We have all received mail that
was placed in our mailbox by mistake. The way we discovered
this error was by looking at the name of the person to whom
it was addressed. There is certainly nothing wrong
with receiving such mail, but it is definitely not proper to
open and read it. Most all of the Bible is addressed
to the children of God and is specifically intended for them.
One of the gravest of errors that men make is in assuming
that the Bible and its message is intended for all of mankind
and that men can read it and comprehend it in the power of
their carnal understanding and their free will. The Lord Jesus
clearly declared that such is not the case. In fact, he even
gave thanks that the truth was hidden from the multitudes. As
we read, At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from
the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. The
book of the Revelation is specifically addressed to the Lord Jesus.
We read the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him. The purpose for which he was
given this revelation was to inform his servants, to show
unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. The
messenger by which he has delivered this revelation is spelled out
in the same verse, and he sent and signified it by his angel,
or messenger, unto his servant John. How foolish it is when
men then take this book and dissect it according to their prophetic
schemes and concoct all manner of wild interpretations designed
to tickle the carnal fancies of their hearers. Specifically,
I believe that this introduction to this book, which is recorded
by John, is to remind us that Jesus Christ is the revelation
of God to men. Any interpretation of this book
which does not center itself in Jesus Christ and the unfolding
of his purpose to redeem his bride is an aberration of the
intent of this book and is akin to opening and reading someone
else's mail. The secrets which are hidden
in its pages are for those who have an ear to hear what the
Spirit saith to the churches. The phrase, ears to hear, appears
in the New Testament eight times, and each time it is spoken by
the Lord Jesus. The purpose of his declaration
is to differentiate between those who have spiritual life and those
who do not. For each time he accompanied
this phrase with, let him hear or understand. Unless a man is
given a hearing ear, he will pay no heed to those things spoken
by the Lord, but will disregard it. This is confirmed by that
which the Lord spoke concerning His sheep, when He said, My sheep
hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. The phrase, let
him hear, is actually one word in the Greek and literally means
understand. In fact, the word hear, just
before the phrase, is the same Greek word. In ancient times
it was a custom to make an announcement before a decree was read, saying,
Hear ye, hear ye, which was done to draw attention to the importance
of that which was to be proclaimed. The Lord is saying, Only those
who hear shall hear. Thus we see the Lord make reference
to the ministry of John the Baptist. The significance of John's ministry
was not baptism, nor locusts and wild honey, but rather that
he pointed men to the Lamb which taketh away the sin of the world. He that hath ears to hear, let
him hear. The Lord uses that phrase to
draw attention to the parable of the sower, as some seed fell
on good ground and some did not. He used it when speaking of the
tares which were sown among the wheat. The significance is not
that the tares were sown by the enemy, but rather to point out
the preciousness of the wheat, which would not in any wise be
sacrificed regardless of the abundance of the tares. He also
uses it in bringing attention to the fact that true righteousness
is not defined by that which men do outwardly, but rather
is seen by that which has been imputed to them. For he is not
a Jew which is one outwardly. Neither is that circumcision
which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew which is one
inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit,
and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of
God. Do you have ears to hear? If
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