31. Recasting the Vision
Audio OnlyWe are overwhelmed with the glory of finding the gospel of Christ inside of every detail of the revelation of Christ. Yet we are in no way surprised, for what else could anyone find? It is the twisted darkness of the mind that is strange, minds that find only good versus evil inside a political map.
Why would God do anything but fulfill the big verses of the gospel, that is, why would He not open the eyes of His own ones to see the Salvation in which they already live? Remember John’s warning. – Do not force death upon the vision and do not remove life from it. We live only inside of LIFE.
Being Prepared for the Church. I think that we can safely say that most every detail in John’s vision is related to one of three things. The first is our ministry to the Church; the second is the Church in her glory; and the third is the setting of Victory. In fact, as we saw at the beginning of the study, God gave us the book of Revelation to prepare His sons for their ministry to the Church in the fulfillment of all things, that is, what God is doing and about to do through us.
Most of the vision is about that ministry, that the Church of Jesus Christ might become the Salvation of God. – That the Church might become the Salvation of God.
Where We Now Stand. Another remarkable thing we have learned is that the order of elements in the vision, one after the other, is perfect for God’s purposes. Those purposes have little to do with an ordering of events through time and everything to do with how the Spirit unfolds to us God’s meaning.
Following the order of the Spirit, as we are ruled by Paul’s gospel confirmed by John, we are led into a piercing understanding of what God is doing through us now. And in that place where we now stand, we are all-effective. Our ending of the kingdom of death is certain and real.
A Clear Road Ahead. We must, then, dispense with every enemy opposed to us first, so that the sideshow they present in no way hinders the glorious unfolding of the unveiling of Jesus Christ.
Consider this verse as a way to view the enemies of Christ. – There will be a highway called the Holy Road. No one rude or rebellious is permitted on this road. It's for God's people exclusively - impossible to get lost on this road. Not even fools can get lost on it. No lions on this road, no dangerous wild animals - Nothing and no one dangerous or threatening. Only the redeemed will walk on it (Isaiah 35:8-9 – The Message Bible). This includes our journey through John’s vision.
No Longer “Confused.” I had you read the chapter “Using the Visions” in The River of Life, which I wrote in 2019, about four years ago. I stated there, as I did at the beginning of this study, that Revelation is a “confused mess.” Then I proceeded to layout a table showing the different topics of Revelation. I had no idea how it would flow when I started, and to my utter astonishment, it flowed into life and understanding, though I yet saw only dimly.
Revelation is no longer a “confused mess” to us; rather, it is a wondrous layout of truth engineered by the Spirit of God in the exact way necessary to prepare us for our task in this completion of the age.
Bringing All into the Gospel. The largest thing that effected this change in understanding was the realization that each of the letters to the seven churches began with the ability of Jesus and ended with that same ability made complete inside of our inability. Revelation 2 and 3 are nothing other than an expansion in power of 2 Corinthians 12:9 – [I am] enough for you, for My strength is made perfect inside of your weakness. The moment this realization of Jesus’ ability fulfilled inside our inability altered our whole perception of John’s vision was when the trumpets came into submission to the gospel.
But only now do I realize that the Lord Jesus spoke to us His purpose for all of Revelation already in Chapter 1.
A Clearly Stated Purpose. Write therefore the things you have seen and that exist, and that are at the very point of becoming, with all these things. The mystery of the seven stars which you saw upon My right hand and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angel messengers of the seven church assemblies; and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
The seven stars in Jesus right hand are His ministry to the Church and the seven lampstands are that Church that is the revelation of His glory. Revelation 1-11 is about the preparation and task of that ministry, and Revelation 12-22 is about that Church established upon the earth.
Our Present Place of Ministry. I want to refer you now to the chart I made in The River of Life, Chapter 26, of the layout of Revelation. As I look through it now, I see that it is much the same as what we have seen in this study. A difference that I notice is that in this study, we are the givers of life; whereas in that layout, we are the receivers of life. In our present place of ministry, we do continue to receive, but always at the level at which we give. First, I want to give another rendition similar to that chart of Revelation 1-12 that will contain fewer “cells” but longer descriptions. Then I want to approach Chapters 13-22 in a different way.
Christ Revealed in His Church. Chapter 1 introduces the unveiling of Jesus Christ, the apocalypse, a Jesus few see, now known by all, and then places that same Jesus into His Body, the Church.
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me and having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, and inside of the midst of the lampstands (inside the gathering of believers), I saw One resembling the Son of man.
Then Jesus personally speaks His purpose for the entire vision coming to John, that John should write about, first, the ministry of Christ to that Church, and second, the Church of His glory, the Desire of His Heart.
Jesus’ Ability in Our Inability. If I taught Revelation 2-3 again, it would be different. Seven times, abilities and qualities of Jesus pass through a particular setting to become a quality of overcoming inside of our human inability. Seven times the Spirit says, “Hear what I am saying to you.”
Our overcoming is our faith, the very faith of Jesus in us, that Jesus Himself bears all and accomplishes all, yet He does so through us, in sharing all with us in His suffering and in His glory. Revelation 2-3 is an intense impartation, an apprenticeship, one might say, out from which we intercede for the Church.
The Lamb and the Church. We then come into Revelation 4 and 5, out from this wondrous “apprenticeship,” where we weep over a Church “rolled up against” the Jesus written upon her heart. She does not know that in her gathering together she is the physical body of the KING!
Inside this profound weeping, we know Jesus as the Lamb of God seated upon our hearts. We know the sharing of His compassion for our brethren. The throne of God, the Mercy Seat, our own hearts together, are as a jasper and a sardius stone, our earthy human hearts of flesh merged with the vibrant Heart of Jesus.
Setting God’s People Free. Through Revelation 6 and 8:1, we cast down seven powerful demons that bind up God’s people, demons of Nicene theology, that prevent God’s people and all creation from reading the testimony of Christ as His Church.
We cast down the image of a superior “Christ.” We remove all contempt for others. We tear away all limitation of the Atonement. We cast down death as a future “salvation.” We remove the false image of a veil, and direct all believers into God. We cast off pretending by clothing our brethren with Jesus. We eliminate all accusation against God, that He knows evil and that He made us and our circumstances wrong.
Purifying the Church. Having already set His seal upon our own hearts, we turn and place that same seal upon all who are God’s ministry to His Church, that they might faithfully serve her inside the full gospel of union with and the revelation of Christ.
In Chapter 7, out from such a ministry, there is gathered together millions of believers in Jesus, washed pure by the Blood of the Lamb, living in all-Salvation now. This is a Church who now knows that she is redeemed. But she does not yet know the full meaning and purpose of the LIFE that God has placed inside her womb. We set ourselves to prepare her for her Completion.
Speaking Christ into the Church. Through Chapters 8, 9, & 11, we speak Christ seven times into His Church, calling God into visibility as Christians loving one another in committed reciprocity. Our CALL goes forth in the midst of terrible circumstances without hindrance; we speak in the face of the dragon.
We speak knowing Jesus as Word sustaining all. We speak the entrance of thanksgiving. We speak an Atonement absolute and utterly profound. We speak giving, not death, as the response of Life. We speak living inside all of God now. We speak Christ Jesus upon all in glorious liberty. We speak knowing the Father as Life forevermore.
Finishing the Completion. Full assurance of faith, the faith of the Son of God inside of us, requires the fulfillment of all that God speaks before any outward change. This is the place of Chapter 10. Jesus is proven faithful and true as every word God speaks inside of all who believe into Him, even in the midst of all weakness and opposition. This is God’s PROOF.
Knowing this ultimate altar of incense, we speak seven thunderous proclamations of all completion now, words that are sweet in our mouth, though bitter in fulfillment. We place ourselves upon that altar, “Father, we belong to You alone. For Your sake, oh Father.” Out from our final surrender comes the certainty of all-authority.
The Authority to Give All for Others. Finally, in Chapter 11, just like Jesus, we give all that we are to the Father for the sake of the Church, millions of believers in Jesus now upon the earth. We have the authority to give all, and we have the authority to receive all in return. In that authority, God Himself bears witness of us.
Out from our place inside the Father’s Heart, we send forth a pure and personal, living and energeoing Word that penetrates into all, separating all who receive it into the Father’s purpose. Out from souls set forth comes Life for all.
The Entrance of the Ark into the Church. The Ark of God’s Covenant now dwells inside the Church, the Sanctuary of God, His dwelling place. The scroll is open for all to read. The Ark is visible for all to follow. The Church now knows that she is clothed with the Lord Jesus Christ in all Glory now. She knows that committed life together is the revelation of God, life forevermore.
More than a hundred million believers in Jesus are ready to be the Salvation of God inside of creation. And out from the going forth of the Ark, rivers of living water begin to direct the concourses of influence and power inside the Kingdom.
Placing Chapter 12. Coming out from this authority, we can easily place Chapter Twelve into the same pattern. I have long been convinced that Revelation Chapter Twelve is a parallel chapter to Romans Chapter 8. Now its importance as the completion of the Gospel has grown ever larger and brighter.
More than that, because we are now interpreting it as a vision, we are no longer bound to seeing only a series of events in time, but rather, as a cohesive whole, a larger and heavenly picture of an incredible reality, with every part of the Chapter “happening” all together.
The Church in Her Glory. The Church as the Bride of Christ is the channel, the womb, through which God brings forth His own life into the knowledge of all creation. The Church is clothed with Jesus in all of her knowing.
Inside of her pain, inside of her weakness, in the face of all opposition, she travails with the Spirit of God to bring forth LIFE. And out from her comes the knowledge of God into the knowledge of all.
This is the Church as she was meant to be from the beginning, as she has always been, though no one knew. This is Christians loving one another with pure hearts.
For the Sake of the Church. And now comes the most incredible LOVE ever demonstrated in all human history, the Love of Jesus for His Bride, now made visible through that ministry of Christ who protect and nourish the Church in her hour of greatest trial.
Whatever the cost to themselves, they cast down the accuser for her sake. They establish the absolute reality of redemption wrought by Blood. They speak Christ Jesus as the life of each one. They are the Mercy Seat of God for all.
Love commands the heavens and the earth for her sake. Love places barriers of protection against evil all around each little one who believes in Jesus. Love calls forth the knowledge of God into the knowledge of all. Love RULES.
The Issues of the Church. At this point, I don’t want to try to keep our pattern going through the remainder of Revelation primarily because we don’t yet have a precise understanding of how the next several chapters correspond to the gospel. Specifically, the Spirit of God turns the focus of Chapters 13 through 20 to the final judgment of the beast, the dragon, and death. Yet the issues of the Church as the Unveiling of Christ continue to be addressed.
Then, in Chapters 21 and 22, we see the Church out from the heavens upon the earth as Christian Communities among all peoples and as the beginning of the Age of Tabernacles.
Our Authority. I want to set out some things that we should keep in mind as we now go forward into the second half of our study.
Jesus said, “No one has greater love than this, that he should set forth his soul for the sake of his friends.” And He said, “Through this, the Father loves Me, because I set forth my soul, that I might actively take it back again. No one removes it from Me, but I set it forth of Myself. I have the authority to set it forth, and I have the authority to actively take it back again. This full completion I received from My Father” (John 10:17-18).
Revelation 10 and 11 establishes this same authority in us.
Practical History. Point 1 – We enter Revelation 12 carrying all authority. Then, of truth, Revelation 13-20 are an enlargement of the great drama happening in the second part of Revelation 12, as the line of protection is placed between the beast and the Church.
Point 2 – A large part of our study going forward will be the practical separation between the Church and the world. This separation can happen only out from a world of Life coming out from the Church, that is, the “manchild.” Indeed, this is the great practical HISTORY of the next few years as another world replaces a collapsing matrix.
Our Refuge. The statement, “the old must die before the new can come,” is absolutely false; in fact, it is the murderous philosophy of Marxism. The gospel says that the old vanishes as a result of Jesus’ presence made visible and known. The new COMES FIRST, and then, by default, the old and lingering false appearance vanishes away.
Here is a reality that I am convinced rules the next few years. No Christian, which includes you, dear reader, will survive if your sustenance comes from the world system. You will flee, but where will you find refuge? – Only in attaching yourself with other believers as Community.
Christian Community. Point 3 – We look for the building of Christ Communities in rural places all across the earth. We declare it to be so. This is the message of the Ark of the Covenant and the calling of my life – to see the Church of Jesus Christ cross through the waters of the Jordan into all the life of Christ.
Christ is Christian Community. Christ is Ephesians 1:23, 2:21-22, 3:18, 4:13 & 16, and 5:27-32. The Church is the fulness of Christ and the dwelling place of God. We know God together as the Church and as we share Christ reciprocally together. We love the Church; we nourish one another as our own flesh.
A Tale Signifying Nothing. You see, as we continue through the chapters of the beast and the destruction of the beast, I have no intention of searching for anything other than the establishment of this Church upon the earth.
Point 4 – We will view the beast and its image through the lens of “the matrix” as a web of nonsense out from which God’s people must and will break. Yes, this nonsense can bite – “Who can make war with the beast?” But, in reality, it is a false appearance, an empty shell, or, as the Bard would say, “A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
An Absolute Authority. Point 5 – Everything now happening upon the earth is proceeding out from the authority of the sons of God and their actions regarding the Church. The Spirit of God establishes that authority from Revelation 1 through 11. From Revelation 12 on, that authority is the actual reality behind the outward visible demise of all that is false.
One of the primary truths established in Symmorphy VI: Mankind is the authority given to us. From here on, we will consider that authority as absolute, as all, and as total Victory.
A Veil Removed. I’m glad that I wrote most of this lesson before I finished “The Trumpet and the Ark.” As I was finishing that lesson, a veil was removed from my eyes, and I now see something so fantastic, that I don’t know what to do. But what I see now will alter everything going forward.
What is it that I see? Funny you should ask. I see a CHURCH, right here on this earth over the next few years, millions of people, clothed with the Lord Jesus Christ, bringing forth the knowledge of God into the knowledge of all in the very face of the dragon.
Like a Fairy Tale. I’m not being facetious in saying this, but real. You see, the word as a vision is that which we cast before ourselves in our blindness. We speak that word though we see it not.
Thus I started writing about “a world of life” nearly five years ago with the first chapter of The River of Life. But it was in thinking about the specifics of The Matrix movie that I saw the reality of what God actually means. I know now why God gave me a mind that loves fairy tale and the fantastic and is rooted in the practical realities of construction, community life, and education.
A World of Life has begun, and we are its speakers.
Reading for Next Time. The next lesson is titled “Bringing Forth Life.” Our purpose is to establish once again the meaning of God’s greatest and most important metaphor, the reproduction of life. I have written many chapters through all my books on the meaning of this metaphor, but I will refer you to just one, written before I started the Christ Our Life letter – The Explosive Meaning of the New Creation.
We are conceived from above by an incorruptible Word, the very Seed of God. This does not make us “super”; rather, it makes our lives, as they are, to be God’s “I am.” To receive Jesus is to receive our every moment as God’s “I am,” sharing Llife with God.
Let’s Pray Together. “God, our Father, we are so glad that You dwell as Love inside of our hearts, inside of Jesus. We are so grateful that You have caused us to know the revelation of Your glory.
“Father, we ask that You would cause us to be that ministry of Christ to Your Church that loves her with an everlasting Love out from You. We ask that You would cause us to know the extent to which You have equipped us with Christ Jesus in all authority that we might call You into the knowledge of all.
“Father, we give You thanks that You alone save us, You alone remove from our lives all that finds sufficiency elsewhere. You are our only sufficiency.
“Inside of the name of Jesus, we call our brethren, millions of believers in Jesus all across the earth, into the full knowledge of Christ revealed through His Church, that each one is CLOTHED with the Lord Jesus Christ as all-Salvation now.
“Inside of the name of Jesus, we cast down the accuser for the sake of the Church, that she might find safety and provision through the blackness of the next few years. Inside of the name of Jesus, we place an absolute barrier between the beast and God’s people. They do not belong.
“Inside of the name of Jesus, we call forth the knowledge of God into the knowledge of all, that Love might be known, that Christians loving one another might reveal God to all.”