Download Revelation Series Week 5 Oct. 8th

REVELATION SERIES –Week 5
Positioned As Kings And Priests For Such An Hour As This!
Wednesday October 8th 2014
Pastor Tom Elkins
Introduction: Last week we looked at the Biblical meaning of “The Day of The Lord” and
how it connects to end time prophecy. I have received so many positive comments expressing the
fact the Holy Spirit gave so many of you clarity and understanding in so many different areas. I
am grateful! I was surprised as there was only one question. Question: Pastor Tom, do you believe
that the Day of the Lord will be a literal day or does it define a period of time? Answer: YES! I
believe that it speaks to both a specific moment and time in prophetic history when Jesus Christ
returns as recorded in Revelation 1: 7 where John declares, “Behold He is coming with clouds
and every eye will see Him”. Do you remember in Acts chapter one where Jesus was with his
disciples when a cloud received Him and took Him away into heaven? I can only imagine this
whole scene and experience really messed up the Disciples for a few days. How would you
explain this to your family and friends, “After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while
they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into
heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why
are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but
someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” (Acts 1:9-11 NLT) I
believe that the Old Testament also gives us prophetic pictures of “The Day of The Lord”
recorded in the vision of Daniel in chapter seven,
“I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14 NKJV)
I personally believe that the references to ‘The Day of The Lord” in scripture defines a literal day
when Jesus Christ returns to judge the Nations. I also believe that it defines and includes this same
period of time of judgment and wrath as referenced and discussed last week, and includes the
establishment of His kingdom on earth where He will reign for 1000 years. (Dan. 7, Revelation
20) We may look at this in more detail as we explore the book of Revelation.
As we begin tonight I want to focus on Revelation 1: 4-6 “John, to the seven churches which are
in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from
the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the
firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings
and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
(NKJV)
The Holy Spirit is highlighting verse 6. Beloved, there is a major shift underway and I declare over
you that you are an overcomer! God is raising you up as an end time company of Kingdom Priests
to walk in “KINGDOM AUTHORITY”. This is the Word of God and the heart of God. If you will
The Holy Spirit is highlighting verse 6. Beloved, there is a major shift underway and I declare over
you that you are an overcomer! God is raising you up as an end time company of Kingdom Priests
to walk in “KINGDOM AUTHORITY”. This is the Word of God and the heart of God. If you will
allow Him, the Holy Spirit will baptize you with a fresh anointing of Christ centered love. Without
this fresh anointing of abandoned love it is impossible to walk in kingdom power and authority.
Paul reminds us that Love is the greatest and will stand when all else has fallen because Love
never fails. There is an uncommon grace being dispensed to those who will follow the Lamb in
this hour. If we choose to truly follow the Lamb we will both reflect the glory of His love while
dispensing the fragrance of his kingdom. You must add to your faith compassion. Ask the Father
for it! Compassion is a prerequisite to the supernatural. Miracles are released where compassion
grows. Jesus was driven by compassion. “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with
compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore
pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:36-38, NKJV)
Did you know that God is doing a radical work in your life? He is…It’s all about His GRACE and
His KINGDOM! You are His light in Shelby County. You are a reflection of His radiant Glory and
Love. He is changing you even as I speak and He is calling you to walk in perfect synchronization
with Him. This is the hour to rise up and rule as kingdom kids and kingdom kings. This is an hour
of action. My Bible says that those who really truly know their God will arise with strength and
take decisive action. Several translations render the text to say that those who know their God will
do great exploits. (Daniel 11:32) Jesus declares that you would do the greater works in John
chapter 14, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done,
and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in
my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything
in my name, and I will do it! “(John 14:12-14) Evangelism- reaching the lost with the gospel has
never been about a church program. You will not find a formula or a program in the words “As
you are going make disciples” Our Lord never intended to establish His Kingdom with just words
or a program; He intends on establishing His Kingdom with power, “ For the kingdom of God is
not in word but in power.” (1 Cor. 4:20 NKJV) I know that you are connecting the
dots…KINGDOM POWER, we all desperately need it but we must first desire it. Here is the key
to everything, one word, Love. God is love and He must be the affection of our heart. Paul admits
that Love is the motivator and constrainer of his life. (2 Cor. 5:14) Your obedience flows from your
love. It’s not legalism it’s love! The disciples may not have understood everything but they went
and waited in that upper room as their expression and execution of obedient love. “Behold, I send
the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued
with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49 NKJV)
Notice there is a prerequisite to the promise. It is your love that “positions” you to
receive the “POWER”. Your obedient love is the key factor to establishing the
Kingdom of God! Is your heart surrendered in love?
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my
witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
POSITION – POSITION - POSITION
Can you hear the sound of the trumpets? It is a very distinct sound. Before I launch
deeper into our study tonight I want to share a few thoughts…No, these are more than mere
thoughts. First, I want to wish you Happy New Year. We are just 14 days into the Jewish New
Year. September 25th was ROSH HASHANA. Do you remember that I shared with you that
Wednesday night that my phone went crazy that day playing one specific track on an album that I
have on ITunes. Several times during the day the phone would begin to play the sounds of the
Shofar. If you remember I shared with you the odd sequence of events that had occurred earlier
that day and I played the same album track of the shofar that Wed night. Sometimes I am a little
slow at searching something out. Listen, we miss an awful lot because we fail to hear and to see
what God is longing to say and reveal to us. Solomon gives us a wisdom key in Proverbs 25 verse
two, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”
(NKJV) If we expect to walk in victory in this final hour of history as kings and priests (Rev. 1:5-
slow at searching something out. Listen, we miss an awful lot because we fail to hear and to see
what God is longing to say and reveal to us. Solomon gives us a wisdom key in Proverbs 25 verse
two, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”
(NKJV) If we expect to walk in victory in this final hour of history as kings and priests (Rev. 1:56) we must become like the sons of Issachar who “…understood the signs of the times and knew
the best course for Israel to take.” (1 Chron. 12:32 NLT) If I am to walk in revelation,
understanding and wisdom I must be keenly aware of the “signs of the times”. The Holy Spirit is
calling the church to position herself as Habakkuk the prophet did in chapter 2, “I will stand my
watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me,…” (Habakkuk
2:1, NKJV). Habakkuk is very intentional and declares that he will stand and watch to see what
God will say to him. That sounds very strange grammatically but please do not miss the
importance of his words as they are instructions for us today. We too must stand, position
ourselves and watch to see what the Holy Spirit is saying in this hour. Remember the words of
Jesus to the Pharisees and Sadducees in Matthew chapter 6, “Hypocrites! You know how to
discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” (Matthew 6:2, NKJV)
The North American church that operates in the traditions of men is like Humpty Dumpty who
without warning had a fatal fall and all the kings’ horses and all the kings men could not
resuscitate and put Humpty Dumpty back together again. The religious spirit that has operated in
the church will be exposed in these final hours of human history as the true Bride of Christ makes
herself ready for the Coming of the Bridegroom King. Many religious people will find themselves
exposed, embarrassed and desperate like the Emperor in the children’s classic, The Emperor’s
New Clothes. Having been deceived and blinded the religious Pharisees of our day foolishly
parade their nakedness for all to see. Unlike the children’s rhymes and classics that were written to
entertain us, God’s word is active and alive and it is speaking eternal truth to those who have ears
to hear. Jesus addresses the deception and nakedness of the church in Revelation chapter 2, “And
to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful
and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are
neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm,
and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have
become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable,
poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be
rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not
be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke
and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
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To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat
down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.” (Rev 3:14-22) Jesus is standing “outside” the door of His Church knocking, knocking,
knocking, patiently waiting while the Spirit of God extends a last minute invitation for all those
who will hear His voice and open the door. If one cannot hear the knock at the door surely they
have ears to hear the sound of the trumpet in Joel chapter 2, “Blow the trumpet in Zion, And
sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day
of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand:” (Joel 2:1, NKJV)
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year is also known as Yom Teruah which literally means “Day of
Blowing”. It is also called the “Feast of Trumpets”. This is the only Jewish feast day when the
shofars are blown during the service 100 times. Judaism teaches that the blowing of the shofars on
Rosh Hashanah or the Feast of Tabernacles begins what is called the “10 Days of Awe” leading up
to Yom Kippur or the “Day of Atonement”. (For those who desire to search the matter out I
believe there is some prophetic gold in this picture and symbolism)
Are you positioned to hear the sound of the Trumpet? I know that someone may be
thinking I got sidetracked somewhere on a rabbit trail…l want to encourage you to stay with me
because it all connects. We are living in the most exciting time in human history. Yes, It is getting
gloriously dark but the Glory of the Lord rests upon you. (Isa. 60:1-2) You have not only
been given light for these dark days…You are the light in these last days! I am compelled to
declare over you Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that
cannot be hidden.” Look it up…it’s in Red letters! Church that’s who you are. You are the
light of the world; a chosen generation and a called out peculiar people with an end time
assignment for such a time as this. God declares you to be His Royal Priesthood. Look up 2
Peter 2:9-10 and ask the Holy Spirit to transform you into the reality of His Truth.
light of the world; a chosen generation and a called out peculiar people with an end time
assignment for such a time as this. God declares you to be His Royal Priesthood. Look up 2
Peter 2:9-10 and ask the Holy Spirit to transform you into the reality of His Truth.
Beloved, listen carefully, the key is POSITION! I must; You/We must POSITION our HEARTS
and LIVES to hear the voice of God. For many Believers this will require a radical shifting of our
daily priorities and for all Believers it will demand a new level of sensitivity and obedience to the
Holy Spirit. This is not an hour for slumbering nor is this the day of casual Christianity. If you see
a brother or sister weary, tired and falling asleep love them enough to waken and encourage them.
Oh, one really awesome prophetic picture I see in the biblical practice and pattern connected with
the Feast of Trumpets has to do with the shofars being blown 100 times during the celebration of
the Hebrew New Year. The shofars are blown in a set pattern of three different sounds and blown 3
times each for a total of 9 shofar blasts. This series and pattern is repeated 11 times for a total of
99 blasts of the shofar or trumpet. The 100th blast of the shofar is uniquely set apart and in the
Jewish and Hebrew culture it is called the “LAST TRUMP”.
Will you hear the sound of the last Trump? I believe the prophet Isaiah clearly reveals
the day of an awakening blast of the Trumpet in Isaiah chapter 26. The Apostle Paul references a
trumpet blast at the rapture of the church in 1 Thess. 4:16 “ For the Lord Himself will descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the
dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the
Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thess. 4:16-18, NKJV) Only those
who are positioned in Christ will hear the sound of this trumpet blast. This reality compels me to
ask you a few questions before we continue.
1. How is Eternity affecting your life? The Bible tells us that God created you with
purpose and when you were uniquely designed, God intentionally engraved the question
of eternity in your heart. “He has also put eternity in their hearts,” (Eccl. 3:11).
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2. When did you first realize that God loved you and chose you to be His
friend? What an incredible mystery that creator God would choose you and me before
we were ever born to have a personal intimate relationship with Him in this life here on
earth and then to experience His love even more fully throughout eternity. (“Let us give
thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! For in our union with Christ he
has blessed us by giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world. 4Even before
the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with
Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him. Because of his love 5God
had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his sons and
daughters—this was his pleasure and purpose. 6Let us praise God for his glorious
grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son! For by the blood of Christ we are set
free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God, 8which he gave to us
in such large measure!” (Eph. 1:3-8 GN)
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3. Have you personally responded to God’s love and His gift of eternal life?
(John 3:16, Romans 3:23 & 6:23 & 10:9) Receiving salvation and eternal life
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requires a personal-individual encounter with God. Genuine faith or belief in Jesus Christ
is evidenced by a response of surrender and love. Saving faith in Jesus Christ is the only
way to experience a personal relationship with the eternal God. Jesus declares this truth in
John chapter 14, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father
except through me.” (NLT) And then Jesus explains to us the definition of eternal life.
True salvation and eternal life requires more than head knowledge and an intellectual
understanding of this truth – It requires a personal encounter of intimacy with God! John
17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom You have sent.” (NKJV)
Christ whom You have sent.” (NKJV)
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4. How should you live if you really believe that God loved you and choose
you before the foundation of the world?
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5. What direction has God given you since He choose you? What priorities
have you set that reveal you are responding to what God has purposed in
your life?
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In closing, allow me briefly comment on the last part of revelation verse 6. “and has made us
kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.
Amen.”
Look at the word “DOMINION” it speaks of a forceful display, show and demonstration of
manifested power and authority. The focus is on the demonstration or display of “Authority”
and “Power”.
“DOMINION” = 2904. κράτος krátos; gen. krátous, neut. noun. Strength or might, more
especially manifested power, dominion.
(I) Generally meaning might or power (Acts 19:20), with katá ([2596], according), mightily,
vehemently. “According to the working of his mighty power” (Eph. 1:19) means the prevalence
of His power, the word for “power” being ischús (2479), inherent power (Eph. 6:10; Col. 1:11;
Sept.: Is. 40:26 [cf. Sept.: Ps. 89:10]). Metonymically meaning might, for mighty deeds (Luke
1:51).
(II) Power, dominion (1 Tim. 6:16; Heb. 2:14; 1 Pet. 4:11; 5:11; Jude 1:25; Rev. 1:6;
5:13).
Deriv.: akratḗs (193), incontinent; egkratḗs (1468), temperate; kratéō (2902), to be strong, to
seize; krátistos (2903), most excellent; pantokrátōr (3841), ruler over all, almighty.
Syn.: dúnamis (1411), strength, power and its execution; ischús (2479), strength possessed;
exousía (1849), authority.
Ant.: asthéneia (769), weakness, infirmity. (Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary)
Listen carefully, Authority that is not activated is neutralized…we are experiencing that reality as
a nation. America once spoke with authority from a position of authority.
The word “neutralized” speaks of being made ineffective, especially by removing the ability to
act as a threat or enforcing power. Another definition of neutralized is “to make something’s
potential a “ZERO”.
The devil could care less about all your religious activity, as long as he neutralizes your true
Kingdom authority and power.
Beloved, you must begin to believe in faith that you are who God declares you to be. You are a
King and a priest who has been called to walk in the Kings DOMINION! You are a co-laborer
with Christ seated with Him far above all principalities and powers. This is a critical hour and the
church must arise and take her rightful place. It is imperative that you ask the Holy Spirit to seal
the revelation of Matthew chapter 16 upon your heart. “I will build My church, and the gates of
Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and
whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be
loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 16: 18-19 NKJV)
You have been Keys of heavenly Kingdom Authority by the King himself to transact His business
in the earth realm. We say yes Lord and AMEN!
Invitation - Prayer
I want to declare over you Jude 24-25 “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you
from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence
Invitation - Prayer
I want to declare over you Jude 24-25 “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you
from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence
without a single fault. 25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through
Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority (DOMINION) are
his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.” (NLT)
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