Mike Bickle emphasizes the significance of studying the descriptions of Jesus in Revelation, particularly in chapters 1, 2, and 3, where Jesus reveals His glory in a unique way. He explains that these descriptions not only provide insight into Jesus' character but also prepare the church for the end times, highlighting the importance of understanding Jesus as both fully God and fully man. Bickle encourages believers to engage deeply with these texts to foster greater adoration and trust in Jesus' leadership, asserting that the church must be built on these revelations to effectively combat evil in the world. He stresses that the ultimate goal is to prepare the church to be a glorious bride for Christ, free from compromise and ready for His return.

Father, we come to you in the name of Jesus, and Lord, we ask you to release the spirit of wisdom and revelation. Father of glory, we ask you to reveal the glory of your Son to our heart. In Jesus' name, amen. We're beginning a series on the descriptions of Jesus in the book of Revelation. This is a, this will be a challenging series because there are about a hundred descriptions of Jesus, titles or descriptions. Like when his eyes are like fire, that's not a title, but that's a way that he describes, he presents himself. And that description has a message behind it. There's about a hundred of them. Of course, there's quite a bit of repetition in that hundred and you can identify them in various, you know, you could put different numbers to it, but there's about 50 of them that are distinct. But we're going to draw your attention in this course, this 12-week series, this 12 sessions on specifically Revelation 1, 2, and 3, where Jesus stands before John and he reveals himself in a very direct way. And then there's statements John makes that also reveal the glory of Jesus. But there's nowhere in the Bible where Jesus stands directly before anyone and reveals so much of his glory as fully God, fully man, as in Revelation chapter 1, 2, and 3. Now Revelation 1 to 3 is actually one vision. Often we'll look at chapter 1, then we'll take a break, then we'll go look at chapter 2 and 3, and you sometimes you get the wrong idea that it's two different experiences. But he actually had one visionary experience, chapter 1 to 3. And then sometime later he saw Revelation 4 and 5. We don't know if it's hours or days or what. It was a complete different experience. But for those that are just joining us new, I just want to give a quick overview as to how we're presenting the book of Revelation. Paragraph A, I refer to the book of Revelation as the end-time book of Acts, where Jesus is describing, through the Holy Spirit given to John, the acts of the Holy Spirit through the end-time apostles. It's the book of Acts written in advance for the end-time church. As Moses released the plagues on Egypt, the judgment of God on Egypt, by prayer Moses stretched forth his rod and through his prayer the judgment of God came upon Pharaoh. And as the early apostles released the power of God through prayer in the book of Acts, so the book of Revelation is the book of Acts and the book of Exodus combined on a global level, releasing the power of God and the judgment of God against the end-time Pharaoh, who of course is the Antichrist. Pharaoh was a type of a far more evil leader that would appear at the end of the age. Paragraph B, the primary theme of the Great Tribulation is God's judgment against the Antichrist. This is all by way of review. Those of you who have been here for a while, you've heard this a number of times. But a lot of folks, when they think of the Great Tribulation, they go, oh no, because they think of the judgment of God coming on them. And they, you know, think, hey, we got to get out of here somehow. And there is where the idea, the doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture, which I do not believe is a biblical doctrine. The rapture is, but it's at the end of the tribulation, not at the beginning, because it's the praying church that releases the tribulation upon Pharaoh. The secondary theme in the Great Tribulation is persecution. That's not the primary theme. There's only 12 verses in the book of Revelation that describe directly the prayers of the saints. Only 12 verses out of 400. So that's only, that's only 3% of the book is about persecution. The majority of the book is the glory of Jesus being released through His church, driving evil off the planet. Roman numeral two. Let's get right into the introducing this series, because what we're addressing is, why do you want to study these descriptions? Now there's 30 distinct descriptions in Revelation 1, 2, and 3. We're going to outline these 30, not tonight, but through the course of this class. Revelation 1, verse 1. This one verse gives us insight into how glorious the book of Revelation is, how relevant it is. A lot of folks go, I'm not really into the book of Revelation. This one verse ought to change their opinion about not being into the book of Revelation. Here it is. It's titled by the Holy Spirit, The Revelation of Jesus. Any book of which it is specifically titled, the book that reveals Jesus, and you, and if you've said, I'm not really into it, you want to say, Jesus, what I meant was, what I meant was, is that I've been a little confused by it, and I kind of lost my way, and my vision of the value of this book. Any book that is titled, The Unveiling of the Glory of Jesus, and you love Jesus, you want to be into that book. That, the title says it in one phrase. Now it's The Unveiling of Jesus. Interesting. God the Father has the authority on how much of the glory of Jesus is made known in this age. Now the Father gives Jesus the permission to unveil himself beyond any other time in history. So the Father gave the mandate to Jesus, in essence, reveal more of yourself than any other time in history. And so Jesus sent his angel to John and says, now go tell John what the Father is giving me permission to reveal about myself. Now it's interesting that the method that Jesus used is showing John things or events that would take place. Now here's the logic of the book. We study the events, yes, to know the events. There is a value in knowing the events because we're going to be participating with Jesus in releasing those events. If we were going to be whisked away in a minute, and those events didn't have anything to do with us, then I understand not really focusing on them. But we are going to be praying and releasing those events. They're very, very important. But the events are not the most important point of the book. When we study the events, we have value, there is value in and of itself to know them for the prayer ministry. But the bigger reality, we study the events to gain insight into the man behind the events. That's Jesus. Because Jesus started with a, if you will, a white, a blank whiteboard. He could have done anything he wanted. And the fact that he chose these events gives insight into his wisdom, his thinking, his creativity, his love, his zeal to confront oppression. So when we study the events, which again is important in and of itself, but that's not the ultimate importance, we gain insight into the man behind the plan. There's a plan that these events manifest, but there's a man behind that plan. There's a man behind the events. He thought of them. They give insight into his passion, his way of thinking, his abilities. He has so much power. He can actually pull these events off. He can release them, but he's going to release them through us. And that I'm very interested in that, but more interesting to me, more valuable is getting insight into this man's heart. Paragraph C, as I've already said, it's one visionary experience, Revelation 1, 2, and 3. John sees Jesus in his glory in chapter 1 and then Jesus says, now this is how I want my people to dwell together before me. That's chapter 2 and 3. And we have a series on the website on Revelation chapter 2 and 3. We spent 12 sessions talking about Jesus's desire, a church after God's own heart. It's the church that Jesus laid out and described in chapter 2 and 3. Now we find in Revelation 1, 2, and 3, 30 distinct descriptions about the glory of Jesus. Some of those descriptions are titles. He is the firstborn from the dead. He is the faithful witness. Some of the descriptions are like the eyes of fire. It's not a title, but it's a description where Jesus reveals his own glory. So whether it's a title or a way he acted before John, the way he showed himself, either one in both those categories, I'm calling them descriptions of Jesus. It gives us the clearest picture of Jesus in the whole Bible. You want to wear Revelation 1, 2, and 3 out in your Bible. There's no greater picture of the man you love than Revelation 1, 2, and 3. Now if you read the book of Revelation with the right perspective, it will cause you, it will inspire you to adore this man more than you even do. You will adore him. You'll say, oh Jesus, I love you, I love you. And then it will also inspire you to trust his leadership. It will inspire you to trust his leadership. So as a shepherd, I want to teach these descriptions of Jesus, because I want to help people. But as a worshiper, I want my heart inspired in greater adoration and greater confidence in his leadership. I believe there's going to be a Holy Spirit revival worldwide. Revival is not the right word, but a Holy Spirit emphasis on Revelation 1, 2, and 3. And forerunners, you want to be drinking deep from that well right now. Forerunners may have a one or two decades jump start, head start, before these become more relevant. I mean they're very relevant now, or more, before the Holy Spirit focuses on them more in a global way. We might have a couple decades. But regardless, if it's even a few more than that, it is so edifying and so inspiring, and it will deeply enrich your walk with God. So I know some of you, Revelation 1, 2, and 3, you're not really, never really read it much. Beloved, I am pointing you to a goldmine. Now it's not a goldmine that is easily mined. It will take effort. It will take some tenacity. But that's what you're here for, because you have tenacity. You care. You wouldn't be here if you didn't. But I look at Revelation 1, 2, and 3, and I say, Lord, I'm in. I want to go all the way. Paragraph E. Now again, I'm saying this is the clearest picture of Jesus in the Bible. Jesus reveals His glory in these three chapters as a man in a way He's never revealed His glory before in the Bible. He takes the truths of the Old Testament, the truths of the Gospels, the truth of the Epistles, the letters of Paul and Peter and James, etc., the Epistles, and those truths are present. And then He adds another dimension to them. Now, the Jesus of the Old Testament is exactly the same as the Jesus of the New Testament. Every now and then you'll hear some person, you don't hear it that much, but make an absolutely erroneous statement. Well, the God of the Old Testament was judging and the God of the New Testament is loving. Well, it is true. God is judging in the Old Testament, but He's loving in the Old Testament too. And it is true He's loving in the New, but He's judging in the New. He is exactly the same God. He never changes. When someone says, the God of the Old and the God of the New, they're already confused. He never changes. There's no contradiction in the personality of God in the Old and New Testament, but the book of Revelation takes the Old and New Testament, combines them and adds even another dimension by bringing them all together in one setting, particularly Revelation 1, 2, and 3. I mean, it is magnificent. Of course, I'm trying to stir you up to go after this. Say, okay, okay, I'm going for this. But you want to go for it for a couple decades, not for a weekend or not for a semester. You want to go for decades after these three chapters. Paragraph F, Jesus is initially set forth. In Revelation 1, 2, and 3, you see Him first in the book of Revelation as prophet, priest, and king. Now that's kind of a well-known, a clustering together in the Old Testament of Jesus, prophet, priest, and king. We'll look at that more next week. He starts off in Revelation 1, 2, and 3 as a prophet, priest, and king. But it, as the book unfolds, we see Jesus as bridegroom, king, and judge. And that's for next week. We'll look at the prophet, priest, and king, who we see ultimately is bridegroom, king, and judge. So that's the overall framework of which these 30 descriptions in chapter 1, 2, and 3 are pointing to, Jesus, prophet, priest, and king. I just got a few points on the notes you can read on your own. Top of page 2. Okay, let's read these 30 descriptions. I don't have them numbered here, but we'll break them down through the course, through the 12 sessions, and number them, and look at them, and compare them to Old Testament passages, and the Gospels, and the teachings of Paul. And we will find a full revelation of Jesus here in chapter 1, 2, and 3 that I trust that some of you have never seen Jesus in this grandeur, in this light, as seen in the Scripture in these three chapters. I'm going to read, just try to read right through it without making too many comments. Revelation chapter 1, verse 5. From Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, He's the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us, He washed us from our sins. He made us kings and priests. Verse 7. He's coming. That's one of the key descriptions. He's coming. It's not just God reigning in heaven. He's coming to the natural realm. He's coming to earth. Verse 10. I heard behind me a voice, a loud voice. It's the voice of Jesus. He turns, it's like a trumpet. His voice is like a trumpet. Several implications to that. Verse 11. And this man who's fully God, fully man, with a trumpet-like voice said, I'm the Alpha, the Omega, the first and the last. And those are not all synonymous. Those are, there are different truths highlighted in each one of those descriptions or titles. He tells John, what you see, write. And make it known to the church. Ascend it. In other words, make it known. And so we are in the spirit of that command, still making it known. Because John was to write it. He was to make known to others. And as forerunners, you want to make these truths known to others. But of course, you have to experience them. And you have to grow in understanding of them in order to make them known. But that's what you're all about. Verse 12. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. And in the midst of the lampstands, one like the Son of Man. Now, the Son of Man is the real key phrase. That's the, kind of the primary description of Jesus, the Son of Man, fully God and fully man. Again, we'll look at that next week when we look at Bridegroom, King and Judge and Prophet, Priest and King, all under the banner of Jesus as the Son of Man. He was clothed with the garments of a priest, actually. This is the priestly ministry. Verse 14. His head and hair were white like wool. His eyes were like a flame of fire. And each one of these have vast implications. Not just to his glory, but even to his plan and preparing the church for the plan. We have to know Jesus with hair that's white like wool. We have to know the Jesus that has eyes like fire. We have to know the Jesus of Christmas and the Jesus of Armageddon and understand there is no contradiction between him, whatever face that he shows in the Bible. Verse 15. His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace. His voice is the sound of many waters. He had in his right hand seven stars. And out of his mouth went a sword, which means by the command of his mouth, the sword was loosed on the earth. That's what that means when it says out of his mouth. It means by the words that he spoke, the sword of God was loosed on the nations. And his countenance was like the sun. Verse 17. John said, when I saw him, I fell like a dead man. Now this is Jesus's best friend. Now that's kind of a strange way to say it. That's how the living Bible says it. Because John laid his head on Jesus's breast. He said, I'm the one God likes. He knew who he was. And Jesus, we are all his favorite if you have enough revelation and boldness to stand in that. Because he loves you in the way that God loves God, the scripture says. But we're looking at Jesus's closest disciple, who had his head on his chest 60 years earlier at the Last Supper. Now he's 90 years old, and 60 years later, he's at the island of Patmos. He falls like a dead man before the man that he knows so well. So what he finds out is, I don't know you so well after all. I can see Jesus kneeling down to put his hand on him. John, don't be afraid. It's me. You didn't really know me that well, did you? I'm the first and the last. I'm he who lives. I was dead. These are various descriptions here. I live forever. I have the keys. I have the authority over hell and the authority over death. Now he goes on in chapter two and three, and he describes, he quotes some of these descriptions of himself. With his own lips he says them again. He's the one who holds the seven stars. He walks in the midst of the seven candles, uh lampstands. He's the first and the last who was dead, who came to life. He is the sharp two-edged sword. He's the son of God. So he's not just the son of man like in chapter one. He's also the son of God. His eyes are like fire. His feet like brass. The holy, he has the Holy Spirit, the seven spirits of God. He has the Holy Spirit and the seven stars in his hand. He's holy. He's true. He has not only the keys of Hades and death, but the key of David. He is the Amen. The faithful, true witness and the beginning of the creation of God. That doesn't mean he was created. It means he has the primary place over all creation. That's fully God, fully man. The beginning meaning the, the, the primacy. The, the, the highest spot is what that means. We'll look at that in a few weeks. Now everything, paragraph eight, about Jesus's appearance, everything about his apparel and everything about his actions in these chapters and his words, everything has a message in it. None of it is accidental. He dressed for the occasion with tremendous purpose and intentionality. It's not like he went to John and said, Oh, I have these seven stars in my hand. Okay, wait, what am I gonna do with these? I'm trying to talk to you. No, he came with the seven stars to make the point for the end time church. Well, it was for the early church as well, but it has its fullness. Every single point and every action and everything he chose to reveal has a message in it. Paragraph B. Now this is just a kind of a warning or not warning. It's kind of to brace yourself so you don't get thrown off. We can only understand these truths about Jesus in content, to seeing them in context to eternity. Now the reason that's a, a, a warning or to brace yourself, don't be quickly discouraged if when you start reaching for these truths, you don't get much at first because our natural minds are rooted in the temporal and each one of these descriptions, whether it's a, a title or, or an action of Jesus, each one of them are rooted in Jesus and his eternal nature. Meaning there's an, there's a challenge that's inherent because we have a mind rooted in the natural. And the more we give ourself to the spirit, the more that we refuse to quench the spirit and we get connected to the word, the more these things become clear because our mind is more familiar with the spirit realm and just a little bit, the realm of eternity, even a little bit. But many believers are so rooted in the earthly and only the earthly, the only Jesus they can get excited about is the Jesus that gives them more stuff right now. And when he doesn't make it easier now or give them more things now, they get offended and they get discouraged and they want to quit because the Jesus rooted in eternity, technically they know he is, but functionally practically they don't relate to that. But then they can't understand these descriptions of him. So we, we set our spirit on a pilgrimage to begin to live for the age to come, because when we begin to consciously live for the age to come, these truths come more into focus and the fog begins to lift. If mostly our dream is about now, the dream of our heart is about getting more now, these truths will stay in a fog in our thinking. There was a time in my life and I certainly needed more, but some years ago where I consciously shifted over and intentionally began to live for what the Lord would, how I would relate to the Lord and what, how he would bless me in the age to come more than this age. Now I'm not saying I'm, it's more, I'm saying I made a decision that I want it to be more and I don't quite know how to measure it where I'm at, but it was some years ago. I said to the Lord, very, very sincerely, specifically more important than more money and more crowds and more power, more important is that I'm faithful. I have greater faithfulness and I'm getting ready for the age to come. And when that, I began to make that decision and stayed with it, the fog over some of these truths begin to lift because when your dream is on the other side, not just more stuff now, and it's okay to have some stuff now to have some of the faith, the favor of the Lord on your life. But if it's primary, these things stay pretty much at a distance, these truths, and it's a Jesus we love, but we don't know so well on the side. Of course, we'll never know him so well on the side either way, as John found out. But it's, what I'm saying is really practical. And I'm sure, I think that some of you will actually transition in this season. You go, you might say, you know, I never actually thought about it that consciously. Where you are praying and fasting, yes, for favor and breakthrough now, for sure. I want full favor and full breakthrough now, but there's something I want more. Something I want more. And it's something I get on the other side. And when your dream begins to be anchored on the other side, the scripture opens up. It has a new flavor to it, these portions of the scripture. I want to challenge you to it. Now, without even a little bit, I only have a little bit of the eternal perspective. A little bit though, goes a long way. A little bit will go a long way. But it's consciously deciding to go there. It's what I'm telling you. As those that are saying, I'm going to learn these three to 30 descriptions of Jesus. And I'm going to receive revelation. I'm going to set my life towards it. I'm saying you have to anchor your highest vision on the other side, or these will stay locked to you. These descriptions will remain locked. And they will just kind of be like, you know, I don't really get them. And they're not that interesting. But hey, I'll, you know, I'll meet him on the other side. And everything will take care of itself then. And a lot of people have that attitude. But until we see the Jesus of eternity, His judgments seem to contradict love. If all you have is a vision for this age, judgment contradicts love. But the truth is, His judgments remove everything that hinders love. His judgments are because of love, not contrary to love. You talk to Oprah, she will not grasp that at all. If it's not here and now, and it's in the Bible, people in the mindset that she represents, it's just not, it doesn't make sense. But we are sons and daughters of the resurrection. Paragraph C. In Revelation 1, John is commissioned to prophesy by seeing Jesus's majesty. Now John is receiving, he's getting, he's receiving a commission to prophesy about the end times. But here's the point I want to make. Not only do these truths prepare us for the end time drama, these truths, these 30 descriptions of Jesus will change the way that we prophesy about the end times. They will form the way, we'll have a different spirit in prophesying, and we'll have a different approach to prophesying about the end times, encountering these dimensions of His heart. Now often, it's very natural, I don't say this critical. I'm sure I've done it, and I'm sure I probably still will do it some more. I don't want to, I'm really against what I'm going to say. But I'm a weak man, so I'm prone to doing things that later I go, what? I don't like that. But without these insight in these 30 descriptions of Jesus, we end up prophesying about the end times with the wrong spirit. And the wrong spirit isn't just a spirit of anger. It's a spirit of timidity instead of confidence. It's, uh, well I'm not real sure. It's whatever. The Lord says, wait, if I said it, say it. There's a spirit of timidity. There's a spirit of harshness. There's a spirit of intellectualism. I'm not talking about a spirit like a demon, that's not what I mean. I mean an attitude. Some people just approach the end times, it's a big Bible quiz. They are excited, but it's mostly about finding the puzzle pieces so they can argue better and say they found them. And there's not a tenderness. There's not the spirit's wrong. Not just because it's harsh, it's contrary to confidence and tenderness and clarity. We don't want to prophesy with anxiety and confusion. And these 30 descriptions will form, will change our spiritual chemistry, so to speak, our emotional chemistry. It'll change us on the inside, is what I'm trying to say. And that's what, that's one of the significant messages God, Jesus was giving John. If you see these things about me, you will prophesy differently. Revelation, I mean, paragraph F. Now Revelation chapter 2 and 3 describes, now we go from just Jesus standing before John, and John falls like a dead man. Now Jesus begins to describe things to John. He describes the church after his own heart. It's the church he wants to come back for. He identifies the issues that will challenge the end time church. Now they were real issues in the church 2,000 years ago, in those actual seven churches. They were literal churches that really had those literal issues. But one of the reasons they were selected by Jesus strategically, because they would represent the major challenges of the end time church worldwide. And so when we answer those challenges and overcome, it does, the composite of the seven churches describes the church that will be mature in faith, the church that's mature in love, and the church after his own heart that is prepared to release his glory into the earth. So Revelation 2 and 3 is not like, well, that's the church part. No, no. It's critical. Revelation 1 is what Jesus wants us to know about him. Revelation 2 and 3 is how he wants us to dwell together on his terms. And you want to build your ministries on these realities. Young forerunners and older forerunners as well, you want to build your ministry on these realities, because these are the things that are important to Jesus in building his church. When I look at the church in the West, it looks real far from Revelation chapter 1, 2, and 3. The messages, the emphases, and the reality of the congregations. And I'm saying, Lord, I'm a weak and broken man in the natural, but I'm crying out for help in the midst of a people who are crying out for help. And we want a church built on the revelation of Jesus in these three chapters and a church that dwells together according to this divine pattern on God's terms, fulfilling the entire New Testament pattern as well. So tonight, part of my interest is that you would determine, I'm going to build my ministry on these. I'm going to, I'm going to lock in to the nuggets that represent big truths. These gold mines, these gold nuggets is a better way to say it in Revelation chapter 1, 2, and 3, which is a gold mine in itself. I'm going to build my heart and my ministry on these nuggets. And you, and then, and they all, obviously they honor the whole revelation of Jesus in the Old and New Testament. Okay, top of page 3. Now, how mature is this church going to be? Well, Revelation 19, verse 7, the church will make herself ready. The church, another translation says, the church will be prepared. Beloved, Jesus is not coming back till the church is prepared. He's not coming back any minute, I assure you. The church is not close to prepared. We're some decades out. It could be two or three or four or more. I don't know. I believe, personally, it's within the lifetime of people that are alive on the earth right now. Could be sooner, could be later. But I know this. The bride will be ready. She will be ready, and she will be ready according to the book of Revelation. In other words, the Jesus of Revelation 1, dwelling together with other saints according to Revelation 2 and 3, she will be prepared by that standard. Now Paul points out the prepared bride, but uses different language. He talks to her. He talks about the church in the language of the bride in Revelation 5. But he calls her a glorious church. 5 verse 27. She's glorious. John called her prepared or ready. Depending on what's translation. Paul said the same thing, but said glorious. Now again, the glorious church is the church that follows the design of Revelation 1, 2, and 3. And of course, the book of Acts and the epistles, all of those are implied in that divine pattern that Jesus gave in Revelation 2, 3. I mean, nobody's a better church builder than Jesus. Jesus is standing before the church telling them what he wants different. Beloved, you don't get any better than Jesus giving you counsel on how to build the church. We're talking about the best church planter ever. Amen? There you go. Now notice, she has no blemish, which means no compromise. This isn't the gift of righteousness right here we're talking about, although the gift of righteousness is given. We're talking about there will be a time before the second coming, listen, before the second coming, where the church worldwide will not have any compromise in it that is substantial at all. There'll be no compromise. There'll be weakness because we're still in the flesh, but there won't be any intentional compromise in the church globally. Now of course, the question you're going to ask, what's going to happen between now and then that's going to change things so drastically? Well, that's the other chapters between chapter 1 and chapter 19 of the book of Revelation. Think about it. Think about the church and the whole earth with no intentional compromise. The church in America. Think about you with no intentional compromise. This, when I read Ephesians 5 27, which is Paul's version of Revelation 19 7, the church is ready. I just said, Lord, this is intense. And his answer is the outpouring is intense and the shaking is intense. The intensity of the outpouring and the intensity of the shaking will be sufficient to produce this kind of character in my church. It's just better just to, you know, to say, well, this is where it's going. I'm just jumping in, starting full blast now. I mean, why am I delaying the inevitable? For real, I'm going to start anchoring my hope in the age to come and take what comes in this age. I mean, we're going to use faith. We're going to use the word of God, but we're not going to get offended if things don't work out right the way that we think. We're going to go hard, never look back. That's what I'm talking about. I'm out with the full breakthrough, the full favor, but I'm determined not to be offended if it lands differently than I'm imagining because it always does. I've never ever thought of the next three years and the 35 years I've walked the Lord and I think about the next two, three years, I've never got it right once ever. I'm like, oh, for a thousand. So you know what? Just let's just assume I don't have it right in terms of how everything's going to work in my life in the next couple years. So I decided to anchor my heart in the next stage and believe God and believe his leadership as I go full blast in faith and obedience by the grace of God. Paragraph C, Revelation 1 to 3 is a very significant passage for the maturing of the prayer movement and the prophetic movement. And I know a lot of prophetic folks over the years, quite a few of them, and I want to say this tenderly, not like a hot shot. I don't know too many of them focused on Revelation 1, 2 and 3 and I know that's where the Holy Spirit's focused. And if you're in prophetic ministry or you know someone that is, start gently wooing them and then make it a little more bold. The Lord gives opportunity. This, Revelation 1, 2, 3 is the passage that defines the maturity of the prophetic movement when the Lord returns. The focus of it, the spirit it operates in, the revelation it's it's locked into, what it's teaching, what it's producing in the people. So much of what I see today is promising people more stuff, more money and how to feel better while they're sinning. It's true. How to make them feel better while they're sinning, while flattering them with false promises about more honor and more money and less trouble. They may get more money and they may get more honor, but I guarantee you if they do, trouble will come with it because the bullseye of the enemy and it will take a greater resolve of faith and obedience to withstand that trouble. Paragraph E. Now just getting you postured for these 11 sessions that will follow. This is just kind of getting you ready for this course. Can get you in the right frame of mind. Some of you are already in it. You're already there. But I want to just make an important principle. Paragraph E. Hearing a teaching like this, or this whole course actually, is good. But it's not good enough. Hearing a teaching is like reading a menu in a fine restaurant. You can read the menu and starve to death. You could underline the menu. You could photograph it. You could call your friend and tell them about the menu. You can't. You could testify about the menu and never ever eat and die of starvation right there in that restaurant. You, you won't read, you might find a spark that touches your spirit in a teaching time. And I, I trust you do. A spark here and there. Whatever, you know, you know, I think you know what I mean by that. Little moments of inspiration where maybe a few ideas are highlighted and, and you find a kind of a heightened sense of courage and resolve to go for God for a few minutes here and there in the course of a teaching. That's the anointing of the spirit touching you. A few new ideas that are kind of emphasized and a kind of a, a swell, a heightened sense of resolve to obey God and go hard. Then the teaching's over. A couple hours go by. It's like, huh? A couple days go by. You think, oh, I really love that teaching, but I can't remember. I just remember it was good. Well, what was it? I don't know, but it was good. Now that's a very common, there's nothing wrong with that. Here's the point I'm making. What I'm really doing in a teaching series like this, well, everybody is the same for everybody. I'm advertising and highlighting truth. If you don't study this truth out and get it into your prayer language or dialogue with God, you won't be fed by it. You can get inspired for a few moments tonight and get a spark, a few ideas that kind of like for a moment or kind of really grab your attention and even a new resolve for a moment or two. But that's not really being fed. You're fed when these truths get into your private dialogue with God in your private life. When you talk to Jesus about these truths, you and him, you are then being fed. Now it is true that teachers do feed people, but it's a very limited, it's small F, little feet. It's more like inspire and point to the green pastures. But at the end of the day, your spirit is only fed in the real sense by you going after it alone. So getting these notes, the reason I take the time to make notes is so you can actually take the parts that highlight just a few bits here and there, not that all the notes always you should be focused on, but the phrase here and there, the paragraph here and there, the one you mark, you go, okay, the Lord highlighted that to me during that session. He wants to talk to me more about it. And these other couple of points I, I'm kind of interested in, go search them out and see where the Holy Spirit brings you. Roman number five, Matthew chapter 16, verse 13 to 27. Now this is one of the most important passages that relates to the book of Revelation in the end times. Now Jesus is about to go to the cross. He's some weeks out still. He's still up in the north. He's gonna start heading down south to Jerusalem and He's gonna go to the cross. He's making His journey from here, right in this season. So He gathers the apostles together and He asks a question. It's the very question the Spirit is asking the end time church right now. That's why I'm bringing it up. I just give it to you, a real summary. He said, who do men say that I the Son of Man am? Who do they say that I am? Now it's interesting that when Jesus appears to John 60 years later in the book of Revelation, Revelation 1, He shows Himself as the Son of Man that fills in the blanks of this question. But He says, who, who are the, who are the crowds saying I the Son of Man am? Who do they think I am? They gave three answers. One guy said, you're John the Baptist. Because John had been beheaded. In other words, they, when they hear you preach, they see a holiness preacher. Jesus, I'm making up this conversation of course, but Jesus shakes His head and says, yeah I am a holiness preacher for sure. Absolutely. I really care about dedication to God. Absolutely. Another guy said, no that's not the crowd I talk to. They think you're Elijah. They think you do great signs and wonders. You could call fire from heaven, cast demons out. Jesus said that, that's true too. I can do that. Another guy said, no, no. They think you're Jeremiah. Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet. They see your compassion and your tenderness towards people. Jesus says, oh I'm tender. I'm a holiness preacher. I call fire from heaven and cast devils out and I weep over people. Yes. They're all right, but they're not, they'll have a part of who I am. But I'm the Son of Man. I'm more than this. Now verse 15, that's the verse you want to circle. He looks them right in the eyes. He goes, okay, let's forget the crowds. Peter, James, John, Matthew. Who do you think I am? The question of the hour. And they look at each other. They, a huge question. That is always the primary question of the Holy Spirit, no matter what generation you live in for 2,000 years. But it is very important emphasis of the Holy Spirit in this hour of human history. Who do you think I am? What am I like and what am I about? What am I like? Am I the Jesus of Christmas only? Am I the Jesus of Armageddon only? Am I both? What am I like? What am I about? What am I after? And if you can't answer that, you're going to end up going down a side path or being tempted to at least. Now he's about to start the early church because he's going to die some weeks later. Then raised from the dead. Then a day of Pentecost. And the early church is on a few months down the road from here. So he's getting these guys ready for the book of Acts church to be the ones that lay the foundation. And he's getting the end time church ready with the question, who do you say I am? And the answer is, I can tell you the answer. The revelation one, two, and three, Jesus, that's who you are. Good answer, Mike. The Holy Spirit may say, break it down. Uh, well, I don't know that much about these 30 things we might say, but I'm going to learn because the answer to who am I not just to build the early church on, but to build the church that I use to transition human history to the age to come, who do you think I am? Are you preaching the right Jesus or are you preaching the American Jesus? And if you preach the true Jesus in a secular humanistic covetous culture, you will be greatly resisted by the church of Jesus. Because the church of Jesus in our nation is far more Western, humanistic, with their heart anchored in their money and in their pleasure than they are in eternity. So the true Jesus will disturb them. And if you're on a popularity contest, wanting to get a crowd and people to applaud, the true Jesus won't go down that well at first. However, the true Jesus is going to be revealed in his splendor by his forerunners. And there will be a harvest in every tribe, tongue, and nation that will flock to him. And they will love him even unto death. That's where it's going. So you might have a tough road on the front end in a Western secular culture that names the name of Jesus on every corner. Because the Jesus of the Bible is not the Jesus that is in focus to many of these groups. And they actually really love him. They've just been doled and inundated by the culture. I don't mean they're not true believers. They're just stuck in a secular mindset of the here and now. And that's not the Jesus that's going to transition human history to the age to come. It's the Jesus of Revelation 1, 2, 3. This is a critical question. The forerunners are going after this question. And that's one reason why I'm teaching this series. I'm teaching it for me as well as for you. I'm saying, Lord, I gotta, I have to go deeper. And the Holy Spirit say, you absolutely have to go deeper. Yes. Much, much deeper. Because you only have a little bit of insight as to who I am. But this is the church I'm coming back for. This is the church that's going to be working together with me in unity to drive evil off the planet. So the question is, are you in? Do you want the American Jesus or the Revelation 1, 2 and 3 Jesus that's fully anchored in the Gospels, the Epistles and the Old Testament prophets? Well the whole Old Testament, not just the prophets. So Peter answers and says, and I have this written in the notes, so I just will skip the notes. And he says, you're fully God and fully man. That's kind of one way you could say that you're the Christ and you're the Son of the Living God. The Christ, you're the anointed Messiah. You're human and you're fully God. In verse 18, it's very abbreviated. Here's the point. On this rock, on this foundation, I will build my church. Now look what he says. Something very, very important. The authority of hell. Hades and hell, it's, it's the same word. The gates of hell means the authority. The gates is the authority. The authority of hell, which is Satan and all of his demons. If you build the church on the revelation of who I am, the authority of hell will not defeat you. And I don't mean just you make it to heaven saved. I'm not talking about just make it to heaven saved. The goal isn't just to make it saved. Skin of your teeth. The goal is to enter into the fullness of the grace of God that God has apportioned to weak and broken people. And in his kindness and in his mercy, he's made a way for guys like us to make it in our weakness. It's doable for folk like us, weak people. The fullness is within reach to people who are prone to 10 negative things, like all of us, whatever those 10 are. Because by the Holy Spirit, we repent when we blow it, we sign back up and the fullness of God is still within reach. If we won't give up, if you don't quit in your tenacity, if you don't quit, you win. You really do. You win if you don't quit. So he makes this very dramatic promise. There's coming a time. Now this is in society. This isn't just by faith and nobody can see it. There's coming a time when the authority of hell on the earth in society will be openly defeated. Now this passage, as you'll see in the notes, because I want to bring this to an end, this passage has been true for 2,000 years. Jesus defeated Satan on the cross 2,000 years ago. 100% defeated him. However, however, however, he defeated him. But the manifestation of that victory in society is still very minimal. It's 2,000 years later. And I would venture to say 90% of the structures of the earth are still under the influence of Satan. 92,000 years later, this passage, the victory has been won in the heavens and at the cross, but the application of it in society still it's, we have more victory than any other time in history, but still we're about 90% away from full victory. You know, we've grown from about 5% to 10% and that's exciting, but we're a long way out from this prophecy being fulfilled. But the book of Revelation timeframe and the book of Revelation battle plan is the time where the church will bind and loose through prayer and through the prophetic proclamation and the sermon on the mount lifestyle. And they will actually under Jesus's leadership with Jesus appearing in the sky, ultimately drive the usurper off the planet and the antichrist with him. That's where it's going. Jesus is actually giving an end time prophecy right here in verse 18. Now again, for 2,000 years, the victory that he accomplished was 100% and the church had the keys to bind and loose for 2,000 years, just we haven't got past the 10% mark yet. And he promised us a hundred percent. There is going to be a huge change of what's going on. There's a, on the earth, there's going to be a huge breakthrough of the Holy Spirit, a huge shaking, a huge attack and a huge victory. And I believe that it will come to a head in the lifespan of people that are alive in this room right now. And Jesus, we, they will see with their eyes, the authority of hell in society with no power anywhere in society, completely driven off the planet. And Jesus goes on and tells them, verse 19, you'll do it through binding and loosing. That's prophetic proclamation through intercession and through the sermon on the mount lifestyle with the serving and the humility, et cetera. But in the weakness of our humanity, under the grace of God, we will bind and loose. And I have a few paragraphs explaining this for someone that says, what? I've never seen this verse. It was brand new. Most of you are familiar with this. In verse 27, Jesus makes it clear that ultimately what was in his mind was going to Jerusalem to die, to lead to the second coming. It was in context to the second coming. The book of Revelation, when Jesus appears to John, 60 plus years later, he could have said, John, there he is like a dead man. Remember 60 years ago when I asked you, who do you think I am? You didn't really know very much, did you? John's trembling like a dead man. 90 years old, been walking with the Lord 60, 70 years. So I don't hardly know you. And he says, now, John, the next thing I'm going to show you is the battle plan where my people in the future will bind and loose and they will have full victory, not just quote in the spirit and nobody quite sees it, but it will be fully manifest openly for all the nations to see. But this authority to bind and loose, it's based on Jesus going to the cross, but the faith maturing, the faith and the love maturing that can operate in that authority is based upon the revelation of Jesus in Revelation chapter one, two, and three, and a people that will dwell together according to Jesus's counsel in Revelation one, two, and three. That's why we're studying this course. Amen. Let's stand. Now again, I just encourage you to highlight a point, like when I give you these notes or whoever does, you know, whether someone on the internet or here or far away, whatever you're listening to his CD or something, put a little star, just kind of highlight the parts where your heart goes for just a second. That's like the Holy Spirit saying, ah, I'll give you more on that one. No, really, I do that. I mark it. I don't always get back to it, but I try to mark where the hunger kind of spiked for a second. It's going to have the instruments play and we're just going to wait on the Lord for a few moments just as the instruments play. I'm going to encourage you to read these 30 descriptions. I put them all there on page two. I think it is just read them over and over and say, Holy Spirit, talk to me. See, I don't already know anything about you. Talk to me. That's what I say. Lord, there's so little I know about you. I want to know you. He says, you keep talking this way and I'll talk back to you. It's going to invite you to stand if you want to. Comfortable seated, that's good as well. I just encourage you to close your eyes. We're going to gaze on the throne now. There's the Father sitting on the throne. It says in Revelation that the saints are on the sea of glass like crystal, gazing at the throne with the rainbow around it. The myriads of angels, the living creatures crying holy. There we are in that scene. That's where you're focused right now. And you have in your spirit, you're saying, Abba, just real gentle. I love you. Here I am. That's how we wait on the Lord in a ministry time. You get in that posture. Just instruments just continue just like you're doing. It's perfect. Holy Spirit, come and touch us.