Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. Good evening, let us hear the Word of God. Let the peace, grace, and joy of God be in the midst of us abundantly.
We are still learning Revelation 2-3.
In the arrangement of Tabernacle, it refers to the seven blood sprinkles in front of the Ark of Covenant. They also refer to the seven lettersthat were sent to the seven churches of Gentiles, which refer to the last sanctificationto the seven churches of Gentiles(the churches at the end of time) to make them perfect, without blemish like Jesus and be the Bride of Heaven who is ready to welcome His second coming in the glorious cloud.
The seven churches of Gentiles who underwent the blood sprinkles are as follows.
AD. 3. THE CHURCH OF PERGAMOS
The last sanctificationfor the church of Pergamosis THEY HAVE TO PUT AWAY FALSE TEACHINGS, namely the teaching of Balaam(looking for physical wage) and the teaching of Nicolaitans(gathering many people in any possible way, so that the church becomes a place of entertainment and not for the Word).
These two teachings work together. If there are many people, there is much money. These teachings should be eradicated from the church of Pergamos.
Revelation 2:17
2:17 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomesI will give some of the hidden mannato eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name writtenwhich no one knows except him who receives it."'
If the church of Pergamos is willing to be sanctified (by leaving the teaching of Balaam and Nicolaitans), there will be two GOD'S PROMISESthat will be given to them as follows.
We have already studied THE HIDDEN MANNA.
We have already read the verses that manna refers to the true Word, the Word of shepherding which is repeatedly preached, like the manna which fell every day.
In Exodus 16:16-36, there are three usages of mannaas follows.
This evening, we are still learning the second usage of manna, which is MANNA FOR THE SABBATH.
Exodus 16:22-23
16:22 And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omersfor each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
16:23 Then he said to them, "This is what the Lord has said: 'Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbathto the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.'"
At the sixth day, Israelites took two omers of mannafor each person (twice as much as the usual day).
We have already studied that the sixth day refers to the end of time.
On the sixth day or in the end of time, the Gentiles have to doublethe force to gather the Word by elevating the sanctificationto reach the perfection (the seventh day) to deserve entering the 1000 years Kingdom of Peace.
There are differencesbetween Paradise in The Old Testament(when God created human and put them in the Paradise) and the one in The New Testament(the future Paradise or the 1000 years Kingdom of Peace) as follows.
Why are they called priests and kings?
Ifwe are faithful and fervent priests and kings and we are not hindered by anything, the result is (it is mentioned twice in Psalms 20:6, 9; verse 6 ' answerhim from His holy heaven' and in verse 9 ' May the King answerus when we call') God will always answer our prayer, we become a house of prayer.
This evening, we pray to God to let us, the priests and kings, not only minister Him, but also minister until the peak, which is a worship (we become God's house of worship). How good it is to be God's house of prayer because every single time we pray, He will answer it.
If we are God's house of prayer, He will be in us.
When Solomon finished building the temple, God said 'This is the house of prayer'.
2 Chronicles 7:15-16
7:15 Now My eyeswill be open and My earsattentive to prayer made in this place.
7:16 For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heartwill be there perpetually.
It is clear that if we are a house of prayer, we will have God's presence in three formsas follows.
This evening, let's be a house of prayer. We ask for God to let us be His house of prayer. We can only shout Jesus' name. There are God's eyes, heart, and name there. No matter what our conditions are, even if we are like the criminals, God can still help us.
God blesses us.
We are still learning Revelation 2-3.
In the arrangement of Tabernacle, it refers to the seven blood sprinkles in front of the Ark of Covenant. They also refer to the seven lettersthat were sent to the seven churches of Gentiles, which refer to the last sanctificationto the seven churches of Gentiles(the churches at the end of time) to make them perfect, without blemish like Jesus and be the Bride of Heaven who is ready to welcome His second coming in the glorious cloud.
The seven churches of Gentiles who underwent the blood sprinkles are as follows.
- The church of EPHESUS(Revelation 2:1-7) (it has been explained since General Service, July 27, 2014until General Service in Surabaya, September 07, 2014). The church of Ephesus had to return to the initial loveto be able to get back to the paradise.
- The church of SMYRNA(Revelation 2:8-11) who experienced tribulations, but God said to them not to be afraid in the tribulations but be faithful until death(it has been explained since General Service in Surabaya, September 14, 2014until General Service in Surabaya, November 09, 2014).
- The church of PERGAMOS(Revelation 2:12-17) (it has been explained since Bible Study Service in Surabaya, November 17, 2014).
AD. 3. THE CHURCH OF PERGAMOS
The last sanctificationfor the church of Pergamosis THEY HAVE TO PUT AWAY FALSE TEACHINGS, namely the teaching of Balaam(looking for physical wage) and the teaching of Nicolaitans(gathering many people in any possible way, so that the church becomes a place of entertainment and not for the Word).
These two teachings work together. If there are many people, there is much money. These teachings should be eradicated from the church of Pergamos.
Revelation 2:17
2:17 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomesI will give some of the hidden mannato eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name writtenwhich no one knows except him who receives it."'
If the church of Pergamos is willing to be sanctified (by leaving the teaching of Balaam and Nicolaitans), there will be two GOD'S PROMISESthat will be given to them as follows.
- God promised the hidden manna(it has been explained since General Service in Surabaya, November 30, 2014).
- God promised a white stone, and on the stone a new name written.
We have already studied THE HIDDEN MANNA.
We have already read the verses that manna refers to the true Word, the Word of shepherding which is repeatedly preached, like the manna which fell every day.
In Exodus 16:16-36, there are three usages of mannaas follows.
- Verse 16-21describes the first usage, which is to fulfill our daily lives(it has been explained since General Service in Surabaya, Desember 07, 2014).
For five days, the Israelites took 1 omer of manna. It refers to the sanctification of the five sensesor the sanctification of the heart and mind, or the whole life.
This is our daily bread.
Our daily need is not rice or anything, but a sanctification on our five senses(our heart and mind, our whole life) and every other thing concerning our food is God's responsibility.
One omer equals to 3.6 liters, which is very abundant.
Everything depends on our sanctification. If we have abundant sanctification, God will provide us abundantly. - Verse 22-31describes the second usage, which is manna for the Sabbath(a rest or peace) (it has been explained since Bible Study Service in Surabaya, December 08, 2014).
- Verse 32-36describes the third usage, which is manna which was kept on the golden pot.
We are a clay pot which will be easily broken, but if we are filled with manna, we can be a golden pot and live forever and ever.
This evening, we are still learning the second usage of manna, which is MANNA FOR THE SABBATH.
Exodus 16:22-23
16:22 And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omersfor each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
16:23 Then he said to them, "This is what the Lord has said: 'Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbathto the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.'"
At the sixth day, Israelites took two omers of mannafor each person (twice as much as the usual day).
We have already studied that the sixth day refers to the end of time.
On the sixth day or in the end of time, the Gentiles have to doublethe force to gather the Word by elevating the sanctificationto reach the perfection (the seventh day) to deserve entering the 1000 years Kingdom of Peace.
There are differencesbetween Paradise in The Old Testament(when God created human and put them in the Paradise) and the one in The New Testament(the future Paradise or the 1000 years Kingdom of Peace) as follows.
- The trial, which is described as follows.
- In the paradise of The Old Testament, snake or Satan could get in it.
Satan was in the form of the snake and he tricked Eve and Adam to follow his wife and they ate the fruit from the forbidden tree and were sent away from the Paradise. - In the futureParadise, Satan or sins can'tenter. Why?
Revelation 20:1-3(about the 1000 years Kingdom of Peace)
20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
20:2 He laid holdof the dragon, that serpentof old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
20:3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
Because Satan was bound for a thousand years.
This is the difference of the old and future Paradise. We gather manna so that we are sanctified and nurtured for our daily lives. However, it is not enough. The sanctification and the peace have to be increased until we enter the 1000 years Kingdom of Peace (the future Paradise) and until we have the eternal life.
- In the paradise of The Old Testament, snake or Satan could get in it.
- The inhabitants, which are described as follows.
- In the Paradise of The Old Testament, there were Adam and Evewith their physical bodyor a flesh and clay.
- In the futureParadise, there will be the Bride of Heavenor the perfect Body of Christ who has a spiritual or glorious bodylike Jesus. The Bride is the priests and kings.
The perfect Body of Christ consists of priests, which means that everyone ministers.
Revelation 20:6
20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priestsof God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
'second death' refers to death.
'a thousand years' refers to the 1000 years Kingdom of Peace or the future Paradise.
Jesus will reign and we, the priests and kings, will do too.
The perfect body of Christis the Bride of Heaven, which is priests and kings.
"Let's see, our whole body. There is not a single part that does nothing, everything ministers. If something doesn't minister, it will be cut, such as a long nail. If a nail is too long, it will not minister anymore, but it will disturb a body and it should be cut. Everything in the body is useful and ministers. That is the body of Christ, priests and kings."
This evening, let's take a double manna. In the end of time, we need to increase our force to gather God's Word in a double so that we have an increasing sanctification that will bring us up to be priests and kings, even to be a perfect Body of Christ or the Bride of Heaven.
"I pray that everyone will be a priest and a king. For those who haven't ministered yet, pray! For those who have been already ministering, keep it up! The 1000 years Kingdom of Peace is filled with priests and kings."
A priest is described as follows.- Someone who is holy.
- Someone who has a ministryfrom God.
- Someone who serves and ministersto God.
"I was a full time servant and then God changed me to be a shepherd, it was up to Him. As long as it is from God, our ministry will always increase."
We are going to the Paradise. We take a double Word to bring us to the future paradise, the 1000 years Kingdom of Peace.
It is not enough to be holy, blessed, and nurtured.
We have tobe priests and kings, the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Why are they called priests and kings?
- Psalms 20:6, 9
20:6 Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strengthof His right hand.
20:9 Save, Lord! May the King answer uswhen we call.
Verse 6 says that God saves His anointed. What does being anointed mean?
From verse 9, we know that a king, an anointed person, is someone whose prayers are answered by God.
If we are anointed, God will answer our prayers.
A kingis an anointed personso he is always victorious.
This is why it is not enough to be called a priest, but priest and king.
A priestis someone who serves and ministers to Godand a holy person. In addition, he has to be a king, anointed by the Holy Spirit to make him victorious.
We are called priests and kings because God wants us to be anointed by the Holy Spirit, and not to work by the power of our flesh.
If we minister with the power of our flesh like working in this world, as we are getting older, we will retire someday.
If we use the power of the flesh, no matter how diligent we are, someday we will retire and lose everything.
This is why God doesn't want us to minister with the power of our flesh, but He wants us to work in the infinite power of the Holy Spirit, which is not determined by age or anything else, so we can be faithful and fervent in spirit in ministering Him to the finish line (until we die or Jesus' second coming). There is no such thing of retiring from ministry. - They are called priests and kings because God wants a priest to be anointed by the Holy Spirit to be victorious against sins, challenges, and even death. They can't be hindered by anything.
In Revelation 20:6, even after a priest died, if he was earnest, he will be risen in Jesus' second coming and death will have no more power on him. He will be a priest in the 1000 years Kingdom of Peace.
Not even a rain, even death can't hinder us if we are anointed by the Holy Spirit. This is what we ask from God.
It is not the rain that we get rid of, but the flesh, so that the anointment of the Holy Spirit is poured upon us.
Even when it rains heavily, we will not stop.
"The same thing applies in a fasting. It is not the trial that we get rid of, but our flesh. When we have more challenges, let's put the flesh away and let the Holy Spirit be upon us."
Ifwe are faithful and fervent priests and kings and we are not hindered by anything, the result is (it is mentioned twice in Psalms 20:6, 9; verse 6 ' answerhim from His holy heaven' and in verse 9 ' May the King answerus when we call') God will always answer our prayer, we become a house of prayer.
This evening, we pray to God to let us, the priests and kings, not only minister Him, but also minister until the peak, which is a worship (we become God's house of worship). How good it is to be God's house of prayer because every single time we pray, He will answer it.
If we are God's house of prayer, He will be in us.
When Solomon finished building the temple, God said 'This is the house of prayer'.
2 Chronicles 7:15-16
7:15 Now My eyeswill be open and My earsattentive to prayer made in this place.
7:16 For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heartwill be there perpetually.
It is clear that if we are a house of prayer, we will have God's presence in three formsas follows.
- God's eyes.
- God's care, meaning that God will always take care of us and struggle for us to give us victory in any condition.
- God's protectionfrom any disasters, trials, false teaching, sins to the peak of sins (the sins concerning eating-drinking and the sins of marrying and giving in marriage), until the antichrist who will reign on the earth for 3.5 years, and even God's punishment to the earth and the hell.
- God's heartor love.
God always pours His perfect love to us so that we can love and prioritize Him more than anything. We can love others as ourselves, and we can love those who consider us as their enemy or those who don't do good to us either through their speech or deeds. We can pray for them so that they can be blessed and forgiven.
If we love God and others, we have the two tablets of stonewhich refers to the love to God (the first tablet) and others (the second tablet).
When Moses went down from the Mount of Sinai with the two tablets of stone, there was a golden calf or idolatry. The Israelites danced worshipping the golden calf and Moses broke the two tablets of stone, as well as the golden calf, which was then finely ground and the Israelites drank it.
This is the power of the two tablets, which is the power of a perfect love to destroy any idolatry or lawlessness.
In Matthew 24(the preaching for the end of time), love will be cold in the end of timeand lawlessnesswill abound.
The idolatry means we do not prioritize nor obey God, but we love something else more than Him and we are against Him.
The idolatry and lawlessness destroyed the two tablets of stone.
Beware!The lawlessness happens in these things.- Marriage, where children are against their parents, husband and wife are divorced, even they kill each other. Don't be there!
- Ministry, where people are not faithful, but leave the ministry. There will be death.
If lawlessness is destroyed, we can feel happiness in our marriage
In Mark 12:30-31, 34; in verse 30 it is written 'love the LORD' which refers to the first tablet; in verse 31 it is written 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' which refers to the second tablet.
The resultis in Mark 12:34.
12:34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." But after that no one dared questionHim.
The result is 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.'If we have love, we will have the atmosphere of Heavenand there will be no more question.
No more question means no more tears. Our tears are wiped away and there will be no more problems. - God's nameor power.
The power of God's name creates miracles. When we shout Jesus' name, we will have miraclesas follows.- Spiritual miracle, which is a life renewalor a life changing from a carnal human to a spiritual one like Jesus.
We shout Jesus' name and we confess His name, starting from confessing our sins(not confessing our sins means we are hard-hearted). This is very difficult.
Often, God's servants are not brave enough to confess their sins but blame other people instead. They become like Satan who will never confess sins.
If we are brave enough to shout Jesus' name, there will be the power of renewal and we can confess our sins to God and others.
Whatever sins we have done, through the worship, let God show us our sins (the last sanctification) and we can confess them to God and others, and we don't repeat the sins if we are forgiven. We become obedient(being disobedient is committing sins).
Jesus' name could be earned from obedience to death in the cross and He earned the name above all names.
This is a spiritual miracle, a renewal from a carnal human to a spiritual one like Jesus, starting from confessing sins to God and others, and we don't do the sins anymore when we are forgiven, we become obedient.
The physical miraclewill follow, the impossible becomes possible.
Acts 3:5-8
3:5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
3:6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christof Nazareth, rise up and walk."
3:7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
3:8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God
There was a lame man in the temple and Peter and John passed through him. He saw Peter and expected that he would receive something.
Here, the power of Jesus' name healed the lame man. It was originally couldn't be healed but the power of Jesus' name was able to do it ('My name is there'). This is a house of prayer, where God's eyes, heart, and name are there.
Lamenessrefers to the following things.- An unfaithfulperson in a ministry (the lame man had never entered the temple but only stayed on the outside).
If we are sanctified, we can be faithful and diligentin the ministry (after being healed, the lame man entered the temple 'walked and entered the temple with them'). - 'lame on a bed' means a destroyed marriage or the fruits of marriage.
The destroyed ministry can be healed to be faithful and return to the ministry.
If a ministry is destroyed, so is a marriage, because these two things are united.
A destroyed marriage and the fruit of marriage can be healedto be a united and happy marriage. We are waiting for God's time. The most important thing is to be faithful. The destroyed ministry should be repaired first and the destroyed marriage and the fruits of marriage will be repaired by God to unite us until we enter the marriage supper of the Lamb of God. - There is something wrongin it.
For example, a lame hand has the same form and the same position in the body, but it can't move because there is something wrong in it.
We have a heart and we know what is wrong in us.
We shout Jesus' name and God will repair everything.
On the cross, Jesus said 'It is finished!' and God will finish everything.
- An unfaithfulperson in a ministry (the lame man had never entered the temple but only stayed on the outside).
- One more thing, the miracle in Jesus' name is we are going to the Paradise
If we confess our sins, miracles will happen.
This evening, no matter how bad or unclean we are, we can shout Jesus' name, 'forgive me God, I do wrong. I will never do such things anymore', and 'today you will be with Me in Paradise.' This is amazing!
Maybe we are in the same condition as the criminal on Jesus' sides, we are cursed, evil, unclean, and have no more hope. When the criminal said, 'This Man has done nothing wrong, God, forgive me, remember me Jesus' and Jesus said, 'Today you will be with Me in Paradise.'
Luke 23:40-43
23:40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?
23:41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."
23:42 Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."
23:43 And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."
'We indeed justly' means he confessed his sins.
No matter how evil, unclean, or in failure we are, even if we don't have any more hope like this criminal, if we can shout Jesus' name(we shout 'Jesus, help me', provided with deeds and not only speech, that is we confess and leave our sins and become obedient to God), His power will move usfrom curse to the Paradise or the 1000 years Kingdom of Peace.
On Jesus' second coming, we will really enter the 1000 years Kingdom of Peace with God.
- Spiritual miracle, which is a life renewalor a life changing from a carnal human to a spiritual one like Jesus.
This evening, let's be a house of prayer. We ask for God to let us be His house of prayer. We can only shout Jesus' name. There are God's eyes, heart, and name there. No matter what our conditions are, even if we are like the criminals, God can still help us.
God blesses us.