Lindsey Neal Photography + Fine Art

The TRUE Light

10/9/2023

Jesus at 40 days old

was taken to the

Temple

Jesus was taken to the Temple in Jerusalem

for the

Jewish religious ritual of

Redemption

when he was

40 days old.

This ritual was an obligatory ceremony for firstborn boys according to the

Law of Moses.

His mother was also there for her Jewish religious ritual of

Purification or Cleansing.

Scripture refers to the offering of a

pair of doves or two young pigeons,

probably indicating that

Mary and Joseph

were not wealthy enough to afford a lamb.

Also, the firstborn son had to be redeemed as well. See Numbers 18:14-16.

The redemption price set by God was

five

Sanctuary shekels.
Jesus is the sacrificial lamb and the savior of the whole world.

When the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses,
Joseph and Mary took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,

as it is written in the Law of the Lord,

“Every firstborn son is to be designated as

holy to the Lord.”

They also offered a sacrifice according to what is specified in the

Law of the Lord:

“a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Revelation 12:10 calls Satan the

“accuser of our brothers and sisters,

who accuses them

before our God day and night.”

The context of the verse describes a cosmic battle

between a great red dragon

(identified as Satan in Revelation 12:7)

and the angelic hosts of heaven.

The dragon is hurled to the earth

(Revelation 12:9),

the authority of the

Messiah

is locked in place

(verse 10), and the

believers are victorious:

“And they overcame him

by the

blood of the Lamb

and by the

word of their testimony,

and they did not

love their lives to the death”

(Revelation 12:11, NKJV).

During the tribulation of the end times,

Satan’s wrath against God’s’ people,

especially Israel

(the “woman” of Revelation 12)

will intensify.

But the believers

are

promised to overcome

Dr. Charles Ryrie comments on Revelation 12:11:

“The believer’s defense

against Satan is

(1) to bank on the merits of the death of Christ,

(2) to be active in witnessing, and

(3) to be willing to make any sacrifice, including death”

(The Ryrie Study Bible, Moody Press, 1978, p. 1,801).

Down through the centuries, the “great dragon” Satan has despised the mercy, love, grace, and forgiveness that God pours out on believers in Jesus Christ. With relentless, evil determination, the devil hounds us, fixated on destroying our walk with God and chasing us back into a spiritual prison. But, day by day, night by night, believers always overcome him “by the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 12:11).

Satan’s tireless goal in the life of every Christian is to prevent, disrupt, and cut off his or her relationship with God. He “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). But the devil’s only real power over believers is to throw our sins and transgressions in our faces. He is the accuser. Thankfully, the sacrifice of Christ has effectively dealt with the problem. It is the blood of Jesus Christ—the blood of the Lamb—that redeems people, setting them free from slavery to sin and Satan’s control.

Scripture gives us vivid pictures of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross. Peter explains that “God paid a ransom” to save us from our old empty way of life. “And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (1 Peter 1:18–19, NLT). The tribulation saints will have “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14). When Jesus Christ died, His precious blood “purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). Jesus’ blood was poured out “for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28), and it “purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Satan tries to condemn us, but we overcome by the blood of the Lamb. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1–2). Jesus freed us from the spiritual chains of sin (John 8:35–36; Romans 6:17–22).

The next time Satan tries to hurl past failures in your face, remember that “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned” (John 3:17–18).

All believers—past, present and future—overcome the accuser by the blood of the Lamb. Jesus Christ’s death is the definitive basis for our victory over the enemy of our souls. The apostle Paul asks, “Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us” (Romans 8:33–34, NLT). Despite everything in the devil’s arsenal that he can throw at us, “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

Paul tells the Colossians, “For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. So don’t let anyone condemn you” (Colossians 2:12–16, NLT).

We must not allow the devil to deceive us with lies and accusations. Every charge he can bring against us is canceled, nailed to the cross, and overcome by the blood of the Lamb. It may seem strange that, in Revelation 12, a raging dragon is overcome by a slain lamb. Lambs are not usually seen as dragon-slayers. But such is the power and efficacy of the death of Christ. Because of Christ’s shed blood on the cross, sin has lost its grip on us. Whenever Satan accuses us, we can sing, “My chains are gone; I’ve been set free.”

The book of Revelation provides an overview of prophetic events that will occur in the end time before Jesus Christ’s second coming and beyond.
This section of Scripture includes many symbols, including “seven seals,” the sounding of “seven trumpets,” and “seven last plagues” to be poured out of “seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God” (Revelation 5:1; 8:2, 6; 15:1, 7).
The seals, trumpets and plagues represent a series of events that will affect all mankind during these momentous times.

The sounding of the seventh trumpet announces the culmination of God’s plan for this world and the remaining steps that He will take to ensure that His plan is accomplished for all of mankind.

What does the Bible say about this last trumpet, and what does it mean for you?

What is the message of the seventh trumpet in Revelation?The apostle John recorded what he saw in vision:

“Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’
“And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: ‘We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was and who is to come, because You have taken Your great power and reigned. The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear Your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth.’

“Then the temple of God was

opened in heaven,

and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple.

And there were

lightnings,

noises, thunderings, an earthquake,

and great hail”

(Revelation 11:15-19)

And Satan Fell like

LIGHTnight

What does the

seventh trumpet mean?

The sounding of the seventh trumpet signals the long-awaited arrival of the Kingdom of God on earth.The sounding of the seventh trumpet signals the long-awaited arrival of the Kingdom of God on earth. This trumpet, which is also called the third “woe” (Revelation 9:12; 11:14), will be one of the most important announcements in human history. The establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth is the fulfillment of biblical prophecies recorded throughout the Bible.

In the interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, God through the prophet Daniel revealed that eventually a kingdom would arise that would destroy all the human governments that preceded it. Most important, God said this kingdom “shall never be destroyed … and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44).

Years later, Daniel also had a dream in which God confirmed the coming of this eternal kingdom. In his vision Daniel saw “One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven,” who “was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.”
And again, Daniel noted that His dominion “shall not pass away, and His kingdom [is] the one which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).
What did Jesus teach regarding the Kingdom of God?During His earthly ministry, Jesus was the representative of the Kingdom of God, and this subject was the basis of His teaching. As Matthew wrote: “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 4:23; compare Mark 1:14; Luke 8:1).

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, He spent 40 days with His disciples before ascending into heaven. He spent this time “speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). The Kingdom of God, which has been prepared by God the Father and His Son from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34), was clearly the focal point of His teaching.

The Kingdom of God has likewise been the focus of God’s people throughout the ages. Abraham “waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10), and Jesus instructs us to pray for this Kingdom to come (Matthew 6:9-10). Additionally, Jesus said that seeking this Kingdom and God’s righteousness is to take priority in our lives (Matthew 6:33).

What happens

after the

seventh trumpet?

After the seventh trumpet, John heard the 24 elders worshipping God (Revelation 11:16-18). Their praise of God also reveals what conditions will be like at that time.

These elders say that the nations were angry, that God’s wrath has come, that the time for rewarding God’s faithful people has come and that God will soon destroy those who destroyed the earth.

Let’s now consider how these end-time events relate to the establishment of the Kingdom of God.

The nations were angryIn the book of Revelation, seven seals are opened before the blowing of the seven trumpets. The second seal, represented by a rider on a red horse (one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse) signifies war. War, of course, is what often happens when nations become angry with each other. And Bible prophecy indicates that wars will escalate prior to the return of Christ.

When Jesus gave signs of the end of this present age in His Olivet Discourse—signs which correlate with the seals in the book of Revelation—He said, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matthew 24:7).

Some of the conflicts between nations during the end times are specifically identified. Bible prophecy indicates that a major conflict will erupt between powers warring over control of the Middle East. “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind” (Daniel 11:40).

In addition to this conflict, Zechariah 14:2 says that in the end all the nations will come together “to battle against Jerusalem.” When Christ returns, these armies will unite to fight against Him and quickly be overcome (Revelation 19:19-21).

The wrath of GodAs the seals are successively opened in the book of Revelation, the seventh seal includes the seven trumpets. These trumpets are actually punishments called the wrath of God that will come upon the
earth’s inhabitants because of mankind’s sins (Revelation 6:16-17).
So, by the time the seventh trumpet sounds, mankind will have already been suffering from the wrath of God.

The wrath of God, however, is not yet complete. Because humans will still refuse to repent of their sins and acknowledge Jesus as the King of the earth, seven last plagues—also called “seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God” that will follow the seventh trumpet—will wreak additional devastation upon mankind and the earth (Revelation 15:7).

In these seven last plagues, “the wrath of God is complete” (verse 1).
What happens to faithful Christians at the seventh trumpet?In praising God at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the 24 elders also noted that the time had come for the dead to be judged and God’s faithful people to be rewarded. (Do you know what the Bible means by a converted, faithful Christian?

See our online article

“Many Are Called,

but

Few Are Chosen"

The Bible shows that the sounding of this trumpet is indeed the great hope of the saints throughout the ages.The Bible shows that the sounding of this trumpet is indeed the great hope of the saints throughout the ages.

In teaching about the resurrection of the dead, Paul wrote:

“Behold, I tell you a mystery:

We shall not all sleep,

but we shall all be changed—in a moment,

in the twinkling of an eye, at the

last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound,

and the dead will be raised incorruptible,

and we shall be changed”

(1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

On another occasion Paul wrote:

“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” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

The judgment of GodThe last item mentioned by the 24 elders as they praise God is that those who destroy the earth will be destroyed (Revelation 11:18). These are people “who have, in their conquests, spread desolation over the earth and who have persecuted the righteous, and all who have done injustice and wrong to any class of men” (Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament).
Thus, in their praise of God, the 24 elders summarize what has led up to the blowing of the seventh trumpet and what is yet to occur.

Remembering the seventh trumpet

The blowing of the prophetic trumpets is such an

important part of

God’s plan of salvation for mankind

that one of God’s annual holy days

pictures these events.

The Feast of Trumpets

pictures the

return of Christ,

His judgment upon mankind, and most important,

His establishment

of the

peaceful Kingdom of

God here on earth.

The seventh trumpet.

The seventh trumpet (and the third woe) sounds, and

immediately there are

loud voices in heaven saying,

“The kingdom of the world has become

the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,

and he will reign for ever and ever”

(Revelation 11:15)

The twenty-four elders say

, “The time has come for . . . destroying those who destroy the earth”

(verse 18).

Obviously, God is about to wrap things up once and for all.

At the sound of the

seventh trumpet,

the temple

of God is opened in heaven,

and

“within his temple

was seen

the ark of his covenant"

And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm”

(verse 19).

Thus end the seven trumpet judgments. All is set for the seven angels with the seven bowls of God’s wrath. These angels stand inside the now-open temple, ready to step forward and bring the final judgments on earth (Revelation 15).

In his vision in Revelation 19:7–10, John saw and heard the heavenly multitudes praising God because the wedding feast of the Lamb—literally, the “marriage supper”—was about to begin. The concept of the marriage supper is better understood in light of the wedding customs in the time of Christ.

These wedding customs had three major parts. First, a marriage contract was signed by the parents of the bride and the bridegroom, and the parents of the bridegroom or the bridegroom himself would pay a dowry to the bride or her parents. This began what was called the betrothal period—what we would today call the engagement. This period was the one Joseph and Mary were in when she was found to be with child (Matthew 1:18; Luke 2:5).

The second step in the process usually occurred much later, when the bridegroom, accompanied by his male friends, went to the house of the bride. If he came in the night, he and his companions would create a torchlight parade through the streets. The bride would know in advance this was going to take place, and so she would be ready with her maidens, and they would all join the parade and end up at the bridegroom’s home. This custom is the basis of the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1–13. The third phase was the marriage supper itself, which might go on for days, as illustrated by the wedding at Cana in John 2:1–2.

What John’s vision in Revelation pictures is the wedding feast of the Lamb (Jesus Christ) and His bride (the Church) in its third phase. The implication is that the first two phases have already taken place. The first phase was completed on earth when each individual believer placed his or her faith in Christ as Savior. The dowry paid by the bridegroom’s parent (God the Father) would be the blood of Christ shed on the Bride’s behalf. The Church on earth today, then, is “betrothed” to Christ, and, like the wise virgins in the parable, all believers should be watching and waiting for the appearance of the Bridegroom (the rapture). The second phase symbolizes the rapture of the Church, when Christ comes to claim His bride and take her to the Father’s house. The marriage supper then follows as the third and final step. It is our view that the marriage supper of the Lamb takes place in heaven between the rapture and the second coming (during the tribulation on earth).

Attending the wedding feast will be not only the Church as the Bride of Christ, but others as well. The “others” include the Old Testament saints—they will not have been resurrected yet, but their souls/spirits will be in heaven with us. As the angel told John to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9). The marriage supper of the Lamb is a glorious celebration of all who are in Christ!

The imagery and symbolism of marriage is applied to Christ and the body of believers known as the church. The church is comprised of those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and have received eternal life. Christ, the Bridegroom, has sacrificially and lovingly chosen the church to be His bride (Ephesians 5:25–27). Just as there was a betrothal period in biblical times during which the bride and groom were separated until the wedding, so is the bride of Christ separate from her Bridegroom during the church age. Her responsibility during the betrothal period is to be faithful to Him (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:24). At the rapture, the church will be united with the Bridegroom and the official “wedding ceremony” will take place and, with it, the eternal union of Christ and His bride will be actualized (Revelation 19:7–9; 21:1-2).

In the eternal state, believers will have access to the heavenly city known as New Jerusalem, also called “the holy city” in Revelation 21:2 and 10. The New Jerusalem is not the church, but it takes on some of the church’s characteristics. In his vision of the end of the age, the apostle John sees the city coming down from heaven adorned “as a bride,” meaning that the city will be gloriously radiant and the inhabitants of the city, the redeemed of the Lord, will be holy and pure, wearing white garments of holiness and righteousness. Some have misinterpreted verse 9 to mean the holy city is the bride of Christ, but that cannot be because Christ died for His people, not for a city. The city is called the bride because it encompasses all who are the bride, just as all the students of a school are sometimes called “the school.”

Believers in Jesus Christ are the bride of Christ, and we wait with great anticipation for the day when we will be united with our Bridegroom. Until then, we remain faithful to Him and say with all the redeemed of the Lord, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

From the beginning, God’s plan of salvation has always involved a massive global strategy. The Lord told Abraham that his people would be “beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore” (Genesis 22:17, NLT) and that in them “all nations on earth will be blessed” (verse 18). In Revelation 7:9, the apostle John sees “a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9–10, NKJV).

John describes an immense gathering of people standing in front of the Lamb’s throne in heaven, wearing white robes and joyously celebrating with palm branches as they worship God in a loud voice. Who are these multiethnic, culturally diverse, multilingual people of every nation, tribe, and language? The answer is given in Revelation 7:14: “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Scripture leaves no room for doubt: these are the ones saved through faith in Jesus Christ during the Great Tribulation.

John 3:16 tells us that God loved the
whole world so much that He sent
His only Son—the Lamb of God—to save people who
believed in Him from all around the globe.

Jesus told His disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone” (Mark 16:15, NLT). Christ was slain as the sacrificial Lamb of God to redeem people from “every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (see Revelation 5:9, NKJV).

Before we received Christ as Lord and Savior, we were stained crimson by sin (Isaiah 1:18). It is

“the blood of Jesus” shed on the cross that

“purifies us from all sin”

(1 John 1:7).

We are redeemed by

“the precious blood of Christ,

a lamb without blemish or defect”

(1 Peter 1:18–19).

Our redemption

is only possible by the

blood of the Lamb

(see Hebrews 9:11–28)

Revelation 7 provides a possible connection between the

numberless multitude from all nations, tribes, and tongues

(verses 9–14)

and the

144,000 sealed servants of God

(verses 1–8).

The 144,000 are from the tribes of Israel,

while the multitude

is from every tribe and nation.

John sees the 144,000 on earth

(verses 1–3)

and the numberless multitude in heaven (verse 9).

It seems that the mission of the 144,000

will be to evangelize the post-rapture world and

proclaim the gospel during the tribulation.

As a result of their ministry,

millions—the “great multitude . . . from every

nation, tribe, people and language”

(Revelation 7:9)

—will come to faith in Christ.

This redeemed multitude

from all nations, tribes,

and tongues are those who will forever worship

“before the throne of God

and serve him day and night in his temple;

and he who sits on the throne

will shelter them with his presence”

(Revelation 7:15).

Jesus describes

these worshipers as victorious overcomers

whom He will “make a pillar in the temple of my God.

Never again will they leave it.

I will write on them the name of my God and the

name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem,

which is coming down out of heaven from my God;

and I will also write on them my new name”

(Revelation 3:12).

They will live in God’s constant

protection and presence

(Revelation 21:3).

This vast crowd from all nations, tribes, and tongues suffered famine, thirst, extreme deprivation, and persecution during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 6:5–6; 13:16–17). Since its earliest days, the church of Jesus Christ has suffered oppression and mistreatment, but nothing as terrible as experienced by those believers saved in the last half (3.5 years) of the tribulation period (Matthew 24:21; Daniel 12:1; Jeremiah 30:7). During that time, the beast or Antichrist will have authority to unleash terror on “every tribe and people and language and nation” (see Revelation 13:1–10; see also Revelation 16:1—18:24).

This multitude from

all nations, tribes, and tongues is a

great throng of

faithful believers worshiping

the

Lamb of God on His heavenly throne.

These citizens of heaven will

“eat from the tree of life”

(Revelation 2:7) and enjoy

“springs of living water”

(Revelation 21:6).

“They will never again be hungry or thirsty;

they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.

For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd.

He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.

And God will wipe every tear from their eyes”

(Revelation 7:16–17, NLT).

The term living stones in 1 Peter 2:5 is used as a metaphor to illustrate the secure and intimate relationship believers have with Jesus, who is described in the previous verse as the “living Stone” (1 Peter 2:4). Together, these two verses picture how Christ and His followers are joined by God Himself: “

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but

chosen by God and precious to Him—you also,

like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house

to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices

acceptable to God through Jesus Christ”

(1 Peter 2:4–5).

The foundation of

God’s building is

His Son, Jesus Christ, the

“living Stone.”

The “living stones,” in turn, are believers who come to Jesus and place their lives upon this foundation. The living Stone is “precious” to those who believe (1 Peter 2:7), but some men reject the living Stone in order to build their lives their own way, not God’s way (see Psalm 118:22 and Luke 6:46–49). Unbelievers cast this living Stone aside, not caring that Jesus is the only true foundation upon which they can build securely (1 Corinthians 3:11).

In a metaphor much like that of the living Stone, Jesus is described as the chief cornerstone in Ephesians 2:19–22. Peter references Jesus as the cornerstone in Acts 4:11–12, stating that “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” God accepts no one who refuses to become a part of His building. And God is just like all builders—He has a foundation upon which all workers must build (Matthew 7:24–27).

Believers, then, are the “living stones” of the church that Jesus promised to build (Matthew 16:18). As living stones, we have new life in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). As integral parts of the building of God, we have security in Christ (John 6:37). As the Master Builder, God places His living stones just where He wants us to be (1 Corinthians 12:18). As living stones, we are connected to one another in the body of Christ (Romans 12:5). Our Lord, the foundation Stone, is alive forevermore and will never crumble. He will support us eternally.

Peter goes on to describe the function of the

living stones:

to “declare the praises”

of Him who called us

out of the darkness of sin

into the light of life and glory

(1 Peter 2:9).

This is the “job description”

of a living stone:

a speaker of praise, a declarer of

truth

and love and light

The spiritual house God

is building is designed for

His glory,

and we, the

living stones,

glorify

the

Lord in

all we do

(1 Corinthians 10:31).

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Your Word is Truth

10/9/2023

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The NAME

Faithful and True

expresses the

total trustworthiness, reliability,

and constancy of Jesus Christ.

The title reveals His character and makes

known

His words and works

In Revelation 19:11,

John sees a vision of

Jesus as the

exalted King of kings

leaving

heaven to return to earth:

“I saw heaven standing open and there

before me was a white horse, whose rider is

called Faithful and True

With justice he judges and wages war.” This picture of Christ’s second coming at the end of the age shows Jesus no longer as the peaceful, humble servant riding on a lowly donkey (John 12:12–15).

Now He is the victorious King, charging forth like a conquering war general, leading His troops into battle (Revelation 19:14).

In this vivid portrayal, John identifies Jesus by four different titles, beginning with Faithful and True. It is the first and only time this name of Jesus appears in Scripture. The second title is unknown to us (Revelation 19:12); the third is the Word of God (verse 13);

the fourth is King of kings and Lord of lords (verse 16).

The word for “Faithful” in the original language means “characterized by steadfast affection or allegiance,” and the word translated “True” means “truthful or characterized by expressing the truth.” The nature of Jesus Christ—His whole being—exudes faithfulness and truth. Earlier, in Revelation 3:14, Jesus called Himself the “faithful and true witness” in His letter to the church in Laodicea. Faithful and True is who Jesus Christ is.

In His first coming to earth, Jesus proved Himself to be faithful to the mission and will of God His Father: “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4; see also John 5:30; Hebrews 3:6; Luke 4:43). Never once did the Lord give in to the temptation to sin (Hebrews 4:15–16), from the time Satan tempted Him in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11; Mark 1:12–13; Luke 4:1–13) until His death on the cross (Matthew 16:21–23; 26:36–44; Mark 8:31–33; 14:32–42; Luke 22:40–46).

From the day Isaiah foretold His coming, Christ’s faithfulness was known (Isaiah 11:5; 42:3). As a young man (Luke 2:49) and throughout His ministry, Jesus was a faithful and obedient servant to His Father God (John 4:34; 6:38; 8:29; 12:27; 14:31). Jesus is consistently the same “yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Others will wear out, change, or perish, but Jesus Christ remains the same for all eternity (Hebrews 1:11–12).

Jesus, who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life,” is the very embodiment of truth (John 14:6). He came from His Father “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). And His promise of eternal life is true: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment,
but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24, ESV; see also John 6:47).

Because of the fidelity inherent in His character, Jesus is faithful toward His followers in every circumstance. “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself,” declares 2 Timothy 2:13 (see also Matthew 28:20; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Hebrews 10:23).

Faithful and True is a fitting title for Jesus Christ our King, and He calls His followers to emulate His faithfulness and truth (Revelation 14:12; Hebrews 10:23). The entire book of Revelation conveys a message to the church of Jesus Christ to be faithful and true, just as He is Faithful and True.

In Revelation 19:11, when John sees the gates of heaven open, the One who has been Faithful and True from ages past appears at the end of time to wage His final battle. Jesus Christ comes with justice to judge and wage war, and He will triumph over the enemies of God! The outcome is sure because He is Faithful and True. He will do what He has promised to do. He shall defeat the devil once and for all. He will destroy the power of death, wiping away every sorrow, tear, and pain from the hearts of His devoted followers (Isaiah 25:8; 1 Corinthians 15:54; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 20:14).

In the apostle Paul’s first letter

to the Thessalonians,

he focuses on encouraging new Christians in the faith and inspiring them to pursue Christlike living. As he closes this personal, instructive, and uplifting pastoral letter, Paul offers hope-filled reassurance. Followers of Jesus Christ have the incredible opportunity to experience an extraordinary Christian life because God’s faithfulness underpins their faith:

“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body

be kept blameless at the

coming of our

Lord Jesus Christ.

He who calls you is faithful;

he will surely do it”

(1 Thessalonians 5:23–24, ESV).

In the original Greek text, the adjective for

“faithful”

means

“reliable, trustworthy, permanent.”

The term describes someone whose steadfast affection and allegiance can always be counted on. Paul wants new believers to know, “You are not alone!” The God who calls you to holy living (see 1 Thessalonians 4:7; Romans 12:1) has promised to give you the strength and grace to walk in holiness (see Romans 4:21). God has not left you on your own to figure out how to be Christ’s disciple. He is always with you;

He who has called you is faithful.

Yes, we have a responsibility to be spiritually alert (1 Thessalonians 5:6), “hold on to what is good,” and “reject every kind of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22). We are expected to pursue personal holiness through obedience to God, which is a main thrust of the letter. But believers can rest in the knowledge that the call of God is accompanied by His faithful empowering to see it through to the end. The writer of Hebrews confirms: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

God has pledged to equip us to lead godly lives and transform us into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18; see also Colossians 3:10). He called us (1 Thessalonians 2:12) and chose us (1 Thessalonians 1:4) “to become like his Son” (Romans 8:29, NLT). In a parallel teaching to believers in Corinth, Paul assures, “He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:8–9, NLT).

Without God’s faithfulness, we are powerless to live the victorious Christian life. We cannot accomplish the work of sanctification on our own or make ourselves holy. Sanctification is the unique work of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Galatians 5:5; 2 Thessalonians 2:13).

Focusing on our human weakness inevitably leads to a sense of hopelessness and despair. King David experienced heartbreaking personal failures but learned to trust in God’s faithfulness and unfailing love. He wisely advised, “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall” (Psalm 55:22, NLT).

Every day believers must cling to the Lord for help, for He is our source of sustaining power.

Again, King David insisted,

“Commit everything you do

to the Lord.

Trust him,

and he will help you”

(Psalm 37:5, NLT).

When we are weak and discouraged, the Lord says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

The God who called us is faithful to help us in times of temptation: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Even if we do fall short and give in to the temptation to sin, God’s Word promises, “If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9, NLT). Paul agrees that even if “we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is” (2 Timothy 2:13, NLT).

The God who called us is faithful to strengthen and protect us from the evil one (2 Thessalonians 3:3). His trustworthy promises are our armor and protection (Psalm 91:4). Like Joshua, we can know deep in our hearts that every promise of the Lord our God will come true. “Not a single one has failed!” (Joshua 23:14, NLT). We can always count on the Lord and draw great hope from this truth: “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!” (Lamentations 3:22–23, HCSB).

Revelation 2:1-7 contains Jesus’ message to the church in Ephesus, the first of seven exhortations to various churches in the Roman Empire. Ephesus had some unique challenges for a Christ-follower in that it was home to the Emperor’s cult and the worship of the Greek goddess Artemis (Acts 19:23-40). Because of these influences, the Ephesian believers had developed great discernment when it came to false teachers and heresy. Christ commended them for this discernment, but He faulted them for having lost their “first love.”

The first love which characterized the Ephesians was the zeal and ardor with which they embraced their salvation as they realized they loved Christ because He first loved them (1 John 4:19) and that it was, in fact, His love for them that had made them “alive together with Christ.” So overwhelmed were they by the joy that came from understanding their former state—dead in trespasses and sins—and their new life in Christ, that they exhibited the fruit of that joy (Ephesians 2:1-5). Because of God’s great love for the Ephesians, they were “made alive in Christ” and that new life was exhibited in the passion of gratitude. That passion for the Savior spilled over onto one another and out to those in the culture they inhabited, corrupt as it was.

Jesus commends the Ephesians for their many good works and hard work. They tested teachers to see whether their professions were real; they endured hardship and persevered without growing weary. But they had lost their warmth and zeal for Christ, and when that happened, they began to “go through the motions” of good works, motivated not by the love of and for Christ, but by the works themselves. What was once a love relationship cooled into mere religion. Their passion for Him became little more than cold orthodoxy.

Surrounded by paganism and false teachers, the Ephesian church would have had ample opportunity to correct false doctrine and confront heretical teachers. If they did so for any reason other than love for Christ and a passion for His truth, however, they would have lost their way. Instead of pursuing Christ with the devotion they once showed, much like a bride who follows her groom “through the desert” (Jeremiah 2:2), the Ephesians were in danger of falling away from Christ completely. This is why He warns those who have “ears to hear” to prove the reality of their salvation by returning to Him and rekindling the love that had begun to cool. No doubt there were among the Ephesians those whose profession was false and whose hearing had become dulled. He warns the rest not to follow them, but to repent and return to Him with the passion they once had for Him.

We face the same challenges in the twenty-first century. There are few churches that aren’t subject to, and in danger of, a certain amount of false teaching. But Jesus calls us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), and to not let the frustration of false teaching overpower the love of Christ in us (Ephesians 4:31-32). Our first love is the love Christ gives us for God and each other. We should be zealous for the truth, but that zeal should be tempered so that we are always “speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).

As followers of Jesus Christ, we all want to live a triumphant Christian life. The Bible assures us that God and His Son Jesus are Victors and that believers can share in their victories: “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). In a practical sense, how can we experience the victorious life that has been made possible in Christ? How can we achieve victory in Jesus?

Victory ultimately belongs to the Lord our God (1 Samuel 17:47). Since the days of Israel’s Exodus from Egypt, whenever God’s people depended on Him alone, He gave them victory over their enemies (Exodus 15). Old Testament prophets consistently pointed to a future Savior who would bring the fullest expression of God’s triumph: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9; see also Psalm 110:1). We know these prophecies refer to Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, who has overcome the world (John 16:33).

Jesus won the supreme victory at the cross. Sin was atoned for, and the power of sin and death was broken (see John 12:31 and 1 Peter 2:24). After Christ’s crucifixion and burial, He rose from the dead three days later, and now we share that victory. Satan thought he had won the ultimate contest with the death of Christ. Instead, that death released our chains, set us free from the prison of sin, and disarmed the supernatural powers of evil: “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:13–15).

The key to achieve victory in Jesus is faith in Christ: “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:4–5; see also Romans 8:37). The first step to victory in Jesus is accepting Christ as Savior. We receive the Lord by grace through faith, and we live in His victory by grace through faith as well. Our salvation is a gift of God’s grace, and our victory in Jesus is a gift of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:4–8; Galatians 3:3).

What is the extent of Jesus Christ’s victory that He imparts to us? The victory that Jesus shares with us includes victory over the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). Our Lord’s triumph over temptation and sin (Hebrews 4:15; see also Matthew 4:1–11) has become our victory as well: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24; see also Romans 5:20–21). The apostle John elaborates: “But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:5–8).

Jesus has overcome Satan and the powers of evil (John 14:30; 16:11; Mark 1:23–27; Luke 4:33–36), and He shares that victory with us. Jesus says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:18–19; see also Ephesians 1:21–22). The writer of Hebrews explains that Jesus took on flesh and blood and shared in our humanity “so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14–15). We need not fear death or the devil because we share in Jesus Christ’s victory over them (Acts 2:24; Romans 6:9; 8:38–39; 2 Timothy 1:10; Revelation 1:18).

As long as we remain in this fallen world, we’ll still have struggles to overcome and battles to fight. At times we will fall and fail. But we continue to get back up, asking God to equip us with His grace and power to overcome (2 Corinthians 12:9). As believers, we fight our battles in the spiritual realm, on our knees: “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3–4). God has given us spiritual armor to protect us from the powers of darkness that wage war against us (Ephesians 6:10–20).

Victory in Jesus is real and attainable now because our Lord Jesus has defeated Satan and every evil power of the world. We achieve victory in Jesus by resting in Christ (Matthew 11:28) and trusting Him to triumph for us (Romans 5:17). While we remain on earth, the Lord reigns victorious through those who have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness and translated into His glorious kingdom of light (1 Peter 2:9). However, a day will come when the victories of Jesus will be fully realized and celebrated in the new heavens and earth: “He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken” (Isaiah 25:8).

In the Bible, there is only one reference to God giving us a white stone with a new name: “To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it” (Revelation 2:17).

The meaning of the white stone is a mystery to Bible scholars. However, several interpretations have been offered:

• In ancient Greece, jury members would cast a white stone to signify an acquittal, whereas a black stone proclaimed the defendant guilty. The weakness of this interpretation is that the stones cast in the courts did not have names inscribed on them.

• A small object called a “tessera,” made of wood, stone, clay or bone, conveyed special privileges to its owner. The ancient Romans used tesserae as tokens of admittance to events in the arena. However, tesserae did not have to be white, and the durability of the materials used is questionable.

• A white stone was often used as an amulet or charm. However, this custom was associated with sorcery, so it would be odd if the Bible used it as a symbol of salvation.

• Another interpretation has to do with the building material used during the time John wrote Revelation. Important buildings were commonly made of white marble, including the temple of Asclepius in Pergamum (the city of the church Jesus is addressing in Revelation 2:17). In front of the temple were white marble pillars engraved with the names of people supposedly healed by the god. One problem with this interpretation is that the Greek word used in this verse, psephon properly means “pebble,” not “stone.”

• One of the better-accepted explanations of the white stone has to do with the high priest’s breastplate, which contained twelve stones. Each of these stones had the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel engraved on it (Exodus 28:21). As he ministered in the temple, the high priest bore the names of God’s people into God’s presence. In the same way, the “white stone” with the believer’s name written on it could be a reference to our standing in God’s presence.

• Another widely held explanation suggests that the white stone may be a translucent precious stone such as a diamond. The word translated “white” in Revelation 2:17 is leukos and can also mean “brilliant, bright.” This interpretation holds that on the stone is written the name of Christ, not the name of the believer. Revelation mentions that the name of Christ is written on the foreheads of the saints (Revelation 3:12; Revelation 14:1, and Revelation 14:20).

The best theory regarding the meaning of the white stone probably has to do with the ancient Roman custom of awarding white stones to the victors of athletic games. The winner of a contest was awarded a white stone with his name inscribed on it. This served as his “ticket” to a special awards banquet. According to this view, Jesus promises the overcomers entrance to the eternal victory celebration in heaven. The “new name” most likely refers to the Holy Spirit’s work of conforming believers to the holiness of Christ (see Romans 8:29; Colossians 3:10).

All the members of the Trinity are coexistent, co-eternal, and co-equal. God eternally exists in three Persons who are in complete unity. One God but three Persons. God has revealed Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

In Matthew 28:19, as part of the Great Commission, Jesus said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is often called the third Person of the Trinity because, in this “Trinitarian formula,” He is listed third.

The Spirit is also the third Person of the Trinity because, in the progress of revelation, He was the third to be revealed as an individual Person. In Genesis 1:2 the Spirit of God is hovering over the waters at creation. Later, the Spirit of the Lord would come upon a person (Samson, for instance, in Judges 13—16) to accomplish a specific task. However, these references would have been understood as “the power of God” rather than a specific personality who is God.

It is not until Jesus is on earth that we begin to understand the Trinity. The Father (the first Person) sent the Son (the second Person). However, the Son said that, when He left the world, He would send a third Person who was God—the Holy Spirit (John 14:16–17; 16:12–15). From Jesus’ words, it is clear that the Holy Spirit is not just the impersonal power of God but God Himself—a third Person who was not previously revealed. The Spirit is God, but He is neither the Father nor the Son. He is a third individual—a third Person.

When Christians use the terms first, second, and third in relation to the Persons of the Trinity, they are not suggesting that different Persons of the Trinity are more importance than others. Each Person is equally significant. In the words of the Athanasian Creed, written, as we think, by Athanasius, an archbishop of Alexandria in the fourth century AD, “We worship one God in trinity and the Trinity in unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the divine being. For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Spirit is still another. But the deity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory, coeternal in majesty. . . . And in this Trinity, no one is before or after, greater or less than the other; but all three persons are in themselves, coeternal and coequal; and so we must worship the Trinity in unity and the one God in three persons.”

As God exists, all three Persons are co-equal. However, as God has revealed Himself to us and as He interacts with us, each Person of the Trinity has taken on certain roles. The Spirit directs attention to the Son (John 16:14), and the Son directs attention to the Father (John 14:13). In this sense, also, the Holy Spirit is third.

After the arrest of John the Baptist, “Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14–15, ESV). Jesus’ exhortation for His listeners to repent indicated that they needed to change their minds. That He told them to believe in the gospel indicated how they needed to change their minds. Mark refers to Jesus’ message as “the gospel of God” (verse 14, ESV) or “the good news of God.” It was good news that the kingdom was at hand, and Jesus was preparing His listeners for how to be part of that kingdom.

Many in Jesus’ audience thought they were already righteous and would gain entrance to the kingdom of God because of their connection to Abraham and Moses and because they were keeping the laws God had given to Israel through Moses. Matthew 5—7 records Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus taught that His listeners should change their minds about how they could be part of His kingdom. Their connection to Abraham and Moses wasn’t enough, and their supposedly righteous deeds were not enough. Those things are not what God requires as the standard of righteousness. Instead, Jesus explained that they needed to have a true, internal righteousness, and they did not yet have that. It wasn’t just a king that they needed—they needed a savior. Sadly, only a few would recognize that need.

Jesus proclaimed that the people needed to repent and believe in the gospel because the kingdom of God was at hand. God’s eternal kingdom is currently based in heaven. But, in passages like 2 Samuel 7 and Revelation 19—20, God promises that His kingdom will at some point in the future come to earth in a physical form. The kingdom was at hand, or near, because Jesus the King had come to earth, presenting the kingdom and the good news about that kingdom and how one can be part of it—by believing in the gospel. Unfortunately, Jesus’ audience wasn’t yet prepared for the kingdom, because they hadn’t yet recognized that they needed the Messiah to make them righteous, and that Jesus was the Messiah.

Jesus’ message was truly good news, and the people needed to change their minds from unbelief to belief. They needed to believe in the Lord—as Abraham had done many years prior (Genesis 15:6)—to gain the righteousness that would allow them to be part of God’s kingdom. They needed to repent (change their minds about how they could enter the kingdom) and believe in the gospel now, because the kingdom of God was close at hand. Of course, some did change their minds about how they could be righteous, and they believed in Jesus, but most of the leaders and the nation as a whole did not believe (Mark 3:22–30). Because of that rejection, Jesus delayed the kingdom and shifted His focus and ministry to providing the sacrifice to pay for the sins of the people.

One day Jesus will return to the earth as King (Revelation 19—20), and, because of what the Bible tells us about the future, we know that we also need to “repent and believe in the gospel for the kingdom of God is at hand.” We need to change our minds from unbelief to belief and recognize that we are saved by grace through faith and not by our own works (Ephesians 2:8–9). When we believe in Christ, we are already transferred to His kingdom (Colossians 1:13), and, because His kingdom isn’t on earth yet, we ought to set our mind on the things above where He is, rather than on the things of earth (Colossians 3:1–4).

Psalm 16:11 is a beautiful verse about the hope of everlasting joy: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (ESV). To understand the meaning of in your presence there is fullness of joy, it is necessary to review the entire context of Psalm 16.

Psalm 16 begins with David’s petition: “Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge” (verse 1, ESV). The word preserve means “to hedge about, guard, to protect, attend to.” Although it is unclear why David asks for God to preserve him, it is evident that David knows whom to take refuge in, for “there is no good apart from [Him]” (Psalm 16:2, ESV). The point is that the Lord is the source of our protection and well-being.

Next, David states that he is pleased with the “saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight” (Psalm 16:3, ESV). This does not mean that David values the saints above God or places them on the same level as God. To the contrary, David wishes to express his complete satisfaction with the righteousness (or holiness) of the saints, which is contrasted with “those who run after another god” (verse 4, ESV). To be in the company of God’s people brings joy, but to be in the company of godless people multiplies sorrow.

Then, in Psalm 16:5, David describes his satisfaction with the Lord and all that He provides: “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot” (ESV). The Lord is not simply David’s portion (or inheritance). He is his chosen portion. This is significant because David acknowledges that only the Lord can satisfy him, so he gladly welcomes all that is received from Him.

In Psalm 16:6, David exults in what it means for God to hold his lot: “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance” (ESV). The “lines” here are either literal or figurative. If taken literally, then the lines are the “allotted periods and the boundaries” (Acts 17:28) of David’s dwelling place. If lines should be taken figuratively, which is probably the better interpretation, then it refers to the “pleasant places” (Psalm 16:6) and “pleasures” (verse 11) at God’s right hand. The idea is that God is David’s inheritance (cf. Romans 8:17), and he rejoices in this wonderful truth.

In a sermon on Psalm 16, John Piper said this about verse 6: “Therefore, exulting God as his Sovereign is almost the same as exulting in God as his Treasure. God is the sovereign who holds my lot. And he uses that power to make himself my beautiful inheritance—to fence me in to the pleasures of knowing him. He makes himself my treasure” (“The Path to Full and Lasting Pleasure,” Aug 11, 2015).

The Lord is David’s refuge and portion, but He is also David’s counselor: “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night my heart instructs me” (Psalm 16:7, ESV). In this verse, David exalts the Lord for counseling, guiding, and directing his steps, even in the night when his mind is racing or his soul is restless. In these moments, the Lord reassures David of His ever-abiding presence by comforting him with His Word: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105, ESV; cf. Psalm 16:11). David will not be “shaken” (Psalm 16:8), abandoned (verse 9), or experience “corruption” (verse 10) because the Lord will preserve him.

We can now answer the question, What does it mean that “in your presence there is fullness of joy”? In the presence of God, there is hope of everlasting joy. This hope does not put us to shame, since we know that God is trustworthy and faithful. Therefore, we can be confident that death will not keep us from the fullness of joy in God’s presence. In heaven, we will behold the radiant beauty of God’s face forevermore

(cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2).

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Ark of Covenant

10/8/2023

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Promised Land is a term designating a region of the world that God promised as a heritage to His people, Israel (Genesis 12:7; 15:18–20). Promised Land is not the official name of Israel’s boundaries, but it conveys a larger meaning. The Promised Land was an endowment from Earth’s Creator to a specific people group, the children of Israel, in which they established their nation. Israel acquired the Promised Land only through God’s guidance and His miraculous intervention in history (Exodus 33:14–16; Psalm 44:1–8; 136:10–22).

The promise of a land for God’s people began in Genesis 12 when God appeared to Abram (Abraham) and told him that he had been chosen to be the father of many nations. God promised to bless Abram and lead him into a land that would belong to his offspring as a lasting heritage. God later confirmed this promise to Abraham’s son Isaac (Genesis 26:3) and then to Isaac’s son Jacob (Genesis 28:13).

The boundaries of the Promised Land were from the River of Egypt (the Nile) to the Euphrates (Exodus 23:31). By the time Israel was ready to take the land, hundreds of years after Abraham, it was inhabited by pagan nations: Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (Exodus 33:2). When it was time for the Israelites to inherit the Promised Land, God raised up Moses to bring His people out of slavery in Egypt and used Joshua to lead a military conquest of Canaan. The Promised Land includes modern-day Israel, including Gaza and the West Bank, and Jordan, as well as parts of Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq.

The term promised land has also been applied to any type of satisfying achievement or a state of realized dreams. For example, the World Series might be called baseball’s “promised land.” Or someone may say, “After receiving a significant raise, Joe moved his family out of the projects and into the promised land.” Hebrews 11:8–10 alludes to the Promised Land when it recounts Abraham’s journey to his new home in Canaan and then equates that with our journey toward God’s heavenly city (verse 16).

Christians sometimes refer to heaven and the future restoration of the earth as the Promised Land. God has promised a glorious eternal home for all those who love Him and have trusted in Christ Jesus for salvation. God’s eternal Promised Land is the heritage of all who come to Him through His Son (John 14:6). A familiar hymn by Samuel Stennett describes the anticipation Christians feel as we move toward our heavenly home:

“On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand
And cast a wishful eye
To Canaan’s fair and happy land,
Where my possessions lie.
I am bound for the promised land,
I am bound for the promised land;
O who will come and go with me?
I am bound for the promised land.”

After the conquest of Canaan, the historical account says, “So the LORD gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. And the LORD gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass” (Joshua 21:43–45).

In each of the letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor recorded in Revelation, there are promises to him who overcomes. Jesus is the giver of the promises, and the overcomer is the one who remains steadfast through trials, holding fast to faith in Christ until the end.

To the church at Ephesus is presented a promise to him who overcomes that he will be granted to eat from the tree of life in God’s paradise (Revelation 2:7). To the church at Smyrna, the promise to him who overcomes is that he will not be hurt by the second death (Revelation 2:11). To the church at Pergamum the overcomer will be given manna from heaven and a white stone with the overcomer’s new name written on it (Revelation 2:17). To the church at Thyatira the overcomer is promised to rule with Christ in His kingdom (Revelation 2:26). To the church at Sardis the one who overcomes will be clothed in white garments and will not have his name erased from the book of life; further, Jesus will confess his name before the angels and the Father (Revelation 3:5). To the church at Philadelphia the overcomer will be a pillar in the temple of God (Revelation 3:12). To the church at Laodicea the one who overcomes will sit with Christ on His throne (Revelation 3:21). These are the promises in Revelation to him who overcomes.

Throughout the book of Revelation, it is evident that Christ is ultimately the One who overcomes. He is the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, who has overcome (Revelation 5:5), and He will overcome the ten kings of the beast because He is the King of kings (Revelation 17:14). John writes earlier that whatever is born of God overcomes the world (1 John 5:4a) and that the victory—or the overcoming itself—is our faith—or our belief in Him (1 John 5:4b). John makes this key definition clear in the next verse when he adds that the one who overcomes is the one who believes in Jesus (1 John 5:5). This context is important as it helps explain to the reader of Revelation that, because Christ has overcome, the one who believes in Him also has overcome. Because of that, every believer in Christ can expect to receive the promises in Revelation made to him who overcomes:

— To be unhurt by the second death (the second death is the judgment of being separated from God and sentenced to hell, as seen in Revelation 20:6, 14; 21:8)
— To receive manna from heaven
— To receive a white stone with a new name written on it
— To rule with Christ in His coming kingdom
— To be clothed in white garments
— To have his name permanently in the Book of Life, never to be removed
— To have Jesus confess the overcomer’s name before the angels and the Father
— To be a pillar in the temple of God
— To sit with Christ on His throne

Believers in Jesus can be encouraged that they have overcome through Jesus. John writes to first-century believers that they have overcome because greater is He that is in them than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). This overcoming is something God provides for us when we believe in Jesus; it is not something we earn by our own efforts. Because of that, our confidence is in Him and not in ourselves. Salvation is a gift from God, by His grace through faith and not as a result of our own works (Ephesians 2:8–9). Because believers have overcome through Jesus, they can have confidence and joy at knowing that He will come again one day to provide the overcomers with what He has promised.

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October 07th, 2023

10/7/2023

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October 01st, 2023

10/1/2023

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The Significance of The Signet Ring and It’s Place Within Holy ScriptureTradition has it when a man seeks to get married to his girlfriend he would properly ask for her hand in marriage and if she says yes, he then places a ring on her hand as a seal of engagement one to another. This means that she solely belongs to him and he solely belongs to her. They are betrothed one to another. They are sealed from anyone else until death do them part.
But giving a wife-to-be a ring for engagement is that based on the tradition of men or does the Holy Bible have more to say and given contexts to offer about this particular type of custom?

You might be surprised at the depth of information that is contained in this short paper written from Holy Scripture by the grace of God.
Follow closely by observing and it is my sincere prayer that God will give you His insight and understanding on the different correlations that will come from this paper dealing with the giving of a ring to a potential spouse. Amen!
The 1st Reference of the giving of a “ring” that is used in the Holy Bible comes from Genesis 41.
Genesis 41:37
And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
(God through Joseph has just finished telling Pharaoh the interpretations of his two dreams of the seven fat cows/seven thin cows and the seven fat ears of corn/seven thin ears of corn in which Joseph tells Pharaoh the dreams are interpreted as one dream in meaning. Egypt was going to have seven plenteous years of harvest followed by seven years of severe famine throughout the whole land).
Genesis 41:38
And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?
Genesis 41:39
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all
this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:
Genesis 41:40
Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
(Notice, Pharaoh states that only in the throne will I be greater than you. It is Christ who is KING of kings and LORD of lords who sits on the right hand of
God on the throne in Heaven.)
A chosen and faithful wife who is a servant to her husband and who as a woman typifies the church of Christ, responsibilities are to be over the house of her husband who if saved by grace typifies Christ. The servant/church who has the Spirit of God dwelling in their hearts use their heavenly Husband’s Word as the only authority and deciding factor to lead the people to safety from the outside world’s danger, which are of Satan and his wiles.
Genesis 41:41
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.
Genesis 41:42
And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;
Genesis 41:43
And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Genesis 41:44
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.
Genesis 41:45
And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaph’-nath-pa-a-ne’-ah [which means treasury of the glorious rest]; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
Outline of Biblical Usage of the word “ring” in verse 42:
1) ring, signet, signet ring
a) signet ring (as symbol of authority)
b) ring (as ornament)
Strong’s Exhaustive Bible Concordance of the Hebrew word and meaning for “ring”
2885 tabba`athtab-bah’-ath from 2883; properly, a seal (as sunk into the wax), i.e. signet (for sealing); hence (generally) a ring of any kind:–ring.
The 2nd Reference of the giving of a “ring” that is used in the Holy Bible comes from the book of Esther.
Esther 8:1
On that day did the king A-has-u-e’-rus give the house of Haman the Jews’
enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told
what he was unto her.
Esther 8:2
And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

And Esther King Ahasuerus gave Haman the ring originally before having full knowledge of the plot to terminate all the Jews in which Haman was planning. It is also note worthy to mention that when the king took off his ring from the hand of Haman, he then was killed by being hanged on the gallows. This is of great significance when reading further down in this short paper where the Holy Scriptures show an interconnection between the signet ring and God the Holy Spirit. Notice when king A-has-u-e’-rus gives Mordecai (the servant) the ring by placing it on his hand, Mordecai (the servant) is now given authority over the house of Haman.
Esther 8:3

And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the A’-gag-ite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.
Esther 8:4
Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king,
Esther 8:5
And said, If it please the king, and if I have favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king’s provinces:
Esther 8:6
For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?
Esther 8:7
Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.
Esther 8:8
Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.
Strong’s Exhaustive Bible Concordance definition of the Hebrew word for “seal” are as follows:
2856 chatham khaw-tham’ a primitive root; to close up; especially to seal:–make an end, mark, seal (up), stop.
I highlighted mark because it has both physical and spiritual implications that will be linked in the book of Revelation towards the end of this paper.
Esther 8:9
Then were the king’s scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Si-van, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.
Esther 8:10
And he wrote in the king A-has-u-e’-rus’ name, and sealed [Hebrew # is 2856 chatham] it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries:
The 3rd Reference of the giving of a “ring” that is used in the Holy Bible comes from
the Gospel according to Luke.
Luke 15:1
Then drew near unto him [Christ] all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
Luke 15:2
And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
Luke 15:3
And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
We’ll mose straight to verse 11 and the beginning of Christ’s second parable: The parable of the lost son.
Luke 15:11
And he [Christ] said, A certain man had two sons:
Luke 15:12
And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
Luke 15:13
And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
Luke 15:14
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
To be in want of what, physical food or spiritual food?
The answer is Spiritual food!
The lexicon Outline of the biblical usage for the word “famine” in verse above:
1) scarcity of harvest, famine
Strong’s Exhaustive Bible Concordance for the word “famine”:
The Greek number is 3042 limos lee-mos’ probably from 3007 (through the idea of destitution); a scarcity of food:–dearth, famine, hunger.
—————Dictionary trace————--
(3007) leipo li’-po a primary verb; to leave, i.e. (intransitively or passively) to fail or be absent:–be destitute (wanting), lack.
The famine mentioned in verse 14 speaks to the lack of hearing God’s Word, no godliness at all in that land. In Amos 8:11 it was written:
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the
land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. (Amos 8:11)
Luke 15:15
And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. (Spiritually speaking swine (pigs) is referring to the ungodly and evil citizens that resist the truth of God’s Word)

Isaiah 66:17
They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.

Matthew 7:6
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Luke 15:16
And he would fain [gladly] have filled his belly [their god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things (Philippians 3:19)] with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
Notice at the very end of that verse no man gave unto him the husks that the swine ate for he would have gladly filled his belly meaning that no man gave unto him of their evil deeds despite him really wanting to participate.
But why not?
Because God would not allow it to happen and you will see why later on in this parable of the lost son.
We do not want to serve God because it is not in our nature to do so. The Holy Bible states that men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil (John 3:19).
Luke 15:17
And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants [The hired servants spiritually points toward the chosen elect of God] of my father’s have bread [The body of Jesus (Yahushua) the Christ, He is that bread of life] enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
Luke 15:18
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father [Notice that this Father has a capital “F” which is referring to none other than God the Father], I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
Luke 15:19
And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
This is the true process of eternal salvation for those blessed individuals whom God the Father has chosen to save by first giving that person a measure of faith the size of a grain of mustard seed to recognize his/her sinful nature and to confess their sins before the Father and also giving them the ability to recognize his/her need for Christ as their Savior, for without God humankind is totally hopeless. When God begins to deal with an individual they begin to realize they are not a good person who is deserving of God’s grace (unmerited favor) and mercy. See God has to break us down beyond being nothing, even less than vanity. This process is the only way any person has a chance to live on into the next life.
Isaiah 40:17
All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

Psalm 62:9
Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.

Daniel 4:35
And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he[God] doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand [Hand denotes will power, the sole will power of God], or say unto him, What doest thou?

Luke 15:20
And he arose [Christ arose from the grave and the Bible states that we have risen up with him into high places. Spiritually speaking it is God who makes sure that His chosen elect is lifted up from being dead to life everlasting], and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off [His father is not even in his sights], his father saw him, and had compassion [showing grace and mercy], and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
This is a perfect illustration spiritually speaking of God the Father having compassion and showing mercy to whom he has chosen by His grace and mercy by placing them in His love which is eternal salvation. Notice that it was his father who saw him and ran to him having compassion and love when the lost son was yet a great way off (didn’t have his father in his sights). Christ is referring to spiritually in this parable that it is of God’s decision on whom He will choose when it comes to His salvation plan by placing those whom He has chosen in His love.
Luke 15:21
And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
Luke 15:22
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
Strong’s Exhaustive Bible Concordance definition of the Greek word for “ring” in verse 22:
1146 daktulios dak-too’-lee-os from 1147; a finger-ring:–ring
This verse spiritually is referring to God’s ceremonial marriage of His beloved chosen elect where the ring symbolically speaks to a sealed [engagement], between Christ Yahushua (Jesus) [who is the Husband/Master] and the true chosen believer [wife/servant].
Once the ring (the ring can be used for sealing and the seal which Scripture shows in a few verses further down is also symbolic of God the Holy Spirit) has been placed on the hand of the servant/true believer who is the faithful wife of Christ, and she now belongs solely unto Christ, her heavenly Husband, as being one, and now the servant/true believer/wife has the authority to be able to do her Husband’s will by being submissive in total service unto Him, so in return Christ, her Husband, will be glorified because of His good works being manifested in the believer [servant/wife].
Reference verses dealing with the idea of giving the chosen elect of God the best robes, which are the robes of righteousness and the color of the robes is white.
Revelation 6:10
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
Revelation 6:11
And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
The reference to the deceased who died in the faith of Christ who are resting until their fellow servants that should be killed are fulfilled is more in a figurative way. The chosen elect of God’s biggest enemies are not the individuals who are lost in the world but rather it is the individuals who make a profession of faith but are not truly saved from above. These individuals follow mainly after the traditions of men, just like the Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees did in Jesus day, than follow from the pure Word of God. They are comprised of the unsaved individuals who are called the “Jerusalem that now is and is in bondage” in Galatians 4:25.
They have not experienced the saving grace of Elohim despite them truly believing in their hearts that they are truly saved. They will fight you tooth and nail over their own eternal salvation plan.
And when someone who truly has the Spirit of God indwelling in their heart comes to them with the pure Word of Christ they are killed left and right by the individual’s tongue who thinks he/she is truly saved and that person gets highly upset and very defensive because their way of salvation has been comprised. These individuals do not want to hear the truth of God’s Word because most of the time the case is they made the choice to be born again, rather than God choosing them unto eternal Salvation.
Revelation 7:9
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
[This verse of Holy Scripture is referring to the blessed and dreadful Judgment day when the chosen elect of God are gathered together unto Christ, the Lamb of God].
Revelation 7:10
And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Revelation 7:11
And all the angels [The angels are God’s messengers, people who are the chosen elect – both human and angelic beings] stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Revelation 7:12
Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
(God is the sole reason/purpose why these blessed individuals are able to stand around the throne before Him on Judgment Day. Notice how the chosen elect are able to attribute all things unto God: blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honour, power, and might [ability and/or capability. There is nothing in our own ability separate from God’s power that will enable us to live physically or spiritually)
Revelation 7:13
And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Revelation 7:14
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Revelation 7:15
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

Luke 15:23
And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
Luke 15:24
For this my son was dead [spiritually], and is alive again; he was lost, and is found [How was the lost son found?]. And they began to be merry.
Reference verses for commentary made after Luke 15:22 that deal with this idea of the believers being sealed unto the LORD by the giving of God the Holy Spirit which indwells the believer giving them the authority to do His will being sold out to Christ.
2 Timothy 2:19
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
In this verse with the giving context of the word “seal,” it is in reference to God the Holy Spirit that indwells the true believer. The signet/engagement ring is interconnected with the Holy Spirit by this seal shown here in this verse. The ring in biblical context is used as a signet ring (a symbol of authority [ownership]) and also used as a seal.
The lexicon Outline of biblical usage for the word “seal” in verse above:
1) A seal
a) The seal placed upon books
b) A signet ring
c) The inscription or impression made by a seal
1) of the name of God and Christ stamped upon their foreheads
d) that by which anything is confirmed, proved, authenticated, as by a seal (a token or proof)
Strong’s Exhaustive Bible Concordance definition of the Greek word for “seal:”
4973. sphragis sfrag-ece’ probably strengthened from 5420; a signet (as fencing in or protecting from misappropriation); by implication, the stamp impressed (as a mark of privacy, or genuineness), literally or figuratively:–seal.
1st Reference verse dealing with the idea of the name of God and Christ sealed upon the chosen elect foreheads:
Revelation 7:2
And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
[In this given verse “the sea” is referring to large multitudes of people – Revelation 17:15].
Revelation 7:3
Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
The true elected body of Christ is not completed at this point. God has not saved His very last person so the angels are told to wait before they destroy the earth until God has saved His very last soul with the seal of God the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13). The final harvest is not yet come to pass because that will happen on Judgment Day.
Revelation 7:4
And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
[12 x 12 = 144; 12 biblically symbolize the fullness of God’s rulership; 144 biblically means God’s ultimate in creation.
Put together 1,000 x 144 = 144,000 this number biblically symbolizes God’s completed body.
The number twelve is symbolical of the fullness of God’s program. And here He’s talking about the number of believers, the fullness of believers.
Sometimes He uses it as twelve plus twelve. And so we have the twenty-four elders in Revelation.
Sometimes He uses it as twelve times twelve. And so we have the 144,000.
Sometimes He uses it as twelve times twelve times twelve. And so we have the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, which is in size 12,000 stadia by 12,000 stadia by 12,000 Stadia.
And in the Holy City Jerusalem, which is the fullness of all believers, we have twelve foundations, we have twelve gates, and we have walls that are 144 cubits thick. The whole picture, you see, is symbolical.
And so it is with the 144,000. It is the fullness of all believers.
This does not mean just a 144,000 people are going to be saved, this number is symbolic in meaning. The word “sealed” in the above verse means the total number of individuals saved are sealed with God the Holy Spirit indwelling in their hearts and minds.]
The 2nd Reference verse dealing with the name of God and Christ not sealed upon their foreheads:
Revelation 9:3
And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
Revelation 9:4
And it was commanded them that they should, not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
The individuals who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads are not saved from above by God the Father. These are the cursed individuals that the locusts and scorpions have power to administer hurt upon during this period of the great tribulation spoken of by Christ in Matthew 24:21.
The scorpions and the locusts refer or points toward the false prophets and false Christs (Matthew 24) who come into the external corporate churches in the name of Christ, but teach and preach contrary to the truth of God’s Word.
Everything in their lives will start to collapse and crash because they are being spiritually killed by Satan’s ministers of transformed righteousness (II Corinthians 11:13-15). These cursed individuals do not have the truth of God’s Word imbedded in their hearts and it is God who has put in their hearts a strong delusion to believe a lie and to be given over to Satan’s kingdom (II Thessalonians 2:11-12, Revelation 17:11-18).
The chosen elect of God will suffer at times to be refined and purified during this current period of great tribulation leading up to Judgment Day, but they have the seal of God the Holy Spirit dwelling in their hearts and by this they have a greater hope to look forward to and great comfort.
Their hope lies in the promise of God for the New Earth and the New Heavens. They understand that everything in this physical life is nothing more than a set of test to give them a better understanding of their need for God.
Revelation 9:5
And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
Revelation 9:6
And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
The 3rd Reference verses are dealing with the seal restraining Satan from deceiving them who have the seal of God upon their foreheads:
Revelation 20:1
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Revelation 20:2
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
[The thousand years is in reference to the whole New Testament era].
Revelation 20:3
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
How can Satan being a spirit be chained and bound by setting a seal upon him?
This is talking about God the Holy Spirit, which is the power of God restraining Satan from deceiving the nations during the New Testament Era. But just like this verse states however, Satan must be loosed a little season which is referring to very end of time during the great tribulation period where Satan, the king of Babylon (Isaiah 14) shall be revealed who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped: so that he as God sitteth in the organized churches, shewing himself that he is God – 2 Thessalonians 2:4, 2 Thessalonians 4:8).
Strong’s Exhaustive Bible Concordance definition of the Greek word for “seal” in Revelation 20:3:
4972 sphragizo sfrag-id’-zo from 4973; to stamp (with a signet or private mark) for security or preservation (literally or figuratively); by implication, to keep secret, to attest:–(set a, set to) seal up, stop.
—————Dictionary Trace————--
4973 sphragis sfrag-ece’ probably strengthened from 5420; a signet (as fencing in or protecting from misappropriation); by implication, the stamp impressed (as a mark of privacy, or genuineness), literally or figuratively:–seal.
Revelation 20:4
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
These blessed souls are the chosen elect of God who do not worship Satan in their minds (mark upon their foreheads) nor fulfill his will (mark in their hands) during the New Testament era (symbolic of a thousand years).
The lexicon Outline of biblical usage for the word “mark” in verse above:
1) a stamp, an imprinted mark
a) of the mark stamped on the forehead or the right hand as the badge of the followers of the Antichrist-Satan.
b) the mark branded upon horses
2) thing carved, sculpture, graven work
a) of idolatrous images
Strong’s Exhaustive Bible Concordance definition of the Greek word for “mark” in Revelation 20:4.
5480. charagma khar’-ag-mah from the same as 5482; a scratch or etching, i.e. stamp (as a badge of servitude), or scupltured figure (statue):–graven, mark.
Revelation 20:5
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
The first resurrection is referring directly to being resurrected from the spiritually dead being born again with the seal of the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13). When a person is born again from above by the heavenly Father we reign with Christ in heavenly places. For we read this very context in Ephesians 2:5-6 as it was written:
“Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened [made alive] us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” (Ephesians 2:5-6)
Revelation 20:6
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
So what does this have to do with a man giving his betrothed wife an engagement ring?
How do these verses of Holy Scripture tie into the custom of placing an engagement/signet ring on the hand of a potential wife with a proposal of marriage?
Well the Holy Bible I believe is where we get the custom of giving a ring to our betrothed wife.
When a man propose marriage unto his girlfriend and she responds by saying yes and he places the ring on her hand she now belongs solely unto Him as his betrothed wife with carrying his name and now she has authority to carry out his will by representing him while he is off providing income for the family.
The Holy Bible states her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land [Proverbs 31:23] because of his wife managing the household and taking care of the children making the husband look good amongst the elders.
In all three references dealing with the idea of the ring being placed on the hand, the Holy Scriptures showed the king who typifies Christ the husband, place the ring on the hand of the servant who typifies the wife and following this exchange of the ring placed on the finger the servant was now given authority over the household.
The Holy Scriptures in a few areas also showed a direct connection between the ring and the Holy Spirit by way of a seal.
The ring is also used for sealing, and the chosen elect of God has the seal of the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13) upon their foreheads which means they always
have a desire/mind to do the will of God, their husband.

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