Volume 2003/8
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(From radio broadcast of Bro. Julius Adewumi)
Revelation
chapter 5
“Blessed is
he that readeth and they that keepeth the prophecy of this book for the time is
at hand”.
We said
in chapter 4, that the Lord took up apostle John in the spirit to see a throne
that was set in heaven which was depicting how the Lord Himself will sit on the
throne, even in the new heaven and in the new world or new kingdom to come and
how the throne will be set:. There will be twenty-four elders who are human
beings that were elevated to that position, that will be sitting round about
the throne of God.
Who is
He that is on the throne? God Almighty. But who is this God Almighty that is on
the throne? It is God Almighty that
created all things, which is the God that all the religions are trying to
worship. But who is this God? When you compare the book of Revelation chapters
1 and 4, you can say that it is the same God that manifested to human beings in
the form of a person, Jesus Christ. He said He was, because He died and was
crucified. He could say ‘He was’,
because we use past tense for people that died. He also said He is, which means
He rose again and is still alive today; and He said, “He is to come” because He
is coming back again, the Lord Jesus Christ whom we are all expecting. Even
some other religions are expecting that it is Jesus that will come back. In the
Islamic religion, they also believe that it is Jesus that is coming back even
though they don’t believe He is God. But we know that He is God that manifested
in the form of a human being, according to the book of Revelation, and
according to all the letters and according to all the prophecies. “God with
us”, (Emmanuel) is what the bible said in the book of Isaiah that God will visit mankind. When Jesus Christ came, He said that unless
ye believe that I am He; I am who? I am He that was expected. They said who was
this messiah going to be? They thought He was to be a son of David and Jesus
Christ said how come David called Him Lord; if He is to be the son of David,
then How come David called Him Lord, which means He is not son, He is Lord of
David and they couldn’t answer Him because that was beyond their comprehension.
(Mat.22:42-45).
God
manifested in the flesh, seen of angels, preached unto the gentiles, received
up into glory. That is what Revelation chapter 4 was pointing to us. The one on
the throne is said to be the Lord God Almighty who was, and is, and is to come.
How can you use past tense for God that is our father? He said He was, which
means He came to the world to die for mankind. He is,
because He rose again from the dead and is alive today; and he is to come,
because He is the one that we are expecting to come back as the Lord Jesus
Christ. God bless your heart to believe.
Now let’s
go to chapter 5 and see what is planned for the redemption of mankind.
“And I saw in the right hand of Him that
sat on the throne a book written within and on the back side sealed with seven
seals.
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud
voice who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals thereof ? And no man
in heaven, nor in earth, neither under
the earth, was able to open the book neither to look thereon.”
What is this book that is in the right hand of him
that sits upon the throne? The fact that it is in His right hand symbolizes
something. The right hand is the hand
of power, you must be strong to come and take it from His right hand; you must
be acceptable in His sight for you to come to His right hand and take it. You
must be acceptable before Him before you can come and take this letter. That is
what this book is symbolizing. Now who is bold enough and who is acceptable
enough? Who is confident enough that He is acceptable before this God on the
throne? And no man would do it. You may say why did they say man, why didn’t
they say angels? Are angels not acceptable before Him? Because this book is
about mankind, this book has to do with mankind, it is only a mankind that can
take it. Who would be the champion for mankind is what we are saying.
In many
of my sermons, I have presented the fact that the devil, Satan and all his
cohorts of hell, have been killing mankind and taking mankind in death since
Adam. They take the souls of people out of them in heart attacks and in many
deaths, and they lock them up in hell and in prison yards everywhere. Now that
is what has been going on for mankind. It is Satan that has been killing man, not God. It
is Satan and all his satanic spirits that have been implementing the wrath that
God put upon mankind. Now who is going to be our champion? Who is going to defend
mankind? Who is going to go against that enemy and defeat him and take back the
rights that we lost in the Garden of Eden?
God
gave this earth to mankind through Adam, and Adam was to be the overseer and
the ruler over the earth, but Adam lost it and Satan was in charge since then,
and Adam became like a slave to Satan. But who is going to be our champion? No
man had been able to be our champion. Everyman, no matter how powerful, when
death strikes, they run; they can’t defend anybody. But one came, that was what
was prophesied that the seed of the woman will come and this is the true seed
that bruised the head of the serpent.
That was why God came, and no angel can do this; God has to come in the
form of a human being with power and with the same gentleness and holiness that
He will not fall into temptation. He
became the champion for mankind. How
did He become the champion for mankind? He surrendered Himself to be killed
just like Satan has been killing human beings through many forms of death. He allowed Himself to be crucified on the
cross.
Jesus
Christ said it before He died. He said, “I have the power to lay down my
life and I have the power to take it up again, no man takes my life from me”.
(Jn.10:18). So what happens was the Lord Jesus Christ had to go and fight our
enemy. He had to go and defeat that enemy for us, if He is to be the champion
indeed. He had to surrender Himself to death. The devil took His soul out of
the body to take Him to where he takes other captives. He had to defend mankind and beat that
devil, that death angel, and come back alive by Himself, and take the keys of
death and of hell with Him. That was what Jesus Christ did on the cross to
become champion for mankind. Before He went to the cross, He had been calling
people out of the grave by His voice until death attack Him Himself. He let the
death angel take Him away and then He whipped them and He took the keys of
death and of hell. He came back alive by Himself. Not just by Himself, He even
took some other people out of the grave with Him. That was what the bible said
in Mathew chapter 27:50-53 that some saints that were dead rose with Him when
He rose again. He took them out of the grave to show that He is the champion.
The
champion has to deliver those whom He has come to save, and not only that, He
has to deliver Himself first and arrest the enemy and then deliver some other
captives. That was what Jesus Christ
did. Now He has manifested Himself as the champion for mankind.
Let’s see in the book of Revelation chapter 5, this book that was in the
hand of Him that sat on the throne, the right hand of God Almighty, who is
worthy to come and open this book? Who is going to be the champion for mankind?
And there was no man that could come forward. And let’s see what went on. No
man could come forward to be the champion for mankind.
v.4: “And
I wept much because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book
neither to look thereon. And one of the
elders saith unto me, weep not. Behold the lion of the tribe of Juda, and the
root of David has prevailed to take the book and to open the seven seals
thereof.”
Now let’s see what drama is unfolding here. God was seated on the throne. In his right
hand was a book. Sealed with seven seals. Who is able to take the book and to
open it? This is the book that is going
to save human being. This is the book that is going to bring redemption for
mankind. Someone has been our Champion against Satan, what more is left to
do? I’ll tell you what more to be
done. Somebody has to be our Champion
before God. Because when Adam and Eve
offended, and God put the punishment upon mankind, our enemy, Satan, which is
right here upon earth with us took over and was beating mankind down to the
dust. That was what was going on. Even if we have the power and the strength
to overcome Satan and his army here, we are not completely free until we can go
back to God whom we offended. That is
why Christ came. Now we have the
Champion who has beaten down the enemy for us, now he has to go before God and
plead our case.
Who is
acceptable before God to plead for us? Who is holy enough? That is why apostle John wept when no man
was found. But one of the elders said,
“the Lion of the tribe of Juda has prevailed to take the book”. He was expecting to see a lion.
v.6: “I
beheld and lo, in the midst of the four beasts and in the midst of the elders
stood a Lamb as it has been slain having seven horns and seven eyes, which are
the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”
v.8: And when he had taken the book, the four
beasts, and the twenty and four elders fell down before the Lamb, having every
one of them harps and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of
saints.
v.9: And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art
worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and
hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and
people, and nation; v.10: And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and
we shall reign on the earth.”
As I
said, we have the champion on earth that defeated the devil for us, and he came
back out of the grave and even took some souls with him from the grave when he
resurrected. That was the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now he has got to appear before the God of heaven whom we really
offended. That is what is transpiring
here. Who is holy enough? Who is worthy
enough to stand before God? But the Lord Jesus Christ our champion is
worthy. What is occurring here is what
I have been preaching for some time, to make you know who the Lord Jesus Christ
really is. “The root of David has
prevailed to take the book”. When John
looked, he saw a lamb. The lamb represents Christ, the Messiah. Why didn’t apostle John see the Lord Jesus
Christ? He knew the Lord Jesus
Christ. He walked with him for three
years preaching the Gospel. If he had seen the Lord Jesus Christ appeared
before the throne to take the book, he would have written: “And I saw our
master, Jesus, came forward to take the book”.
No! He saw a Lamb, the lamb symbolizing somebody. Why was just a symbol used and not the
physical Jesus whom apostle John knew?
I’ll tell you why. Because the Lord Jesus Christ is the one on the
throne! Amen. The Lord Jesus Christ
that apostle John knew has gone back to the Father position. He is the one on the throne.
In his regalia like a jasper and sardine stone. That is him. That is why he didn’t show up as the man Jesus to take the book.
He showed up in his representation as the lamb. The Lamb that was crucified, as slain.
The Lamb went forward and took the book out of the
hand of him that sit on the throne.
When he took the book what happened?
The four beasts and the twenty four elders fell down and worshipped the
Lamb. Wait a minute! I thought you can only worship God. How come the twenty four elders now
worshipped the Lamb? Thou shalt worship
the Lord thy God and only him shalt thou serve. How can the elders before the throne of God began to worship
another person? No it’s not another
person. They know that he is the one on
the throne who is also the Lamb. That is why they could worship him. I want you to get this revelation. It was the same person on the throne that
was looked upon like a jasper and sardine stone, the same God the Father who
came upon the earth as God the Son, as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of
the world. You can see why the twenty
four elders are worshipping the Lamb and it is not idolatry.
Like I said, if the president of the country changes
his dress into another attire, those who know will still honor him as the
president. The twenty four elders know
that the one on the throne is the same person who is the Lamb of God, so they
worshipped the Lamb.
One Lord,
One Spirit, One God.
v.9: “And they sang a new song, saying, thou art
worthy to take the book, and to loose the seals thereof: for thou wast slain
and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue, and
people , and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we
shall reign on the earth.”
Consider
this: these twenty four elders said,
“the Lamb has redeemed us to our God”.
That means these twenty four elders are human beings also. They are representing a selection of heroes
of the bible whom God has elevated.
V.11-14 “And I beheld, and I
heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the
elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and
thousands of thousands;
Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that
was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour,
and glory, and blessing.
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the
earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in
them, heard I saying, Blessing and
honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and
unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and
twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.”
That was the end of the drama in rev.5. The drama was pointing out that he that is
on the throne came as the Lamb of God to earth and died for mankind. That is why the worship was transferred from
the one on the throne to the Lamb and there is no problem. “I and my father are one”, saith the
Lord Jesus. “No man knoweth who the
Son is but the father; and no man knoweth who the Father is but the son, and
whosoever the Son will reveal him.”
The Lord Jesus has revealed it to us. He has
revealed who the Father is to us and we are showing it to you, that the Father
manifested as the Son, put on flesh, died for mankind, went back to glory, and
he is the God Almighty that was, and is, and is to come.
“And without controversy, Great is the mystery of
Godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of
angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into
glory.” (1Tim.3:16)
Do you
believe him? Accept him as your Lord
and Savior and let him fill your life with himself because He is the Holy Spirit that now fills all the
saints. “Where two or three are
gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”. The God whom the world says they worship is
the same Lord Jesus whom they crucified on the cross. Christ said, “the day cometh when they that kill you will think
they do God service, because they had not known me nor my Father.”
I invite
you right now to come and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and let him
fill you with the Holy Ghost. Christ in
us the hope of Glory.
I pray that you will receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost and walk with him in the newness of life, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Bro.
Julius Adewumi
Gospel
Distribution Ministry
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Internet homepage:
Email: webmaster@gospeldistribution.org
Radio-Log:
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Radio Africa - ShortWave 7.190khz
Time: 5PM GMT for 30 minutes. Every Saturday. (6PM in Nigeria). This covers West African Countries.
Sorry we have to withdraw
the Radio East Africa and Radio South
Africa broadcasts for now, due to budget issues.
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I want to thank those that have been sending
offering to this ministry. Your
investment and mine send the literature to believers and send the word on
radio. That is one sure way we can send
our money ahead of us to heaven. The
Lord said: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not
break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be
also." (Mat. 6: 19-21). "For
we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out." (1Tim. 6: 7).
