Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 16:8-9
16:8. Then the fourth angelpoured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire.
16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.
The fourth bowl was poured out on the sun, so men were scorched with fire (it is explained in Bible Study Service in Malang, May 19, 2022).
The sun refers to the love of God that is righteous, just, and perfect.
If men reject the love of God, they will get the fourth bowl of God's wrath for sure.
There are three elements in the love of God as follows:
ad. 3.
The power of God's love gives extra power to us, so we can be the strong and courageous priests. We do not stop on the way regardless of anything that happens or we do not fall on the wilderness, but we are able to reach the finish line like Joshua entering the land of Canaan and Solomon finishing the edification of the temple. In the New Testament, the finish line is until we are as perfect as Jesus is to become His bride when He comes a second time. We enter the marriage supper of the Lamb, the One-Thousand-Year Kingdom of Peace or the Future Paradise and the New Jerusalem.
The spiritual meanings of being strong and courageous are as follows:
God blesses you.
Revelation 16:8-9
16:8. Then the fourth angelpoured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire.
16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.
The fourth bowl was poured out on the sun, so men were scorched with fire (it is explained in Bible Study Service in Malang, May 19, 2022).
The sun refers to the love of God that is righteous, just, and perfect.
If men reject the love of God, they will get the fourth bowl of God's wrath for sure.
There are three elements in the love of God as follows:
- Light.
It means that the activity of God's love makes us walk in the light and become the light of testimony for others up to being the light of the world (it is explained in Bible Study Service in Malang, May 19, 2022). - Heat.
It means that the passion of God's love makes us faithful and fervent in spirit in the service and ministry to Him (it is explained in General Service in Surabaya, May 22, 2022). - Energy.
It refers to the power of God's love.
ad. 3.
The power of God's love gives extra power to us, so we can be the strong and courageous priests. We do not stop on the way regardless of anything that happens or we do not fall on the wilderness, but we are able to reach the finish line like Joshua entering the land of Canaan and Solomon finishing the edification of the temple. In the New Testament, the finish line is until we are as perfect as Jesus is to become His bride when He comes a second time. We enter the marriage supper of the Lamb, the One-Thousand-Year Kingdom of Peace or the Future Paradise and the New Jerusalem.
The spiritual meanings of being strong and courageous are as follows:
- We have the full assurance that Jesus is always with us.
Joshua 1:5-6
1:5."No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.
1:6 "Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
Facing all things, we are sure that God is with us. When God is on our side, He will make war instead of us. We cannot be hindered by anyone.
At least we can lead ourselves, namely we can control the flesh which is always negligent and weary, so we can be the faithful and fervent servant of God. - Not turning from the law of God or Bible, but keeping obedient to the true teaching Word until the flesh does not speak anymore.
Joshua 1:7
1:7."Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
Our ministry begins from the marriage. The husband loves the wife like his own body, the wife submits to the husband, and the children obey the parents.
Thus, being strong and courageous is the same as obedience and faithfulness. It is the same as feeding Jesus.
John 4:34
4:34.Jesus said to them, "My foodis to do the will of Him (obedience)who sent Me, and to finish His work(faithfulness).
We satisfy God's heart and He will also satisfy us, so we will not look for the other satisfactions in the world.
The service and ministry to God which are signified by the satisfaction is a great gain, namely we are given the two wings of a great eagle.
1 Timothy 6:6
6:6.Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
God protects and preserves us in the midst of the difficulties in the world until the time when the Antichrist reigns over the world. We are preserved up to the abundance and become blessings for others. When the Antichrist reigns over the world, we are evacuated to the wilderness, far away from the presence of the Antichrist.
Spiritually, we keep on living in righteousness and holiness. - Not being disappointed or hopeless and not leaving God because of having the full assurance that God is with us in any condition we have.
Joshua 1:9
1:9."Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with youwherever you go."
We become the servant of God who always gives thanks in all things. We will never grumble, but keep on believing and hoping as well as worshiping God. The worship prayer means that we make war against the flesh with all of its lusts and desires, so we get the sanctification and renewal to be honest.
Being honest means that we become the house of prayer, so we can be victorious over all things.
Be careful! There are many servants of God who are disappointed and hopeless on the last days.
For example, the house of Israel got disappointed when they faced the slavery of Egypt. They wanted to return to Egypt although they had gone out of it.
Now, the servant of God does not want to serve and minister to Him anymore because of facing the temptation.
Moses was hopeless also when God wanted to send him.
From among the twelve spies, ten were hopeless in facing the people of Anak. It means the huge fleshly lusts.
Let us keep strong and courageous. We only rely on God and He makes war instead of us. - There is no doubt for entering the great revival, namely the edification of the perfect body of Christ that is led by God or the true teaching Word.
Joshua 1:18
1:18."Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage."
'Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death' = we are pleaded by God until we are victorious with Him. - Only submitting the whole life to God and He is able to finish all things.
1 Chronicles 28:20
28:20.And David said to his son Solomon, "Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God--my God--will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
Physically, all impossible problems are finished in time of need. All things are successful and beautiful in time of need.
Spiritually, the edification of the perfect body of Christ is finished. It means that we get the sanctification and renewal continually until being like Jesus. It begins from honesty until we do not stumble in words. We shout for joy, saying "Alleluia". We enter the One-Thousand-Year Kingdom of Peace or the Future Paradise and the New Jerusalem where we can hear the voice "It is done!"
Revelation 21:5-6
21:5.Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."
21:6 And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
We are with God forever.
Nevertheless, the Church is often like a pregnant woman who will give birth. It means the temptation and suffering that increase more until we feel unable. It means only a little time. We just need to choose whether we are disappointed and hopeless or we are patient for waiting for the time of God and fully surrendering to Him until He finishes all things perfectly right in His time.
God blesses you.