The Word for Today with Ray: February 2020

Saturday, February 29, 2020

Leave the Temple Out of the Measurement Revelation 11:2

But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

The verse reads, “But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not;” John began with the word, “but” which means “even as, also and indeed” “the court” or “the hall, fold and uncovered space around the temple” “which is without the temple” which means “that is outside of God's sacred worship place” “leave out” or “except and exempt”, “and measure it not” which means “and do not mark the distances within the court”. John was instructed not to “measure” the outer “court” of God's “temple”.

The verse continues, “for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.” John added the word, “for” which means “because and since” “it is given” or “the outer court of God's temple is granted, bestowed, furnished and supplied” “unto the Gentiles” which refers to “to the pagans, foreign nations and multitudes”: “and the holy city” or “the sacred, pure, morally blameless and religiously and ceremonially consecrated town” “shall they tread” which means “will the Gentiles trample, crush and treat with insult and contempt” “under foot” or “beneath their feet” “forty and two months” which refers to “for three and one half years”. John was told how the “Gentiles” were to be “granted” the outer court because they would “crush and tread upon” the “holy city” for three and one half years.

When we meditate upon John's words in this verse, we see how this “temple of God” was to be measured by John, but the outer court of it was to be left to the “pagan” nations. God shall allow unbelievers who are upon the earth to have rule over this part of the temple for “three and one half years”, even though He desires to have a relationship with every person through His Son Jesus Christ. There will be many who will not yield to His offer, but He will maintain control over their time of rule. When a person receives Jesus as their “Savior and Lord”, they may watch these things occur but never need to worry about their outcome.

Next time we see John hears how God, “will give power unto” His “two witnesses”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.

A Reed Like Unto a Rod Revelation 11:1

As John the apostle continued to share about the “tribulation” that was to come upon the earth, he shared concerning the first six seals Jesus removed from the “scroll” in God's right hand. He began to write about what happened when Jesus, “had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets … And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. The first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth angels” blew their trumpets, and great judgment fell upon the earth. John continued, “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: And he had in his hand a little book open … And the voice which I heard from heaven spoke unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which stands upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, you must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” In chapter eleven and verse one of Revelation John shared, “there was given to me a reed like unto a rod” where we read:

And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

The verse reads, “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod:” John began with the words, “and there was given me” which means “there was bestowed, granted, put and shown to John” “a reed” or “a staff or measuring stem or plant” “like unto a rod” which means “as a walking stick, twig, branch or staff”. John was “given” a measuring “stick”.

The verse goes on to say, “and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.” John added the words, “and the angel” which means “and the messenger, envoy and one sent” “stood” or “was set, established and made firm”, “saying” which means “uttering, declaring or proclaiming”, “Rise” or “arise, stir up and be raised up and erected” “and measure” which means “mark off the space or distance of” “the temple” or “the sacred edifice or sanctuary consisting of the Holy place and the Holy of Holies” “of God” which refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”, “and the altar” or “and measure the altar of incense which stood in the sanctuary or the Holy Place” “and them” which means “measure the ones” “that worship therein” or “who reverence, show homage and prostrate within the temple”. John was instructed by the angel to “get up” and “measure” God's “temple”, His “altar” and those who worship Him.

When we consider John's words in this verse, we see a new phase of instruction for Him. This time John is instructed to “measure” God's “temple, the altar and them who worship there”. God's temple is the place of worship where His “altar” and those who worship Him abide, and his “altar” is where they worship. This great scene was before John, and his duty was to use the “measuring stick” given to him and mark out the distances told to him. The “temple of God” will be upon the earth at this time, and those having a relationship with Him shall be using it for worship. As we study John's measurements, let everyone who reads them receive God's Son Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord” and know that God desires to dwell among men.

Next time we see John instructed, “the court which is without the temple leave out”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

John Prophesying Again Revelation 10:11

As John the apostle continued to share about the “tribulation” that was to come upon the earth, he shared concerning the first six seals Jesus removed from the “scroll” in God's right hand. He began to write about what happened when Jesus, “had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets … And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. The first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth angels” blew their trumpets, and great judgment fell upon the earth. John continued, “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: And he had in his hand a little book open … And the voice which I heard from heaven spoke unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which stands upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.” In chapter ten and verse eleven of Revelation John shared how the angel told him, “you must prophesy again” where we read:

And he said unto me, you must prophesy again before many peoples,

and nations, and tongues, and kings.

The verse reads, “And he said unto me, you must prophesy again before many peoples, ...” John began with the words, “and he said” which means “and the messenger, envoy and one sent uttered, proclaimed and declared” “unto me” or “to John the apostle”, “you must prophesy” which means “John was to speak forth by divine inspiration and predict with the idea of foretelling future events pertaining especially to the kingdom of God” “again” or “anew, further and moreover” “before” which means “in front of and in the presence of” “many peoples” or “a great and abundant number of people groups, tribes, nations and those who of the same stock and language”. John was told by the angel that he was to “again” “foretell” many more people about future events.

The verse continues, “... and nations, and tongues, and kings.” John added the words, “and nations” which means “multitudes of individuals of the same nature or genus, people groups or tribes”, “and tongues” or “languages or dialects used by particular people distinct from that of other nations”, “and kings” which refers to “leaders of the people such as princes, commanders and lords of the land”. John was also to “prophesy” before “multitudes” of people who spoke different “languages” as well as to the “rulers or commanders” who were among them.

When we think through John's words in this verse, we see how he was to continue sharing these “prophesies” with people from all over the world. “People groups, nations, tribes and countries” were to hear the Revelation given to John, and though they had diverse languages and rulers, they were to listen to his “prophesy”. God desires people from every nation and tongue to receive His Son Jesus Christ as “Savior and Lord” today, and as we studied earlier in this book of Revelation in chapter seven and verses nine through ten, “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb”, and this is God's plan from the beginning. Let every person from every nation who read these words listen to and adhere to the “prophesy” given to John.

Next time John we begin a new chapter and see John share how “there was given me a reed like unto a rod”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Friday, February 28, 2020

The Sweet and Bitter Little Book Revelation 10:10

And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

The verse reads, “And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up;” John began with the words, “and I took” which means “and John received, laid hold of, claimed and procured” “the little book” or “the small booklet” “out of the angel's hand” which means “from the messenger, envoy and one sent's hand”, “and ate” or “devoured and consumed” “it up” which means “the little booklet”. John did as he was instructed by receiving the little booklet and eating it.

The verse goes on to say, “and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.” John continued with the words, “and it was” which means “and the little booklet was” “in my mouth” or “within John's orifice for language and words” “sweet” which means “fresh, sweet and not bitter” “as honey” or “like bees' honey”: “and as soon as” which means “and immediately, when and at the moment” “I had eaten it” or “”, which refers to “John consumed and devoured the little booklet”, “my belly” or “John's stomach, entire cavity, lower region or gullet” “was bitter” which means “exasperated, irritated, indignant and embittered”. John affirmed that the little booklet was “sweet” like “honey” in his “mouth” and “embittered” within his stomach after eating it.

When we meditate upon John's words in this verse, we see how the prophesy of this “little booklet” was fulfilled when John consumed it. It was “sweet” in his mouth, and “bitter” in his “stomach”. God knew all of this, and it was confirmed just as described by the “angel”. The idea may be that John “devoured” this booklet by reading it, and when he read it, the judgments pronounced within it made John sick to his stomach. Regardless, God knew all these things, and he desires for all people to have a relationship with Him through His Son Jesus. When they do, not only shall the receive “everlasting life”, but they also can be assured that anything pronounced within any “booklet” is under His control.

Next time John shares how the angel told him, “you must prophecy again before many peoples”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Take and Eat the Little Book Revelation 10:9

As John the apostle continued to share about the “tribulation” that was to come upon the earth, he shared concerning the first six seals Jesus removed from the “scroll” in God's right hand. He wrote about what happened when Jesus, “had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets … And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. The first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth angels” blew their trumpets, and great judgment fell upon the earth. John continued, “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And swore by him that lives for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he has declared to his servants the prophets. And the voice which I heard from heaven spoke unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which stands upon the sea and upon the earth.” In chapter ten and verse nine of Revelation John shared how he “went unto the angel”, took “the little book” and was told to “take it, and eat it up” where we read:

And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

The verse reads, “And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book.” John began with the words, “and I went” which means “and John approached and came” “unto the angel” or “toward the messenger, envoy and one sent”, “and said” which means “and uttered, declared and proclaimed” “unto him” or “to the angel”, “give me” which means “bestow, grant, supply and furnish John with” “the little book” or “the small booklet”. John shared how he obeyed the “voice” in “heaven” and asked the “angel” for “the little booklet”.

The verse continues, “And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make your belly bitter, but it shall be in your mouth sweet as honey.” John added the words, “and he said” which means “and the messenger uttered, proclaimed and declared” “unto me” or “to John”, “take it” which means “lay hold of, claim, procure, seize and apprehend the small booklet”, “and eat it up” or “and devour and consume the small booklet”; “and it shall make” which means “the small booklet will grieve” “your belly” or “John's stomach, entire cavity, lower region or gullet” “bitter” or “exasperated, irritated, indignant and embittered”, “but” which means “nevertheless, notwithstanding, yes and moreover” “it shall be” or “the booklet will be” “in your mouth” which refers to “in John's orifice in his face used for utterance and words” “sweet” which means “fresh, sweet and not bitter” “as honey” or “like bees' honey”. John was told to “receive” the “small booklet”, “eat it” and the result would be to make his “belly” ache even though it would have a “sweet” taste.

When we consider John's words in this verse, we see further instruction given to John concerning this “little book” in the angel's hand. John was not only to “take” the booklet, but also to “devour” it. He was told how the “little booklet” would make him have a “stomach ache”, but would be “sweet like honey” in his mouth. This event will lead to more judgment carried out by God upon the earth, and God used this illustration to continue sharing with John. God is in control of everything, and even when things seems a little strange to us, He has a plan to carry out. God desires to have a relationship with every person through His Son Jesus, and those who are wise will understand, since God knows things such as what will happen with a “little booklet”, He certainly knows what will happen with His world.

Next time John shares how the ate the little book and it was, “sweet as honey:” and his “belly was bitter”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.