Revelation – The Church in Heaven
And circling the throne, twenty-four thrones. And upon the twenty-four thrones elders were seated, clothed with white garments and golden crowns upon their heads. Revelation 4:4
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Shaken (σαλεύω)
“Shaken” (σαλεύω) denotes causing something to move to and fro or waver. The term “shaken” can refer to both physical objects (e.g., the foundations of the heavens) and psychological states (e.g., a person’s mental state).
During the tribulation period, after the sun has been darkened and the moon ceases to give light, the inherent abilities of the heavens will be shaken, causing the stars to appear as if they are falling (Matthew 24:29). Then the sign of the coming of Christ will be seen (Matthew 24:30). When the heavens are shaken, the hearts of men will fail them out of fear. They will see the coming of the Lord (Luke 21:25-26). In Christ’s second coming, only the things that cannot be shaken will remain (Hebrews 12:27).
The foundation we build upon is crucial. The man who builds his house on a foundation rock ensures that when the storm comes the house will not be shaken (Luke 6:48). This principle also applies to the foundation of our work. Paul, as a master builder, laid down a foundation for the Church based on the doctrine he receive from God. There is no other foundation that can be laid (1 Corinthians 3:11). Our salvation rests upon the belief in the death of Jesus Christ on behalf of our sins and His resurrection three days later (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). It is a salvation by grace through faith, not by any quality of law (Ephesians 2:8). When we stand before Christ at the Bema seat, let our works be found to be of good quality by using what we have been given in salvation to live out the righteousness we have in Christ so that they stand approved when tested (1 Corinthians […]
To Hold Down (κατέχω)
To hold down (κατέχω) conveys the act of preventing, hindering, or holding onto something or someone.
In the parable of the land owner who planted a vineyard and leased it out so that he could go to a far away country, the vinedressers sought to hold down his son’s inheritance by killing him (Matthew 21:38). By slaying the heir, they perceived that they would be able to prevent the owner from taking what was rightfully his.
While talking about the Kingdom of the Heavens and how the message is impacting those hearing it, Jesus speaks the parable of the sower and the seeds. Unlike the message of salvation today, which holds an inherent ability to save a person (Romans 1:16), the good news of the Kingdom of the Heavens could be snatched out of the heart of those who heard it. However, those who heard the word with a proper and good heart, prevented the loss of the message in their heart, resulting in bearing fruit (Luke 8:15). Therefore, their lives were impacted by the message of the Messiah because they believed God.
A quality of the wrath of God is manifested today against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold down the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). The wicked do not succeed because they evade justice, but rather, because God gives them over to uncleanness and the strong desires of their hearts due to their rejection of the truth. As a result, their minds become depraved, calling good evil while being filled with all forms of unrighteousness, thus bringing upon themselves the fullness of judgment (Romans 1:32).
When we were in the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our […]
Mental Control (πίμπλημι)
Mental Control (πίμπλημι) is a type of filling in which the person, or thing, is completely filled up in such a way as to directly influence its direction and activities; therefore, they are dominated by what is filling them.
This is the type of filling used by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost in the upper room in Acts chapter two when the disciples were dominated by Him to speak with other dialects. This is not the Spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, which is a replenishing type of filling; instead, it is an Old Testament type of filling that was for the purpose of showing the Jews a sign from God.
And they were all dominated by the Holy Spirit and began to speak different languages just as the Spirit gave them to declare – Acts 2:4.
The other type of filling, which is to replenish, is also used in the same context in Acts chapter two for how the sound of a mighty rushing wind filled the house with sound as the Holy Spirit came down from heaven, Acts 2:2.
The Spiritual gift of speaking in tongues that was given to the Church as a sign to the unbelieving Jews is a different type of filling from what happened on the day of Pentecost. It is a filling up where lacking, or replenish, and the person being filled in this way maintains mental control over the use of the gift, 1 Corinthians 14:32. On the day of Pentecost the disciples did not have control over what they were speaking; however, concerning the Spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, Christians are instructed to abstain from speaking if they do not have someone who can […]
Sheol (שְׁאֹ֖ול) – Hades (ᾅδης)
Where the worm does not die
Sheol is the Hebrew word that describes the place in the center of the earth where humans who have died reside. Within its compartments are unbelievers and some of the fallen angels who are bound, waiting for final judgment. Prior to the resurrection of Christ, all those who were saved resided in Paradise, which was in the upper chamber of Sheol. Hades is the Greek word for the same place, which comes across into English as hell. However, the English concept only refers to the lowest part of Sheol, where the unsaved humans reside.
Sheol has three chambers. The lowest part is where the fire burns (Deuteronomy 32:22) and the unsaved reside. This is the place where the worm does not die. Worm refers to the sin nature of a human, not a physical worm (Isaiah 66:24). The abyss is the holding area for fallen angels, and within the abyss is a pit for malignantly evil angels. Paradise is the residence of those who were saved before the resurrection of Christ.
During Christ’s earthly ministry to the Jews, the unbelieving ones kept pressing for a sign even though He had given substantial evidence to them that He was the Messiah. In response, Jesus states that no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah. As Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights, Matthew 12:39-40. In Peter’s first address to Israel after the resurrection of Christ, he quotes the prophecies concerning Christ and Hades. King David, who was a prophet of […]