エピソード

  • Revealing the Lamb's Feast
    2025/10/26
    In our anxiety-filled world, many believers have accepted the false premise that we're heroes in a story where evil might actually triumph. Cultural voices from media and sometimes even pulpits convince us to live with constant worry about whether good will prevail. However, the book of Revelation provides a radically different perspective: God's victory isn't just likely—it's absolutely guaranteed.Revelation teaches us to reject the propaganda of fear and anxiety. The seven seals, trumpets, and bowls all point to the same inevitable truth: while evil may appear powerful temporarily, it will ultimately be judged and destroyed forever. The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ, and He will reign forever. This isn't wishful thinking but the certain end of the story.As Christians, we occupy a unique position between celebration and anticipation. We celebrate what Jesus has already accomplished through His death and resurrection while anticipating His second coming. This allows us to say 'Hallelujah' even when circumstances seem dire. The marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19 represents the ultimate feast where heaven and earth are fully reconciled. We prepare for this banquet through righteous deeds—being meek, merciful, generous, and faithful as outlined in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus achieves victory not through conventional warfare but through His sacrificial love, with His robe already dipped in His own blood. His weapon is the word from His mouth, demonstrating that God's triumph is so certain there's no real contest. Everyone lives demonstrating loyalty either to the beast or to the Lamb—the only question remaining is our allegiance.
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    38 分
  • Revealing the Beast
    2025/10/12
    The fear surrounding 666 and the mark of the beast has persisted for centuries, but this fear often misses the deeper truth of Revelation 13. John wrote to first-century Christians using symbolic language they understood, describing a beast that combined elements from Daniel's prophecies to represent Rome and all empires that demand divine worship from their citizens. The beast receives power from Satan and represents any kingdom that exalts itself above God while exploiting the world for its own gain.Many early Christians had been deceived by Roman propaganda, believing the empire brought peace and prosperity without recognizing the spiritual cost of their allegiance. The mark on the right hand or forehead symbolizes loyalty to the empire, allowing participation in economic life but requiring worship of Caesar. This parallels Deuteronomy 6, where God's people were to bind His word on their hands and foreheads as a sign of devotion. The choice was clear: bear either the beast's mark or the Lamb's mark, with no middle ground possible.This message applies directly to modern believers who face similar temptations to compromise their allegiance to Jesus for political, social, or economic benefits. The mark of the beast represents self-preservation through divided loyalty, choosing comfort and acceptance over exclusive devotion to Christ. Every generation must resist cultural conformity and examine where their ultimate loyalty lies, remaining faithful to Jesus even when it costs everything.
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    37 分
  • Revealing God's Judgement
    2025/10/05
    Revelation addresses our deepest questions about God's justice in a world filled with suffering. Rather than dismissing these questions, Scripture invites us to wrestle with them while offering a framework for understanding God's judgment. Throughout Revelation, we see a pattern where God allows humanity to experience the consequences of sin while continually offering opportunities for repentance—yet most people stubbornly refuse to turn to Him. The stark contrast between the responses of the wicked and the faithful is revealing. Even as their world crumbles, the unrepentant hide from God rather than seeking Him. Meanwhile, believers overcome through faithfulness to Christ, conquering 'by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.' This paradoxical victory—winning by remaining loyal to Jesus even when it costs everything—stands at the heart of Revelation's message. The book calls Christians to wake up from spiritual apathy, recognize the true character of the world, repent of sin, stand in solidarity with suffering believers worldwide, and maintain unwavering loyalty to Christ regardless of the consequences.
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    37 分
  • Revealing the Lamb
    2025/09/21
    Revelation addresses our deepest questions about God's justice in a world filled with suffering. Rather than dismissing these questions, Scripture invites us to wrestle with them while offering a framework for understanding God's judgment. Throughout Revelation, we see a pattern where God allows humanity to experience the consequences of sin while continually offering opportunities for repentance—yet most people stubbornly refuse to turn to Him. The stark contrast between the responses of the wicked and the faithful is revealing. Even as their world crumbles, the unrepentant hide from God rather than seeking Him. Meanwhile, believers overcome through faithfulness to Christ, conquering 'by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.' This paradoxical victory—winning by remaining loyal to Jesus even when it costs everything—stands at the heart of Revelation's message. The book calls Christians to wake up from spiritual apathy, recognize the true character of the world, repent of sin, stand in solidarity with suffering believers worldwide, and maintain unwavering loyalty to Christ regardless of the consequences.
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    33 分
  • Revealing a Message to the Church
    2025/09/14
    The book of Revelation contains powerful messages from Jesus to seven churches in Asia Minor, revealing that things are not always as they appear. These messages follow a pattern: Jesus identifies Himself, commends what they're doing right, corrects what needs to change, challenges them about what's coming, and offers promises to the faithful.Three churches illustrate important contrasts. The church in Smyrna appeared poor but was spiritually rich, facing persecution from those who had allied with Rome. Jesus didn't promise to rescue them from suffering but called them to remain faithful even unto death. The church in Sardis had the opposite problem - they had a reputation for being alive but were spiritually dead, having grown complacent in their comfort. Jesus warned them to wake up and strengthen what remained. The Laodicean church was perhaps in the worst condition - lukewarm, having adapted so completely to their surroundings that they lost their distinctiveness as Christians. They thought they were rich and needed nothing, while Jesus saw them as wretched, poor, blind, and naked.These messages remind us that Jesus knows our true spiritual condition, not just our outward appearance or reputation. He calls us to examine where our loyalties truly lie, whether we've become complacent in comfort, and if we've adapted so much to our surroundings that we've lost our spiritual effectiveness. The invitation remains: be zealous and repent, wake up spiritually, strengthen what remains, and open the door to Jesus who stands knocking.
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    41 分
  • Revealing Jesus
    2025/09/07
    The Book of Revelation often intimidates Christians with its apocalyptic imagery, leading many to either avoid it entirely or obsess over decoding every symbol. However, both approaches miss the book's true purpose. Revelation isn't primarily about predicting future events or creating fear—it's about unveiling Jesus Christ as the victorious King who conquers through sacrifice rather than violence.The central image of Revelation is the slaughtered Lamb, representing Christ's 'lamb power'—victory through self-sacrifice rather than domination. To read Revelation responsibly requires understanding its historical context as a message to first-century churches using metaphorical language similar to political cartooning. The frightening images aren't meant to scare faithful Christians but to give them hope by revealing the ultimate reality behind our visible world: that Jesus is 'the ruler of the kings of the earth' who holds 'the keys of death and Hades.'Revelation shows Jesus present 'in the midst of the lampstands,' among His people, challenging readers with a fundamental question: Where does your loyalty lie? The book calls believers to 'non-conformist, cruciform faithfulness'—following the way of the cross rather than conforming to worldly systems. Its message remains powerfully relevant: If you are faithful to King Jesus, you have nothing to fear. Victory comes not through violence or domination, but through faithful witness to the Lamb who was slain.
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    42 分
  • My First Day In Heaven
    2025/08/31
    The first day in heaven will bring an extraordinary transformation as we experience immortality - a life without pain, sickness, aging, or fear of death. Our surroundings will be beyond imagination, as described in Revelation 21: a holy city with dimensions of 1,500 miles in each direction, walls of jasper, streets of pure transparent gold, and twelve gates made of single pearls. The foundations will be adorned with twelve different precious stones, creating a spectacle of beauty beyond earthly comparison. Most remarkably, the glory of God will illuminate everything, with no need for sun, moon, or temple.As we take in these wonders, we'll be overwhelmed with appreciation, understanding with perfect clarity that our presence in heaven is solely due to Jesus Christ's sacrifice, not our own merit or works. We'll anticipate meeting biblical figures like angels Michael and Gabriel, apostles Paul and Peter, and Old Testament heroes. Most profoundly, we'll experience the presence of God Himself and meet Jesus face to face. Heaven will also be a place of joyful reunions with loved ones who preceded us in death, and we'll form new friendships with the righteous from all ages. Perhaps the most profound realization will be that this perfect existence never ends - it's eternal life as promised by Jesus, with no night, no sorrow, and no end.
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    35 分
  • Committed to Overcoming the World
    2025/08/24
    1 John 5 delivers a powerful message about victory over the world through faith in Jesus Christ. Throughout the letter, John has been referring to 'the world' not as our planet, but as human society whose values oppose God's reign. He reassures believers that everyone born of God overcomes this world, not through violence, political power, wealth, or social status, but through faith alone.John identifies three marks of God's children: believing Jesus is the Christ, loving one another, and obeying God's commandments—which are 'not burdensome' but actually make our lives better. The letter emphasizes the testimony about Jesus through water (His baptism), blood (His death), and the Spirit. John gives believers tremendous confidence through the assurance of eternal life, the power of prayer, and divine protection from the evil one. He concludes by urging us to know the true God and avoid idols. The central message remains clear: those who walk in the light have no need to fear the darkness, for the victory that overcomes the world is our faith.
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    39 分