“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;” (Rev. 1:1-4).
The servants who John was writing to were the seven churches in Asia. The revelation of Jesus Christ was given to John to give to these servants of God. In other words, the writings of the book of Revelation are to the seven churches (Rev. 1:11).
The purpose of church is to serve God. In other words, churches were raised to do service to God. However, this is not the idea of church that many Christians are conceiving, especially in the black continent. The high purpose of church is not to function as a solution centre for our earthly problems. The church is a training ground for people who are willing to serve God. So we are born again for this purpose. The New birth is an initiation into servanthood. God is using the recreation of the human spirit to recruit servants.
The prevalent idea in the hearts of many concerning the reason for church does not tangent towards God’s true definition for her. It’s so easy to define the purpose of church according to what we see on earth but most of those definitions are scripturally incorrect.
A lot of youths are thronging into setting up their own churches without a prior (deep) understanding of the purpose of church. Some people are very sensual in their approach to defining church. A powerless pastor can be easily known by the vision of church that is pictured in his heart. Many people think of the church as a place where people’s (natural) life is made better or a centre of succour. However, a whole lot of people can carry out such endeavours, but not everybody can bring the true meaning of church to bear. There is no natural man on earth who can interpret the true agenda of God for the church. Churches are meant to serve God.
“And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Rev. 19:10).
The servants are also the brethren. However, these brethren or servants are not all at the same level. The level of servitude can be determined by the testimony they are holding. These people who are holding the testimony of Jesus are people of a church; they are brethren, and they are also servants.
“Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.” (Rev. 22:9).
This means that these servants are also prophets and they are all in a church. So it’s a church of prophets. They are not called prophets (of this pedigree) just because they operate the gift of prophecy; but they are prophesying by the sayings that they are keeping. It can only take these servants or brethren (the prophets) to keep the sayings of the book. The sayings of the book is a particular prophecy (Rev. 22:6-7).
“And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.” (Rev 22:8-9).
There are two kinds of understanding we can fetch from these verses of the scripture. Firstly, when you are keeping the sayings of this book, you are keeping the prophecy. Secondly, the sayings of this book are prophetic and when you keep them, you are a prophet. The prophetic nature will be manifesting in us when we keep the sayings of this book. This is because these sayings are the character of a prophet. A prophet of this order doesn’t have to be a foreteller; but he is walking in a prophetic pathway or way (that Jesus is) and his behavioural pattern or character is according to our Lord Jesus.
“And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Rev. 19:10).
The word “brethren” refers to a prophetic community. A brother according to scriptures, is a prophet. Cain and Abel were prophets because they were brothers. Cain killed his brother and told God that he is not his brother’s keeper. However, prophets are commanded to keep, and one of the things they will keep is their brother. Prophets don’t kill prophets; rather they keep prophetic sayings. Whosoever is among the brethren is a prophet (Rev. 22:9). You are a “brother” depending on the word or saying that you are keeping.
The “sayings of this book” are prophetic sayings. They are not just prophecies of the future but a prophetic character or behaviour that will find expression at the end of times. Some men will be hewed to keep a particular prophecy. The fulfilment of this prophecy in their lives will follow a prophetic order. These men will measure out or express themselves as prophets and by so doing, they are keeping the prophecy.
God used prophets in the Old Testament to prophesy some sayings and these sayings (which are prophetic in nature) will be done or fulfilled by some men. This is the purpose of the book of Revelation. Those who will fulfil the prophecy of this book are a brethren community who are dedicated to keeping this prophecy. These prophets will be raised, and they will be many. It’s going to be a prophetic community. Jane Leade of blessed memory called them the “most prophetical generation”. The sayings or things they would be keeping are what would constitute them into prophets. Each of the sayings are prophetically inclined, they are prophecies of prophetic nature. So God wants people who will become prophets of this kind; and not just by office. Everyone is welcome in this prophetic order; as many as the Lord will call and will be willing. After this prophecy has been kept, the next thing is that God will begin to come “quickly”.
“And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.” (Rev. 22:6).
These sayings are sayings for making prophets. The purpose of these “sayings” is to hewn certain kind of men who will evolve through a prophetic gene. There is a prophetical gene that will raise these people and this gene a book. Gene is a hidden book that contains all the character of a person.
“Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.” (Rev. 22:9).
Those who keep the sayings of this book are the ones who are worshipping God. So worshipping God is a prophetic character. The angel talking to John meant that he is also a keeper of the sayings of this book. The angel came with a book and was talking from the book. The book is a spirit that the angel said he possessed. The book is the spiritual pamphlet that sayings are encrypted in. Our gene contain the things that are responsible for how we behave. Billions of information about a man are stored in the gene. In the same vein, this book of prophecy is another man’s (Jesus) book and God wants us to have it. When you have this book, you will serve God. In other words, we cannot serve God without the book. A prophet is one who has the book and is obeying the things contained therein. The sayings are not talking about “foretelling”, but a “forthtelling”. The character of the prophets is actually the voice of the book.
“Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” (Rev. 22:7).
The time of reward is coming. Jesus will not come quickly for anyone except you are a prophet. There are two prophecies of nature in the bible. The first is the prophecy of Christ.
“Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:” (Rom. 16:25-26).
No man can fulfil this prophecy of Christ except it’s revealed. Then after it is revealed, one has to obey it. The Old Testament kept a prophecy which is now revealed in the New Testament and has to be fulfilled by obedience.
The preaching of Jesus Christ is the preaching of prophecy. This is because the preaching of Jesus Christ is the preaching of the revelation which was kept secret in the book of the prophets. God spake these sayings through the Old Testament prophets but an ordinary or physical eye cannot behold or understand them (2 Tim. 3:15). It will take the power of revelation to see (or understand) those sayings. There is no level of the prophetic nature, kept in the new covenant that can be excavated without revelation. The things that are buried in the book of the prophets are prophetic natures which Satan doesn’t want to find expression in any man. So God is using the New Testament to raise prophets who will have these prophetic natures. it starts with the nature of Christ (or faith) and then there is the nature of God (or salvation).
A man who is being worked on by the spirit of understanding will begin to comprehend Christ and, such is on the journey to becoming a prophet. For faith to come to a man, a true minister of the New Testament has to unveil the things that the prophets kept secret to him. In other words, the spirit of revelation must be at work to unravel these prophetic secrets. The unravelling of these prophetic secrets is the bringing of an understanding of a life order called the life of faith. So the faith life is a mystery that must be unveiled and obeyed. The faith life is a secret that God kept in the bible and it must be obeyed in the New Testament era by those who have been quickened from the dead in their spirit.
The men who have inherited the faith life are prophets of faith; they have a measure of the prophetic stature that is commanded by God. In other words, when men obey faith, it makes them prophets in a measure. However, the fullness of prophetic stature is more than that of a man who has obeyed faith. By obedience to the faith, we become prophets, and we are made wise unto salvation (2 Tim. 3:15). So those who will obey Jesus for the purpose of eternal salvation are also prophets but of a higher mystery or revelation.
There is a two-fold revelation in the New testament: one for faith which is Christ and the other for salvation which is God. We cannot say that we are saved if these prophetic natures are not fully formed in our souls. A saved person is he who has attained all the prophetic statures. God knew that we cannot take what He has to offer at once, so He broke them into two batches. The Christ-gene will lead us to the God-gene. The Christ gene is the faith gene. Those who have attained this Christ stature in their souls are younger prophets in the New Testament. They are also brethren but brethren with the testimony of Christ. They are the ones who have overcome the world.
Understanding is key in raising prophets. A man is brought into the prophetic life or ministry when his eyes of understanding is opened up. You cannot serve God without understanding. Understanding plays a very key role in service to God. “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” (Romans 3:11). The key to being righteous is understanding. A man cannot seek after God when there is no understanding. The righteousness of God has to be revealed or understood for us to begin to seek God.
Righteousness must be revealed for obedience from faith to faith. “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17). Living by faith is worship or service to God. Faith for meeting our carnal needs is not service, it’s simply asking. So it’s not every faith that can generate service to God. The key to service is understanding. Paul began to pray for the Ephesian church that God will give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation; this is because he wants that church to begin to serve God (Eph. 1:15-18). However, they cannot serve God immediately, they need to firstly serve Christ, the Son. Then having obeyed Christ well, they will be qualified to serve God. A revelation higher than the one they have used for service (i.e., Christ) will be brought to them and in obeying it, they will become high servants of God.
The idea of going to church for miracles, healing etc is such that does not tangent towards serving God. Praying without spiritual understanding is not service. There cannot be service to God without revelation or spiritual understanding (Col. 1:9-10). Service is obedience and obedience is a very weighty thing in the spirit. Obedience is better than prayer. Obedience will teach a man how to pray. A man who is engaged in many activities in Church and is yet to obey God is not a worshipper yet.
Embedded in every child of God is that craving to worship God, but evil spirits have turned the definition of worship upside down in the heart of men. This misconstrued definition of worship needs to be put aright. It’s not easy to understand faith as a tool for service. A worshipper is known by his walk of faith. According to the Old Testament, faith is referred to as movement. Living by faith is coming to God (Heb. 11:6). The day a man starts living by this faith (of the Son), he would face Jerusalem and begin to go towards it. Then, having obeyed this faith to a good degree, you begin to acquire the nature of a young prophet -- a younger class of the brethren. There are two classes of brethren: those hewned by faith through Christ, and brethren of the everlasting God. The bible is enough to come to God. The books of the prophets are enough to learn from, we shouldn’t be looking for some special books somewhere else.
A man who is keeping the sayings of the prophecy of this book is blessed and the time of reward is at hand (Rev. 22:7,9-10). “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” (Rev. 22:12). The purpose of the sayings of the book is for works. The sayings are a manual for a high work of righteousness and holiness in the spirit; and a keeper of the sayings is a doer of the works. A doer is a consistent beholder of the water of the word (James 1:22-24). Then such will be blessed. The emphasis of the spirit concerning the dispensation of everlasting life is that we stay put by the waters; we should not leave it. The water is a glass, a mirror of the word. “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” (Rev. 22:1). It’s a mirror of everlasting life, which is still a ministry of life eternal.
“But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
(James 1:25). A man cannot do this (everlasting) work when he is breaking away from looking at its law. Looking should eventually turn a man into a doer. The word “looking” connotes yearning or wanting to understand. We should keep beholding the word until it becomes real to us. We should give attention to it; we should give ourselves wholly to it. The man who is blessed in his deeds is he who continues to look at the law, not going away and forgetting the manner of man that he was.
Things of this (everlasting) nature can easily slip away and one can forget. We should make sure we are not forgetting them. Then we would become a doer of the work if we are not forgetful hearers. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;” (1 John 1:1).
We should keep looking until we can handle it, then will we become doers of the work and not forgetful hearers. The greatest warfare is for us not to forget. We should keep coming to the waters. Some people’s passion can drain at this point and this is why they would start missing fellowship meetings. Some other things are taking their attention; and therefore, they are not keeping constant attendance to looking. Satan will use and do anything to buy our passion in this season. Our passion to beholding the word (of everlasting life) scares and rattles evil spirits because it shows that we don’t want to forget. We should be passionate in the spirit (Romans 12:11). From chapter one of the book of Revelation, it is evident that the reason for the whole book is because God wants to come to the churches quickly. However, the churches must make sure that they carry out the work required for Him to come, because He is coming to reward them.
“Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.” (Isaiah 62:11).
There are two major works that the whole of the New Covenant entails: the first is the works of Christ and the last is the works of the Son of God. Both works cannot be done except through the understanding of the mystery of Christ and of God (Col. 2:1-2). The purpose of the mysteries of Christ, the Father and God is for work. They are the mysteries of work. Christ is a work, and it must be done. God is also a work, a high work that should shortly be done (Romans 9:28).
A man cannot do the works of a mystery except there is a revelation or understanding of the mystery. It will remain a mystery until understanding is given. God kept the works as secrets because He doesn’t want just anyone to see how those works can be done. There are two major realms of work: Christ and God. But in God, there are two compartments – the Father and God. Doing the works of the mystery of the Father is very necessary because there is no way a man can get God except the mystery of the Father is done. This is what Prophet Isaiah kept as secret; it is the secret of all ages or the secret of secrets (Isaiah 62:11).
There is something that characterises the revelations of Christ and of God. The operation or the way the revelations occur are not the same. Understanding is key to both realms, but the ministry of the Father and God is heavier than that of Christ. What occurs in the dispensation of Christ is purely the ministry of revelation or the opening of eyes (Acts 26:18, Eph. 1:18). And when eyes are opened, the works (of Christ) should be done by obedience. When this work has been fully done and Christ has been fully formed, we are built for a greater capacity to receive the revelation of the Father and this comes with another attitude.
The unveiling in the realm of the Father and God is of a different tone entirely, compared to that of Christ. Of course understanding is pertinent to both realms but because of the weight of mystery of the Father, there is so much more that is involved. Something is added in the revelation of the Father called “comings”. Jesus must come to the servants in the dispensation of the Father; and He comes by appearing. It’s called the appearance of our Lord Jesus.
“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” (1 Peter 1:7).
This appearing is the coming of Jesus. Jesus needs to appear to us. This implies that the works of the Father are not only carried out by understanding; Jesus comes in person to validate the revelation. It’s a revelation with a witness and Jesus is the faithful witness (Rev. 1:5).
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;” (Titus 2:11-12).
This is the first work -- the work of faith or Christ. However, the next revelation will come by the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” (Titus 2:13).
“Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.” (John 14:19). The revelation of Christ will make us see and live by faith. However, there is the next allocation. “At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” (John 14:20-21). This is not Christ, but the dimension of the revelation of the Father. This time, Jesus comes alone; but a time will come when Jesus will appear, and He won’t go back again (John 14:22-23).
For works alone, Jesus will come, and He will keep coming so that the servants will do the works. The prophetic sayings of the Father and God is being kept as the works are being done. These are the things that God wants us to keep unto the end (Rev. 2:26). Jesus will keep coming at each revelation of the Father; but a time will come when Jesus will not just “come” but “come quickly” (Isa. 62:11, Rev. 22:12). Faith is revealed but salvation comes; salvation is a revelation with appearance. Salvation begins with the mystery of the Father and ends with the mystery of God. The mystery of the Father is the work that is before God. So when God is coming, He “comes” first with works, but He “comes quickly” with reward.
“Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.” (Isa. 62:11).
When God is coming, He comes first as a Father, with the revelation of what we should do. We should be doing the work until we have gotten it done. This revelation is the sayings of the book of prophecy. When the Father is coming, He will be saying things to us that we ought to be keeping by obedience. God wants to come quickly but the seven churches were delaying in carrying out the works set before them. They kept delaying because of satanic attacks. The churches had impediments, attacks against those who ought to be “God’s people”, and God in turn becoming their God (Rev. 21:3). The works makes them a people of God, while the reward is what will make God their God.
The first phrase of salutation to the seven Churches is “I know thy works…” (Rev. 2:2). This is not just Christ work but everlasting work. Jesus finished everlasting works while He was on earth. This is why He could say to Philip, “…he that has seen me has seen the Father…” (John 14:9). The Father did not start dwelling in Jesus at first, it took some time for the Him to dwell. He could then boldly say, “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” (John 14:10). So God needed to come quickly to Jesus because He was carrying everlasting works, but Satan was looking for a way to stop the work.
One of Satan’s weapon of attack is the doctrine of Nicolaitans (Rev. 2:15). Nico means power, Laitan means people; so it is a doctrine with the power to stop the people from becoming “a people of God”. It was designed to stop the church in Pergamos from attaining the peopleship of God. So, the doctrine of Nicolaitans is a particular doctrine that comes in between the people and God. It’s a clog in the wheel of servants to hinder them from doing the everlasting work. In the same vein, the doctrine of Balaam was a prophetic doctrine that was raised to stop a people (Rev. 2:14). When you are Christ, you are not yet a people. A people are those who are receiving the commandments of everlasting life. The whole book of Revelation was written to a people whom Satan wanted to stop.
“I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.” (Rev. 2:19).
Charity, service, faith and patience are Christ works but the other (last) works are more than Christ works. The last works are everlasting works. They refer to the sayings of the book. The church in Thyatira had already started doing the last works but Satan was weakening their strength not to do or keep all the sayings. There are two things embedded in the prophetic sayings -- the first and the last works. The name of the testimony is the First and Last or the Alpha and Omega (Rev. 22:13). All the sayings of this book are faithful and true; faithful is righteousness while true is holiness (Rev. 22:6). Righteousness or the state of being just is the first work, while holiness or the state of being clean is last work (Rev. 22:11).
“Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.” (Rev. 2:20).
Jezebel was a negative prophet with a complete stature of Satan, and she was machinated against the church. Jezebel is higher than Babylon the great. This church in Thyatira had overcome Babylon; but Jezebel is a daughter of Satan that they were yet to overcome. Jezebel is like the stature of the daughters of men who cut down the sons of God from following God in Genesis (Gen. 6:1-3).
Satan took time to grow those ladies who could stop sons of God. These sons were not tempted to commit sins like fornication, they were only tempted to marry. Marriage in this regard amounts to giving up one’s vocation of following God. Immediately the sons of God saw those daughters, they knew they would stop following God and start another lifestyle entirely. They knew they would no longer be sojourners of everlasting life (in the Old Testament order). They were the brethren in Genesis; a community of prophets who were serving God. They were supposed to carry it to the full. But they couldn’t finish the work that God had given to them. They were sons of God and so, Satan sent daughters to them. In the Old Testament, Jezebel operated in the promised land. She was seated with the King of Israel (Ahab). Jezebel was another work that could stop the works of everlasting life.
“These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.” (Rev 14:4).
This defilement does not refer to natural fornication but a spiritual one. These women are such that can stop a man from doing everlasting works. Satan wants to stop everlasting life. We should make sure we keep everlasting life to the end. The apostles wrote these things in the Epistles to us. We should also know that God is already giving us everlasting life as we hear these words.
“And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.” (Rev. 2:21-22).
These are people of everlasting life who corrupted themselves. If Jesus is expecting Jezebel to repent; then Jezebel is not a particular physical woman but a body of believers who started life everlasting but learnt things from Satan and turned. They began to seduce the servants of God and weakened the angels of the churches so much that they couldn’t rebuke her. We should not be too confident to think we have attained because it’s possible to turn.
What will keep some people from entering into everlasting life is their attitude of breaking ranks in the spirit. In other words, people who no longer listen to spiritual authority. This is why we or ministers of the gospel should be careful and stay under leadership or covering. Satan can tempt us to hew our own works outside God’s ordination. And without knowing, we will be creating or constituting a Jezebel. Another poisonous hinderance from entering this life is the temptation to want to sound differently. Satan’s problem from the beginning is that he wanted attention to himself and that was how he fell. This is why we should remain in the community of the brethren, lest we fall into temptation. We should resist Satan’s temptation in this season. There was a knowledge from the depth of Satan that was going on in the church at Thyatira and that’s where the Jezebel of a woman came from (Rev. 2:24).
“And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:” (Rev. 2:25). So when God comes quickly, one of things He does is to give power over the nations. This is reward. The Father is “coming” to us now for the revelation of (everlasting) works. But He will “come quickly” later with reward. The works that are before God slows Him down from coming quickly to us. But when the works have been done and they are no longer before Him, He will begin to come with reward to give to every man according to His works. This reward is raw Eternal Life.
Everlasting life is Eternal Life that has been processed and modified for workers to have. Eternal Life without immortality is everlasting life but with immortality, it’s a raw Eternal Life. The real meaning of the tree of life is in the book of Genesis in the very original Hebrew manuscript of the Old Testament, the tree of life is actually tree of lives --- as one. The white stone is life, and the hidden manna is life also (Rev. 2:17). Everything in reward is life. Eternal life or Immortality is the reward; everlasting life is the works. Everlasting life is incorruption; while Immortality or Eternal Life is deathlessness.