Thank you for the comment on my blog. I appreciate the encouragement. I am posting this to the blog instead of as a response to the comment, as I do not want anyone to miss this information. I am posting the web addresses of the quotes spoken of in the comment to the Philadelphia blog. They are great, thank you so much. I would encourage everyone to take the time to read them.
http://www.thewordsofeternallife.com/rapture_watchers.html
http://dyspraxicfundamentalistbp.blogspot.com/2009/04/apologies-to-my-pre-trib-brethren-for.html
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Revelation 3:7-13 Philadelphia
The next church is the church of Philadelphia. The name is a familiar one that means “brotherly love”. The city was named by its founder (King Attalus of Peragmum) in honor of his brother. It was situated about 30 miles southeast of Sardis. Today it is known as the town of Alasehir. This church is like Smyrna in that there is no condemnation. This is a remnant church filled with believers who are walking as they should.
Verse 3:7 “And to the angel of the church I Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.”
For the first time, the description of Christ does not come from the first chapter of Revelation. It is a new (in the sense that it was not mentioned in the first chapter description) aspect of Christ - He that is holy and true. This church is a church that is walking in holiness. It is abiding with the Lord. It is living in and with truth. That is why Christ represents Himself this way. The reference to the key of David can be found in Is. 22:22. “And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.” This was a promise given to Eliakim, who was a high official and faithful servant to King Hezekiah. His predecessor had been unfaithful, so God was giving his position to Eliakim. The key of the house of David literally referred to the keys of the treasuries of the kings of Judah. It also in another sense referred to the responsibilities of government which would be his when he came into the office. Eliakim would be the next one after the king in responsibility in the government. The government would be upon his shoulders. This is what was said of Christ in Is. 9:6-7. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” Christ is of the house of David and the government will rest upon his shoulders. He already said he has the keys of death and Hades, and how he holds the keys to the kingdoms on earth. He opens and shuts doors as he desires.
Verse 3:8 “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.”
Christ knows their works. They are pleasing to him. Tied to that is an open door that he has set before them. Before, He said that He opens and shuts the doors. There are several kinds of doors that can be opened and shut. The door to evangelizing can be opened for them to present the gospel, and no man (the persecutors) will be able to shut it down. Also the door to persecuting them is shut, as Christ will not allow them to be persecuted. He shuts that door, because 1) they have little strength. This is an entire church that is being commended, so they are probably a very small remnant group, as that sort generally are. It is He alone that will be given the credit for any increase. 2) they have kept God’s word. Churches spiritualize God’s word, mythologize God’s word, ignore God’s word, twist and distort God’s word, water down God’s word, or deny God’s word. This church kept God’s word. They also have not denied Christ’s name. Today people talk of a “christ”, but they don’t mean the Lord Jesus Christ. They speak of Jesus, but they are talking of a man not a deity. This church knows exactly who the Lord Jesus Christ is in full name and being and do not deny any part of who He is.
Verse 3:9 “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.”
Both faithful churches had more than not being criticized in common. They were both being persecuted by the synagogue of Satan who said they were Jews. We have already discussed who these people were, so I won’t repeat that. Christ says that he will make them come and bow down and worship before the Philadelphians feet. When it says they will worship before their feet, it doesn’t mean that they will worship the Philadelphians. This means that they will bow down and worship Christ in front of the Philadelphians, who will be honored as saints that are truly people of God, which these Jews who so arrogantly thought they were, weren’t. Even unbelievers will one day be forced to kneel before the King of Kings. “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Rom. 14:11 “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil. 2:10-11. It will be a humiliating experience to see the ones that they persecuted in a place of honor by the side of Christ and realize that the Philadelphians, not they, were and are the ones Christ loves. And it will give the Philadelphians a sense of vindication for what they suffered.
Verse 3:10 “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”
There is a promise made to this church because they have kept the word of His patience. What is that patience? There are a number of scriptures that deal with patience. Starting with a verse that we have already seen in Luke 21:19 in the Olivet discourse, “In your patience possess ye your souls.” Rom. 8:25 “But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.“ Rom. 15:4 “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” 1 Thess. 1:3 “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father.” 2 Thess. 1:4 “So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure.” 2 Thess. 3:5 “And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.” Heb. 6:12 “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Heb. 10:36 “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” Heb. 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” James 1:3-4 “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” Here especially are relevant verses to what Christ said to Philadelphia . James 5:7-8 “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waited for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” Rev. 13:10 “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” Rev. 14:11-12 “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” The patience that they must have is to wait for the Lord. They have to keep the word of God’s patience. As shown at the beginning of Revelation, there is a blessing promised to those who read and heed the book. There are many faithful Christians who are exemplary in every aspect except one. They are not studying the end times. They do not know what is coming, and have accepted certain erroneous ideas. If they were to study, really study, they would see the error, listen to the words of the book and be prepared for what is coming. As things get much worse, it will become harder and harder to maintain faith, patiently wait, and especially not be deceived in the face of what will occur. It will probably seem like the Lord will never come, as things go from bad to worse. Those who do not know what to expect will either be deceived or give up hope entirely. This group has been patiently enduring, waiting on the promise of the Lord’s return. They are looking forward to it with eager anticipation. They have kept His word, which means that they understand that they will be going through great tribulation. They will patiently endure to the end.
Because of their patience, the promise is that they will be kept from the hour of temptation that will come on the whole world to try them. This is clearly a reference to the tribulation/Day of the Lord. Luke 21:35-36 “For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Here is a verse that directly relates to the promise to the Philadelphians. They will be accounted worthy to escape all those things. They will be kept from that time that will try the entire earth. This is a promise that everyone wishes they had, but few will probably earn.
The irony is that every pre-trib believer thinks that they are a Philadelphian. It does not matter that they might not meet the criteria, in fact they might fall into any one of the other church categories, but for some reason think that they qualify as Philadelphians. Does it really seem possible that so very many (entire church demonimations that believe this theory) all qualify as a faithful remnant? That they need no chastisement or refinement in this day of apostasy? Who then would the other six churches be that are thrown into the tribulation? There was no such promise to the faithful remnant in the other churches, not even to the church at Smyrna. It is only the Philadelphian church; not Ephesus, not Pergamos, not Thyatira, not Sardis, and not even Smyrna, (who has received no criticism and are walking with God) that receives this promise. So who does qualify? Only those who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture? Every Christian even if they do not believe in a pre-tribulation rapture? But then who would be martyred from the church at Smyrna? Everyone should be gone from that church, if that was the case. Does anyone see a problem here besides me?
Verse 3:11 “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”
Even the Philadelphians are not beyond being warned to watch themselves and not let their guard down. They still could lose their crown of life.
Verse 3:12 “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.”
In ancient days when a city wanted to honor someone by giving him the keys of the city, so to speak, they would erect a pillar in the temple and carve the name of the person on it. In that way the person’s deed and they themselves lived on “forever”. But as we know, these temples were not forever. They became ruins. In fact Philadelphia was over an earthquake fault. It was very common for them to have earthquakes and tremors and have to go running out of buildings and out of town while the town fell down around them. Then they would have to come back and start rebuilding. This is a reference that these people would clearly understand, and to which they would relate. Here the overcomer is promised that they will be a pillar in the temple of God, which is eternal and will never fall down. Notice that it is not that a pillar is erected for the person, the person themselves is the pillar. God’s temple will be filled with living pillars that are a testimony of the deeds they have done for which they are being honored. They will not have to go out of the temple. They get to live in the presence of God forever.
Upon this person is written the name of God, the name of New Jerusalem, and the new name of Christ. Back in those days, slavery was common, and branding them was a way of proving ownership. God puts a seal on those of His for their protection. It is a sign to the enemy of God’s ownership so that they may not touch them without God’s approval. Ez. 9:1-7 “He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writers inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; and the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and site; let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house. And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth, And they went forth, and slew in the city.” God marks His people for protection from the enemy. Christians are sealed with the sign of God. 1 Cor. 1:21-22 “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” He will also put a mark or seal in the forehead of 144,000 of the tribes of Israel for their protection from the enemy. Rev. 7:3-4 “Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”
As for putting the name of New Jerusalem on the overcomerer, this is like a passport. It shows our citizenship and allows us entrance into the city. Rev. 21:27 “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Only those whose name is written in the book of life, only those who have the seal of God, or God’s name, only those with their citizenship clearly written on them and can prove their worthiness will enter into the city of New Jerusalem.
Lastly the overcomer has written on him the new name of Christ. And what may that name be? Only Christ knows. Rev. 19:11-12 “And I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.” As a bride takes the name of her husband, so the church as the bride of Christ is identified with that name. So the new name of Christ, which only He knows, is written upon the one who endures to the end. Rev. 22:4 “And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.”
Verse 3:13 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
Even though this church as a corporate entity are all able to hear what Christ says, he does not reverse the order of the promise with the ear to hear statement. He leaves it in the same order to which he has switched. Possibly because the statement is irrelevant in their case, as they as an entire church are faithful. In terms of today or the last days, I believe Philadelphia and Smryna are not necessarily corporate churches, but faithful Christians who have left the apostate organized churches (which explains why they do not have the problems) and simply meet together as possible for worship and fellowship. I believe the difference in the two, when it comes to why one is martyred and one is preserved, comes down to the statement that Philadelphia has kept the word of God’s patience. Smyrna is exemplary in their walk with the Lord, but if they have not studied the Word of God about the end times, there is a chance they could either be deceived, or could give up that Christ will return when He does not come when they expect Him to come. To preserve these faithful saints, it may be necessary for the Lord to remove them before either of those things can happen. They would be very confused to be “left behind” as it were, as they had been faithful. Under the circumstances, they would begin to doubt their own faith. God has said that he will not let us be taken out of His hand by circumstances beyond ourselves, and He will not let His faithful remnant be deceived. He would rather they were martyred than lose their faith. That is not the case with Philadelphia. They have kept the word of God’s patience. In other words, they know what is coming; that they will have to patiently endure to the end. They will not be deceived by antichrist, as they understand exactly what will be happening. They will not lose faith having been disappointed by a rapture that did not happen, as they know it will not happen until very near the end. They will be prepared to endure. Therefore, they do not have to be martyred in order to preserve their salvation.
Verse 3:7 “And to the angel of the church I Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.”
For the first time, the description of Christ does not come from the first chapter of Revelation. It is a new (in the sense that it was not mentioned in the first chapter description) aspect of Christ - He that is holy and true. This church is a church that is walking in holiness. It is abiding with the Lord. It is living in and with truth. That is why Christ represents Himself this way. The reference to the key of David can be found in Is. 22:22. “And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.” This was a promise given to Eliakim, who was a high official and faithful servant to King Hezekiah. His predecessor had been unfaithful, so God was giving his position to Eliakim. The key of the house of David literally referred to the keys of the treasuries of the kings of Judah. It also in another sense referred to the responsibilities of government which would be his when he came into the office. Eliakim would be the next one after the king in responsibility in the government. The government would be upon his shoulders. This is what was said of Christ in Is. 9:6-7. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” Christ is of the house of David and the government will rest upon his shoulders. He already said he has the keys of death and Hades, and how he holds the keys to the kingdoms on earth. He opens and shuts doors as he desires.
Verse 3:8 “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.”
Christ knows their works. They are pleasing to him. Tied to that is an open door that he has set before them. Before, He said that He opens and shuts the doors. There are several kinds of doors that can be opened and shut. The door to evangelizing can be opened for them to present the gospel, and no man (the persecutors) will be able to shut it down. Also the door to persecuting them is shut, as Christ will not allow them to be persecuted. He shuts that door, because 1) they have little strength. This is an entire church that is being commended, so they are probably a very small remnant group, as that sort generally are. It is He alone that will be given the credit for any increase. 2) they have kept God’s word. Churches spiritualize God’s word, mythologize God’s word, ignore God’s word, twist and distort God’s word, water down God’s word, or deny God’s word. This church kept God’s word. They also have not denied Christ’s name. Today people talk of a “christ”, but they don’t mean the Lord Jesus Christ. They speak of Jesus, but they are talking of a man not a deity. This church knows exactly who the Lord Jesus Christ is in full name and being and do not deny any part of who He is.
Verse 3:9 “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.”
Both faithful churches had more than not being criticized in common. They were both being persecuted by the synagogue of Satan who said they were Jews. We have already discussed who these people were, so I won’t repeat that. Christ says that he will make them come and bow down and worship before the Philadelphians feet. When it says they will worship before their feet, it doesn’t mean that they will worship the Philadelphians. This means that they will bow down and worship Christ in front of the Philadelphians, who will be honored as saints that are truly people of God, which these Jews who so arrogantly thought they were, weren’t. Even unbelievers will one day be forced to kneel before the King of Kings. “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Rom. 14:11 “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil. 2:10-11. It will be a humiliating experience to see the ones that they persecuted in a place of honor by the side of Christ and realize that the Philadelphians, not they, were and are the ones Christ loves. And it will give the Philadelphians a sense of vindication for what they suffered.
Verse 3:10 “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”
There is a promise made to this church because they have kept the word of His patience. What is that patience? There are a number of scriptures that deal with patience. Starting with a verse that we have already seen in Luke 21:19 in the Olivet discourse, “In your patience possess ye your souls.” Rom. 8:25 “But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.“ Rom. 15:4 “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” 1 Thess. 1:3 “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father.” 2 Thess. 1:4 “So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure.” 2 Thess. 3:5 “And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.” Heb. 6:12 “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Heb. 10:36 “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” Heb. 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” James 1:3-4 “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” Here especially are relevant verses to what Christ said to Philadelphia . James 5:7-8 “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waited for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” Rev. 13:10 “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” Rev. 14:11-12 “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” The patience that they must have is to wait for the Lord. They have to keep the word of God’s patience. As shown at the beginning of Revelation, there is a blessing promised to those who read and heed the book. There are many faithful Christians who are exemplary in every aspect except one. They are not studying the end times. They do not know what is coming, and have accepted certain erroneous ideas. If they were to study, really study, they would see the error, listen to the words of the book and be prepared for what is coming. As things get much worse, it will become harder and harder to maintain faith, patiently wait, and especially not be deceived in the face of what will occur. It will probably seem like the Lord will never come, as things go from bad to worse. Those who do not know what to expect will either be deceived or give up hope entirely. This group has been patiently enduring, waiting on the promise of the Lord’s return. They are looking forward to it with eager anticipation. They have kept His word, which means that they understand that they will be going through great tribulation. They will patiently endure to the end.
Because of their patience, the promise is that they will be kept from the hour of temptation that will come on the whole world to try them. This is clearly a reference to the tribulation/Day of the Lord. Luke 21:35-36 “For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Here is a verse that directly relates to the promise to the Philadelphians. They will be accounted worthy to escape all those things. They will be kept from that time that will try the entire earth. This is a promise that everyone wishes they had, but few will probably earn.
The irony is that every pre-trib believer thinks that they are a Philadelphian. It does not matter that they might not meet the criteria, in fact they might fall into any one of the other church categories, but for some reason think that they qualify as Philadelphians. Does it really seem possible that so very many (entire church demonimations that believe this theory) all qualify as a faithful remnant? That they need no chastisement or refinement in this day of apostasy? Who then would the other six churches be that are thrown into the tribulation? There was no such promise to the faithful remnant in the other churches, not even to the church at Smyrna. It is only the Philadelphian church; not Ephesus, not Pergamos, not Thyatira, not Sardis, and not even Smyrna, (who has received no criticism and are walking with God) that receives this promise. So who does qualify? Only those who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture? Every Christian even if they do not believe in a pre-tribulation rapture? But then who would be martyred from the church at Smyrna? Everyone should be gone from that church, if that was the case. Does anyone see a problem here besides me?
Verse 3:11 “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”
Even the Philadelphians are not beyond being warned to watch themselves and not let their guard down. They still could lose their crown of life.
Verse 3:12 “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.”
In ancient days when a city wanted to honor someone by giving him the keys of the city, so to speak, they would erect a pillar in the temple and carve the name of the person on it. In that way the person’s deed and they themselves lived on “forever”. But as we know, these temples were not forever. They became ruins. In fact Philadelphia was over an earthquake fault. It was very common for them to have earthquakes and tremors and have to go running out of buildings and out of town while the town fell down around them. Then they would have to come back and start rebuilding. This is a reference that these people would clearly understand, and to which they would relate. Here the overcomer is promised that they will be a pillar in the temple of God, which is eternal and will never fall down. Notice that it is not that a pillar is erected for the person, the person themselves is the pillar. God’s temple will be filled with living pillars that are a testimony of the deeds they have done for which they are being honored. They will not have to go out of the temple. They get to live in the presence of God forever.
Upon this person is written the name of God, the name of New Jerusalem, and the new name of Christ. Back in those days, slavery was common, and branding them was a way of proving ownership. God puts a seal on those of His for their protection. It is a sign to the enemy of God’s ownership so that they may not touch them without God’s approval. Ez. 9:1-7 “He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writers inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; and the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and site; let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house. And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth, And they went forth, and slew in the city.” God marks His people for protection from the enemy. Christians are sealed with the sign of God. 1 Cor. 1:21-22 “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” He will also put a mark or seal in the forehead of 144,000 of the tribes of Israel for their protection from the enemy. Rev. 7:3-4 “Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”
As for putting the name of New Jerusalem on the overcomerer, this is like a passport. It shows our citizenship and allows us entrance into the city. Rev. 21:27 “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Only those whose name is written in the book of life, only those who have the seal of God, or God’s name, only those with their citizenship clearly written on them and can prove their worthiness will enter into the city of New Jerusalem.
Lastly the overcomer has written on him the new name of Christ. And what may that name be? Only Christ knows. Rev. 19:11-12 “And I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.” As a bride takes the name of her husband, so the church as the bride of Christ is identified with that name. So the new name of Christ, which only He knows, is written upon the one who endures to the end. Rev. 22:4 “And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.”
Verse 3:13 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
Even though this church as a corporate entity are all able to hear what Christ says, he does not reverse the order of the promise with the ear to hear statement. He leaves it in the same order to which he has switched. Possibly because the statement is irrelevant in their case, as they as an entire church are faithful. In terms of today or the last days, I believe Philadelphia and Smryna are not necessarily corporate churches, but faithful Christians who have left the apostate organized churches (which explains why they do not have the problems) and simply meet together as possible for worship and fellowship. I believe the difference in the two, when it comes to why one is martyred and one is preserved, comes down to the statement that Philadelphia has kept the word of God’s patience. Smyrna is exemplary in their walk with the Lord, but if they have not studied the Word of God about the end times, there is a chance they could either be deceived, or could give up that Christ will return when He does not come when they expect Him to come. To preserve these faithful saints, it may be necessary for the Lord to remove them before either of those things can happen. They would be very confused to be “left behind” as it were, as they had been faithful. Under the circumstances, they would begin to doubt their own faith. God has said that he will not let us be taken out of His hand by circumstances beyond ourselves, and He will not let His faithful remnant be deceived. He would rather they were martyred than lose their faith. That is not the case with Philadelphia. They have kept the word of God’s patience. In other words, they know what is coming; that they will have to patiently endure to the end. They will not be deceived by antichrist, as they understand exactly what will be happening. They will not lose faith having been disappointed by a rapture that did not happen, as they know it will not happen until very near the end. They will be prepared to endure. Therefore, they do not have to be martyred in order to preserve their salvation.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Revelation 3:1-6 Sardis
Chapter 3
The next church is Sardis. Sardis was a wicked and wealthy city. It was the capital of ancient Lydia, the home of Aesop (of Aesop’s fables) and King Croesus (from where we get the phrase “rich as Croesus”). It was located about thirty miles south-east of Thyatira. The meaning of the word “Sardis” is “escaping one” or “come out”.
Verse 3:1 “And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.”
Again the description of Christ comes from the first chapter. In Ephesus it was the one holding the seven stars in the midst of the seven candlesticks. Here it is he that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars. The Holy Spirit (seven Spirits) is apparently missing from this church, as they are said to be dead. That is why this description of Christ is used for this church. Sardis must have been doing works, but they were works of men, not works for the Lord. In the eyes of the world, they appeared to be a living church, because of their history of having been a living church and their ongoing works, but there was nothing of God in them or their works. There are many churches like this today. They are the people who go through the motions of religion. They have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof, 2 Tim. 3:5. I personally know of a number of these kind of churches, and sadly have friends who attend them. They do a lot of good in the world, but most of the people have absolutely no relationship with Christ on a personal level or else have let that relationship dwindle away. Some do not even understand salvation by being born again. They have a head belief, which is further worsened by believing the Bible is a book of literature, or mythology, or only to be taken in the most spiritualized manner, not literally. They do not understand that a heart belief with a personal relationship is necessary. I do not even understand some of these people’s desire to be in church every Sunday (which they are), when they do not have a relationship with the Lord. It defies understanding. This is that type of church.
Verse 3:2 “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.”
Up until this church, the churches were commended for their works, but this church is not. They may have had works that looked good to the world, but not to the Lord. They were not done with the right motive, even if they were works that were beneficial. The few remnant believers that did exist were about to die (spiritually) from being in such a spiritually dead atmosphere. They are warned to be watching. When one is watching for the return of Christ, it encourages one to persevere in their relationship with Christ no matter what the surroundings.
Verse 3:3 “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.”
They are reminded to think back to when they originally heard the gospel and repented, and to hang on to that and to repent of their lethargic relationship with Christ. They are warned that if they do not start watching and remembering that the Lord will return, they will be like unbelievers and His return will come on them like a thief in the night. We have seen this verse about coming like a thief when we went over the scriptures in 1 Thess. 5, for the Day of the Lord and 2nd coming.
Verse 3:4 “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy.”
There are a very few, who still are clinging to their faith in spite of the church they are attending. They are promised that they will walk in white, the color of garment we will be given in heaven, Rev. 7:9,14; for they have been found worthy. Not because of their own works, but because they have not fallen away from their relationship with Christ.
Verse 3:5 “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”
Again, he mentions being clothed in white, the raiment of heaven. Rev. 19:8 “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” This is the bridal apparel for the bride of Christ, the church. Christ says that for those that overcome, he will not blot their name out of the book of life. It is important that your name be in this book, as “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Rev. 20:15. This book is the one that will not contain the names of those who worship antichrist. “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Rev. 13:8. The most straightforward reading of this seems to indicate that it is possible to have your name blotted out of the book after it is already in there. That would mean that it is possible to lose your salvation once you have accepted the Lord. We need to examine this in other scriptures and see if that is possible.
Ex. 32:33 “And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.”
Ps. 69:28 “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.”
Rev. 17:8b “and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was and is not, and yet is.”
Rev. 21:27 “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Rev. 22:19 “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
Taken at face value or literally, it does say that names can be blotted out of the book of life. Furthermore, two verses seem to indicate that those names were written in the book from the foundation of the world. God foreknows who will accept him and who will not. Rom. 8:29. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Therefore He wrote those names in the book of life from the foundation of the world. But what if that person after accepting the Lord does not maintain their walk? What if they fall away? If a name can be blotted out once there, does that mean a person who has been truly saved can lose their salvation? Why, if they were not going to be saved in the end, would God put there name in the book to begin with?
We need to search further for the answer to this. We already discussed several parables. In each case, there were servants (or brides) who were not ready when the master (bridegroom) appeared and they were thrown out with the wicked into where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth. This indicates that true believers can find themselves being punished with the wicked. Some feel that this is talking about posers or frauds, not true Christians, but a fraud could never get by Christ. He would not call a fraud a servant. He would be able to see into the heart and know whether or not that person had truly accepted Him.
Another parable that might shed some light is that of the seeds. Mark 4:3-9, 14-20 “Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow; and it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear…….The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts, and these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirty fold, some sixty, and some an hundred.”
This parable is saying that there are four different ways of responding to the word. The first is that it never penetrated the heart. The Holy Spirit convicts everybody at some point in their life with the truth, and it is at that moment that they have to make a decision. I believe that this is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit about which the scriptures say that there is no forgiveness. Mark 3:28-29 “Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.” It is the Holy Spirit that reveals the truth to people as to whom Christ is. If they reject that truth, there is nothing else that can save them. All other sins can be forgiven except rejecting Christ as Savior. There is no other means of forgiveness available except for Christ’s blood. So to reject the revelation the Holy Spirit gives of this truth is a blasphemy that cannot be forgiven. A person cannot be forgiven for rejecting Christ as Savior. He is eternally damned.
The second person is the one who receives the message with joy and gladness, but they have no depth of character and when persecuted or mocked, or made uncomfortable, or made to suffer in any way for their faith, they do not feel it is worth it and choose to let their faith be left by the way side. It does say, though, that they did receive the message. We cannot receive it, but not really receive it, as I have heard some say. We either receive it or we do not. Christ knows the difference, even if we do not know if someone is faking it. These people cannot endure to the end. They fall away.
The third person is one who receives the word, but they are caught up in worldliness, riches, and other idols. Matt. 6:24 “No man can serve to masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” These Christians have no fruit. They are not growing in the Lord spiritually, and they are not producing works. The carnal Christian cannot expect to walk with the world and then enter into heaven as is, simply because they once made a confession of faith. We must show our faith by our fruit and our works.
Matt. 3:10 “And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” If a Christian is not bringing forth fruit, it is cast into the fire. That is the lake of fire. The final punishment.
Matt. 7:16-23 “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name: and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Not every one that has called the Lord their Lord will enter into heaven. This does not necessarily mean that they have never been Christians. This says they have not been doing the will of the Father. They have been living their lives for themselves in spite of what they say they have been doing for the Lord. Their motivations have not been pure in their works. Their fruits have been corrupt. What are the fruits? Gal. 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Matt. 12:33 “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.” A Christian is known by his fruits. We have seen that fruits are a serious factor in determining the final destination.
John 15:1-6 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth (prune) it that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” If someone is not abiding in the Lord and producing fruit, he will wither and be lopped off and cast into the fire. This is speaking of a Christian, for an unbeliever is not grafted into the vine (Lord) to begin with. It says they are “in me“ or in the Lord. You cannot be “in the Lord” if you are not born again. When it says they will be cast into the lake of fire, it is speaking of casting Christians into the lake of fire or eternal damnation. There can be no other way of understanding this verse without twisting it. It is very clear that Christ is talking about a Christian. A non-believer is never “in the Lord.”
James 2:17, 20, 22, 24, 26 “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone…But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?…..Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?….Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only……For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” We can see that works are needed along with faith. A Christian who accepts the Lord and leaves it at that, living a life for themselves, will not be sufficient to make it into heaven. We demonstrate our faith by our works. Without them, our faith is as dead as the faith of the church at Sardis.
The last seed or person is the one who hears the word, receives it, and brings forth fruit. Some much more so than others. This is the person who endures persecution, affliction, who does not let the world and its things become his idol, and who is producing fruit and works. This is the only seed that actually makes it.
Now we must look to find if there are scriptures other than parables that teach that we can fall away from the faith and have our name blotted out of the book of life.
1 Cor. 9:24 “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” This indicates that all Christians have to run the race that has salvation as a prize, but that not everyone will get that prize.
Heb. 6:4-8 “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: but that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned.”
This passage, as hard as it is for some to accept, says that it is impossible for those “who were once enlightened” and have “tasted of the heavenly gift” and were made “partakers of the Holy Ghost.” and have “tasted of the good word of God” and the “powers of the world to come”. Here are five different statements qualifying this person’s condition and each one of them can only be experienced by a true born again Christian. I do not care how people try to make this not mean that, it is clear from the description that this can be no other than a Christian. Only a Christian is “enlightened”. Only a Christian has “tasted of the heavenly gift”. Only a Christian can be a “partaker of the Holy Ghost”. Only a Christian has “tasted of the good word of God”. And only a Christian has experienced the “powers of the world to come”. No pseudo Christian can have done any of this. This is not just a person who claims to be a Christian, but really isn’t born again. This person has had the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Only a Christian can have that. For the Christian who falls away, and this is not talking of merely committing a sin, this is speaking of turning from Christ as the means of salvation (think Oprah’s gospel), they cannot come back, as that would require a second sacrifice on Christ's part as they have thrown away the first. They have embraced another gospel when they leave Christianity.
Heb. 10:26-31 “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remained no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, and unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belonged unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
This is a most frightening passage. This says that if we deliberately keep on in sin, we are trampling the Son of God under foot and treating the blood as an unholy thing. There is no more sacrifice for sins other than what has already been given. If this passage is to be taken as is, it would seem that nobody would make it into heaven, as at some point, we all sin willfully. I would like to meet the person who is capable of never committing one. Under that circumstance, I don’t think we can take it that one deliberate sin will condemn us or nobody would be saved. After all David committed both adultery and murder deliberately, yet he was a man after God’s own heart. Also it would negate other scriptures that we have about forgiveness, such as 1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I think the key is found in what David did, he repented. I believe the sin about which this verse is speaking in Hebrews is found in the verse that follows 1 John 1:9. 1 John 1:10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” This passage in Hebrews is speaking of unrepentant sin. If we keep on unrepentantly sinning, there is no more sacrifice for sin, as the only way sins are covered are by repentance through Jesus Christ. If we refuse that repentance, there is nothing else that can cover the sin. So this passage teaches us that a Christian can, if they continue to sin without repentance, forfeit their salvation.
From all of these scriptures, and there are many more, I think it is safe to say that a person’s name can be blotted out of the book of life. Why then would God put it in the book at all? There are two possibilities for this. If a person has accepted the Lord at any time in their life, they are entitled in all fairness to have their name written in there, for whatever length of time that may be. And God is fair. He will not blot out anyone’s name until He is required to do so. Or it could be that everyone’s name starts out in the book of life. This seems to be more likely, considering an infant that dies has not committed a sin, so their name should be in the book of life, yet they would not have accepted the Lord to have their name written in there. It could be that when someone rejects the Holy Spirit’s call, that their names are then blotted out of the book of life. Whichever way this works, and we are not really told, this should be a wake up call to all of us.
Now to be fair, I must address several verses that are used to refute this belief and teach eternal security. John 10:28-29 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” Romans 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
These two passages are the backbone of the teaching of eternal security, and on the face of a superficial reading, one would say that indeed that must be what is being taught. But in order to accept that interpretation, one must completely ignore every passage that I have outlined above that teach differently. And not only those, but many, many more. Should two passages outweigh so many others that clearly teach the opposite? If they are in opposition, it is because one of them is not being understood correctly. I think the former ones are quite clear in their intent. So is there a way to reconcile these latter scriptures to that intent? I believe there is. In the first verse, it says that no man shall be able to pluck us out of the Father’s hand. In other words, if we want to be there, no one, nobody else has the right to take us away from the Father, where we want to be. Nobody has that power over us. However it does not say that we do not have that power over ourselves. It clearly says that nobody else can take us out of the Father’s hand. No thing, no person, no angel, no creature, nothing has the right to take us out of the Father’s hand if we want to be there. This is our eternal security. However notice it does not say that we cannot take ourselves out of the Father’s hand by turning away from Him. If we want to be with the Lord, He will give us the strength and grace to endure tribulation, persecution, famine, the sword, whatever. We will endure by His grace if we want to endure. Nobody has the right to steal our salvation from us. We, however must want that salvation enough to abide in the Lord, do the works, etc. that the other scriptures say we must be doing and having. The former scriptures clearly teach that we can remove ourselves from the Father's hand.
Now we can see that while the former passages cannot be reconciled to these two, they have to be ignored if one wants to believe in eternal security as it is usually defined; these latter two can be reconciled to the former quite easily.
Back to Revelation 3:5. Christ will confess the overcomer’s name before the Father and before the angels. We are told that if we deny Christ, He will deny us. Matt. 10:32-33 “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” We must be very careful not to deny our Savior or be embarrassed about being Christians, especially when we are in the company of the world. Denying Christ is basically what this church was doing as they were spiritually dead.
Verse 3:6 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches.”
Again we see that the order is that the promise is given, then the statement that he who has an ear to hear, let him hear. This church falls into the same category as Thyatira. The church as a corporate entity is lost. Only the few remnant are even able to “hear” this letter. Christ is calling on the remnant who will open their hearts and minds and listen and hear and repent and escape or come out, as the name Sardis means.
The next church is Sardis. Sardis was a wicked and wealthy city. It was the capital of ancient Lydia, the home of Aesop (of Aesop’s fables) and King Croesus (from where we get the phrase “rich as Croesus”). It was located about thirty miles south-east of Thyatira. The meaning of the word “Sardis” is “escaping one” or “come out”.
Verse 3:1 “And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.”
Again the description of Christ comes from the first chapter. In Ephesus it was the one holding the seven stars in the midst of the seven candlesticks. Here it is he that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars. The Holy Spirit (seven Spirits) is apparently missing from this church, as they are said to be dead. That is why this description of Christ is used for this church. Sardis must have been doing works, but they were works of men, not works for the Lord. In the eyes of the world, they appeared to be a living church, because of their history of having been a living church and their ongoing works, but there was nothing of God in them or their works. There are many churches like this today. They are the people who go through the motions of religion. They have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof, 2 Tim. 3:5. I personally know of a number of these kind of churches, and sadly have friends who attend them. They do a lot of good in the world, but most of the people have absolutely no relationship with Christ on a personal level or else have let that relationship dwindle away. Some do not even understand salvation by being born again. They have a head belief, which is further worsened by believing the Bible is a book of literature, or mythology, or only to be taken in the most spiritualized manner, not literally. They do not understand that a heart belief with a personal relationship is necessary. I do not even understand some of these people’s desire to be in church every Sunday (which they are), when they do not have a relationship with the Lord. It defies understanding. This is that type of church.
Verse 3:2 “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.”
Up until this church, the churches were commended for their works, but this church is not. They may have had works that looked good to the world, but not to the Lord. They were not done with the right motive, even if they were works that were beneficial. The few remnant believers that did exist were about to die (spiritually) from being in such a spiritually dead atmosphere. They are warned to be watching. When one is watching for the return of Christ, it encourages one to persevere in their relationship with Christ no matter what the surroundings.
Verse 3:3 “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.”
They are reminded to think back to when they originally heard the gospel and repented, and to hang on to that and to repent of their lethargic relationship with Christ. They are warned that if they do not start watching and remembering that the Lord will return, they will be like unbelievers and His return will come on them like a thief in the night. We have seen this verse about coming like a thief when we went over the scriptures in 1 Thess. 5, for the Day of the Lord and 2nd coming.
Verse 3:4 “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy.”
There are a very few, who still are clinging to their faith in spite of the church they are attending. They are promised that they will walk in white, the color of garment we will be given in heaven, Rev. 7:9,14; for they have been found worthy. Not because of their own works, but because they have not fallen away from their relationship with Christ.
Verse 3:5 “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”
Again, he mentions being clothed in white, the raiment of heaven. Rev. 19:8 “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” This is the bridal apparel for the bride of Christ, the church. Christ says that for those that overcome, he will not blot their name out of the book of life. It is important that your name be in this book, as “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Rev. 20:15. This book is the one that will not contain the names of those who worship antichrist. “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Rev. 13:8. The most straightforward reading of this seems to indicate that it is possible to have your name blotted out of the book after it is already in there. That would mean that it is possible to lose your salvation once you have accepted the Lord. We need to examine this in other scriptures and see if that is possible.
Ex. 32:33 “And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.”
Ps. 69:28 “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.”
Rev. 17:8b “and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was and is not, and yet is.”
Rev. 21:27 “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Rev. 22:19 “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
Taken at face value or literally, it does say that names can be blotted out of the book of life. Furthermore, two verses seem to indicate that those names were written in the book from the foundation of the world. God foreknows who will accept him and who will not. Rom. 8:29. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Therefore He wrote those names in the book of life from the foundation of the world. But what if that person after accepting the Lord does not maintain their walk? What if they fall away? If a name can be blotted out once there, does that mean a person who has been truly saved can lose their salvation? Why, if they were not going to be saved in the end, would God put there name in the book to begin with?
We need to search further for the answer to this. We already discussed several parables. In each case, there were servants (or brides) who were not ready when the master (bridegroom) appeared and they were thrown out with the wicked into where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth. This indicates that true believers can find themselves being punished with the wicked. Some feel that this is talking about posers or frauds, not true Christians, but a fraud could never get by Christ. He would not call a fraud a servant. He would be able to see into the heart and know whether or not that person had truly accepted Him.
Another parable that might shed some light is that of the seeds. Mark 4:3-9, 14-20 “Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow; and it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear…….The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts, and these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirty fold, some sixty, and some an hundred.”
This parable is saying that there are four different ways of responding to the word. The first is that it never penetrated the heart. The Holy Spirit convicts everybody at some point in their life with the truth, and it is at that moment that they have to make a decision. I believe that this is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit about which the scriptures say that there is no forgiveness. Mark 3:28-29 “Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.” It is the Holy Spirit that reveals the truth to people as to whom Christ is. If they reject that truth, there is nothing else that can save them. All other sins can be forgiven except rejecting Christ as Savior. There is no other means of forgiveness available except for Christ’s blood. So to reject the revelation the Holy Spirit gives of this truth is a blasphemy that cannot be forgiven. A person cannot be forgiven for rejecting Christ as Savior. He is eternally damned.
The second person is the one who receives the message with joy and gladness, but they have no depth of character and when persecuted or mocked, or made uncomfortable, or made to suffer in any way for their faith, they do not feel it is worth it and choose to let their faith be left by the way side. It does say, though, that they did receive the message. We cannot receive it, but not really receive it, as I have heard some say. We either receive it or we do not. Christ knows the difference, even if we do not know if someone is faking it. These people cannot endure to the end. They fall away.
The third person is one who receives the word, but they are caught up in worldliness, riches, and other idols. Matt. 6:24 “No man can serve to masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” These Christians have no fruit. They are not growing in the Lord spiritually, and they are not producing works. The carnal Christian cannot expect to walk with the world and then enter into heaven as is, simply because they once made a confession of faith. We must show our faith by our fruit and our works.
Matt. 3:10 “And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” If a Christian is not bringing forth fruit, it is cast into the fire. That is the lake of fire. The final punishment.
Matt. 7:16-23 “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name: and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Not every one that has called the Lord their Lord will enter into heaven. This does not necessarily mean that they have never been Christians. This says they have not been doing the will of the Father. They have been living their lives for themselves in spite of what they say they have been doing for the Lord. Their motivations have not been pure in their works. Their fruits have been corrupt. What are the fruits? Gal. 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Matt. 12:33 “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.” A Christian is known by his fruits. We have seen that fruits are a serious factor in determining the final destination.
John 15:1-6 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth (prune) it that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” If someone is not abiding in the Lord and producing fruit, he will wither and be lopped off and cast into the fire. This is speaking of a Christian, for an unbeliever is not grafted into the vine (Lord) to begin with. It says they are “in me“ or in the Lord. You cannot be “in the Lord” if you are not born again. When it says they will be cast into the lake of fire, it is speaking of casting Christians into the lake of fire or eternal damnation. There can be no other way of understanding this verse without twisting it. It is very clear that Christ is talking about a Christian. A non-believer is never “in the Lord.”
James 2:17, 20, 22, 24, 26 “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone…But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?…..Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?….Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only……For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” We can see that works are needed along with faith. A Christian who accepts the Lord and leaves it at that, living a life for themselves, will not be sufficient to make it into heaven. We demonstrate our faith by our works. Without them, our faith is as dead as the faith of the church at Sardis.
The last seed or person is the one who hears the word, receives it, and brings forth fruit. Some much more so than others. This is the person who endures persecution, affliction, who does not let the world and its things become his idol, and who is producing fruit and works. This is the only seed that actually makes it.
Now we must look to find if there are scriptures other than parables that teach that we can fall away from the faith and have our name blotted out of the book of life.
1 Cor. 9:24 “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” This indicates that all Christians have to run the race that has salvation as a prize, but that not everyone will get that prize.
Heb. 6:4-8 “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: but that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned.”
This passage, as hard as it is for some to accept, says that it is impossible for those “who were once enlightened” and have “tasted of the heavenly gift” and were made “partakers of the Holy Ghost.” and have “tasted of the good word of God” and the “powers of the world to come”. Here are five different statements qualifying this person’s condition and each one of them can only be experienced by a true born again Christian. I do not care how people try to make this not mean that, it is clear from the description that this can be no other than a Christian. Only a Christian is “enlightened”. Only a Christian has “tasted of the heavenly gift”. Only a Christian can be a “partaker of the Holy Ghost”. Only a Christian has “tasted of the good word of God”. And only a Christian has experienced the “powers of the world to come”. No pseudo Christian can have done any of this. This is not just a person who claims to be a Christian, but really isn’t born again. This person has had the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Only a Christian can have that. For the Christian who falls away, and this is not talking of merely committing a sin, this is speaking of turning from Christ as the means of salvation (think Oprah’s gospel), they cannot come back, as that would require a second sacrifice on Christ's part as they have thrown away the first. They have embraced another gospel when they leave Christianity.
Heb. 10:26-31 “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remained no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, and unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belonged unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
This is a most frightening passage. This says that if we deliberately keep on in sin, we are trampling the Son of God under foot and treating the blood as an unholy thing. There is no more sacrifice for sins other than what has already been given. If this passage is to be taken as is, it would seem that nobody would make it into heaven, as at some point, we all sin willfully. I would like to meet the person who is capable of never committing one. Under that circumstance, I don’t think we can take it that one deliberate sin will condemn us or nobody would be saved. After all David committed both adultery and murder deliberately, yet he was a man after God’s own heart. Also it would negate other scriptures that we have about forgiveness, such as 1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I think the key is found in what David did, he repented. I believe the sin about which this verse is speaking in Hebrews is found in the verse that follows 1 John 1:9. 1 John 1:10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” This passage in Hebrews is speaking of unrepentant sin. If we keep on unrepentantly sinning, there is no more sacrifice for sin, as the only way sins are covered are by repentance through Jesus Christ. If we refuse that repentance, there is nothing else that can cover the sin. So this passage teaches us that a Christian can, if they continue to sin without repentance, forfeit their salvation.
From all of these scriptures, and there are many more, I think it is safe to say that a person’s name can be blotted out of the book of life. Why then would God put it in the book at all? There are two possibilities for this. If a person has accepted the Lord at any time in their life, they are entitled in all fairness to have their name written in there, for whatever length of time that may be. And God is fair. He will not blot out anyone’s name until He is required to do so. Or it could be that everyone’s name starts out in the book of life. This seems to be more likely, considering an infant that dies has not committed a sin, so their name should be in the book of life, yet they would not have accepted the Lord to have their name written in there. It could be that when someone rejects the Holy Spirit’s call, that their names are then blotted out of the book of life. Whichever way this works, and we are not really told, this should be a wake up call to all of us.
Now to be fair, I must address several verses that are used to refute this belief and teach eternal security. John 10:28-29 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” Romans 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
These two passages are the backbone of the teaching of eternal security, and on the face of a superficial reading, one would say that indeed that must be what is being taught. But in order to accept that interpretation, one must completely ignore every passage that I have outlined above that teach differently. And not only those, but many, many more. Should two passages outweigh so many others that clearly teach the opposite? If they are in opposition, it is because one of them is not being understood correctly. I think the former ones are quite clear in their intent. So is there a way to reconcile these latter scriptures to that intent? I believe there is. In the first verse, it says that no man shall be able to pluck us out of the Father’s hand. In other words, if we want to be there, no one, nobody else has the right to take us away from the Father, where we want to be. Nobody has that power over us. However it does not say that we do not have that power over ourselves. It clearly says that nobody else can take us out of the Father’s hand. No thing, no person, no angel, no creature, nothing has the right to take us out of the Father’s hand if we want to be there. This is our eternal security. However notice it does not say that we cannot take ourselves out of the Father’s hand by turning away from Him. If we want to be with the Lord, He will give us the strength and grace to endure tribulation, persecution, famine, the sword, whatever. We will endure by His grace if we want to endure. Nobody has the right to steal our salvation from us. We, however must want that salvation enough to abide in the Lord, do the works, etc. that the other scriptures say we must be doing and having. The former scriptures clearly teach that we can remove ourselves from the Father's hand.
Now we can see that while the former passages cannot be reconciled to these two, they have to be ignored if one wants to believe in eternal security as it is usually defined; these latter two can be reconciled to the former quite easily.
Back to Revelation 3:5. Christ will confess the overcomer’s name before the Father and before the angels. We are told that if we deny Christ, He will deny us. Matt. 10:32-33 “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” We must be very careful not to deny our Savior or be embarrassed about being Christians, especially when we are in the company of the world. Denying Christ is basically what this church was doing as they were spiritually dead.
Verse 3:6 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches.”
Again we see that the order is that the promise is given, then the statement that he who has an ear to hear, let him hear. This church falls into the same category as Thyatira. The church as a corporate entity is lost. Only the few remnant are even able to “hear” this letter. Christ is calling on the remnant who will open their hearts and minds and listen and hear and repent and escape or come out, as the name Sardis means.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Revelation 2:18-29 Thyatira
The next church is the church at Thyatira. It was about forty miles east of Pergamos. It was a trade center with many trade guilds. Lydia, the seller of purple (Acts 16:14) resided there.
Verse 2:18 “And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass”
This time Christ actually calls Himself the Son of God. He again refers to a part of the description we found in chapter one. This time it is referring to his eyes and his feet. This is again speaking of judgment by the eyes which see everything and the feet which are going to trample the winepress of God's wrath.
Verse 2:19 “I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
This church was given a long list of commendations. Their works were so much that they are mentioned twice, with the last implying that they are growing in leaps and bounds. They were loving, they ministered to people, they had a strong faith, and they were patient in tribulation. One would think that this church could not go wrong, but that is not the case. This should be a real warning to Christians who are walking with the Lord in love, faith, works, and patience in tribulation, that even they can be guilty of some type of sin.
Verse 2:20 “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.”
Thyatira was not watching their doctrines. Not only were they tolerating false doctrines, but they were allowing a woman called Jezebel (who was a self-proclaimed prophetess) to teach these doctrines, seducing the congregation to commit fornication and eat things sacrificed to idols. First, allowing a woman to teach the church was strictly against scripture. In 1 Timothy 2:11,12 the church is specifically instructed that a woman is not supposed to be in authority over a man and teach. Whether her name was actually Jezebel or not, the name immediately brings to mind the story of Jezebel from the O.T. and makes a spiritual connection with that woman. The Jezebel of the O.T. was responsible for promoting whoredoms, witchcraft, and Baal worship in Israel during the time of Elijah. Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab, was not an Israelite but a princess of the Zidonians. Ahab, to strengthen the kingdom of Israel, married Jezebel, and she with Ahab’s willing help introduced the worship of Baal into Israel, and killed all the prophets of the Lord she could find.
This Jezebel, by virtue of calling herself a prophetess, was obviously introducing “new revelation” that she supposedly received as a prophetess. Those revelations apparently had to do with carnal living, participation in pagan rituals and the like. She most likely was stressing love and works, as this church was strong in those things, but the love was a little too loving in some cases. Other churches had people like this (the Nicolaitanes) but the difference was, these people were not only tolerating her, they were allowing her to teach this heresy. Another problem may have had something to do with the fact that this city was a trade city with trade guilds. You didn’t work unless you were a member of the guild. These guilds had certain requirements that involved their members participating in pagan practices and feasts. Think in terms of something similar to the masons of today. Jezebel was probably teaching that it was okay for people to participate so that they could continue to work.
In the churches today there are people who belong to the Masonic Lodge, which is a pagan organization, regardless of what some of their members may like to believe. They are actually pledging their allegiance to Satan when they join. At the lower ranks, the individuals are probably completely unaware of what they are doing, if they are not truly studying their Bibles and can see the truth. They think the words they are saying are harmless, but God is holding them accountable for the promises to which they are giving a vow, and what they are vowing to is blasphemous. Their symbols are occultic, but unless a person has studied the occult and recognizes the meanings, they would be meaningless to them. On another front, I have heard many older people complain about the new teachings that are coming in to the church, yet they stay there and tolerate it. It is the older congregants that keep the church’s works going, have the strong faith, the discernment, the ministries, and the like. It is the younger ones who are embracing the new teachings and ways. So the church still qualifies as a good church in the sense that overall they still have those things which are so important, but they are letting these new doctrines creep in. As the younger ones enjoy the new ways, the older ones, in the name of peace, remain silent in the face of the younger people‘s intolerance of their complaints. In time the ways of Jezebel finally take over the whole church and they become apostate. All of these things would qualify as the possible candidates for the sins in this church.
Verse 2:21 “And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.”
Apparently someone had confronted Jezebel with her sin, but she had refused to acknowledge that is was a sin, as is usually the case with a ringleader. She deliberately was rejecting God’s Word and His warning.
Verse 2:22 “Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.”
Judgment has been pronounced on Jezebel, as she has refused to repent. She will be cast into a bed of great tribulation. Although we do not know what happened to her, it is safe to assume that God did judge this woman. Her followers were still given time to repent. While at the time of this letter and down through the centuries, the tribulation that she and her followers were cast into may have been intense tribulation, the “great tribulation” is yet to come. This shows us that this letter is also for those that are alive at the time of the great tribulation during the 70th week as this phrase only applies to that particular time.
Verse 2:23 “And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.”
Jezebel’s children might include biological ones, but for certain it refers to spiritual ones, those who follow her. The phrase kill with death is an idiomatic expression that would mean they die from execution. They are killed by a means of death. This definitely points to the great tribulation when Christians will be executed for their faith. This is how God will refine and purge those who have not repented and cleaned up their act. God will punish according to their sins.
Verse 2:24-25 “But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already, hold fast till I come.”
We know that these letters were addressed to the angels specifically and to the members of the church as a whole. Now there is a change. From the context it can be seen that Christ is now speaking to the person to whom the letter is addressed (the angel) and “the rest.... as have not this doctrine.” What Christ is about to say is only to this group, the angel and the faithful remnant. This might seem like an odd thing, as an angel would not be guilty of any of these sins, but that is not what this is about. This is also addressed to the faithful remnant in this church that has not participated in any way in these sins that Jezebel has been promoting. What is said is that Christ will not put any other burden on them other than holding onto what they have. He is not going to chastise them for any other sin, nor expect anything more from them other than they just stay away from Jezebel and her teachings and stay faithful. The angel who is in charge is not going to be given any more demands other than just watching over and keeping these who will not participate in this heresy. It is not required for him to watch over the rest of the church as was required of the previous angels.
The remnant has been faithful in every other way, in love, faith, works, and ministry. Their only problem has been tolerating Jezebel. They may not have had any choice in the matter. Usually the faithful remnant is the minority in a church and their voices go unheeded and unnoticed. They are told to simply hold on to what they have been doing. And they are told to do this until the Lord returns. While this original church may have hoped that the Lord would return in their lifetimes, that was not the case. However, there will be Thyatira-like churches around at the Second Coming of the Lord who can and will be cast into the great tribulation, so Christ does expect Christians to be around at His Second Coming.
Verse 2:26 “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations.”
The overcomer who endures to the end (2nd coming) will be given rule over the nations. Rev. 20:4 “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them…..and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
Verse 2:27 “And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.”
This verse is a reference to Psalm 2:7-9. “I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” This imagery shows up in Revelation again in 12:5 “And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne”, and 19:15b “…and he shall rule them with a rod of iron:…” In these verses, it is speaking of Christ who will be the one to rule with a rod of iron. But in the above verse, the promise is that the overcomer will rule them with a rod of iron. The saints have been promised that they will judge the world. 1 Cor. 6:2 “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?…” This is also promised in Daniel 7:18, 27. “But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. ….And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” We have already seen the verse in Rev. 20:4 that the saints will judge the nations.
Verse 2:28 “And I will give him the morning star.”
Jesus is the bright and morning star. Rev. 22:16b “…I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright and morning star.” This is a promise of Christ’s eternal presence with His people.
Verse 2:29 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
In the previous churches, this warning came before the promise to the overcomer. Now the positioning of it has been changed. It comes at the end. The Lord is making a change to give us a jolt to realize that something has changed from the previous churches to this one. In looking at the other churches, we see that the entire letter was addressed to the entire church. In this church, halfway through the letter, Christ quit addressing the entire church and addressed only the angel and the remnant. The reason for this becomes evident when one examines a little more closely the subject of doctrine. In the first three churches, the church still held to correct doctrine. They may have had people within the church who individually chose to believe in false doctrines (the Nicolaitanes and Balaam followers), but they did not tolerate this to be taught by the church. In Thyatira, they had embraced these false teachings as church doctrine. Therein lies the difference. Christ does warn the entire church that they should not tolerate false doctrine, but the corporate church had already forsaken Christ, and is already condemned to judgment. This explains Him presenting himself as the one with eyes that flame and feet that are like brass, signs of judgment. While in the other churches everyone was available to have an ear to hear and become an overcomer, this is not the case in this church. The promise to overcomers and to him who has an ear to hear comes after Christ stops addressing the corporate church and starts addressing the remnant. Had the order been reversed, it might have been assumed that this promise was to all the church, but the grammatical positioning of the promise indicates that it is not being given to the entire church, but to the remnant. They still are guilty of tolerating Jezebel (although they probably could do nothing about her) and stand in danger of judgment too, if they are not careful, therefore they need to have an ear to hear.
Verse 2:18 “And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass”
This time Christ actually calls Himself the Son of God. He again refers to a part of the description we found in chapter one. This time it is referring to his eyes and his feet. This is again speaking of judgment by the eyes which see everything and the feet which are going to trample the winepress of God's wrath.
Verse 2:19 “I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
This church was given a long list of commendations. Their works were so much that they are mentioned twice, with the last implying that they are growing in leaps and bounds. They were loving, they ministered to people, they had a strong faith, and they were patient in tribulation. One would think that this church could not go wrong, but that is not the case. This should be a real warning to Christians who are walking with the Lord in love, faith, works, and patience in tribulation, that even they can be guilty of some type of sin.
Verse 2:20 “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.”
Thyatira was not watching their doctrines. Not only were they tolerating false doctrines, but they were allowing a woman called Jezebel (who was a self-proclaimed prophetess) to teach these doctrines, seducing the congregation to commit fornication and eat things sacrificed to idols. First, allowing a woman to teach the church was strictly against scripture. In 1 Timothy 2:11,12 the church is specifically instructed that a woman is not supposed to be in authority over a man and teach. Whether her name was actually Jezebel or not, the name immediately brings to mind the story of Jezebel from the O.T. and makes a spiritual connection with that woman. The Jezebel of the O.T. was responsible for promoting whoredoms, witchcraft, and Baal worship in Israel during the time of Elijah. Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab, was not an Israelite but a princess of the Zidonians. Ahab, to strengthen the kingdom of Israel, married Jezebel, and she with Ahab’s willing help introduced the worship of Baal into Israel, and killed all the prophets of the Lord she could find.
This Jezebel, by virtue of calling herself a prophetess, was obviously introducing “new revelation” that she supposedly received as a prophetess. Those revelations apparently had to do with carnal living, participation in pagan rituals and the like. She most likely was stressing love and works, as this church was strong in those things, but the love was a little too loving in some cases. Other churches had people like this (the Nicolaitanes) but the difference was, these people were not only tolerating her, they were allowing her to teach this heresy. Another problem may have had something to do with the fact that this city was a trade city with trade guilds. You didn’t work unless you were a member of the guild. These guilds had certain requirements that involved their members participating in pagan practices and feasts. Think in terms of something similar to the masons of today. Jezebel was probably teaching that it was okay for people to participate so that they could continue to work.
In the churches today there are people who belong to the Masonic Lodge, which is a pagan organization, regardless of what some of their members may like to believe. They are actually pledging their allegiance to Satan when they join. At the lower ranks, the individuals are probably completely unaware of what they are doing, if they are not truly studying their Bibles and can see the truth. They think the words they are saying are harmless, but God is holding them accountable for the promises to which they are giving a vow, and what they are vowing to is blasphemous. Their symbols are occultic, but unless a person has studied the occult and recognizes the meanings, they would be meaningless to them. On another front, I have heard many older people complain about the new teachings that are coming in to the church, yet they stay there and tolerate it. It is the older congregants that keep the church’s works going, have the strong faith, the discernment, the ministries, and the like. It is the younger ones who are embracing the new teachings and ways. So the church still qualifies as a good church in the sense that overall they still have those things which are so important, but they are letting these new doctrines creep in. As the younger ones enjoy the new ways, the older ones, in the name of peace, remain silent in the face of the younger people‘s intolerance of their complaints. In time the ways of Jezebel finally take over the whole church and they become apostate. All of these things would qualify as the possible candidates for the sins in this church.
Verse 2:21 “And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.”
Apparently someone had confronted Jezebel with her sin, but she had refused to acknowledge that is was a sin, as is usually the case with a ringleader. She deliberately was rejecting God’s Word and His warning.
Verse 2:22 “Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.”
Judgment has been pronounced on Jezebel, as she has refused to repent. She will be cast into a bed of great tribulation. Although we do not know what happened to her, it is safe to assume that God did judge this woman. Her followers were still given time to repent. While at the time of this letter and down through the centuries, the tribulation that she and her followers were cast into may have been intense tribulation, the “great tribulation” is yet to come. This shows us that this letter is also for those that are alive at the time of the great tribulation during the 70th week as this phrase only applies to that particular time.
Verse 2:23 “And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.”
Jezebel’s children might include biological ones, but for certain it refers to spiritual ones, those who follow her. The phrase kill with death is an idiomatic expression that would mean they die from execution. They are killed by a means of death. This definitely points to the great tribulation when Christians will be executed for their faith. This is how God will refine and purge those who have not repented and cleaned up their act. God will punish according to their sins.
Verse 2:24-25 “But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already, hold fast till I come.”
We know that these letters were addressed to the angels specifically and to the members of the church as a whole. Now there is a change. From the context it can be seen that Christ is now speaking to the person to whom the letter is addressed (the angel) and “the rest.... as have not this doctrine.” What Christ is about to say is only to this group, the angel and the faithful remnant. This might seem like an odd thing, as an angel would not be guilty of any of these sins, but that is not what this is about. This is also addressed to the faithful remnant in this church that has not participated in any way in these sins that Jezebel has been promoting. What is said is that Christ will not put any other burden on them other than holding onto what they have. He is not going to chastise them for any other sin, nor expect anything more from them other than they just stay away from Jezebel and her teachings and stay faithful. The angel who is in charge is not going to be given any more demands other than just watching over and keeping these who will not participate in this heresy. It is not required for him to watch over the rest of the church as was required of the previous angels.
The remnant has been faithful in every other way, in love, faith, works, and ministry. Their only problem has been tolerating Jezebel. They may not have had any choice in the matter. Usually the faithful remnant is the minority in a church and their voices go unheeded and unnoticed. They are told to simply hold on to what they have been doing. And they are told to do this until the Lord returns. While this original church may have hoped that the Lord would return in their lifetimes, that was not the case. However, there will be Thyatira-like churches around at the Second Coming of the Lord who can and will be cast into the great tribulation, so Christ does expect Christians to be around at His Second Coming.
Verse 2:26 “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations.”
The overcomer who endures to the end (2nd coming) will be given rule over the nations. Rev. 20:4 “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them…..and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
Verse 2:27 “And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.”
This verse is a reference to Psalm 2:7-9. “I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” This imagery shows up in Revelation again in 12:5 “And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne”, and 19:15b “…and he shall rule them with a rod of iron:…” In these verses, it is speaking of Christ who will be the one to rule with a rod of iron. But in the above verse, the promise is that the overcomer will rule them with a rod of iron. The saints have been promised that they will judge the world. 1 Cor. 6:2 “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?…” This is also promised in Daniel 7:18, 27. “But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. ….And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” We have already seen the verse in Rev. 20:4 that the saints will judge the nations.
Verse 2:28 “And I will give him the morning star.”
Jesus is the bright and morning star. Rev. 22:16b “…I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright and morning star.” This is a promise of Christ’s eternal presence with His people.
Verse 2:29 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
In the previous churches, this warning came before the promise to the overcomer. Now the positioning of it has been changed. It comes at the end. The Lord is making a change to give us a jolt to realize that something has changed from the previous churches to this one. In looking at the other churches, we see that the entire letter was addressed to the entire church. In this church, halfway through the letter, Christ quit addressing the entire church and addressed only the angel and the remnant. The reason for this becomes evident when one examines a little more closely the subject of doctrine. In the first three churches, the church still held to correct doctrine. They may have had people within the church who individually chose to believe in false doctrines (the Nicolaitanes and Balaam followers), but they did not tolerate this to be taught by the church. In Thyatira, they had embraced these false teachings as church doctrine. Therein lies the difference. Christ does warn the entire church that they should not tolerate false doctrine, but the corporate church had already forsaken Christ, and is already condemned to judgment. This explains Him presenting himself as the one with eyes that flame and feet that are like brass, signs of judgment. While in the other churches everyone was available to have an ear to hear and become an overcomer, this is not the case in this church. The promise to overcomers and to him who has an ear to hear comes after Christ stops addressing the corporate church and starts addressing the remnant. Had the order been reversed, it might have been assumed that this promise was to all the church, but the grammatical positioning of the promise indicates that it is not being given to the entire church, but to the remnant. They still are guilty of tolerating Jezebel (although they probably could do nothing about her) and stand in danger of judgment too, if they are not careful, therefore they need to have an ear to hear.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Revelation 2:12-17 Pergamos
Ephesus had left its first love and Smyrna was being persecuted, but both had held on to sound doctrine and had not allowed false teachers and doctrines into the fold. Not so with the next church. Pergamos is the third church. It is a compromising worldly church. Pergamos was a major city in Asia Minor about sixty miles north of Smyrna. It was a center for temple worship with the cult of the emperor as well as Greek pagan mysteries. It was also the headquarters of the Babylonian mysteries at this time. One of the seven wonders of the world, the largest altar in the world, the great altar of Zeus was located here. It was a center of intellectualism with its
200,000 volume library and it was also a medical center. Aesculapius or Asclepius (depending on whether you prefer the Latin or Greek), the deity of medicine was also worshiped. The name Pergamos means “marriage”.
Verse 2:12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges.”
Christ presents Himself as the one who has a sharp-two edged sword. This kind of sword is especially dangerous as a weapon as it cuts both ways. It cuts hard and quickly. Truth is a sharp two-edged sword, and Christ is going to present them with some hard truths. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb. 4:12. What Christ has to say is going to cut to the quick. His flaming eyes can discern the thought and intents of their hearts, and they are not what they should be. Again we see a description of Christ that we saw in chapter one. This sword also will smite the nations when Christ returns at Armageddon. Rev. 19:15a “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations…..” There is a reference from Is. 11:4b that speaks of this “…..and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.”
Verse 2:13 “I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.”
The commendations are that they have works, and even though they dwell where Satan’s throne is ( the headquarters for the Babylonian mysteries had moved here and that is verified as it says that Satan lived there. It was a major center for pagan worship), they hold fast to Christ’s name and don’t deny Him, even when persecution was so severe that martyrdom was a possibility. In fact one of their own had been martyred. A man called Antipas.
Verse 2:14 “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.”
Now comes the criticism. They have those there (not everyone does, but they tolerate those who do) who hold to the doctrine of Balaam. Most people are familiar with the phrase Balaam’s ass. If you don’t know the story, read Numbers chapters 22-24. Balaam was an Old Testament prophet who was called upon by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse the Israelites. I have heard pastors call Balaam a false prophet. The interesting thing is, Balaam had dialogue with the one true God. He did prophesy for God. He was a true prophet in that he acknowledges God as His Lord and says that he could only say what God told him to say, which is exactly what he does. He is a true prophet of God, although not a Hebrew. God apparently had prophets outside of Israel. He is not exactly righteous in that he eventually helps Balak, but not through his prophesying. God told him to not curse the Israelites, and Balaam at first tried to obey by refusing to go with Balak’s men. But then he does go. God is angry and sends the angel of the Lord (the angel of the Lord is usually accepted to be the pre-incarnate Christ) to stand in the way. The ass sees the angel and won’t go past him. Balaam hits the ass to try to get her to go forward. The angel continues to block the way and Balaam continues to whip the ass. Finally the ass falls down and when Balaam whips her the Lord gives her the ability to speak (shades of Narnia). She asks Balaam what she has done to deserve the beating. Balaam says that she is mocking him and if he had a sword he would kill her. [I have serious problems understanding Balaam at this point. If my dog or cat were to start talking to me, I’d be too stunned to do anything. I certainly wouldn’t want to kill them. Imagine what you could do with talking animals?] Balaam shows no surprise that the ass is talking, which is most peculiar in my mind. Anyhow, back to the story. The ass asks him if she has ever done anything like this before in all the time that he has owned her. Balaam must admit that she hasn’t and at that point the Lord opens Balaam’s eyes so that he can see the angel of the Lord. Balaam falls on his face. The angel of the Lord chastises Balaam for having gone when he knew God didn’t want him to. He tells Balaam that if the ass hadn’t turned away from him the three times that she did, he would have killed Balaam and spared her. Balaam admits his sin and says he will return home. Now the angel of the Lord tells him to go ahead with the men, but that he will speak what he is told to say. Balak is glad to see Balaam, but Balaam warns him that he can only say what the Lord puts in his mouth. Balaam offers burnt offerings and then meets with God. God tells him he has to bless Israel, which he does. This infuriates Balak. Balak thinks that if he takes Balaam to another location he can curse them. So they go through the whole ritual again. This happens three times. Balak tells him to go home. Balaam then prophesies about what will happen in the latter days. (Here is the term latter days, so this is a prophecy we should look into later.) Then Balaam goes home. From Numbers 31:16 we learn that when the Lord would not permit Balaam to curse Israel, he suggested to Balak that he get Israel to sin by using the women to seduce and entice them to participate in the worship of Baal-Peor. As a result, the Lord caused a plague to fall on Israel which killed 24,000 people.
Pergamos was guilty of having those who held to this type of doctrine. Balaam taught Balak that he should encourage Israel to intermarry with the Moabites. This would bring pagan practices within Israel. They would be breaking the laws, and committing sexual and spiritual sins. Balaam was also guilty of being willing to curse Israel for money. These people must have been encouraging people to intermarry with non-believers as well as other “freedoms in Christ” that are not allowed and possibly were selling something for profit. There is no way of knowing what they might have been doing for monetary gain, but sexual sins and pagan practices were being practiced by some of the members, and probably being introduced into corporate worship. Today we have the same problem. The church has a divorce rate as high or higher than the world's. Sexual sins among pastors is prevalent. Things that should be considered pagan are being accepted in the church with no problems. For instance, the music that is used in the vast majority of churches these days is CCM which is basically, in many cases, rock and roll with so-called Christian lyrics. To see what I have to say about that, reference my thesis found at http://www.frontiernet.net/~woehome/WordsofEncouragementTopicalStudies/MusicThesis2.htm. Besides the music, there are all sorts of weird goings on in some churches today that are not at all what God would approve.
Verse 2:15-16 “So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”
There are also Nicolaitanes at this church. We’ve already discussed who they might have been. They are told to repent or Christ will come quickly (again with the quickly) and fight them with the sword of his mouth (the two-edged sword of truth). This is why He describes Himself as He does at the beginning when addressing this church. There is nothing that defeats false doctrines more effectively that the truth. We are told to study to show ourselves approved unto God rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Tim.2:15. We can’t even recognize false doctrine much less fight against it without knowing the truth.
Verse 2:17 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”
Now he addresses the individuals again. To those that are opening to listening to the Lord and repenting and changing their way, there is a promise. Christ says the overcomer will eat of the hidden manna, and receive a white stone upon which is written a new name which no man can know except the one that receives it. The hidden manna is a reference to the manna that had been put in the ark of the covenant as a reminder of how God fed Israel in the wilderness. Christ taught that he was the “bread of life” or “living bread” that when a man eats of this bread will live forever. John 6:51. Christ is the hidden manna or source of life and nourishment for the Christian.
There are a couple of explanations for the white stone. Back then a person’s guilt or innocence was determined by the color stone that the “jury” put in the “pot”. A black stone meant guilt, a white stone meant innocence. Taken in that context, the white stone signifies our innocence before God as Christ has washed us white as snow. The other was a practice of the day when people would wear a white amulet on their arm. On the underside of the amulet was a secret writing or name that had been put there by the person giving the amulet. Only the person giving the amulet and the person wearing the amulet knew what the writing said. We know how God and Christ often renamed his people, Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel, Saul to Paul. He has a new name for each of us. He may also have something very personal to say to each of us that only we alone can know.
200,000 volume library and it was also a medical center. Aesculapius or Asclepius (depending on whether you prefer the Latin or Greek), the deity of medicine was also worshiped. The name Pergamos means “marriage”.
Verse 2:12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges.”
Christ presents Himself as the one who has a sharp-two edged sword. This kind of sword is especially dangerous as a weapon as it cuts both ways. It cuts hard and quickly. Truth is a sharp two-edged sword, and Christ is going to present them with some hard truths. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb. 4:12. What Christ has to say is going to cut to the quick. His flaming eyes can discern the thought and intents of their hearts, and they are not what they should be. Again we see a description of Christ that we saw in chapter one. This sword also will smite the nations when Christ returns at Armageddon. Rev. 19:15a “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations…..” There is a reference from Is. 11:4b that speaks of this “…..and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.”
Verse 2:13 “I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.”
The commendations are that they have works, and even though they dwell where Satan’s throne is ( the headquarters for the Babylonian mysteries had moved here and that is verified as it says that Satan lived there. It was a major center for pagan worship), they hold fast to Christ’s name and don’t deny Him, even when persecution was so severe that martyrdom was a possibility. In fact one of their own had been martyred. A man called Antipas.
Verse 2:14 “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.”
Now comes the criticism. They have those there (not everyone does, but they tolerate those who do) who hold to the doctrine of Balaam. Most people are familiar with the phrase Balaam’s ass. If you don’t know the story, read Numbers chapters 22-24. Balaam was an Old Testament prophet who was called upon by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse the Israelites. I have heard pastors call Balaam a false prophet. The interesting thing is, Balaam had dialogue with the one true God. He did prophesy for God. He was a true prophet in that he acknowledges God as His Lord and says that he could only say what God told him to say, which is exactly what he does. He is a true prophet of God, although not a Hebrew. God apparently had prophets outside of Israel. He is not exactly righteous in that he eventually helps Balak, but not through his prophesying. God told him to not curse the Israelites, and Balaam at first tried to obey by refusing to go with Balak’s men. But then he does go. God is angry and sends the angel of the Lord (the angel of the Lord is usually accepted to be the pre-incarnate Christ) to stand in the way. The ass sees the angel and won’t go past him. Balaam hits the ass to try to get her to go forward. The angel continues to block the way and Balaam continues to whip the ass. Finally the ass falls down and when Balaam whips her the Lord gives her the ability to speak (shades of Narnia). She asks Balaam what she has done to deserve the beating. Balaam says that she is mocking him and if he had a sword he would kill her. [I have serious problems understanding Balaam at this point. If my dog or cat were to start talking to me, I’d be too stunned to do anything. I certainly wouldn’t want to kill them. Imagine what you could do with talking animals?] Balaam shows no surprise that the ass is talking, which is most peculiar in my mind. Anyhow, back to the story. The ass asks him if she has ever done anything like this before in all the time that he has owned her. Balaam must admit that she hasn’t and at that point the Lord opens Balaam’s eyes so that he can see the angel of the Lord. Balaam falls on his face. The angel of the Lord chastises Balaam for having gone when he knew God didn’t want him to. He tells Balaam that if the ass hadn’t turned away from him the three times that she did, he would have killed Balaam and spared her. Balaam admits his sin and says he will return home. Now the angel of the Lord tells him to go ahead with the men, but that he will speak what he is told to say. Balak is glad to see Balaam, but Balaam warns him that he can only say what the Lord puts in his mouth. Balaam offers burnt offerings and then meets with God. God tells him he has to bless Israel, which he does. This infuriates Balak. Balak thinks that if he takes Balaam to another location he can curse them. So they go through the whole ritual again. This happens three times. Balak tells him to go home. Balaam then prophesies about what will happen in the latter days. (Here is the term latter days, so this is a prophecy we should look into later.) Then Balaam goes home. From Numbers 31:16 we learn that when the Lord would not permit Balaam to curse Israel, he suggested to Balak that he get Israel to sin by using the women to seduce and entice them to participate in the worship of Baal-Peor. As a result, the Lord caused a plague to fall on Israel which killed 24,000 people.
Pergamos was guilty of having those who held to this type of doctrine. Balaam taught Balak that he should encourage Israel to intermarry with the Moabites. This would bring pagan practices within Israel. They would be breaking the laws, and committing sexual and spiritual sins. Balaam was also guilty of being willing to curse Israel for money. These people must have been encouraging people to intermarry with non-believers as well as other “freedoms in Christ” that are not allowed and possibly were selling something for profit. There is no way of knowing what they might have been doing for monetary gain, but sexual sins and pagan practices were being practiced by some of the members, and probably being introduced into corporate worship. Today we have the same problem. The church has a divorce rate as high or higher than the world's. Sexual sins among pastors is prevalent. Things that should be considered pagan are being accepted in the church with no problems. For instance, the music that is used in the vast majority of churches these days is CCM which is basically, in many cases, rock and roll with so-called Christian lyrics. To see what I have to say about that, reference my thesis found at http://www.frontiernet.net/~woehome/WordsofEncouragementTopicalStudies/MusicThesis2.htm. Besides the music, there are all sorts of weird goings on in some churches today that are not at all what God would approve.
Verse 2:15-16 “So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”
There are also Nicolaitanes at this church. We’ve already discussed who they might have been. They are told to repent or Christ will come quickly (again with the quickly) and fight them with the sword of his mouth (the two-edged sword of truth). This is why He describes Himself as He does at the beginning when addressing this church. There is nothing that defeats false doctrines more effectively that the truth. We are told to study to show ourselves approved unto God rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Tim.2:15. We can’t even recognize false doctrine much less fight against it without knowing the truth.
Verse 2:17 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”
Now he addresses the individuals again. To those that are opening to listening to the Lord and repenting and changing their way, there is a promise. Christ says the overcomer will eat of the hidden manna, and receive a white stone upon which is written a new name which no man can know except the one that receives it. The hidden manna is a reference to the manna that had been put in the ark of the covenant as a reminder of how God fed Israel in the wilderness. Christ taught that he was the “bread of life” or “living bread” that when a man eats of this bread will live forever. John 6:51. Christ is the hidden manna or source of life and nourishment for the Christian.
There are a couple of explanations for the white stone. Back then a person’s guilt or innocence was determined by the color stone that the “jury” put in the “pot”. A black stone meant guilt, a white stone meant innocence. Taken in that context, the white stone signifies our innocence before God as Christ has washed us white as snow. The other was a practice of the day when people would wear a white amulet on their arm. On the underside of the amulet was a secret writing or name that had been put there by the person giving the amulet. Only the person giving the amulet and the person wearing the amulet knew what the writing said. We know how God and Christ often renamed his people, Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel, Saul to Paul. He has a new name for each of us. He may also have something very personal to say to each of us that only we alone can know.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Revelation 2:8-11 Smyrna
Now we have the church at Smyrna. Smyrna was located about thirty-five miles north of Ephesus. It was in a powerful place for trade on the Aegean Sea, and was known for its harbors, commerce, and marketplaces. Today it exists under the name Ismir. One of John’s students, Polycarp, was a minister there until he was martyred about A.D. 155. Smyrna has for its root meaning "bitterness," and means "Myrrh," an ointment associated with death. We see in the meaning of the word a prophecy of the persecution and martyrdom which was to befall the members of the Smyrna Church.
Verse 2:8 “And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive.”
Christ presents Himself as the first and the last (Alpha and Omega) and the one which was dead and now is alive. This last description as the one who was dead and is now alive is very important for this church, as they are the persecuted and martyred church. Notice how these first two descriptions of Christ, in the letter to the Ephesians and here, describe Christ as He was described in the first chapter of Revelation.
Verse 2:9 “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.”
Christ commends them for their works. He tells them that He is very aware of the tribulation they suffer, and the poverty they endure because of their stand for Christ, but that they are rich in what counts, spiritual richness. This is in stark contrast to the last church, (Laodicea) which we will see is very wealthy, but spiritually poor. Christ prefers our spiritual richness to monetary wealth. He knows the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews but are really of the synagogue of Satan. One way of viewing this is that religious, zealous Jews had been persecuting Christians right from the start. Paul was one of the best before he became a Christian himself. Satan was using the Jews in Smyrna to do this. There was a large contingent of them in Smyrna and they were strongly opposing the church. They were directly instrumental in the execution of Polycarp. Another way of viewing this is that there were always groups (and still are today) of Jews, and Gentiles converted to Judaism, that said that if one were really to be saved, besides accepting that Christ was the Messiah, one had to observe O.T. Judaism…all of the laws, all of the festivals, etc. They were making salvation contingent upon observing the 613 laws rather than by Christ’s death. They were working for Satan putting people under the burden of the law again. Both of these groups qualified as the synagogue of Satan. A true Jew is one who accepts Christ as his savior, (Rom. 2:28 “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.” ) and understands that he does not need to observe the 613 laws for salvation.
Verse 2:10 “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days; be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”
He now tells them to not fear the things they are going to suffer. That the devil will put some of them in prison where they would be tried (not only just a court type of trial, but trial in the sense of tribulation). They will have ten days of tribulation, but they should be faithful unto death. Luke 12:4-5. “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that hath no more that he can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him.” For this they will receive a crown of life. This is why the resurrection is so important to them. They need to have something to hold onto to get them through what they are suffering.
Verse 2:11 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.”
Again Christ addresses the individuals in the church. To the one that listens and overcomes - in this case remains faithful to death, they have the promise that they will not be hurt by the second death. The first death is the physical death. Christians live twice and die once. Physical life, physical death, and eternal life. Unbelievers live once and die twice. Physical life, physical death, eternal damnation. The last is the second death which will take place in the lake of fire. Rev. 20:14. .
Verse 2:8 “And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive.”
Christ presents Himself as the first and the last (Alpha and Omega) and the one which was dead and now is alive. This last description as the one who was dead and is now alive is very important for this church, as they are the persecuted and martyred church. Notice how these first two descriptions of Christ, in the letter to the Ephesians and here, describe Christ as He was described in the first chapter of Revelation.
Verse 2:9 “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.”
Christ commends them for their works. He tells them that He is very aware of the tribulation they suffer, and the poverty they endure because of their stand for Christ, but that they are rich in what counts, spiritual richness. This is in stark contrast to the last church, (Laodicea) which we will see is very wealthy, but spiritually poor. Christ prefers our spiritual richness to monetary wealth. He knows the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews but are really of the synagogue of Satan. One way of viewing this is that religious, zealous Jews had been persecuting Christians right from the start. Paul was one of the best before he became a Christian himself. Satan was using the Jews in Smyrna to do this. There was a large contingent of them in Smyrna and they were strongly opposing the church. They were directly instrumental in the execution of Polycarp. Another way of viewing this is that there were always groups (and still are today) of Jews, and Gentiles converted to Judaism, that said that if one were really to be saved, besides accepting that Christ was the Messiah, one had to observe O.T. Judaism…all of the laws, all of the festivals, etc. They were making salvation contingent upon observing the 613 laws rather than by Christ’s death. They were working for Satan putting people under the burden of the law again. Both of these groups qualified as the synagogue of Satan. A true Jew is one who accepts Christ as his savior, (Rom. 2:28 “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.” ) and understands that he does not need to observe the 613 laws for salvation.
Verse 2:10 “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days; be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”
He now tells them to not fear the things they are going to suffer. That the devil will put some of them in prison where they would be tried (not only just a court type of trial, but trial in the sense of tribulation). They will have ten days of tribulation, but they should be faithful unto death. Luke 12:4-5. “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that hath no more that he can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him.” For this they will receive a crown of life. This is why the resurrection is so important to them. They need to have something to hold onto to get them through what they are suffering.
Verse 2:11 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.”
Again Christ addresses the individuals in the church. To the one that listens and overcomes - in this case remains faithful to death, they have the promise that they will not be hurt by the second death. The first death is the physical death. Christians live twice and die once. Physical life, physical death, and eternal life. Unbelievers live once and die twice. Physical life, physical death, eternal damnation. The last is the second death which will take place in the lake of fire. Rev. 20:14. .
Monday, July 20, 2009
Revelation 2:1-7 Ephesus
Chapter 2
John has written the things that he has seen. Now he is going to write the things that are. The next two chapters cover the seven churches themselves. These cities were important for various reasons. Some were headquarters of a god’s worship. Some were important trade cities, some military. The point is, they were major hubs of one kind or another in that time. For a few centuries they were also important cities in Christianity.
The seven churches described in Revelation 2-3 are seven literal churches in Asia Minor (present day Turkey) at the time that John was writing Revelation. Though they were literal churches in that time and the letters are addressed to their spiritual needs and behavior at the time, there is also spiritual significance for churches and believers today. Here is another case of near and far fulfillment. Besides being types of churches that could be found then and now, it also applies to individuals and churches down through the ages. Individuals are the church and fall into these categories, and the churches (Christians as corporate groups) through the years have fallen into these categories also. I do not subscribe to the idea that each of these churches represents a time period of the church through the ages. These messages are timeless. I don’t think only one sin reigned in all Christendom for a period of time, then another sin reigned etc. I think all of these sins reign at all times. And there are always faithful martyrs and faithful remnants (who aren’t martyred).
The letters follow a pattern. With each church there is a salutation saying to whom the letter is written, a description of Christ that portrays him in a particular way, usually applicable to that particular church, praise for the church‘s strong point, criticism for their weakness and sins, an appeal to repent, a warning (or promise) of His coming, an admonition to be heeded, and a promise of blessing for overcomers usually for the next life, but with Philadelphia for this life also. The exceptions are Smyrna and Philadelphia who receive no criticism. These two churches are the faithful remnant. One will suffer martyrdom, the other will be preserved and protected.
The first church is Ephesus, the loveless church. Ephesus means to "let go," "to relax."
John had been the pastor of this church. Ephesus was the capital and largest city of Asia Minor on the Aegean Sea, where it was a great seaport. It was also the place of worship for the goddess Diana and an immoral city. Paul, who founded this church, warned it of what should happen, in his parting message.
"I know this, that after my departing shall grievous 'wolves' enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, 'speaking perverse things,' to draw away disciples after them." Acts 20:29, 30.
This prophetic warning was to come true as we shall see in this letter to the Ephesians.
Verse 2:1 “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.”
Christ portrays Himself as He did in chapter one. He who holds the seven stars and walks in the midst of the seven candlesticks. He is letting them know that he has been aware of what is going on in their churches. He is aware of the good and the bad. He is watching them with eyes that flame, and a two-edged sword in his mouth. He is going to give them the truth, which may hurt, and judge their behavior.
Verse 2:2 “I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars.”
Christ starts by giving them praise. He says he knows their works, their labor, their patience, and how they do not tolerate those who are evil. As per his prophetic warning in Acts, grievous wolves have entered in, and men in their own church have arisen speaking perverse things. They check out those who say they are apostles and have ferreted out the phonies. They have not borne those that are evil. They do not tolerate them in their church.
Verse 2:3 “And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.”
They have been forbearing with all that has been happening around them and to them. Again he praises their patience, and again praises their labor that they haven’t stopped or slowed down in their good works. This is a church that labors for the Lord, watches their doctrine, and endures mistreatment by others.
Verse 2:4 “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.“
However, He has something against them. They have left their first love. Everybody debates what that is. Is it love for Christ? Is it love for each other? Is it love for the lost? I think it is all of the above. People are so sincere in their love for the Lord, each other, and have a zeal to reach the lost when they are first saved. Over time, that genuine love is replaced by a feeling that one must have obligatory love. It is no longer genuine from the heart. I know a church (corporate church) that fits this description quite well. They labor diligently for the Lord. They have lots of good works. They watch their doctrine religiously (as the saying goes). They endure the mocking of the community. The problem? They have no true love for anyone outside of their tiny little church community. And I am not just talking lacking love for the unbelievers. They have no real love for other Christians who are not a part of their church, and sometimes even those that are in their church. They are judgmental and unloving to all alike. They do not merely not tolerate phony doctrines and teachers; they are just slightly above being barely civil to anyone outside their ranks. They outright accuse other Christians to their face of not being Christians, if they happen to disagree with their church in any way. They endure mocking in the community, but that mocking exists because they have been such a poor testimony for the Lord when it comes to love thy neighbor as thyself. They will hardly speak to the unbelievers in town and are barely civil to those who happen to attend other churches (Bible believing ones). They attend every meeting without fail; they are compelled to by the church. They are not necessarily there out of a keen love for worshiping the Lord, they are there out of habit and fear that they will be said to be backsliders, or worse, not really Christians, if they don‘t tow the mark. Many of their children grow up and leave not only the church, but Christ. That describes the corporate church as a whole. However, I know individuals in that church that are overcomers. They are loving, kind, thoughtful people who love the Lord. They treat other Christians and unbelievers all the same, lovingly. They are liked by non-Christians in the community and are a witness of God’s love. They do all the things that this church does well, and one thing more. They have not left their first love.
Verse 2:5 :Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”
Christ tells them to remember from where they have fallen and to repent and do the first works. What are the first works? Perhaps the greatest work we should all be doing. Loving the Lord by loving people and bringing the unsaved to repentance. Mega-churches these days think that the way to evangelize is to entertain. That is not the way that Christ taught. We are to show love to people on a one-on-one basis and lead them to the Lord. It is the great commission. This is the greatest work, the work of love for humanity to bring them to the Lord. We are showing Christ’s love through and for us when we show it to others. If they will not repent of this lack of love and get back to the first works, Christ threatens them that He will come quickly. Coming quickly is how He will come at His 2nd coming. He will remove their candlestick from its place. That is a serious threat. Removing their candlestick means that they are being removed from His midst. They are being removed as His bride. They are being cast out with the rest of the world into judgment. Matt. 7:21-23 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, (that day = the Day of the Lord) Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name: and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” He warns them again to repent.
Verse 2:6 “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.”
He commends them again. They hate the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which He also hates. It is unusual to think of Christ hating anything, much less commending us for hating something. But notice it is not the Nicolaitanes themselves that He hates, nor approves them for hating, it is the deeds that He hates. That is something Christians have to keep in mind. So many Christians hate the person instead of the sin. We are to love the sinner, but we are commended for hating the sin. There is some controversy over exactly who the Nicolaitanes were. One theory has it that the Greek derivative of the word means “overcoming the people”, They take this to mean that there developed a clergy who lorded it over the people with such teachings as: the laity couldn’t understand the scriptures, the clergy had to tell them what it meant, they had to confess to the clergy, etc. This was a problem in the first century as there were those who believed they had divine authority over others. So this is a possibility. Another theory has it that they were a sect of Gnostics. There was a sect of Gnostics later called Nicolaitanes, but they were not from this time, so that would not be to whom He was referring. Obviously the Ephesians knew exactly about whom Christ was speaking. The Lord knew that we wouldn’t be privileged to have that information, so we can only draw from what little scripture tells us and try to extrapolate some idea as to who they were. There is another possibility of who these people might have been. There was at the time a deacon called Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. (Acts 6:5) As this is the only other scripture reference that would give us any idea as to what this passage is about, we must assume that it is the clue we have been given to help us understand. That and the warning in Acts to the Ephesians. It was said by Paul that men would arise from their own ranks that would speak perverse things to draw people away from the truth. We don’t know exactly what these perverse things were, but obviously someone named Nicholas (hence the followers being called Nicolaitanes) was doing something that was bad. It is quite possible that he was one of these people who thought he had divine authority over the people and claimed to be an apostle. Since the Ephesians were commended for watching their doctrines and not tolerating false apostles, it leads one to believe that this is what the Nicolaitanes were all about. However that is speculation based upon a very small amount of scripture.
Verse 2:7 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches: To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”
He who has an ear to hear, let him hear. In other words, the person that is not only listening to the Lord, but desires to do what the Lord says. To that person, who will be considered an overcomer, Christ will give him to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God. When we get to Revelation 22 we will see that there is a river that proceeds from the throne of God, and on the banks of this river can be found many trees of the tree of life. There was only one tree of life in the garden of Eden. Adam as well as all of his descendants were barred from eating from it. Now there will be many of that tree, and the overcomers will be able to freely eat from them. Notice how this revelation is given by God the Father to Christ, who imparts the information through his angel to John, who writes to the angel of the churches, who is responsible for overseeing the revelation of this information to the church; however, it is the Holy Spirit that is saying these things. Here is just another scripture that shows us the tri-unity of the Godhead. This is God’s words, Christ’s words, and the Spirit’s words. All three are communicating this information.
John has written the things that he has seen. Now he is going to write the things that are. The next two chapters cover the seven churches themselves. These cities were important for various reasons. Some were headquarters of a god’s worship. Some were important trade cities, some military. The point is, they were major hubs of one kind or another in that time. For a few centuries they were also important cities in Christianity.
The seven churches described in Revelation 2-3 are seven literal churches in Asia Minor (present day Turkey) at the time that John was writing Revelation. Though they were literal churches in that time and the letters are addressed to their spiritual needs and behavior at the time, there is also spiritual significance for churches and believers today. Here is another case of near and far fulfillment. Besides being types of churches that could be found then and now, it also applies to individuals and churches down through the ages. Individuals are the church and fall into these categories, and the churches (Christians as corporate groups) through the years have fallen into these categories also. I do not subscribe to the idea that each of these churches represents a time period of the church through the ages. These messages are timeless. I don’t think only one sin reigned in all Christendom for a period of time, then another sin reigned etc. I think all of these sins reign at all times. And there are always faithful martyrs and faithful remnants (who aren’t martyred).
The letters follow a pattern. With each church there is a salutation saying to whom the letter is written, a description of Christ that portrays him in a particular way, usually applicable to that particular church, praise for the church‘s strong point, criticism for their weakness and sins, an appeal to repent, a warning (or promise) of His coming, an admonition to be heeded, and a promise of blessing for overcomers usually for the next life, but with Philadelphia for this life also. The exceptions are Smyrna and Philadelphia who receive no criticism. These two churches are the faithful remnant. One will suffer martyrdom, the other will be preserved and protected.
The first church is Ephesus, the loveless church. Ephesus means to "let go," "to relax."
John had been the pastor of this church. Ephesus was the capital and largest city of Asia Minor on the Aegean Sea, where it was a great seaport. It was also the place of worship for the goddess Diana and an immoral city. Paul, who founded this church, warned it of what should happen, in his parting message.
"I know this, that after my departing shall grievous 'wolves' enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, 'speaking perverse things,' to draw away disciples after them." Acts 20:29, 30.
This prophetic warning was to come true as we shall see in this letter to the Ephesians.
Verse 2:1 “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.”
Christ portrays Himself as He did in chapter one. He who holds the seven stars and walks in the midst of the seven candlesticks. He is letting them know that he has been aware of what is going on in their churches. He is aware of the good and the bad. He is watching them with eyes that flame, and a two-edged sword in his mouth. He is going to give them the truth, which may hurt, and judge their behavior.
Verse 2:2 “I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars.”
Christ starts by giving them praise. He says he knows their works, their labor, their patience, and how they do not tolerate those who are evil. As per his prophetic warning in Acts, grievous wolves have entered in, and men in their own church have arisen speaking perverse things. They check out those who say they are apostles and have ferreted out the phonies. They have not borne those that are evil. They do not tolerate them in their church.
Verse 2:3 “And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.”
They have been forbearing with all that has been happening around them and to them. Again he praises their patience, and again praises their labor that they haven’t stopped or slowed down in their good works. This is a church that labors for the Lord, watches their doctrine, and endures mistreatment by others.
Verse 2:4 “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.“
However, He has something against them. They have left their first love. Everybody debates what that is. Is it love for Christ? Is it love for each other? Is it love for the lost? I think it is all of the above. People are so sincere in their love for the Lord, each other, and have a zeal to reach the lost when they are first saved. Over time, that genuine love is replaced by a feeling that one must have obligatory love. It is no longer genuine from the heart. I know a church (corporate church) that fits this description quite well. They labor diligently for the Lord. They have lots of good works. They watch their doctrine religiously (as the saying goes). They endure the mocking of the community. The problem? They have no true love for anyone outside of their tiny little church community. And I am not just talking lacking love for the unbelievers. They have no real love for other Christians who are not a part of their church, and sometimes even those that are in their church. They are judgmental and unloving to all alike. They do not merely not tolerate phony doctrines and teachers; they are just slightly above being barely civil to anyone outside their ranks. They outright accuse other Christians to their face of not being Christians, if they happen to disagree with their church in any way. They endure mocking in the community, but that mocking exists because they have been such a poor testimony for the Lord when it comes to love thy neighbor as thyself. They will hardly speak to the unbelievers in town and are barely civil to those who happen to attend other churches (Bible believing ones). They attend every meeting without fail; they are compelled to by the church. They are not necessarily there out of a keen love for worshiping the Lord, they are there out of habit and fear that they will be said to be backsliders, or worse, not really Christians, if they don‘t tow the mark. Many of their children grow up and leave not only the church, but Christ. That describes the corporate church as a whole. However, I know individuals in that church that are overcomers. They are loving, kind, thoughtful people who love the Lord. They treat other Christians and unbelievers all the same, lovingly. They are liked by non-Christians in the community and are a witness of God’s love. They do all the things that this church does well, and one thing more. They have not left their first love.
Verse 2:5 :Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”
Christ tells them to remember from where they have fallen and to repent and do the first works. What are the first works? Perhaps the greatest work we should all be doing. Loving the Lord by loving people and bringing the unsaved to repentance. Mega-churches these days think that the way to evangelize is to entertain. That is not the way that Christ taught. We are to show love to people on a one-on-one basis and lead them to the Lord. It is the great commission. This is the greatest work, the work of love for humanity to bring them to the Lord. We are showing Christ’s love through and for us when we show it to others. If they will not repent of this lack of love and get back to the first works, Christ threatens them that He will come quickly. Coming quickly is how He will come at His 2nd coming. He will remove their candlestick from its place. That is a serious threat. Removing their candlestick means that they are being removed from His midst. They are being removed as His bride. They are being cast out with the rest of the world into judgment. Matt. 7:21-23 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, (that day = the Day of the Lord) Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name: and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” He warns them again to repent.
Verse 2:6 “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.”
He commends them again. They hate the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which He also hates. It is unusual to think of Christ hating anything, much less commending us for hating something. But notice it is not the Nicolaitanes themselves that He hates, nor approves them for hating, it is the deeds that He hates. That is something Christians have to keep in mind. So many Christians hate the person instead of the sin. We are to love the sinner, but we are commended for hating the sin. There is some controversy over exactly who the Nicolaitanes were. One theory has it that the Greek derivative of the word means “overcoming the people”, They take this to mean that there developed a clergy who lorded it over the people with such teachings as: the laity couldn’t understand the scriptures, the clergy had to tell them what it meant, they had to confess to the clergy, etc. This was a problem in the first century as there were those who believed they had divine authority over others. So this is a possibility. Another theory has it that they were a sect of Gnostics. There was a sect of Gnostics later called Nicolaitanes, but they were not from this time, so that would not be to whom He was referring. Obviously the Ephesians knew exactly about whom Christ was speaking. The Lord knew that we wouldn’t be privileged to have that information, so we can only draw from what little scripture tells us and try to extrapolate some idea as to who they were. There is another possibility of who these people might have been. There was at the time a deacon called Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. (Acts 6:5) As this is the only other scripture reference that would give us any idea as to what this passage is about, we must assume that it is the clue we have been given to help us understand. That and the warning in Acts to the Ephesians. It was said by Paul that men would arise from their own ranks that would speak perverse things to draw people away from the truth. We don’t know exactly what these perverse things were, but obviously someone named Nicholas (hence the followers being called Nicolaitanes) was doing something that was bad. It is quite possible that he was one of these people who thought he had divine authority over the people and claimed to be an apostle. Since the Ephesians were commended for watching their doctrines and not tolerating false apostles, it leads one to believe that this is what the Nicolaitanes were all about. However that is speculation based upon a very small amount of scripture.
Verse 2:7 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches: To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”
He who has an ear to hear, let him hear. In other words, the person that is not only listening to the Lord, but desires to do what the Lord says. To that person, who will be considered an overcomer, Christ will give him to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God. When we get to Revelation 22 we will see that there is a river that proceeds from the throne of God, and on the banks of this river can be found many trees of the tree of life. There was only one tree of life in the garden of Eden. Adam as well as all of his descendants were barred from eating from it. Now there will be many of that tree, and the overcomers will be able to freely eat from them. Notice how this revelation is given by God the Father to Christ, who imparts the information through his angel to John, who writes to the angel of the churches, who is responsible for overseeing the revelation of this information to the church; however, it is the Holy Spirit that is saying these things. Here is just another scripture that shows us the tri-unity of the Godhead. This is God’s words, Christ’s words, and the Spirit’s words. All three are communicating this information.
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