Studies in End-Time Revelation

THE HEAVENS DECLARE

Part 21

SAGITTARIUS -- THE ARCHER

We come now in our study to the fourth in the Signs of the Zodiac -- SAGITTARIUS. The word Sagittarius means THE ARCHER. He is a Centaur with the body of a horse and the torso of a man. The human portion of the Centaur is a man with a bow and arrow and he is drawing the bow and aiming the arrow at Atares – the very heart of the Scorpion. The apostle Paul in the book of Acts (Acts 17:28) quotes from "Diosemeia, a great poem by the Greek poet Aratus, which sets forth the whole picture of the Zodiac into verse. Not many are aware that Paul quoted from a famous poem about the Zodiac -- and appealed to the words of that poem as confirmation of the fact that man is the offspring of God! When Aratus comes to the section on Sagittarius he says,

This is the picture of One who in refulgent glory rides forth upon a white horse with a bow, going forth as the conquering King to conquer and to conquer. It is the war between Christ and Satan. We hear much talk about "Star Wars." My beloved, the real star wars are written in the starry heavens by the fingers of the omnipotent and omniscient God of the universe. The constellations of the heavens depict the spiritual battle behind all earthly battles. The one who is conquered is the Scorpion -- the Prince of darkness, the Lord of sin, sorrow and death. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Conqueror of the Scorpion!

Sagittarius has been discovered by the American astronomer, Harlow Shapley, to be the center of the Milky Way galaxy. I was not previously aware of that fact. But I think it is particularly interesting to note that here is the first great picture of Christ the Redeemer going forth to destroy Satan. It turns out that Sagittarius (the archer, the conqueror) is the center of our galaxy, as well as Christ the great Redeemer. To my mind that is indeed a fascinating observation. You see, not only is our galaxy the launching pad for God's redemptive and reconstructive program on behalf of the whole creation, but the fact that Sagittarius is located at the center of our galaxy bespeaks of a truth wondrously set forth in type and symbol not only in the celestial heavens, but also in the Garden of Eden, and indeed throughout the revelation of the scriptures. We have discussed this in a previous message, but let me reiterate for a moment. Against the background of the picture of the Garden of Eden it is related how man was put into this Garden in order to live in it and how two trees stood in the middle of the Garden: one the tree of life, the other the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And upon these two trees IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GARDEN the destiny of man was to be decided. Two trees in the middle. First of all there is the tree of life: LIFE, abundant, immortal, incorruptible, eternal! It was IN THE MIDDLE -- that is all that is said about it! It was right there in man's consciousness, in man's nature. The life that comes forth from God is in the middle. This means that God, the source of life, is in the middle. Adam's life was to come from the middle which was not Adam in his self-consciousness, but in his God-consciousness. This means that with God as his center man would have life. Christ was the center. It means that man was created and formed with the wonderful capacity to LIVE IN THE SPIRIT and WALK AFTER THE SPIRIT. "For...to be SPIRITUALLY MINDED is life" (Rom. 8:6).

But, like the tree of life, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil also stands in the middle of the Garden! To this tree is attached the command not to eat of it upon penalty of death. Death in the middle. Within. In man's very nature. Thus it is declared with unquestionable certainty that man was formed with the capacity to LIVE IN THE FLESH and WALK AFTER THE FLESH. "For to be CARNALLY MINDED is death" (Rom. 8:6). One of man's inherent potentials was to know Self as the source and center of his life. But alas! Self would not bring life, it would mean death. Man could make the world of appearances, the physical realm, mortal consciousness, the bodily senses and appetites his center but death would be found to dwell in that center. Life and death were in the middle. Two trees, two realities IN THE MIDST of the Garden of man's being and experience. Both are in the middle -- within man. One or the other is every man's center, the plane of his consciousness, the sphere of his existence. But mark it well -- both cannot be the center of any man's life! He who eats of the tree of life will find that the death realm will come to have no more dominion over him. And he who eats of the tree of death will discover that he becomes alienated from the life of God. Thus, both trees are in the center of man's life but both cannot be the center of his life! "For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die: but if ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (Rom. 8:13). And I have good news for you, my friend. CHRIST IS VICTOR! The tree of life shall win the battle! Life shall triumph over death! Sagittarius, the Archer, riding forth conquering and to conquer, wins the victory! Sagittarius is the center of our galaxy -- the all-conquering Redeemer! As it is written, "And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Rev. 21:4). This wonderful victory is wrought out right here within our earth -- in the deepest recesses of mind, will, emotion and desire. Christ comes in making war with every false image, smiting every lie and misrepresentation of His character, and conquering every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.

Long centuries ago the sweet singer of Israel penned these inspiring and prophetic words: "My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the King: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into Thy lips: therefore God hath blessed Thee for ever. And in Thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and Thy right hand shall teach Thee terrible things. Thine arrow's are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies; whereby the people fall under Thee. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of Thy Kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows. All Thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made Thee glad. King's daughters were among Thy honourable women: upon Thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir" (Ps. 45:1-9).

Commenting on this beautiful passage Joseph A. Seiss wrote: "These words are from one of the most glowing of the Psalms, in the writing of which David's heart boiled with goodly words. It is marked: 'To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah -- Maschil. A song of loves. The lily-instrument, the master-performer, and the whole body of singers were called into requisition for its rendering. As a sublime ode it was to be given with the sublimest skill, for it relates to the loveliest of heroes in the loveliest of His aspects, offices, and relations to His people. This hero is none other than the promised Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, in His royal majesty and glory subsequent to His resurrection, and as to be hereafter revealed. When on earth He was despised and rejected of men, but here He is celebrated as 'beautiful, beautiful, above the sons of man,' endowed with every grace and invested with all authority and power. When on earth He was meek and non-resistant, not breaking so much as a bruised reed; but here He is contemplated and addressed as a mounted warrior, riding as a king, armed with bow and arrows, shooting down His enemies. His character here is that of the Mighty One, girding Himself with honor and majesty, and going forth to victory. John, in his visions of the future, beheld 'a white horse; and He that sat on him had a bow; and He went forth conquering and to conquer.' It is the same divine Hero, in the same character, offices, and work, in both instances. He has a crown, a throne, and a cause -- which cause He enforces with invincible majesty. His former sufferings are now turned to aromatic perfumes upon Him. Out of the ivory palaces He is gladdened with the sound of a harp. And in glory and triumph He rides forth unto victory, hailed by the daughters of kings and worshipped by the queen at His right hand arrayed in the gold of Ophir. The picture is particularly magnificent. We cannot contemplate it without sharing the enthusiasm with which the inspired Psalmist sketched it. But the surprising thing is, that it is also in the Zodiac, and appears at full length in THE SIGN OF SAGITTARIUS! In this sign we have again the double-natured Seed of the virgin, the Son of God as the Son of man. The figure is that of a mighty warrior with bow and arrows, riding prosperously" -- end quote.

Let us now consider the more excellent glory of the King of kings and Lord of lords, whom God has ordained to subdue all things, to bring blessedness to all the earth, and reconciliation and transformation to every man who has lived, or ever will live. The fifth and sixth chapters of Revelation concern themselves with the almost incredible processes of God in Christ effecting this wondrous victory in the hearts and lives of men. Many years before this vision on Patmos John, the beloved, treading the dusty trails of Palestine, beheld in the life of his beloved Master the blazing glory of God in such spiritual warfare in an infinitely greater way than ever any man had experienced, overcoming the compounded powers of the world, the flesh, and the devil, triumphing over sin, death, and the grave. Satan dogged His path and the flesh shouted its claims, but He overcame both the devil and the flesh. At last He lay within the lonely precincts of the tomb, facing the last enemy, the greatest enemy -- death itself. There He met and mastered that enemy, demonstrating within the narrow tomb the awesome power of the Spirit of life over mortality and corruption. There were rock-ribbed walls in the way, and a great stone must be rolled away from the entrance to the tomb; but Jesus vanquished every obstacle and stepped forth from His gloomy resting-place, crowned with the glory of a sublime victory, an eternal triumph, opening up the way to life and immortality to all who are willing to follow Him into the power and glory of the Kingdom of God. Our Lord is a SPIRITUAL CONQUEROR!

Now on desolate Patmos wonderful visions pass before the rapt gaze of the lonely prophet. John, describing the unspeakable wonders he beheld, said, "And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, 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. 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 Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne. And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and He that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto Him: and He went forth conquering, and to conquer" (Rev. 5:1-7; 6:1-2).

The book of Revelation is first and foremost a SPIRITUAL BOOK. It is a book of spiritual realities communicated by means of signs and symbols. You will not read the fulfillment of its prophecies on the pages of Newsweek magazine, but you will see them manifest in the lives of men and women and in the great accomplishments of the Kingdom of God on earth. The Word of the Lord in its spiritual meaning does not describe for us the carnal warfare between nations. For what have wars between nations to do with the Kingdom of God? "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds..." (II Cor. 10:4). The battles beheld in spirit by the eagle-eyed seer of Patmos signify spiritual combats, combats between light and darkness, between spirit and flesh, between the carnal mind and the precious mind of Christ, between truth and error, between righteousness and evil, between life and death. A man must experience this combat within himself to become a spiritual conqueror and gain the crown of life. To many christians the book of Revelation is a hopeless puzzle, so they ignore it. Others consider it the agenda, in a code which they alone have solved, setting forth the dreadful events that will take place at the end of the world. There is a striking thing told us at the very outset of the book -- it is a REVELATION. And one of the reasons that the book of Revelation has been so misrepresented, mistaught and misunderstood is because men have thought that it was the unveiling of world events in the future. It is not the unveiling of events but the unveiling of a Person who has not yet been seen in all of His glory, beauty and majesty. He is like a statue that has a veil put over it, awaiting the day when the veil shall be removed and he shall be seen in all His fullness.

The very first statement in the book of Revelation is -- "The REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST." It is T-H-E REVELATION, not "revelations" plural, or a series of revelations. Everything in the book bespeaks of the unveiling of Jesus Christ. It is not "The Revelation of Saint John the Divine," as the Bible translators have erroneously titled it. It is the only book in the Bible of which we are told that it is a revelation. It is not that the other books do not contain the same revelatory characteristic; but our attention is specifically called to the fact that this is THE REVELATION of Jesus Christ. This is significant. Many Bible teachers believe that the book must be one of future earthly events that were to be unfolded, but it is my deepest conviction that this is not the case. The Revelation cannot be intended as a series of historical happenings because it is the revelation of a Person, God and man (the Centaur) -- Jesus Christ. After the Lord Jesus ascended into the heavens, He remained hidden behind the cloud that had received Him on the Mount of Olives. Now comes THE REVELATION to unveil Him. In this revelation the Christ is seen in the glory into which He has entered. Jesus Christ is the central figure of the whole vision that is unfolded. HE, not the future of Israel, or the destiny of empires, or the march of history, or the end of the world, dominates the book. The Revelation sets before us a glorious Person, with the veil removed from our eyes so that we may look upon Him. "Revelation" is the Greek word APOKALUPSIS. This word APOKALUPSIS is a derivative of APOKALUPTO. APOKALUPTO is a compound word composed of APO, meaning "off" or "away," and KALUPTO, meaning "to cover up." Thus, APOKALUPSIS means to take the cover off, to uncover, unveil, reveal or disclose. It implies the drawing away or removal of everything that veils or hides, and therefore it is always opposed to concealment or secrecy, as in the following passage: "There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed (uncovered)" (Mat. 10:26). From this we understand that all that pertains to this writing of John is to reveal, unveil, and uncover Jesus Christ -- all that has been hidden or obscured to our thinking, consciousness, understanding or experience is to be plainly grasped and made a glorious and eternal reality. As the scenes depicted in the book are experienced truly and spiritually within our lives, Jesus Christ will emerge within our consciousness and experience demonstrating in and through us the fullness of His love, character, wisdom, power and abilities. Paul wrote to the saints at Colosse that the mystery which had been hidden from generations and ages past was now to be made manifest to the saints, which is, CHRIST I-N Y-O-U THE HOPE OF GLORY. Understood as the revelation of Jesus Christ in and through His body, immediately the book is changed from a prophecy of cataclysmic and apocalyptic end-time events, to a progressive unfolding of the very life, victory and triumph of the Christ in His people and unto creation. Every scene within the book, of the woes, thunders, earthquakes, conflicts, vials, beasts, etc., in all of their sundry and various manifestations, are all to serve but one purpose, and contribute to but one end, namely, TO BRING FORTH THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST. And as this revelation comes to its magnificent conclusion, He shall stand revealed, uncovered and manifested to the utmost of the unbounded heavens in and through His own. "We don't know what we shall become in the future. We only know that, if reality were to break through, we should reflect His likeness, for we should see Him as He really is" (I Jn. 3:2, Phillips). Reality shall break through! And we shall be like Him! "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:13). Paul writes of "waiting for the coming (revelation) of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall confirm you unto the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Cor. 1:7-9). There is a grace that is brought to us by the revelation of our Lord, it is a grace which will climax all the processings and travail, and bring us into the ultimate realm of His glory -- the fullness of His abundant life. God is faithful! He will confirm us unto the end -- the full redemption of the purchased possession - complete salvation in spirit, soul and body -- the revelation of HIS LIFE!

The great Italian sculptor, Benvenuto Cellini, told of receiving a block of marble with one flaw. Because of this flaw, no artist would submit a design -- except one. In the public square of Florence a fence was built around that piece of marble, and a little shack was erected for the artist. For two years the sculptor labored. Then on a certain day a vast multitude of the citizens of Florence assembled in the public square; the fence was torn down, and the shack was taken away. At this unveiling all of Florence beheld the result and marveled. Since then, Italy and all the world has marveled at Michelangelo's "David". In that block of marble was a statue; others did not see it, but Michelangelo did. And, precious friend of mine, in the lump of clay which is you, the almighty Father sees an image too -- the image of Jesus Christ! And God is working unceasingly and tirelessly to form the image of His Son in you. No truth has come with more soul-gripping force and power to the elect of the Lord than the beautiful hope of sonship to God. Well indeed may we yield ourselves into the hands of heaven's skilled sculptor that HE may form His Son in us, for the mind of omniscience has ordained that that sonship should be the hope of all creation. It is for sonship that the whole creation groans in a sort of universal travail while it eagerly waits to see the glorious sight of God's sons coming into their own (Rom. 8:22-23). It is the Son in the sons -- the revelation of Jesus Christ! There is coming a day when all the glories of the Son of God will be revealed and manifested in the sons of God. With a heart of understanding and a spirit bright with the hope of God's eternal purpose the apostle penned these meaningful words, "...it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace, to REVEAL (apokalupta; unveil) HIS SON I-N M-E" (Gal. 1:15-16).

One can never understand correctly the book of Revelation if his eyes are engaged with some side issue. The unveiling of "the beast" and his "image" and his "mark" are side issues. That is, they are merely revealed as the result of the flooding light issuing forth from God's blessed Lamb. When Jesus Christ is revealed, in that true light of God, the brightness of His glory, the negative realm appears AS IT IS, for what it is, that it may be duly brought to judgment, dealt with and eradicated from our lives. The fiercest beast I have ever known in my life was the beast of old Adam's nature, the carnal mind, the seed of the serpent lurking within my own bosom. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? How I praise God with joy unspeakable and full of glory for the penetrating light of heaven's Lamb which uncovers the subtleness and deceitfulness of this wild beast raging within MY EARTH! Years ago we lived in Cuba; how well I remember the huge cockroaches that used to invade our home there. At night they marched right in from the outside like an invincible army. They came by the hundreds. In the night hours you had only to turn on the light and their presence was revealed. And as soon as the light shone upon them, revealing their intrusion, they would run for cover, fleeing like a discomfited troop. In like manner, it is not the uncovering of these dark and sinister forces in the book of Revelation that constitutes the revelation of Jesus Christ. Rather, it is the revelation, the unveiling of the blessed Lamb which penetrates our darkness and exposes all that is not of God, that it might be once and for all dethroned from mind, heart and action. As the daylight chases away the darkness -- in the very nature of things -- so the unveiling of Jesus Christ is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God destroying, removing, swallowing up the power of the negative realm in us. The daylight fills the world just as truly as the night darkness ever did. Even so, the light of God shall fill the world, even our world, and the world outside of us as truly as the darkness of sin, sorrow and death has done. Before it is all over, every creature in heaven, earth and hell shall have had a revelation of the Son of God.

Not only is this the Revelation of Jesus Christ, but of this Revelation the Seer of Patmos declares, "...and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John" (Rev. 1:1). The word "signified" could be read SIGN-I-FIED, for the Greek verb translated "signified" is the word from which the Greek noun "sign" comes. Signified means literally, "to give a sign, told in signs, to communicate by means of signs or symbols, indicating that the living message of this closing book of the Bible is set forth in sign language, or symbols. Signs have a very large place in the scriptures, as any concordance will show. And signs were divinely given to illuminate, reveal, disclose -- not to mystify or conceal. They were given to be studied, interpreted, and understood. The Revelation of Jesus Christ is set forth by many signs, and it has puzzled or baffled many; yet, as has been pointed out, the very title of the book shows that it is not a book of concealment but of revealing. The eye is quicker than the ear. And there is therefore no language so expressive as the language of symbols. The crowd will better catch your meaning by one apt symbol than by a thousand words. With few exceptions the symbolisms employed in the book of Revelation appear in the other books of the Bible; so it should not be too difficult to understand that the living realities this book is designed to convey sum up and bring to a climax in God's elect the many themes already traced throughout the Old and New Testaments.

You will understand a great truth when you understand that a sign is never the reality -- it merely points to the reality. The fact that the Revelation of Jesus Christ was communicated to John in the form of signs and symbols shows clearly that there is no "literalness" in the book. When you read of a candlestick it is not a literal lampstand of beaten gold, it stands for a reality, in this case the living church of Jesus Christ. When you read of a lamb it is not a four-legged lamb that is meant -- it is the Christ in His meek, redemptive, life-giving character. There are many symbols in this book; a dragon fights with rivers flooding from its mouth, and a seven-headed beast climbs out of a sea. When you read of mountains, an earthquake, a beast, horns, rivers, oceans, stars, sun, moon, heads, marks, horses, wars, floods, angels, books, etc., NONE OF THESE WILL EVER BE SEEN LITERALLY OR PHYSICALLY UPON THE EARTH OR IN HEAVEN ABOVE. These, with all the other signs in the book, are communications of SPIRITUAL REALITIES expressed in the form of symbols. Years a stranger in town was looking about as he walked down Main Street. Soon a gentleman accosted him and asked what he was looking for. "A Barber's Pole," came the reply. "Do you need support" he was asked. "No. I want the Barber Shop. I was looking merely for the sign. " It was not the Barber's Pole he sought - the Pole was but the symbol pointing to the reality -- the Barber Shop! Never forget as you read the book of Revelation -- the sign is never the reality! When it says an angel flew through heaven, you will never see the angel for he never flew and never will. He is a sign. The literalization of the book of Revelation has given rise to a number of popular myths. Some people believe that heaven literally has streets of gold and pearly gates; understanding not that the city is a people, the gates are an entrance to the Glory of God and the street of gold is a walking in the divine nature of God. Thank God for the REALITY! As the heavens are higher than the earth, so far does the reality transcend the symbol! Others view Armageddon as the final world war, perhaps a nuclear holocaust, to be fought by a conglomerate of nations in a small and insignificant area of the land of Israel called "the valley of Megiddo," a place where a lot of historical battles took place. "End of the world" stories have been circulating ever since there have been human beings on earth. "Tribulation," "AntiChrist," and "mark of the beast" theories have been spawned in practically every generation for the last two thousand years. None have ever come to pass. People like to be scared, and some like to scare others. Fear is one of the most powerful tools known to humanity, and has often been misused by religious leaders as by politicians. Notwithstanding its mysterious nature, the book was not written to frighten or bewilder its readers, for, not scared, but "Blessed (happy) is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy...for the time is at hand" (Rev. 1:3).

The book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ will never be plumbed by human intellect. One has asked, "Was there not a key sent with the book, and has this been lost: Was it thrown into the sea of Patmos or the Mediterranean?" "No" answers the Spirit of Truth. The key was sent along the book, and it has been allowed to lie rusty and unused, while all kinds of false keys and pick locks have been tried, and tried in vain, until men have come to look upon the book as an unintelligible enigma, only meant to puzzle and confuse. But the true key has all along been visible enough! And the attention of men has been loudly called to it. It is Christ who is giving the revelation. These things man can never know unless they are revealed. No human wisdom could foreknow these mysteries; no human mind could understand them. Furthermore, John was "in the Spirit" in the day of the Lord when he received the revelation. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia" (Rev. 1:10-11). So many are looking today in the natural for the events of scripture to come to pass, but John was in the Spirit when he wrote the book - he wasn't in the natural! He was in a realm beyond the natural, and beholding events in a realm beyond the natural. These things are written in a language that only the spiritual mind can understand. A natural mind produces a natural concept. It should be obvious that only a person who knows French is able to read a book from France written in French. A Frenchman is the most likely person in the world to understand the most difficult treatise in the French language. In like manner, the book of Revelation was written IN THE SPIRIT, in the language of the Spirit, and it requires a spiritual unfoldment to understand it. Only the man who lives and walks in the Spirit can receive from it. You must be a citizen of the land - the heavenlies -- where the language of the book is known. You must read and understand it in the language in which it is written. You must know the language of Spirit. We must be quickened by the spirit of wisdom and revelation from God for the message to be comprehended. A spiritual book must be spiritually discerned.

No word given to a prophet from the Lord by the Holy Spirit can be truthfully understood or interpreted unless the same spiritual understanding is given to the reader by the Holy Spirit that gave it originally to the prophet. You must have the ability to "hear what the Spirit saith," and it must be in the same anointing wherein it was spoken and written. The book of Revelation, like any other part of the scriptures and prophecies of the Holy Spirit, must be "spiritually" understood. The term "in the Spirit" is much more profound than it appears in our English translation. The Greek word means "to become, or became." What John relates here is that he became in Spirit. He received an entrance into a realm that was much deeper and more intense than his world of outer consciousness -- beyond the material realm. He came into the realm of heaven, and heaven is the omnipresent realm of Spirit. Heaven is the home of all celestial beings - not a geographical or astral location, but a dimension of life, being, reality and consciousness. The purpose of the Revelation is to reveal to us what takes place when one enters into the realm of the Spirit, to live and move and have his being in the Spirit. When we enter into this new realm we experience new things happening to us.

Many years ago Albert Hughes penned the following words of keen spiritual insight: "The vision will be understood only by the spiritual man. The natural man will meet with many difficulties as he seeks to know the book. No human intellect or natural ability will be sufficient. Only the spiritually discerning will ever discern. The book has a language all its own, a language fully foreign except to those whose conversation is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior. Only those in whose mind is the light of glory will ever understand these sublime symbols, this precious phraseology. Only in the Spirit is such triumph possible. Physically, John was in Patmos; spiritually, he was in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. That which John experienced at Patmos was something beyond his conversion. It was a new consciousness, a complete communion. He was in tune and in touch with the infinite so that it was with the most perfect ease that God revealed His plans. Just because you have never had such an experience as this you have not the right to criticize some one who has had it. How can a Judas judge a woman who breaks an alabaster box? Let us not criticize Isaiah and Ezekiel and Jeremiah and Paul and John unless we have had something better than they have had. If you have never yet realized the highest passion of the Spirit, have common sense enough not to judge those who have. When Isaiah catches that vision of the Lord high and lifted up, when he sees the posts of the door move and the whole house of God filled with the cloud of His glory, who am I to say I do not believe it? When Paul's friend is lifted up into the third heaven and sees things that his tongue cannot describe, who am I to say he is in a trance? When John the beloved tells me that he saw this vision of the exalted Savior because he was in the Spirit, who am I to deny it? But to receive such, you must be in the Spirit.

"John was a translated man, a transformed man. Only the Spirit can do this. When this takes place in any life, we hear and see things not possible at any other time. John was told to write what he heard and saw, a most difficult task indeed. And to get others to believe you when you do write, is even more difficult. For nearly two thousand years, men have been disputing concerning what John wrote. How can men who have never seen and heard, judge the writings or the discourses of those who by the Spirit have both seen and heard? It is a mystery certainly, but not a mystery which cannot be understood. It is a revealed mystery, revealed to those who have been enlightened. This mystery can never be known by the natural man, with all his natural powers, but it is a mystery which is blessed to those whose minds and hearts have been touched by the Divine Spirit. May that Spirit who makes all revelation understood, come to us (in consciousness) and make plain this Word, this Voice, this Vision, this Personality. May we meet with him who was dead, but is alive again, until He makes us glad with the joy of His countenance, until our faces are lighted with the light of His eternal glory, until our hearts burn within us with the fullness of His reality, leading us ever onward and upward until we see Him face to face, and become like Him by seeing Him even as He is" -- end quote.

The fifth chapter of the book of Revelation represents a scene in heaven -- the realm of Spirit. A book is held in the right hand of the Majesty on high, in the hand of Him who sits upon the throne of Omnipotence. The scene is purely spiritual. God is omnipresent Spirit. God never sat on a throne. He never held a book in His right hand. His throne is the dimension of His omnipotent power. The book is the symbol of the revelation of Himself in and through a people. The book was not a book as we know books, but a scroll of papyrus or parchment, written on both sides, rolled up and sealed with seven seals. No one has been able to open the book or even look upon it, signifying that none were able to DISCERN that which was written therein. John, who has been watching the transcendent scene, has been moved to tears because no one has been able to take the book or break the seals; but presently the Lamb comes to the great throne-sitter and takes the book out of His hand. Immediately all heaven breaks forth into song, and the voices cry: "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; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth" (Rev. 5:9-10). It is a song of triumph, proclaiming that the rule, the reign and glory of redemption and the Kingdom of God is come; that a people has been redeemed to manifest His power and His life on the earth. This book has to do with redemption and the manifestation of the power of the Kingdom of God.

The scene is rooted in the old Hebrew custom regarding the purchase of property. When property was purchased the deed to the new owner was made out in duplicate, an open copy and a sealed copy. The open copy was clearly for public information, open to all; the sealed copy as clearly belonged only to the owner of the property as his evidence of ownership. If a new heir came to take possession of an estate, or in case of a dispute over ownership, the claimant who was adjudged the rightful heir or owner would be given the possession of the sealed roll, or deed. And, as so attested by the judge, he only would be properly qualified to "take" the sealed roll, break the seal, read its contents, and formally take possession of the property. Now it is under the symbolism of this old bit of Hebrew custom that our Lord Jesus is here represented as stepping forward to take possession of the purchased possession and begin His reign over it. A Hebrew, immersed in the old primitive customs prevailing among his people in the land of Israel, would understand this allusion at once. The language used by the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders in the song of praise when Jesus takes the scroll reveals the nature of the scroll. "Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain and hast redeemed (purchased) us by Thy blood..." Jesus purchased these kings and priests unto God and is now taking possession of His purchased possession! It speaks of the internal processes of redemption, and the substance and value of our redemption.

Such a book was written, subscribed, sealed and rolled when Jeremiah purchased a plot of ground in Anathoth of Hanameel, the son of Shallum, his uncle. He says, "And I bought the field that was in Anathoth of Hanameel my uncle's son, and weighed him the money, seventeen shekels of silver. And I signed the deed and sealed it, and called witnesses, and weighed him the money on scales. So I took the deed of the purchase, both that which was sealed, containing the terms and conditions, and the copy which was unsealed, and I gave the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, in the sight of Hanameel my uncle's son and the witnesses who signed the purchase deed, in the presence of all the Jews who sat in the court of the guard. And I charged Baruch before them, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed, and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware vessel, that they may last a long time (this was just prior to the Babylonian exile). For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall be purchased yet again in this land" Jer. 32:9-15). This deed was a book similar to the seven-sealed book taken by the hand of the Lamb from the hand of the throne-sitter. It is the "evidence of purchase." It is the "book of purchase." It is the title deed of HIS inheritance in the saints! It is the value of our redemption! It is the substance of our inheritance! Truly, O Lord Jesus, "Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou hast redeemed us..." "Redeemed!" That signifies an ownership by "purchase." He could take the book because He was the purchaser. The book was the evidence of His purchase, the book of His purchase. As the celestial choir announces that He has purchased them by His blood; that He has made them a KINGDOM OF PRIESTS, and that they will reign on the earth as the result of His taking and opening the book, then, evidently, the book being the evidence of His purchase, is THE TITLE DEED TO HIS KINGDOM.

It is the book which unfolds for us and in us and through us everything that pertains to our inheritance in Christ. It is the revelation of the spirit-- the spirit of wisdom and revelation from God. It is the spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony of Jesus. The breaking of the seals is the solemn and judicial way in which the Lamb nature establishes His rule and reign in those who have been purchased. It is the processing of God whereby the life of the Lamb is uncovered and unfolded within us. This is a book within a book. Literally, in the book of Revelation the seven-sealed book is a book within the book John wrote of his visions. However, spiritually this means that John was brought to the place where he could see the intention of God written in the nature of a people. There are seven seals upon this book. The number seven denotes that contained in this book (Spirit) is the totality of God's character and the complete revelation of His will and purpose. As these seals are loosed in God's people they begin to experience the fullness of all that God is. There has never been an expression of God at this level in the earth at any time except in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, for it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell. But now there is a people, His body, the completion of Him, that has been sealed unto the day of redemption and when God has loosed in them all the seals there will be brought forth in the earth a many membered expression of God at the same level of God's fullness. You will know Him no longer by measure, you will see Him no more through a glass darkly, or as a reality beyond and outside of yourself. He will no longer be a mental image, a good feeling, an ideal, a philosophy or doctrine. You will know Him even as you are known by Him and will see Him face to face.

A remarkable prophecy was given by a saint of God in the year 1619. A portion of this prophecy confirms the truth I now share. It says, "There shall be a full redemption of Christ. This is a hidden mystery not to be revealed or understood without the revelation of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is at hand to reveal the same unto all holy seekers and loving enquirers. The completion of such redemption is withheld and abstracted by the seals of Revelation. Wherefore; as the Spirit of God shall open seal after seal, so shall this redemption come to be revealed, both particularly and universally. In the gradual opening of the mystery of redemption in Christ, does consist the unsearchable wisdom of God, which will continually reveal new and fresh things to the worthy seeker. The unsealing of the living testimony (perfected remnant of Believers, the manchild, the literal sons of God's people), along with the ark of God (Jesus Christ), must begin the promulgation of the everlasting Gospel of the Kingdom" -- end quote.

"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. 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 Judah...hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof" (Rev. 5:2-5). John said no man was found WORTHY to open the book. He knew he was not worthy himself, and he looked for someone to come up who was worthy. Would not Joseph, Moses, Samuel, or Elijah come? Nay, neither patriarch, priest, nor prophet was worthy; not Peter, nor Paul, nor himself. John says, "I wept much."

"Worthy" is from the Greek word AXIOS. In his inspired and inimitable way Ray Prinzing has shared on this thought: "We pause to note the word 'worthy,' being the Greek word AXIOS. While the word means: to be deserving, to merit, there is a depth contained in this expression, and some Bible Scholars give it to mean: worthy by rank, by character, by ability, by action. Certainly Christ's merits were equal to the honor, and His abilities to the task. His character was without blemish and without spot. His rank was as the very Son of God. And all that He did now causes us to bow before Him, and sing, 'Thou art worthy!' John beheld the book in the right hand of Him who sat upon the throne -- full well he knew what that document was -- evidence of an inheritance lost, and yet with a promise of redemption. Perhaps he waited with bated breath for one to come and open the book -- fulfill its requirements, and bring forth the promised redemption. And NO MAN was found -- not even among the saints who 'by faith' were among 'the spirits of just men made perfect (Heb. 12:23). None found in heaven, and certainly none found on earth. From the time when Adam and Eve had sewed their fig leaves together for a covering, man has consistently tried to work out his own redemption, and utterly failed. Through all his self-righteous efforts he has proven over and over again the utter futility of man to regain his lost inheritance. There are no 'do-it-your-self' works which will avail. Once any man has lost his first estate of innocence and purity, he cannot redeem himself back into that estate again. But when none was found worthy to open the book, his emotions could be held in restraint no longer, and he wept much. If none was found worthy, then the promise of the prophets, the hope of all the saints, yea, of all creation was dashed to despair. Failure at this point, and people would remain in corruption, forever subject to the tyranny of change and decay. This was a crucial moment! As goes the words of the beautiful Christmas Carol: 'The hopes and fears of all the the years are met in thee...' Faith that held mankind through his trials would be meaningless. The Word which had sustained them through deep processings would become as a fable. Redemption was the only answer, and if there be none to redeem, what then? So John went on weeping" -- end quote.

Who is worthy? In the natural there is none worthy. But when you begin to look into the Spirit you see that there is One that is worthy. The One who has prevailed to open the book is the Lion of the tribe of Judah - that signifies Jesus Christ in strength and victory. This Lion is a slain Lamb -- for He conquers not by brute force but by the power of His poured out life. The wonder of it is that THIS LION-LAMB IS WITHIN US! The worthy One is within! When you begin laying hold upon the One within you, the One within you begins unsealing the book within. Out of that unsealing comes the triumph of the Christ in every dimension of our lives. He makes war against every false and fleshly thing that there might be the revelation of Jesus Christ in us. There will be the expression of what is true in us (the Christ within) coming forth into manifestation in our outer realm. It is not a nature that ignores the corruption of our outer man -- it is a nature capable of dealing with the corruption of that outer man that the Spirit be revealed. Oh that our eyes might be opened to behold HIM! HE is worthy to open the book, to fulfill in Himself all the requirements, and now to fulfill IN US all the reality of our redemption. It is the Christ within who opens the seals, and it is the Christ within who is the book revealed. In absolute power He shall reign until the Christ is fully and forever formed in us, formed from the inner to the outer -- the image of God.

All through the Old Testament we find that God was looking for a man to carry out His purposes. But when we read Revelation chapter five we find that no man on earth was able to open the book sealed with seven seals. I can understand that no man on earth was found able. Those of us who are living way beneath our privileges in the realm of the earthlies are not worthy, nor capable. I can also understand that no man under the earth, those living in the underworld in the sensual, carnal, devilish realm, was found able. But then it goes on to say: No man in heaven. No man living even in the heavenlies, that place of exaltation, triumph and power, seated with Christ in the heavenly places, was found able, not only to open the book, but even to look thereon. In these days of transition from the church to the Kingdom the full expression of His redemption must be made manifest in a people and it begins with the opening of the seven sealed book, written within and on the backside -- and HE ALONE CAN OPEN IT! Beware, my beloved, of any man or ministry who tries to lead you to believe that he alone has the message of the hour, that he alone possesses insight into the sacred secrets of God, that he alone has the keys to life and immortality, and if you grab on to his coat-tail he will usher you into the Kingdom. God's people are always looking for a man, perhaps we have felt that if God could find a man who would be totally committed to Him and to Truth, His purposes in the earth could be fulfilled. But no matter how dedicated, committed, filled with truth and revelation, capable and heavenly minded a man may be, no matter what spiritual progress or position or growth a man may have, when it comes to the unveiling of Jesus Christ in the breaking of the seals which releases the forces that will eventually bring about the full expression of life and glory and power -- NO MAN WAS FOUND WORTHY, NAY, NOT EVEN ANY MAN I-N H-E-A-V-E-N! This is a word that needs to be heard by many who are pressing into the Kingdom in this hour.

As we move into these significant days of the transition of ages and nothing much seems to happen, we start blaming ourselves, or our teachers, or the prophets, and we ask, "Where is this greater manifestation of the Spirit, this coming expression of the Kingdom?" We are not speaking here about healing some sick and casting out some devils which in times past we have called revival. These things take place all the time, but by and large the world does not even know they are happening. That is not what the Day of the Lord is to bring forth: a little moving over here and a little stirring over there, but THE RELEASE OF THE FULLNESS OF THE LIFE AND NATURE AND WISDOM AND POWER AND GLORY OF GOD OVER ALL THE EARTH. This is the unveiling of the triumphant One, who by His death, resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father has prevailed. He is the only one worthy and able and willing in these last days to open the seals and to bring about the purposes of God, the release and sending forth into all the earth of the seven eyes of the Lord that run to and fro in all the earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are perfect towards Him, or the seven horns of the power of the Lord that go forth to triumph and prevail over all the powers of darkness, or the seven lamps of fire that are to go and bring the glory of God to fill the whole earth even as the waters cover the sea. Let us forget about preachers, the people, our abilities, the gifts, and let us look UNTO JESUS. I believe it is God's purpose that the whole church of Jesus Christ will fasten its eyes on HIM and see HIM as the only One who is able in this day in which we are living. There was a day when a man could arise and be used of God, but in the book of Revelation it is the Lamb who is used. He must be the central One, releasing the fullness of the Spirit of God in all His majesty and power from within. Throughout the book of Revelation the work of the Holy Spirit is to show us our total dependence upon the person of Jesus Christ.

Oh! may Jesus Christ find a new centrality In us. Many have Him in some corner of their life, but not central in their devotion, in their prayer life, in their business, their appetites, their finances. We may be able to get away with it for some time, but when we go to seek Him, He will not be there. He is pushed away into other areas of our life, off-center, and when we start looking for Him we cannot find Him, for He is buried beneath all the clutter of our outer life and mortal consciousness. The only place to find Jesus Christ is in the center of our life, our desires, our hopes. If He is not in the center, we will have a problem. He must be in the midst of the golden candlesticks. "Cry out and shout thou inhabitants of Zion, for great is the Holy One in the midst of thee" (Isa. 12:6). Truly He is in the midst of the elders (the priesthood), and in the midst of the four living creatures (the kings), and in the midst of the throne (authority and power). We may have our eyes on the elders and their bright shining and their ministry, or on the living creatures and their power and glory, and fail to see that in the midst of all Jesus Christ is the CENTER. It is at His initiative that the seven seals are broken. It is at His initiative that the seven spirits of God are sent forth into all the earth. It is at His initiative that the events of these days take place. It does not rest with us. It is not our action upon Him, but His action in and through us that brings His unveiling and the glory that is to follow!

Even though we are kings and priests and have an authority to reign on the earth, we are not worthy to open the book, neither to look thereon. Recently I felt a deep cry in my spirit and I said to God, "There is nothing more that can be done. I know of no prayer that can be prayed, no faith that can be exercised, no knowledge that can be revealed, no action that can be taken to bring forth this sonship, this is as far as we can go." There comes a time when our pressing into the Kingdom does no good. There is no one in heaven, nor on the earth, nor in the underworld that has the ability to even look upon the book, much less to open it. Here is a realm that is shut up to God Himself. It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The fullness, the life, the immortality, the manifestation of power and wisdom and glory will never come until we first see the One who possesses it, until Jesus Christ is revealed by the Spirit as the One who is triumphant, even as the slain Lamb, the One who is central in the purposes of God and the One who has the seven horns, the seven eyes, and the seven spirits. Some "sonship" preachers and teachers apply every scripture and revelation to the many-membered body, ignoring completely the Head. But our Lord Jesus Christ is the rightful One to look upon, the One who is worthy to look upon, to open the book, to loose the seals, and to receive all the honor and glory and praise. "Thou art worthy!"

The legendary Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are, to most minds, one of the Bible's greatest riddles. Nearly two thousand years ago the apostle John first recorded the details of their grim ride, and ever since scholars and ordinary believers alike have wondered what they represent. Much has been written concerning the Four Horsemen, much of it misapplied to struggles between nations and would-be world conquerors, or to the horrors of tribulation under the antichrist. Actually, however, the book of Revelation is not concerned with worldly kingdoms and empires except as they become linked with the affairs of God's people. The book of Daniel, written under the Old Covenant, addressed to a natural people living in a natural land, ruled by natural laws, with a natural worship by rituals and ceremonies, is therefore a natural book dealing with natural events -- the rise and fall of empires, rulers, wars, etc. The book of Daniel was not a revelation or revealing. It was a SEALED BOOK. "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book even unto the time of the end" (Dan. 2:4). The book of Revelation, contrary to common thought, is not the sequel to the book of Daniel, nor is it a parallel revelation. In fact, it has almost nothing in common with the book of Daniel. The book of Revelation was written under the New Covenant, the Covenant of the Spirit, and is therefore a spiritual book, addressed to spiritual people, born of the heavenly Jerusalem, who live and walk "in the Spirit." The book of Revelation is not, nor has it ever been a SEALED BOOK. "And He saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand" (Rev. 22:10). The book of Revelation is, therefore, a SPIRITUAL REVELATION, even the revelation of Jesus Christ. "Thus, the Four Horsemen and the Four Horses represent, like the figures in the rest of the book, aspects of the on-going revelation of Jesus Christ in and through His body. These are spiritual realities, touched and known only "in the Spirit."

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are among the most significant of the great symbols in the Word of God because they give the key to the processings of God within us. When you have grasped their full significance, by understanding how the scriptures speak of horses, in order to teach spiritual truth, you will have gained an appreciation of Bible symbolism. The Bible is not written in the style of an ordinary book. It has a method all its own of conveying spiritual realities through picturesque symbols, which is the language of SPIRIT communicated to the mind of man, wisdom expressed in terms comprehensible by people in all ages in different parts of the world and of different degrees of spiritual developments.

The symbol of horsemen is a strange one to the Western mind. We associate horses with useful labor and sport, but the Eastern mind associated the horse and his rider with war. The horse is without equal for beauty in the animal kingdom. His body is alive with rippling muscles. His mane and tail are items of extreme beauty. The horse is among the most intelligent of animals and few creatures can equal his strength and swiftness. No animal is of greater service to mankind. For pleasure, for work, and for war the horse exceeds them all. In Bible days the strength of armies was often reckoned by the number and greatness of their horses and chariots. In his prophetical account of the army of the Lord, Joel declares, "the appearance of them is as the appearance of HORSES; AND AS HORSEMEN, so shall they run" (Joel 2:4). "The horse is prepared against the day of battle" (Prov. 21:31). It is significant that in the scriptures you do not find horses mentioned in connection with agricultural purposes, but for riding or drawing chariots, and for use in battle.

It is significant to note that the term "redemption" means in the Greek "loosing." We are now entering the day of loosing (redemption) and our spirit joined to the Lord's Spirit is beginning to express more of His life than ever before. The only hindrance is the dominion of the soul -- our own will, mind, emotion and desire. In order for Christ to be fully revealed in us, these negative attributes of the carnal nature must be effectively dealt with. Before the One who has purchased us for the base of His operation can take full possession of His inheritance in us there must be the dispossession of all that hinders the expression of the Spirit. Just as the children of Israel were commanded to destroy the inhabitants of Canaan -- those occupying the land belonging to another -- so must the giants that possess our land be conquered and driven out. This, dear ones, IS THE MINISTRY OF THE FOUR HORSEMEN! The events surrounding these four horsemen all portray conflict, war and destruction. The Four Horses are war horses -- and are sent forth into our earth to dispossess the usurper -- the carnal mind, the will of the flesh, the desires of the flesh, the emotions of the flesh and the works of the flesh. It is the taking possession of our earth by the Christ of God. There is an application to the outer world, and universally but all that transpires out there must first take place WITHIN US, His firstfruits. This is the opening event in heaven.

The Four Horses and their Riders present a picture of God's dealings, strippings, purgings, prunings, and processings by which we are reduced to God. Swift, powerful, irresistible ruin is visited on our outer world of illusion, and our inner heart of deceit. As the seals of the revelation of Himself are opened, we note that what comes forth represents that which is within us -- the power of life symbolized as horses. These are symbols of great strength, power and overcoming (Zech. 10:3; Joel 2:1-6; Rev. 19:11-14). "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." These things begin to happen when we discover the book within, when we lay hold upon the Spirit realm; then there will follow an unsealing of those seals that have been closed so long, and as the seals are broken there is an unfoldment of the triumphant nature of the Christ within. As the outer dimension of our life is stripped away, the inner vitality of the Christ emerges into view. HE becomes revealed! This is God's intention -- not to rapture us away to some far off heaven somewhere, but to unseal the book of life within us, for we have this treasure in an earthen vessel and this earthen vessel has veiled the reality of what lies within -- the fullness of God in the Christ within!

As the Father opens His Book of Life -- which Book we are-- He is actually sending forth the Spirit of His Word in a triumphant outflowing which will not cease till every valley has been filled and every hill has been made level, till our heavens and our earth have been purged from every stain of pollution and every heart beats in union with the heart of God. This is the Centaur, the horse and his rider in the heavens armed with a bow, SAGITTARIUS sending his arrows into the heart of the Scorpion. This is CHRIST THE CONQUEROR! I believe it, and may God hasten it to us all in Jesus' name...Amen!