What Does Revelation 22 Say About the Lord's Coming?

Have you ever noticed before that four verses in Revelation 22 talk about the Lord's coming?  Here, let me show you:

I took this picture on a walk at our marina last week.

And behold I come quickly.  Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this word.   Revelation 22:7

Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me to render to each one  as his work is.  Revelation 22:12

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come!  And let him who hears say, Come!  And let him who is thirsty come; let him who wills take the water of life freely.   Revelation 22:17

He who testifies these things says, Yes, I come quickly. Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus!  Revelation 22:20

Out of all these verses, verse 17 stands out because it is the echo of the Lord's bride to what the Lord spoke in verses --come!  I liked the exposition on verse 17 because Witness Lee shares on pages 771-772 in chapter 67 of the Life-Study of Revelation  that when we desire the Lord's coming, it makes us care about sharing the gospel with others:

Verse 17 strongly implies that if we have a desire for the Lords coming back, we shall be very concerned for others' salvation. Do you desire the coming back of the Lord Jesus?  If you do, this desire will stir up a concern within you for the salvation of others. As you are saying, "Come, Lord Jesus," a burden may rise up within you for your parents your cousins, your neighbors, your schoolmates, and your friends…..You will say to the Lord, "Come," and you will turn to the unbelievers and say, "The Lord Jesus is coming. Will you not come also?  Come and be saved. Come to receive your salvation that you may be prepared to meet the coming Savior"  (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Revelation. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1977, Print).  

It  touched me that John's response in verse 20 is the last prayer of the Bible. May we all enter into this prayer and heart for the gospel.  

You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Revelation and some excellent commentary on Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. 

Other Posts on the Book of Revelation:
What is the Focus of the Book of Revelation?
What Does the Book of Revelation Show Us About Loving the Lord?
What Does Revelation 4:11 Tell Us About the Purpose of God's Creation?
What are the Golden Bowls of Incense in Revelation 5:8?
What is the Controlling Vision of he Bible Seen in the Book of Revelation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - What are the Two Sides of Rapture Seen in Revelation 14:1
How Does Transformation Produce the New Jerusalem Mentioned in Revelation 3:12?
Taking a Look at Revelation 12:11 - How Do you Overcome Satan's Accusation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - The Connection Between Revelation & Ephesians 
Why is There is A Rainbow Around God's Throne in Revelation 4:3?
How Do you Get Ready for the Marriage of the Lamb in Revelation 19:7-8?

How Do You Get Ready for the Marriage of the Lamb in Revelation 19:7-8?

  The story of God and man is actually a love story.  When I first heard this, I was totally in awe.  I would never put romance and God on the same page with man.  But God has done it repeatedly throughout the Bible,  but unless you're looking for it, you probably missed it like I did most of my Christian life.  Witness Lee was an amazing biblical scholar, and if you read just one Life-Study on any book of the Bible you will be astounded at how he brings out the truth in the word in the way of life not just doctrines and teachings.  His applications, illustrations, and stories bring the truths home again and again.  

  That's the way it was for me when I read  chapter fifty-four of the Life-Study of Revelation last week.  This chapter covers Revelation 19 and the marriage of the Lamb with His wife who are  His redeemed, regenerated, and transformed believers.    Here's the verse on that:

Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.  And it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints.  Revelation 19:7-8 

  In this chapter brother Lee points out that  the Lord's parable in Matthew 22:12 shows us that every believer needs to have a wedding garment to attend the marriage dinner of the Lamb in verse 9.   Here's the verse:  "Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless." And from there he clearly unveils through scripture that each believer actually has two garments, one that we receive at our  salvation which is objective and the other which is produced through our living Christ each day which is very subjective. This excerpt on page 629 really puts it together:

  At the time of our salvation we received a golden garment that enabled us to be in the presence of God.  In addition to this, we need another garment, a garment of embroidery.  This embroidery signifies the transforming work of the Holy Spirit   The Holy Spirit today is working on us to transform us just like an embroiderer puts many stitches into cloth.  Although we have the first garment, our second garment is now being prepared under the embroidering work of the Holy Spirit. This garment will qualify us to see Christ at His judgment seat.  Day by day we are under the needle, the transformation, of the Holy Spirit.  How we need this second garment.  This is a serious matter (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Revelation. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1976, Print).  

   This chapter really gave me  the divine view of what God is doing in my life with all the different environments that surround me.  And He goes to a lot of trouble to arrange just the particular circumstances that will let Him stitch a little more on us.  

You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Revelation and some excellent commentary on Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. 

Other Posts on the Book of  Revelation:
What is the Focus of the Book of Revelation?
What Does the Book of Revelation Show Us About Loving the Lord?
What Does Revelation 4:11 Tell Us About the Purpose of God's Creation?
What are the Golden Bowls of Incense in Revelation 5:8?
What is the Controlling Vision of he Bible Seen in the Book of Revelation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - What are the Two Sides of Rapture Seen in Revelation 14:1
How Does Transformation Produce the New Jerusalem Mentioned in Revelation 3:12?
Taking a Look at Revelation 12:11 - How Do you Overcome Satan's Accusation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - The Connection Between Revelation & Ephesians 
Why is There is A Rainbow Around God's Throne in Revelation 4:3?

Why is There a Rainbow Around God's Throne in Revelation 4:3?

  I saw a rainbow last week unlike any I've ever seen before.  I was watching my grandkids last Monday and decided to take them to the park for a picnic on the bay.  While I was sitting on the blanket watching my four-year old grandson play, all of a sudden my granddaughter told me to look at the rainbow.    

   I was a bit surprised when she said that because it was a hot sunny day with hardly a cloud in the sky.  So I flopped down on the grass next to her and looked up, and there in a half circle around the sun was a rainbow. I grabbed my phone and took a picture hoping it would show the rainbow.  It did.  

    In about ten minutes the entire sun was almost encircled with this rainbow and I took this picture. I thought about that rainbow a lot that day because it was so unusual. I heard that there's a scientific reason for this to occur, but it still fascinated me. It touched me on Tuesday when I came across a section in  chapter 49 of the  Life-Study of Revelation on the rainbow around God's throne and the one around Christ's head.  

And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance, and there was a rainbow around the throne like an emerald in appearance.  Revelation 4:3

And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud, and the rainbow was around His head, and His face was like the sun, and His feet like pillars of fire.  Revelation 10:1

It touched me that here in Revelation the mentioning of the rainbow points back to God being faithful to the promise He made concerning mankind  way back in Genesis:  

The earthquake at the end of chapter eleven comes from the throne with the rainbow…. Rather, the rainbow encompassing the throne reminds Him of His covenant [Genesis 9:8-17]. This rainbow is Christ.  In 10:1 we are told that another strong Angel, who is Christ will come down out of heaven clothed with a cloud with a rainbow upon His head.  Christ is the universal rainbow.   As God in His righteous fury is carrying out His judgment upon rebellious mankind, Christ in the cloud will be the rainbow to remind God of His covenant with Noah.  It seems that as the rainbow Christ will say, God I agree with Your righteous fury, but I remind You of Your faithfulness.  You cannot forget the covenant You made with Noah.  I am the rainbow in the cloud" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Revelation.  Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1976, Print). 

Whenever I see a rainbow, I am always reminded that God is faithful to what He says.  

You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Revelation and some excellent commentary on Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. 

Other Posts on the Book of  Revelation:
What is the Focus of the Book of Revelation?
What Does the Book of Revelation Show Us About Loving the Lord?
What Does Revelation 4:11 Tell Us About the Purpose of God's Creation?
What are the Golden Bowls of Incense in Revelation 5:8?
What is the Controlling Vision of he Bible Seen in the Book of Revelation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - What are the Two Sides of Rapture Seen in Revelation 14:1
How Does Transformation Produce the New Jerusalem Mentioned in Revelation 3:12?
Taking a Look at Revelation 12:11 - How Do you Overcome Satan's Accusation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - The Connection Between Revelation & Ephesians 
Why is There is A Rainbow Around God's Throne in Revelation 4:3?
How Do you Get Ready for the Marriage of the Lamb in Revelation 19:7-8?

Taking a Look at Revelation 12:11 - How Do You Overcome Satan's Accusation?

   Just like Christian in Pilgrim's Progress our journey isn't always smooth sailing.  On the contrary, John Bunyan shows us through his allegorical tale that we will often meet trials and accusations that hurl us into either the Slough of Despond or Doubting Castle. Through Christian's journey we learn that we are in a spiritual battle against God's enemy.  

Sunset this week on our bay.

   John Bunyan was born in England in 1628, and in a biography that I have called To Be a Pilgrim, I learned that Pilgrim's Progress is in part his own spiritual biography. He much like Christian was loaded down with feelings that God couldn't forgive him because as a young man he was pretty wild and blasphemed God continually.  

    And during this time in England it was against the law to meet outside of the Church of England.  God led him to meet a minister named John Gifford, who was a Nonconformist,  and his group of believers met a lot like the early churches did in Acts. Through this man's personal story of salvation, John was brought to believe that the Lord could save even him!

     Though just a poor mender of pots and pans, John had a natural gift for preaching.  When believers gathered together in their homes, John would often talk to them about the Bible.  Eventually John ended up going to court for preaching without being ordained.  He was actually in prison for 12 years, and it was during this time that he wrote his beautiful, enduring classic Pilgrim's Progress.   

    After three months in prison John could have been released if he would promise never to preach again, but he couldn't.  At that time he had three children and a young wife, and his oldest child was blind.  I think he must have often felt the fiery darts of Satan, that he writes about.  It doesn't take too long to find out that God's enemy is cruel and fights against us at every turn.   

    This past week I read a Life-Study on Revelation 12  and there's a verse in this chapter  on how to overcome Satan:  And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul life even unto death.  Revelation 12:11

     In chapter 36 of the Life-Study of Revelation Witness Lee gives practical help how to deal with the Devil's accusation.  He explains that the difference between condemnation and accusation is that after our conscience condemns us for doing something wrong and we confess it, we should have peace in our heart.  If we still feel like there's a barrier between us and God,  then we are probably under Satan's accusation.  I really got help from the excerpts on pages 428-429 on how to deal with these accusations:

"The blood of the Lamb, which is for our redemption answers before God all the accusations of the Devil against us and gives us the victory over him….If you have done wrong, you need to clear it, but do not take the accusations of the enemy….Rather, you must say, 'Lord, cover my conscience, thoughts, and realizations with Your prevailing blood.  Your blood defeats the enemy.'…Any apparent condemnation that does not stop after we have confessed and applied the blood must be of the Devil. Once we realize this, we should tell Satan, 'Stop! I will not confess anymore. This is not me; it is you. Devil, this is not God's enlightenment--it is your accusation. I am not perfect, but you must realize that I am under the blood of the Lamb, and the blood is my perfection. Don't you realize that I am under the blood?  I am one of the brothers who overcomes you, not because of my perfections, but by the blood of the Redeemer'"(Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Revelation. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1976, Print). 

I've had to come back to this many, many times.  This word has become the sword of the Spirit that Paul speaks of in Ephesians 6.  I've learned over the years that it's very important to speak the truth when the enemy's arrows are flying.

You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Revelation and some excellent commentary on Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. 

Other Posts on the Book of  Revelation:
What is the Focus of the Book of Revelation?
What Does the Book of Revelation Show Us About Loving the Lord?
What Does Revelation 4:11 Tell Us About the Purpose of God's Creation?
What are the Golden Bowls of Incense in Revelation 5:8?
What is the Controlling Vision of he Bible Seen in the Book of Revelation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - What are the Two Sides of Rapture Seen in Revelation 14:1
How Does Transformation Produce the New Jerusalem Mentioned in Revelation 3:12?
Taking a Look at Revelation 12:11 - How Do you Overcome Satan's Accusation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - The Connection Between Revelation & Ephesians 
Why is There is A Rainbow Around God's Throne in Revelation 4:3?
How Do you Get Ready for the Marriage of the Lamb in Revelation 19:7-8?

Other Posts on Men/Women From Church History:

G. H. Pember - Why are There Two Trees in Genesis 2 Anyway?
On George Mueller  - From the Life-Study of Philippians - What's the Theme of the Bible?   
On Martin Luther, Johann Guttenberg, Moravian Brethren,Watchman Nee -  Why Did God Abolish the Ordinances in Ephesians 2:15?
On Watchman Nee & Witness Lee -  What is the Mystery of Christ in Ephesians 5:32?  
On M.E. Barber  - What Does God's Salvation in 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 Accomplish in New Believers?
On John Newton - God's Love in 1 John 4 Seen in the Life of John Newton
On the Apostle John  - Touching Account From Church History on the Apostle John

How Does Transformation Produce the New Jerusalem Mentioned in Revelation 3:12?

    Revelation ends with a detailed description of the New Jerusalem. I've learned from my reading of the Life-Study of Revelation that as a book of signs, the New Jerusalem portrays God's spiritual building with His redeemed people.  This is very apparent in Revelation 3:12:

He who overcomes, I will make Him a pillar in the temple of my God…And I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, The New Jerusalem which descends out of heaven from My God and My new name.  

I enjoyed Witness Lee's explanation of about this writing  on pages 372-373 in chapter 32 of the Life-Study of Revelation:  

The writing of the name of God, the name of the New Jerusalem, and the new name of the Lord upon us actually refers to the working of God into us, to the working of the New Jerusalem into our being, and to the working of the attributes of Christ into us as His new expression. Eventually, through His working, these three names will be written upon us….The New Jerusalem is the ultimate consummation of God's working in both the old creation and in the new. Every book must have a conclusion. Although a book may contain many things, the final word is the most important word. What is the conclusion of the Bible?  It is God's ultimate consummation, the holy city, New Jerusalem, as God's eternal habitation (Lee. Witness. Life-Study of Revelation. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1976, Print).

   The heart of his sharing in this chapter is on how God makes us this holy city by His transformation work.  He uses his classic illustration of petrified wood to explain how God accomplishes this.  In our natural man we are just like wood, and as we drink the Lord in His word, Christ flows into our heart like water.  And by this divine flowing, our natural element is being replaced in the same way that the minerals in water turn wood into stone.  He says that you could write on this stone--petrified wood.  

   I saw through my reading that God's flowing Himself into our hearts enables Him to write on our hearts.   He said maybe so far God has only written N-e-w J-e-r-u-s  on your heart. But bit by bit every letter of the holy city, God, and our own unique name will be written on us. And probably what stood out to me the most was when brother Lee tied all of this fellowship to Revelation 22:17 which gives the key to this transforming and writing work:  And the Spirit and the bride say, Come!  And let him who hears say, Come!  And let him who is thirsty come; let him who wills take the water of life freely.

You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Revelation and some excellent commentary on Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. 

Other Posts on the Book of  Revelation:
What is the Focus of the Book of Revelation?
What Does the Book of Revelation Show Us About Loving the Lord?
What Does Revelation 4:11 Tell Us About the Purpose of God's Creation?
What are the Golden Bowls of Incense in Revelation 5:8?
What is the Controlling Vision of he Bible Seen in the Book of Revelation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - What are the Two Sides of Rapture Seen in Revelation 14:1
How Does Transformation Produce the New Jerusalem Mentioned in Revelation 3:12?
Taking a Look at Revelation 12:11 - How Do you Overcome Satan's Accusation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - The Connection Between Revelation & Ephesians 
Why is There is A Rainbow Around God's Throne in Revelation 4:3?
How Do you Get Ready for the Marriage of the Lamb in Revelation 19:7-8?

From the Life-Study of Revelation - What are the Two Sides of Rapture Seen in Revelation 14:1?

   The Lord told us that He would return. But if we're not a careful student of the word, we may think that the rapture of the believers has nothing to do with our Christian life.    I learned from the Life-Study of Revelation that how we live actually matters a lot!   

     In chapters 27-30 Witness Lee presents a comprehensive study on the rapture by bringing together verses from Daniel 9, Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4, and Revelation 12 and 14.  The truths he presents in these chapters are both eye-opening and sobering.  Here's one of the verses on rapture he covered that's in Revelation: 
   

 And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand having His name and he name of His Father written on their foreheads…These were purchased from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.    Revelation 14:1, 4b

    He says that sometimes people might think that in order to prepare for the Lord's coming all they need to do is just read the Bible and pray.  In these chapters he gives a very balanced view about the Lord's coming.  This section on pages 344-345 in chapter 29 of the Life-Study of Revelation touched me a lot:

"As those who are waiting for the Lord's coming back, we must have a proper living without being snared by anything.  Our heart is on nothing but the Lord Jesus. However, this does not mean that we do not study, conduct business, and take care of daily chores, such as cleaning.  Do not say, why must I keep my clothes neat and clean?...I have the assurance that many young people have this attitude.  They do not even make their beds in the morning considering it to be a waste of time....Their sloppiness may delay the Lord's coming back.  The Lord may tell them, 'You must learn to make your bed early in the morning, comb your hair, and shine your shoes.  Then you must arrange all your books in good order'....We must learn to be diligent, keeping everything in good order....However, when the Lord says, 'Behold I come quickly,' we must be able to forget everything….We are normal people living a normal life, but nothing of this life can touch us….These two sides of the matter will force us to be one with the Lord" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Revelation. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1976, Print).

From reading this chapter I learned that not only are we those who love the Lord and seek Him, but we're also living a normal daily life in the light of the Lord's appearing.  This  fellowship has helped give me a more balanced view of the Lord's coming.

You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Revelation and some excellent commentary on Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. 

Other Posts on the Book of  Revelation:
What is the Focus of the Book of Revelation?
What Does the Book of Revelation Show Us About Loving the Lord?
What Does Revelation 4:11 Tell Us About the Purpose of God's Creation?
What are the Golden Bowls of Incense in Revelation 5:8?
What is the Controlling Vision of he Bible Seen in the Book of Revelation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - What are the Two Sides of Rapture Seen in Revelation 14:1
How Does Transformation Produce the New Jerusalem Mentioned in Revelation 3:12?
Taking a Look at Revelation 12:11 - How Do you Overcome Satan's Accusation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - The Connection Between Revelation & Ephesians 
Why is There is A Rainbow Around God's Throne in Revelation 4:3?
How Do you Get Ready for the Marriage of the Lamb in Revelation 19:7-8?

What is the Controlling Vision of the Bible Seen in the Book of Revelation?

   Although the Bible was written over a period of almost 1,600 years by more than 40 writers, it has one controlling vision.  Does this not amaze you?  It's pretty remarkable and proves that the Bible is the inspired Word of God because who else could have done that?  

   I was a college student when I heard that Genesis 1 and 2 mirror Revelation 21 and 22.  After God created man in Genesis 2:7, the biblical record turns in verses 10-14 to describe certain aspects of the area around the Garden of Eden. 

In verse 9 it mentions gold was there and in verse 10 that bdellium (a pearl-like material produced by tree resin), and onyx stone were also there.  While reading you may think what does that have to do with anything, and then just keep reading. 

   It wasn't until I heard Witness Lee share this Life-Study of Revelation that I saw the connection here.  Flip to Revelation 21, in verse 18 it says the city was pure gold and in verse 21 that the street was pure gold.  Then also in verse 21 it says that each gate was a pearl, and in verse 19-20 it says that the walls of the city were precious stones (just like onyx is the precious stone mentioned in Genesis).

   On page 269 in chapter 22 of the Life-Study of Revelation he explains this:

At the very beginning, in the book of Genesis, we have the tree of life and the flowing river producing gold, bdellium (pearl), and precious stones (Gen. 2:9-12).  At the end of the Bible, in Revelation, we have a city built with these precious materials, with gold, pearl, and precious stones (Rev. 21).  Hence, the whole Bible is for God's eternal purpose of securing His eternal dwelling place by dispensing Himself as life into His chosen ones.  This is the governing vision (Lee, Witness.  Life-Study of Revelation. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, Print 1976).  

In this chapter he mentioned on page 267 that the controlling view of the Bible is God's building.  And without seeing this, it's really hard to understand the Bible. I've learned through hearing and reading these Life-Studies that in order to understand this vision you have to connect it to what both Paul and Peter share in their epistles that God is building a spiritual house (Ephesians 2:22; 1 Peter 2:5). Like all the other books of the Bible, Revelation focuses mostly on how God finally gains His building!!

You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Revelation and some excellent commentary on Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. 

Other Posts on the Book of  Revelation:
What is the Focus of the Book of Revelation?
What Does the Book of Revelation Show Us About Loving the Lord?
What Does Revelation 4:11 Tell Us About the Purpose of God's Creation?
What are the Golden Bowls of Incense in Revelation 5:8?
What is the Controlling Vision of he Bible Seen in the Book of Revelation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - What are the Two Sides of Rapture Seen in Revelation 14:1
How Does Transformation Produce the New Jerusalem Mentioned in Revelation 3:12?
Taking a Look at Revelation 12:11 - How Do you Overcome Satan's Accusation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - The Connection Between Revelation & Ephesians 
Why is There is A Rainbow Around God's Throne in Revelation 4:3?
How Do you Get Ready for the Marriage of the Lamb in Revelation 19:7-8?

What are the Golden Bowls of Incense in Revelation 5:8?

      C. S. Lewis and Tolkien must have learned how to write their allegories from the book of Revelation. To be honest I don't always understand the symbolism in the Chronicles of Narnia or The Lord of the Rings.  In the same way, the symbolism in Revelation can be baffling at times.  And I'd be totally lost understanding the book of Revelation without the enlightening chapters of this Life-Study!

At the bay  yesterday with two of my grandkids.

     Last week I read chapter 18 that covered Revelation 5 which portrays the heavenly scene after the Lord's ascension.  As the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and the Lamb of God, Christ is presented here as the One who is worthy to open the scroll, which contains the mysteries of the universe.  When the Lord receives this scroll, we see a scene rich in symbolism:

And when He took the scroll, the four living creatures and at the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb; each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which bowls are the prayers of the saints.  Revelation 5:8 

   I like this excerpt on the bowls and incense given on page 228:  The bowls are "the prayers of the saints" brought to God by the angelic elders (cf. 8:3-4), whereas the incense is Christ added to the saints' prayers. That these worshipers are holding the bowls means that they, as priests, are ministering to God by bringing the saints' prayers to Him. This reveals that before the Christians become priests in the millennial kingdom, the twenty-four elders are priests today (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Revelation. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1976, Print). 

    In this heavenly scene we see how important our prayers are for the fulfillment of God's purpose.  And in the cross reference in Revelation 8 that verse says:  And the smoke of the incense went up with the prayers of the saints out of the hand of the Angel before God.   The footnote in my Recovery Version of the New Testament (You can order your free study Bible that has over 13,000 helpful footnotes). says that the incense is Christ with all of His merit added to the believers' prayers so that they would be acceptable to God. Without Christ added to our prayers, they're worthless.  And in another footnote I learned that only the prayers that cause the incense to rise are effective.  

You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Revelation and some excellent commentary on Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. 

Other Posts on the Book of  Revelation:
What is the Focus of the Book of Revelation?
What Does the Book of Revelation Show Us About Loving the Lord?
What Does Revelation 4:11 Tell Us About the Purpose of God's Creation?
What are the Golden Bowls of Incense in Revelation 5:8?
What is the Controlling Vision of he Bible Seen in the Book of Revelation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - What are the Two Sides of Rapture Seen in Revelation 14:1
How Does Transformation Produce the New Jerusalem Mentioned in Revelation 3:12?
Taking a Look at Revelation 12:11 - How Do you Overcome Satan's Accusation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - The Connection Between Revelation & Ephesians 
Why is There is A Rainbow Around God's Throne in Revelation 4:3?
How Do you Get Ready for the Marriage of the Lamb in Revelation 19:7-8?

What Does Revelation 4:11 Tell Us About the Purpose of Creation?

   Who hasn't looked up at the night sky studded with stars and wondered to themselves why am I here?  In this vast universe with its myriads of stars and galaxies is the earth with all of us spinning according to NASA about 1,037 mph.  We're just a speck on the map.  For decades scientists have pondered life on earth, and there are books on every scientific subject imaginable.


  Several years ago I heard an interesting DVD called Privileged Planet, and scientists point out that everything in relation to the earth is so precise that it implies a designer.  These scientists don't mention God, but every detail they bring up about the earth proves there has to be a Creator!  

   Along with scientists, philosophers have also pondered the earth and man's existence.  Few would probably turn to the Bible for their answers. But I learned from my reading of the Life-Study of Revelation that the answer to creation is actually hidden there in Revelation 4:11!

You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for You have created all things, and because of Your will they were, and were created.




I like Witness Lee's exposition of this verse on page 220 of chapter 17 of the Life-Study of Revelation:   

God is a God of purpose, having a will of His own pleasure.  He created all things for His will that He might accomplish and fulfill His purpose.  This book, unveiling God's universal administration, shows us the purpose of God.  Hence, in the praise of the twenty-four elders concerning His creation, His creation is related to His will….People can easily realize the creation of God, but they scarcely know the will, the purpose, of God's creation. The praise of the angelic elders is an introduction to the contents of this book, which unveil the will, the purpose, of God's creation--to have an eternal habitation for God's satisfaction and expression. This is the holy city, New Jerusalem.  In the New Jerusalem, God's will in creation will be completely revealed and fulfilled.  God will be fully satisfied and wholly expressed in and through the New Jerusalem.  This is God's will in His creation and it is the goal of the book of Revelation (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Revelation.  Anaheim: California, 1876, Print.)

Isn't it amazing that the universe, the earth, and man all exist so that God can have an expression on this earth!!

You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Revelation and some excellent commentary on Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. 

Other Posts on the Book of  Revelation:
What is the Focus of the Book of Revelation?
What Does the Book of Revelation Show Us About Loving the Lord?
What Does Revelation 4:11 Tell Us About the Purpose of God's Creation?
What are the Golden Bowls of Incense in Revelation 5:8?
What is the Controlling Vision of he Bible Seen in the Book of Revelation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - What are the Two Sides of Rapture Seen in Revelation 14:1
How Does Transformation Produce the New Jerusalem Mentioned in Revelation 3:12?

What Does the Book of Revelation Show Us About Loving the Lord?

    The book of Revelation opens with seven letters.  These seven letters were written to churches in Asia, which is today’s country of Turkey.  The letter to Ephesus spoke to me the most.  In the beginning the Lord praises them for their works, labor, endurance, checking out the apostles, etc. but He gives them a warning.  And this warning may not sound that critical to you at first. 

But I have one thing against you, that you have left your first love.  Revelation 2:4

 This may leave you wondering why does it say first love here?  He shares  that the first love can be translated the best love.  And it touched me when he said that all degradation in all the churches in these letters begins with the losing of the first love.

   He states that it’s better to lose some of your work for the Lord than to fail in your love for Him. Those words really spoke to my heart.  Then he shares in chapter 10 of the Life-Study of Revelation an account of John Nelson Darby on pages 119-120 that is very touching:

I can never forget a short paragraph concerning John Nelson Darby.  This paragraph reveals that when Darby was very old he was traveling and staying in a hotel for the night.  As he was going to bed, he prayed in a simple way saying, “Lord Jesus, I still love You.”  It is precious for an old saint to say this. John Nelson Darby began to love the Lord during his youth. After more than sixty years, he still loved Him.  We all must daily tell the Lord, 'Lord Jesus, I still love You. I may change in everything else, Lord, but I would never change in loving You.  Rather, I want my love for You to increase all the time.'  I read this paragraph about Darby more than twenty years ago, and I cannot tell you the help it has rendered to me throughout the years”  (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Revelation. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1976, Print).

   This chapter reminded me of something I recently read from a book on the Song of Songs: "Give yourself to love the Lord. No other way is so prevailing, and no other way is so safe, so rich, and so full of enjoyment. Just love Him. Do not care for anything else. Teachings, doctrines, gifts, and power do not mean much. We must continually tell the Lord, 'Lord, keep me in Your love!  Attract me with Yourself!  Keep me all the time in your loving presence!"  (Lee, Witness. Life and Building  as Portrayed in the Song of Songs. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1979, Print)

Blog Update 11-9-17:  Here's a recent song from a New York Young People's CD entitled How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place--it's called Jesus My Best Love Thou Art

You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Revelation and some excellent commentary on Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. 

Other Posts on the Book of  Revelation:
What is the Focus of the Book of Revelation?
What Does the Book of Revelation Show Us About Loving the Lord?
What Does Revelation 4:11 Tell Us About the Purpose of God's Creation?
What are the Golden Bowls of Incense in Revelation 5:8?
What is the Controlling Vision of he Bible Seen in the Book of Revelation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - What are the Two Sides of Rapture Seen in Revelation 14:1
How Does Transformation Produce the New Jerusalem Mentioned in Revelation 3:12?
Taking a Look at Revelation 12:11 - How Do you Overcome Satan's Accusation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - The Connection Between Revelation & Ephesians 
Why is There is A Rainbow Around God's Throne in Revelation 4:3?
How Do you Get Ready for the Marriage of the Lamb in Revelation 19:7-8?


Other Posts on Men/Women From Church History:

G. H. Pember - Why are There Two Trees in Genesis 2 Anyway?
On George Mueller  - From the Life-Study of Philippians - What's the Theme of the Bible?   
On Watchman Nee & Witness Lee - What is the Mystery of Christ in Ephesians 5:32
On M.E. Barber  - What Does God's Salvation in 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 Accomplish in New Believers?
On John Newton - God's Love in 1 John 4 Seen in the Life of John Newton
On the Apostle John  - Touching Account From Church History on the Apostle John