We Declare Over Our Household

Father, as the priest and head of this household, I declare and decree, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15).  Praise be to You, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for You have blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  We reverence You and worship You in spirit and in truth.

Father, we are Your children. The blood of the Lamb has redeemed us, and our sins are forgiven.  I pray according to Your Word, asking for Your protection for each of us.  Give safety to my children and ease them day by day. Our life is exceedingly filled with the scorning and scoffing of those who are at ease and with the contempt of the proud (irresponsible tyrants who disregard Your law).

On the authority of Your Word, I declare that I have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. When we cry for help, You, Lord, hear us and deliver us out of all my distress and troubles. You are close to us, for we are of a broken heart, and You save such who are crushed with sorrow for sin and are humbly and thoroughly penitent. Lord, many are the evils that confront us, but You deliver us out of them all.

I pray that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.  And I pray that we, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that I may be filled to the measure of all Your fullness.

Lord, we acknowledge and welcome the presence of Your Holy Spirit here in our home. We thank You, Father, that Your Son, Jesus, is here with us because we are gathered together in His name.  Your divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of You Who called us by Your own glory and goodness.  As spiritual leader of this home, I declare on the authority of Your Word that my family will be mighty in the land; this generation of the upright will be blessed.

Lord, You see the violence that is in the streets and in our schools. The drug dealers and the gang members living in our neighborhoods are waiting to snare our children.  On the authority of Your Word, I ask that You destroy [their schemes]; O Lord, confuse their tongues, for I have seen violence and strife in the inner city. Day and night they go about on its walls; iniquity and mischief are in its midst. Violence and ruin are within it; fraud and guile do not depart from its streets and marketplaces. I am calling upon You, Lord, and You will save me and my household as well.

Father, You, and You alone, are our safety and our protection. My household and I are looking to You, for our strength comes from You—the God Who made heaven and earth. You will not let us stumble. You are our Guardian God Who will not fall asleep. You are right at our side to protect us. You guard us from every evil; You guard our very lives. You guard us when we leave and when we return. You guard us now, and You will continue to guard us always.

My household was chosen and foreknown by You, Father, and consecrated (sanctified, made holy) by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and to be sprinkled with [His] blood. We receive grace (spiritual blessing) and peace in ever-increasing abundance [that spiritual peace to be realized in and through Christ, freedom from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts].

Lord, Your Son, Jesus, became our Passover by shedding His own precious blood. He is the Mediator (the Go-between, Agent) of a new covenant, and His sprinkled blood speaks of mercy. On the authority of Your Word, I proclaim that the blood of Jesus is our protection; as You have said in Your Word, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Ex. 12:13 amp). I declare and decree that I am drawing a bloodline around my children, and the evil one cannot cross it.

In Jesus’ name I declare that I am free from the fear of man, which brings a snare. I lean on, trust in, and put my confidence in You. I am safe and set on high.  I take comfort and am encouraged and confidently and boldly say, “The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?” (Heb. 13:6 amp).

Father, just as You sent Jesus into the world, You have sent me. You are ever with me, for I always seek to do what pleases You.  Thank You for Your divine protection. In Jesus'name, Amen!

Revelation Bible Study on the Mid-Trib

When praying and studying in Revelations, I looked up to the computer and saw a video, called TRUNEWS with the title, "Has the Mark of the Beast started in India?" 

The Beast from the Sea  (Mid-Trib)

Rev. 13:1 - I stood: The preferred reading (see marginal note) is “he stood” (that is, the Dragon). A beast rising up out of the sea is a mirror-image of the Dragon, called forth from the peoples of the world (17:15) as an ally in his war against the saints (v. 7). The crowns are on the ten horns (political power), not on the seven heads (the source of authority), which is the Dragon, who delegates his authority to the monster (vv. 4 & 7). The beast represents an incarnation of politico-social evil.  

Rev. 13:2 - This monster is a composite of Daniel’s pictures of past political powers (see Dan. 7:2–7).  Rev. 13:3, 4 One of his heads . . . wounded is a parody of the Lamb, as he himself suffers a mortal wound and is then brought back to life. The symbol represents either empires or individual emperors (17:10; see Introduction to Revelation: Content). (Note: 17:10 Seven kings represent the complete number of world emperors, however many there might be, and by implication the complete number of political powers that persecute God’s people throughout history).

The spiritual principle is the same with either interpretation.  The first "beast" symbolizes the reality of anti-Christian government and political power (13:1-10, 13); and the second, anti-Christian religion, philosophy and ideology (13:11-17).  Together they produce the ultimately deceptive and seductive anti-Christian secular society, commerce, and culture, the harlot Babylon (chs 17;18), composed of those who dwell on earth.  "These thus bear the "mark" of the monster, and their names are not registered in "the Lamb's Book of Life."  The Dragon continually delegates his restricted power and authority to the monsters and their followers in order to deceive and discourage anyone from God's creative-redemptive purpose.

Rev. 13:5 He was given . . . blasphemies by the Dragon.  He was given authority by God (v. 7), over those “who dwell on the earth” (vv. 7, 8; see note on 3:10).  Rev. 3:10 note:  "The Faithful Church", I will keep you in the Lord's assurance  that according to John 17:6, 11, 12, 15, He is able to preserve His people from the hour of trial, that is in the midst of the Tribulation (8:1 - 19:10).  Forty-two months: See note on 11:2, The temple of God refers to the people of God, the Body of Christ (see I Cor. 3:16; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:19-22), not Herod's temple in Jerusalem, destroyed in A.D. 70, nor one purported to be rebuilt in the future.  

Rev. 13:6–8 Blasphemy is irreverent speech that calls what is human “divine,” what is evil “good,” and what is good “evil.” His name is the character of God revealed in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And may also be translated “even” or “that is.” His tabernacle, those who dwell in heaven, are God’s people, the church. They are not those who dwell on the earth (v. 8; see note on 3:10). Rev. 3:10 note:  "The Faithful Church", I will keep you in the Lord's assurance  that according to John 17:6, 11, 12, 15, He is able to preserve His people from the hour of trial, that is in the midst of the Tribulation (8:1 - 19:10), which has been and will continue to be anticipated through many historical manifestations (including such times as Jesus prophesied in Matt. 24:21, 22). Those who dwell on the earth describes humankind in opposition to God (6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:3, 8, 12, 14; 14:3, 6; 17:2, 8). Rev. 3:7–13, (v.7) The key of David symbolizes authority (see 5:5; 22:16; Is. 22:22).  (v.8) An open door: Either of service and evangelistic opportunity (1 Cor. 16:9; 2 Cor. 2:12) or of entrance into the consummated kingdom.

Philadelphia was a faithful church in a small town that was established to be a center for Greek culture. The town was renowned for its surrounding vineyards but subject to frequent earthquakes.

The beast from the bottomless pit is pictured as actually functioning before the description of his origin, which is additional evidence that the visions are not in chronological order (see 13:1–10; 17:6–18). Make war is an appropriate description of the persecution of the church militant, as well as of the two individual prophets.  Rev. 13:8 The Book of Life is God’s register of the redeemed. See note on Rev. 3:5. From the foundation of the world refers to before the creation (1 Pet. 1:20).  (Rev. 3:5) note:  White garments are the robes of the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and thus of victorious joy. I will not blot out his name assures the certainty of the Lord’s promise. Book of Life is God’s eternal record of the redeemed (see 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; Ex. 32:32; Ps. 69:28; Dan. 12:1; Mal. 3:16; Luke 10:20; Phil. 4:3).

Rev. 13:9, 10 The Lord’s words of judgment upon Judah (see Jer. 15:2, 3) become words of counsel and encouragement to a suffering church. The persecuted are to maintain a patient trust in God to work out His purposes and are not to adopt the methods of the Beast and the Dragon.  Action:  Understand that the Lord calls His people to faithfulness and patient endurance.  Never give up!  

Revelations 13:11-18  begins talking about the Mark of the Beast,which is the last half of the Tribulation period.  We meet here the Antichrist’s religious spokesperson, who also carries out one of Revelation’s most notorious events, the sealing with the mark . . . of the beast (see note on v. 16). 13:16 - It is not clear whether or not this mark is literal and visible. Most likely, it is not (see 3:13).  Action:  Do not adopt the world's way of thinking or its standards of behavior. What is clear is that one’s allegiance to Christ or the Antichrist will be clear and well defined. 13:18 - Since neither the Hebrew nor Greek language possessed a separate numerical system, the letters of their alphabets carried numerical value.  Hence, the symbolic number of the beast is the sum of the numerical values of the separate letters of his name.  It is known as “gematria.” The monster may be the last of many pseudo-messiahs (see Matt. 24:24; Mark 13:22) to arise in history who manifest the spirit of Antichrist (see 1 John 2:18, 19, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7).

Another beast, identified as the False Prophet (16:13; 19:20; 20:10), is like a lamb, a symbol of all satanic religious cults, as evidenced in the priesthood of the imperial cult, which enforced the worship of Caesar.  He performs great signs (v. 13), such as demonic magic and ventriloquism, which deceive those who dwell on the earth (see Deut. 13:1–5; Matt. 24:24; 2 Thess. 2:9). Out of the earth (v. 11): The imperial cult first arose in provincial Asia. The mark (v. 16) is a counterfeit of “the seal of the living God” (7:2–4), validating a citizen’s loyalty to the emperor. 

The central message of the Revelation is that “the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” (Rev. 19:6). This theme has been validated in history by the victory of the Lamb who is “Lord of lords and King of kings” (Rev. 17:14).

Yet, those who follow the Lamb are involved in a continuing spiritual conflict, and Revelation thus provides deeper insight into the nature and tactics of the Enemy (Eph. 6:10–12). The Dragon, frustrated by his defeat at the Cross and the consequent restraints placed upon his activity, and desperate to thwart the purposes of God before his inevitable doom, develops a counterfeit trinity “to make war” on the saints (Rev. 12:17). The first “beast” or monster symbolizes the reality of anti-Christian government and political power (Rev. 13:1–10, 13); and the second, anti-Christian religion, philosophy, and ideology (Rev. 13:11–17). Together they produce the ultimately deceptive and seductive anti-Christian secular society, commerce, and culture, the harlot Babylon (chs. 17; 18), composed of those “who dwell on earth.” These thus bear the “mark” of the monster, and their names are not registered in “the Lamb’s Book of Life.” The Dragon continually delegates his restricted power and authority to the monsters and their followers in order to deceive and discourage anyone from God’s creative-redemptive purpose.  (Bible Study Notes from NSFB)

Revelation 1-22 New Living Translation (NLT)

Prologue
This is a revelation from[a] Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon[b] take place. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John, who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.

~Bits and Pieces of study of Mid-Trib from NSFB

Secret Things Belong Unto The Lord Our God

Deuteronomy 29:29

“Secret things belong unto the Lord our God.”* A secret is something known only to one or to very few. Many things are known to God which are kept secret from man, but all man’s secrets are known to God. It pleases God, however, to reveal some of His sweet secrets to man. Those who love God and serve Him faithfully have the blessed privilege of knowing many things of God and heaven that others do not know. God “revealeth his secrets to his servants.”* 

Jesus said that He would make Himself known to us as He would not unto the world. Oh, how blessed to come near to Christ and have Him tell us some of the precious secrets contained in those mysteries hidden for ages! The angels knew that the mystery of salvation contained many precious things, for they desired to look into it. The revelations of Jesus are heaven to the soul. How the heart that has heard the voice of the Lord longs to know more of the secret things hidden in Him! Such a heart will seek after Him; it will cleave to Him; it will rest only when in His presence and learning more of Him, seeing more of His love, and tasting more of the sweetness of His life.

God usually speaks in a “still small voice,”* and hence to hear Him one must necessarily come very near to Him. God has a secret place in which He tells His secrets. It is only those that “[dwell] in the secret place of the most high”* that can know the secrets of the Lord. If you would know much of the secret things of God, you must live near Him. The Lord has a secret tabernacle, and it is in that secret place with all the world shut out that He tells His secrets. 

It is a narrow passage that leads to this secret pavilion. Houses and lands must be left behind. Those hearts to whom houses and lands can talk cannot hear the still, sweet voice of Jesus. The voice of the Lord might be saying, “Come to me in a quiet hour of prayer”; but houses and lands would be saying, “You will not have time; we must have your service.” If you would hear God speak, you must leave this world so far behind that you cannot hear it when it speaks.

The way into the Lord’s secret pavilion is so narrow that father and mother, brothers and sisters and friends, must be left behind. Jesus may speak; but if you are not deaf to the voice of father or mother, you may not hear Him. Children also must be left behind. God may be calling you to a secret place where He can tell you secret things. It may be far from home; it may be over the stormy seas; but father, mother, brother, sister, or children may talk so loudly to your heart that you cannot hear God’s voice. “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him.”* To fear God is to keep His commandments (Deuteronomy 5:29).

To enter into the secret chamber of God, your own life must be left behind. Self must be crucified. Oh, how many dear children of God have failed to hear the secrets of the Lord because of the clamorous voice of self! Jesus is talking to your heart, saying, “Here is one of My poor, needy ones to whom you can now give aid, and I will bless you and make you happy”; but that monster self sets up such a din and confusion that you cannot hear the voice of Jesus. So self must be crucified.

There are secret things of God to be learned all along the Christian way. We are to grow not only in the grace but also in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus. It is not in the greatest affairs and concerns of life only that we need to know more of God; but many, I am persuaded, also need to know Him better in the little happenings and circumstances of everyday life. 

When Peter called the Master’s attention to the withered fig tree, he answered, “Have faith in God,”* and then farther said, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”*  God will bless the affairs of your everyday life. Do not think anything too hard nor too small for God to do. If you want a mountain removed, ask Him and doubt not, and you shall have what you asked; or if it is only a grain of sand you want removed, ask the Lord and doubt not, and He will remove it. 

It is more difficult for some to have faith for the small things than for the great things. If you have but two pieces of meat, do not hesitate to give one piece to the needy. God can, and will if you ask, make the remaining piece go farther than the two would have gone without His blessing. This is a secret not known by everyone.  

God’s child has nothing to fear. The love of a gracious heavenly parent is over it. Have faith in God, and He will reveal Himself in many wondrous secret ways. Christ fed the multitude from a few loaves. He is the same today, and He will do the same for you literally. Draw near to Him, and He will teach you secret things.

~Bits and Pieces of The Secret Things Of God – Secret Things Belong Unto The Lord Our God – Prophetic Secrets

"Lord, Your Word says, 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding' (Proverbs 9:10). May a healthy fear and knowledge of You be the foundation upon which wisdom and discernment are established in my children and grandchildren. May each one turn to You for all decisions so that they will not make poor choices. Help them to see that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in You and that You give of them freely when we ask for them. As each one seeks wisdom and discernment from You, Lord, pour it liberally upon them so that all their paths will be peace and life." [Amen.]   -S. Omartian

A Bible Study I was Blessed to read and had posted on FB on June 19, 2017