Tag: Christian
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Rider on the White Horse conclusion
I would conclude therefore that the two riders are completely different persons. In Revelation 6:1 we have an imposter; an imitation Christ; white-washed with a veneer of deceptive righteousness but with an evil heart that seeks to conquer souls for himself and his own twisted glory’ In Revelation 19:11 we have Christ Jesus who has come in perfect righteousness, to fight and destroy this enemy.
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Rider on the White Horse 7
Therefore, the rider on the white horse here in Revelation 6 wears a different form of crown to the many crowns worn by the rider of the white horse in Revelation 19:11, thus separating the two as being different people. One is Christ Jesus and the other is the false antichrist.
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Rider of the White Horse part 6
The rider on his white steed rides out as a conqueror bent on conquest.I would argue that this rider is the Antichrist whose purpose is to coerce and dominate the souls of the inhabitants of this earth by spiritual deception.Our relationship with Jesus is one of willing love and not of forced conquest.
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Rider on the White Horse 5
So this rider on a white horse may appear to be righteous but he has covered his corruption with lies and falsehoods. We are called to see behind his deceptions and know his evil heart. We need to discern. We must stay close and true to Jesus!
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Rider on a White Horse 4
It seems strange and unlikely for one of the living creatures to be commanding or ordering Jesus on a white horse to come forth. In the previous two chapters they were devoutly worshiping him day and night. mt
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Rider on a White Horse 3
It would be much more likely that this rider is the Antichrist who will actually bring warfare, hunger and death in his wake. Some have attempted to turn the elements of warfare, hunger and death into symbols of this or that but this seems like a desperate attempt to symbolize the meaning out of the text in order to deny the existence of the coming Antichrist.
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Rider on the White Horse 2
It is imperative that we can discern between Christ Jesus and the deceptive Antichrist, that we can tell who is who, otherwise we risk being horribly deceived in these last days. It certainly makes much more sense that Jesus the Lamb opens the first seal to reveal someone other than himself! Someone such as a false imposter.
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Rider on the White Horse 1
“It is imperative that we can discern between Christ Jesus and the deceptive Antichrist, so that we can tell who is who, otherwise we risk being horribly deceived in these last days.”
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The Martyrdom of Stephen 9
Jesus knows the troubles that we face but he also knows the victory that is coming. Those who hold unswervingly to the faith will know the great victory in Christ. Jesus will come to gather his bride, his beloved church, to bring them into the heavenly courts. In the heavenly courts, Jesus will tend to those who have suffered in the tribulations. And then King Jesus will return to earth once more, to bring justice and retribution and establish his kingdom.
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The Martyrdom of Stephen 8
We have already seen this principle at work, in China and Iran. Whenever the enemy seeks to bring darkness, the bright light of the gospel of salvation shines ever more brightly! Jesus knows the troubles that we face but he also knows the victory that is coming.
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The Martyrdom of Stephen 7
The Church will be called to walk in perfect love and forgiveness. Even though it may seem that the Church is being brought to nothing, nevertheless our faith, the faith of Jesus upon the cross, will ensure the victory of King Jesus who will return in power and glory and destroy the enemy with just one breath!
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The Martyrdom of Stephen 6
But yet the shed blood of the martyrs has never been wasted, not a single drop, and the advancement of the gospel throughout the world has been the blessed fruit of countless martyrs throughout the generations. The more the world will persecute the end-time Church, the wider will be the spread of the gospel and the greater the harvest gathered.Authoritarian governments endeavour to crush the growth of the Church in their nation, but their persecution only serves to purify and give strength to the Church.
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The Martyrdom of Stephen 5
In the very end-times, in the midst of the tribulation, the Church will draw so near to the court-rooms of heaven; the gap between heaven and earth will be so very thin and we will be bathed in God’s holy presence. It will be the same for the end-time Church. Our witness will become profound and this will cause the world to cover their ears and yell to drown out the sound of such an anointed gospel message.Then the stones of persecution will begin to fly.
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The Martyrdom of Stephen 4
Stephen did not hold back or pull his punches. He was going for the spiritual jugular and he preached fearlessly. We do not know how many responded to this gospel call but we do know that everyone present heard the clear and unmistakable message of the gospel. And we do know that one person present would later surrender to the Lord. His name was Paul of Tarsus
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The Martyrdom of Stephen 3
Both the political and the religious authorities will demand that Churches water down their message of repentance. Churches that refuse to bow to the demands of the authorities will be opposed and persecuted.
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The Martyrdom of Stephen 2
Intense periods of tribulation sharpen the minds and the spiritual perspectives of everyone. The end-time persecution will be a time when foolish indulgences will be put aside and we will be deeply immersed in prayer and intercession. The lukewarm complacent distractions of the church will be swept away.
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The Martyrdom of Stephen 1
Many great testimonies have come out of the Holocaust of those who risked everything to help those who were being persecuted. Sadly, to our shame, there were also governments that turned their backs and refused to help. When the full thrust of the end-time persecution takes hold then Jesus will be expecting his Church, his body, to be fully engaged in helping those in need.
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R12 The venomous snake
The devil has always been full of a demented rage that is caused by his insane jealousy. His self-centred spiritual ambitions have been brought to nothing.The devil knows his time is short and he will strike out with venomous anger, inhabiting and working through the end-time antichrist that is to come.
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R12 War on earth
This beast, the antichrist, surrenders his very self to the enemy and becomes a corrupt and evil incarnation. He will be tempted by deception to receive the false powers of the enemy but these will eventually cause his destruction. The devil has always waged war in the heavenlies but from now on he will only be able to fight war on the world stage.
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R 12 Martyrdom
And in the absolute horror of martyrdom, there is the strange beauty of countless numbers of men, women and children, over the ages, who have chosen to die rather than renounce their faith. God counts every one of them as being so very precious. .
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Revelation 12 Deception gone!
But yet the enemy heaps accusations, one upon another, to spoil our fellowship with our Saviour and with one another. His accusations weigh us down in self-condemnation. When the enemy has been thrown to the earth, he will no longer be able to exert such an influence on us from his lair in the kingdom of the air. One can argue that the church will be released into a new lease of life, free from the shadow of the enemy and free to become who we are meant to be. These will be exciting days!
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R12 The enemy deception
Once again, we see the plans and schemes of the enemy beginning to unravel.He has led the world astray with his lies and manipulations. He began in the garden and he has not stopped deceiving the gullible. It is in his very corrupt nature.The warning is there for all of us to heed. These are days of deception.
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R12 The tragic rage
We explored yesterday how there will be an end-time battle between Michael and the enemy and that this battle is possibly, maybe, being fought right now.I learnt, early on in life, not to pick fights with lads bigger than me. But the enemy is driven by an insane jealous rage that will destroy him.
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R12 War in heaven…
Michael will rise up in the end-times and fight with the enemy and his corrupt and fallen angelic forces. Some will argue, with strength, that this battle is presently being fought today in the heavenly realms. The enemy will be cast down to the earth and will inhabit the end-time beast, who will surrender his very self to the enemy completely, forming an evil incarnation.
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Sunday Review
I was teaching a small group this week regarding tribulation. The word itself, ‘thilipsis’, conjures up the image of a river flowing through a gorge that becomes ever more narrow. The river becomes constricted and the water begins to boil with turbulence. Soon though, the gorge comes to an end and the river is released to become the calm and peaceful waters of eternity once more.
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Revelation 12 God cares
Many Jewish people will flee in haste to the wild lands and God will care for them, as He cared for them during their passage in the first exodus.
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Revelation 12: The iron sceptre
Some will argue that this describes the church in its present form, in this present age, but most conclude that this authoritative rule describes the millennial reign of Christ.
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Revelation 12 The child king is born.
Thus we see the demonic plans of Satan being thwarted. The dragon stood, as it were, in front of Mary in order to devour Jesus when he was born but his efforts were in vain for God’s plans and will are supremely sovereign.
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Revelation 12 Fallen angels.
Wherever the enemy goes, on earth or in heaven, he spreads corruption and evil. His very nature is to corrupt the righteous and bring them to his own sordid level.
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R 12 The heavenly woman pt 4
There are some who assert that the woman represents the church. I wonder though if this thought has its roots in replacement theology that seeks to deny Israel her rightful place in eschatology, and instead places the church first and foremost at the centre of God’s will .
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R 12 The heavenly woman pt 3
The end-time beast will battle against the Messiah Christ Jesus but there will only be one winner. The beast will strike the heel of the Christ, in terms of the crucifixion, but the Christ will eventually crush the head of the beast.
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R 12 The heavenly woman pt 2
Most commentators relate the imagery of this heavenly woman with Joseph’s dream described in Genesis 37: 5-11. The details of Joseph’s dream clearly match the detail of the heavenly woman and firmly places the heavenly sign of Revelation 12:1 within the framework of Israel.
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R 12 The heavenly woman
The image of the woman clothed with the sun is without doubt denoting Israel, whose hope and expectation has always been that they should give birth to the Messiah.
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Revelation 11 pt 20
God’s heavenly temple is about to come to this earth, when Christ Jesus establishes his kingdom in these lands. But first comes the cleansing. The cacophony of lightning, thunder and hail storms will serve as one last gospel cry to a fallen world; one last reminder of the awesome nature of God’s wrath, one last chance for men to repent and turn from their sins.
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Revelation 11 pt 19
Joel 3:14 ‘Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon will be darkened and the stars no longer shine. The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem, the earth and sky will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.’
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Revelation 11 pt 18
The nations will be in an angry uproar, spurred on by the deceptive and manipulative end-time beast, their hatred focussed upon Jerusalem and the Jewish people.
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Revelation 11 pt 17
A mighty shift has happened. Up until now, we have been waiting with eager anticipation for our Lord to return, with all the blessings that he will bring. That has all been in the future. With the return of our Lord, and our resurrection, we will have entered into the time-scape of eternity. There will be no more future to come for we will be dwelling in the eternal present.
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Revelation 11 pt 16
When the seventh angel sounds his trumpet, then the kingdom of this world will be given back to Jesus. He will return in power and glory to defeat the enemy, take control of the kingdom of the world and begin to reign forever.
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Revelation 11 pt 15
God is sovereign and there has never been a moment when He has not reigned supremely over His Kingdom. The fall of Adam and the rise of the enemy has never changed this. But yet, with the fall of Adam, a degree of authority was given to the enemy.
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Revelation 11 pt 14
Covid is not the end of our problems. This is just the beginning of our birth-pains. There are more earth-quake scenarios, in different shapes and sizes, to come.And there will be survivors, who will turn up at our door and they will be terrified. They will have met with the God of heaven and they will need to be comforted and brought through into a relationship with the Lord. As a people, may we stand firm in the midst of the earthquake, in the midst of the world falling about us, that we might be of comfort to those in need.
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Revelation 11 pt 13
The end-time beast and his armies will triumphantly invade Jerusalem, only to find the walls of the city turning in on them.He will be forced to retreat. Daniel 11:45 ‘He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end and no-one will help him.His demise will be swift
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Revelation 11 pt 12
The inhabitants of the earth are both terrified and powerless to do or say anything. Those who gloated with glee have been rendered mute. The fragile confidence of the world has been shattered.And it is about to get a lot worse for the ground is about to be shaken beneath their feet. An earthquake is coming.
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Sunday Review
I met an old friend yesterday and we stopped to discuss how life was going. I mentioned my work on Revelation. He replied, with an air of wisdom, that Revelation is way too complicated and there are far too many possible interpretations to make it worth studying. Sadly, this is common misunderstanding. The enemy certainly works overtime to make sure that we have every reason and excuse to ignore this vital book!
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Revelation 11 pt 11
There will come a sense of guilty relief to those who prefer the darkness. The torment of their guilty conscience will have abated with the death of the prophets. They can now fully embrace their evil ways. Until…
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Revelation 11 pt 10
God’s beloved city has betrayed him. They have entered into the sins of Sodom and followed the idols of Egypt. And they have hosted the undeserving death of the righteous One. God does not have a short-sighted perspective of Jerusalem. He is painfully aware of His beloved city’s shortcomings and abject failures. But yet…
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Revelation 11 pt 9
When Christ Jesus took his last breath on the cross, the enemy began to celebrate, believing they had won a great victory. Many would argue that the end-time victory of the enemy will come through a seeming defeat. This is the way of the cross. This is the path of Jesus.
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Revelation 11 pt 7
Remember how the message of John the Baptist tormented the conscience of Herod and resulted in his death. Sometimes the only way to try and drown out the whispers of a guilty conscience is to shoot the messengers.The message of repentance and life of the two witnesses will produce an angry strike-back from the enemy. More tomorrow:
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Revelation 11 pt 6
From a simple point of view, the Holy Spirit will empower the believers in Christ so that they might illuminate the world in this end-time of notorious darkness.
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Sunday Review 20
Welcome to this Sunday Review. I have been working through Revelation chapter 11 which must be the most difficult chapter to try to explain but yet which holds such profound truths regarding the very last days.
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Revelation 11 pt 5
The two witnesses could, maybe, be the believers in Christ who are empowered by God to preach and prophesy with signs and wonders in the very last times. They are dressed in sackcloth denoting their message of deep repentance to a dying and sinful world.
Revelation 34 