Today’s Reading: Ezek 12:1–13:23, Rev 3:14–4:11, Job 33:19–28
Today’s Theme: Created by God’s will
Today’s theme is, created by God’s will. We see God as sovereign in creation and over creation. In Revelation, we explore a verse which describes Jesus as the beginning of God’s creation and see that it points to Him as the eternal, uncreated Creator.
Ezekiel 12:1–13:23
Don’t walk in rebellion
“Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house.(Ezekiel 12:2, ESV)
We will remain spiritually blind and deaf as long as we walk in rebellion.
Visual aids
As for you, son of man, prepare for yourself an exile’s baggage, and go into exile by day in their sight. You shall go like an exile from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house.(Ezekiel 12:3, ESV)
God uses visual representations to help His people understand.
God disperses and gathers in
And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries.(Ezekiel 12:15, ESV)
God is known in the dispersal as well as the ingathering.
God acts on His word… So pray the word
They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘Declares the Lord,’ when the Lord has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfil their word.(Ezekiel 13:6, ESV)
We must not “Decree and Declare” what God has not expressly told us and expect Him to act on our words, He will act on His own words.
Revelation 3:14–4:11
Jesus, The beginning of God’s Creation?
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.(Revelation 3:14, ESV)
Cults like the Watchtower Society use verses like this to say that Jesus is only a created being and is therefore just a highly exalted angel like Michael, and not God.
However, faithful exposition of this phrase, the wider passage and the full discourse of scripture, will give us true context. There are at least three senses that Jesus is pointing to here.
- Jesus is one who began God’s creation, as mentioned in John 1:1-3.
- The statement signifies Jesus’ rule over all creation, in the context that the firstborn was the one who would inherit everything.
- Jesus had inaugurated the new creation with His resurrection from the dead.
A promise for overcomers
The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.(Revelation 3:21, ESV)
A great promise for overcoming.
No democracy in heaven
once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.(Revelation 4:2, ESV)
God alone is seated on the throne, heaven is not a democracy. God reigns as King.
The world, created by God’s will
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”(Revelation 4:11, ESV)
Heaven is a place of Worship, where God is worshipped in His glory.
The world was not created by evolution, but by the will of God.
Job 33:19–28
Jesus our mediator
If there be for him an angel, a mediator, one of the thousand, to declare to man what is right for him,(Job 33:23, ESV)
Thank God that Jesus is our mediator.
Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.
Additional resources
The Gospel Coalition on Revelation 3 and Revelation 4