Bible Study Service in Malang, September 03, 2015 (Thursday Evening)
Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 3:7-13 is about the church in Philadelphia.
Revelation 3:7
3:7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens":
Jesus appears as He who has the key of David for the church in Philadelphia to do three great things as follows.
- Opening the door that cannot be shut by anyone [Revelation 3:8].
- Giving victory over the synagogue of Satan [Revelation 3:9].
- Keeping us from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world [Revelation 3:10]
We are learning the third one.
Revelation 3:10
3:10 "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
On the last days, when Jesus will come a second time, all men in the world will face the temptations that increase up to the antichrist who reigns over the world for three years and six months. It has happened to Joseph.
Genesis 37:3
37:3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.
Joseph was born in the old age of Jacob. Jacob refers to Holy Spirit. The old age means the last time. Thus, Joseph was born in the revival of Holy Spirit at the latter rain. Joseph refers to the church of the latter rain.
The church of the latter rain will experience the temptations like Joseph.
There are three kinds of temptation that Joseph or the church of the latter rain will experience as follows.
- Hatred up to the one without a cause.
Genesis 37:4
37:4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hatedhim and could not speak peaceablyto him.
The church must face two kinds of hatred as follows.
- From outside.
John 15:18-19,23-25
15:18 "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
15:19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
15:23 "He who hates Me hates My Father also.
15:24 "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.
15:25 "But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’
The world hates the church with the hatred without a cause or the perfect one (the hatred is written seven times).
- From inside.
Genesis 37:4-5
37:4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
37:5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more.
It begins from the marriage and household, namely the hatred between a husband and the wife, children and parents, children in law and parents in law, and among siblings. It continues in the shepherding, namely the hatred between the servants of God. The brothers of Joseph hated him because of his tunic of many colors, namely the gifts and employment of God. Joseph also got the gift of dreaming, namely the revelation of God’s Word. The hatred becomes the one without a cause.
Be alert of the hatred, whose beginning is not speaking peaceably.
Do not follow the hatred; even the hatred without a cause, because the hatred belongs to the world.
- The wife of Potiphar who refers to the woman of Babylon, the false church, or the bride of Satan.
Genesis 39:10
39:10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.
Revelation 17:4-5
17:4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.
17:5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Her characteristic is persuading or seducing to attain something or to succeed the fleshly will; even by force.
The meaning of Babylon is as follows.
- The false teachings about the prosperity and physical blessings and entertainments without the sanctification Word.
Revelation 18:7
18:7 "In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measuregive her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’
Consequently, there is equitable reward with the prosperity and entertainment that are received in the false service up to the everlasting perdition.
- Sins up to the peak, namely sins concerning eating-drinking such as smoking, getting drunk, and drugs abuse, as well as the ones concerning marrying-being given in marriage such as sexuality sin with all its kinds and sexual deviation.
One cannot be delivered from the false teachings and the peak of sin easily. They bind the body, soul, and spirit of human, including the servants of God who are without the sword of the true teaching Word.
How is the attitude to resist against Babylon? We must do it firmly.
Genesis 39:12
39:12that she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.
The firm deed of Joseph facing the wife of Potiphar is willingly leaving his garment. It means willingly sacrificing all things for being set free from the woman of Babylon. He also willingly sacrificed all things to get the sword.
Luke 22:35-36,38
22:35And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?" So they said, "Nothing."
22:36 Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.
22:38 So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords." And He said to them, "It is enough."
The two swords refer to the Old Testament and the New one, namely the true teaching Word. The sword of the Word is able to set us free from the false teachings and the sin peak.
- The prison, although he was not wrong.
Genesis 39:20
39:20 Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.
The prison refers to the limitation, deficiency, failure, sorrow, sufferings, dead-end, and perdition.
The solution for facing the three kinds of temptation is as follows.
- Perseverance in the shepherding. We always dwell in the shepherding pen.
Genesis 37:1-2
37:1 Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
37:2 This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flockwith his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.
It refers to the Holy Place in Tabernacle. There are three kinds of equipment in it as follows.
- Golden Candlestick or perseverance in doing General Service to have fellowship with Holy Spirit God in the gifts.
- Table of Showbread or perseverance in doing Bible Study Service with Holy Communion to have fellowship with the Son of God in the true teaching Word and the sacrifice of Christ.
- Golden Altar of Incense or perseverance in doing Prayer Service to have fellowship with Father God in His love.
The age of twelve to seventeen years old is the productive age to enter the shepherding pen because the fleshly wills are gigantic at that age. We must continue in the shepherding after we pass that age.
Leviticus 21:12
21:12 'nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD.
We get the sanctification to our body, soul, and spirit done by the Trinity of God in the shepherding pen, so we can experience the anointing of Holy Spirit. How great a servant of God is, he will profane the holiness and be dry spiritually if he does not dwell in the shepherding pen.
The more we are sanctified, the more anointing of Holy Spirit we have.
John 15:26-27
15:26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
15:27 "And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
John 16:1-2
16:1 "These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.
16:2 "They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.
We can do these things by the holiness and anointing of Holy Spirit.
- We can endure, without disappointment and hopelessness in facing the hatred, uncleanness, and the atmosphere of prison.
- We can testify about the Gospel of salvation or Good News to the sinful sin to make us believe in Jesus and repent. Moreover, we can testify about the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ or Bride Tidings to the saved people so that we can be sanctified to reach the perfection.
Genesis 37:9-11
37:9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, "Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me."
37:10 So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?"
37:11 And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
- The tunic must be dipped in the blood.
Genesis 37:31
37:31 So they took Joseph's tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood.
It means as follows.
- We do our ministry with all humility and many tears. We are not negligent; even we ignore our soul.
Acts 20:17-20,24
20:17 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.
20:18 And when they had come to him, he said to them: "You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you,
20:19 "serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trialswhich happened to me by the plotting of the Jews;
20:20 "how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,
20:24 "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
The humility means that we dare to confess our weakness and mistake as well as the other’s goodness.
The tears mean the ministry with sacrifice and seriousness.
We are not negligent means the faithfulness and fervency in spirit in serving and ministering to the Lord according to the ministry God has given to us.
We do not think about our soul means that we do not want to be hindered until the end, namely we pass away or Jesus comes a second time.
Such ministry is the same as the tunic that is dipped in the blood, so it cannot be taken by anyone.
- The sufferings without any sin to change us from carnal men to spiritual ones like Jesus.
Genesis 45:4-5
45:4 And Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come near to me." So they came near. Then he said: "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.
45:5 "But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.
There is life renewal, namely the meekness. We can forgive others who have harmed and given loss to us. We can repay good for evil. This is the Shekinah Glory or the light of glory of God.
- The attitude in facing the test.
Psalm 26:1-3
26:1 ||A Psalm of David.||Vindicate me, O LORD, For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the LORD; I shall not slip.
26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.
26:3 For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have walked in Your truth.
It means as follows.
- Sincerity and honesty. We say "yes" if "yes" and "no" if "no".
We must be honest about the teaching Word, in confessing sin, and in all matters. After we are honest, we can live in righteousness.
- Our heart is not doubtful towards the Lord Himself and the true teaching Word. We believe and entrust our life fully to God.
- Our eyes only see the lovingkindness of God.
The lovingkindness is the same as the mercy and goodness of God.
Genesis 39:21-23
39:21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
39:22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing.
39:23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.
The lovingkindness hand of God that is marvelous will make all things successful.
Psalm 17:7-8
17:7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindnessby Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You From those who rise up against them.
17:8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,
We are made as the apple of God’s eyes or His beloved. It means as follows.
- The lovingkindness hand of God is able to preserve and protect our life in the midst of difficulties and limitation or the atmosphere of prison up to the time when the antichrist reigns over the world.
- The lovingkindness hand of God is able to give us peace in the midst of shocks in the world. Our life keeps easy and light.
Isaiah 54:10
54:10 For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed," Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.
- The lovingkindness hand of God gives the successful and beautiful future life in His time.
- The lovingkindness hand of God is able to solve all problems.
- The lovingkindness hand of God is able to sanctify and change us until we become the heavenly bride who is ready to welcome Jesus’ second coming on the glorious clouds.
God blesses you.