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WIPE AWAY OUR TEARS

Rev 7:15-17 – And the enthroned One spreads over them his tabernacle-shelter. Their souls will be completely satisfied. And neither the sun nor any scorching heat will affect them. For the Lamb at the center of the throne continuously shepherds them unto life —guiding them to the everlasting fountains of the water of life. And God will wipe from their eyes every last tear!”

This is saturated with the famous prophecy from Isaiah concerning the birth of Christ, “Immanuel – God is with us”. Jesus becoming a man made this all possible, John is describing in his prophesy how this looked to him, He will dwell with us, or as the TPT says, “And the enthroned One spreads over them his tabernacle-shelter”. Here is a comment from the Passion Notes on this phrase.

“A vivid figure of speech for God dwelling with them, making his very residence with them. The Aramaic can be translated “The enthroned One leans over them.”

David sang often about being satisfied in His presence. He says in Psalm 63:5 “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.” Jesus spoke about the bread of life and the living water that would totally satisfy our souls. We taste that in our relationship with the Holy Spirit in this life, in the life to come it will be complete. Again the Passion Notes describe this verse.

“They will never again experience hunger or thirst,” a figure of speech for being completely satisfied.”

The thing that stands out to me about this passage is the personal care of Christ Himself for His people. John saw Him on the throne and now amongst His sheep. Seeing Christ in His deity and His humanity will be the most astounding part of heaven for me. Again, comment from the Passion Notes.

“As translated from the Aramaic. The sacrificial heart of Christ as the Lamb will guide them and be their path of life.”

The last part of this verse reminds me of the love Jesus showed His disciples by washing their feet just before His arrest. He still humbles Himself and washes away our tears in His glorified state. This word wipe can be translated anoint. We will experience His heavenly anointing in glory for ourselves. All throughout Revelations Jesus reveals His deity and His humanity. Exploring His infinite love will fill up all eternity.

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RIVER OF LIFE

Rev.22:1,2 – Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, flowing with water clear as crystal, continuously pouring out from the throne of God and of the Lamb. The river was flowing in the middle of the street of the city, and on either side of the river was the Tree of Life, with its twelve kinds of ripe fruit according to each month of the year. The leaves of the Tree of Life are for the healing of the nations.

This is the final vision in the book of Revelation. You could say this is the closing of one chapter and the beginning of a whole new world. We see the Tree of Life in the beginning of the book of Genesis, we see it again in the closing chapter of Revelation. Jesus is the Beginning and the End, He has made all things new and our eternity with the Lord begins with this vision of the River of God. I want to make a few observations from these two verses of this unfolding new life. First, we see the River of Life. This immediately reminds us of a hot afternoon when Jesus was speaking a a Samaritan woman, “If you only knew who I am and the gift that God wants to give you—you’d ask me for a drink, and I would give to you living water.” This is the water of life that flows from Christ, this is the Spirit of God that awakens and satisfies our thirsty souls. Next, we see this River is as clear as crystal. As Matthew Henry said, “All the streams of earthly comfort are muddy; but these are clear, salutary, and refreshing, giving life, and preserving life, to those who drink of them.”

A closer look and you see the source of the River. This River flows from the throne and actually from Christ Himself. This awakens images of blood and water flowing from Christ on the cross. This cleansing flow is still washing whosoever will today. This River flows right in the middle of the city. This is the New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ. This River is flowing through His church on earth today. Notice the fruit of this river, the Tree of Life. The fruit of this tree is healing for the nations. This is true for eternity, it is also true today. Make your home in the City of God close to the River. There you will find healing and wholeness for your whole being.

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WORSHIP ENDURANCE

Rev.4:9,10 – Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne…

It was one of those Sunday night services that stays etched in your memory. The Lord came down and imprinted the dynamics of that service in the hearts of those who had ears to hear. David Ruis was our special guest and he was determined to go to new places in worship that night. He was speaking about these creatures that John, Isaiah, and Ezekiel had seen and was fixated on their ability to sustain worship. David keep asking the Lord for an ability to sustain worship or to expand his ability to worship for extended periods of time. That sounds strange to some in this present world of short services that never focus too much on intimacy with God and forget about worship endurance. The shorter the better seems to be the order of the day. These beings, these “burning ones” would have none of it. Worship was eternal for them, that is all they knew from the day that they were created. Here are some thoughts from the SPIRIT FILLED LIFE BIBLE on this passage.

“In this scene when John is brought before the visible throne of God, the awe-filled worship that takes place before him is definitive, breathtaking, and revelatory. Winged living creatures unlike anything seen on earth and elders in the divine order of God’s kingdom unceasingly worship God before the throne. Day and night the creatures continually proclaim the holiness of the One on the throne, saying, “Holy, holy, holy,” testifying to the limitless wonder experienced by those who worship in Spirit and truth. The elders declare God’s unparalleled worthiness, throwing down their crowns before Him in vivid prostration. God’s eternal supremacy as Creator is the central, all-consuming “focus, signifying the quality of true worship: “Who was and is and is to come”, and, “by Your will [all things] exist and were created”. Here, biblical worship is universally defined—to encounter and retell the matchless character of the holy, enthroned King of all kings.”

Worship is birthed in God’s presence. Just knowing about the value of worship won’t make you a worshipper. The only thing that can accomplish that noble task is seeing Him for yourself. Once that happens you will enter the point of no return.

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THE CELESTIAL CITY

Rev.22:5 – Night will be no more. They will never need the light of the sun or a lamp, because the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign as kings forever and ever!

The light in this beautiful city is a different kind of light. The light from the sun carries warmth, energy, light to see, and a healing nature but it is created and flows from a created object. The light in the New Jerusalem is similar containing all of the mentioned characteristics but is totally different. This light flows from Christ Himself, there will be no need for the sun in the New Jerusalem. This light in the New Jerusalem is more than light, it is the very life of God, it is the Spirit of God. This heavenly light will not only light up our world, it will light up our beings. This light will flow into us and flow out from us. We will be radiant, corporately a radiant bride. The glory of the Lord will be on full display shining out from this New Jerusalem. Here is how Jonathan Edwards describes the light of the celestial city.

“Everyone and everything there shall conspire to promote love, and promote the enjoyment of each other’s love. Heaven itself, the place of habitation, is a garden of pleasures, a heavenly paradise fitted in all respects for an abode of heavenly lovers, a place where they may have sweet society and perfect enjoyment of each other’s love. All things there, doubtless, remarkably show forth the beauty and loveliness of God and Christ, and have a luster of divine love upon them. The very light which shines in and fills that world is the light of love. It is beams of love; for it is the shining of the glory of the Lamb of God, that most wonderful influence of lamblike meekness and love which fills the heavenly Jerusalem with light. The glory which is about him who reigns in heaven is compared to the beautiful sight of the rainbow for its pleasantness and sweetness,”

Edwards describes this light as the love of God. We will be living in an environment totally immersed in the love of God. This love that attracted us to Christ and sustains us now will be our reward and our treasure in heaven. There will be streets of gold and incredible structures of unparalleled value all around us but it will not even concern us. Our focus and our joy will be the radiant light of love that floods our lives. Heaven is a world of love and this Celestial City is the very heart of all the action.

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LAMB OR A LION

Rev.5:5,6 – Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping. Look! The mighty Lion of Judah’s tribe, the root of David—he has conquered! He is the worthy one who can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Then I saw a young Lamb standing in the middle of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders. He appeared to have been slaughtered but was now alive!

The humility and greatness of Christ takes your breath away. In the same person you see such extreme qualities. Jesus is higher and more glorious than any part of His great creation. He is higher than all of the kings of the earth, he is higher than all angelic or demonic power and authority. In comparison to Him the wisest, the richest, and the most powerful in all the earth are like the worms of the dust. At the same time you see the greatest humility. He took upon Himself the weakness of His creation when He became one of us. He didn’t even come as one of our great ones in power or in wealth, He came as a servant and died the death of the worst of us. In Him we see infinite greatness and infinite weakness in one person. He is the Lion and He is the Lamb. Here is how Johnathan Edwards describes this.

“Yea, so great is his condescension, that it is not only sufficient to take some gracious notice of such as these, but sufficient for every thing that is an act of condescension. His condescension is great enough to become their friend: ’tis great enough to become their companion, to unite their souls to him in spiritual marriage: ’tis great enough to take their nature upon him, to become one of them, that he may be one with them: yea, it is great enough to abase himself yet lower for them, even to expose himself to shame and spitting; yea, to yield up himself to an ignominious death for them. And what act of condescension can be conceived of greater? Yet such an act as this, has his condescension yielded to, for those that are so low and mean, despicable and unworthy!”

When John saw the Lion and the Lamb all he could do is weep for joy. John found himself in the midst of an incredible atmosphere of worship. The Seraphim, the angels, the elders, and the redeemed from every generation and every tribe and tongue were worshipping this One Who was slain before the world was created. The worship continues as another generation stands before the lion and the Lamb.

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SON OF GOD – SON OF MAN

Rev.5:5,6 – And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Son of God or Son of Man; what are the significances of these two titles of our beloved Jesus of Nazareth. Apparently the Lord was fond of His title Son of Man and used it often when referring to Himself during His short time on earth. On the other hand, He has always been the Son of God enjoying intimacy with the Father from eternity. He has always been the radiance of the Father’s glory and the eternally begotten Son of the Father. He is the eternal Son of God. He became the Son of Man when He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary. He became a man as He took on a human body. The mystery of all mysteries is this, He lives forever now as a man and is the eternal Son of God. Here is a quote from Edwards describing this mystery.

“There dwells Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, the Prince of peace and love, who so loved the world that he shed his blood, and poured out his soul unto death for it. There dwells the Mediator, by whom all God’s love is expressed to the saints, by whom the fruits of it have been purchased, and through whom they are communicated, and through whom love is imparted to the hearts of all the church. There Christ dwells in both his natures, his human and divine, sitting with the Father in the same throne.”

Too me, this is the most amazing revelation of our Lord and His plan. He is eternally God, the Father’s only begotten Son. He became part of the human race by choice, becoming part of His own creation. This incarnation was not just for thirty three short years, He became a man forever. I look forward to seeing Jesus for myself. To see Him as Son of Man and Son of God is absolutely unthinkable.

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WAKE UP FROM YOUR SLEEP

Rev.3:1-3 -I know all that you do and I know that you have a reputation for being really “alive,” but you’re actually dead! Wake up and strengthen all that remains before it dies, for I haven’t found your works to be perfect in the sight of my God. So remember all the things you’ve received and heard, then turn back to God and obey them. For if you continue to slumber, I will come to you like a thief, and you’ll have no idea at what hour I will come.

This is the Lord’s message to the church in Sardis, one of the seven churches in Asia. John was the overseer off these churches and this was a word of warning to this particular church about being unprepared for the the Coming of the Lord. This message is extremely relevant for where we are in today’s spiritual climate. How many Christians and churches could be currently in this state of sleep, totally unprepared for what’s next. That is really what this current Corona season is all about. It is a word from the Lord to wake up and strengthen what remains, the end of this age is upon us. Here are some thoughts from the passion notes on this text.

“Sardis can mean “those who have escaped” or “red ones” (jewels). How we need to escape every form of religious bondage on our journey into Christlikeness. By the blood of Christ, we are redeemed and set free to be his fiery (red) ones, like jewels before God. Twice in the history of Sardis it had fallen to its enemies because it was not alert and watching. It was conquered once in 549 BC by King Cyrus of Persia, and again in 214 BC by Antiochus the Great. For this reason, the people of Sardis were asleep and needed an awakening.”

We are the Sardis stones of the Lord. We have escaped the world and its attractions by the blood of Jesus. The last thing we need to allow to happen is to fall back under the influence of the world and its pull on our hearts. This message to Sardis may very well be a message to the church of this age. If you listen close you may very well hear the Lord say, “I know all that you do and I know that you have a reputation for being really “alive,” but you’re actually dead! Wake up and strengthen all that remains before it dies”….

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ILLUMINATION OF THE SPIRIT

1 Cor.2:14-16 – Someone living on an entirely human level rejects the revelations of God’s Spirit, for they make no sense to him. He can’t understand the revelations of the Spirit because they are only discovered by the illumination of the Spirit. Those who live in the Spirit are able to carefully evaluate all things, and they are subject to the scrutiny of no one but God. Who has ever intimately known the mind of the Lord Yahweh well enough to become his counselor?

It is impossible for the mind that has not been impacted by the Holy Spirit to grasp spiritual things. Paul called that the natural man, or a man void of the Holy Spirit. This natural man cannot, let me say that again, cannot grasp spiritual concepts. It would be like trying to describe the beautiful colors of the rainbow to a person born blind. They have no way of understanding anything that they were hearing being described. It is through salvation and the renewing of our minds by the Holy Spirit that we can begin to comprehend and appreciate the things of the Spirit. The scary thing about this is that when we live only on a human level the things of the Spirit make no sense to us. It is by drinking in His presence that we can begin to experience the opening up of our perception of spiritual realities. Here is a quote from the Passion Notes on this text.

“That is, we believers possess the Holy Spirit, who reveals the thoughts and purposes of Christ. The revelation of the kingdom of God that Jesus preached was not understood by the intellect of men but by those who welcomed his truth. Humanly speaking, no one can understand the mysteries of God without the Holy Spirit. Those who have the Holy Spirit now possess the perceptions of Christ’s mind and can implement his purposes on the earth.”

Paul said there was actually a veil over the mind of all of us until the Lord removes the veil. It is the Holy Spirit that awakens us to our sinful condition. It is the Holy Spirit that reveals to us the power of the death of Christ and how Christ alone is the solution to our sinful condition. It is also the Holy Spirit that attracts us to Christ. As Solomon said, “He is altogether lovely”. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts, converts, and breathes new life into us. He is the author and finisher of our faith.

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VICTORY CHURCH – THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS

Rev. 1:12,13 ¶ Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lamp-stands, and in the midst of the seven lamp-stands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.

This verse in the beginning of the book of Revelation is quite incredible, yet terrifying. The glorified Christ is seen walking in the midst of His various local churches, He is still doing that today; that’s the incredible part. The terrifying part is this, He will only stay in the midst of His church when He is welcomed and loved. When He leaves, we are left with nothing.

In Revelation 19:10 the Lord describes the testimony of Jesus, “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” When we are walking with Christ as a church the Lord expresses His testimony in us. He speaks His word over us which is His testimony. Here are several words He has spoken over us over the years. As we embrace His word over us His testimony is made real in our lives and in the world itself. Here are several of those words He has spoken over us. Each one was a word in season that is still being fruit.

Jn.4:38 – I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.

Matt.14:16 – But Jesus said to them…“ You give them something to eat.”

Heb.12:2 – looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…

Luke 5:4 – “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

Amos.9:13 – Message – Yes indeed, it won’t be long now.” GOD’S Decree.

 “Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won’t be able to keep up. Everything will be happening at once—and everywhere you look, blessings! Blessings like wine pouring off the mountains and hills. 14 I’ll make everything right again for my people Israel.

From the first day the Lord called Parris and I back to New Orleans with the word from John 4 until the present day with His amazing word of supernatural harvest from Amos the Lord has been walking in the midst of our Victory Church. Today He still walks with us, reaching out to the hungry to establish His testimony in them. Stop and acknowledge Jesus in the midst of His congregation. This is our greatest treasure and joy.

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“RAISE THE DEAD!”

Merry Monday by Parris:

Matthew 10:8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!” NLT

Funny how you can read a scripture a million times but all of a sudden something pops out almost as if you have never heard it before. That my friend is called a Rhema word or God’s word to you. My word from the Lord that came to me is RAISE THE DEAD. Or in other words, “ones dying, awaken”.

Funny most of the commentaries looked over it. Some said it wasn’t in the original manuscripts, others said only Jesus did that or didn’t even give it a second thought. But they forgot about the book of Acts. I do believe we will see this more and more in our day because the dead are all around us and literally their breath is being taking away suddenly! I am talking about both physically and most certainly spiritually we will be RAISING THE DEAD for they are all around us.

If you take it straight from the Greek, the scripture lays it out this way.

“One being sick, serve! Ones dying, awaken! Rough ones, cleanse! Demons, toss out! Freely, you get. Freely, give!”

When Christ tells his disciples this, it was as if this sudden turn of events must have made them wonder. In a moment they were going to be able to do things they had never done. These are the gifts that have freely been given to us so we ought to give to others freely. What an amazing gift! RAISE THE DEAD – ONES DYING AWAKEN! Have you ever been around the rough? God gives us the ability to transform them? What about people that have darkness inside of them? Christ tells us to expose it. What a ministry that we all have been given! The more we glorify Christ in our lives the gift just keeps giving! You can’t tell me God can’t bring the dead back to life. They will awaken and God will give them their voice back to praise him all the days of their life. Every human being has the right to experience resurrection from the dead.

Rev. 5:12 “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain and hath redeemed us to God by his blood to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”