"The Revelation of Jesus Christ...Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy..." Revelation 1:1, 3.

It goes without saying that the majority of those who "read" the book of Revelation are not blessed, but stressed. They are not happy, but unhappy. They are not encouraged, but discouraged. Rather than being fearless overcomers, some become fearful when they read this prophecy. For all they see is gloom and doom, woes, plagues and pestilence, fire and hail, brimstone and fire, the false prophet, the antichrist, the mark of the beast, a great dragon, and, of course, a great whore clothed in purple and scarlet sitting astride a seven-headed beast full of names of blasphemy. There will never be blessings to those who read this prophecy in such a dismal array of shadows. The fact is, they have not read the book at all, not if they view it in this such a way, which is the carnal, adamic way. They are focusing on the symbols and what they might mean in the natural and are missing the reality. This tells us that they are void of the spirit of revelation, and this is no fault on their part. If God hasn't chosen them for it at this time, revelation will not be their portion. Even so, and unknown to many, they are, failing to read and hear the words of this prophecy.

You see, the compound Greek word for read is anaginosko which entails more than our English word. It means to know again. It is an upward knowing, a severe, intense, spiritual knowing. The suffix, ana, means up or severally, and ginosko means to know. In the truest sense, this is what it is to understand what we read. It is to know by anointed intuition. It is to know by the Spirit. It is to know by revelation from on high.

Although anaginosko carries the thought of intense, upward spiritual knowing again, we must not discount that it also means to read on the natural level, for it is often used as such in the New Testament. Notwithstanding, neither should we discount that in some cases, especially in a spiritual book of signs and symbols, namely, the book of Revelation, that it means more. There is much more to reading than merely taking the words at face value, or attempting to decipher them with the natural mind and seeing nothing beyond that scope of understanding.

Anaginosko is not that type of reading or reasoning in this case. It opens the reality of the heavens that was in Christ long before the ages and prepares it in his elect to be manifested in due season. Psalm 19:1 speaks of this: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork." This verse is referring to the stars, constellations, and galaxies in the natural heavens, and the way they are so meticulously arranged; they are declaring the glory of God. They are not only declaring it by simply existing by divine appointment and placement, with God's creative glory being seen in them by creation, but they are also prophetically declaring from the beginning to the end the ongoing, progressive glory of God in the earth and in His corporate body. It is by this that those who read the prophecy of the apocalypse of Jesus Christ are blessed! For they are knowing again the mystery that has been reserved in the heavens to this day; but when they truly read, it will no longer be held in reserve. As the apostle Paul wrote, so shall it be in such a grand and glorious unveiling:

"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God...¹⁰To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, ¹¹According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Ephesians 3:9-11.  (fellowship: Grk, koinnia, partnership...(literally) participation...benefaction -- Strong's Exhaustive Conc.)

The participating partnership of this hidden mystery has not been on display, yet it has been known by those of the church; not the church(s) of the world, but the Ecclesia, the called out, the ones separated and joined to Him; but the mystery will be revealed when the time is right. It will be when they who are spiritually minded are made ready and are able to read the prophecy of the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ. They will understand and be blessed by what they read. They will know again that which was in Christ before the foundation of the world.

Only one, however, is worthy to open the book with the seven seals; namely, the one who prevailed, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He was a lamb slain, and also a lion resurrected. He prevailed over death, and every enemy contrary to Life. And by prevailing, He was found worthy to look upon, open, and read the book of His many membered body. He alone is worthy to open the seals that bind us between its covers; for it is He who died for us, rose for us, ascended for us, saved us, and brings us to His glorious victory. He alone is the one who knows and understands every page of this book. He is the one who opens the seals so we can be uncovered, judged, and freed from all that comes forth when each seal is opened. Let us also note that more of Christ is seen when each seal opens, making us altogether ready to be an anointed apocalypse to the world.

"The Revelation of Jesus Christ...Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy..." Revelation 1:1, 3.

Are we reading and knowing again? Hopefully so. And by reading, are we also remembering as Isaiah the prophet wrote? "I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old ." Psalm 77:11. What are the works of the LORD and the wonders of old? The Psalmist told us this: "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained. ⁴What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? ⁵For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. ⁶Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet." Psalm 8:3-6. (old: Heb. qedem; the front...absolutely the fore part -- Strong's)

We are unlikely remembering when the moon and stars were hung in the heavens; for the book of Revelation is not addressing those matters; but if we are reading, understanding, and seeing into the depths of this revealing prophecy, we are remembering some of the LORD'S wonders of old to which it refers.

To remember something, it had to have been known before whether it was ten minutes ago or ten thousand eons ago. Remembering something cannot be the first time of knowing it. When all things were created in Christ, nothing was remembered; it was being made known. And now, eons hence, we are remembering, we are knowing again the prophecy of this book, which speaks of the unveiling of that which are the wonders of old, that which was the absolute fore part. It is the prophecy of the Apocalypse, and we are blessed by knowing them again, we are made happy by remembering them and we are embracing those marvelous wonders with thanksgiving! We are not shaken nor troubled when we read this book, not by any means, for we are in truth reading it unto the rapture of our spirits, souls, and bodies in the heavens of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Captain of our unveiling.

The book of Revelation has not been read by many; this is clear. The words of the book have surely been preached and taught for hundreds of years; but in hearing they most likely have not heard, and understanding is greatly lacking. Jesus spoke of this when He said, "Therefore...because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. ¹⁹When any one hears the word of the kingdom, and understands it not, then comes the wicked one, and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. ¹⁶But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. ²³But he that received seed into the good ground is he that hears the word, and understands it; which also bears fruit, and brings forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Matthew 13:13, 19, 16, 23.

Paul's words relate to this point: "Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, ⁵Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit." Ephesians 3:4-5.

To paraphrase, these verses could be read: "Whereby, when you read, you will remember. When you read, you will know again. When you read, you will understand what I know in the mystery of Christ, ⁵Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed, made known again, unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit."

Knowing again signifies that the veil is removed from our understanding. It is then that His life is revealed and pours forth to swallow up anything in us contrary to life, and then the huge macrocosm of worldwide sin, sickness and death. Mortality will all be swallowed as surely as light swallows darkness.

The appearing of our Lord in His many membered body will intensify until there is no more death. It grew exponentially by the disobedience of one man, and likewise has immortality grown, and shall continue to grow, by the obedience of one Man (Romans 5:12-21). The microcosm of the one man, Jesus, will grow exponentially, and consume all things human. None can escape it. No one can escape the all-encompassing light and love of God any more than he could escape from being born when God said, "Come forth."

Each of us are but a small part in the whole picture of the apocalypse; but in Christ there will be no end to who we are and shall be, and that is no small thing. As our existence dates back before the creation of the earth, the founding of the world, and on into infinity, so shall our increase proceed forward into that glorious infinity, ever growing, multiplying, and helping to fill the universe with Christ's glorious life. What an Apocalypse! What a manifestation of the sons of God!

Paul Mueller compliments the thought of this appearing, this ever-expanding glory of God's Kingdom, and, "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." Isaiah 9:7.

"And now, in this new Kingdom Day, God is sending the next phase of His Kingdom to the earth, which is the beginning of the era of the reign of Christ in a greater way. We are now in a transitional period! It may even be another revolutionary period! The Kingdom of God is progressing from the Kingdom within us to the Kingdom manifested outside. We are moving or progressing from the old age of the church to the new order of the universal reign of Christ. Christ has always reigned! David declared the reign of the Lord (1 Chron. 16:31 & Psa. 47:8), and Nebuchadnezzar also confidently affirmed the reign of the Lord over all (Dan. 4:34). But there was to be a future time foretold by the prophets, when ''the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High' (Dan. 7:27). At that time also, ''he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father' (Rev. 2:26-27).

"This is that time; this is that Day! Christ is being more revealed or more manifested now as the King of kings and the Lord of lords! He is revealing Himself more to His elect, and is also affirming and confirming their 'genealogy' in the Kingdom of God, which is their relationship with the past order of things in the Spirit, just as He affirmed the genealogy of Jesus to begin the last age. God is not starting over! He is bringing to completion, to fullness or to final manifestation that which He began many centuries ago! Although this is a time of a distinct transition, or a spiritual revolution, it is also a time of the continuation of the plan and purpose of our Father, which He began in the Garden of Eden. Jesus said, 'My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, AND TO FINISH HIS WORK' (John 4:34). And that is our calling as well! We are not called to start something totally new! But we are called to do the will of our Father, as Jesus was called, and also to FINISH THE WONDERFUL WORK OF OUR FATHER (Rom. 9:27-28)." -- End Quote.

Our Father finished His work and rested. We are now to bring our portion of that finished work into manifestation. Whether we are preaching, teaching, singing, shouting for joy, or sitting silent, we are significant parts of manifesting the finished work of God. Whatever it is that we are doing or not doing, we are helping to fill up that which is lacking. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith, He is our Beginning and our End. Therefore, as it is in music, it makes no difference if we are a high pitch or low pitch in His song, an accent or a rest, we all make up the whole. And heaven and earth reverberates with the harmonious symphony of the wonders of old to the groaning creation. What a joy, what splendor to sing the Song of the Stars!

So, where were we, we who are called to finish our portion of the work of God? Do we remember? Where were we, dear sojourners, when the foundations of the earth were laid? Where were we when our genealogy was in the makeup of that foundation? Let us declare if we remember. In so doing, our past will become our present, and our future will embrace those in dry places. "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. ²It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God." Isaiah 35:1-2.

Rosemary Garzon speaks of remembering in her article, The Dew Upon The Roses, December 1999.

"Let us turn our thoughts toward Ezekiel, as he sat by the river of Chebar; for it was there where God opened his heavens to see and to remember His glory. The river of Chebar speaks above and beyond a natural river of water. It could be called the 'River of Remembrance.' ... 'Chebar' is ''Kebar' in Hebrew, meaning: 'length; extent of time, that is, a great while; hence long ago, formerly, hitherto.' It comes from 'kabar; to plait together, to augment (especially in number or quantity, to accumulate).' (Strong's Exh. Conc.).

"Yes, Ezekiel's heavens were opened to see and remember some of the glorious things from the realm of the Spirit before he came to earth in a physical body. He was made to see and understand their place in future events yet to take place in God's Plan of the Ages. He was beholding these things in his present lifetime here on earth; thus, there were three dimensions of time coming together: the far distant past, the future, the present. From this understanding, we see the root word, kabar -- to plait together --in effect. It takes three stands of hair, rope, or any other things to plait together, even bringing Ezekiel's visions into clear focus. All earthly things are patterned after heavenly things. The very ultimate of heavenly patterns, of course, is the 'Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.' We see Ezekiel beholding some of the patterns he knew in the Fatherland before ever coming to this earth realm.

"Within each of us, who were with the Father before the foundation of the world, there flows this River of Remembrance, even Chebar, in the deep recesses (the valley) of our being. It is sealed, as it were, until the appointed hour when the Lord releases the flow. As He begins to give you drink from this 'brook,' you will KNOW from whence you came; you will remember that Council Room Meeting, as our Father laid out His Plan of the Ages. You will remember that 'His Plan' was the cause for the euphonic singing of the Morning Stars and for the sons shouting for joy (Job 38:7) when they beheld the foundations of the earth being laid. They (you -- we) knew and understood the ultimate goal of our Father. Yes, you will remember your place in Him." -- End quote.

Remembering is not merely being able to remember events, or something we may have been taught. Remembering has nothing to do with being a casual observer or student. It speaks of being re-membered with that to which we were once joined. I do not like to use "play on words" to express spiritual truths. I especially dislike using English words for this purpose, since the language is derived from various languages, such as Greek, Latin, French, German, Gaelic, etc. I find that doing so generally leads us away from the meaning of the original word. Nevertheless, remembering the wonders of old speaks clearly of being joined again, plaited together, being re-membered with who and where we were, who and where we are, and who and where we shall be.

To remember comes from the Hebrew, zakar, which means, to mark (as to be recognized), also to be male. There will never be any recognition of who we are, in Whom we were created when the foundations of the earth were laid, if we do not remember and know again. If we are not plaited together with the Past (with He who is the Beginning), as well as the Present (which is through Him), and with the Future (with He who is the End), we will be undone. We will be lacking. We will have no form nor godliness. When we are plaited together, however, re-membered, we will have the mark of the uniquely begotten Son of God upon us. That mark is the mark of the Male, the mark of the One who has the Seed of Life. This is what it is to read, know again, i.e., remember. The remembering is to receive the mark of identification. It is to be marked as a son of God to be revealed in due season. What a mark to bear! What an apocalypse! Can we bear it? Yes we can, that is, when we come to the river of Chebar. We will remember, and in remembering, we will understand that which we remember.

I am beginning to wonder if there is anything we can learn, or if it is merely remembering that which was created in the Beginning. Perhaps King Solomon knew what he was talking about when he said that there is nothing new under the sun. Of course, there are new things to those who do not remember them. Moreover, everything that comes into the world is new in the sense of manifestation. By inspiration, Isaiah wrote, ²²How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth... Jeremiah 31:22. And, ¹⁹Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19.

The new things of God are not new to Him, only to us. For example, we were brand new babies when we were born; but that was not the beginning of our being; for we were together with all the sons of God when He rolled out the foundations of the earth -- remember? If not, we will; for Paul said it was God's pleasure to make known such things unto the holy apostles and prophets, who in turn made them known to us: "Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself" Ephesians 1:9. And Matthew quoted from the Psalms: "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. Matthew 13:35. That Psalm of which He referred is, ²I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old Psalm 78:2.

These dark sayings of old, that which have been kept secret from before the foundation of the world, are not things which had been in the world at another time. They date back farther than that. They go back prior to what we call history, and the wonder of it is that Jesus was there as the Beginning, and having been created in Him, we were also there. It was then, in Him, that things were laid out. Jesus was, no doubt, remembering some of those things when He said, "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Matthew 25:34. And also Paul, "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love." Ephesians 1:4.

Are we learning anything from what is being read in this article? It is highly unlikely; but we might be remembering a few things! And whatever we remember becomes alive to us once again. That is what a revelation is, and everything that is a revelation is a remembrance, and those remembrances are the ever-expanding wonders of old that were in the absolute fore front of creation. In the larger scope of things, there is nothing new under the sun; but when remembrance dawns, light shines, and understanding is embraced.

You have heard it said that everything in the universe is simple to they who understand it, but when understanding is lacking, even the simple things can be so confusing. That is the way it is with hearing the word ministered, reading the Bible, or other material. Some hear, read, and understand, while others remain in darkness. In one place of the Bible, it shows that understanding came when the law was read.

"And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. Nehemiah 8:3. "They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear (or God, translating it, margin) and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read." Nehemiah 8:8 (NIV).

Brethren, do we know what it is for something to be read and to be made clear; that is, to be made clear enough by the Spirit of revelation that understanding breaks forth like the dawning of a new day? I truly believe we do; for we are distinguishing the difference between night and day, light and darkness, good and evil. We are reading and remembering the wonders of old, and in the midst of our remembrance, I hear the shout for joy!

Hopefully, we will never read the scriptures, or any inspired word, the same again. Rather than scanning pages for data, let us pray that we can read, let us pray that we can read and know again, let us pray that we can remember the wonders of old. When we do, we will understand, and in understanding we will embrace and walk in that which we understand, bringing forth the Apocalypse to the world!

To be continued...

Elwin R. Roach

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