The Revelation of Jesus Christ – Comfort in tribulation

“I John your brother and companion in tribulation.”

 

One of the themes of the book of Revelation is grace and peace to those in tribulation, specifically to those who suffer for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. And we all face pressures . . . psychological . . . financial . . . physical, etc. Some of those in our church family face daunting physical ailments. One of the sisters has been in the hospital for over a week. And it might yet be another week.

 

I think back to an ancestor of mine who was dying of Tuberculosis. The brother, Erastus Lee, of my great, great, great, great, great grandpa Eber Lee writes to beloved Betsy Ann Lee. Eber Lee was the son of Elon Lee I. I have Elon’s cane, dated back to 1762. Erastus writes to Betsy:

 

“May He direct you in wisdom, what to do for the attainment of health. If He directs the means, and gives His blessing, you will soon have health. Let us therefore seek His grace, for He alone is sufficient for all our wants. But let us beware of hypocrisy; and go before Him without any covering for our souls, save the robes of righteousness wrought by our glorious mediator, seeing it is only in and through Jesus our Redeemer, that our surety, and in our name has paid our debt to justice; may we not now, “come boldly to the throne of grace, and obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Heb. 4:16

 

“May God grant you so much happiness as a mortal can enjoy on earth; and the full fruition of perfect blessedness, when you pass the bounds of time. This, my beloved, is the sincere prayer of my heart. With what earnest desires, with what sincerity of heart, these petitions are offered before God, He knoweth.

 

“And now, will Betsy unite with me in these or similar supplications? Bowing ourselves before the throne of His glory, let us worship Him with ardent devotion; and humbly entreat His favor, that He would be our joy, our rejoicing, our all in time, and prepare us to glorify and enjoy Him, when time shall be no more. And when we leave these present scenes, may our God receive us, where we shall have no more pain; no temptations; no sin; no trials, grief, or trouble of any kind. But where all is perfect purity, holiness, harmony and love. Where we shall see as we are seen, know as we are known, and love as we are beloved. And may that love of Christ be shed abroad in our hearts even now, constraining us, that we may love our God supremely; and each other with purity and fervency; and our fellow creatures with Christian benevolence. And now, blessed Betsy, I commit you to God, and to His holy keeping. Farewell. Yours truly, Erastus Lee

 

This is an excerpt of one of the letters (July 31, 1841) written by Erastus to beloved, beautiful Betsy. She died two years later.

 

I cry, Maranatha,

Todd Wood

The Revelation of Jesus Christ – Tribulation

“I, John, your brother and companion in tribulation”.

 

Late last night after the cubscout Blue and Gold meal at the church building, my father passed on to me 16 volumes of family correspondence that my grandfather typed out on his old antiquated manual “Royal” typewriter. I am blown away by some of the things that I am reading.

 

The first volume begins with Christopher C. Chesebro who was a prisoner on a ship in the Revolutionary War. This man is the great, great grandfather of my great, great grandpa on his mother’s side. He is my grandfather with 5 greats attached.

For generations, my family has known the fellowship of deep suffering. My great, great, great, great, great grandpa signed his name to this poem:

 

“Oh! land of rest, for thee I sigh,

When will the moment come,

When I shall lay my armor by

And dwell with Christ at home.

 

No tranquil joys on earth I know,

No peaceful sheltering dome,

This world’s a wilderness of woe,

This world is not my home.

 

Would at once have quit this place

foes in fury roam,

ah, my passport was not sealed,

not yet go home.

 

When by afflictions sharply tried,

I viewed the gaping tomb,

Although I dread death’s chilling flood,

Yet still I sigh for home.

 

Weary of wandering round and round

This world of sin and gloom

I long to leave the unhallowed ground

And dwell with Christ at home.

 

I was thinking that real comfort does not come from religious leaders who just sit in ivory towers, untouched by tribulation.

 

The Revelation of Jesus Christ – The Lord’s Day
“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10).
I need to disagree with E. W. Bullinger (The Apocalypse, 1909) on his interpreting that John spoke of this being the “day of the Lord” versus the Lord’s day.  John Walvoord agrees with Bullinger by defending the same view in his commentary (The Revelation of Jesus Christ, 1966).  So I disagree with Walvoord.   The Greek phrase is kyriake hemera and not hemera kyriou.
I see the Lord’s day as Sunday.  But my thoughts are not new.  The bishop of Antioch, Ignatius, and others thought so, too.  I pulled off the shelf my translation of the Apostolic Fathers by Lightfoot.  On page 95 in one of Ignatius’ letters, he writes, “For if we continue to live in accordance with Judaism, we admit that we have not received grace.  For the most godly prophets lived in accordance with Christ Jesus.  This is why they were persecuted, being inspired as they were by his grace in order that those who are disobedient might be fully convinced that there is one God who revealed himself through Jesus Christ his Son, who is his Word which came forth from silence, who in every respect pleased him who sent him.  If, then, those who had lived in antiquated practices came to newness of hope, no longer keeping the Sabbath but living in accordance with the Lord’s day, on which our life also arose through him and his death (which some deny), the mystery through which we came to believe, and because of which we patiently endure, in order that we might be found to be disciples of Jesus Christ, our only teacher, how can we possibly live without him, whom even the prophets, who were his disciples in the Spirit, were expecting as their teacher?”
Today was a unique day.  How do you consider this day?  How would you fill in the blank for today?  I was in _________________ on the Lord’s day.
thinking of heart issues,
Todd

Greg Johnson & Robert Millet in Idaho Falls

So far, the year 2012 has been a riveting year for this pivotal Eastern Idaho community situated on the northern stretch of the I-15 LDS corridor.

First, we had the opportunity to listen live to Republican Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, in a packed-out, standing-room-only gymnasium at Skyline High School. The cheers for Mitt were deafening. I could have reached out and touched the man, an individual who recently spoke at the commencement of Liberty University – one of the largest evangelical campuses in America. I hope Mitt, who is LDS, will beat Barak this November.

Secondly, those of all different religious backgrounds were invited and had the privilege to hear ex-LDS bishop Earl Erskine speak to a Saturday night audience (and through Sunday) in the large Calvary Chapel sanctuary. This man had never before been featured in an evangelical worship service of that nature. On Saturday night, he spoke softly and haltingly in his speech. I have never seen anything like it.

And if that has not been enough to supercharge our city with electricity, thirdly, on Wednesday, 7:00 pm, June 13, 2012, less than four weeks from today, Greg Johnson (founder of Standing Together) and Dr. Robert Millet will be on stage at the downtown Colonial Theater to have a historic public conversation in Idaho Falls, Idaho about the respective faiths of evangelicalism and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This will have nothing to do with American governmental politics but everything to do with what these two affable men have promoted as convicted civility in their gospel discussions. For some time in town, we have had an evangelical ministry, Share the Son Ministries, (which I highly recommend) lovingly and respectively seek to discuss LDS and evangelical doctrinal differences in order to obtain clarity and further evangelistic strategies, but this is the first time we have had a prominent LDS man and an ordained Baptist minister share the platform together in a public event.

Undoubtedly, there will be a large representation of LDS leadership at this event. I desire to meet as many of the men as possible. The event is free to the public. Concerning your attendance, one evangelical brother in town, Larry Hall, is a chief architect for helping arrange this event. He has about 450 tickets available. To request your block of tickets, email him at LarryJHall@hotmail.com. He will send you a confirmation about reserving your tickets, how to pick them up, and a request to contact if there is a cancellation.

As you consider the dynamics of a dialogue like this, whether you are evangelical or LDS, I would encourage you to pick up the book, Bridging the Divide: The Continuing Conversation Between A Mormon and An Evangelical (Monkfish, 2007). Read this book and you will come with even more questions on June 13. They touch on subjects that are vital to me: The nature of God, the Trinity, mankind’s sin, and the gospel.

See you all in downtown Idaho Falls soon,

Todd

Run For His Glory – 5K / 10K / Walk / Run
In three and half weeks, Berean Baptist will be sponsoring a 5K /10K Walk/Run on the west side of the Greenbelt. We would love for all the runners and walkers in the community to join us. This local event is to help bless the Idaho Falls Community Food Bank (receiving 80% of the proceeds) and the Boy Scout Troop 370 (receiving 20% of the proceeds).
The entrance fee is $25 for first family member and $5 for each additional family member. All registered participants will receive a t-shirt and opportunities to win prizes.
It will be fun. I am a middle-aged pastor who is out-of-shape. So join me for some fun and exercise. And/or please mention this event to the runners and walkers in your network of family and friends.
The race is at 5:30 p.m. Teton Running is announcing us. You may register here at Run For His Glory. It is going to be a great time along the river.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ (5)

The opening greeting of the Apocalypse is custom designed for people who are persecuted.  Humans are needy creatures.  And there are two things that we desperately need: grace and peace.  There is not much there to define those two words.  But here in this Revelation salutation, we have the best description in the New Testament for where grace and peace come from.  Look beyond that which is around you.  Look up.  Look to the Triune God:  (1) The Father, who is, and who was, and who is to come, (2) the seven Spirits – the Holy Spirit, (3) and Jesus Christ. 

You who are financially destitute, you who are physically downtrodden, you who are emotionally spent, and you who are mentally pressured, the compassionate Trinity greets you.  The eternal Trinity loves you.  And the majestic Trinity has positioned you in the Kingdom.  So perhaps you might be sitting or stumbling in the darkness of some valley this morning.  Be strengthened by what God  has revealed to you in the warmth of His light.  Memorize Revelation 1:4b-8.  No matter what your circumstances, the Triune God is there to lead your mind from troubled thoughts to a doxology.  And the doxology centers upon one Person of the Trinity in particular.  Jesus Christ.

thinking of heart issues,

Todd

The Revelation of Jesus Christ (4)
Are you battered down?  Backed up against the corner?  Do you need a blessing on this Friday night?  When people need a blessing in Idaho Falls, they sometimes call on people with the supposedly right credentials of priesthood authority.  How about this?  Open up your Bibles.  Turn to the last book.
Our church family memory verse last week was Revelation 1:3.  The trinitarian blessing.  A first of seven beatitudes in the Apocalypse.
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it: for the time is near.
First, it is good to read.  If you want to consider formal Bible reading in your church worship services, tie these seven passages together: Nehemiah 8:2-3, Luke 4:16, Acts 13:15, Colossians 4:16, I Thessalonians 5:27, I Timothy 4:13, and Revelation 1:3.  In times past, I think that the high Anglican, Dean Alford, was right in exhorting the Church of England to incorporate more of the reading of the book of Revelation in their liturgy.
Secondly, it is good to hear.  I bet in ancient times, those believers who didn’t have scriptures in their hands were hanging on every word that was read to them.  How about us in America?  Are we eager to hear?  I prayed for that yesterday during our National Day of Prayer.
Third, keep it.  Hold the words close to your heart.  You will be blessed.  It’s guaranteed.  We are in store for a lot of blessings in future days.
thinking of heart issues,
Todd

The Revelation of Jesus Christ (3)
“Things must shortly take place.” (Rev. 1:1, NKJV, emphasis mine).  Some biblical critics say that this has been unfulfilled, unrealized error.  Godly men like R.C. Sproul and others would counteract the venom of the scoffers by saying that it has been fulfilled.  They are preterists in their interpretation.  Sproul writes in his book, The Last Days According to Jesus (Baker Books, 1998), “According to preterists ‘the last days’ refers to the time between the advent of John and the destruction of Jerusalem” (p. 85).
But I believe that I am in the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints in Idaho Falls. 🙂  So what do we do with “shortly” in Revelation 1:1?  This past Sunday morning in the main service, one brother mentioned that our human perspective is not the same as God’s perspective on time and referenced I Peter 3:8.  Another brother asserted that we should translate the Greek word, taxei (which is the dative singular of the noun taxos), in English as “suddenly”.
But go ahead and trace that biblical word in other scriptural contexts:  Acts 10:33; 12:7; 17:15; 22:18; Luke 18:8; Romans 16:20; I Timothy 3:14; and Revelation 22:6.  And may the Spirit illuminate your understanding.
God gave the revelation to His Son, who passed it to an angel, who passed it on to John, who shared it with the seven churches in ancient Asia, to where it has been passed from hand to hand for 2,000 years to you.  The time is near.
thinking of heart issues,
Todd