WHAT IS THE "SECOND DEATH".... 

The book of Revelation is a spiritual book only to be understood by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.... He that has a spiritual ear.... let him hear what the Spirit is saying unto the Church. The Book of Revelation is communicated unto us by spiritual signs and symbols.  

In the introduction to this marvelous book the beloved John explains..... Rev 1:1.... The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John.... The word "signified" is from the Greek SEMAINO..... meaning to indicate or communicate by means of spiritual signs and symbols. The meanings of all the symbols of the Revelation are given, either in the book of Revelation itself, or elsewhere in the Scriptures.  

The first things John beheld when IN THE SPIRIT.... was One like unto the Son of man, standing in the midst of seven golden candlesticks, holding seven stars in His right hand. The One like unto the Son of man is identified as the resurrected and glorified LORD JESUS HIMSELF.... for this One says, "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: I am He that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore" (Rev. 1:10, 17-18). The other symbols of that first vision are interpreted as follows:..... The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels (messengers) of the seven Churches: and the seven candlesticks which you saw are the seven Churches.... (Rev. 1:20).

Children in school learn what we call definitions. A definition is an explanatory statement which tells us exactly what a certain thing is....what it means..... as "an island is a tract of land completely surrounded by water." God also gives us definitions in His Word. He tells us exactly what certain things are. And in the Scripture just quoted He has told us exactly what the seven stars and the seven candlesticks are. Those are God's definitions. 

And in Rev. 20:14 God tells us exactly what the SECOND DEATH is. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. THIS IS THE SECOND DEATH. Now let me make this a little plainer. Definitions of men can be given backward. For instance, the definition, "An island is a tract of land completely surrounded by water," can also be given thus: "A tract of land completely surrounded by water is an island." This is but another way of stating the same fact. It does not, in any way, change the meaning.  

Now let us use the same principle concerning the definition of the SECOND DEATH. The Bible states it thus..... Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. "THIS IS" the second death. Now let us turn this around for clarity AND true understanding. The second death..... IS death and hell cast into the lake of fire. Therefore we have exactly the same meaning either way it is stated. What is the second death? It is the first death and hell cast into the lake of fire! This truth and reality is very IMPORTANT. The second death is not merely the lake of fire. The second death is not men being tortured for ever in the lake of fire. The Holy Spirit has made it very simple and plain. The second death is the first death and hell CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE. That is the Holy Spirit's definition, not mine.  

So we see.... the first death is a spiritual death.... a spiritual state of being.... being spiritually dead in trespasses and sins.... and hell being the realm of the unseen dead.... so we have a spiritual condition and state of being... and also a realm of the spiritually dead... being cast into the LAKE OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE.... 

Well what is the LAKE OF FIRE.... it is better asked.... who is the LAKE OF FIRE.... Do we know our God is a consuming fire... HERE IT IS.... Deu 4:24.... For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. Therefore we know by nature our God is like a LAKE OF PURIFING WATER..... a fiery Lake of purification and cleansing is our God. Thus the spiritual state of death and the spiritual realm of the dead must be cast into the HOLY LAKE OF OUR GOD'S FIERY NATURE.... thus consuming by holy firey words the death and hell of this world.... for all things must be tried.... BY HOLY FIRE.... all things must be dealt with by our holy consuming God....   

Now we can truly say.... HERE IT IS... Rev 21:4.... And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; 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. How can we say "AND THERE SHALL BE NO MORE DEATH.... because ... the first death and hell have been cast into the LAKE OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE.... Thus the holy presence of our God has consumed.... death... hell and the grave.... Now we can declare.... 1Co 15:55

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Thus death and hell shall have no power over our Lord .... nor over his glorious creation.... and there shall be no more death.... For the last enemy to be destroyed IS DEATH.... as it is cast into the Lake of Fire and brimstone....   

Blessings All.

 ETERNITY

Eternity is a person. 

Eternity is not an event. 

Eternity is not subject to time.

 Eternity is, Eternity will always be. 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and forever.

While many are daily walking out of time into eternity. Many are held bond in their religious chains. Enoch lived more more 6000 years ago. The bible confirmed that he walked with God until time was no more in him.

Elijah Soo walked with God until he was taken up by the chariots of heaven. Jesus Christ who is our head walked with God until mortality was completely swallowed up.

The Word of God is Life. The bible account are the manifestation of the Word. They are examples of men who received the Word in their heart and their acts by the Word. The Word of God is eternal. It will manifest it's life anything. 

If you believe what Enoch believed you will have the results of Enoch.

We are living in a season when men will receive The Word. Is a season many have developed unto the measure where they can receive The Word. We may not have so many in the time of Paul. But Paul was among those who crossed from time to eternity. We may not have many in the day of Peter. But He was among the few who received Eternal Life.

Many believe that Paul is in the grave sleeping. My beloved. You don't know what Eternity is. Neither do you know what Ressurrection is . Can Death bring forth Life??? No Sir. We are build upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Can the main building be stronger than the foundation ?

This space is not enough to express my heart on this topic. Let him who has ear hear what the spirit is saying.

Shalom

JESUS IS THE PATTERN SON.....  

God’s method of dealing with "self..... the ungodly nature of self" is THE SPIRITUAL CROSS OF CHRIST. The cross of Christ is not the natural.... literal.... old rugged.... wooden cross, the old rugged cross of Golgotha’s hill.... No... the cross of Christ is a living reality.... working mightily within our lives daily.... It is the spiritual principle of death.... and power of the cross WROUGHT OUT.... "worked out" within OUR daily experiences.   

The Lamb of God is the Man of the cross, but in the book of Revelation the Lamb "IS NEVER SEEN".... on mount Calvary. The very first view we have of "THE LAMB" in the Book of Revelation... is in the midst of "THE THRONE OF HIS RULING AUTHORITY AND POWER! HERE IT IS.... 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..." (Rev. 5:6). WHAT A REVELATION.... THE SLAIN LAMB STANDING IN THE MIDST OF THE SAVIOURS OF THE ENTIRE WORLD....  

He is not the Lamb dying outside the wall of Jerusalem, He is the exalted Lamb slain in the midst of the throne! In the midst of the four living creatures (THESE ARE SONS.... , standing in the reality of sonship..... THESE ARE REIGNING KINGS.... standing in the authority of the Royal Priesthood..... after the order of Melchizedek) and in the midst of the twenty-four elders (priesthood). Thus the slain Lamb in the midst of God’s kings and priests the cross is working in and by the power of the Spirit of Truth! It is THE SPIRITUAL CROSS..... the cross working within mankind.... the cross in the heart of God, the cross in the throne, the death of the "OUTER LIFE".... that comes to God’s elect by the omnipotence of His Lordship! Here it is... 1Co 15:49...... And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. What a wonderful.... glorious work this cross is working...... 

The next setting of the Lamb in Revelation is on mount Zion. John is seeing within his inner man..... thus heavens visions are flowing within his spirit and soul.... quickened and inspired he writes.... And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on mount Zion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their foreheads" (Rev. 14:1). This again is the exalted Lamb, manifesting and reigning through the sons of God! These have the mind of Christ.... these don't spend all day THINKING ABOUT GOD..... these are mature with the power TO THINK LIKE GOD.... TO THINK WITH GOD.... in prefect and vital unity and harmony.... ONE IN THOUGHT AND ACTION..... these are the sons of the living 

God.... These have the nature of the Father plainly visible upon their foreheads.... Christ is formed... settled.... established within... the outer life has been removed, all things that withhold .... all things that hinder the fulness from flowing..... has been swallowed up in great glory and power..... there is the revelation.... the manifestation of "THE CHRIST".... the head manifesting in the midst of his overcoming ones....  

The great truth of the rending of the veil is seen in Jesus. The veil in the temple was rent at the precise moment of Jesus’ death. But the temple was merely a symbol, a shadow of the greater and true and eternal temple.... Christ and His body. Where was the veil rent? "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh" (Heb. 10:19-20). The true veil that was rent was "HIS FLESH", for He Himself was the true temple of God, the Holiest of all, the dwelling place of the glory of His Father. His flesh as a man was rent. His human flesh, His natural life, was the veil that covered and concealed the Holy of holies within Him in the same way that the veil in Herod’s temple concealed the Shekinah of Yahweh from the priesthood of Israel. His flesh was rent that the glory of God in Him might be seen in the power of His resurrection.   

Today we are the body of Christ, the temple of God, and the Most Holy Place is in the spirit of sonship within us. The only way that the glory of God within us can be revealed in the power of His resurrection is for the veil of flesh.... in us to be rent! We must have the same experience! Your veil has to be rent! My veil has to be rent! The veil of the flesh, the veil of the carnal mind, the veil of the natural understanding within us must be rent. Jesus is not only the truth and the life.... He is the way. He is the forerunner who on our behalf has entered in to the Holiest of all. But only the forerunner, mark you, for we must follow in His steps and enter in by the power of His blood through the veil of our flesh. Jesus is the Pattern Son! He is the Apostle and High Priest of our profession! He has made it possible for us, He has opened up the way, He has blazed the trail, He has set the example.

Blessings All....

IF SHE HAVE THIS QUALITIES, PLEASE MARRY HER.

APOSTLE JOSHUA SELMAN.

There are several qualities you must look for in any woman you wish or want to marry, the includes;

*The lady must be submissive: Submission is not weakness, submission is your ability to bring your strength under control, so ladies submitting to someone does not mean you are weak, rather it shows sign of honor and respect.

You can view being submissive from many of our mothers, the fathers will be shouting, saying all kinds of things, but our mothers will keep quiet even when they know that they are not wrong, they will choose to keep calm.

*The lady must be teachable: Alot of ladies cannot sit under a man's teaching or correction, there are alot of ladies that cannot sit down and let men talk to them because they are not teachable, and one of the causes of this, Is pride.

Please don't marry such lady, because a lady that does not take correction, is already a trouble.

*The lady must be physically attractive; Ladies, you need to know that the brothers are not just spirit because they dwell in the body and they have eyes, so they are moved by what they see, am not saying you should dress naked but try to be attractive, don't do yourself anyhow because alot of men are watching you.

Brothers, don't marry a lady you can never be proud of, someone you cannot proudly call your wife. Look for what looks like your future, i.e , marry someone you are proud of. 

Ladies, be well behaved, package yourself and also be proud of yourself.

Brothers, you need to Know that for you to have a lady that has all this qualities, you must start working on yourself, because you must first be all this things you desire In a lady, so that you can be able to attract your kind of person.

God bless you.

HOW TO BE AN ASSET TO YOUR HUSBAND

 REV FUNKE FELIX ADEJUMO.

Married women, please don't be liability to your husband, do something, even if you will work from home, just do something to help your husband, don't be a full time house wife.

Never demean yourself as a woman, because if you do, no man will value you, so make yourself valuable.

Try to be an asset to your husband, it is not every wife the husband can slap, it is not every wife the husband can sent packing because of the value he has placed on his wife, and this happens when the wife decides to be useful , so when he is trigger to sent you packing, he will remember what he will be losing if you leaves, and that will make him to have a second thought.

No man wants a liability as a wife, every man wants a helper,  so be financially strong as a woman, you may choose to be many things to your husband, but you must be financially capable.

It is time to wake up from your slumber, it is time to stop sleeping and face the reality. There is nothing that makes a man happy, than when his wife is supportive, is not like he's not happy with other things you do, but this one makes him more happier because you have lessen his burdens.

Find something to do with your life, find something valuable to do with your life.

One of the ways to be a blessing to your husband, is by being a great wife and also an encouragement to your husband, so submit to your husband, stand by him, even in plenty and in lack, stand strong with him. 

To every woman that is reading this, I urge you to do something that your husband will thank God for bringing someone like you to him.

God bless you!

THE BRIEF

Christian ministry is service…unto God!

It begins with Christ, continues with Christ and ends with Christ.

In most cases, this translates to serving men under God’s direction. Now God is a King Spirit who is constantly in partnership with believers to bring about the execution of His kingdom on earth. Any believer who accepts the kingship of God willingly gives up their right to do as they will. They, in practice, defer to God in thought and action; word and deed to the point where they become a vessel through which He can seamlessly bring forth His kingdom and righteousness on earth.

Paul, by the grace of God, was the apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ whose ministry output was unmatched by the labours of all the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:9-10). In defining himself vis-à-vis his service delivery under God’s direction, he referred to himself as a bond servant of Jesus Christ who was also called to be an apostle (Romans 1:1, Titus 1:1). This means his apostleship was preceded by his being a bond servant – he was first a bond servant before he was called to be an apostle.

Who then is a bond servant? A bond servant is someone who serves in bondage without expecting any wage or emolument – a slave! Was Paul referring to himself as a slave of Jesus Christ? Oh yes, he was.

The books of Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy talk extensively about slavery and from them we can filter out two types of slaves:

1. Unwilling Slaves: These are slaves whose freedom is taken against their will by brute force or by circumstances beyond their control. Some conditions by which unwilling slaves were made in Scriptures include inheritance (children born by slaves), conquests through wars, inability to pay off debts etc

2. Willing slaves: These are slaves who willingly give up their freedom – mostly out of love for their masters. Exodus 21: 1-6 perfectly captures this type of slavery.

A bond servant is a slave by choice, a prisoner of their own volition. A bond servant of Jesus Christ is a believer who has willingly decided to give up themselves to the Lord to use as He pleases. So that whatever line of service the Lord brings them into, their response is, YES LORD!

MINISTRY UNDER JESUS CHRIST IS IMPRISONMENT

Paul, again, referred to himself as a prisoner of (for the sake of) Jesus Christ (Philemon 1:1). This means by choice, he decided to subject himself to the restraining disciplines of the Lord for the liberty of others in the gospel.

He willingly checked into the ‘Lord’s prison’ from which he could effectively dispense his service to the Lord as an apostle to the gentiles.  

 His capacity for mighty revelations was restrained with a thorn in his side, his multiterritorial anointing was tempered with the leash of persecutions and the most malignant hostilities that the gentile world could forge against him. Yet by his imprisonment under the Lord, the liberty of the gospel of Jesus Christ was served wholesale to the gentile world (Ephesians 3:1).

He was literally being constricted by the Lord so that the juices of life squeezed from his vessel could be served to the dead, dark world of gentiles. His death was meant to produce life in those he served by the privilege of the stewardship of God’s grace (2 Corinthians 4:12, Ephesians 3:2)

For Paul, being a prisoner of the Lord Jesus was more than being thrown into physical jails. It was being firmly restricted by the Lord. This means his opinions, preferences and genius constantly came under the preeminence of God’s will. Paul could not simply do what he wanted. Every move he made was commanded by the Lord. This was a choice he had to make daily. He was free to get off the leash anytime he wanted. This is the same for anyone who is in the Lord’s service.

As a minister of Jesus Christ, you cannot just do what you want because you can and/or because you have the resources to so do. If you serve the Lord, the effectiveness of your service delivery is tethered to His commandments to you. Whatever you do that is not commanded by Him is either self-service or service of the devil. For in very deed, the Lord's service is predicated upon His commandments. 

It's impossible to be an effective messenger (a choice servant) of the Lord without being constantly  instructed and commanded by Him through the Holy Ghost (Acts 1:2).

BUT IT’S 2022, SHOULD MINISTERS BE HARD ON THEMSELVES?

This sort of question is usually being asked as a direct challenge to the relevance of God’s word amid the oscillatory motions of human civilization. This is more so as there is one constant thing on earth: INSTABILITY. Nothing on earth abides forever: Kings and kingdoms rise and fall; cultures evolve; even the generations of humankind are transient; earthquakes and volcanoes rearrange landscapes. Time, like a wind-tossed wave, floats temperamentally to its end. But God's word abides forever! 

The good news however is that God’s word is not settled on earth but in heaven. Howbeit forever! (Psalm 119:89) This is why no matter the gyres and whirlwinds of change that blast through time, God’s word is unperturbed. God’s word is the foundation upon which God’s dealings with mankind are sustained through the ages. This is why even though all else changes under heaven, God’s word remains unchanged. It is therefore impossible for God’s word to be obsolete! God’s principles, methods and protocols of service delivery remain the same.

Service unto God must be done God's way; using God's principles, methods and life supplies in tandem with the operational allowance of His commands. 

Ministry is born out of unreserved followership of the Lord Jesus. A minister must follow the Lord and follow those who follow the Lord. This  entails daily self denial and taking up of one's cross (Luke 9:23). This is not some abstract concept: It is practically allowing God's government to regulate our thoughts, words and actions. God's character and power are released through our vessels for the edification of others.

Service is the doorway to greatness in the kingdom. You serve God by serving people and the resultant effect is greatness (Luke 22:26). 

So who's a great minister? It is he/she who serves according to the will of God (on/off the pulpit). Human honour is a byproduct of this undertaking. When people fall over themselves to bless you with their substance, especially in response to your labours, note that it has nothing to do with you as a person, it has everything to do with the grace of God of which you're a steward. This should keep the minister humble. Again, this too should be organic: People should respond to the  service you deliver to them by God's grace willingly. 

If God required unalloyed servitude, service in bonds and willful imprisonment from Paul, the apostles and all His faithful servants through the crimson centuries, He surely would not condone compromise, worldliness and harmony with the flesh in 2022. The rigours, disciplines and stretchings of the Spirit that these ancestral folks underwent to torch their world with the lordship of Jesus Christ would not be watered down for us in 2022!  

If the requirement of following Jesus 2000 years ago was for believers to deny themselves and take up their cross daily, guess what, this requirement still stands in 2022. And shall remain so in 2222 and beyond  should Christ tarry. And this is not being hard on oneself, this is the basis for impactful ministry!