Jude 1:4

4 I say this because some godless people have wormed their way in among you, saying that God's forgiveness allows us to live immoral lives. The fate of such people was determined long ago, for they have turned against our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.


Notice Jude mentions a subject that many church establishments have issue with today.  The occurrence of people coming into the church and stir up trouble.  This is a way the enemy works.  These people get in and twist the word of the Bible to fit their own mission or to hide their own sins.  There is a small thread of doubt weaved into a persons mind and faith is tested. 

Look in Proverbs 6 starting on verse 16, there is a listing of things the Lord hates.  Verse 19 says a "false witness who pours out lies" is one of those things. 

Remedy?  Well, Prayer is always good.  God has promised to answer and give direction, David the psalmist knew that.

Psalm 116:1 NLT

I love the LORD because he hears and answers my prayers.

Ask the Holy Spirit for direction.

Seek advice from the elders.  They will need to know this is happening so they can address the issue.  Can these people be helped?  There is always Gods grace and mercy for those who seek it.  The problem here is these persons are not seeking that, they are looking for a "cover up".  These persons have fallen from grace.

Go directly to your own Bible and read and study.  The Bible mentions persons who have fallen from grace, who have wanted to continue in their sin and deny the grace and mercy:

Lucifer is number one in this category!  Followed closely by Adam and Eve.  We don't know of Adam and Eve's salvation, nothing is ever mentioned concerning that.

Saul fell from grace, (see 1Sam. 31:1-6 and 1 Chr. 10:13-14).  He committed suicide and died out of God's grace.

There are others as well….READ, study, pray.  Get into the Word for guidance.

There are 3 Chief Sins of the Ungodly, this is one of them.

God is a God of forgiveness and second chances.  No "but"s about that.  However,  there are persons who do not seek God who come into Gods grace and mercy only to "cover up" their sins, not for forgiveness or repentance.  

Let's stop here for now.

Blessings on all till next time!


Calabash

Jude back again!

Jude was probably written around 66 A.D. It was written by Jude. No one is really sure where.  

In verse 3 we find the purpose of the book which we will get to.

Jude is the only book in the Bible that has only one chapter.

Plus:

25 verses

no questions

1 verse of fulfilled prophecy

2 verses of unfulfilled prophecy

22 verses of history

Lets continue in the book:

Jude 1:2Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.3

✓

1Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.

Verse 2 is giving us blessings.  

Verse 3 talks about the blessings we share, meaning the Gentiles and the Jews alike, of salvation. 

Now, following is the purpose of the book:

the urge for us to "contend for the faith".

The Greek word here is epagonizomai.  It means to contend against others.  What has happened is false teachers have come onto the scene and now is a really good time to stay true to the original gospel.

Think, dear friends, of what is happening today!  The message is still very strong from John.  We are still urged to hold fast to the true gospel. To defend our beliefs with the Word.

My advice is to continually be in the Word, to question what is told you (even in my blog) to check things out for yourself. 

And the most important thing, PRAY.  Pray for wisdom, knowledge and answers.  Our God is a faithful God and will answer you.

Blessings on all till next time,

Calabash

Reference from the Dake's Annotated Reference Bible

Jude!!! Where are you? Where should WE be?

1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ:




Book of Jude:

1.  Book preceding Revelation.
2.  Jude was the author.
3.  Estimated time of writing: 66 A.D.
4.  There is one verse of fulfilled prophecy in the book and two verses of unfilled prophecy.
5.  There are 22 verses of history.


Who was Jude?  Half-brother of Jesus (shared the same Mom! ;)  )  So, Jame's full brother.

Jude calls himself a servant of Jesus.  Greek-doulos meaning bond servant.  We should all strive to be servants like Christ was.

Notice he is writing to "those who are called.."
Those who are sanctified by God and pressured in Christ there are Three blessings of Christians.  (there is actually a Doctrine of Sanctification created from the writings in the Holy Bible but lets save that for another blog.)

Anyway, the Three Blessings of Christians are as follows:
1.  Sanctification: It means to be set apart from our normal job, past time, hobby…whatever to be used for Gods's purposes.  It is not to be completely sinless, no one (except Christ) can do that.  It is a process, a beginning, a continual attempt to concentrate your life toward God and His purpose for you.

2.  Preservation: Greek: tereo 

to attend to carefully, take care of, to guard metaph. to keep, one in the state in which he is to observe to reserve: to undergo something (www.biblestudytools.com) 1Peter 1:4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, This is a preservation in us for us…for those who are "called" to be servants of Christ.   *Side note-Please realize that "being called" does not always mean you need to quit your job and go into full time ministry, to be a certified preacher, or even to pick up a Sunday school class.  It means you need to draw closer to God, to listen to what He is telling you and to do what He needs you to do.  It may mean one of those things mentioned above, or it may mean He wants you to write about John's book of Revelation! 3.  Calling:  Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,

This is what will happen if you accept the "calling".  We will never fall, and we will get God's best that He has for us. Let's stop here for now. Blessing on all, Calabash

Hebrews 7- Melchisedec Who was he and what is his purpose?

Melchizedek the Priest

1 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means "king of righteousness"; then also, "king of Salem" means "king of peace." 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever. 4 Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! 5 Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people--that is, their brothers--even though their brothers are descended from Abraham. 6 This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater. 8 In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. 9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.  (NIV)


First we find in verse 3 that he didn't have any recorded Mother, Father, no birth record or death date.  He had no genealogy ever recorded. 

He was the King of Salem or King of Peace and called the King of righteousness, as mentioned in verse one.  He is also mentioned in Genesis 14:18.  Concerning Abraham and giving of a tenth of everything.  So, this tells us that Abraham paid tithe to Melchizedec, making Melchizedec greater than Abraham.  

It also mentions that Melchizedec was a Priest of God while Abraham lived, that they met while Abraham was returning from a military victory. (Hebrews and Genesis.

Melchizedek was a man and was counted greater than Abraham.  Therefore, counted greater than Levite priest, the offspring of Abraham.  Notice a tenth of the spoils of war from Abraham was given.  It was customary to give this to those you would worship, and while Abraham is not worshiping Melchizedec, he is honoring his commitment to God and his works (Melchisedec) is preforming in Gods name.  Melchizedek was a great priest, and recognized as such...just not in the order of Levi!  Like Christ.

In order for Jesus to bring us a new covenant through His death, that final unblemished sacrifice from the Old covenant and law.  It needed to be based on a new order.  Not the old order of Aaron, Levitical law but a new Priest order.  One from the lineage of Melchisedec, this made it necessary to change and abolish the old law.

Because Christ lead by example, through the order of Melchisedec, it paves our way to be the priest and disciples we must be for Christ.



Until next time.....

Blessings,

Cslabash

Ephesians 6:12.....Principalities, powers, Spirit rebels..REALLY? Devils, demons and spirits?

Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.


Greek word here for wrestle is pale: meaning partake in warfare between the saints and the powers who are against God.

There are actually four kinds of "Spirit Rebels" or demons mentioned here:
1.  Principalities, greek word is archas.   In Satan's kingdom, these are the high rulers.  Those who carry the most in "rank" in a military standing. 
Thanks to Christ and the completion on the cross, we know these (as well as Satan) are defeated for those who believe in Christ.  See Eph 1:21 and Col 2:10.

2.  Next we see the Greek word of exousias meaning authorities.  These are those demons who get their empowerment  and orders from their "chief ruler", Satan.  Most of the modern version Bibles just read "Powers"

3.  Third is "rulers of the darkness of this age"  Greek word, kosmokratopas.  This type is seen many times in our Bible... Dan 10:13-21  Eph 1:21 and Col 1:16-18.  There are many in this world right this minute.  These are the Rulers of anything today who do not follow Christ and his teachings.  These are the rulers with no morals, with little to do with religion or even attempting to do the right thing.  These people are the worshipers of money, power and fame.

4.  The final kind is spiritual wickedness.  Greek word, pneumatika ponerias, we see they are in the heavenlies and are of Satan.

Heavenlies: http://biblesuite.com/greek/2032.htm

2032 epouránios (an adjective, derived from 1909 /epí, "on, fitting," which intensifies 3772 /ouranós, "heaven") – properly, heavenly, referring to the impact of heaven's influence on the particular situation or person.

[The prefix (epi) shows this always "fits" – from the standpoint of heaven.]

This was the best definition I could find on heavenlies, I think it is a pretty good one. 

So, does that mean there are devils and demons in Heaven?  No, not in the high heavens where God is.  The best reading I came across was this commentary by Jon Gill:

 "but in the aerial heavens, where the power or posse of devils reside, and where they are above us, over our heads, overlooking us, and watching every advantage against us;"

 http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/ephesians-6-12.html

 There is the web site if you wish to read it all, good stuff!

So, are there demons, devils and evil spirits?    The Bible says yes.  Most Biblical scholars say yes.

What can be done about it?  Well read on in Eph and find we are to "Stand our ground" and there is a Full Armor of God that we can put on to protect us!

Eph 6:13-18 :
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Blessings on all!! 

Calabash

 

Judas betrayal of Jesus and the severed ear

All four gospels speak of the kiss Judas betrays Christ with.  All four gospels speak of the servants ear being cut off.  Mt 26:47, Mk 14:43, Lk 22:50 and Jn 18:12.
However John 18:5 tells us Jesus admitted to them that He was the one they were seeking.  John 18:6 tells us that upon hearing the news, "...,they went backward, and fell to the ground."

There was so much power coming from Christ at this time that it was overwhelming to even stand.  At that very moment, Christ could have killed them all if he had wanted to.  I believe this was a show of power to all these people, even the disciples that were present.  In addition, if not killed or further incapacitated them, he could have easily escaped them.  But, Christ knew it was His time to fulfill the prophecy that had been laid before Him, it was His time to be the sacrifice for us all.

Something else I want you to see is in Mark 14:51 & 52:,  "51 A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, 52 he fled naked, leaving his garment behind". 
This is odd, this occurred after the men had fell to the ground due to the power of Christ and after the ear had been cut off and then healed (by the power of Christ).   
There is some speculation as to who this young boy was.  Some say it was Lazarus, others say it was a rich young ruler.  Notice that this young man had on nothing but a linen garment, the kind generally used in a burial.  This event took place at Gethsemane which was a garden, not a residential area.  I feel it is possible that there was a tomb close by and with all the power Christ was emitting, this young man was raised back from death to life.  We know Christ had and exercised that power more than once.  It would have been natural that this man would have wanted to follow our Lord (literally) especially since he would not have know what was going on at that moment.  Then, when he was seized, the ran. 
Why resurrected not just out for a night stroll?:
1.  If the young man was just "out strolling" it would have been natural for the robe to be secured on.  Notice it fell away when he was seized and left the man running naked.
2.  He would have watched the commotion from afar, not walked right up to the man being confronted by soldiers.
3.  If he was a true follower of Jesus, he would have been dressed more appropriately to begin with.
A preacher man by the name of Creflo Dollar placed this little jewel in my mind to share.  To Me, it just makes sense.



So, what is the point I am trying to make?....It is just another "revelation" of the word.  Your thoughts?


Blessings on all!



Calabash

John 11:1-37 Lazarus

John 11:1-37 (New Living Translation)

1 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. 2 This is the Mary who poured the expensive perfume on the Lord's feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. 3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, "Lord, the one you love is very sick." 4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, "Lazarus's sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God. I, the Son of God, will receive glory from this." 5 Although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, 6 he stayed where he was for the next two days and did not go to them. 7 Finally after two days, he said to his disciples, "Let's go to Judea again." 8 But his disciples objected. "Teacher," they said, "only a few days ago the Jewish leaders in Judea were trying to kill you. Are you going there again?" 9 Jesus replied, "There are twelve hours of daylight every day. As long as it is light, people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. 10 Only at night is there danger of stumbling because there is no light." 11 Then he said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up." 12 The disciples said, "Lord, if he is sleeping, that means he is getting better!" 13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was having a good night's rest, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. 14 Then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. 15 And for your sake, I am glad I wasn't there, because this will give you another opportunity to believe in me. Come, let's go see him." 16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let's go, too -- and die with Jesus." 17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 18 Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, 19 and many of the people had come to pay their respects and console Martha and Mary on their loss. 20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask." 23 Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 "Yes," Martha said, "when everyone else rises, on resurrection day." 25 Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. 26 They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. Do you believe this, Martha?" 27 "Yes, Lord," she told him. "I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God." 28 Then she left him and returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, "The Teacher is here and wants to see you." 29 So Mary immediately went to him. 30 Now Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. 31 When the people who were at the house trying to console Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus's grave to weep. So they followed her there. 32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell down at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, he was moved with indignation and was deeply troubled. 34 "Where have you put him?" he asked them. They told him, "Lord, come and see." 35 Then Jesus wept. 36 The people who were standing nearby said, "See how much he loved him." 37 But some said, "This man healed a blind man. Why couldn't he keep Lazarus from dying?"

I copied all this from the NLT to zero in on John 11:35, "Jesus wept."  It is the shortest verse in the bible yet a most powerful one.

What could possibly bring our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ to weeping?  Was it because Lazarus was dead?  No, see verse 14, Christ knew (before anyone had told him) that Lazarus was dead.  To go a step further, Jesus announced, in verse 4, it was "for the Glory of God" and then later in verse 11 Jesus said he was going to go wake Lazarus up.  Should we not have had the confidence and assurity that Christ was going to do what he said he would?  That if we just have faith and believe in him, God will be glorified, and that we are given eternal life.  Jesus himself was standing right here with them, they could reach out and touch him and yet they did not believe his words.  When he came to the area where Lazarus was laid and saw all the weeping and mourning even though he, Christ had said he would wake him up, Jesus was "moved to indignation and was deeply troubled" (vs 33).  Why could we just not believe, are we of such little to no faith.  With the Son of God standing right there, the people didn't believe.  Could it be that Christ was weeping for us?  Yes, maybe, and the fight we have against sin and the darkness of this world.  We need to realize, Christ is right here with us today, standing strong at our side.  We need only to believe and stand strong knowing He is here and will do what He said He will do. 

In addition, there was some of His enemies there watching to see what He would do.  Some scholars believe that He was brought to tears for the compassion of those who were in such sorrow around Him, even with him there.  This action showed His enemies the love and compassion He had for his people.  Why is that important?  Because it is another lesson for us in our attempts to become more Christ like.  To show our love and compassion for others as Christ has for us.

Our salvation we have in Christ does not mean we will not suffer hard times or never deal with death, but if we stand strong in Christ we have a guarentee of eternal life with Him.  I believe that the tough times in life are not near as tough when you have Christ to lean on and gain strength from Him that loves us so much. 


Blessings on all,


Calabash

Matthew 21:19-20a

Matt: 21:19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered. 20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked


This passage has always bothered me.  I come from a place where there are leaves, then blossoms or buds, then fruit.  So, when I heard that Christ saw a full tree of big beautiful leaves and went to find fruit on it and found none, cursed the tree!  Well, as it turns out, fig trees will FIRST produce fruit and then the leaves come.  In addition, the fig fit will remain on the tree between seasons if the fig is not picked.


In this case Christ was not concerned about our education concerning the fruit tree but was trying to make the point that so many "Christians" will parade around as a good and faithful servant while they are in the actual church building or, are around other Christians but, then later while in different company, and under different circumstances, will behave as non-Christians or as a tree that is suppose have fruit on it that sadly, does not.

An additional take on this parable: 

We are commissioned to go "bear fruit".  What does this mean?  We are to go out and make disciples and bring our friends and family closer to Christ, or at least get them curious.  We are at times called to be the "laborers" others pray for to help guide loved ones, friends family and yes even strangers to the correct path. This is our "bearing fruit".  If we profess to be Christ followers and yet do not help those who do not know Christ, we are no better than the fig tree.

It is this little "nugget" of information that has caused me to continue my "Revelation" blog, only I will be blogging about the Revelations I get from the Bible until the Holy Spirit tells me to do otherwise.  I do hope you join me in my new adventure with my old title.  

I encourage you to challenge me and question me along the way so we may all learn.  My sources may not be correct 100% of the time and we all can seek wisdom from one another!




Blessings on all and glad to have a new project!


-Calabash

Revelation 22:1-21

Rev 22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. 6 The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place." 7 "Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book." 8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. 9 But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!" 10 Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. 11 Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy." 12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 14 "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." 17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. 18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. 20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.


It is said that the river of the water of life is the "Holy Spirit's testimony" to our Glorious Jesus' flowing from the throne.  The lfe giving waters we all can drink from, to know Christ is King and never suffer death or pain again.  In addition, try to remember just how precious water was in the East.  It was truly "life giving"  to mention something like this constant flow would be overwhelming.  Which our Lord is, He is overwhelming with love for his children....us!

Ezekiel 47:12 talk of the trees and the abdance of fruit there will be....no, it is not the "fruit of the month" club...it is so much more!  Neverending food, neverending health!

Now read on to see the rest of the promises spelled out here.  No need to "translate" that, it is pretty simple!

Heed the warnings, do not hesitate, and do not change God's word or attempt to false teach from the Bible.  This last warning is ment for you to be prompted to do research.  If our sitting in a church building and if what the person is saying up front does not seem correct to you, DO NOT take his or her word for it, look it up, seek advice, MAKE sure it is correct with our Holy Bible.  There are some teachers, preachers, priest, Christians, non Christians etc...out there who either have not fully understood God's word and are not representing it correctly, have been taught it incorrectly or they mean to mislead you.  It is for you to find the truth in His word.  Even with this blog I have just completed.  I am not the "end all be all" authority on Revelation, and neither are the sources I utilized.  You should reasearch, pray and know the peace of God with what He wants you to understand.  The more you reasearch and seek Him, the more clear things become.  For those who seek to intensionally get it wrong, there will be judgement from God.


My dear friends, I thank you for this journey and I pray it has touched your hearts and that the huge blessing from God be upon you.

I wish to place many thanks to my husband for his continual support, insight, and reading of my blog. Thanks John, I do love you
In addition, I want to thank Mike and Valerie Unverzagt for their support, knowledge and faith in me to complete this task.
And finially, thank you Holy Spirit for the drive, guidance, words and the "Ah Ha" moments given me through this journey.


With tears and a bittersweet final:
Blessing on all,


Calabash
Amen!


The Major References utilized in this blog:

Dake's Annotated Bible
A Light in the Darkness, by Rick Renner
Dispensational Truth, by Clarence Larkin
The Revelation of John Vol 1 and 2, by William Barklay
Lectures on the Book of Revelation, by Ironside
Mike and Valorie Unverzat pastors of The House

Revelation 21:9-27

9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using. 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. 22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.


We have seen before that the angels are redeemed men, see whre he tells john that he is a prophen in 1:1 and then again in 19:10 and that he (the angel) is a man in verse 17.  We have discussed this before in previous bloggs.

Now though, let's turn our attention to "the bride, the wife of the Lamb".  Controversy arises here with who the bride is. 
There are some scholars that say they are the 144,000.  Others mention the bride as the church, still others say it is the Holy City, the New Jerusalem as mentioned in 19:7.  But, who is the New Jerusalem?  isn't it the redeemed of all who were in the first resurrection?

We know what the Bride of Christ is not:
1.  Not the Old Testiment Isreal
2.  Not the 144,000 Jews
3.  Not part or all of the New Testiment church
4.  Not the tribulation saints
5.  Not just one person or a specific group out of the redeemed.

What the Bride of Christ is:
See Verse 2, 9 & 10 it says it there:
"The great city, the holy Jerusalem".  Continue to read,  the angel said he would show John who the bride is, and he took him to  show him the Holy Jerusalem.....
So, if the city is the bride then all of us who are promised to go into the city is the bride, not part of a group or a specific group or number of persons. 


ALL the REDEEMED will live in the City!
1.  The old testiment saints. Heb 11:10-15
2.  Heb 13:14 says the early church  as does John 14:1-3
3.  Rev 3:12 says EVERY Christian as does Heb 12:23
4.  Rev. 7:1-8 mentions the 144,000 will be there.
5.  Rev 6:9-11 says the tribulation saints will also be there.

However we have read in scripture that the New Covenant with Christ has us married to Christ and that we have hope of going to the New Jerusalem.  It is just not limited to us.  It is not that we are just the bride but, that we are to be part of the bride.

In Chapter 19 of Revelation we talked of final marriage festivities.  The Hebrew custom has the "consumaiton" of a marriage by entering into the wedding chamber.  After that is the concluding ceremony.  So the supper of the Lamb mentioned Rev 19 is the conclusion of the ceremony, not the beginning.


Following starts the description of the city.
The 12  names of the 12 apostles are from Acts 1:26.  Where we read the 12 name will be Matthias. 

A golden reed is 121/2 ft. long.

12 thousand furlongs are 1,500 mi. sq.

144 cubits is 300 ft at 25in. per cubit. 

The rest of it well, is kinda easy to get.  Just make sure you get YOUR name in that book!



The next blog....Final Chapter!


Blessings on all,

Calabash