I was in the church today, and the preacher started his preaching from Revelation 1:12-20. There, starting from verse 10 we read:
Revelation 14:12-20
"I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I’m the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," and, "what you see write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: To Ephesus to Smyrna to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea." Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in his right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I’m the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. AND I HAVE THE KEYS OF HADES AND OF DEATH. Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are and the things which will take place after this. The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches."
"I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I’m the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," and, "what you see write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: To Ephesus to Smyrna to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea." Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in his right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I’m the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. AND I HAVE THE KEYS OF HADES AND OF DEATH. Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are and the things which will take place after this. The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches."
What drew much my attention here, together with the glorious appearance of our Lord, is verse 18 where the Lord says: "AND I HAVE THE KEYS OF HADES AND DEATH". Jesus has the keys of Death! He is the "who lives, and was dead, and behold He (Jesus) is alive forever". Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us:
Hebrews 2:14-15
"Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He himself like wise shared in the same, THAT THROUGH DEATH HE MIGHT DESTROY HIM WHO HAS THE POWER OF DEATH, THAT IS, THE DEVIL, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage"
"Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He himself like wise shared in the same, THAT THROUGH DEATH HE MIGHT DESTROY HIM WHO HAS THE POWER OF DEATH, THAT IS, THE DEVIL, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage"
Jesus Christ came to destroy the one that has the power of death, the devil, and He did this through his death. Jesus holds the keys of Death and Hades. A day will come that the dead will hear the voice of the Son of man and will be raised! The voice of Jesus Christ, the one that keeps the keys of death, will raise them all, great and small, Christians and none (independent of time I speak here), ALL! Jesus holds the keys of death and therefore, He is able to release those who through the fear of death were subject to bondage all their lifetime. We are no longer under the bondage of death. We are no longer captive by death. If you believe in the Captain of life, in Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior, "if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved" (Romans 10:9) and have eternal life!!! Even if you taste death still Jesus holds the keys to death. The day will come that you will hear His voice. The day will come that you will get a body like His body. A day will come that you will sit in His right hand side. A day will come that you will see Him as He is. A day will come that you will be with Him eternally. A day will come that you will go to the place He has prepared for us in the Father’s house (John 14:2-3). Jesus Christ the prince of life, the Son of God, the Lord and Savior loves you my friend. Nothing can separate you from His love. You are His wonderful bride! You are the one He is engaged with. Yes YOU! II Corinthians 4:18 tell us that those things that are seen are temporary but those who are not seen are eternal. Which realities do we see? Which realities do we follow? Temporary or eternal? Far too many go after what they see, the temporary. Far too many are under the bondage of death. But not we Christians. Not we, the sons of the Eternal God. We have as much life as our Father has: ETERNAL. All of us we have lost or we will probably lose a loved person. All of us we need to keep in our hearts and minds what the Lord said to Martha who had very recently lost her brother: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die" (John 11:25-26). Jesus is coming and nobody can stop Him. He will open and who will close? He is coming and the dead will hear His voice. And your loved ones, if they are brothers and sisters, are going to appear with Him. Nothing is going to hold them. Nothing is going to stop them. Nothing is going to keep them. Look here what the Spirit says in I Thessalonians 4:13-18
I Thessalonians 4:13-18
"But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descent from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."
"But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descent from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."
"Lest you sorrow as others who have no hope"… There are others that have no hope. There are others that look at the temporary, have fixed their eyes on the temporary and have no hope. But not we. Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the Lord and the Savior and the Captain of Life IS COMING. And the dead in Christ shall rise first! Then all those who are alive will be caught in the air to meet the Lord there. What a wonderful meeting this is going to be! We will ALL, ALL those who believe in Him, be there! This is our hope and this is our comfort.
Revelation 21:4
"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, not sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, not sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
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