
Not being filled by the true teaching Word, one must be filled with the evil and unclean spirits to become the woman of Babylon, the false church, or the bride of Satan that will get the destruction by the judgment of God, doomsday, up to the perdition.
In Revelation 18:9-20, there are three groups of men that must get the judgment together with Babylon as follows:
Ad.2 Merchants.
Revelation 18:11-16
18:11 "And the merchantsof the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore:
18:12 "merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble;
18:13 "and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men.
18:14 "The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all.
18:15 "The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
18:16 "and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!
There are two kinds of trade as follows:
If men only trade physically in the world, but they do not actively trade spiritually in the service and ministry to God, they must be dragged by the sins of Babylon for sure until entering the judgment over Babylon. Therefore, our life must be balanced. Moreover, we must be more active in the spiritual things than the physical ones because now is the emergency on the last days. Do not sacrifice the spiritual things for getting the physical ones!
Luke 19:11-13
19:11 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalemand because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.
19:12 Therefore He said: "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.
19:13 "So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.'
[Verse 11] 'near Jerusalem' = the second coming of Jesus is drawing near.
The parable about mina is the same as trading spiritually in the heavenly kingdom.
[Verse 12] To trade spiritually, the nobleman must go into a far country. The nobleman refers to Jesus who receives for himself a kingdom as the King of all kings. Jesus must go into a far country. It means that He must come to the world as the only sinless man to die on the cross for redeeming the sins of men and then to rise and ascend to heaven for doing the following things:
Therefore, we must appreciate every gift from God.
[Verse 13] Ten minas are for ten servants. It refers to the justice of God who gives the opportunity to all sinners who willingly get the redemption by the blood of Jesus or the deliverance from sins to actively serve and minister to God according to the gifts and ministry which God has entrusted. It depends on the men whether they want to receive or reject the mina from God.
We are given the opportunity for being active in the service and ministry to God from now on until Jesus comes a second time.
Paul the apostle gives the two meanings of making our life active in the gifts and ministry which God has entrusted to us as follows:
Being a holy, faithful, and fervent servant of God like the flame of fire, one becomes the same as the apple of God's eye. We are protected and preserved directly by God.
Luke 19:20-27
19:20 "Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.
19:21 'For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.'
19:22 "And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.
19:23 'Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?'
19:24 "And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.'
19:25 ("But they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas.')
19:26 'For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
19:27 'But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.'"
The unfaithful servant will be the evil and lazy one. It means not being active until leaving the service and ministry to God.
His characteristic is judging others.
The attitude is keeping the mina in a handkerchief. It means as follows:
The true attitude is keeping and increasing mina or the gifts and ministry.
If God has taken the mina, there will be no opportunity to get it back and the destiny will be like Judas Iscariot who left his apostolate until he perished.
[Verse 27] If a servant of God is negligent or unfaithful until leaving the service and ministry to God, he will be His enemy. It means being left when Jesus comes a second time and entering the doomsday up to the everlasting perdition in the hell.
Luke 19:15-19
19:15 "And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
19:16 "Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.'
19:17 "And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.'
19:18 "And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.'
19:19 "Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.'
If we become the faithful servant, God will also appear as the faithful High Priest.
2 Samuel 22:26
22:26 "With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
Psalm 18:25-26
18:25 With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
18:26 With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
The results are as follows:
God blesses you.
Revelation 18 refers to the golden pot that had manna or the perfect faith or life.
All men in the world are the same as the mortar pot which is easily broken and destroyed although it has been filled with all great things from the world.
2 Corinthians 4:7-9
4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
4:8 We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
4:9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--
Therefore, the pot of our life must be filled with the heavenly treasure or the true teaching Word so that we can endure and not be destroyed by the temptations and sins until the death cannot touch us.
Not being filled by the true teaching Word, one must be filled with the evil and unclean spirits to become the woman of Babylon, the false church, or the bride of Satan that will get the destruction by the judgment of God, doomsday, up to the perdition.
In Revelation 18:9-20, there are three groups of men that must get the judgment together with Babylon as follows:
- [Verse 9-10] Kings = priests and kings.
- [Verse 11-16] Merchants.
- [Verse 17-20] Shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea.
Ad.2 Merchants.
Revelation 18:11-16
18:11 "And the merchantsof the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore:
18:12 "merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble;
18:13 "and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men.
18:14 "The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all.
18:15 "The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
18:16 "and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!
There are two kinds of trade as follows:
- Trading physically, namely the effort to earn a living in the world.
- Trading spiritually with the heavenly treasure, namely the heavenly gifts.
If men only trade physically in the world, but they do not actively trade spiritually in the service and ministry to God, they must be dragged by the sins of Babylon for sure until entering the judgment over Babylon. Therefore, our life must be balanced. Moreover, we must be more active in the spiritual things than the physical ones because now is the emergency on the last days. Do not sacrifice the spiritual things for getting the physical ones!
Luke 19:11-13
19:11 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalemand because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.
19:12 Therefore He said: "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.
19:13 "So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.'
[Verse 11] 'near Jerusalem' = the second coming of Jesus is drawing near.
The parable about mina is the same as trading spiritually in the heavenly kingdom.
[Verse 12] To trade spiritually, the nobleman must go into a far country. The nobleman refers to Jesus who receives for himself a kingdom as the King of all kings. Jesus must go into a far country. It means that He must come to the world as the only sinless man to die on the cross for redeeming the sins of men and then to rise and ascend to heaven for doing the following things:
- Redeeming or delivering the sinful men from sins up to the peak until being able to live in righteousness and holiness.
- Giving the gifts and ministry to us who live in righteousness and holiness and appointing us as the priests and kings. It is the same as giving us mina, so we can be active in the heavenly kingdom in trading spiritually in the service and ministry to God.
- Coming the second time soon for bringing us to enter the heavenly kingdom because Jesus has provided the place for us there.
Therefore, we must appreciate every gift from God.
[Verse 13] Ten minas are for ten servants. It refers to the justice of God who gives the opportunity to all sinners who willingly get the redemption by the blood of Jesus or the deliverance from sins to actively serve and minister to God according to the gifts and ministry which God has entrusted. It depends on the men whether they want to receive or reject the mina from God.
We are given the opportunity for being active in the service and ministry to God from now on until Jesus comes a second time.
Paul the apostle gives the two meanings of making our life active in the gifts and ministry which God has entrusted to us as follows:
- Do not neglect the giftand ministry!
1 Timothy 4:14-16
4:14 Do not neglect the giftthat is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.
4:15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.
4:16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
The requirement is taking heed to our life and to the doctrine.
Taking heed the doctrine means holding fast to and obeying the true teaching Word. As a result, the Word gives us extra power, so we can endure all things and we are given the new strength.
We must take heed to ourselves so that we are not negligent and we do not easily stumble nor look for honor or compliment from the world.
The results are as follows:- [Verse 15] Our progress may be evident to all.
- [Verse 16] We are saved and able to bring others to be saved.
- [Verse 15] Our progress may be evident to all.
- Being faithful and fervent in spirit in serving to God without slack and lukewarmness.
2 Timothy 1:6
1:6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
The requirement is willingly sacrificing all things in the world for the gifts and ministry
Revelation 3:15-16
3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
3:16 "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
Being lukewarm, one will be vomited by God. His life is disgusting in the evil and unclean sins. He is used for building Babylon or the false church that will be destroyed.
Being a holy, faithful, and fervent servant of God like the flame of fire, one becomes the same as the apple of God's eye. We are protected and preserved directly by God.
Luke 19:20-27
19:20 "Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.
19:21 'For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.'
19:22 "And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.
19:23 'Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?'
19:24 "And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.'
19:25 ("But they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas.')
19:26 'For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
19:27 'But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.'"
The unfaithful servant will be the evil and lazy one. It means not being active until leaving the service and ministry to God.
His characteristic is judging others.
The attitude is keeping the mina in a handkerchief. It means as follows:
- The handkerchief refers to a personal thing. It means only looking for self-interest or egoism.
In consequence, he does not know God or the true teachings obviously until being dare to judge God or the true teaching Word.
[Verse 22] Consequently, he will be judged by God until he cannot endure anymore in the service and ministry as well as in the body of Christ or he goes out of the heavenly kingdom. - The handkerchief is used to wipe the sweat.
It means that the servant of God prioritize the activities in the world more than the service and ministry to God. The activities in the world obstruct the service and ministry to God.
The consequence is [Verse 24-26] not being able to keep what God has entrusted spiritually and physically. It means not being able to keep the gifts and ministry as well as the salvation until he perishes.
The true attitude is keeping and increasing mina or the gifts and ministry.
If God has taken the mina, there will be no opportunity to get it back and the destiny will be like Judas Iscariot who left his apostolate until he perished.
[Verse 27] If a servant of God is negligent or unfaithful until leaving the service and ministry to God, he will be His enemy. It means being left when Jesus comes a second time and entering the doomsday up to the everlasting perdition in the hell.
Luke 19:15-19
19:15 "And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
19:16 "Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.'
19:17 "And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.'
19:18 "And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.'
19:19 "Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.'
If we become the faithful servant, God will also appear as the faithful High Priest.
2 Samuel 22:26
22:26 "With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
Psalm 18:25-26
18:25 With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
18:26 With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
The results are as follows:
- Jesus appears as the faithful and just High Priest.
1 John 1:9
1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and justto forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
It is for doing the following things:- Forgiving our sins when we confess to God and others. Being forgiven, do not commit sin anymore!
- Sanctifying us from all snares of sin or pulling out the roots of sin, so we do not commit such sin anymore or we are not ensnared by sin.
12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the racethat is set before us,
We can run with endurance the race or serve and minister to God in faithfulness and fervency in spirit until the end line. Our eyes are set only to Jesus up to the perfection. - Forgiving our sins when we confess to God and others. Being forgiven, do not commit sin anymore!
- Jesus appears as the faithful and merciful High Priest.
Hebrews 2:16-18
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.
2:18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
It is to reconcile us from sins or bear all our sufferings and impossible problems until we can feel peaceful, easy, and light.
Hebrews 4:15
4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Jesus stretches out the faithful and merciful hands to be able to help us in time of need and solve all impossible problems. - Jesus appears as the faithful and honest High Priest who fulfills His promise.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
5:24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
God stretches out His hands for protecting and preserving us in the midst of the difficulties in the world up to the time when the Antichrist reigns over the world for three and a half years. Spiritually, we are made blameless and perfect to enter the faithful city, namely the New Jerusalem.
Isaiah 1:26
1:26 I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city."
God blesses you.