15. Definitions for John's Vision

John’s gospel conceives Life inside of us and places us into Life. Life is knowing God. John’s vision, then is the birthing of that Life into the knowledge of all, the completion. In his vision, John sees the Church in travail. In a sense, that travail is John’s letters, the passage through, the great contention of God with each one of us concerning those things most important to God.

It is our relationship with Jesus and through Him the Father that we bring out from John’s gospel, and it is God’s definitions of things as well as His greatest concerns that we bring from John’s letters into our study of Revelation.

God’s Contention. God’s contention with us is over any contempt we might hold in our hearts against any brother or sister in Christ. Yet, in this great issue from Adam until now, the solution is not “the absence of contempt.” God’s only solution is the active presence of a commitment to set forth our souls FOR our brothers and sisters.

This commitment, small though it might be at first, is the very thing that causes the development of the child in the womb that it might come forth into the knowledge of all. When we find contempt in our hearts, we are not concerned, for we give it utterly to God who carries us.

A Terrible Thing. You see, it is the Mercy Seat that God is forming, His Heart and our heart being beaten together as one, with the beating of many hammers.

Yet here is a most terrible thing in Christianity. So many rush right past that place of God’s contention with us and all the agony of dealing straight with God, and they run right into John’s vision with hearts of stone. And in John’s vision they find that for which their arrogance lusts, the weaponry to treat others with contempt. It would be better to die and “go to” heaven than to engage in “figuring out” John’s vision with a carnal intellect.

God’s Throne. Here is God’s THRONE. – By this we have known love because He set forth His soul for us, for our sakes, and we also are committed to setting forth our souls for our brothers and sisters.

The first part is God’s Heart; the second part is our hearts. Our hearts and God’s Heart are beaten together as one through our every cry, “Here am I, God, inside of You, with all of my brothers and sisters,” regardless of the cost. This passage alone, through John’s letters, gives us the heart definitions we MUST HAVE before we ever venture into the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Our Seven Terms. We want to define seven terms out from John’s letters. Those terms are (1) conceived [of God] – [become] like Jesus, (2) purity, (3) the world, (4) overcome/defeat, (5) set forth soul, (6) love one another, and (7) pray journey well. Going forward, now, we will have three slides per term, two slides to set out its importance and the third for the definition from the Jesus Secret page. I cannot stress enough the importance of waiting on God inside of the definitions of John’s letters before entering into John’s vision. So many rush on by to their deaths, that is, to contempt.

A New Man for a New Age. The Age of Tabernacles flows out from one place, humans alive on this earth eating of the Tree of Life, individually and together, that is, it comes out from a new man. Though significant, the concept of “eating of the tree of life” is still a metaphor. Greater is the concept of being conceived of God, yet that is also partly a metaphor.

The actuality is Jesus in Person inside of us, having already transferred His substance, that is, God’s life, to us, such that we share His same pattern of expression. The essence, then, of being conceived of God and made like Jesus is that I know, and the mechanism is Fellowship.

Fellowship. Fellowship, then, is the reality of God in me, of Jesus alive in my heart, and of my sharing life with God. To know that I am like Jesus because I see Him as He is, that is the completion of faith, the certain, but human decision that God is telling me the truth.

The acknowledgment of my knowing is fellowship, a shared life every moment with Father through Jesus. A friendship, a companionship, constant on my part, continuous on Jesus’ part, heart with Heart, sharing all. It is always through Jesus, because He alone knows God, and He alone knows me, and He is always our Song together.

Conceived of God – Become Like Jesus. Life is knowing God. I know God as I receive Jesus in Person into myself to be my only life. Jesus enters into me to be written as His Word upon my heart. In doing so, Jesus transfers His entire substance to me that I might share all with Him. I am conceived of God. Inside this precious sharing, I fellowship with Jesus and with the Father. By this shared fellowship, I become just like Jesus within and without.

A Channel. Our fellowship with God and with one another, both through Jesus, is the Source of that flow that makes all creation to be Life and Goodness. But the flow is Rivers of Spirit, and those require a channel. That channel is each of us as individuals as well as our life together as members of one another.

The channel for the Spirit carrying Life and Goodness into all creation MUST BE utterly pure. God is very specific on His definition for that purity; we must be pure. It is found in these words. – We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of [that which flows through] might be of God and not of us.

No Sufficiency, and All. The largest part of purity is giving thanks inside of and for the sake of all, including justifying God in all things. Those who try to alter their “earthen vessel,” their humanity, to fit an image of a superior “Christ,” pollute all, for they are mixing falseness with the truth. Jesus alone removes what is contrary from us; our part is to place ourselves in all that we are, in all our knowing, utterly into God upon His throne, that we might be His Mercy.

The end result of purity is no sufficiency in ourselves and all sufficiency in God. Yet it also includes rejoicing in our humanity as every whit clean, with no consciousness of sins.

Purity. Out from my fellowship with God and my brethren, through Jesus, rivers of Spirit flow into creation. As the channel of that flow, my brethren and I must be pure, without mixture, just like Jesus. We are pure as we give thanks inside of all, placing all that we are into God and expecting Jesus alone to remove all that is contrary. I possess a pure consciousness and a clean earthen vessel. God is my all-sufficiency.

An Opposition Only. “The world” is a grouping, a consortium, of that which opposes God and us, and thus opposes Life and Goodness. The world contains three things, false spirits, the face of other humans, and death. Each of these three has two parts.

The first part of fallen angels is the personal whispering of thoughts and feelings towards each individual as well as the anointing of spirit to project self and as the bridge of communication between humans. The second part is the spirit of anti-Christ, found only in Christian circles, that spirit that speaks specifically against the truths of the gospel, against Jesus inside of us, our life.

From Violence to Death. The first part of the face of other humans is violence in one form or another. This face of violence is called “the beast.” Violence causes fear; its purpose is to subdue falsely. The second part of the human face is the image, the voices and outward patterns of expression, pressing people into a false identity of self. This also operates inside the Church.

The first part of death is the false story of self, a human identity that knows nothing of Christ Jesus my only life, a false story spun out from all things pressing against. The second part of death is the splitting apart of heaven and earth, that is physical death, our greatest and last enemy.

The World. The world is the interrelationship among humans and demons that opposes God and us. Demons whisper their thoughts into humans, anoint human expression, and speak against Christ. Humans use violence, lying, and pressure to bring others under the manipulation of their contempt. Individuals spin their own false story, a story that is death. And all are ruled by the fear of physical death, our final enemy.

For the Sake of the Church. Purity is where we place ourselves; overcome-defeat is what we do for others, for the sake of our brethren. Inside of Purity, that is, inside of Jesus, our response for ourselves towards all the cries of darkness is simple REFUSAL. Yet our brethren, even though they live inside of all Salvation now, they do not know that. And thus they are the targets of every aspect of “the world” and are buffeted by the storms of woe.

There are many arenas in which our fellowship with God and with one another, through Jesus, takes place. But it is Fellowship FOR THE SAKE OF the Church where we KNOW Jesus proven faithful and true.

Swallowed up by Life. All who have been conceived out from God overcome the world [for the sake of the brethren]; and this is the victory that has defeated the world – our faith. Our faith is the faith of the Son of God.

But “overcome” has a hidden meaning. It means to spread out over all, to expose the false as nonsense, and to swallow up all that is real into LIFE and Goodness. – Death is swallowed up by Life. – Calling those things not existing into existence. We will discover that the weapons of our warfare are seven, and that those seven correspond to all COMPLETION.

Overcome/Defeat. Our task is to defeat every aspect of the world for the sake of the Church. Our goal is to rescue our brethren into Life. Jesus’ faith inside of us is our victory. Our weapons are mighty: the Blood, our Word of Life, and being the Mercy Seat for others. We direct our war specifically. We place ourselves over all, countering the false story with Christ, exposing the lie, casting down evil, and calling each of our brethren into Life.

The Greatest Fellowship. Our progression through purity into war has not left the meaning of Fellowship. Here is the greatest place of Fellowship, sharing Hheart with God. – By this we have known love, in that He set forth His soul for us, and we also are committed to setting forth our souls for our brothers and sisters.

Look at the “and.” That is the mighty “bull-dozer blade” that is our Father’s “forehead,” hitting us head on and flipping us around. “I have seized you into Myself and into My throne,” He says to us, “now it’s all about Me through you for My people.”

I Receive. To “set forth” my soul is very simple. On the one hand, I receive my Father into my soul, that He shares all with me, whether agony or joy, whether ruin or victory. On the other hand, I receive any brother or sister presented to me at any moment in just the same way that Jesus receives me. I receive each with joy and expectation. And there, inside my human soul, my thoughts, my emotions, and my desires, I place my brother or sister together with Father, that they might journey well together.

“To open my door” is a metaphor of “to receive.”

Set Forth Soul. My greatest place of fellowship is to share Hheart with God for the sake of my brothers and sisters. I set forth my soul for them. I receive my Father into my soul, that He shares all with me, whether agony or joy, whether ruin or victory. I receive any brother or sister in just the same way that Jesus receives me, with joy and expectation. Here, inside my human thoughts, emotions, and desires, I place my brother or sister together with Father, that they might journey well together.

The Bottom Line. This is My full completion, that you love one another in full reciprocity in just the same way that I love you.

Christians loving one another out from God is more important to Jesus than the universe, and essential to His ultimate relationship with God. Jesus cannot return to the Father in completion except He carry inside Himself humans loving one another with pure hearts fervently, not of themselves, but out from God. Yet even more, this is the bottom line for God. God is shown to be God through Christians on this earth committed to one another in full reciprocity.

Commitment Together. Let me define “love one another.” First, this is NOT “loving others.” You can “love others” all you want, and Jesus remains empty of heart and incomplete.

“Love one another” is three or more believers in Jesus committing themselves to walk together daily, committing themselves to make all important decisions together, to submit to one another, to serve one another. And then, in the midst of all their difficulties and joys together, they acknowledge God as all their connections together, that God alone is their life. This is Church, the only end goal of Salvation, the only place of knowing God.

Love One Another. The goal is God seen and known. God seen and known is one thing: Christians loving one another with pure hearts fervently, not of ourselves, but out from God. “Love one another” is three or more believers in Jesus committing ourselves to walk together daily, to make decisions together, to submit to and serve one another. And then, in the midst of all our difficulties and joys, we acknowledge God as all our connections together, that God alone is our life. Love is sharing life together.

Our Governance Forever. I love the term “journey well,” but I love the term “pray journey well” even more. This is our governance forever. We impart all the knowledge of God into individuals and into local churches, and then we send them on their way inside of God, completely free of us. This is the impartation of Life and Goodness.

To shepherd with a “scepter of iron as a broken vessel” means the inflexible directive upon us that our task is to bring individuals and local churches together with the Father in full acknowledgement and then bless them on their way, completely free of us.

Go with God. In essence, this is the statement, “Go with God.” Or, in the reduced English strangulation, “Goodbye.” To set upon others health and wholeness, to shepherd in others the knowledge of God with them, to teach the unfolding of life coming out from sharing life with God every moment, this is our joy forever.

And this is the true actuality of the Age of Tabernacles coming right now out from our expectation of God with us. “Pray journey well, my brother and sister.” I do believe this touches the deepest parts of the Father’s Heart.

Pray Journey Well. Sharing life together is the place of wholeness, of all abundance and blessing. But our ministry is not for ourselves, but for others. Our governance forever is to impart wholeness to others, to shepherd individuals and churches in the knowledge of God, to teach the unfolding of their journey out from a shared life with God, to bless them on their way, completely free of us. “Pray journey well, my brother and sister.”

From Joshua 3 – 5. Finally, we must have the picture of the Ark in the Jordan.

When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it… Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.

By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites… Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan (scattered verses, not always in order).

The Ark of the Covenant. Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.

We are following the Ark of the Covenant into the waters of the Jordan, that we might stand for all God’s people that they might pass through death and into life. Never do we run ahead of the Ark, as if we can figure this thing out of ourselves. It is the Ark of the Covenant that opens the passage for all God’s people into LIFE. We are that Ark.

Everything Finished. And the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.”

As the soles of the feet of the priests… rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off… So the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord had commanded… and the people hurried and crossed over.

…That all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.

That the World May Know. Stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan until all the people had crossed. – And we also are committed to setting forth our souls for the sake of our brothers and sisters. These two lines are THE SAME THING!

That the world/earth may know. – One thing only PROVES Jesus faithful and true, every Word God speaks complete. That one thing is the Church of Jesus Christ now upon this earth living in all the meaning of Christ-Life together, having passed through a death cut-off and far away from them.

A Place Devoted. And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Seeking only Life. There is a definite reason why I am not afraid of God as we venture into the Completion of all things, coming now through us. The reason is that I fear God. The book of Revelation is about the Ark of the Covenant, in all its meaning and completion. I wait upon God inside of all the sifting and all the hammer blows of my entire life, inside of every word of life that He has planted in my heart and in front of every warning thrust by His bony Finger into my forehead.

There is one thing only that I will find in our study of the Apocalypse, and that is LIFE. And there is one way only through which LIFE comes, and that is travail.

Reading for Next Time. In the next session, we return to our study of Revelation. The first Jesus Secret page is titled “We Are the Apocalypse.” For next time, read Revelation 1:1-8 in the JSV several times. Here is what has been hidden, covered over that none can see. – The Church, which is His body, the fullness of Jesus who fills all inside of all (Ephesians 1:23).

To unveil is to remove the cover, Jesus now seen as He is. – The Unveiling, the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must happen immediately. And Jesus signed the Unveiling, having sent it through His angel to His servant, John.

Let’s Pray Together. Right now, as we are praying together, it is the start of the eighth day of the Feast of Dedication. Again, we are sealing into the Church of Jesus Christ now upon the earth all the Completion of God.

“Lord Jesus, You have shared with us Your great desire over Your Church in our world today. We are Your voice, Lord Jesus, and Your expression. You have placed Your authority into our mouths that we might speak life and light and power into our fellow Christians inside this dark hour. Lord Jesus, we speak wholeness and completion into Your people. We ask that You would seal into Yourself all who belong to You and to us.

“Lord Jesus, we pray that our brethren would see You as You really are and know that they are just like You, that they might share Your fellowship with Father. Lord Jesus, we pray for millions of Christians across the earth, that there would be a PURE Word flowing out from the Father’s throne into them, out from our hearts, and that each would open their hearts to Your Word in all joy.

“We are of good cheer, Lord Jesus, for You have already defeated the world. It is Your faith inside of us that defeats the world for the sake of our brothers and sisters. Lord Jesus, by Your Blood, we cast down all darkness. By Your Word in our mouths, we speak You into the hearts of many. And by our set forth soul, we join them with Father.

“Lord Jesus, You are the Door of our hearts. We open You towards all who call upon Your name, that they might enter into our hearts and find the Mercy of God. We open You towards our Father, that He might share our lives with us. And Lord Jesus, be that place inside of us, here, above Your Blood, where our brethren might meet together with Father completely free of us.

“Lord Jesus, cause Your Church to enter into loving one another with pure hearts fervently in all that loving one another must mean inside of life shared together. And Lord Jesus, we pray Your wholeness into the knowing of our fellow Christians, that they might journey with Father.”

“Dear brother and sister, we pray that you journey well.”

Opening Our Doors. I have been pondering a quote from the Annie vision I read. “This wave… would… advance… as long as the chosen ones… opened the doors to the new ones.” When I thought, “I don’t feel like posting on Facebook this morning,” this line came to me, and I realized that this “wave” is not “me,” but God’s determination.

Let’s commit ourselves to pray every morning for the next several years (and if we forget, Jesus our life never does). “God, I open my doors today to my brethren to receive them. God, I open my doors to You that You might flow through me into Your Church.”