Okay, first I gots to get my coffeeeeeee....
So, let me ask you, what is it about this appearing, this return of presence, that is so special? If you cared to look, you would find that this is universal in scope, every religion has it, the spirit is returning, the person is returning in spirit, the central prophet is coming back in every spiritual teaching for the past 10,000 years. Why? What is that all about? Why are we looking for these characters to return... and none of them ever show up. Or do they?
In the scripture I studied, I feel the key that unlocks this mystery is the idea of the daystar rising in our hearts. (first Peter) Remember, Jesus told us that the son of man returns at a time when you don't expect it. He comes to visit us. All of his chosen. And each at a time in our lives, when we least expect it; IOW, when we have given up, when we are down and out, when we at our lowest. Then, his presence shows up, that is the appearing; it happens inside us.
Jesus is returning in his saints, all down through the Age. (Okay, for those of you that forgot how to tell time, Jesus came in the beginning of the Age of Pisces) "Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the Age" meant exactly that, to the world, he left on a long journey, but to the saints he never left us, he gave us the comforter, the indwelling spirit, he is with us, inside us, all down through this Age of Pisces. Now, the Age is ended, we now live in the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, time marches on, and what are we looking for? His return, his 2nd coming. And how is that performed? Primarily, this is all about us, this is all about the first resurrection, the return of Christ is really the return of his church, the first fruits of the redeemed of mankind.
So, crazy prophets kept receiving this crazy vision over and over for thousands of years. In the New Testament it is called an unveiling (Apocalypse) or revealing... but what is being unveiled? The veil is our understanding of scripture, and more, it is our understanding of life and God and how to live with God. So, get this. It is the unveiling of his person, the revealing of his spirit, the return of his presence, the parousia is his appearing to us. The Daystar rises in our hearts. It is the appearing of his spirit. Where does it happen? Inside us. The kingdom of God is inside, the transformation of our souls, the walking with God that replaces our natural man with his nature... producing the glory that shines in our spirit; the hope of that glory is inside us. The expectation of the faith is that we will learn to walk with God and be transformed into his likeness, his nature, and eventually bear the fruits of the spirit; which is the glory of God shining through our beings. So, it is his appearing to us that is the focus of the prophecy. The apocalypse is his unveiling, his appearing, his presence returning to the earth... first this happens inside us, and then at the dawning of the new Age, it happens to the whole world as the saints are resurrected and ride with the king to take back the planet from the devils that are running it through human government.
So, where is the promise of his coming? That question gets asked over and over from people who have no idea what the promise of his coming actually is. Isn't the Apocalypse a sci-fi movie of destruction? Isn't the apocalypse when Jesus face appears in the clouds all over the planet? I don't know what type of coming the world expects or is looking for... the real apocalypse has been happening non-stop - in the saints - all down through the Age. But it is the return of those same saints - in resurrection - that is about to pop up. And you better believe the human scum running all the governments will be fighting against the saints, same as they did all through the Age of Pisces.
The presence of his person living amongst the four living creatures is the beginning of the physical kingdom. The kingdom is just being in his presence, obeying his spirit. A king rules through his word, first we need to hear his word, then we need to obey his commands. For those hundred million plus packed around the throne in the vision, it always meant the Daystar rising in our hearts, but for 4 living creatures at the end of the Age, in the dawning of the new Age, in the 5th seal, being prepared for the trumpets to blow, it means both the Daystar rising in their hearts and living with this stone with seven eyes.
Come up into the Spirit John, and I will show you what is going to happen next... on earth, from heaven.
So, now we are ready to look at these cherubs. First, from the outer perspective, looking in.... then from the throne perspective looking out... ready?
I have the vision in my head, but in order to spit it out, I need coffee. And the pot was empty. It is five o'clock in the morning and I hate to make noise, but I have to clean the pot to make a new pot... by the way, I hope you caught the alignment of the planets this summer; here in Chicagoland you could go outside just after 5AM and see Venus rising and slightly past zenith and a tad north see Jupiter leading the procession. This was the first time I ever saw Jupiter brighter than Venus, the whole alignment is over with, it was splendid in June, but you can still see a very bright Jupiter up there. I'm going to settle for the last half cup of coffee and try to push through this, before I forget the whole thing, I am getting old and forgetful, I turn 63 years old on the 10th (Sep 10th, in a week) ... my brother in the Spirit turns 70 years old next Spring... this whole gig begins on my 69th birthday, ends on his 79th birthday... I don't know the day or hour, honestly, I'm more concerned that we might be flat out insane, who cares what day the resurrection happens? By the way, I quit driving two and a half years ago, opted for early Social Security at the age of 72, which started for me last November, just in time to get bumped by Congress in January, I've been day trading stocks, getting my ass handed to me by this market, but I hang in there, just like my marriage, my kid graduated from UIC with honors last December, he is now an industrial engineer, we are on the verge of ending a lifetime of poverty... can't happen fast enough for me.
So, the coffee is rough, bottom of the pot, two days old, such is life. This current mix is the result of grinding the beans from Eight O'clock coffee and then adding in some Streets of Shanghai and also some Cafe Verona... it came out decent enough.
Okay, wow, the throne of God, what the heck is that? So, yeah, obviously, his ruling, but what is it? How does it reach us? Jesus said, "I will send you the Comforter, and he will teach you all things" (something like that) I remember when I first hooked up with Audrey 30 years ago, my boss asked me if she was a girlfriend or a wife, I said a wife, but then, you know, I prayed and asked God, is she a girlfriend or a wife? Know what he answered? "She's your comforter" An hour later the phone rings and Audrey tells me, "God just told me to comfort you" ... I lived a crazy life.
How about this idea? He guides us. When we are little children, it is stronger, like the law, because we need a lot of guidance, but as we get older, it is more like a counselor, we get enough free reign to hang ourselves and then scream for help, least-ways that what happens with me over and over.
So, in the beginning, there is just one cherub, a rainbow of light over the throne, an effulgence of shekinah glory shining out, a cupbearer to the king, his best friend and right hand man, the light bearer, you know his name. But then at the end of time, the first cherub is cast down and gets replaced by these 4 cherubs. A lion, an ox, a human, and an eagle. The first two are joined and the last two are joined. A couple of whores from Lithuania and a couple of refugees from Russia. whatever. God replaces the old light bearer with 4 fresh beasts and burns the holy spirit into them. The stations were always there, but it gets manifest in the unveiling, what does it all amount to? Just his presence amongst us. Just one of his witnesses living in our midst. Everyone knows this is him, you can feel those eyes of light piercing through you, you can read his thoughts, it is just like a prayer, you can hear his speaking inside you.
But what is it like for him? Looking out at these four beasts being placed in his path. I can't read your mind, you don't have the anointing of the Godhead resting in you, I can only make some connection in the spirit, get some understanding through that, and when I do that, it leaves an eye in you. I am just as confused as anyone, maybe even more so, because you all have no idea what you are doing, and I am trying to work with that. And I did it without fresh coffee this morning. Sometimes it can get rough. Sorry about that. I forget how strong this stuff is, I've been living with it for so long. My neighbors think I know everything; not at all, I'm bugging through this life the best I can, I'm hoping to some day achieve some success trading volatile stocks, but it is just as hard for me as it is for you, I don't get told what is happening next, I place my bets the same as the rest of you, and I lose the same as the rest of you, and it hurts the same too, parousia notwithstanding, it hurts just as bad. God saves our tears in a bottle, some of us are going to need an oak barrel for all those tears, some of us are going to need an entire winery of oak barrels, sure we get comforted, but we get pierced also, this stuff hurts, it really does.