Here are my teaching notes from Revelation 8. You can search my journal for similar notes on the first seven chapters of Revelation as well.

Introduction: This afternoon my daughter Grace sent an e-mail about her five-year-old Elijah. Last night he had come to her bed about 4 a.m., in tears, saying that his stomach hurt and asking her to pray with him that he would feel better. She did so. A few minutes later, he came in again holding a small trash can and crying, “It didn’t work, the praying didn’t work.” Well, we all feel that way sometimes; and it’s true that sometimes the Lord says No or Wait. We have examples of “unanswered” prayer in the lives of Abraham, Moses, Paul, and Jesus. But the Lord has promised to answer all our prayers in His own way and timing, and Revelation 8 gives us one of the Bible most vivid pictures of our prayers and God’s determination to answer them.

Review: We can easily do a “thumb review” of Revelation. Just thumb through chapters 1-7. Chapter 1 is the opening vision of the glorified Christ.  Chapters 2 and 3 are the messages Jesus had to John’s congregations. Chapters 4 and 5 take us to heaven and show us the convocation of worship that will herald the events leading to the Second Coming of Christ. Chapters 7 and 8 give us the “seven seals” that launch the judgments of the Great Tribulation. Now in chapters 8 and 9, we have the next series of judgments or catastrophes, signified by seven trumpets. These judgments will essentially destroy a third of the world.

Verse 1: Silence represents reverenced awe. Habakkuk 2:20 says, “The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” This is like the silence in a courtroom before the sentence is spoken. It is a silence of shock and awe, of dread and foreboding. This must be the only time in history when heaven is silent. Until now, heaven has been continuously ringing with the voices of ten thousand time ten thousand angels. So far in Revelation, we’ve had hymn after hymn, song after song. Heaven and earth has vibrated with rafter-rousing praise. But suddenly every voice is silent and every instrument is stilled, and for half an hour no one makes a sound. You can hear a pin drop as a new series of judgments are about to be unleashed on earth. One commentator described it as ominous anticipation. Another as the lull before the storm. Suddenly the blast of a trumpet breaks the silence and we come to the trumpet judgments of chapters 8 and 9.

Verses 2-5: Seven angels are dispatched to bring these judgments; but there is another delay as the prayers of the saints still alive on earth are delivered to the throne like incense in a container. In the Bible, incense is symbolic for our prayers ascending heavenward. The suffering saints are no doubt praying heavenward for deliverance and help and for judgment on those who are so evil and oppressive. In response to these prayers, the Lord takes the incense container, fills it with judgment, and hurls it to the earth. This is one of the most vivid pictures – maybe the most vivid picture – in the Bible of answered prayer. As the incense contains collides with the earth, it produces a massive global thunderstorm and an. And that sets into motion the next seven judgments.

Verse 6: The trumpet judgments begin.

Verse 7: The first in this series of cataclysmic events is a supernatural storm that descends on the planet raining hail down from the sky like machine gun bullets and filled with lightning strikes and fire. The Lord has used this plague once before, on Egypt in Exodus 9:22-26 (although the plague in Exodus 9 as only a mild preview of the one in Revelation 8).

Verses 8-9: This appears to be an asteroid that collides with earth, splashing down into the ocean somewhere. We’ve seen scenes like this acted out in movies, but this will be for real. It will contaminate a third of the ocean water. If you think the Gulf Oil spill is bad, just imagine if a third of all the seas and oceans in the world were contaminated. (Note another similarity with the plagues of Egypt—the water being turned to “blood”).

Verses 10-1: Another heavenly body, maybe a meteor, falls on the earth and contaminates much of the world’s fresh water.

Verse 12: Here we have frightening anomalies in the sky. It may be that the asteroid and/or meteor attacks create a sort of nuclear cloud.

Verse 13: The last three judgments are going to be so severe there’s a special announcement about them. This is delivered by an eagle flying through the sky. This might be a cherub, for they are described as having the face of an eagle in Revelation 4:7.

Conclusion: There is an alternate interpretation to this chapter and I’m inclined to think it may be true. While these trumpet judgments might represent asteroids and meteors and supernatural judgments from God as I’ve indicated above, it’s also possible that chapter 8 gives us a modern, scientifically-accurate picture of nuclear war. Read back through the chapters. Hurling objects falling from the sky on sea and land. Widespread contamination of the seas and fresh water. Sunlight being obscured and blotted out. Though the world never conceived of a global nuclear war until 1945, this chapter gives us a vivid picture of such an event. In my own mind, I wonder if the best interpretation of this passage is as a nuclear war that breaks out between nations during the Tribulation. Recently Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned, “The greatest danger to Israel, to the Middle East, and to all of humanity, is the encounter between extremist Islam and nuclear weapons.”  The highly respected editor-at-large of United Press International, Arnauld de Borchgrave, when asked if the world is more dangerous today than at the height of the Cold War, replied with a “resounding yes.”  He said, “Nuclear terrorism, unthinkable during the Cold War, is now the most immediate fear of the experts.” The world is preparing for the return of our Lord!

During a recent flight, I sat beside a man from the Department of Defense who was stationed in Key West. Among other things, he helps monitor the flow of illegal drugs from Mexico and Latin American into the United States. He also coordinates with his counterparts in central Asia. He told me that drug enforcement agencies are stopping about seven percent of the illegal drugs flooding into our country from the south.

Here’s the interesting thing. And according to his assessment, the war in Afghanistan is largely about the drugs that are flowing into Europe at unstoppable rates. So…

• In America, millions of people are living under the influence of illegal drugs from Latin America
• In Europe millions are doing the same on drugs coming from central Asia, especially Afghanistan. 

“The West has become its own worst enemy,” he said, “and things are getting worse.”

It wasn’t a very encouraging conversation, but it made me realize the priority of our Gospel mission to this sinking culture – and of the power of Christ alone to do anything about it.

Here’s the outline from today’s message at The Donelson Fellowship on helping others, using the example of Jesus in Luke 5:12-15.

Introduction: I’ve had to turn my eyes away from the television during the news because it’s so upsetting to see the pelicans and the wild birds and wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico. They are covered with the oil from the terrible oil spill. Verse 12 says there was a man in one of the towns of Galilee who was “covered with leprosy.” That means he had an advanced case. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” When we watch how Jesus responds, we can learn something about helping other people.

1. To Help Others We Must Be Willing (Verses 12-13)
Verse 13 says: Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. It must have been the first human touch this man had felt in many years “I am willing,” Jesus said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. Our Lord spoke, and there was power in His words.  As we become closer to Jesus, we want to become more like Him. We become more willing to help others, not just in times of crisis but as a way of life.

2. To Help Others, We Must Be Concerned about the Whole Person (Verse 14)
An vey interesting phenomenon occurred in the American church in the early years of the Twentieth Century. As some of the mainline denominations and missions agencies became theologically liberal, they lost their Gospel message and became more focused on social work and humanitarian ministries. It was to the neglect of the Gospel and the human soul. This became known as the Social Gospel. These liberal groups poured all their energy into alleviating poverty, bringing about racial harmony, abolishing child labor laws, and many other very good and godly pursuits. But because of their liberal theology, they abandoned their interest in the spiritual and eternal condition of those they were trying to help. Well, there was a reaction to that, which we call the Fundamentalist movement. Those who were theologically conservative were desperately concerned that this liberal theology would swallow up the entire American church. And they very courageously fought for the truth of Scripture and for the fundamental truths of the Christian faith. But in the process, some of these Fundamentalists became so focused on people’s spiritual condition that they sometimes fell short on providing humanitarian assistance.  Today a lot of Christians, especially young people, are getting the right balance. We have to be concerned about humanitarian needs, but we minister to a person’s physical needs within the context of the whole person. According to verse 14, after Jesus healed the man, He ordered him: “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Jesus told the newly-healed man to go to church, to go to his local synagogue, to see his pastor, his priest, his rabbi. He wanted this man to follow the Old Testament requirements as to this matter and to align his life in obedience with the Scripture; He wanted this man to bear a testimony to the local priest. It wasn’t just the man’s body, but his soul. Not just his sickness, but his sin. Not just his leprosy, but his whole life that concerned Jesus.

3.  To Help Others, We Must Know When to Withdraw (Verses 15-16)
The next sentence says: Yet the news about Him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear Him and to be healed of their sickness. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places….” When you read through the Gospels it is remarkable how frequently Jesus was unavailable. Why did He frequently withdraw?

• He wanted to control the hysteria that was developing around Him. He didn’t want to advance His agenda too fast and provoke a crisis prematurely.
• He didn’t want the crowds becoming too dependent on His physical presence. He was only on earth for thirty-three years, only in ministry for thirty-six months, and only in some towns and cities for one passing visit. He had to depend on the Holy Spirit and on His followers to do the follow-up. It’s interesting to me that Jesus didn’t hover over this newly-healed leper to see if he did as commanded. There’s no indication that Jesus checked up on him or nagged him. Jesus did what He could and then moved on. Sometimes we try to help someone and then we have to withdraw and let the Holy Spirit work in their lives. We want to hover over people and make sure they stick with the program. But sometimes we have to do what we can and move on and not let ourselves be held hostage to their situation. Maybe it’s your child or your husband or a friend from work. We have to do what we can and then move on and let the Holy Spirit do the hovering.
• Jesus often withdrew because He needed to conserve His strength. In His human nature, Jesus was susceptible to exhaustion. He grew tired, and He knew that chronic fatigue was counterproductive. When the woman touched the hem of His garment, He He felt virtue go out of Him. When He arrived in the city of Samaria, He was so tired that He sat by the well and let His disciples put together a picnic lunch. Once when He sailed across the Sea of Galilee He was so exhausted, He fell asleep in the stern of the ship. He knew how to replenish Himself physically, and so He took frequent breaks.\
• He knew that He needed time in prayer, time with His Heavenly Father. This passage says it very clearly: But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. His secret ministry in prayer was as powerful—or more so—than His public ministry of preaching and healing. Our good works and our public ministry will never rise higher than our secret times of prayer.

Conclusion: So that’s how we help people. We must be willing to do what we can do; we must be concerned about the whole person—body, mind, and soul; and we must know when to withdraw and when to back up our good works with private prayer. In this way, we can help as Jesus helped; love as Jesus loved; and continue His ministry in His name to someone who crosses our path this week.

Here’s an excerpt from this coming Sunday’s sermon. Join us at 8:45 or 10:15 at The Donelson Fellowship, or watch online at http://www.donelson.org/

I once saw a small plaque posted to the dashboard of a friend’s car: Beware the barrenness of busyness. That’s a good warning for life. Business and busyness are separated by a single letter, but there’s an immense chasm between the i and the y.

Jesus had to be about His Father’s business, but He said nothing of being about His Father’s busyness. Despite having only 33 years to live on earth—only 3 of which were in fulltime ministry—our Lord never displayed a windmill-in-a-storm visage. He agenda never deteriorated into spinning, frenetic activity. He never appeared hurried or harried.

Busyness is like the con man your Aunt Josephine married. He can’t be avoided, but should be viewed warily. Busyness sneaks up on you, makes you think you’re more important than you are, and sells you a set of activities that are usually over-valued.

Personally, I like to stay busy. Most of us do; but there are two caveats. First, we have to be busy doing the right things. As the American writer Mary O’Connor put it, “It’s not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised. The mosquito is swatted.”

Second, we have to guard against staying too busy. Some people burn their candles at both ends; others burn their ends at both candles. In either case, the light goes out. Constant agitation frays at our nerves, agitates our minds, drains us spiritually, plunders us emotionally, and debilitates us physically.

In her devotional classic, Springs in the Valley, Mrs. Charles M. Cowman wrote, “Many are slowly succumbing to the strain of life because they have forgotten how to rest…. Rest is not a sedative for the sick, but a tonic for the strong…. It saves us from becoming slaves even of good works.” 

Introduction: A lot of church services today begin by asking people to turn cell phones off; but in some places that isn’t enough. I recently met a man who travels widely in restricted access nations, including the Islamic world. He said that in Egypt when Christians gather, they take up every cell phone and seal it in airtight plastic bags some distance from their meeting. He said that even if a mobile phone is shut off, it can still act as a microphone, allowing the government to listen to every sound and conversation. As long as a cell phone has its battery in it, it’s a portable eavesdropping device that allows the government to monitor every sound within its range, even when the phone is not in use. How ominous and antichrist-ish! That’s why our study of Revelation is so timely.

Review: Revelation 1 presents the opening vision of the glorified and enthroned Christ. Chapters 2 and 3 are miniature epistles to the seven churches of John’s circuit, and to every congregation of the church age. I believe the rapture of the church is implied at the beginning of chapter 4. And then we have one of the most bedazzling scenes in all Scripture—the worship convocation that will occur just before the unleashing of the Great Tribulation and the events leading up to the return of Christ (chapters 4 and 5). Chapter 4 focuses on the sovereignty of God the Father.

Revelation 5:1:  At the beginning of Revelation 5, the Father is seen holding out a scroll sealed with seven seals. What does this scroll represent? Here are three possibilities.

1. We don’t know. The contents of the scroll are never actually revealed in the book of Revelation, so we can’t be too dogmatic about them.
2. Many Bible scholars such as Harry Ironside, John MacArthur, and David Jeremiah believe this scroll is the title deed to planet earth.
3. Perhaps this scroll contains the battle plan for the end of history. In military terminology we have the phrase “sealed orders.” Sealed orders are the orders given to the commander of a ship or squadron, which he is not allowed to open until he has proceeded to a certain point into the high seas. In Daniel 12, we’re told that the battle plan for the end of history was sealed until the proper time (Daniel 12:8-10). Now, in Revelation 5 and 6, that time has come.

Verse 2-3:  The problem was that not just anyone can open sealed orders. In the Navy, only the commanding officer has sufficient rank and authority to unseal the orders. There was awareness in heaven that none of the angels, none of the 24 elders, none of the cherubim had sufficient rank or authority to open the battle plan.

Verse 4: Something about this troubled John deeply. Here was the greatest convocation in the history of the universe, and the final consummation was near, and something was wrong; something was missing. Someone was missing.

Verse 5-6: Then Christ appears! He is pictured as both a Lamb and a Lion. The Lamb is a perfect picture of His mission at His first coming; and the Lion is an image of His second coming.

Verse 7-8: The Lamb/Lion takes the scroll amid awed worship as the golden bowls of incense are being poured out, which we’re told represent the prayers of the saints. This is one of the most beautiful moments in Scripture. All the prayers and longings of all the saints throughout history are about to find their ultimate fulfillment—and especially two oft-repeated petitions: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven and Even so, come, Lord Jesus! Those two prayers, which summarize all the others, are on the verge of ultimate and eternal fulfillment. The answer is about to be decreed. So all of heaven is awash in praise.

Verses 9-14: The scene ends with a series of thunderous hymns, sung by all the raptured saints of earth and all the myriads upon myriads of the heavenly host—billions of voices causing the very universe to vibrate. Notice that verse 9 implies that the church’s global mission is now completed, and all that’s left are the events leading to Christ’s return. All of heaven sings: To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever! The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

To review: Revelation 1:19 provides a threefold outline to the book:

• Part 1: The things that you have seen (The present ministry of the enthroned Christ following His resurrection and ascension). This is chapter 1 of the book.
• Part 2: The things that are (the present age of the church, represented by the seven churches of Asia) – chapter 2-3
• Part 3: The things that will take place after this (the Great Tribulation and subsequent events) – chapters 4-22

So with chapter 4, we’re coming to the third great section of Revelation (4-22), and we’re on the verge of the unleashing of the Great Tribulation. Chapters 4 and 5 take us right up to heaven, to the presence of God Himself, and show us what will take place in heaven just before the Great Tribulation is unleashed on earth.

Verse 1: In my opinion, verse 1 is where the Rapture of the church takes place in the sequence of events in Revelation. Verse 1 is a symbolic view of the rapture as John is caught up into heaven in his vision. It seems to me there are seven indications here of the rapture. The first two and last two words of verse 1 are the same: “After this.”

1. “After this…” – After the church age, which is described in chapters 2-3.
2. A door was opened in heaven, indicating someone is going to suddenly enter.
3.  The sound of a trumpet. According to 1 Thessalonians 4 and other passages, the rapture of the church will be preceded by the sound of a trumpet 
4. A command to “Come up here.” That’s the commanding shout of the rapture.
5. “I will show you what must take place after this”—that is, I will show you the Great Tribulation, which will happen after the rapture of the church.
6. From this moment, there is no reference in the book of Revelation to the church on earth until the Lord comes again. The church disappears. The events of the Great Tribulation are described without any reference to the church on earth.
7. The 24 elders seen later in the chapter seem to be symbolic of the raptured church.

Verse 2-3:  Whenever we see the heavenly throne portrayed in the Bible, it’s a scene to be carefully studied. Examples include: Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1. The One sitting on the throne is God the Father. The Son and Spirit will be introduced later in these two chapters (Revelation 4-5). Jasper is a translation of a Greek word referring to a clear diamond-like stone. Some commentators take this to be a reference to diamond. It’s also the word used to describe the heavenly city in chapters 21-22. Carnelian was a ruby-like stone.

Verse 4: The 24 elders likely represent the church, the redeemed of all the ages, from the Old Testament era (represented by the 12 patriarchs) to the church era (represented by the 12 apostles). I’m not saying that these 24 figures really were the patriarchs and apostles, only that the 24 are a symbol of all the redeemed of all the ages. They are dressed in white, which represents the righteous acts of the saints (Revelation 19:8), and they have crowns of gold on their head. This indicates the judgment seat of Christ had already occurred, perhaps immediately after the rapture(Romans 14:2; 2 Corinthians 5:10). Now the church of all the ages, symbolized by the 24, are worshipping God in heaven on the eve of the Great Tribulation on earth

Verse 5:   The seven spirits of God represents the Holy Spirit. In Isaiah 11:1-2, the Holy Spirit is described in a seven-fold way.

Verse 6: The great square upon which the throne is situated is called the “sea of glass” or “platform or expanse of crystal.”

Verse 6-8: The living creatures represent a kind or variety of angel that surrounds the throne. These are very similar to the seraphs in Isaiah 6 and the cherubs in Ezekiel 1. Their hymn of praise is given in verse 8, and they are the worship leaders around the throne. The angels lead in the antiphonal first stanza and the elders reply with the second stanza (verse 11).

Here’s a valuable lesson about the importance of reviewing your work, your life, and your decision before they are sent forth. The BBC reported this week that an Australian publisher has had to destroy thousands of copies of a newly-published cookbook and to reprint the entire edition at enormous expense because of one errant word.

One of the recipes called for “salt and freshly ground black people” instead of black pepper.

Oops!

It’s so easy to hit the wrong keys! Blessed is the person who spots his mistakes in advance.

When we get to heaven how many people will be there?  What percentage of earth’s population will be in heaven?  The answer is there will be more people—probably far more people—in heaven than in hell.  And one of the reasons is this that everyone in the history of the world who has died between the moment of conception and the age of accountability will be there.

John MacArthur said, “From the first days of history to the present, it is not at all an exaggeration to speculate that half of all persons ever conceived died prior to reaching maturity.”

Missiologist Don Richardson wrote of a group of scientists who issued a report saying that from the beginning of recorded history, some 66 percent of everyone conceived in the womb has not survived to see a fifth year of life.  In his book, Secrets of the Koran, Richardson wrote:

This means that two-thirds of mankind have died either in the womb through miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion, or in childhood via disease, crime, war, accidents or natural disasters. Thus a large majority of all the people God has created in His likeness form the beginning of humankind are redeemed by this automatic childhood coverage aspect of redemption.

And then, Don Richardson went on to make this surprising statement: 

Take medical science’s 66 percent estimate on infant mortality through the ages as a mere base number.  Add hundreds of millions who, through the ages, lost their redemption by sinning as they came out of childhood but found it again by responding to the revelation from God.  Estimates of the combined total point to perhaps 77 percent of mankind redeemed.  God wins not only the moral victory but the quantitative one as well.

PS – This is from my sermon, “What Happens to Children Who Die?” To read the entire message, click here and go to te “Sermons” tab.

Here is the closing illustration from last Sunday’s sermon on the subject, “Will We Know our Loved Ones in Heaven.” You can read the entire message at our church website.

Several months ago, I conducted a worship service at a retirement home here in Nashville. Afterward an elderly woman pulled me aside. She told me that she and her husband had been married over sixty years. During their final years together, they used my book, Then Sings My Soul, for their morning devotions. This is a devotional book of hymn stories, and every morning this couple read the story about the hymn and then sang the song. On morning they came to the old song that was so popular around the world a hundred years ago. Written by Charles Gabriel, it was commonly called “The Glory Song.” The words say:

When all my labors and trials are o’er
And I am safe on that beautiful shore,
Just to be near the sweet Lord I adore
Will thro’ the ages be glory for me.

O that will be glory for me
Glory for me, glory for me.
When by His grace I shall look on His face,
That will be glory, be glory for me.

The elderly husband read that song and the story about it, and he said to his wife, “That will be glory for me. I’m ready to go right now.”

“But what about me?” she asked.

“Oh,” he said, “you have a lot of people to look after you. When I get to heaven, that will be glory for me.”

And that very day, he died and went home to heaven. The memory of that final serious conversation was so sweet and comforting to the woman that she wanted to tell me about it.

Well, verse 3 of “The Glory Song” says:

Friends will be there I have loved long ago,
Joy like a river around me will flow;
Yet just a smile from my Savior I know,
Will through the ages be glory for me.

PS – I’m in New York for a couple of days, attending a seminar with Morris Proctor on Logos Bible Software 4. I can’t wait t upgrade to this system. I’ll keep you posted about it. You can check out the website here.

Every summer I have an annual physical examination. I’ve seen Dr. Gaston for over 25 years, and every year takes me through a series of examinations to see if there’s anything wrong with me. I can’t say I enjoy the exam; but I’m thankful for it and for a doctor who cares about me. Well, in Revelation 2 and 3, the Great Physician gives puts seven churches on the examination table. He probes and diagnoses and prescribes. He finds areas of health and pockets of infection. As we study these seven churches we find ourselves on the examination table, too.

1. Ephesus: The church that lost its first love
2. Smyrna: The church that was facing persecution
3. Pergamum: The church that had immoral believers
4. Thyatira: The church that tolerated syncretism
5. Sardis: The church that was dying
6. Philadelphia: The church of the open door
7. Laodicea: The church that was lukewarm

In our KALEO studies, we’re coming to Philadelphia and Laodicea.  Here are some notes from this passage (Revelation 3:7-22):

Verse 8: “I have placed before you an open door.” What open door had Jesus given the church in Philadelphia. This is difficult to interpret. It could refer to the door of the Messianic Kingdom (see verse 7). Or it could refer to a close personal relationship with Jesus (see verse 20). Or it could refer to the imminent return of Jesus (see Revelation 4:1). I prefer to think that John/Jesus is using Pauline language here to refer to an open door of ministry (see Acts 14:27; 1 Corinthians 16:8-9; 2 Corinthians 2:12; and Colossians 4:3).

Verse 10: In my opinion, this is a key verse regarding the pre-tribulation rapture of the church. The “hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world” is the Great Tribulation, about to be described in Revelation 4-18. The church will be kept from this hour.

Verse 11: A great motto: “I am coming soon—hold on!” (Compare with Revelation 2:25).

Verse 12: The temple of God is the whole city of New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:22). Those who are faithful to Christ will become permanent residents of this great city (pillars of the community).

Verse 14: Laodicea was about 40 miles from Philadelphia, near Colosse (see Colossians 2:1-2; 4:12-13).

Verse 14: Notice the three different titles for Christ:

• Amen. This isn’t just the end of a prayer, but a name for Christ. He is the personification of “So Be It.”
• The Faithful and True witness
• The Ruler of God’s Creation

Verse 16: One commentator said that ancient Laodicea received its water via aqueduct from the mountains of nearby Hierapolis (Colossians 4:13), and by the time it reached them it was always lukewarm.  So this was a figure of speech the Laodicians could relate with.

Verse 17: This is the opposite of what Jesus told the church in Smyrna (see Revelation 2:9).

Verse 18: Jesus is the wonderful counselor (Isaiah 9:6), and He counsels us to acquire:

• Gold = true wealth (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
• White clothes = righteous living (Revelation 19:8)
• Salve = spiritual vision and insight (Ephesians 1:18)

Verse 20: We often use this verse evangelistically; but its original application was to a backslidden church that had somehow excluded Christ from their services and fellowship.