Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 4:3
4:3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there wasa rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.
God and His throne radiate the light of glory (shekinah glory) in the form of the light of the precious stones. All men in the world live in the darkness of sins, so they are cursed, weary, heavy laden, and will be destroyed forever. God radiates the light of glory so men can be set free from sins and the curse of sins, as well as from perdition, until sometime we will sit together with Him on the throne of Heaven.
There are four precious stones as follows.
We will learn the fourth stone, that is the emerald or the rainbow.
The rainbow is written in the book of Genesis until Revelation.
Genesis 9:13-15
9:13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.
9:14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;
9:15 and I will remember My covenant which isbetween Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
The rainbow is the covenant between God and Noah and every living creature.
It consists of seven colors, which refer to seven lamps on the Golden Candlestick, or the visualization of Holy Spirit.
Joel 2:28-29
2:28 "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
2:29 And also on Mymenservants and on MymaidservantsI will pour out My Spirit in those days.
The covenant of God to every living creature in the world was prophesied by Joel, that is about the pouring of Holy Spirit. But it did not happen.
Acts 2:1-4,13-18
2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
2:3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and onesat upon each of them.
2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
2:13 Others mocking said, "They are full of new wine."
2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.
2:15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is onlythe third hour of the day.
2:16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
2:17 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,Your young men shall see visions,Your old men shall dream dreams.
2:18 And on My menservants and on My maidservantsI will pour out My Spirit in those days;And they shall prophesy.
The covenant of God to every living creature in the world is fulfilled, that is since the pouring of Holy Spirit in the upper room of Jerusalem until now.
Thus, the rainbow means being filled up with Holy Spirit. It is as the bow that connects the earth and Heaven, or the bow that connects us with God. All of us must receive the covenant of God or the rainbow, meaning we must be anointed and filled up with Holy Spirit. We must overflow in Holy Spirit.
The requirements to receive the covenant of God or rainbow or being filled up with Holy spirit are as follows.
God blesses us.
Revelation 4:3
4:3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there wasa rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.
God and His throne radiate the light of glory (shekinah glory) in the form of the light of the precious stones. All men in the world live in the darkness of sins, so they are cursed, weary, heavy laden, and will be destroyed forever. God radiates the light of glory so men can be set free from sins and the curse of sins, as well as from perdition, until sometime we will sit together with Him on the throne of Heaven.
There are four precious stones as follows.
- Jasper stone refers to the faith (= the Gate of Tabernacle).
- Sardius stone refers to repentance (= the Altar of Burnt Offering).
- Crystal or the sea of glass [Revelation 4:6] refers to water baptism (= the Brazen Laver).
- Emerald or the rainbow around the throne refers to Holy Spirit baptism (= the door of Tabernacle).
We will learn the fourth stone, that is the emerald or the rainbow.
The rainbow is written in the book of Genesis until Revelation.
Genesis 9:13-15
9:13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.
9:14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;
9:15 and I will remember My covenant which isbetween Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
The rainbow is the covenant between God and Noah and every living creature.
It consists of seven colors, which refer to seven lamps on the Golden Candlestick, or the visualization of Holy Spirit.
Joel 2:28-29
2:28 "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
2:29 And also on Mymenservants and on MymaidservantsI will pour out My Spirit in those days.
The covenant of God to every living creature in the world was prophesied by Joel, that is about the pouring of Holy Spirit. But it did not happen.
Acts 2:1-4,13-18
2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
2:3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and onesat upon each of them.
2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
2:13 Others mocking said, "They are full of new wine."
2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.
2:15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is onlythe third hour of the day.
2:16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
2:17 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,Your young men shall see visions,Your old men shall dream dreams.
2:18 And on My menservants and on My maidservantsI will pour out My Spirit in those days;And they shall prophesy.
The covenant of God to every living creature in the world is fulfilled, that is since the pouring of Holy Spirit in the upper room of Jerusalem until now.
Thus, the rainbow means being filled up with Holy Spirit. It is as the bow that connects the earth and Heaven, or the bow that connects us with God. All of us must receive the covenant of God or the rainbow, meaning we must be anointed and filled up with Holy Spirit. We must overflow in Holy Spirit.
The requirements to receive the covenant of God or rainbow or being filled up with Holy spirit are as follows.
- We must have a peaceful heart (Jerusalem is the city of peace).
Acts 1:4-5
1:4 And being assembled together with them,He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said,"you have heard from Me;
1:5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
Genesis 6:5-6
6:5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man wasgreat in the earth, and thatevery intent of the thoughts of his heart wasonly evil continually.
6:6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
The fact is men's heart tends to be evil and unclean.
Matthew 15:19
15:19 For out of the heart proceed (1)evil thoughts, (2)murders, (3)adulteries, (4)fornications, (5)thefts, (6)false witness, (7)blasphemies.
The heart of men is filled with seven evil and unclean thoughts as follows.- Evil thoughts, bad prejudice.
- Murder, envy, hatred, revenge.
- Adulteries.
- Fornications.
- Thefts, including stealing the belonging of God, that is the tithe and special offering.
- False witness.
- Blasphemies, that is blaming the right and justifying the wrong.
1 Peter 3:20-21
3:20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while theark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.
3:21 There is also an antitype which now saves us--baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
If we want to receive Holy Spirit, we must have a good conscience. We can get this through water baptism. We experience renewal from the bad conscience to the good one. A good conscience is a strong foundation to receive the pouring of Holy Spirit. - Evil thoughts, bad prejudice.
- Persevering with one accord in prayer.
Acts 1:12-14
1:12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey.
1:13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the sonof Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the sonof James.
1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
Acts 2:41-42
2:41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Perseverance in prayer must be started with perseverance in the apostles' doctrine and breaking of bread, that is perseverance in Bible Study Service with Holy Communion. It is continued with perseverance in fellowship, that is perseverance in General Service. Thus, we will be able to persevere in prayer, that is perseverance in Prayer Service. These three perseverances equal to perseverance in the shepherding pen. We must be well and right shepherded.
Romans 15:5-6
15:5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,
15:6 that you may with one mind andone mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Perseverance will result in unity. If we persevere in the shepherding pen, we will be able to live in harmony, so we have one heart and one mouth. We persevere with one accord in prayer.
Perseverance means doing it continuously and being unable to be obstructed by anything else, as a pregnant woman who perseveres until the baby is born.
If we persevere with one accord in prayer, God will pour Holy Spirit. - We must keep holding the ministry entrusted by God.
Acts 1:21-26
1:21 "Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
1:22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection."
1:23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
1:24 And they prayed and said, "You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen
1:25 to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place."
1:26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
The ministry is related with heart, not with brain or something that is seen outside. 1
Samuel 16:6-7,10-11
16:6 So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, "Surely the Lord's anointed isbefore Him!"
16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord doesnot seeas man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
16:10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these."
16:11 And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?" Then he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here."
Acts 13:22
13:22 And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the sonof Jesse, a man after My ownheart, who will do all My will.'
A good heart is an obedient one. It is the key of David that opens the doors in the world up to the door of Heaven. When Jesus is obedient to enter water baptism, the door of Heaven is opened and Holy Spirit is poured. - Having a contrite heart, that is confessing all the conditions of our heart and life. We are unworthy and uncapable.
John 4:6-10,15-18
4:6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from Hisjourney, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
4:7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."
4:8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
4:9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."
4:15 The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."
4:16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."
4:17 The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,'
4:18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."
The condition of the Samaritan woman was in broken marriage, evil, uncleanness, bitter heart, sadness, suffering. If she had been let in those conditions, she would have been destroyed forever.
Thankfully, this Samaritan woman confessed her condition to God. It equals to giving Jesus the sour wine to drink on the cross. Thus, He will give us the new wine, that is the living water of Holy Spirit.
Revelation 22:1
22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
The results are as follows.- Holy Spirit gives us life in the midst of impossibilities.
Ezekiel 47:8-9
47:8 Then he said to me: "This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When itreaches the sea, itswaters are healed.
47:9 And it shall be thatevery living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.
Holy Spirit gives us Heavenly satisfaction and joy so we do not look for the satisfaction from the world. Moreover, we can give testimony to the others. - 'Clear as crystal' means Holy Spirit is able to renew our life from the flesh man to the spiritual one as Jesus, that is being honest and believing Him. We become the shining rainbow.
If spiritual miracle happens, the physical one will also happen. The impossible things will be made possible. The failed things will be made successful and beautiful in His time.
- Holy Spirit gives us life in the midst of impossibilities.
God blesses us.