The Book of Revelation Introduction III - Now is the Time

As we study the Book of Revelation, I want to draw our attention to the importance of Church History and timelines.  When many teach of timelines, many position futuristic timelines.  What is alarming is that many believers do not know the History of the church or the timeline that was in the Apostle Johns day.  First from Daniel there was a 490 year timeline that had been determined upon JERUSALEM.  

I want to draw our attention to Jerusalem, because after the reign of Solomon the Kingdom of Israel split in two.  You had the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  I would suggest we study these Kingdom's out and come to some comprehension of their timeline.  I would also suggest that the Apostle John was living in the fulfillment of what God had declared through the prophets concerning Judah and Jerusalem.  Isaiah's visions according to Chapter 1 verse 1 were concerning Judah and Jerusalem.  Daniel's prophecy's were also the same,  concerning his people - the people of Judah. 

Jesus came and declared in Luke 21 these are the days of vengeance of our God, when you see Jerusalem compassed with armies.  This was fulfilled in the Jewish wars with Rome, and culminated in the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D.  These timelines of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah are of utmost importance.  We may think that this history is insignificant, but if we read our Bible we will see that God placed great emphasis in it by giving us the Books of Kings and Chronicles.  In fact most of your Old Testament is concerning the Covenant with Israel and the types, shadows, and symbolism that is reflected from that to our Lord Jesus Christ!

Now I want to draw our attention to a very significant timeline that was announced by the Lord Jesus Christ, recorded in John 4:23 & 24, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth. is the time."  This engagement with the woman at the well starts with Jesus having to go to Samaria.  Samaria according to history was part of the Northern Kingdom or Israel.  The woman claimed to be a descendant of her father Jacob.  So she claimed to be an Israelite by that.  

When Jesus engaged her she declared our father's worshiped in this mountain.  According to history when the Kingdom's split false God's were set up in Israel.  King Jeroboam set up two golden calf's right after the split to keep Israel from going back to Jerusalem.  Jesus told the woman that Samaria worshiped they knew not what or false God's.  He declared that salvation was of the Jews and Jerusalem was the place of worship.  The Temple in Jerusalem was where God had His dwelling between the Cherubim in the Holy of Holy's.

The woman of Samaria was also a harlot.  She had five husbands and the man she was with was not her own.  God had called Samaria and Jerusalem harlot women through the prophet Ezekiel 23:1-4.  They were harlots by worshiping false God's.  They were to love Jehovah their God and only serve him.  Over and over if you read the stories of Israel and Judah you will see them drawn away after strange God's.  Now Jesus had come to both Kingdom's and presented living water.  His statement, "The hour cometh and now is," is a timeline ALL Christians need to come to.  This is the Time of Salvation we are now in. 

No longer would God be worshiped in the mountain of Jerusalem.  The time was over.  God would now be worshiped in Spirit and Truth.  God is a Spirit and seeks worship in and through spiritual comprehension.  No longer was a physical temple to be built to physically go to to offer sacrifices.  The sacrifice of ALL TIME had come, JESUS CHRIST Himself!  He was the door into Spirit and Truth, and the fullness we enter into.  As we look at the Book of Revelation we must see the transition that was on the land in John's day.  The Jewish Temple was getting ready to be removed, destroyed.  Jesus had fulfilled all spoken of by the law and the prophets and the New Temple was to be manifest in the earth, God dwelling in you and I in Christ Jesus!  You are the Temple of the Living God.  Glory to God!!!!