Revelation part 7

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THE TREE OF LIFE

(Getting into the seven letters to the churches.  None of this 
is controversial ... yet.  I know.  But it leads up to my views
about the controversial aspects of Revelation.)

The first letter to the churches was to Ephesus. Jesus 
describes Himself to the Ephesians as the one who holds the 
seven stars and walks amidst the candlesticks. And after he 
admonishes the angel of the Ephesians to correct the sad state 
of having lost their first love, Jesus speaks of the overcomers. 

     He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith 
	unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give 
	to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the
	paradise of God. 
	Rev 2:7 

He speaks of a tree of life after saying He walked amidst the 
seven candlesticks. Recall that the candlesticks looked like 
branches of a tree. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. 
If the church is the branch/candlestick, and the minister is 
the star lighting the candlestick with spirit ministry, there 
is the thought of the Word/light which the  minister preaches as 
being the fruit on the tree of life. 

Notice these words: 

     Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal 
	life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 
	John 6:54 

These strange words describing the eating of His flesh and drinking 
of His blood were explained as follows: 

     It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: 
	the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they 
	are life. 
	John 6:63 

He was referring to HIS WORDS when He told them to eat His flesh. 
He is the Word made flesh (John 1:14). And when He said we must 
eat His flesh to have eternal life, He was saying we must believe 
His words. Believing His words were His topic of issue because verse 
64 comes right out and mentions BELIEF.  

     But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew 
	from the beginning who they were that believed not, and 
	who should betray him. 
	John 6:64 

In other words, "Some of you are not eating my flesh." 

When many left, Jesus asked the disciples if they would leave, too. 
Peter indicated he knew what Jesus meant by eating His flesh as 
he responded to Jesus: 

     From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no 
	more with him.  Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye 
	also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to 
	whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 
	John 6:66-68

The words of eternal life. Believing His words is eating His flesh 
and gaining eternal life.  Jesus told the overcomers of Ephesus that 
they will have right to eating fruit of the tree of life. In other 
words, comparing scripture with scripture, the ones who overcome the
carnal temptations will enjoy feasting on God's Word and continue 
to experience renewal day by day. 

If you look closely enough, you will see that each of the seven days 
of Genesis parallel each of the messages to the seven churches in 
some manner. Let there be light parallels the thought of eating 
eternal life-giving fruit from the tree of life. 

But the main thought to be had in this first letter is the thought 
of the church overcoming temptation in order to continue eating 
Word and receiving light to grow into God's image. 

If Satan can keep us milling around outward and carnal issues, some 
of which are not detrimental in the sinful sense, he will keep us 
away from spirit ministry which he knows will change us into 
God's image. Anything he can get us occupied with in order to keep
us from spiritual truth will accomplish his end. Temptations are 
presented to the believer in order to do just this thing. If 
we can overcome these things, we will continue feasting on God's 
truths and successfully receive spirit ministry which changes us 
into God's image! 

The sealed book in God's hand contains the truths we must understand 
regarding the very temptations we must overcome. This book is sealed 
seven times, and each seal is indicated to be temptations which we 
must be made aware of in order for us to become revelations of Jesus 
Christ. At the end of the sixth seal 144,000 were sealed with God's
seal on their foreheads in indication that the work of imprinting his 
image into the believer was fulfilled. The sixth day saw man made 
in God's image. Overcoming the six temptations as revealed in the 
six seals sees us stamped with God's image!!! 

The first seal regarded the white horse of false doctrine. Recall that 
the first four seals, the horsemen, are listed consecutively by 
Jesus, Himself, in Matthew 24:4-10 in parallel to the four horsemen 
of false doctrine, warring, famine and death (detailed in another
study entitled, "The Four Angels and the Four Winds"). And Jesus 
said, "he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved." 
Matt 24:13  

Overcoming is enduring. 

Being saved is the full end of the Gospel. 

     Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
     1 Pet 1:9 

Jesus said that if we seek to save our lives (souls in the Greek) we 
shall lose them. Matthew 16:24-26. This means that gratifying self 
in the pleasures of life now will cause us to lose pleasure in the 
end. And losing our lives will have us find them. This means that 
self-denial and willingness to suffer the loss of fleshly pleasure 
will reward us great pleasure in the end. When? 

     For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with 
	his angels; and then he shall reward every man according 
	to his works. 
	Mat 16:27 

The temptations of the enemy, four horsemen, are intended to distract 
us from continuing in the renewing process of God's Spirit. The 
first thing God spoke into existence was light - truth, of Day 
one. The first enticement away from this work is false doctrine, just 
as the first church was told to overcome the fault of losing its first 
love.  Jesus is the truth and is what we must love. If we overcome, 
we will continue feasting from the tree of life, the extension of 
Christ ministering the word of God, to receive the continued 
impartation of eternal life. 

Receiving truth as opposed to false doctrine and a false Christ is 
the first thing we must settle in our hearts. It will be the 
victory over the first temptation every believer will face.
The whole work of renewing us regards the impartation of light 
and truth - Spirit ministry. Unless we settle this in our lives 
as a priority, we will fall at the first trial of false doctrine.
The Word of God makes us aware of Satan's devices. 

Christ is within the believer. But He will not be revealed through 
the believer unless the believer receives ministry of Spirit 
and learns to overcome fleshly temptation that seeks
to hinder that work. The books of our lives must be opened 
to reveal Christ to the world. Breaking seals is breaking the flesh. 

So if we endure temptation to the end, we shall see our souls 
saved! Delivered! 

The four horses were called four winds in Zech 6:5. And we see 
that the saints shall be gathered from the four winds, delivered 
from the four horsemen (Matthew 24:31). The word delivered means 
saved. If we endure temptation to the end we shall be saved. 

     Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is 
	tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the 
	Lord hath promised to them that love him.
	James 1:12 

The crown of life is the image of God impressed upon our lives. 

                             

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In Christ,  
Michael F. Blume   
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/mfblume/mblume.htm
http://www.netdot.com/jwg7192/writings/mike.htm