l.a.

We learn that God will not let one of His people parish; He will always take the time needed to ensure His people are recognized and protected. When His angels are carrying out God's will, they can immediately recognize those who had fear and reverence towards God and long for His righteous justice. This seal will protect them when God's vengence is spread throughout the earth.

We learn that, when the fifth seal is open, those who stay true to their witness to God and Christ, even denying themselves their own lives, God will welcome them into His presence. These souls are next to the alter of the living God. They long for the day that Jesus will reign and restore order to our chaotic world. They are told to wait so those that are numbered with them, will arrive before the end comes.

The Lamb is the one who opens the seals. It is not written, but the author is presumably God Himself for those who do not repent and trust in God.

The Father and Son are one in the same God. To them be the glory and honor forever!

"To everyone who conquers and continues to do My works to the end, I will give authority over the nations' to rule them with an iron rod, as when clay pots are shattered - even as I also received authority from my Father."Revelation 2:26-27 "To the one who conquers, I will give a place with Me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on the throne." Revelation 3:21

Jesus is worthy because He chose to be the sacrificial Lamb. He chose to die for us so we did not have to experience (spiritual) death, but used Himself to pay our ransom so we could be reconciled to our God. It is an awesome King we serve. Who could help but fall to their knees in worship?

As part of their worship, it is written that they continually profess the holiness and might of God Almighty. They give glory, honor and thanks to God; they fall before the throne and cast their crowns before Him. They sing praises to Him and give Him the glory for all things that exist. They gave glory to the Lamb, for He was the only one worthy to open the scroll with the seven seals. They held harps and golden bowls of incense (prayers). They sang to the Lord a new song.

It seems that the churches are primarily criticized for mixing pagan worship with Christianity. It is unacceptable to 'water down' the teachings of Christ. There is also people in the church who's only ambition is to deceive; believers are warned of their presence and expected to deal with the deceit. Still others do not see our dependence on God for what it is; they do not seek after the 'fruits of the Spirit' or worse yet, take the credit for their blessings; refusing to acknowledge all blessings come from God. The churches are praised for clinging to the truth and depending on the name of Jesus. The church is also praised for practicing the gifts of the Spirit,(love, faith, patience, endurance) which is the way others know we are His. All of these lessons remain the same today as in the past and forever.

Many times, within the church, we can be judgemental and bigoted. We gossip and cause strife, non of which shows any characteristic of Jesus. It is written that they will know we are His 'for their love for each other.' These are some of the things practiced in church today that must be recognized as spiritual apathy. We must then ask for forgiveness and repent.

any compromise to the truths of Christianity chip away and water down the message of how we are supposed to live. It is very important to remain in truth in what is being taught through the church. Anything false may have a weakening affect on the church for generations to come. Struggles we are (obviously) going through today are sexual sins, homosexuality. I think the sin we need to be most aware of is not walking in love.

Christianity, in it's true form, is meant to be a truth to be told throughout the ages. When a 'foothold' opens the door, even a crack, to deviation from the truth, the consequences will be inherited for all future generations (and probably become worse as moral decay becomes increasingly prevalent). As witnesses to Christ, it is imperative to hold to the standards He clearly spells out for us. Even as Christians that can identify things like fornication and greed as sin, we must continually ask for guidance on the smaller things that we accept and may be unawrare of the sin that can become of it. There are times that I become quiet when there is a strong denial of belief in the Lord and times that the denial of truth from others block a line of communication completely. We must always look ahead to the Day of Jesus Christ.

A see that local congregations can lose their first love by getting so busy in groups, etc. that they do not experience the joy of the Lord anymore. They do things out of obligation without having the 'heart' to do it in genuine love. Genuine love is acts that are done because we share the love of Jesus and are led in the Spirit; a true heart is what leads to our acts of kindness and compassion towards others. A congregation needs to identify acts that are done only out of obligation and a quest to grow, repent, and ask God for guidance to lead ehem back to a true spirit of love.

Jesus walks among the churches - He is the one represented by the church. He is 'in charge' of the church(es) and judges the according to His own words.

It is important to envision the Christ of the lampstands so we come to the full revelation the He is God that chose to come down to live as a man and save us. This revelation is to inspire us to spread the Good News and understand that Jesus taught us all truth as to how we should live.

I know many in the Middle East nations and China are countries who imprison and kill Christians for their faith. Revelation promises a place with Him in Heaven (eternal life) for those who endure to the end.

The Father is the One Who Was, Is and is to come, He is everlasting. He is the Giver of living water. (life) Jesus is depicted as the Beginning and thee End, the First and the Last. He is the Righteous Judge.

A testimony or witness is the word of one who is an eye witness to a thing. It is a word that is sworn to be true. In a court of law, an eye witness sheds light on the truth of an event. Jesus is the faithful witness, as He came down from heaven to live a life as a man, He bears witness to our frailty and desperate need for guidance in a perverse world. We can be assured that we have a Witness that sees how easily led we can be and encourages us to draw near to Him for guidance and strength to overcome evil. It is hard to make a difference to a hardened heart, something we see often in our day. We may be tempted to 'water down' the gospel to (in our ignorance) help guide a soul (which can only be accomplished through the Holy Spirit living in them). Sometimes our own arrogance may shut our mouths so we can gain a (false) acceptance or credibility. We are weak and forget to depend on the Lord for strength.

When we think of blessing, we think about gain; prosperity. Personally, when there is crisis in life, I usually will always ask myself, "Where am I lacking? What will of God am I not seeking or following?" It is a time that we acknowledge that we need help from the Almighty. I think they help us grow in faith because fervent and passive Christians alike, usually will turn to God in a time of crisis. This is usually a time that allows us to depend on God even more than previously as we offer prayers and fasting. Sometimes, we become discouraged by trials. We lose perspective of our crisis in the greater scheme of things. The devil takes advantage to taunt us into feeling insecure about our decisions. Others become angry with God over their loss, blaming Him for allowing the trial to occur. I love the way James encourages us, telling us that "whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have it's full effect so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4

In comparing Jacob to Joseph, the first thing I notice is that, when Jacob is experiencing loss, he becomes consumed. He seems to turn inward which does not allow him to see how it effects anything or anyone else. Perhaps Jacob, being head of a great household, sees himself as the head. When things are 'unfixable,' he crumbles at the lack of solution. Though Joseph suffered great injustices, beyond his control, there is no real documentation of severe grief. It seems that Joseph has learned to look beyond himself and to God to be the head of all situations. In giving his trust to God Almighty he becomes liberated from relying on himself for answers.

When Jacob's sons return with grain and money, Jacob is suspicious of the situation; maybe even paranoid. He acts as though there is a conspiracy to take Bejamin away from him and he resists the return to Egypt. Jacob is too consumed by grief and self-pity to be able to think of what is best for 'the whole.' Jacob finally recognizes that a return to Egypt is inevitable and finally turns to God for protection and blessing.

I believe that God appears to Jacob once again to affirm that He is still with Jacob and is still faithful to the promises that He had made years before. He tells Jacob who He is, the Almighty God. He affirms that Jacob will multiply and a community, including kings, will be his descendents. He affirms that the land will continue to belong to his family.