PrestonEby
THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRISTBy Preston Eby
The book of Revelation is without doubt one of the most important and wonderful books ever written. It is a work of art, marvelous art, divine art. This remarkable book is written in the form of a drama and is skillfully divided into seven acts with seven scenes each. Scenes of glory surpassing fable are unveiled before us in this book. No other book takes us at once, and so irresistibly, into another sphere. Long vistas are here opened before us that carry us into other worlds and urge upon us the realities of our call into the high places of God’s Spirit and purpose. There is one revelation and one only in the whole book — the revelation of Jesus Christ. It is not the book of Revelations as many refer to it. The simple adding of an "s" totally distorts the true meaning of the book! It is not many revelations. Although many things are said in this book, there is only one thing that God is revealing, and that one thing is JESUS CHRIST! John did not reveal many revelations, though there were many visions shown him and many things spoken to him. All together made but one revelation.
I further exhort all who read these lines to never call this book the Revelation of Saint John. It is in no sense the Revelation of John! John’s part in this is that of a third party. The revelation is given to Jesus Christ by the Father as His very own state of being — Jesus is the revelation of the Father! The glory of this revelation of God in Christ was communicated to John through a very wonderful messenger, who was so wonderful that he showed John all these marvelous truths and realities in the form of dramatic symbols. It is a powerful series of spiritual revelation unrolled in pictures which John saw in spirit, and which he recorded, and to which he was led by the prophetic spirit. The messenger who showed John these things is none other than the spirit of prophecy which is the testimony of Jesus! (Rev. 19:10). This book is preeminently the revelation of Jesus Christ, for that is precisely what the true title of the book is!
The book opens up the unveiling of Jesus Christ in His person, in His church, in His sons, and in His kingdom. The book can be very confusing unless we find some sense of direction and guidance in it. To help in our meditations, let us take a look at the word "revelation" itself. It is more than a book in the Bible! It is more than a vision given to a man nearly two thousand years ago! Eventually it becomes an inner discovery, an activity within our very own consciousness, in the reality of our own experience, and this is the revelation that we are concerned with! It is not intended to be an outline of outer-world events because it is the revelation of a person, the God-man, the firstborn of many brethren, the beginning of the creation of God, even our Lord Jesus the Christ! Within the lives of those called to sonship Jesus Christ is now being raised up unto a revelation in and out from our inner-world, and I do not hesitate to tell you that it is from there that the prophecy will be fulfilled! All of creation groans, waiting for this glorious unveiling of THE SON in THE SONS!
One of the reasons that the book of Revelation has been so misunderstood is because men have thought it was the unveiling of external events that are in the future. It is not the unveiling of world events but the unveiling of a Person who has not yet been seen in all of His glory, beauty and majesty! Today He is like a statue that has the veil put over it, awaiting the day when the veil shall be removed and He shall be seen in all of His glory. Another reason people do not understand the book is because they read it looking for "a revelation." When it is "revelation" we are seeking in place of the REVELATOR, we will no doubt get our revelation but will miss the reality altogether! It is not a revelation, it is THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST! Should I send you a book titled SPANISH MADE SIMPLE, how many would expect to read in that book how to cook Hungarian Goulash? If the title says SPANISH MADE SIMPLE, what will you expect to learn out of this book? Why, how to speak Spanish, of course! Since the book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ, why is it that when theologians teach from it they teach about the beast, the mark of the beast, the antichrist, world wars, great tribulation, woes, sorrows, pestilences and devastations, but they never seem to come to THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST! Ah, yes, there are beasts and woes and tribulation in the book, but these are not the message — they are merely the things exposed by the unveiling of Himself — exposed to be dealt with and brought to nought! And sometimes they are the very instruments used to bring forth the unveiling!
CAN WE PASS THIS TEST OF THE SPIRIT?
by J. Preston Eby
There is a simple, but sure, test by which one may discern whether anything pertains to the Kingdom of God or is of "this world." The truth is that all that belongs to the Kingdom of God originates in and proceeds forth from the SPIRIT OF GOD. Every thought, word, desire, action, activity, method, system, movement, or institution which originates in and springs from the life of the Spirit of God IS AN EXPRESSION OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. Conversely, all that is of this world originates in and proceeds forth from the carnal mind, which mind is under the dominion of the ruler of this world. The truth of this is powerfully set forth in Eph. 6:12. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rules of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Let us read this from the Amplified Bible: "For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood -- contending only with physical opponents -- but against the despotism, against the powers, against the master spirits who are the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural sphere." The Phillips translation says, "For our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organizations and powers the are spiritual. We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil." Thus, every thought, word, desire, action, activity, method, system, movement or institution which draws its genius from the natural mind is not from the Kingdom of God, but of this present world which passeth away with the lusts thereof.
Are we willing to permit everything around us, and all within us, to be judged by this test All of our desires, hopes, ambitions, actions, teachings, prophecies, commitments, involvement's? Let us apply this simple test to a few of the things in the world around us with which we are all acquainted. POLITICS Is the political process in the United States (or any other country) a reflection of the mind of the Spirit of God, discovered by Spirit-led people waiting upon the Word of the Lord, or is it a product of the carnal minds of natural men and determined by debate, ideological agenda, public opinion, or the votes of the masses of unspiritual citizens? BOARD MEETING -- Is your Church (denomination) walking in the Spirit or after the flesh? When the board or ministry of your church (denomination) meets, do they seek the face of God and wait upon the Spirit of the Lord until He speaks and reveals His will, or do they discuss and argue their cases and then vote to see what 51% of them think ought to be done? ORGANIZATION -- Was the organizational structure of your denomination or religious organization inspired by the Holy Spirit under the sovereign Headship of the Lord Jesus Christ? Does it function as a living expression of the mind and wisdom of Christ, or, was it designed by men energetic to organize God's people to build a name and a kingdom, and is it, with its State Charter, unscriptural "board," "board members," "committees," "president," "vice president," "Sunday School Superintendent," etc. patterned after the order of worldly organizations and institutions? PASTORS -- Were the elders, or pastors, of your church raised up and established in their ministries by the anointing of the Spirit, or were they "voted in" by the "sheep" in the same way officials are voted in an out of worldly corporations; or "placed" by some "board" or "committee" without the leadership of the Holy Spirit? MEETINGS -- Are your meetings conducted under the Headship of Christ, through the anointing of the Holy Spirit, with each member of the body supplying toward the mutual edification of the whole body as moved by the Spirit? Does "every one" of you have a psalm, have a doctrine, have a tongue, have a revelation, have an interpretation" (I Cor. 14:26), or, do you all just sit back, facing the platform, as in a theater, and watch the "show" put on by the "pastor" and the "music director" from the stage?
It is my deep prayer that by these few examples we may see how easy it is to move out from under the power of the Kingdom of God and simply operate according to the carnal systems of this present world. It requires no spirituality at all to walk after the order of the world, but it takes a true commitment to the Holy Spirit to walk in the order of the Kingdom of God, which is the order of the Spirit. I pray that all who read these lines may be given wisdom to plainly see just how much of our so-called spiritual activities are not of the Spirit but OF THE WORLD. The beloved apostle John tells us plainly just what the world is. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, IS NOT OF THE FATHER, but is of the world" (Jn. 2:15-17). The divine formula is simple "whatsoever is not of the Father IS OF THE WORLD!" It's just that simple, my beloved. That one easy to understand principle is applicable to our individual lives, collectively to our nation, our government, our church systems, our meetings, our business, our ambitions, plans, hopes, dreams, aims. In everything WHATSOEVER IS NOT OF THE FATHER IS OF THE WORLD! This wonderful law of the Kingdom should greatly assist us in our walk to separate the hay, wood, and stubble from the gold, silver, and precious stones of the living temple of God.
from The Heavens Declare