Revelation 1
1[THIS IS] the revelation of Jesus Christ [His unveiling of the divine mysteries]. God gave it to Him to disclose and make known to His bond servants certain things which must shortly and speedily come to pass [a]in their entirety. And He sent and communicated it through His angel (messenger) to His bond servant John,
This revelation was given to Jesus to make known unto us, His chosen ones, the things that are coming to pass in their entirety. That is a great Truth, Jesus wants us to know everything in its entirety! We have been given the Holy Spirit to teach us all things, John 14:26. Jesus is not a Lord of doubt, confusion, secrets, or mysteries. Jesus wants things clear for us and to insure that His chosen ones, and not the world, know His Truths in their entirety, He has given us the Holy Spirit to teach us all things.
I do not call you servants (slaves) any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing (working out). But I have called you My friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from My Father. [I have revealed to you everything that I have learned from Him.] John 15:5. Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to teach us all things and He calls us His friends. Jesus holds nothing back from His people. The head holds nothing back from the body and Jesus is our Head.
Also notice that Jesus calls us His bond servants as well as His friends. We are His possession. Jesus is our Shepherd, we are the sheep. Jesus is our Head and we are His body. Jesus has total control of us. We are the branches that have been grafted in to the Vine of Jesus, John 15:5. As we begin to study this revelation, and the things that will shortly take place, this is a very important Truth to remember. Jesus is responsible for getting us through this life, He is not going to let anything happen to His flesh on this earth that is not in perfect line and will of our Father. Not one of His true sheep will be lost, not one! We are Jesus’ friends and we are His responsibility, He is our High Priest. We have become one with Him, we are not robots, but actually one with Jesus.
2Who has testified to and vouched for all that he saw [[b]in his visions], the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
3Blessed (happy, [c]to be envied) is the man who reads aloud [in the assemblies] the word of this prophecy; and blessed (happy, [d]to be envied) are those who hear [it read] and who keep themselves true to the things which are written in it [heeding them and laying them to heart], for the time [for them to be fulfilled] is near.
There is a blessing in reading this revelation aloud with other believers. There is a blessing with reading and sowing all of God’s Word, for whatsoever thing a man soweth, that shall he reap, Galatians 6:7. But by sowing the Revelation of Jesus there comes a special blessing. So can you see why satan and the world have tried to make it seem so difficult to understand. But yet our Lord has empowered His chosen ones to read this prophesy aloud for centuries and the Revelation of our Lord is not hard to understand at all, because our yoke is easy and our burden is light, Matthew 11:30. Jesus has given us the very Holy Spirit of God to insure that there is not one little piece of our Fathers Truth that will ever be a mystery to us. The only thing of our Father that we are not permitted to know is the exact moment of Jesus’ return. But even in this we are empowered with the very knowledge of our Father to know the season, that is why we have been given this Revelation of our Lord and Savior! Jesus will come as a thief, but we are empowered by Him to ever be awake to our Fathers Truth. We are sealed until the day of our redemption. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God's own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin). Ephesians 4:30.
4John to the seven assemblies (churches) that are in Asia: May grace (God's unmerited favor) be granted to you and spiritual peace ([e]the peace of Christ's kingdom) from Him Who is and Who was and Who is to come, and from the seven Spirits [[f]the sevenfold Holy Spirit] before His throne,(A)
5And from Jesus Christ the faithful and trustworthy Witness, the Firstborn of the dead [first to be brought back to life] and the Prince (Ruler) of the kings of the earth. To Him Who [g]ever loves us and has [h]once [for all] loosed and freed us from our sins by His own blood,(B)
Jesus has once and forevermore loosed and freed us from our sins! Now that is a revelation in and of itself, isn’t it? False religion wants us to be under constant condemnation of sin and the fear of sin. But the Truth that has set us free is that Jesus has once and forevermore loosed and freed us from sin, this is our salvation.
We know that our old (unrenewed) self was nailed to the cross with Him in order that [our] body [which is the instrument] of sin might be made ineffective and inactive for evil, that we might no longer be the slaves of sin. Romans 6:6
Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to God [living in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11.
"Even David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." Romans 4:6-8
“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Ephesians 4:23-24
And ye are complete in Him, which is the Head of all principality and power: In Whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, Who hath raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiving you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross; Having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." Colossians 2:10-15
"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you." Romans 8:9-11
6And formed us into a kingdom (a royal race), priests to His God and Father--to Him be the glory and the power and the majesty and the dominion throughout the ages and forever and ever. Amen (so be it).(C)
We have been given the glory of our Lord, John 17:22. And we are a kingdom of Priests. Just as Jesus is a King and a High Priest, so are we who have been made one with Him. You see we can be no other way, we are now our Lords physical body on the earth, Ephesians 5:30. And as 1 John 4:17 teaches us, as He is, so are we in this world. Jesus prayed in John 17 multiple times that we would be one with Him, and Jesus was crucified to insure that we would be and we are! A-men we are, and that is why this is such a great prophesy to read. Just wait and see how God is going to use the Body of Christ on this earth, it is spectacular!
7Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth shall gaze upon Him and beat their breasts and mourn and lament over Him. Even so [must it be]. Amen (so be it).(D)
8I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord God, He Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty (the Ruler of all).(E)
9I, John, your brother and companion (sharer and participator) with you in the tribulation and kingdom and patient endurance [which are] in Jesus Christ, was on the isle called Patmos, [banished] on account of [my witnessing to] the Word of God and the testimony (the proof, the evidence) for Jesus Christ.
10I was in the Spirit [rapt in His power] on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a great voice like the calling of a [i]war trumpet,
There are times when the Holy Spirit just empowers us to another level.
11Saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. Write promptly what you see (your vision) in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia--to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.
12Then I turned to see [whose was] the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,
13And in the midst of the lampstands [One] like a Son of Man, clothed with a robe which reached to His feet and with a girdle of gold about His breast.(F)
14His head and His hair were white like white wool, [as white] as snow, and His eyes [flashed] like a flame of fire.(G)
15His feet glowed like burnished (bright) bronze as it is refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.(H)
16In His right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth there came forth a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full power at midday.(I)
Jesus doesn’t really look like any of the paintings that have been made of Him does He? He is powerful, glorious, and triumphant. He defeated satan at the Cross and He is in total charge. And we are His, and He never leaves us or forsakes us. Jesus is dominant, pure, and victorious. This is the appearance of the One Who Shepherds us and Who keeps us safe until the day of His return!
17When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if dead. But He laid His right hand on me and said, Do not be afraid! I am the First and the Last,(J)
18And the Ever-living One [I am living in the eternity of the eternities]. I died, but see, I am alive forevermore; and I possess the keys of death and Hades (the realm of the dead).
Jesus totally controls death and hell, and that is to be constantly remembered while reading this Prophecy. Jesus is always in control.
19Write therefore the things you see, what they are [and signify] and what is to take place hereafter.
20As to the hidden meaning (the mystery) of the seven stars which you saw on My right hand and the seven lampstands of gold: the seven stars are the seven angels (messengers) of the seven assemblies (churches) and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
It is plain and simple what the meanings are of these 14 items, 7 Churches and 7 Angels. Now a lot of people say that these 7 churches represent seven church ages, or a history of the Church. They might be, but Jesus is always the same, He never changes. One thing is clear, Jesus does tell John to write to the 7 churches that are in Asia. As I read what John writes to these churches one thing pops out of the writings, the faults and experiences of all the churches in Asia are shared by churches today. I can look around and see that many churches have all of the traits and some have others, we have so many different churches today. Here is the way I see it, whether these 7 churches represent seven specific churches, or seven church ages, or seven styles of churches, doesn’t seem to really matter to us as readers as much as what Jesus is saying to these churches. Heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s Word will remain, and I am sure that the faults of these churches still apply to churches today!
Jesus gave specific direction to five of the churches as what was wrong with them, He told one church that He would place no greater burden on them, and one church, only one, did Jesus say that He would keep, the church of Philadelphia. There is one hope, one calling, one body, one mind, one accord! And as we study what Jesus tells six of the churches what to do, notice how He places all of the burden on them to change themselves. I will point out specifics as we study each of the seven churches. Only the one church of Philadelphia does Jesus say that He will keep. But as for the other 6 He never proclaims that God will prune them as we read that He will do in John 15, or that God will strengthen them as we read that He will do in Ezekiel 36, or that He will Shepherd them as we read that He will do in Hebrews 13:20, or that God will keep them from the evil as we read that He will do in John 17. Jesus never tells them that He is actively involved in their changing, which is the only way that they could ever succeed. Jesus told them to act, He never used these scriptural references, or the many others we can find in the Bible, and they all failed. I tried to find if any of these 7 still exist and I could not find them. So here I am assuming they are gone, if I am wrong and they do exist, it still does not change what Jesus is telling them. Which means to me that even though there were saved people within these churches, these six groups as a whole were never of Jesus. Jesus’ church never fails. Jesus always has a remnant of chosen ones.
The real lesson for me has always been this, whether 7 specific churches, 7 church ages, or seven styles of church, they all fail without Jesus being the force within them that causes success! And Jesus only tells one church that He is the power within them that will keep them. The others He tells you change this or you change that. But the beginning and the end knew that they wouldn’t because He was not the power within them allowing them too! This is why I personally believe that these are seven church styles, because there is only one true church, and that is the church that is one with Jesus, and the one that is being kept by Him. We may be spread out in the six, but we are one! If these were ages that would mean that Jesus only told one age that He would keep them. And that just can’t be true!
Revelation 2
1TO THE angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Ephesus write: These are the words of Him Who holds the seven stars [which are the messengers of the seven churches] in His right hand, Who goes about among the seven golden lampstands [which are the seven churches]:
2I know your industry and activities, laborious toil and trouble, and your patient endurance, and how you cannot tolerate wicked [men] and have tested and critically appraised those who call [themselves] apostles (special messengers of Christ) and yet are not, and have found them to be impostors and liars.
3I know you are enduring patiently and are bearing up for My name's sake, and you have not fainted or become exhausted or grown weary.
4But I have this [one charge to make] against you: that you have left (abandoned) the love that you had at first [you have deserted Me, your first love].
The Holy Spirit really had Paul write to the Ephesians about our oneness with Jesus. Ephesians 2:1, 2:6, 2:13, 2:15, 3:17, 4:6, 5:8, 5:30, and 5:32. I believe that many in the church of Ephesus were saved, yet the organized body was something else. Just like in so many churches today. Jesus cannot be fooled; He knows the beginning and the end. And the letter, the Book of Ephesians, that Jesus had Paul write was to true believers who knew what and who Jesus was and their relationship to Him. But as for the leadership they left Jesus, because they were never of Jesus. Jesus does not let His people leave. What kind of Shepherd would He be if His true sheep were allowed to wonder off? Can a branch decide to leave the Vine? Can an arm leave the body? Jesus tells us to have any part in the Kingdom of Heaven we have to be as little children, Matthew 18:3. Does a father allow his little children to leave his parenting? If God would allow His little children to wonder off, He would be guilty of child abuse! These leaders, who had forgotten their first love, obviously had not root, they appeared to be with Jesus but the Truth was they were not.
This is probably why the Holy Spirit had Paul writing about their oneness with Jesus. Faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God.
5Remember then from what heights you have fallen. Repent (change the inner man to meet God's will) and do the works you did previously [when first you knew the Lord], or else I will visit you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you change your mind and repent.
Notice Jesus doesn’t encourage them with the Truth that the Holy Spirit would cause them to remember their first love. Or that He would Shepherd them back to green pastures, or that He was greater within them than whatever was in the world. The Truth for the true believer is that Jesus never leaves or forsakes us, even when we are wrong, He will correct us, 1 Corinthians 11:32. God prophesied through Ezekiel that He would place His Spirit within us and cause us to walk in His statutes and keep His judgments. But we really don’t read that Jesus spoke to the church at Ephesus in this way. He told them remember or they would loose their church and they did!
6Yet you have this [in your favor and to your credit]: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans [what they are doing as corrupters of the people], which I Myself also detest.
7He who is able to hear, let him listen to and give heed to what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). To him who overcomes (is victorious), I will grant to eat [of the fruit] of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.(A)
How does a believer overcome? We overcome because the Truth is that we are more than conquerors through Christ Who loves us, Romans 8:37. We are conquerors because God keeps us on this earth, John 17:15. Christ does not fail! God does not fail! Yet the Ephesians church failed, it is not around today. So clearly Christ was not part of this organized church and God was not part of it. They had a form of godliness, but they denied the power of it, 2 Timothy 3:5. Jesus knew this. He knew they would fail. The Book of Revelation speaks a great deal about the false prophet and the anti-christ, both will be experts at false religion. If the church of Ephesus would have truly been of God, He would have kept them from leaving their first love. I believe many in Ephesus were truly saved. History seems to show us that John actually was part of this church at one time. The things that the Holy Spirit showed this church through Paul were definitely for the chosen, as well as for us today. But the church, the organized church, with its leaders and boards could not have been, or it would still be around! God’s Truth never dies off. Jesus ever lives to declare God’s Name to us, John 17:26 and He ever lives to intercede for us so that we are saved to the uttermost, Hebrews 7:25.
There are so many who believe that Jesus is a stand by Savior. That He can only act if we first act. But the Truth is that He is the Head, He is the Shepherd, He is control and He is directing our paths. Jesus is not reactive, He is active! Many are called, yet few are chosen. And Jesus doesn’t choose in error! Think about the grafting a branch into a vine. Who picks the branch to be grafted? The gardener does, and our Gardener is God, John 15:1. Our Gardener knows the beginning and the end, do you think He will pick out a branch, graft it into Jesus and then realize that He had made a mistake. There were saved people here in Ephesus, yet as for the organized church, even though God had used it, it was never part of Him. What is part of God, what is chosen to be one with Him, cannot leave Him.
8And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Smyrna write: These are the words of the First and the Last, Who died and came to life again:(B)
9I know your affliction and distress and pressing trouble and your poverty--but you are rich! and how you are abused and reviled and slandered by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
10Fear nothing that you are about to suffer. [Dismiss your dread and your fears!] Behold, the devil is indeed about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested and proved and critically appraised, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be loyally faithful unto death [even if you must die for it], and I will give you the crown of life.(C)
11He who is able to hear, let him listen to and heed what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). He who overcomes (is victorious) shall in no way be injured by the second death.
Even with the church of Smyrna Jesus never tells them that He has given them a spirit of faith and power not fear, 2 Timothy 1:7. I hope you see what I am writing here. There were several truly saved people in these churches. They had the Holy Spirit. Jesus was confirming to them what they probably already knew and He showed them what would happen. So when He wrote endure to the end, they rejoiced, because they knew that He would cause them to endure until the end. They had seen physical examples and heard personal testimonies of Jesus doing it. The physical church failed, but the true body of Christ endured and received their crowns of life!
God is no respecter of persons, Acts 10:34. I honestly believe that throughout every age, Jesus always shows His true chosen ones what is going on. And He will use whatever means needed to get through to us. Let’s face it we are all different, Jesus knows this, and He knows how to deal with each of us; just as our head knows how to deal with the heart or the hand. We are every bit as much Jesus’ friends as the Apostles were.
So here is what we have seen with these first two churches, one church has left its first love and the second church is poor and abused and their people are being killed. Sound like Churches today? So many churches in the world have left Jesus and those in the poorer countries are finding Him and being killed for it. To me if these 7 churches represent 7 church ages, they are all in action today. As I am sure they were all in action years ago.
When I hear that these churches that Jesus has John write to represent 7 distinct periods of our history it just doesn’t seem to make sense. What makes more sense is that these are 7 specific church types, and they have always existed. Like the parable of the 10 virgins, 5 were of Jesus 5 were not. Here we see 7 churches, 1 is of Him and 6 are not. You might say that two of the churches are, Philadelphia, as we will study, and Smyrna. But with Smyrna we don’t see Jesus as being the active force in them, as we will see in Philadelphia. Jesus tells Smyrna to endure, not that He will cause them to endure.
12Then to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Pergamum write: These are the words of Him Who has and wields the sharp two-edged sword:
13I know where you live--a place where Satan sits enthroned. [Yet] you are clinging to and holding fast My name, and you did not deny My faith, even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed (martyred) in your midst--where Satan dwells.
14Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: you have some people there who are clinging to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to set a trap and a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, [to entice them] to eat food that had been sacrificed to idols and to practice lewdness [giving themselves up to sexual vice].(D)
Once again chosen ones within the church would have read this letter of prophecy. Just as true believers throughout history have read the Book of Revelation. They have seen killings and persecutions and they still hold fast to Jesus; even though the church leadership is allowing false teachings in. The church was probably trying to grow, they wanted to be inclusive, and they allowed leaders in that were not called or chosen. It is fine to have everyone come to church, but read Timothy and Titus and see what the leadership should be. The true chosen ones are probably pointing these things out and this is Jesus telling them your right, even though the leadership is blinded and the church is in disarray, I have not left you or forsaken you!
15You also have some who in a similar way are clinging to the teaching of the Nicolaitans [those corrupters of the people] which thing I hate.
16Repent [then]! Or else I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
The chosen ones knew what was going on, and I honestly believe that this was Jesus telling them through John, I know, I know. Jesus tells those truly chosen that He will succeed and He will cause them to as well! Then as history repeats itself, those who are part of churches that resemble this one, will have the Holy Spirit lead them to this prophesy and they see it clear. There is a blessing at reading this specific prophesy out loud to the assembles. And this is why to let each generation know the Truth that will set them free, regardless of what false leaders are proclaiming!
17He who is able to hear, let him listen to and heed what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). To him who overcomes (conquers), I will give to eat of the manna that is hidden, and I will give him a white stone with a new name engraved on the stone, which no one knows or understands except he who receives it.(E)
We have studied 3 churches now, one has left Jesus, one is being persecuted, and now one is letting multiple false teachings in. We can look at churches today and see the exact same things. And once again to the truly saved Jesus is letting us know that even with all of this, I will cause my chosen ones to be with me where I am.
18And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, Who has eyes that flash like a flame of fire, and Whose feet glow like bright and burnished and white-hot bronze:(F)
19I know your record and what you are doing, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your recent works are more numerous and greater than your first ones.
When Jesus was asked about His works, He said that it was the Father within Him doing the works, John 14:10. He doesn’t say here that I know the Father is using you more now than He did at your beginning? Many will do even miraculous works, but Jesus will proclaim that He never knew them.
20But I have this against you: that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess [claiming to be inspired], and who is teaching and leading astray my servants and beguiling them into practicing sexual vice and eating food sacrificed to idols. [I Kings 16:31; II Kings 9:22, 30.]
21I gave her time to repent, but she has no desire to repent of her immorality [symbolic of idolatry] and refuses to do so.
Jesus knew that Jezebel wouldn’t, but yet He gave her a chance! Jesus is the Shepherd of the True Church, the true chosen ones, and Jezebel was a wolf who tried to pass herself off as a chosen one. Jesus never lets the wolf overtake His sheep!
22Take note: I will throw her on a bed [[a]of anguish], and those who commit adultery with her [her paramours] I will bring down to [b]pressing distress and severe affliction, unless they turn away their minds from conduct [such as] hers and repent of [c]their doings.
Jesus is zealous over His church. When He came into the Temple, He personally overturned the money changers. And here we see that Jesus Himself will throw Jezebel down! People like to always say that such things come from satan, but Jesus holds the keys to death and hell, We will study on this in far greater detail during the study of the Great Tribulation later on in Revelation. But all things that happen bad for humans is not always satan doing it!
23And I will strike her children (her proper followers) dead [thoroughly exterminating them]. And all the assemblies (churches) shall recognize and understand that I am He Who searches minds (the thoughts, feelings, and purposes) and the [inmost] hearts, and I will give to each of you [the reward for what you have done] as your work deserves.(G)
24But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not explored and known the depths of Satan, as they say--I tell you that I do not lay upon you any other [fresh] burden:
25Only hold fast to what you have until I come.
Jesus once again confirming to His chosen ones in Thyatira, I know what is going on, your absolutely correct, it isn’t right and I will cause you to hold fast. Yet to the false leaders they will read this as they have to hold fast. They will teach on it, placing the burden on their congregation, telling them the works that they must do. But for the true chosen ones, the Holy Spirit will remind them of His Truth, that it is Him keeping them until the day of their redemption.
Consider the churches today, homosexuals allowed in leadership, Jesus not the focus, false teachings, and people abused. It just gets clearer and clearer, these 7 churches are not church ages, but church styles. These church styles are not the true body of Christ, true chosen believers. True believers are kept by God, sealed with the Holy Spirit, and Shepherded by Jesus. We cannot loose our first love, we have become one with Him. We cannot have false teachings overtake us, God prunes them out, Jesus refines them out, the Holy Spirit causes us to remember the Truth, because we have the mind of Christ!
26And he who overcomes (is victorious) and who obeys My commands to the [very] end [doing the works that please Me], I will give him authority and power over the nations;
27And he shall rule them with a sceptre (rod) of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, and [his power over them shall be] like that which I Myself have received from My Father;(H)
Look what our future is, we rule the nations with Jesus. Just a fore taste of what we will study later in this book as to what our future in Christ is! It is great. During the Great Tribulation we will study of how great the true church is used, during the millennial reign of Christ we are wonderfully used, and then for the rest of eternity, we are gloriously used! We are one with Jesus, the part He plays, we play it as one with Him. Our heritage and future are absolutely victorious!
28And I will give him the Morning Star.
29He who is able to hear, let him listen to and heed what the [Holy] Spirit says to the assemblies (churches).
Revelation 3
1AND TO the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Sardis write: These are the words of Him Who has the seven Spirits of God [[a]the sevenfold Holy Spirit] and the seven stars: I know your record and what you are doing; you are supposed to be alive, but [in reality] you are dead.
We are crucified with Christ, and nevertheless we live, yet it is not us who lives, but it is Christ within us Who lives, Galatians 2:20. We are dead and our lives are hid in Christ in God, Colossians 3:3. Jesus starts off by telling this church that they are dead, He is not alive in them. Do you see how these churches are not part of Jesus; He is speaking to them, but not as one with them. He is pointing out their strengths and faults, but God is not getting the glory for their strengths and Jesus is not being given His glory as their Shepherd Who will lead them back to righteousness. They can’t be of Jesus, Jesus is not dead, He is alive! This is another reason that I believe these letters are to styles of churches, not church ages. I just can’t believe that there has been a time in our history that Jesus allowed His church to be dead!
2Rouse yourselves and keep awake, and strengthen and invigorate what remains and is on the point of dying; for I have not found a thing that you have done [any work of yours] meeting the requirements of My God or perfect in His sight.
Jesus tells us to be perfect, even as our Father in Heaven is perfect, Matthew 5:48. Jesus can say this because this is how He is and we are now one with Him. This is why our burden is light and our yoke easy. Because being perfect is easy for Jesus! But yet this church is dead because their works are human, so nothing they do can be perfect. Jesus plainly tells them that He knows their works, not that He knows the works of the Father within them.
3So call to mind the lessons you received and heard; continually lay them to heart and obey them, and repent. In case you will not rouse yourselves and keep awake and watch, I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not know or suspect at what hour I will come.
Jesus doesn’t even tell these people to call unto Him. He proclaims that they are to arouse themselves. Where do we ever hear in the Gospel that we are to call upon ourselves to walk in the ways of the Lord? But here all of a sudden that is how it is done? No! This is Jesus speaking to those whose hearts are not right and speaking in a parable, unless hearing He should have to heal them.
For this nation's heart has grown gross (fat and dull), and their ears heavy and difficult of hearing, and their eyes they have tightly closed, lest they see and perceive with their eyes, and hear and comprehend the sense with their ears, and grasp and understand with their heart, and turn and I should heal them. Matthew 13:15
4Yet you still have a few [persons'] names in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes, and they shall walk with Me in white, because they are worthy and deserving.
Once again Jesus telling His truly chosen ones, I have your back and I know what is going on! Think of the relief to these believers. They have to hear the bragging about what the church is doing, when they know it is dead. They see men being elevated and praised and they have to be thinking where is Jesus in all of these vain glory? And then Jesus has John write to them.
5Thus shall he who conquers (is victorious) be clad in white garments, and I will not erase or blot out his name from the Book of Life; I will acknowledge him [as Mine] and I will confess his name openly before My Father and before His angels.(A)
Of course their names won’t be erased, they were chosen before the foundation of the world. God cannot be fooled. He doesn’t let someone be one with Him whose heart is not right. That is what always cracks me up about people who believe that we can walk away from God. First of all He chose us and second of all did we fool Him? We suckered Him in to letting us become one with Jesus and then we just told Him to take a hike? Salvation is us becoming one with Jesus and there is absolutely no fellowship between Light and darkness!
We have studied about a church who left Jesus, a church that has allowed false teachings in, a church that is abused, a church that has no true works of God, and a church who has allowed false leadership in to lead the direction of the church. Still sounds like today’s churches if you ask me? It is easy to find all of these things going on. They are in no way unique to one certain age. And to say that all of these truly represent the real church of Jesus Christ is to say that Jesus has had a terrible track record of empowering His church! These are people playing church, the real church is always one with Jesus, empowered with His might and always being lead in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake.
6He who is able to hear, let him listen to and heed what the [Holy] Spirit says to the assemblies (churches).
Only the true chosen ones can hear, and that is why at the end of these letters Jesus always tells them that they will overcome. True believers have always had the Holy Spirit telling them that there future is securely in the hands of Jesus. While those who are playing church will read these letters and say, see what we have to do! It is not what we have to do, it is what Jesus has to do through us!
7And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the Holy One, the True One, He Who has the key of David, Who opens and no one shall shut, Who shuts and no one shall open:(B)
Once Jesus does something it is done! That is why He chooses us and empowers us to choose Him. We do not first choose Him, He first chooses us!
Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking under the power and influence of the [Holy] Spirit of God can [ever] say, Jesus be cursed! And no one can [really] say, Jesus is [my] Lord, except by and under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:3.
The door is open and no one can shut it! This is the only church that Jesus proclaims that He will keep and look at how absolute He sounds. The door is open and no one will shut it. This is how Jesus always is. Who He has chosen, He has called, He has empowered, He has sealed, He will protect and keep.
8I know your [record of] works and what you are doing. See! I have set before you a door wide open which no one is able to shut; I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept My Word and guarded My message and have not renounced or denied My name.
Once again, Jesus has opened the door for us and no one can shut it, including ourselves!
For them to keep God’s Word and to guard the message, it has had to be Jesus within them. The Holy Spirit their strength and their seal! It seems they have just a little power, the world keeps on going, war, sin, false religion, but even with all of these things going on they cannot loose their Head, Jesus. They cannot leave the Vine. They cannot leave the fold.
9Take note! I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews and are not, but lie--behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet and learn and acknowledge that I have loved you.(C)
One day these chosen ones will have those who have opposed them acknowledge that they were truly of God and that what He had spoken through them was right!
Every true Christian will have this happen. When I read these chapters I really see it as being every church in every age. I don’t see it as different periods of time. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, so how could we be different? Satan isn’t recreating himself, he was a looser, still is a looser, and will be a looser tomorrow!
10Because you have guarded and kept My word of patient endurance [have held fast the [b]lesson of My patience with the [c]expectant endurance that I give you], I also will keep you [safe] from the hour of trial (testing) which is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell upon the earth.
Here is the first time we see that Jesus will keep them. But Jesus has always kept His children. This is another reason I have a problem with these being 7 different ages. There is a time of the Great Tribulation, we will study on this a great deal later in our study of Revelation, but true believers have always had trials. We have always needed Jesus to keep us and we will always need Him to keep us, and He did and He will!
When I read about Philadelphia and Laodicea I can see that they will be side by side during the time of the Great Tribulation; Philadelphia being the true believers empowered by Christ to preach to the world and the church of Laodicea being the one lead by the anti-christ and the false prophet. But to me Jesus is always Jesus, and He has always had a Philadelphia that He has empowered to hold fast to His Word, and there has always been these other false churches. During the last days a church that has left Jesus, a church that has as its leaders false leaders teaching false doctrines of men, proclaiming that they are working for God while all along their works are dead.
So as I wrote in the beginning of this study, if they are 7 different times, 7 different churches, or 7 different styles of churches, the important thing is that Jesus is with His chosen ones and the only way anyone can succeed is because Jesus is in them causing to succeed!
11I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one may rob you and deprive you of your crown.
12He who overcomes (is victorious), I will make him a pillar in the sanctuary of My God; he shall never be put out of it or go out of it, and I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which descends from My God out of heaven, and My own new name.(D)
13He who can hear, let him listen to and heed what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches).
14And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the trusty and faithful and true Witness, the Origin and Beginning and Author of God's creation:(E)
15I know your [record of] works and what you are doing; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot!
16So, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth!
We are either truly chosen or we are not. There is no in between. And those who play church are always defeated and destroyed. The have no root and wither up. They are choked by the cares of this world. Instantly satan steals the Truth that they hear. Only the chosen ones, who are grafted into the Vine of Jesus, produce a crop of 30, 60, and 100 fold returns,
17For you say, I am rich; I have prospered and grown wealthy, and I am in need of nothing; and you do not realize and understand that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.(F)
Sounds like the mega churches of today, but there where mega churches hundreds of years ago. Look in Europe at all of the old buildings that housed them. But in these huge elaborate buildings we only see the works of men. The blind come in blind and leave blind. The dead are not raised. The deaf do not hear. And as in the times of old, they want money in the Name of God!
18Therefore I counsel you to purchase from Me gold refined and tested by fire, that you may be [truly] wealthy, and white clothes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nudity from being seen, and salve to put on your eyes, that you may see.
Even in this retched church there is a call to salvation and I believe that many will be chosen out of it to become part of the church of Philadelphia that Jesus keeps!
19Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I tell their faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten [I discipline and instruct them]. So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude].(G)
20Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me.
Here we see that Jesus tells these people to open the door, but to the church that He keeps, He has opened the door. So look at what is preached in this type of church. You need to accept Jesus. No man is promised tomorrow, you better come up here and bow down at this alter in front of me and accept Jesus as Lord. Open the door to Him or be damned. I hear it preached all along. But the Truth that sets us free is this, Jesus opens the door, He chooses us, and He gives us the power of the Holy Spirit to become one with Him.
When Jesus was here as a man 2000 years ago He spoke in parables to all men. Then He would take His disciples aside and plainly tell them what He had just spoken. Well He doesn’t change. Jesus spoke in this prophesy to all men, and He has given His chosen ones the Holy Spirit to teach us all things. Same Words, same Truth, but we know that it is Jesus within us causing all of judgments to come to pass in our lives. While those playing church look to themselves!
21He who overcomes (is victorious), I will grant him to sit beside Me on My throne, as I Myself overcame (was victorious) and sat down beside My Father on His throne.
22He who is able to hear, let him listen to and heed what the [Holy] Spirit says to the assemblies (churches).
Jesus is always calling to those whom He has chosen. There is always a way and Jesus always causes us to overcome the world! We are able to hear because Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit and He allows us to hear!
If these churches represented 7 church ages wouldn’t the last church be the most mature one? That He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things [that she might be holy and faultless]. Ephesians 5:27 But as we read about the 7th church, the Laodiceans, the last age, we read that they are luke warm, they are blind, naked, anything but glorious. So if these represent the 7 church ages, and if we are in the last times, we don’t have much to look forward to. But Jesus always wins, so these have to represent organized religions that even though seem to be doing the works of the Lord they are never really known by Him, Matthew 7:23. For us to say that these are church ages would mean that 5 church ages failed miserably, one was only abused, and one did what they were suppose to do. And what that means is for 5 church ages Jesus failed miserably, one He was abused and poor, and only in one was He successful. This to me makes it clear that these are 7 styles of churches that will exist up until the last day.
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