And unto the angel in the church of 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. Be watchful, and strengthen the things that remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Paul consistently preached that strengthening the church is one of the two great tasks for Christians; the other is spreading the gospel.
Rememberest 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 theif, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
The image of the thief in the night is associated with the return of Christ. Jesus, Paul and Peter all say that the Day of the Lord will come as a thief (Matthew 24; 1 Thessalonians 5; 1 Peter 4), which is to say unexpectedly (see Matthew 24:43). But think about that for a moment... you need to feel safe before you stop watching for the thief. Matthew 24:24 said that there is one who is coming to deceive everyone, 2 Thessalonians 2 states that the deceiver calls himself God, he may even call himself the "Son of God", so anyone who believes him will feel pretty safe, as though they were protected by God. But God says to that deceiver in Ezekiel 28:9, "Wilt thou yet say before Him that slayeth thee, 'I am God'? but thou shalt be a man and no god in the hand of Him that slayeth thee."
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.
This illustrates how every person is judged by his or her own actions, regardless of who they are associated with.
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. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
White raiment is seen quite often in the Bible. It is also described as linen robes, which are made from flax. Angels are often described as being in white raiment. But it is not until you get to Revelation that the spiritual symbolism of white raiment is explained. The white raiment is explained in Revelation 19:8, where it says that the bride of Christ is "arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints." The word "righteousness" is "dekaioma" which means "lawful acts" or "righteous deeds". So your heavenly covering is made up of your good righteous acts.
To be blotted out of the book of life means that your name is forever erased from that book. It's like you had never existed. Moses asked God not to blot out the children of Israel after they had worshipped the golden calf in Exodus 32:32. I like that David would use this word to proclaim the Lord's forgiveness in the Psalms when he would talk about God blotting out man's transgressions (see Psalm 51).
And to the angel in the church of Philadelphia write;
Philadelphia is the second church that does not receive any warning from Jesus because they are in good standing with their doctrine (the first was Smyrna - see my last post). The words to this church elaborate on that doctrine a bit more. The word Philadelphia means "brotherly love", and brotherly love is what God wants people to display for each other (see Obadiah - it's only 1 chapter long).
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; 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.
The key of David is a key that opens doors of knowledge. Once the knowledge is received, it cannot be taken away. And once the old knowledge is shut out, it cannot be let back in.
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. 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.
The word of patience is that no matter what happens in time - even though heaven and earth should pass away - we wait for the return of the Lord. This is the central message of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. In Matthew 24:23, Jesus plainly says about the tribulation period (also known as the hour of temptation), "then if any man shall say unto you, 'Lo, here is Christ,' or 'there;' believe it not." This is because "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved (Matthew 24:13)." So be patient.
Behold, I come quickly; hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
"That no man take thy crown" is the same as saying, "don't let anyone take your crown by deceiving you". Satan is the great deceiver and his whole plan is to trick people into turning away from God. This puts one in danger of losing their rewards from God. It's what happened with Adam and Eve, and it's what will be attempted at the end of this age. That's why it is important to listen to the two most emphatic places in the Bible - spoken by The Greatest Authority in the Bible, Jesus, and one of the greatest followers and teachers of scripture, Paul - that both say emphatically "DO NOT BE DECEIVED". Both references I'm talking about put the message very plainly. The first is found in two places which is from the same speech by Jesus; these can be found in Matthew 24:4 and Mark 13:5. The second is found in Paul's letter 2 Thessalonians 2:3. This letter was a follow up to the first letter, because the readers had misunderstood what Paul was saying about the return of Christ (the gathering to Christ). It's very fortunate for us that that happened, so that we also did not misread 1 Thessalonians 4.
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 with My God: and I will write upon him My new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth.
This last verse is a verse that is used for many different purposes, by many different pastors, to motivate church members to do many different things. What is true is that God loves a cheerful giver, and loves those that love Him (and show that love by acting on it). However, since this prophecy is given on "the day of the Lord" (see Revelation 1:10), I connect the message to what is happening at that time. To me, it has to do with people that decide to not act then. They neither follow the antichrist, who claims to be the Christ at that time, nor do they make a stand for God. To them, they "have all of their bases covered." To them, if they don't take a stand one way or the other, at least they haven't followed the antichrist, and they should get some credit for that. Jesus makes it very plain here that, if one doesn't make a stand for God then, that person is no more accepted than them that follow the antichrist. This is echoed several times in the New Testament in the saying, "whosoever will save his life will lose it; but whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall save it" (Matthew 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; Luke 17:33).
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and annoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
The gold that we are to get is wisdom (see Proverbs 16:16). Here, wisdom about the end of the age is better than gold. It must be tried in the fire because of the number of false teachings that exist relating to the end times. White raiment, as we discussed before, is righteous acts: once you have knowledge of what will happen in the end times, you act accordingly. Rightly. Justly. The eyesalve is to be able to see clearly Who is the Christ. That is Jesus. Once these things are in place, you can act in the way that you are supposed to; you can put on the gospel armour and take your stand (see Ephesians 6).
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and sup with him, and he with Me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
God does rebuke and chasten His children like any loving father would. He is The Father. He is the pattern that all loving fathers have been built after. Numerous places in the Bible tell us this: Job 5:17, Proverbs 3:11, Hebrews 12. Correction is required to receive proper instruction, to receive wisdom, to receive gold tried in the fire.
This is the summation of the messages to the churches of the end times. If we can live in accordance with the doctrine now, we will be well prepared for when the end comes. We will be able to overcome, as He overcame, through the strength and knowledge provided by Him. God bless.
Showing posts with label Gospel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gospel. Show all posts
Friday, 25 November 2011
Friday, 18 November 2011
Revelation 2: He That Hath An Ear, Let Him Hear...
The next two chapters are chapters where Jesus addresses the seven churches of the world. The doctrine is both consistent with lessons taught elsewhere in the Scriptures and important in relation to the events that will be happening at the end of the world.
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;
As we learned in the last chapter, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven candlesticks are the seven churches. The statement above is an affirmation that God has everything in hand during the events of Revelation, and is in the middle of the churches to comfort them.
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:
The testing of spiritual lessons and teachers is not a message I see too much these days, which is ironic. Now, more than ever, people need to be tested that say they come in the name of the Lord. Jesus taught this in Matthew 24:5 & 11, and the New Testament teachers also taught it 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 (Paul), 2 Peter 2:1 (Peter), 1 John 4:1 (John), and Jude 1:4 (Jude). Paul even wrote of how the rising of many false teachers would be a sign of the end of the world: "Preach the Word... For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themsleves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (2 Timothy 4:2-3)." And that is the litmus test for whether someone is a false teacher or not. It is very difficult to teach directly from the Scriptures, line for line, and turn it into false doctrine. On the other hand, if only a small part of Scripture is taught, it is not too difficult to knock it out of context to create your own message. So we must be careful to take the Scriptures line upon line, and not just believe anything that comes out of the mouth of someone who calls himself a teacher - we should prove what they are saying by looking it up in the Scriptures. I am not a teacher; I just love to study Scripture, and I would even say that you should check out anything that I say on here against the Scriptures before you are going to believe it. (You won't hurt my feelings if you do!)
And hast borne, and hast patience, and for My name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
I believe the "first love" is God. The two greatest commandments, in order of prominence, are, "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind," and, "[Love] thy neighbour as thyself" (Matthew 22:37-40); therefore, loving God comes first before loving (and catering to) man.
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. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
There is no documented history of who the Nicolaitanes are, though there are many theories. The word "nicolaitane" means "destruction of the people", and it seems very clear from Jesus stating that He hates their deeds, that destruction is exactly what the doctrine sets its followers up for. This is the first of two references to the Nicolaitanes in these chapters, and the next reference contains more information, so I will further discuss my thoughts there.
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.'
There are two references to Old Testament in this last statement. The phrase "he that hath an ear, let him hear" was a popular phrase in Jesus' teachings in the gospel. But what is not commonly discussed is that the phrase is taken from Ezekiel 3:27. Ezekiel 3 is a powerful chapter in that book. It is the chapter where God gives Ezekiel his authority as a watchman and a prophet - that authority carries on through the rest of the book, and similar phrasing appears in Ezekiel 33, where God tells Ezekiel that there also will be watchmen that He has set up for the end of this age to warn people about the end of the world. God gives the people the choice to listen or not (and suffer the consequences of that decision) because He knows the prophecy is directed at a people that doesn't want to listen (see my reference to 2 Timothy 4 above... the prophecy is directed at the same people).
The second reference is to the tree of life, which is Jesus, and the reference is to Genesis 3. What is being said is basically that things are going to go back to the way that they were in Eden when this present age is over and that heaven will return to earth (heaven is wherever God is, and He has promised to live with us on earth - see Revelation 21, when new Jerusalem comes to earth).
The next church is one of two that don't receive a rebuke from Jesus for what they are doing - so the doctrine of the church is an important one to follow if we want to be in good standing.
And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; ' These things saith the First and the Last, Which was dead, and is alive; 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. 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 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.'
Wow! A lot said here. There is speculation that the "Jews who are the synagogue of Satan" are a specific genealogical people. I would disagree. If anyone who believes in Jesus Christ can be adopted as a child of God, showing a spiritual condition rather than genealogical heritage, then I would say the same of who makes up the "synagogue (church) of Satan". On the other hand, if one believes that they are saved simply because they are of a certain genealogical heritage, and not because of what they believe, then I would say that that person is in for a rude awakening, because "the just shall live by [his or her] faith (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38)."
This church shall be held captive ten days, and then the Lord shall speak through them. See Jeremiah 42 and Daniel 1.
"Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life." This resonates a similar saying from Jesus' ministry, "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it." My favourite place where this saying appears is in Matthew 10:39. Matthew 10 is clearly an end times chapter. Being delivered up to Satan appears in Matthew 10:19, and the confirmation of not being hurt of the second death (i.e. the flesh body dies but the soul is not killed) appears in Matthew 10:28.
And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; 'These things saith He Which hath the sharp sword with two edges; 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.
There are traditions that speak of Saint Antipas; however, Satan has not yet "dwelt" on the earth: he is currently being held captive by Michael, until he is cast down to the earth (see Jude 1:9, Revelation 12:6-9, 2 Thessalonians 2:6). So this Antipas is likely a future character, in which case, his or her name is not likely to be "antipas", but that is given for the vision's sake. The name Antipas means "in the place of the father". Jesus identifies him as His "faithful martyr"... so, if my reasoning is right, this is a prophet in the end, who is sent to deliver the word of God, in the place of the Father, against the synagogue of Satan (see Smyrna above). And he or she is killed for it (see Revelation 11).
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 stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols and to commit fornication.
The story of Balaam can be found in Numbers 22-24, with a reappearance in Numbers 31. Balaam means "not of the people" or "not of the family" - not of the family of God. Balac (or Balak as spelled in the Old Testament) means "devastator" or "destroyer". Balaam was a prophet for hire, meaning he was willing to sell blessings and cursings to the highest bidder... this is not what one of the family of God does. Worse yet, Balaam was willing to sell out the children of Israel to the destroyer Balac... and he knew what he was doing, and that God had told him not too! But the money was just too good, so he kept asking God if it was alright until God finally gave him an answer that he could accept.
Jesus said to His disciples, "freely ye have received, freely give (Matthew 10:8)." He was speaking about blessings, healings, and spiritual gifts. One who has been blessed with these gifts, and is in the family of God, gives them freely. On the other side of the coin, Elisha's servant Gehazi went to collect payment for a healing that the Lord performed through Elisha, after Elisha had specifically said that he would not take payment (because it was God who had accomplished the healing and not Elisha), and Gehazi was both found out by Elisha, and received punishment for what he had done (see 2 Kings 5). God gives blessing and chastisement as He sees fit, and these things cannot be bought nor sold.
So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
This is the elaboration on the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes that I had mentioned earlier. The word "So" in this sentence is the Greek word "hautos", which means "thus/therefore/likewise/in this manner". It is conditional on the preceding statement; therefore, it connects the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes to the doctrine of Balaam. I've wondered if it is connected with the fact that St. Nicolas (Santa Claus) seems to slowly be replacing Jesus as the face of Christmas as time passes, to appease a multi-cultural western world that all want to celebrate the "holidays". Santa Claus appears to be the major mascot for any retail corporation looking to hawk its wares around Christmas time, thereby making Christmas more of a retail bonanza than a family time of celebration, thankfulness, and togetherness (after all, the best things in life are free)... but that could be my own cynicism on the changing nature of how Christmas is celebrated as I get older. In any event, the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes is connected to religious service for financial gains by connecting it to Balaam. Nuff said.
Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. 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.'
Because manna has always represented the word of God (or "the Bread of life"), this statement documents that there are messages hidden in Scripture that not even the majority of churches see. It is those who are earnest in seeking truth who will receive this manna.
An interesting note on the "white stone" mentioned above. The stone mentioned here was used for a specific purpose in Greece - it was used in the system that gave birth to democracy. The stone is one that would be gathered from a river bed that had been worn smooth over time. Black and white stones were used to cast a vote for one candidate or another. Here, the white stone is connected with Jesus. In Revelation 13:18, the word "count" to count the number of the beast is to count by this same method of voting. If Jesus is the white stone, the beast (Satan) is the black stone. This is one more illustration of the choice between life and death, between Christ and antichrist (see my earlier post).
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; 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.
Notice that "works" is mentioned twice, and that the works at the last are more than the works at the first.
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.
Jezebel ("married to Baal") was the wife of king Ahab. She was the daughter of a priest of Baal, a prophetess of Baal. She was not a nice person to say the least. Her story can be found in the Book of Kings, primarily in 1 Kings 18-21 and 2 Kings 9. Baal means "lord", and the servants of Baal wished to place him in place of the Lord, but Baal is a false lord. The message fits very well in Revelation, since the entire book is about the coming of the false lord, also known as the antichrist. The Jezebel here will be the churches who attempt to get people to serve the antichrist as though he were the real Christ.
And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
This is a powerful statement! This shows God's abundant mercy in that, even if Jezebel herself, one of the most notorious "villains" of the Old Testament, were to truly repent, she would be forgiven. This gives one of the most powerful themes that runs through Revelation, and throughout all of Scripture. God is looking for any and all who will repent, and all sin will be forgiven upon repentance from the heart.
Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. 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. 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. And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 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. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.'
Ruling with a rod of iron is a reference to Psalm 2, which denotes that God will triumph over all nations.
The messages to the churches carries on into Revelation 3. God bless.
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;
As we learned in the last chapter, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven candlesticks are the seven churches. The statement above is an affirmation that God has everything in hand during the events of Revelation, and is in the middle of the churches to comfort them.
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:
The testing of spiritual lessons and teachers is not a message I see too much these days, which is ironic. Now, more than ever, people need to be tested that say they come in the name of the Lord. Jesus taught this in Matthew 24:5 & 11, and the New Testament teachers also taught it 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 (Paul), 2 Peter 2:1 (Peter), 1 John 4:1 (John), and Jude 1:4 (Jude). Paul even wrote of how the rising of many false teachers would be a sign of the end of the world: "Preach the Word... For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themsleves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (2 Timothy 4:2-3)." And that is the litmus test for whether someone is a false teacher or not. It is very difficult to teach directly from the Scriptures, line for line, and turn it into false doctrine. On the other hand, if only a small part of Scripture is taught, it is not too difficult to knock it out of context to create your own message. So we must be careful to take the Scriptures line upon line, and not just believe anything that comes out of the mouth of someone who calls himself a teacher - we should prove what they are saying by looking it up in the Scriptures. I am not a teacher; I just love to study Scripture, and I would even say that you should check out anything that I say on here against the Scriptures before you are going to believe it. (You won't hurt my feelings if you do!)
And hast borne, and hast patience, and for My name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
I believe the "first love" is God. The two greatest commandments, in order of prominence, are, "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind," and, "[Love] thy neighbour as thyself" (Matthew 22:37-40); therefore, loving God comes first before loving (and catering to) man.
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. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
There is no documented history of who the Nicolaitanes are, though there are many theories. The word "nicolaitane" means "destruction of the people", and it seems very clear from Jesus stating that He hates their deeds, that destruction is exactly what the doctrine sets its followers up for. This is the first of two references to the Nicolaitanes in these chapters, and the next reference contains more information, so I will further discuss my thoughts there.
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.'
There are two references to Old Testament in this last statement. The phrase "he that hath an ear, let him hear" was a popular phrase in Jesus' teachings in the gospel. But what is not commonly discussed is that the phrase is taken from Ezekiel 3:27. Ezekiel 3 is a powerful chapter in that book. It is the chapter where God gives Ezekiel his authority as a watchman and a prophet - that authority carries on through the rest of the book, and similar phrasing appears in Ezekiel 33, where God tells Ezekiel that there also will be watchmen that He has set up for the end of this age to warn people about the end of the world. God gives the people the choice to listen or not (and suffer the consequences of that decision) because He knows the prophecy is directed at a people that doesn't want to listen (see my reference to 2 Timothy 4 above... the prophecy is directed at the same people).
The second reference is to the tree of life, which is Jesus, and the reference is to Genesis 3. What is being said is basically that things are going to go back to the way that they were in Eden when this present age is over and that heaven will return to earth (heaven is wherever God is, and He has promised to live with us on earth - see Revelation 21, when new Jerusalem comes to earth).
The next church is one of two that don't receive a rebuke from Jesus for what they are doing - so the doctrine of the church is an important one to follow if we want to be in good standing.
And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; ' These things saith the First and the Last, Which was dead, and is alive; 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. 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 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.'
Wow! A lot said here. There is speculation that the "Jews who are the synagogue of Satan" are a specific genealogical people. I would disagree. If anyone who believes in Jesus Christ can be adopted as a child of God, showing a spiritual condition rather than genealogical heritage, then I would say the same of who makes up the "synagogue (church) of Satan". On the other hand, if one believes that they are saved simply because they are of a certain genealogical heritage, and not because of what they believe, then I would say that that person is in for a rude awakening, because "the just shall live by [his or her] faith (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38)."
This church shall be held captive ten days, and then the Lord shall speak through them. See Jeremiah 42 and Daniel 1.
"Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life." This resonates a similar saying from Jesus' ministry, "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it." My favourite place where this saying appears is in Matthew 10:39. Matthew 10 is clearly an end times chapter. Being delivered up to Satan appears in Matthew 10:19, and the confirmation of not being hurt of the second death (i.e. the flesh body dies but the soul is not killed) appears in Matthew 10:28.
And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; 'These things saith He Which hath the sharp sword with two edges; 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.
There are traditions that speak of Saint Antipas; however, Satan has not yet "dwelt" on the earth: he is currently being held captive by Michael, until he is cast down to the earth (see Jude 1:9, Revelation 12:6-9, 2 Thessalonians 2:6). So this Antipas is likely a future character, in which case, his or her name is not likely to be "antipas", but that is given for the vision's sake. The name Antipas means "in the place of the father". Jesus identifies him as His "faithful martyr"... so, if my reasoning is right, this is a prophet in the end, who is sent to deliver the word of God, in the place of the Father, against the synagogue of Satan (see Smyrna above). And he or she is killed for it (see Revelation 11).
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 stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols and to commit fornication.
The story of Balaam can be found in Numbers 22-24, with a reappearance in Numbers 31. Balaam means "not of the people" or "not of the family" - not of the family of God. Balac (or Balak as spelled in the Old Testament) means "devastator" or "destroyer". Balaam was a prophet for hire, meaning he was willing to sell blessings and cursings to the highest bidder... this is not what one of the family of God does. Worse yet, Balaam was willing to sell out the children of Israel to the destroyer Balac... and he knew what he was doing, and that God had told him not too! But the money was just too good, so he kept asking God if it was alright until God finally gave him an answer that he could accept.
Jesus said to His disciples, "freely ye have received, freely give (Matthew 10:8)." He was speaking about blessings, healings, and spiritual gifts. One who has been blessed with these gifts, and is in the family of God, gives them freely. On the other side of the coin, Elisha's servant Gehazi went to collect payment for a healing that the Lord performed through Elisha, after Elisha had specifically said that he would not take payment (because it was God who had accomplished the healing and not Elisha), and Gehazi was both found out by Elisha, and received punishment for what he had done (see 2 Kings 5). God gives blessing and chastisement as He sees fit, and these things cannot be bought nor sold.
So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
This is the elaboration on the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes that I had mentioned earlier. The word "So" in this sentence is the Greek word "hautos", which means "thus/therefore/likewise/in this manner". It is conditional on the preceding statement; therefore, it connects the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes to the doctrine of Balaam. I've wondered if it is connected with the fact that St. Nicolas (Santa Claus) seems to slowly be replacing Jesus as the face of Christmas as time passes, to appease a multi-cultural western world that all want to celebrate the "holidays". Santa Claus appears to be the major mascot for any retail corporation looking to hawk its wares around Christmas time, thereby making Christmas more of a retail bonanza than a family time of celebration, thankfulness, and togetherness (after all, the best things in life are free)... but that could be my own cynicism on the changing nature of how Christmas is celebrated as I get older. In any event, the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes is connected to religious service for financial gains by connecting it to Balaam. Nuff said.
Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. 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.'
Because manna has always represented the word of God (or "the Bread of life"), this statement documents that there are messages hidden in Scripture that not even the majority of churches see. It is those who are earnest in seeking truth who will receive this manna.
An interesting note on the "white stone" mentioned above. The stone mentioned here was used for a specific purpose in Greece - it was used in the system that gave birth to democracy. The stone is one that would be gathered from a river bed that had been worn smooth over time. Black and white stones were used to cast a vote for one candidate or another. Here, the white stone is connected with Jesus. In Revelation 13:18, the word "count" to count the number of the beast is to count by this same method of voting. If Jesus is the white stone, the beast (Satan) is the black stone. This is one more illustration of the choice between life and death, between Christ and antichrist (see my earlier post).
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; 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.
Notice that "works" is mentioned twice, and that the works at the last are more than the works at the first.
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.
Jezebel ("married to Baal") was the wife of king Ahab. She was the daughter of a priest of Baal, a prophetess of Baal. She was not a nice person to say the least. Her story can be found in the Book of Kings, primarily in 1 Kings 18-21 and 2 Kings 9. Baal means "lord", and the servants of Baal wished to place him in place of the Lord, but Baal is a false lord. The message fits very well in Revelation, since the entire book is about the coming of the false lord, also known as the antichrist. The Jezebel here will be the churches who attempt to get people to serve the antichrist as though he were the real Christ.
And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
This is a powerful statement! This shows God's abundant mercy in that, even if Jezebel herself, one of the most notorious "villains" of the Old Testament, were to truly repent, she would be forgiven. This gives one of the most powerful themes that runs through Revelation, and throughout all of Scripture. God is looking for any and all who will repent, and all sin will be forgiven upon repentance from the heart.
Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. 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. 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. And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 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. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.'
Ruling with a rod of iron is a reference to Psalm 2, which denotes that God will triumph over all nations.
The messages to the churches carries on into Revelation 3. God bless.
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Repent Ye: For The Kingdom Of God Is At Hand...
God has declared the end since the beginning (Isaiah 46:9-10). This is a message that is repeated over and over in the Bible. He does this so that we will be prepared for it. It's almost as though you were getting the answers to an approaching test, but it's not a "cheat sheet", because the Teacher is saying, "Here, I've given you the answers, now you just study it real good." That's good news. That's "gospel". And it's true. In fact, the title of this post refers to the beginning of the New Testament. Right when John the Baptist comes out and starts preaching, the first thing he's recorded as saying is, "Repent ye: for the Kingdom of God is at hand (Matthew 3:2)." Similarily when Jesus begins His ministry, the first thing He preaches is, "Repent: for the Kingdom of God is at hand (Matthew 4:17)." That means, "this age could come to an end at any moment, henceforth from this moment." People take this further to think that Jesus will appear at any moment and there will not be a tribulation - if you are tempted to think this now, read my last post where God lays out very clearly the events that will happen before the end of this age. Notwithstanding, these first teachings by John and Jesus make it very apparent that "understanding the end times" is a part of understanding the gospel.
The last post laid out Mark 13 in detail, but that was not the end of Jesus' teachings when He was giving that speech. Matthew 24 is the same speech as Mark 13, but Jesus continues teaching lessons about the end times and judgment in Matthew 25. There are three additional parables that give more understanding of what is to come. The parables let you know, once you have a knowledge of what the end times are to bring, what you are supposed to do with that knowledge. It is a continuation of the gospel.
I say it is a continuation because the all of the teachings of Jesus were "gospel" (meaning "good news"), in that they all told of His salvation. Knowing what is going to happen in the end IS good news, though some don't want to look at it that way. People will cut some of that message out and say, "only this part is the gospel," or, "only this is important," while others will add to it, saying, "you also needed this." Do not believe them! (My next post will touch on this.)
John warned against these methodologies in Revelation 22:18-19, saying, "if man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 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..." which, in turn, is echoed from Dueteronomy 4:2, "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it." And it was also taught by figure in the law of how to build an altar (see next post).
Paul also stated the importance of all scriptures when he wrote his second letter to Timothy, saying, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reporoof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17)." So the entire gospel, including the continuation, is important for us to know, especially if you are a person that lives in the "end times". The first parable that Jesus teaches in Matthew 25 teaches you that. I will be going into those three additional parables, but there is some groundwork to lay first, which has been brought up in an online study group of mine; I think it is important in regards to "what you are supposed to do with the knowledge of the end times" and the approach to delivering the message.
The key to this post, however, is knowing that if you are still reading this, you can still repent. God has left repentance open to anyone and everyone up until the very last moment of this age. Please don't take this as me saying that someone can put it off... because we could pass away at any moment. But take this as me saying, if you are reading this and it connects with you, then this is your opportunity to repent, right now, right where you are, get on board this train, and begin the journey into a fantastic life full of blessing. Paul told us how to do it in Romans 10:9, saying, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." That is the first step to wisdom in God. The next was given by God in Ezekiel 18, saying, "if the wicked man will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and will keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done shall he live." Don't know what the commandments and statutes are? Jesus put it very succinctly to give you some time to learn them if you are a beginner, saying, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:37-40)." The golden rule. Treating others as you would be treated will get you through until you learn the rest of the law and the prophets (if that is your goal) and it is key in loving God with all your heart soul and mind. The first baby steps to "perfection", or maturity in God's Word. Spread the good news. God bless.
The last post laid out Mark 13 in detail, but that was not the end of Jesus' teachings when He was giving that speech. Matthew 24 is the same speech as Mark 13, but Jesus continues teaching lessons about the end times and judgment in Matthew 25. There are three additional parables that give more understanding of what is to come. The parables let you know, once you have a knowledge of what the end times are to bring, what you are supposed to do with that knowledge. It is a continuation of the gospel.
I say it is a continuation because the all of the teachings of Jesus were "gospel" (meaning "good news"), in that they all told of His salvation. Knowing what is going to happen in the end IS good news, though some don't want to look at it that way. People will cut some of that message out and say, "only this part is the gospel," or, "only this is important," while others will add to it, saying, "you also needed this." Do not believe them! (My next post will touch on this.)
John warned against these methodologies in Revelation 22:18-19, saying, "if man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 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..." which, in turn, is echoed from Dueteronomy 4:2, "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it." And it was also taught by figure in the law of how to build an altar (see next post).
Paul also stated the importance of all scriptures when he wrote his second letter to Timothy, saying, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reporoof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17)." So the entire gospel, including the continuation, is important for us to know, especially if you are a person that lives in the "end times". The first parable that Jesus teaches in Matthew 25 teaches you that. I will be going into those three additional parables, but there is some groundwork to lay first, which has been brought up in an online study group of mine; I think it is important in regards to "what you are supposed to do with the knowledge of the end times" and the approach to delivering the message.
The key to this post, however, is knowing that if you are still reading this, you can still repent. God has left repentance open to anyone and everyone up until the very last moment of this age. Please don't take this as me saying that someone can put it off... because we could pass away at any moment. But take this as me saying, if you are reading this and it connects with you, then this is your opportunity to repent, right now, right where you are, get on board this train, and begin the journey into a fantastic life full of blessing. Paul told us how to do it in Romans 10:9, saying, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." That is the first step to wisdom in God. The next was given by God in Ezekiel 18, saying, "if the wicked man will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and will keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done shall he live." Don't know what the commandments and statutes are? Jesus put it very succinctly to give you some time to learn them if you are a beginner, saying, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:37-40)." The golden rule. Treating others as you would be treated will get you through until you learn the rest of the law and the prophets (if that is your goal) and it is key in loving God with all your heart soul and mind. The first baby steps to "perfection", or maturity in God's Word. Spread the good news. God bless.
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