Revelation Ministries

04/18/2025

Tonight - Friday 6:30 PM - Seven Words of Jesus -

04/11/2025

Passover Seder This Sunday 4.13 10 AM -

04/05/2025

THIS WEEK AT VCM 4.13.2025 -

02/20/2025

02/20/2025

Spend five minutes on social media and you’ll see it. A distant relative posts a cryptic meme about microchips and the mark of the beast. An old church

10/30/2024

Here is David Cassidy’s post this morning - in case you’re not on X. David is the pastor of Spanish River Church in Boca Raton Florida. After reading this for the third time this morning - I’ve concluded that it is the the best thing I’ve read all year - and in a very very long time:

“I believe gathering for worship is the single most radical act any Christian can make today.

Answering God’s call to rise from mere individualism or the boundaries of family, tribe, class, or politics and identify in public with the Church of history, the Church of heaven, and the Church right now; to offer oneself in sacrifice to the One who for love sacrificed all on the Cross; to publicly acknowledge personal and institutional sin, one’s need for forgiveness, instruction, spiritual nourishment and renewal; to confess in public with others the truth of the ancient Faith so vehemently despised - this is truly a most radical step in our anti-God, anti-church, anti-Christ culture of death, shame, and narcissistic self-love embodied in the secularist fundamentalism that demands you stay in bed, chill, keep quiet, and find fulfillment in the pursuit of your personal dreams.

Its also the sane response of any heart healed of leprosy, liberated from the asylum of self-seeking, and raised from the dead.

Gathered worship is wisdom on the march, preparation for heaven, the reforming of our souls, rooting us in love, and growing us in truth.

Online & pods are fine if you’re sick or otherwise confined, but gathering with others is how we and the world are transformed. It turns out that authentic radicalism can be both “boring” and “thrilling” all at once - get up and gather with others at the table, under the word, to praise, pray, and proclaim the goodness of the Lord.”

10/14/2024

"When the Lamb broke the seventh seal on the scroll, there was silence throughout heaven for about half an hour. (2) I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets. (3) Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God's people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne." Revelation 8:1-3

Put down your Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye , and Scofield Bibles. Instead, get a copy of Eugene Peterson’s Reversed Thunder – easily the most useful (and accurate) book you will ever read on the last book of the Bible – it’s titled “Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of St. John and the Praying Imagination.

It will transform your understanding of Revelation from Future Fantasy and Speculation to Present and Useful Reality.

Just a little sample - Peterson’s thesis is that Revelation is literally the “last word” on pretty much everything – the last word on Scripture, Christ, the Church, Worship, Evil, Prayer, Witness, Politics, Judgment, Salvation, and Heaven. The "last words" are a series visions which represent reality - things as they really are - not as they seem to be - and are meant to inspire the imagination for the purpose of prayer.

Here’s a small sample from Chapter 7 – “The Last Word on Prayer” – which essentially rescued my understanding of prayer from the realm of frustration and monoteny.

Did you ever wonder why when the seventh seal was opened by the Lamb there was “silence in heaven for about a half hour?” I did. And never properly understood this until I read this book - yeah - there are definitely echoes of the Day of Atonement - Yom Kippur - and the drama of that day - but what was happening in those thirty minutes - some reputable scholars see this as the time when the High Priest was in the Most Holy Place making intercession for the People and the Land - he was burning incense and offering sacrifices of atonement - but he would only remain there for a very short period of time.

Since the Temple in Heaven is now open for every believer in Christ - we can enter in - freely - "by a new and living way - the blood of Jesus" - and connect directly with Jesus - the "High Priest who is over the House of God." (Hebrews 10:19) We enter as "priests to His God and Father." Rev. 1:6

“The Apocalypse is a fusion of vision and prayer. When the seventh seal is opened, there is silence in heaven for about half an hour. A climax has been reached. The silence prepares the imagination to receive an incredible truth. While conflicts raged between good and evil, prayer went up from devout bands of first century Christians all over the Roman Empire. Massive engines of persecution and scorn were ranged against them, They had neither weapons nor votes. They had little money and no prestige. Why didn’t they have mental breakdowns? Why didn’t they cut and run? They prayed.

It was in order to hear those prayers that there was a silence in heaven. Out of the silence, action developed: an angel came down before the altar of God with a censer. He mixed the prayers of the Christians with incense (which cleansed them from impurities) and combined them with fire (God’s Spirit) from the altar. Then he put it all in a golden censer and threw it over heaven’s ramparts. The censer, plummeting through the air, landed on earth. On impact there were “peals of thunder, voices, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake” (Rev 8:5). The prayers which had ascended, unremarked by the journalists of the day, returned with immense force – in George Herbert’s phrase, as “reversed thunder.” Prayer reenters history with incalculable effects. Our earth is shaken daily by it.”

09/20/2024

I don't know why, but this iconoclastic, contrarian spirit rises up within me whenever I come upon the latest scourings and hit pieces coming from the young, restless and reformed-anti-charismatic-cessationist-doctrinal purist-evangelical-papist-wanabees out there in social media....if they say they don't like something and that it's detrimental to doctrinal purity- to me, it's possibly something I want to do more of...like for instance, their general dislike of Bethel Worship Music - which I generally love a lot, and like their reflex dislike of Sarah Young's "Jesus Calling" which I enjoy tremendously. I say thank you to these self-appointed anti-experientialist discernment gurus - you actually MAKE me want to sing "Goodness of God," "No Longer Slaves", "Reckless Love" all the more.
It's baffling, but I pretty much will tend to love whatever they strongly dislike. And thank you for demonizing Sarah Young's amazing books - I find myself increasingly attracted to them.

09/11/2024

I wish and pray everyone who ever says “God is in control” - as in everything that happens (meticulous providence) is His will would listen to this message. I honestly think most people who say this say it without full knowledge of its implications.

When Jesus calls us to pray “your will be done” it very clearly reveals that one day, God’s will will be done on the earth as perfectly as it is in heaven. It is not the case yet - otherwise why would He ask us to pray this prayer? Anyway - please listen to John Mark Comer explain it. He does it very well.

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09/06/2024

Some light reading from this morning’s selection in the One Year Bible- from 2 Corinthians 11:19-21 - “…after all you, who think you’re so wise, enjoy listening to fools! You put up with it when they make you their slaves, take everything you have, take advantage of you, put on airs, and slap you in the face!” Ouch.

Btw, this is why I have been reading from the OYB for the past 26 years - it forces me to read books I would otherwise avoid…but, since the daily selections include portions of the Old and New Testament plus Psalms and Proverbs, it stays interesting and relevant. Also, after you’ve read certain books dozens of times, you begin to hear “echoes” from the rest of Scripture that illuminate passages that are otherwise difficult. This is due to what theologians call the Unity of Scripture - there is a consistent and coherent inspired message throughout - a redemptive plan that unfolds progressively - with Jesus from start to end.
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” (ESV) John 5:39

08/29/2024

This is going to be long. But please bear with me. Or not - either way - may the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

There's are "teachers" online who posts dozens of videos - sometimes calling themselves "rabbis" and telling Christians (the mostly speak in churches and market their resources to Christians) that they are obligated to "keep" Torah - the first 5 books of the Bible - stressing that Christians are obligated to keep the Sabbath (on Saturday) and observe all of the Jewish Festivals. Obligated - is the key word.

I knew folks like this existed and were roaming about the Church - just like in the 1st century. (This sort of legalism and "judiazing" was one of the great heresies of the early Church - along with Gnosticism.) Much of the New Testament is directed against Judiazers and Gnostics. Judiazers taught that Christians were still under the Law and Gnostics believed that Jesus had not physically risen from the dead.

But I always wondered - why? Haven't they read verses like Colossians 2:16-17? "Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." The substance belongs to Christ! So, if we want the substance, we MUST come to Jesus for it!

Now I understand - they really have read their Bible, but in a very peculiar way - because last Sunday I was accosted by a visitor who persistently asked me "when in the Sabbath?" She repeated the question dozens of times. I said, first of all, "...there is a very clear verse in the New Testament that forbids you to judge other believers in Jesus on this very thing"

I opened my Bible - but she wouldn't look - she said, yes, I know this verse. She continued to ask me - and so I said, "have you read Matthew 11:28-30 or Hebrews 3-4 - heck, the whole book!" I said to her, Jesus is the very embodiment of the true Sabbath Rest - this is why he calls the tired and weary - those worn down by the legalism and burdensome hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Scribes to come to Him - "I will give you rest..." If you are seeking peace, wholeness and righteousness apart from Jesus, you are lost.

But this person persisted..."when is the Sabbath" so, since she wouldn't look at my Bible, I answered, "Today", "Today is the Sabbath" - "that's what God calls it in Hebrews 4 since that chapter plainly teaches that the Sabbath Rest in Jesus is always available to those who approach the throne of Grace 'with confidence...to find mercy and grace to help in time of need.'"

And I added - "when I say that the Sabbath is "Today' - I mean what the author of Hebrews meant - God, literally calls the Sabbath - "Today" - because anyone can enter it at any time and on ANY DAY - I said - "if you ask me that tomorrow, Monday, I will give you the same answer "Today", and if you asked me on Wednesday, I would say "Today." I don't have to wait until Saturday, or Sunday, or any special day to experience Sabbath Rest.

It is always available to me in the person of Jesus Christ. "Please understand me,"" I continued, "I am not telling you that Sunday is the Sabbath - quite literally - Jesus is the Sabbath and I can experience that Sabbath rest in Jesus each and every time I come to Him for help."

I was unprepared for her answers. To my absolute shock, she said, "you cannot use the New Testament of answer me." Then, i understood where these folks are coming from. Now, and after encountering these online teachers, I know why. There are people who call themselves believers in Jesus (Yeshua) who actually believe that the 5 Books of Moses, the Torah, are more authoritative than the New Testament! They also believe that Paul invented Christianity and that He and Jesus were at odds theologically! I suppose nothing surprises me these days. I suppose they haven't read The Acts of the Apostles where Peter and James and the entire Jerusalem Council endorse Paul's Gospel of Salvation by Grace through Faith.

Look, I'm one who loves to celebrate the Jewish Feast days - because they add richness and meaning to our faith - a Hebraic understanding of the Bible is important. We do a "Christ in the Passover" Seder every single year and every Pentecost and Tabernacles we mention the significance of those Feast days to Christians today. It is entirely another thing to say that Christians MUST celebrate these days in order to remain righteousness - which I find mind boggling since there is no Jerusalem Temple or Desert Tabernacle for that matter, standing making the true observance impossible.

People who say these things HAVE NOT UNDERSTOOD THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST - AND WHY IT IS GOOD NEWS! MY RIGHTOUSNESS IS LITERALLY BOUND UP IN THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST - it is the righteousness of faith which Paul mentions in Romans!

Romans 3:21-22

21 "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it
22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction. (between Jew and Gentile.)

When Paul the Apostle - who was hand-picked by Jesus to preach the Gospel to Gentiles - when he speaks of the Law - he is thinking "Torah." And Paul is quite clear on how the Torah relates to believers - here are a few verses:

1. Romans 7:6:

"...But now we are released from the law (Torah), having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code."

2. Galatians 3:23-25:

"Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law (Torah), imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian."

3. Galatians 4:9-11:

"But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain."

4. Galatians 5:1-4:

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace."

Be watchful of these things - because there is so much toxic religion out there - it is completely foreign to the Gospel of Jesus - the Gospel of Grace...

1 Timothy 1:6-7

6 "Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions."

Titus 1:10-11

10 "For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. 11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach."

PLEASE, READ YOUR NEW TESTAMENT REGULARLY - AND USE CHRISTOLOGICAL LENSES TO INTERPRET THE OLD TESTAMENT!

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."

08/10/2024

“The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth.”
George Orwell, 1984

Orwell seems frighteningly relevant these days doesn’t he?