Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 2:1-7 is about the last sanctification to the church of Ephesus.
Revelation 2:7
2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’
The last sanctification to the church of Ephesus is so they return to the first love. If they return to the first love, God promises to return them to the Paradise or one thousand years kingdom of peace.
The steps to return to the Paradise are as follows.
God blesses us.
Revelation 2:1-7 is about the last sanctification to the church of Ephesus.
Revelation 2:7
2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’
The last sanctification to the church of Ephesus is so they return to the first love. If they return to the first love, God promises to return them to the Paradise or one thousand years kingdom of peace.
The steps to return to the Paradise are as follows.
- We must return to the first love or His cross.
Acts 19:1-6
19:1 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples
19:2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”
19:3 And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”
19:4 Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”
19:5 When they heard this,they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
19:6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
The first love is God’s love that is revealed through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
The process to return to the first love is as follows.- Believing and repenting.
It is started by listening the Word of God solemnly until we can understand, believe and have faith to the Word. Thus, the Word will become faith in our heart. If our heart believes, our lip will confess Jesus, meaning confessing our sins to God and the others. If we are forgiven, we must not repeat the sins anymore. It equals to repentance. We die to sin. - Water baptism.
Romans 6:4
6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
The true water baptism is one who has died to sin must be buried together with Jesus in water, to be raised together with Him and receive new life, that is Heavenly life. We are set free from sins. We do not want to do sins although there are benefits, chances, threats, oppressions, sufferings, et cetera.
The example is Joseph who will get benefits from Potiphar’s wife if he wants to do sin. But Joseph does not want to do sin although there is chance and although he must be prisoned. - Holy Spirit baptism. It equals to the fulfillment of Holy Spirit or being newly born in Holy Spirit.
John 16:13
16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority,but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
Holy Spirit guides us into all truth in every aspect of our life.
Isaiah 3:10
3:10 “Say to the righteous that it shall bewell with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
The results of living in righteousness are as follows.- We experience the Heavenly joy that cannot be influenced by anything else.
- We can enjoy the blessing from God and we can be successful in Him.
- We eat the fruit of the tree of life, meaning we receive eternal life.
Revelation 2:7
2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’
- We experience the Heavenly joy that cannot be influenced by anything else.
- Believing and repenting.
- We must be stricken by the sword of the Word of God.
Genesis 3:24
3:24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Since men fell in sins, they are driven out from the garden of Eden and the door to the tree of life is guarded by cherubim with a flaming sword which turns every way. It is the sword of God’s judgment. Everyone who will enter the garden of Eden will be stricken by the sword of judgment and die.
Jesus is the only sinless man who is willing to die on the cross. The sword of judgment strikes Him so the door to the Paradise is opened. We can enter it, but the requirement is sinful man must also be stricken by the sword of the Word of God which turns every way. It refers to the repeated Word of God to sanctify our repeated sins (as a dog that licks its vomit and a swine that returns to its wallowing in the mire.
What must be sanctified by the sword of the Word?- The Word sanctifies our heart and mind, which is the center of our spiritual life.
Hebrews 4:12
4:12 For the word of God isliving and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Mark 7:21-23
7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, (1)adulteries, (2)fornications, (3)murders,
7:22 (4)thefts, (5)covetousness, (6)wickedness, (7)deceit, (8)lewdness, (9)an evil eye, (10)blasphemy, (11)pride, (12)foolishness.
7:23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
Evil heart and mind are filled with twelve evil and unclean desires. The figure twelve is the figure of fellowship. One with twelve evil and unclean desires in his heart and mind will be foolish and does not want to be advised. The example is Judas who cannot be rebuked nor advised by the Word. This kind of life has fellowship with Satan.
Otherwise, if our heart and mind are sanctified from twelve evil and unclean desires, our heart and mind will be filled with twelve loaves of bread from the Heaven. They are arranged into two rows, six loaves each (6 6). It means that our heart and mind are filled with the true teaching Word, so we can have fellowship with God and the others. - The teaching Word that is sharper than any two-edged sword sanctifies the joints.
Hebrews 4:12
4:12 For the word of God isliving and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The joint refers to the relationship between two bones, meaning the relationship with the others starting from within marriage, shepherding, inter-shepherding, up to the largest one is the unity of the perfect body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:3-4
3:3 for you are still carnal. For where there areenvy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like meremen?
3:4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I amof Apollos,” are you not carnal?
Envy or jealousy disturbs the joints.
Envy happens because God blesses the others. It also means that one does not appreciate God’s blessing to himself. The example is the brothers of Joseph envy Joseph who receives the beautiful tunic.
In a marriage, envy between husband and wife must also be sanctified.
Strife also disturbs the joints. It must be solved. The wrong one must confess and the right must forgive. Strife about the teaching Word must be solved by returning to the Holy Bible.
2 Corinthians 12:20
12:20 For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and thatI shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there becontentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults;
If envy and strife are kept, there will be outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, and tumults. One will enter the body of Babylon that will be destroyed.
If the joint is sanctified from envy and strife, we will be able to work together with the other and everything will be easy and light. - The teaching Word that is sharper than any two-edged sword sanctifies the marrow.
Hebrews 4:124:12 For the word of God isliving and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Proverbs 17:22
17:22 A merry heart does good, likemedicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.
The marrow is the deepest feeling that frequently becomes desperate and disappointed, even wants to leave God in facing suffering and sins.
Let us experience the sanctification of the marrow, so we can be strong and of good courage in facing everything. We can wait and welcome Jesus’ second coming on the glorious clouds.
Psalm 27:14
27:14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!
- The Word sanctifies our heart and mind, which is the center of our spiritual life.
- We must wash our robes.
Revelation 22:14
22:14 Blessed arethose who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
The process is as follows.- We must have the robe, meaning the ministry and the gifts of Holy Spirit. It equals to being the priests and kings. The residents of the Paradise are the priests and kings.
Revelation 20:6
20:6 Blessed and holy ishe who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
As long as Jesus has not come for the second time yet, we must be faithful and fervent in spirit in ministering Him. Being faithful and fervent in spirit means we do not want to until we cannot be blocked by anything, even by the death. - The robe must be dipped in blood.
It means we must be willing to experience flesh suffering with Jesus without any sins, or flesh suffering in ministering Him.
Why must the robe be dipped in blood?- It is so that the robe cannot be taken by Satan, and we are not denuded by Satan.
- It is so that we can keep being faithful and fervent in spirit until the robe becomes clean and bright fine linen. It is the cloth of the bride who is ready to welcome Jesus’ second coming.
Revelation 19:8
19:8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. - It is so that we can experience life renewal from flesh man to become spiritual one as Him.
2 Corinthians 4:16-17
4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward manis perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding andeternal weight of glory,
We must remember that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that we will receive.
Revelation 22:15
22:15 But outside aredogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
The things that must be sanctified and renewed are dogs. They refer to false teachers with false teaching. We must also be sanctified from the sorcerers, sexually immoral, murderers, and idolaters. It is until we are sanctified from lies.
We can worship God by the encouragement of the Word and Holy Spirit. We can worship Him in holiness. If holiness increases, worship will also increase. Our mouth does not lie but we only cry out “Alleluia”. The true worship is in the rhythm of resurrection or thanksgiving. It can also be in the rhythm of death or a contrite heart. We only wait for His mercy.
Revelation 19:6-7
19:6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
A worship in the rhythm of resurrection and death will become a new song.
Isaiah 38:1-6
38:1 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’”
38:2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord,
38:3 and said, “Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what isgood in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
38:4 And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying,
38:5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years.
38:6 I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.”’
King Hezekiah worships with a contrite heart until God has mercy. Thus, physical miracle happens. God defends the city means He gives victory and solves all problems. The great enemies are made as the carcass. Otherwise, if our condition is as the carcass, there is miracle from God. Lazarus who has died can be resurrected. God can repair the rotten and ruined things. There will be joy with the shout “Alleluia” on the glorious clouds on His second coming.
- It is so that the robe cannot be taken by Satan, and we are not denuded by Satan.
- We must have the robe, meaning the ministry and the gifts of Holy Spirit. It equals to being the priests and kings. The residents of the Paradise are the priests and kings.
God blesses us.