Lehman Missionary Looks at the Love Letter

Revelation Chapters 1 to 8, a Spiritual Interpretation
1. Auflage 2024
ISBN: 979-8-3509-4609-3
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, Band 1, 308 Seiten

Reihe: A Missionary Looks at the Love Letter

Jesus gave Revelation as a love letter for his servants to share with the church. It is addressed to us from, '...him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,' (Revelation 1:5) He reminds us that he personally suffered and gave his very best for his bride, the church. But then with a broken heart, in his first letter to the church he says, '...you have left your first love.' (Revelation 2:4) This book interprets Revelation by following the instructions given to us in the first chapter. We are told to compare Revelation to the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:2). Revelation is a heart heavy message, very carefully and personally delivered by Jesus Christ himself. That is why this particular book carefully considers the spiritual heart message that is being delivered to the ministry, and we will address each scripture within Revelation in the same order as it was originally given. Almost every scripture within Revelation (hundreds of them) are derived from other scriptures within the rest of the Bible. There is no way to interpret Revelation without carefully considering what those scriptures spiritually teach us, and then what Jesus is telling us with them through his Revelation. Revelation is also a book of many sevens. Addressing things seven times is God's way within scripture of completing his purpose and his work. There are four different patterns of seven that are explicitly identified within Revelation: 7 churches, 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 vials of the wrath of God poured out. This pattern of four sevens matches how God said he would correct his people back in Leviticus chapter 26. He said four different times that if his people stray away from him, he will correct them seven times, and in the last seven he will correct them in his fury. Accordingly, the last pattern of seven within Revelation is done in God's wrath and fury. Revelation finalizes the corrections for all the problems in the church.

Richard Lehman is from the USA. He is a non-denominational missionary, currently ministering the gospel primarily in East Africa. In the past he has ministered in six other countries including: Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Mexico and Cuba. Additionally, he has open invites to other African countries which he hopes to visit in the future. Richard is not a typical modern missionary. He is not sent and directed by a missionary board to an established outpost in a foreign country. Richard typically travels to a foreign country alone. And when he arrives he meets many new people and prayerfully assesses their spiritual needs, as he labors together with them in the gospel. The principal audiences of his missionary work are ministers. So he spends much time personally developing instructional material specific to their needs. And he travels to many places within these countries to also personally train and educate them. More recently he is sensing a need to work with college young people in these same African countries. In addition to these missionary travels, he has been writing gospel related material for over 30 years. Including seriously studying and teaching a spiritual interpretation of the book of Revelation since 2003. Richard teaches a Revelation message that delivers people, especially ministers, from the politics and corruption of divided church organizations and returns their hearts back to responding directly to their heavenly Father. He brings many ministers from different denominations into one training room to learn about the heavenly vision given us by both Jesus Christ and his Revelation. He presents Revelation as a very personal love letter from Jesus Christ to the church, because that is how Jesus first presented it to the church.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Lehman, Richard

Leseproben

Introduction

Revelation, like the rest of the Bible, is a spiritual book, therefore it requires a spiritual interpretation. When I say, “Spiritual interpretation” I’m speaking to that which reveals the love within the heart. In particular, the faithful sacrificial love we have towards Jesus Christ, or the unfaithful selfish love we may have while thinking we are serving Jesus Christ. Revelation reveals both.

Let us start clearing our understanding by reading the dictionary definition of the word “spiritual,”

Relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.

As the definition above implies, a spiritual interpretation instructs us concerning what affects our spirit and soul. In contrast, many modern books today focus on an interpretation of Revelation loaded with concern about “material or physical things.” The spiritual focus compares the heart and soul to the Creator because we were originally created in his image, and through Christ we are enabled to return to that spiritual image. In contrast, many modern interpretations cause us to be concerned with the material and physical things of this life and the world, to distract us from our spiritual needs. Consequently many of these modern interpretations are focused on an earthly kingdom to come. (The same focus that the Jews had when they rejected Christ the first time.) While the spiritual interpretation focuses on the heavenly kingdom Jesus has already brought for the heart and soul,

And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God comes not with observation: Neither shall they say, See here! or, see there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:20-21)

The Bible is a spiritual book, because it comprises divinely influenced scriptures, and the ultimate purpose is to restore every heart and soul to God. Therefore, we consider the scriptures as having a spiritual purpose. The lessons we learn from the scriptures speak to the heart condition of humankind. This means they reveal what is in the heart, so people can understand their relationship with their Creator. In addition, through Jesus Christ, the scriptures reveal how we can have a faithful love relationship restored with God the Father.

Revelation does not depart from the same heart-changing purpose of the Bible. Therefore our purpose in this book is focused on the heart-restoration purpose of God, through the Revelation message. That’s why the subtitle states: “…a Spiritual Interpretation.”

Note: in the next chapter I will explain more about how hermeneutic principles are used to understand the spiritual message of Revelation. In addition, I will explain my approach to Revelation interpretation by comparing it to other common approaches used today.

Revelation is a book full of prophetic, symbolic meaning. Consequently, we will also focus on understanding the symbolic meaning, by comparing Revelation to the rest of scripture. Paul instructed us in 1 Corinthians Chapter Two, that we come to understand spiritual things by first having a spiritual conscience through the new birth. Then second, by comparing spiritual things to spiritual things. Further, Revelation specifically tells us it, “Bears record of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ…” (Revelation 1:2). For this reason, we look for understanding by comparing to both his Word and his Testimony.

Have you ever taken a “Dispensational” college course in the Book of Revelation? Have you read a book about Revelation focusing on a future earthly millennial Kingdom? If so, this book breaks away from what you previously learned. Yet ironically, this book aligns with the rest of the Word of God. Dispensational college courses and related books have moved away from a spiritual interpretation, in favor of literalism and human imagination.

Per Wikipedia, “Dispensationalism is a theological framework of interpreting the Bible which maintains that history is divided into multiple ages or ‘dispensations’ in which God acts with his chosen people in different ways.” A “framework” is a basic structure underlying a system, concept, or text. The most commonly recognized Dispensational framework is made up of seven dispensations. But there are also other Dispensational frameworks that differ in the number of dispensations and the structure.

Most Dispensational books about Revelation depart from the deeper spiritual purpose of God through scripture. Instead, they focus on both literal and imaginative interpretations, and an earthly millennial Kingdom, all pasted together into a storyline that supports their particular book on Revelation or Dispensational Bible study framework. So that once you complete that study, it convinces you of their book or Bible study framework.

But when you complete this study on a “spiritual interpretation of Revelation” it will convince you of the purpose of God in your heart. This book isn’t academically challenging, but spiritually challenging. My hope is you are ready for the spiritual challenge of the Revelation of Jesus Christ to your heart and soul.

There is also a resource I have established on the web that you can use for a reference to help you understand other perspectives from a spiritual interpretation.

https://revelationjesuschrist.org/

The Bible is the exclusive book that covers the history of God’s people from Creation to the end of time. The Book of Revelation covers a portion of that same history, from the end of the Apostolic Age (from when the Apostles passed away) until the end of time. Jesus gave it to John roughly near the end of the first century, and in those days Jesus told John that the Revelation covers:

• Things which must shortly come to pass (Revelation 1:1)

• Things that John saw, things that existed then, and what was yet to come (Revelation 1:19)

What Revelation discusses has now largely occurred over the past 2000 years.

Additionally, the Bible is unique above all other historical records because it identifies the genealogy of Christ from Adam until the birth of Christ. Then from Christ, it identifies the spiritual birth genealogy of all the saved, culminating with placing all their names within the book of Life. (See Phillipians 4:3, Revelation 3:5, 17:8, 20:12, 21:27, 22:19,)

And whoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)

Many of these names recorded in the Book of Life, are also identified within the spiritual history that is portrayed within Revelation. We don’t read their names written out individually within Revelation. But we are told that they are located within the Book of Life, and that Jesus knows each one by name. He alone is the one that personally maintains that genealogical record. Additionally, Revelation goes further to identify those who may think they are saved, but Jesus doesn’t know them,

…whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8)

The historical record of God’s people since the Apostolic Age is also found through the seven letters of Revelation. These seven letters to the seven churches are highly related to one another, according to the order presented. Each church has a spiritual need Jesus warns them about. Every need is met by a characteristic of Jesus Christ described in Chapter One (because Jesus is the answer to every need.) What he will warn about in one church, ends up happening in the next. This shows that these are not just independent congregations, but that they also represent one church as it progresses through time. It is a clear history of the church’s spiritual journey. In particular it tells us about what happened to the church’s love for Jesus.

So the letters to the seven churches are actually a love letter from Jesus Christ to the church. In the first chapter it reads: “And from Jesus Christ… …To him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.” (Revelation 1:5) Then in the first love letter he tells the church that, “You have left your first love.” (Revelation 2:4) Because of this, Jesus desires to help her correct what has gone wrong. In the letter to the church at Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7) we see the church has responded, and consequently there is a marriage feast between Christ and the church. Again, we see the letters are showing us a “heart-history” of what happened to the love relationship between the church and Jesus Christ throughout history.

Also within Revelation there is a spiritual battle plan in a pattern of sevens to reveal the defeat of a foe called, “Babylon the great, the mother of harlots.” (Revelation 17:5) Babylon represents a church organization claiming to be the bride of Christ, but is unfaithful to him. (Committing sin is unfaithfulness to Christ, and it is the ultimate wickedness that people indulge in as they practice hypocrisy.) This spiritual battle plan of sevens comprises seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven vials of God’s wrath poured out. The pattern matches the physical battle plan in the Old Testament for the armies of Israel to defeat Jericho. Through studying the spiritual types within this battle plan, we come to realize a spiritual battle plan for these last days....