B. 5a,§6(8)10
Boek Openbaring §6,(8,)10, Zegels in het algemeen: Right and Wrong Church
Shalom!
^ The seals are the most central and deepest secrets of the Book of Revelation and the Bible (Rev. 6 and 8:1).
The sealing of those seals God had commanded (Rev. 10:3-4).
It is impossible to accept or to think, that the meanings of the seals can be found with the help of human wisdom. They cannot be explained in a way that another interpreter of the Bible says this, but the opinion of another interpreter must also be taken into account. God has sharply opposed it already in general, 2Pet. 1:19-21, <We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation. 21. For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.>
^ The last Book of the Bible, the Revelation of God / Jesus Christ, had come directly from God and had been confirmed by the apostle John (1a§1-3, Rev. 1:1, 2).
John had been then the last living disciple of Jesus. At the same time God's Own Words sealed the Book of Revelation, the New Testament and the Bible (1a§1-3, Rev. 22:18-19).
In the same way, Jesus Christ had fulfilled and sealed the Old Testament {Mat. 5:17-20 (cf. 1d§1-3)}.
^ Only within the framework of the Bible one can expect some addition or some cancellation. That is, only in the way what God has announced in advance and what is in harmony with His entire work of creation. In that frame, dealing with the secrets of the seals has been challenging and blessed.
Here God is our Leader and Father, and we are all equal sisters and brothers (cf. Rev. 1:9), Bert
¤ From the Bible, we know exactly how the first original church was founded and how God expressed Himself there. Thus, what the church was at Pentecost is a type. And there is no other example. What God did at Pentecost, He must do until the church ages end. What the unchanging God with his unchanging ways did in the beginning, He will do until it is done for the last time (Eccl. 3:14-15).
The church and its messengers can change. But God and His ways never change (Heb. 13:8).
¤ In the beginning, on Pentecost, the believers had everything. The pure Word of God, the Power of the Spirit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, etc. It was not organized by men, but led by the Holy Spirit. Many times it was hated, despised, harassed, and persecuted until death. But still it was faithful to God. It remained in the pattern given by the original Word. It had been the first revival age of the churches (1a/1b§1-3, Rev. 1:20).
To the first church age of Ephesus belonged the star messenger Paul. He was unorganized, led by the Spirit, and compared to all other apostles, he did by God's Grace the most spiritual work (1Cor. 15:10), Gal. 1:1, <Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead—>
¤ Paul was absolutely faithful to the Word. His ministry took place in the power of the Spirit, thus bringing forth the spoken and written Word. It was the ministry given to him by God, that produced visible fruit. It would be good for other messengers of the churches to strive to imitate the apostle Paul (cf. 1Cor. 4:15-16).
The apostolic age is not over. The promise of power is until God stops calling (Acts 1-28), Acts 2:38-39, <Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39. This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”>
¤
The other half of the page can be found in the book
(ISBN 9789528096245)