Laodicea is the perfect picture of a church that is just going through the religious motions and deceiving themselves as to the reality of the new birth in Jesus.
Jesus is:
The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God.
The interesting thing here is that Jesus refers to Himself as "the Beginning of the creation of God". Notice that Beginning is capitalized, so it is a title. We know that Jesus is the, the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. In Revelation Chapter 21, verse 6, when it refers to Jesus as the beginning and the end, beginning is not capitalized. So here Jesus is revealing something different about Himself, that is revealing what His issue is with the church in Laodicea.
Warning:
Jesus knows their deeds, that they are neither cold nor hot; and He would rather that they were cold or hot. So because they are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, Jesus is going to spit the out of His mouth.
Why is lukewam bad, and either hot or cold still alright. Jesus has a problem with the lukewarm, because they are pretending to have something that they don't possess. The hot do possess it. The cold don't, but they are not pretending to possess it. So if the truth is introduced to cold, they will hear it and still have the opportunity, until the day they die, to either receive it or refuse it. The problem is, the lukewarm think they pocess it, but they don't. They are a dead church devoid of the Spirit of God in their own lives. They have not been born of above, which is the requirement Jesus set forth to be able to enter the Kingdom of God. In the gospel of John, Chapter 3, verses 3,5,6 and 7, Jesus says,
" Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God..........Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel when I say to you, 'You must be born again'."
Note that in these verses that Jesus says Truly, Truly, twice. When Jesus does this, He is emphesising the importants of what He is about to say.
The whole purpose for Jesus coming to earth, was to create a New Creation, that has been born again by the Holy Spirit of God. To enter the kingdom of God, you first have to be born on this earth. This is what is meant by born of water and flesh. Then we were all created to be born again, after that, by the Spirit of God. This is where each of us are personally accountable to choose for ourselves, whether or not we want to allow Jesus to do that in us , by receiving Him our not. Just joining a religion does not do it.
Now, what Jesus is saying, when He refers to Himself as, "the Beginning of the creation of God", is that He Himself is the first one who has been born of this new Creation. In Jesus case, He has now allowed the invisible Creator to now be made visible, having a new eternal body, that has been glorified through the resurrection. All New Creations come into existence through the death and resurrection or Jesus. In Paul's letter to Romans, in the 6th Chapter, verse 4, Paul wrote,
" Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life."
Paul wrote in his letter to the Colossians in the 1st Chapter, verses 12 - 20,
" giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. For He delivered us from the domain of darkness and tranferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first born of the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness of deity to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross..."
Jesus goes on to tell Laodicea:
"So because you say,"I am rich and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked."
Jesus advise to them:
" I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourselves, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed: and eyes salve to annoint you eyes that you may see."
All of what Jesus had just advised them, is all that occurs to a person when they actually ask Jesus into their hearts and allows Him to create in them a New Creation. They then become an eternal being who grows by being refined through trials and tribulations, having value like gold, because this determines what they will be forever. All believers receive white garments in heaven when they die and wait for their glorified body at the resurrection. For all believers, we were blinded in untruths and when we come to the Truth and the Light, we can now see.
This is why Jesus goes on to tell them:
"Behold, I stand at the door(to your heart) and knock; and if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into Him, and will dine with him, and he with Me".
Overcomers reward;
Jesus will grant you to sit with Him on His throne, as He also overcame and sat down with His Father on His throne.
Jesus ended all of these letters with this:
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches".
This is a statement for everyone who reads and hears these letters, that it important to have an ear that hears, not just listens.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Revelation Chapter 3 ( Philadelphia )
The church at Philadelphia is the only church that did not get a warning to repent from any errors like the other churches. So it is important to notice what they were doing that pleased Jesus.
Jesus is:
He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shuts, and who shuts and no one opens.
Praise:
Jesus knows their deeds and he has put before them an opened door that no one can shut, because they have a little power, and have kept Jesus' word, and have not denied His name.
All this is worthy to note and you might understand it this way. There is power in the name of Jesus and they have not denied Jesus name. Jesus' word is the sword of the spirit and they have kept His word. These two things are what gives them Divine intervention from heaven and that is why they have this open door into the hevenly realm. This is a faithfull church that really puts their trust in Jesus.
There is an interjection in this letter that tells the church at Philadelphia that there is a synagogue of Satan who are claiming to be Jews but are no really and lie. Jesus will make these imposters to bow down at their feet and know that He has loved them. These were probably the type of Jewish leadership that Jesus had to deal with when he was here. When here, Jesus referred to them as white washed tombs. If they had really been Jewish, then they they would have understood that Jesus was the Messiah that was foretold by the prophets. Now, because of what they will see Jesus do in the mist of his believers, that will show that Jesus loves them, they will come and bow at their feet knowing that Jesus is the promised Messiah. In Paul's letter to the Romans, Chapter 11, verse 11, "I say then, they did not stumple as to fall did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation came to the Gentles, to make them jealeous." Satan had them blinded, but now they see.
Promise:
Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth.
The believers are kept from this hour and they will be with Jesus when He returns. In Paul's letter to the Romans, in Chapter 5, verse 9, he writes, "Much more then having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him." also, in Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, Chapter 1, verse 10, Paul writes," and to wait for His Son from the heavens, whom he raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come." I always like to interject the reason for the wrath of God, because people percieve it as being unkind. In Chapter 11 of Revelations, verses 17 and 18, it says, " We give thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art and who wast, because Thou hast taken Thy great power and hast begun to reign. And the nations were enraged, and Thy wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to Thy bond-servants the prophets and to the saints and to those who fear Thy name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who are destroying the earth." So the reason why Jesus' wrath will come is to destroy those who were destroying the earth. The believers will be with Jesus when He returns. In Revelation Chapter 19, verses 11 and 14, it says this, "And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Fathfull and True; and in righteousness He Judges and wages war....... And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses."
Jesus tells Philadelphia, I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, in order that no one take your crown."
Overcomers reward:
"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and He will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God and My new name."
The new Jeruselem is the heavenly kingdom that Jesus said that He was going away to prepare and that he would come again to take the believers to where he was. Jesus said this in the Gospel of John, Chapter 14, verse 3. The new Jerusalem is described in Revelation Chapter 21, verses 10 - 27.
Jesus is:
He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shuts, and who shuts and no one opens.
Praise:
Jesus knows their deeds and he has put before them an opened door that no one can shut, because they have a little power, and have kept Jesus' word, and have not denied His name.
All this is worthy to note and you might understand it this way. There is power in the name of Jesus and they have not denied Jesus name. Jesus' word is the sword of the spirit and they have kept His word. These two things are what gives them Divine intervention from heaven and that is why they have this open door into the hevenly realm. This is a faithfull church that really puts their trust in Jesus.
There is an interjection in this letter that tells the church at Philadelphia that there is a synagogue of Satan who are claiming to be Jews but are no really and lie. Jesus will make these imposters to bow down at their feet and know that He has loved them. These were probably the type of Jewish leadership that Jesus had to deal with when he was here. When here, Jesus referred to them as white washed tombs. If they had really been Jewish, then they they would have understood that Jesus was the Messiah that was foretold by the prophets. Now, because of what they will see Jesus do in the mist of his believers, that will show that Jesus loves them, they will come and bow at their feet knowing that Jesus is the promised Messiah. In Paul's letter to the Romans, Chapter 11, verse 11, "I say then, they did not stumple as to fall did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation came to the Gentles, to make them jealeous." Satan had them blinded, but now they see.
Promise:
Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth.
The believers are kept from this hour and they will be with Jesus when He returns. In Paul's letter to the Romans, in Chapter 5, verse 9, he writes, "Much more then having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him." also, in Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, Chapter 1, verse 10, Paul writes," and to wait for His Son from the heavens, whom he raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come." I always like to interject the reason for the wrath of God, because people percieve it as being unkind. In Chapter 11 of Revelations, verses 17 and 18, it says, " We give thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art and who wast, because Thou hast taken Thy great power and hast begun to reign. And the nations were enraged, and Thy wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to Thy bond-servants the prophets and to the saints and to those who fear Thy name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who are destroying the earth." So the reason why Jesus' wrath will come is to destroy those who were destroying the earth. The believers will be with Jesus when He returns. In Revelation Chapter 19, verses 11 and 14, it says this, "And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Fathfull and True; and in righteousness He Judges and wages war....... And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses."
Jesus tells Philadelphia, I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, in order that no one take your crown."
Overcomers reward:
"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and He will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God and My new name."
The new Jeruselem is the heavenly kingdom that Jesus said that He was going away to prepare and that he would come again to take the believers to where he was. Jesus said this in the Gospel of John, Chapter 14, verse 3. The new Jerusalem is described in Revelation Chapter 21, verses 10 - 27.
Song 10 -- In Jesus' Time
One of the most common sins is worrying. I say that worrying is a sin because it is the opposite of faith. I define faith as, trusting Jesus. As an example, in Ephsians Chapter 2, verses 8 and 9, Paul wrote, "For by grace we are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. Faith means that you are trusting that what Jesus says is true. In Paul's letter to the Romans in Chapter 14, verse 23, he wrote ".....and whatever is not from faith is sin. Therefore, in are lives, if we are not trusting that Jesus has full control of our lives and needs, then we are not acting in faith and are sinning. Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 6, verses 24, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches. For this reason I say to you, do not be worry for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor do they gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And which of you by worrying can add a single cubit to his life's span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the feild grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? Do not worry then, saying , 'What shall we eat?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?' For all these things the Gentles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own." In Chapter 7,verses 7 and 8, Jesus goes on to say, " Ask, and you shall be given to you, seek, and you shall find, knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks recieves, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. Perter wrote in his first letter, Chapter 5, verse 6 and 7, "Humble yourselves, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your worries upon Him, because He cares for you." We may say that we give Jesus our cares, but in most cases we hand them to Him, but we really don't let go of our worries. He says to cast them to Him. That means you actually have to let go of them. Then He can take care of them and the glory is His. To hear the song on this, google search youtube and key in Yeshuasfriend1. Peace to you.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Revelation Chapter 3 (Sardis)
The church at Sardis is an interesting church to look at. The letter to them did not describe any particular mistake that they were making. No imorallity mentioned. No idolitry mentioned. No tolerating of deception was mentioned either. So why did Jesus accuse them of being dead, when they were viewed as being alive.
Jesus is:
He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars(the seven angels to the churches).
In the 1st Chapter of Revelation, verse 4, these seven Spirits are before Jesus' throne. In Chapter 4, verse 5, they are seven lamps of fire burning before the throne. In Chapter 5, verse 6, they are seven Spirits that are sent out into all the earth. If they are sent out into all the earth, it has to be for the purpose of making sure that the churches fullfill their mission, which is to proclaim the Truth of the Gospel to all the nations. Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 24, verse 14, " And the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached into the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come." So Jesus will not return until the whole world has a chance to hear the Truth that leads to eternal life. The only people who will not recieve eternal life, are those who refuse the Truth to be saved.
Warning:
1) Jesus knows their deeds, that they have a name that they are alive, but they are dead. Jesus tells them to wake up, and stenghthen the things that remain, which were about to die. He has found their deeds to be incomplete in the sight of His God.
The thing that has made them dead can very well be that they have become complacent. This is very common in many churches today. They have become comfortable within their own walls. They participate in weekly services of good verbal worship of God, but not using what should be preparation to take what they have learned to those who have not heard. Scripture has stated that their are those who worship God with their words, but by their actions they deny Him. The church of God should be a moving train, but in many cases, it is stuck in the station.
2) Jesus procedes to tell them that they must remember what they have recieved and heard and keep it and repent (turn) from what the are currently doing.
Sometimes what you are doing, is what you are not doing. I think what the believers in Sardis were doing, was having great collective worship, but in their lives outside the church were not reflecting to those around them, the love and character of God.
3) Jesus tells them that if they do not wake up, that He will come like a thief, and that they would not know at what hour He would come upon them.
Praise:
Jesus said that there were a few in Sardis who had not soiled their garments and they will walk with Him in white, for they are worthy.
The only thing that makes a person worthy, is if Jesus becomes their righteousness, and that is by choosing to make Him your Savior. I wrote about this in earlier bloggs. So, I wonder if there were many in the church in Sardis, who were Christians in name only and had not actually been born of above. Paul wrote in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 13, verse 5, " Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you - unless indeed you fail the test?" There are many people, even in the world today, who belong to many different factions of Christianity, who being born into a family that attends that church, may just go through certain religeous motions, but never really surrendering their lives into Jesus' hands. Now 2000 years later, has it become for many, just religious practices and not an actual tranformation. Do we even hear anymore, as Jesus taught, that we must be born of above.
Overcomers reward:
They will be clothed in white garments and Jesus will not erase their names from the book of life. He will confess their name before His father and His angels.
The part of this statement that always intrigued me, was that Jesus would not erase their name from the book of life. Remember, the overcomers are all who stay faithfull until the end. One way to explain this is to say that anyone ever born had their name written in the book of life. Anyone whose name is not found recorded in the book of life, at the white throne judgement at the end of Jesus millenial reign, will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). No human was ever intended to end up there. The lake of fire was originally intended for Satan and the fallen angels. Peter wrote in his second letter, chapter 3, verse 9, " The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." So when a person dies, having rejected Jesus' offer to have eternal life and live in His kingdom, then their name is erased from the book of life.
Jesus is:
He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars(the seven angels to the churches).
In the 1st Chapter of Revelation, verse 4, these seven Spirits are before Jesus' throne. In Chapter 4, verse 5, they are seven lamps of fire burning before the throne. In Chapter 5, verse 6, they are seven Spirits that are sent out into all the earth. If they are sent out into all the earth, it has to be for the purpose of making sure that the churches fullfill their mission, which is to proclaim the Truth of the Gospel to all the nations. Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 24, verse 14, " And the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached into the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come." So Jesus will not return until the whole world has a chance to hear the Truth that leads to eternal life. The only people who will not recieve eternal life, are those who refuse the Truth to be saved.
Warning:
1) Jesus knows their deeds, that they have a name that they are alive, but they are dead. Jesus tells them to wake up, and stenghthen the things that remain, which were about to die. He has found their deeds to be incomplete in the sight of His God.
The thing that has made them dead can very well be that they have become complacent. This is very common in many churches today. They have become comfortable within their own walls. They participate in weekly services of good verbal worship of God, but not using what should be preparation to take what they have learned to those who have not heard. Scripture has stated that their are those who worship God with their words, but by their actions they deny Him. The church of God should be a moving train, but in many cases, it is stuck in the station.
2) Jesus procedes to tell them that they must remember what they have recieved and heard and keep it and repent (turn) from what the are currently doing.
Sometimes what you are doing, is what you are not doing. I think what the believers in Sardis were doing, was having great collective worship, but in their lives outside the church were not reflecting to those around them, the love and character of God.
3) Jesus tells them that if they do not wake up, that He will come like a thief, and that they would not know at what hour He would come upon them.
Praise:
Jesus said that there were a few in Sardis who had not soiled their garments and they will walk with Him in white, for they are worthy.
The only thing that makes a person worthy, is if Jesus becomes their righteousness, and that is by choosing to make Him your Savior. I wrote about this in earlier bloggs. So, I wonder if there were many in the church in Sardis, who were Christians in name only and had not actually been born of above. Paul wrote in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 13, verse 5, " Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you - unless indeed you fail the test?" There are many people, even in the world today, who belong to many different factions of Christianity, who being born into a family that attends that church, may just go through certain religeous motions, but never really surrendering their lives into Jesus' hands. Now 2000 years later, has it become for many, just religious practices and not an actual tranformation. Do we even hear anymore, as Jesus taught, that we must be born of above.
Overcomers reward:
They will be clothed in white garments and Jesus will not erase their names from the book of life. He will confess their name before His father and His angels.
The part of this statement that always intrigued me, was that Jesus would not erase their name from the book of life. Remember, the overcomers are all who stay faithfull until the end. One way to explain this is to say that anyone ever born had their name written in the book of life. Anyone whose name is not found recorded in the book of life, at the white throne judgement at the end of Jesus millenial reign, will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). No human was ever intended to end up there. The lake of fire was originally intended for Satan and the fallen angels. Peter wrote in his second letter, chapter 3, verse 9, " The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." So when a person dies, having rejected Jesus' offer to have eternal life and live in His kingdom, then their name is erased from the book of life.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Song 9 -- Tomb into Temple
This song came about wanting to communicate the fact that for a believer, when they are transformed by Jesus, their bodies go from being a tomb into being a temple. Everyone ever born, except Jesus, was born a tomb, without life in their soul. The only way a soul can have life is if Jesus is allowed to come into it and give it Life. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We are all created tombs for that purpose, because in that tomb, if you let Him, Jesus will create a New Creation that has Eternal Life. Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians Chapter 2, verse 5, " Even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ....." Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians in Chapter 6, verse 19, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,....." Anyone who receives Jesus, is transformed from death into Life. One of the main reason that people don't receive Jesus is out of fear. Fear of how they will look to their so called friends. Fear of the unknown. Fear of change. In John's first letter Chapter 4, verse 18, he wrote that perfect Love cast out all fear. Jesus is that perfect Love. Jesus said that He came to destroy the fear of death. In the book of Hebrews, Chapter 2, verses 14 and 15, it states, Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through His death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives." When someone receives Jesus, they no longer fear death, because they then know that they have Eternal Life. In Revelations Chapter 3, verse 20, Jesus says, " Behold I stand outside the door and knock; if ANYONE hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and him with me." To hear the song, google search Yeshuasfriend1 Youtube.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Revelations Chapter 2 (Thyatira)
Thyatira has the important qualities for a church, but the thing that is hard to understand is why they tolerate Jezebel. Jesus is very firm about the consequences of not dealing with the issue, and the consequence is pretty severe.
Jesus is:
The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze.
The fire reveals the purification characteristic of Jesus. Thyatira has gold mixed with dirt. To get rid of the dirt and retain the gold, Thyratira has to be refined with fire, or respond and brush off the dirt.
Praise:
They have love and faith and perseverance, and their deeds are greater than they were at first.
This is a church with all the right qualities, but they need to realize that love also means not allowing deception and protecting the spiritual welfare of the believers.
Warning:
You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and teaches and leads My bond-servants astray, so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
It's obvious that this was a common practice of that day, becaue the issue was addressed to the early church. It seems that the problem with the early churches, as well as even today, is that what some churches attempt to do is add the truth of Jesus to the spiritual practices of the day. This practice is reffered to as adulterating the Word of God. In the Book of Acts Chapter 15, verses 28 and 29, it states referring to Gentile believers,
" For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep youselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell."
So Jesus was putting on Gentile believers no greater burden than just obeying these few essential commands. So why would they even tolorate the only thing that they were told to abstain from? They, like a lot of churches today, tolerate many different kinds of deceptions for many different reasons. One reason is because they don't understand that love does not mean that you tolerate anything someone does. God's word teaches that if anyone in a fellowship is discovered to be involved in acts of immorality or deception (doctrine of demons), or (idolitry)worship of anything or anyone other than Jesus, that in love, they should be addressed one on one, and if there is no repentance(turning away from your era) on their part, then two believers confront the issue. Then if there is no correction, you expose it to the whole fellowship. After this, if there is no turning away from their practices, then you you ask them to leave the fellowship. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians Chapter 5, verse 5, wrote,
"I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."
This sounds harsh, but it is love, because Paul is concerned about this persons eternal destiny.
Another reason why churches might tolerate a person such as Jezebel is because of her financial support to the church. I hate to say that, but I have seen this happen. Jesus brother James wrote in his letter in Chapter 2 about the sin of partiality. This would be when you give more preference to someone with money over someone who seems to be without means. He said in doing so you become judges with evil motives. To tolerate a Jezebel over the welfare of the body(church) because of her monitery influence, is evil.
Jezebel's consequences:
Because Jesus gave her time to repent and she did not want to, she will be cast upon a bed of sickness, and everyone who has commited adultery with her, if they don't repent, will go though great tribulation with her. Jesus will kill her children with pestilence. This sounds pretty harsh, but Jesus is showing the seriousness of allowing His church to be infiltrated and decieved by things that are not Holy and according to His will. He did this to let the churches know that He is the One who searches the minds and hearts; and that He will give to each one according to their deeds.
Jesus said that those who did not participate in her immorality and teachings and have not known the deep things of Satan, He places no other burden. Just hold fast until He comes.
Overcomers Reward:
Those who keep His deeds until the end, to them will be given authority over the nations, and they shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give them the morning star. The Saints dwelling will be the Kingdom that Jesus is preparing for them. From there they will help rule over the nations during the millenial rule of Jesus.
Jesus is:
The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze.
The fire reveals the purification characteristic of Jesus. Thyatira has gold mixed with dirt. To get rid of the dirt and retain the gold, Thyratira has to be refined with fire, or respond and brush off the dirt.
Praise:
They have love and faith and perseverance, and their deeds are greater than they were at first.
This is a church with all the right qualities, but they need to realize that love also means not allowing deception and protecting the spiritual welfare of the believers.
Warning:
You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and teaches and leads My bond-servants astray, so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
It's obvious that this was a common practice of that day, becaue the issue was addressed to the early church. It seems that the problem with the early churches, as well as even today, is that what some churches attempt to do is add the truth of Jesus to the spiritual practices of the day. This practice is reffered to as adulterating the Word of God. In the Book of Acts Chapter 15, verses 28 and 29, it states referring to Gentile believers,
" For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep youselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell."
So Jesus was putting on Gentile believers no greater burden than just obeying these few essential commands. So why would they even tolorate the only thing that they were told to abstain from? They, like a lot of churches today, tolerate many different kinds of deceptions for many different reasons. One reason is because they don't understand that love does not mean that you tolerate anything someone does. God's word teaches that if anyone in a fellowship is discovered to be involved in acts of immorality or deception (doctrine of demons), or (idolitry)worship of anything or anyone other than Jesus, that in love, they should be addressed one on one, and if there is no repentance(turning away from your era) on their part, then two believers confront the issue. Then if there is no correction, you expose it to the whole fellowship. After this, if there is no turning away from their practices, then you you ask them to leave the fellowship. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians Chapter 5, verse 5, wrote,
"I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."
This sounds harsh, but it is love, because Paul is concerned about this persons eternal destiny.
Another reason why churches might tolerate a person such as Jezebel is because of her financial support to the church. I hate to say that, but I have seen this happen. Jesus brother James wrote in his letter in Chapter 2 about the sin of partiality. This would be when you give more preference to someone with money over someone who seems to be without means. He said in doing so you become judges with evil motives. To tolerate a Jezebel over the welfare of the body(church) because of her monitery influence, is evil.
Jezebel's consequences:
Because Jesus gave her time to repent and she did not want to, she will be cast upon a bed of sickness, and everyone who has commited adultery with her, if they don't repent, will go though great tribulation with her. Jesus will kill her children with pestilence. This sounds pretty harsh, but Jesus is showing the seriousness of allowing His church to be infiltrated and decieved by things that are not Holy and according to His will. He did this to let the churches know that He is the One who searches the minds and hearts; and that He will give to each one according to their deeds.
Jesus said that those who did not participate in her immorality and teachings and have not known the deep things of Satan, He places no other burden. Just hold fast until He comes.
Overcomers Reward:
Those who keep His deeds until the end, to them will be given authority over the nations, and they shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give them the morning star. The Saints dwelling will be the Kingdom that Jesus is preparing for them. From there they will help rule over the nations during the millenial rule of Jesus.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Revelations Chapter 2 ( Pergamum )
Pergamum had a lot of issues. They were one messed up church. This was a result of being in the place where Jesus says that Satan's throne was. There was definitely a lot of demonic warfare going on in the area and thus influencing the church there. We see this even today in many places around the world, where churches are influenced by by the fleshliness around them. We are all born with a fleshly nature. We have the sin nature of fallen Adam. The flesh nature is selfish by nature. Like I had written before, with the empty soul, apart from Jesus, people look for anything to fill up the emptiness they feel. Remember, the empty soul was intended to be the place where Jesus would create a New Creation. If they don't know or have never heard this, then they are always seeking for anything to comfort the void they feel in their lives. Pergamum have a variety of all these negatives influences. With Satan's throne being there, this influence had to be very invassive. This is why it is important for all believers to realize that they are in a spiritual battle. There are two opposing forces in the spiritual realm. There is the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of Light. The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians in Chaper 5, verses 8,
" For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of the light( for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth ), trying to learn what pleases the Lord. And do not participate in the unfruitfull deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them".
We are all born under the power of the kingdom of darkness and apart from Jesus that is where we dwell. When a person comes to Jesus, they are delivered from the kindom of darkness and transferred into the Kingdom of God ( Light ). All believers had once dwelled in the kingdom of darkness and therefore satan knows all their weaknesses. He is aware of all the things that that person use to use to try and fill the void. Satan uses these things against a believer to tempt them into doing things that would not be aligned will how a Saint should conduct their lives. Then he floods them with guilt. Jesus will only convict a believer with a soft word in their spirit. This is why the Apostle John wrote in his first letter in Chapter 1, verse 9,
" If we confess our sins then He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to clense us from all unrighteousness."
So there is no reason for a believer to get rapped up in guilt, or even waiste their time with it. One important thing to understand is this, there is a fundamental difference between religion and truth. Religion is mans attempt to be worthy to God, so they do all the things that they think God wants them to do. They polish up the outer man to look good on the outside, but their soul is still dead. The Truth is totally opposite. When you allow Jesus to come into your heart, He becomes your Righteousness and therefore you are worthy before God, apart from anything else you may do. The New Creation starts out as a baby , you might say, as it grows it pushes to the surface sins ( things of the fleshly man ) that we didn't even know we had. You might even act on it, or it might just be an improper thought. This is why as you recognize it, all you have to do is confess it and you are clensed of it. For a believer, at first the outer actions are usually the first things that are brought under control, but as the fleshly man is being pushed outward by the spiritual man, it is usually the deeper things of the heart and mind that come up. The solutions is still the same, just confess it.
Getting back to the letter Pergamum,
Jesus is:
The One who has the Sharp two- edged sword.
This is very fitting for Pergamum's condition. Jesus is the Word of God, and that Word gives life. Also, a good thing to note is that all scripture is the God inspired Word. This is why the writter of Hebrews wrote in his 4th Chapter, verses 12 and 13,
" For the word of God is living and breathing and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division between soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is NO creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him of whom we have to do".
Jesus is letting Pergamum and any future fellowship of Saints know that nothing is hidden from Him. So don't get complaisant in your walk to where you are not aware that Jesus is there to lead you into all Truth. With the Word you can resist the darkness and it's deceptions.
Praise:
Jesus let them know that He was aware that the place where they have their church is a challenge because satan's throne was there. The apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians in Chapter 6, verses 10-13,
"Finally, be srong in the lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood ( Man ), but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm".
With Ephesus knowing these things, you notice in the letter sent to them that they didn't have the issues that Pergamum had. It was vital to Pergamums success as a church to be able and willing to confront deception and exspose the darkness and lies. They were probably more concerned with loving people, but part of loving people is not wanting them to live in ways that are harmful to their spiritual existence. Even though Ephesus was able to deal better with fighting the darkness, they had been loosing their focus on what was really important, and that would be their first love, Jesus. We need both, the willingness to fight against darkness and the love for Jesus and people.
Peramum held fast to His name. Which means that they are not ashamed or afraid to confess the name of Jesus. Also they did not deny the faith, even though one of the apostle was killed there because of his witnessing about Jesus.
Warning:
They had some who were holding to the teachings of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak.
This was a teaching that continued from before the cross, but with a new twist. Before the cross Balaam was an enemy of Israel and he was always cursing Israel, tempting them to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality. Now satan was using the same hatred towards the Christian churches as against Israel. Satan also tried to get believers to hate Israel for putting Jesus to death. Israel did not put Jesus to death. They could not have stopped it if they wanted to. Jesus came to earth to lay down His own life as a sacrificial Lamb. Any Christian church, even today, that holds to such a thing, should be held in question.
They also had some who held to the teachings of the Nicolaitians.
This was the practice of having a hiararcy, where some are held in higher esteem than others, because they have a higher position. This is opposite of Jesus way, since the greatest is the least among you. The greatest is the servent of all. Jesus did not come to be esteemed by men, but laid down His life.
Action Needed:
Repent or Jesus will come quickly to make war against them with His mouth.
Overcomers Reward:
They will be given some of the hidden manna, and Jesus will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who recieves it.
" For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of the light( for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth ), trying to learn what pleases the Lord. And do not participate in the unfruitfull deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them".
We are all born under the power of the kingdom of darkness and apart from Jesus that is where we dwell. When a person comes to Jesus, they are delivered from the kindom of darkness and transferred into the Kingdom of God ( Light ). All believers had once dwelled in the kingdom of darkness and therefore satan knows all their weaknesses. He is aware of all the things that that person use to use to try and fill the void. Satan uses these things against a believer to tempt them into doing things that would not be aligned will how a Saint should conduct their lives. Then he floods them with guilt. Jesus will only convict a believer with a soft word in their spirit. This is why the Apostle John wrote in his first letter in Chapter 1, verse 9,
" If we confess our sins then He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to clense us from all unrighteousness."
So there is no reason for a believer to get rapped up in guilt, or even waiste their time with it. One important thing to understand is this, there is a fundamental difference between religion and truth. Religion is mans attempt to be worthy to God, so they do all the things that they think God wants them to do. They polish up the outer man to look good on the outside, but their soul is still dead. The Truth is totally opposite. When you allow Jesus to come into your heart, He becomes your Righteousness and therefore you are worthy before God, apart from anything else you may do. The New Creation starts out as a baby , you might say, as it grows it pushes to the surface sins ( things of the fleshly man ) that we didn't even know we had. You might even act on it, or it might just be an improper thought. This is why as you recognize it, all you have to do is confess it and you are clensed of it. For a believer, at first the outer actions are usually the first things that are brought under control, but as the fleshly man is being pushed outward by the spiritual man, it is usually the deeper things of the heart and mind that come up. The solutions is still the same, just confess it.
Getting back to the letter Pergamum,
Jesus is:
The One who has the Sharp two- edged sword.
This is very fitting for Pergamum's condition. Jesus is the Word of God, and that Word gives life. Also, a good thing to note is that all scripture is the God inspired Word. This is why the writter of Hebrews wrote in his 4th Chapter, verses 12 and 13,
" For the word of God is living and breathing and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division between soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is NO creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him of whom we have to do".
Jesus is letting Pergamum and any future fellowship of Saints know that nothing is hidden from Him. So don't get complaisant in your walk to where you are not aware that Jesus is there to lead you into all Truth. With the Word you can resist the darkness and it's deceptions.
Praise:
Jesus let them know that He was aware that the place where they have their church is a challenge because satan's throne was there. The apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians in Chapter 6, verses 10-13,
"Finally, be srong in the lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood ( Man ), but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm".
With Ephesus knowing these things, you notice in the letter sent to them that they didn't have the issues that Pergamum had. It was vital to Pergamums success as a church to be able and willing to confront deception and exspose the darkness and lies. They were probably more concerned with loving people, but part of loving people is not wanting them to live in ways that are harmful to their spiritual existence. Even though Ephesus was able to deal better with fighting the darkness, they had been loosing their focus on what was really important, and that would be their first love, Jesus. We need both, the willingness to fight against darkness and the love for Jesus and people.
Peramum held fast to His name. Which means that they are not ashamed or afraid to confess the name of Jesus. Also they did not deny the faith, even though one of the apostle was killed there because of his witnessing about Jesus.
Warning:
They had some who were holding to the teachings of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak.
This was a teaching that continued from before the cross, but with a new twist. Before the cross Balaam was an enemy of Israel and he was always cursing Israel, tempting them to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality. Now satan was using the same hatred towards the Christian churches as against Israel. Satan also tried to get believers to hate Israel for putting Jesus to death. Israel did not put Jesus to death. They could not have stopped it if they wanted to. Jesus came to earth to lay down His own life as a sacrificial Lamb. Any Christian church, even today, that holds to such a thing, should be held in question.
They also had some who held to the teachings of the Nicolaitians.
This was the practice of having a hiararcy, where some are held in higher esteem than others, because they have a higher position. This is opposite of Jesus way, since the greatest is the least among you. The greatest is the servent of all. Jesus did not come to be esteemed by men, but laid down His life.
Action Needed:
Repent or Jesus will come quickly to make war against them with His mouth.
Overcomers Reward:
They will be given some of the hidden manna, and Jesus will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who recieves it.
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