Thursday, May 27, 2021

Revelation 4:1-3

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1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. ~ Revelation 4:1-3

Today, in our study of the book of Revelation we come to the second of John's great visions. The first vision was the revealing of the Lord Jesus Christ living in His church in the great vision of Revelation 1-2. Now we have the second of his visions, a vision of heaven, covered in Revelation 4-5. And John, as in the case of the first vision, was instructed to write it down. 

With John's second vision, we now move to the third division of the book. The thesis of this book is found in Revelation 1:19 where John the Apostle heard the Lord say to him, "Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later." In this one verse is the threefold outline of the book. John was told to "write what you have seen." That covers the vision of the Lord Jesus in Revelation 1. 

Then he was told to write "what is now" which is covered in Revelation 2-3, the letters to the seven churches which is a sweeping prophecy of the present age of the church. Then he was told "write what will take place later." It is to that division we come in Revelation 4, the beginning of what will take place after the church age.

In v.1 we read, "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, 'Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."'

Notice, here is the door to heaven and it isn’t closed, it is open. The door on earth was closed to Christ. The door in heaven is open to all who are willing to believe on the Lord Jesus. This door allows entrance into the very throne room of God. It is a door standing open by which John will take us into heaven.

The word "church" is mentioned 19 times in Revelation 1-3. Yet, in Revelation 4-21 the church is not mentioned once. The church is mentioned in Revelation 22 which happens after the Tribulation or the seventieth seven of Daniel 9. It seems that the church has vanished, and it has. John, who represents the church, is now in heaven and he is first allowed to see into heaven. What he sees is a door opened which enables him to look into heaven. 

Then, in today's text, we read that John heard a voice "like a trumpet." 

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 we read, "13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."

The trumpet mentioned in Revelation 4:1 is the same trumpet mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. Revelation 4:1 pictures for us the rapture of the church. The rapture takes place to deliver the church from the wrath of God which will be poured out on the earth during the Tribulation or more accurately called the Seventieth seven of Daniel 9:27.

The remainder of Revelation 4:1 reads, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." Heaven is the viewpoint of John throughout the rest of the book of the Revelation. Heaven is another dimension of existence right here and now. It is a realm of being just slightly beyond our senses today. When John saw a door opened into heaven he was permitted to see into a dimension that is present all the time and which governs the visible affairs of earth. That is the biblical position from beginning to end, from Genesis to Revelation, and especially in Genesis and Revelation. We must learn to think of it that way. What we are given in this book are certain reference points, certain events to which the book returns again and again. 

In v.2 we read, "At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it."

The first thing John sees in heaven is the throne of God. The word "throne" is mentioned 13 times in Revelation 4, indicating it is the main theme in the chapter. There are only five chapters in the book of the Revelation where the word "throne" is not found. It is very important and impressive to remember that despite all that takes place on earth, all the events we read of in the newspapers and see on television, as exciting or saddening as these things are, they all somehow relate to that central throne from which God rules His universe. We must never forget that behind all human events is the government of God. The fact that there is a throne, means there are absolutes which cannot be altered or changed. They are guaranteed by the authority of the throne! Nothing man does, or can do, alters them in the least degree. 

In v.3 we read, "And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne."

John not only sees the throne, but he sees the one sitting on it, and he describes Him. The one on the throne had the appearance of "jasper," which is a diamond, the most beautiful of all gems because it has the ability to capture the light and flash it in brilliant displays of color. The brilliant crystal reflects the dominant attribute of God the Father, His holiness and perfection. 

The second stone is "ruby" which is a glowing, beautiful, blood-red stone. This, of course, immediately suggests the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. His major characteristic is His willingness to shed His blood on the behalf of wretched and hopeless mankind. He is the Lamb of God, slain from before the foundation of the world. 

The third color was the emerald. John saw a great rainbow circling the throne, green as an emerald. Green is the color of nature, of creation. A rainbow was first seen at the end of the flood of Noah. After that terrible event that wiped out the world of that day by a flood, Noah for the first time saw in the sky a rainbow, not a green rainbow, but a rainbow of various colors, just as we see them today during a mist or a rain. The rainbow was the promise of grace expressed in nature. "Never again," God said in Genesis 9, "will I ever visit the earth with a universal flood." That is God's grace shown in the natural world.

This rainbow with various shades of green circling the throne speaks of the Holy Spirit administering the holiness and the redemption of God to all creation. A rainbow is made up of the seven colors of the spectrum. All rainbows are a circle. We usually see only part of it. Where the rainbow touches the ground we see an arc, but if we saw the whole thing it would be a circle. About the only time you can see a rainbow as a circle is when you are flying in an airplane. At the heart of the circle, invariably, is the shadow of the plane you are flying in! It is a promise of grace in the midst of a storm.

Interestingly, according to Exodus 28, the jasper and the ruby were the first and last stones on the breastplate of the high priest. They represent the first and the last of the tribes of Israel; namely, Reuben, the firstborn, represented by the ruby; and Benjamin, the last born, represented by the jasper. These stones represent God's covenant relationship to Israel and even though they will go through this seven year period of God's wrath, they will be saved.

Finally, Reuben, represented by the ruby, means in Hebrew “behold a son.” Benjamin, represented by the jasper, in Hebrew means “son of my right hand.” Those names speak of the greatest Jew ever, the Son of God whom John saw sitting at the right hand of the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Revelation 3:19-22

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19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. 21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ~ Revelation 3:19-22

We return to the second half of the seventh message from the Lord Jesus to the seventh church, the church at Laodicea. God disciplines those whom He loves. Don't misunderstand, He loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to let you remain as you are.

In v.19 we read, "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent."

The word translated “rebuke” here means “to expose one’s faults.” It is a term used in Scripture to speak of God’s dealings with sinners. The word translated “discipline” can also be translated "instruct, learn, teach." Christ loves the church, even if it is full of unbelievers and He is calling them to come to saving faith.  The goal of God's rebukes and His discipline is that we might repent from self-dependence to God-dependence. Up to this point this church appears to have been content with just being religious. Salvation must always begin with repentance, an agreeing with God that we are sinners at odds with Him and that in and of ourselves there is nothing we can do to change that. It is only through Christ's death and resurrection that we can be reconciled to God.

In v.20 we read, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."  

The Lord Jesus was standing at the door of this church and He was knocking to be let in. Motivated by compassion, the Lord Jesus knocks, because He was shut out of this church that bore His name. The promise is if anyone hears His voice and is willing to repent from self-dependence, they will be saved.

The nature of saving faith is that it admits our spiritual bankruptcy, nakedness, and blindness, and it rejects self-righteousness, and self-sufficiency. The result is a deepening fellowship with the Lord Jesus wherein we experience intimacy with both He and His Father. 

Our intimacy with God is vital for us to experience the security of our salvation and to do the work that God has called us to. It is crucial for us to experience God in a personal way everyday, in order to to share the truth with others. And, the events of our everyday lives create the framework whereby He expresses Himself to us and we are given a story to share with others. It is out of these God-given stories that He gives us with Him that we share the Gospel with others most effectively. 

In v.21-22 we read, "21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Again, as we have seen in the last three letters, the promise is to share in our Lord's reign. The church is intended to reign with Christ, but notice the distinction the Lord Jesus makes here. Notice how he distinguishes between his throne and his Father's throne. The Father's throne, of course, is the sovereign government of the universe. God is sovereign over all. The whole universe is under His control. Every human event comes under his jurisdiction. That is the Father's throne. When the Lord Jesus had overcome, when He, too, had endured faithfully to the end of His life, trusting God, He sat down on His Father's throne. When He ascended, we are told in Hebrews 12:2, "He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

But He too has a throne. He calls it "my throne." The overcoming Christian is invited to reign with Him on it. His millennial kingdom has been mentioned several times in these letters already. The church, resurrected and glorified, is to share with Him in that reign. That does not end the reign of the church with Christ. It goes on into the new heavens and the new earth. But this is a particular promise looking to the coming kingdom on earth when the Lord Jesus will reign over the earth for a period of a thousand years. 

For the last time in these letters we hear the Lord Jesus say, "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches." We listen to His Spirit and we receive truth from Him and then we dispense it to the world. But we do not originate the truth. We do not think up the things that we would like to believe and spread abroad. We are responsible to hear what the Spirit says to the churches and then to pass that along, as we we grow in our ability to dine with Him.


Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Revelation 3:14-18

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14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. ~ Revelation 3:14-18

We come to the seventh message from the Lord Jesus to the seventh church, the church at Laodicea. The city of Laodicea was located about 100 miles east of Ephesus. It was known throughout the Roman province of Asia for its wealth and its medical practice. As the banking center of Asia, it was the most prosperous of the seven cities. 

In v.14 we read, "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation."

The Lord Jesus, on the outset of His address to the church at Laodicea, describes Himself first. We must understand who the Lord Jesus is if we are to walk with Hm and represent Him on this earth to others.

In v.14, the Lord Jesus uses the word "Amen" to indicate that He is saying something extremely important to them. The utterance of "Amen" always highlights significant truth. So when we read "Amen," we must always pay close attention because He is underscoring something very important.

In v.14, the Lord Jesus also refers to Himself as "the faithful and true witness." He has emphasized His truthfulness before in these letters, but here he adds the word "faithful." His word and His purposes are dependable and worth investing in to the greatest degree. The problem with the Laodiceans was they were investing more in the comforts and the pleasures of this world than they were in the kingdom of God.

The last phrase in v.14, "the ruler of God’s creation" highlights the fact that the Lord Jesus is most sovereign. In John's Gospel, he opens with: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Two verses later John says, "All things were made by him and without him nothing was made that was made." This means the Lord Jesus created all things. He is the source of all of God's creation. The Laodicean Church had lost sight of the sovereignty of the Lord Jesus, and this is why the Lord Jesus identifies Himself as "the ruler of God’s creation."

In v.15 we read, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!"

In addition, the church at Laodicea had lost sight of the Lord's love for them. When we lose sight of His heart for us, we tend to lack a heart for Him. We love Him because He loved us first, the Apostle John tells us in 1 John. As a result, the Lord Jesus identifies the church at Laodicea as lukewarm. Archaeologists have long discovered that the city of Laodicea had no local water supply, but obtained their water through an aqueduct from the hot springs at Hierapolis, some six miles away. Traveling that distance, the hot water partly cooled down, and when it arrived in Laodicea it would be lukewarm and nauseating. 

In v.16 we read, "So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." The words "spit out" are better translated "vomit." The compromise of the church at Laodicea created this response from the Lord Jesus. Their real God was comfort and they were compromising spiritually for comfort's sake. It is much more comfortable to attend a church where nobody takes doctrinal issues very seriously, where, for comfort's sake, one avoids a discussion about certain issues. This church was compromising its teaching for the sake of peace. They had enough truth to ease their conscience without becoming an uncomfortable church. 

As a result, they really weren't involved in real ministry. They had forfeited their ability to truly make a difference in someone's life because they avoided the real issues.

In v.17 we read, "You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked."

The Lord Jesus is the one who tells the whole truth, even though it may hurt us. This church at Laodicea was focused on money. They thought that God's blessing was measured by the amount of money that they possessed. The problem with money is that it can easily possess us. As a result, the Laodiceans had become self-sufficient. They thought they were doing well. But when the Lord Jesus looked at them, He said, "you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked."

In each of these messages to these seven churches, we have pointed out that at any moment one of these seven different types of churches can be located on the earth. It has also been said that these seven churches describes the church as a whole during the various periods in the history of the church. As both history and prophecy would confirm, the Laodicean church is descriptive of the end times church. 

Laodicea means "the rights of the people." That is the cry of our times, is it not? Laodicea is where the people tell the ministers what to preach. We are seeing this happen today. The Apostle Paul predicted it in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, where he wrote, "In the last times people will gather unto themselves teachers having itching ears, who will turn many from the truth and turn them unto myths and fables." Unfortunately, and sadly, that is what is happening today.

In v.18 we read, "I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see."

The Lord Jesus has all that we need to function. The "gold refined in the fire" pictures our faith in God which comes from the Lord Jesus. The church at Laodicea lacked faith in God, because they pursued the comforts of this world. They didn't have many trials in their lives, their wealth insulated them from many troubles, and, as a result, their faith suffered. It suffered because trials serve us in our pursuit of God. It is through trials that we seek God. And, the beauty of trials is that they force us to pursue God.

Their need for "white clothes" was symbolic of their inability to cover their shameful nakedness. Everyone is morally naked before God. Every one of us knows something about ourselves that we would not want anyone else to know. But God knows! All through these seven letters we have seen that white clothes stand for redemption or the imparted righteousness of Christ. We are no longer to be clothed with our own self-righteousness, which is as filthy rags in the sight of God, but we are to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. This is the only righteousness that God accepts. 

Then the Lord said they needed eye salve so that they could see. Laodicea was known throughout the world for their eye ointment, but they needed spiritual eye salve that will enable them to see with their hearts. Unless the Spirit of God opens our eyes to the meaning of truth that is taught, it will fall upon deaf ears. But if we have the Spirit of Christ within, our eyes are opened to understand the Word of God and we will see the Bible in a new, fresh and wonderful way. In fact, it will become the lens through which we see Him more and more vividly. The Lord Jesus was offering them an abiding faith, an abiding righteousness, and an abiding intimacy with Him because they were wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. This is the blessed posture that precedes the heart to cry out to Him. 

Monday, May 24, 2021

Revelation 3:11-13

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11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ~ Revelation 3:11-13

Having considered the first part of the Lord's message to the church at Philadelphia, we return today to the conclusion of that message given through the Apostle John while he was in isolation on the island of Patmos.

Today's text begins with the promise, "I am coming soon." The promise of His soon return is given in relationship to the seventieth seven of Daniel 9:24-27. The church has been expecting His return since these words were penned, but He still has not come. The timing of the promise of His soon return was not made to the believers who were on the earth when John wrote this book. It was to those who will be on the earth when He returns at the end of the church age. So, it is in relationship to those who are alive at the end that He said His coming is a soon coming. As we near the final days on this earth, His promise that He is coming soon is relevant and is a great comfort. 

The remainder of v.11 reads, "Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown." As the times get harder and it is even more difficult to be a Christian in this world, as hostility increases and the world becomes more and more secular and rejects the teachings of God's word, we must be diligent to remain faithful to the One who is the truth. These words are not a reference to the possible loss of salvation. These words of the Lord Jesus reference our opportunities in His millennial and eternal kingdom yet to come.

In v.12 we read, "The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name."

Let me remind you that our Justification or our acceptability into God's presence, is based only on the hold the Father has on us through the finished work of the Lord Jesus. And, our Sanctification, or our ability to grow in the grace and knowledge of His culture, is largely dependent on the grip we maintain on Him. We will all be given the same crown the Lord Jesus earned for us, but we will all have different stones in those crowns when we get to heaven. 

In 2 Corinthians 3:10-15 the Apostle Paul describes the process for determining how well or how poorly believers spent our lives on this earth for God's kingdom. The more profitable our lives, the more rewards we earn, the greater will be the position that we will have in heaven. To him who did much for the kingdom while on this earth will be given much responsibility in God's kingdom to come.

Now, there are two promises given to the ones who hold on to what they have: The first is a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it.

A pillar is a symbol of strength and permanence. The promise is that those who hold on to what they have, they will be someone who upholds things. And, this promise, "Never again will they leave it" is a reference to the fact that these Philadelphians who had to frequently flee the city because of the earthquake tremors that came, will never have to leave His kingdom. When we labor for the Lord Jesus, we will reach a place where we will not have to go out ever again. This is a picture of security, permanence and strength.

The remainder of v.12 reads, "I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name."

A change of names would be meaningful to the Philadelphians because that city changed its name twice in its history. It called itself Neocaesarea when Tiberius helped it; and later on, in honor of Vespasian, one of the Flavian emperors, it changed its name to Flavia. Thus these people understood what it meant to have a different name. 

Three names will be written on the overcomer. The first name is, "the name of my God." This is a promise that believers will bear God's likeness. The purpose of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to make us godly or godlike. Godlikeness is the promise to the believer who overcomes by faith.

The second name is, "The name of the city of my God." The last two chapters of Revelation give a vivid description of this wonderful city coming down out of heaven as a Bride. This is a picture of loving intimacy. That is the second promise given to those who hold on, who remain steady in the midst of a sin sick world. They will know the intimacy of a husband's love for His beautiful bride. 

The third name is, "I will also write on them my new name." In Revelation 19:12 we are told that when the Lord Jesus appears He will have that new name written upon him, but it is a name that no man knows. Jesus is His redemptive name and it means "Yahweh saves." But when the work of redemption is finished, when we are all home in glory with Him and God's work of saving and redeeming us is over, the Lord Jesus will be given a new work to do. No one knows what it is; it will be a new role -- but the church is promised a share in His new assignment! 

In v.13 we read, "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Following the lead of the Holy Spirit is a must if we are to be effective in our work here on earth for the Lord. If we are not following with His leading, our work will be for naught. We must be diligent, daily, to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit by listening to Him with both ears and hearing what He says to the churches.

Friday, May 21, 2021

Revelation 3:7-10

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7 To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. ~ Revelation 3:7-10

Today, we come to the sixth message from the Lord Jesus to the sixth church in Revelation 3. The recipient of the sixth letter was the church at Philadelphia which was located about twenty-eight miles southeast of the city of Sardis. It was the youngest of the seven cities whose churches are addressed in these chapters.

Philadelphia was destroyed by an earthquake in 17 A.D. Most of the cities in that area recovered rather quickly from the disaster, but the after-shocks continued in Philadelphia for quite a number of years, with the result that the people had to flee the city repeatedly. Tiberius Caesar helped to rebuild it, and out of gratitude the city changed its name to Neocaesarea which means New Caesar.

The church in Philadelphia is unique among the seven churches because it, along with the church at Smyrna, is the only church the Lord registers no complaint against. 

In v.7 we read, "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open."

In His address to all of the other six churches, the Lord uses symbols to describe Himself that come from the vision that the Apostle John had of Him in Revelation 1. In this message to Philadelphia, however, the Lord Jesus uses other titles to describe Himself. He tells them plainly who He is and what He is doing. 

He said, "These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David." The Lord Jesus is holy and He lacks nothing. Therefore, His character is without flaw. And, He is genuine reality. He is the one behind all that really exists. That is who He is. 

He also "holds the key of David." That is a reference to an Old Testament prophecy that predicts the Lord Jesus will not be opposed. It is He who governs the events of history on earth. He opens doors and He closes others. What He opens no one can shut, what He shuts, no one can open.  

In v.8 we read, "I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no man can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name."

It is obvious that there is no such thing as a perfect church, for the obvious reason that there is no such thing as a perfect Christian. A church is a collection of imperfect Christians and, therefore, it is in itself imperfect. Having said that, it is still possible to be faithful and to be obedient to the Lord. This describes the church at Philadelphia.

The Lord Jesus gives the reasons why He opened a door of ministry for them in v.8 which reads, "I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut because you have a little power and have kept my word and not denied my name."

Doors are opened by the Lord when we fulfill the conditions that will allow us to move through that door once it has been opened. Most importantly among those conditions is our willingness to follow the leading and the power of the Holy Spirit who renders a power which is obtained by faith. When we expect God to act, it is then that He opens doors. When we look for an opportunity, and when we respond, a door opens for continued ministry in the lives of others.

Without closed doors, we do not see the open doors. We never enter because we never see the need. And, when things don’t go as planned, we realize we need more than our resources. We need more than our wisdom. We need a Savior to intervene. 

It is at this point that His power moves into our context. When we first trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Spirit came to live within us. But the power of the Spirit is given only to those who learn to keep His word and to not deny His name

The Word of God must be central to all that we do in this world. We must study it, we much preach it, and we must teach it. The Bible is the most amazing book the world has ever known. It is the self disclosure of God to man. It conveys insights into life that we find in no other place. Corrie Ten Boom once said, "Voltaire expected that within fifty years of his lifetime there would not be one Bible in the world. His house is now a distribution center for Bibles in many languages." 

In v.9 we read, "I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars -- I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you."

To those who are responsive and ready to be used of the Lord, He will use his power to make our enemies respect us and openly acknowledge God's blessing upon us. 

This phrase, "the synagogue of Satan," was used also in the letter to the church at Smyrna. It referred to certain Jews in that city who claimed to be spiritual descendants of Abraham but in actuality they were only his physical descendants; their attitude toward the truth of God was far removed from Abraham's faith. 

These enemies will acknowledge God's blessing upon us because we have responded to their hostility toward us with love which they do not possess. The Lord Jesus said while He walked this earth, "You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.'"

In v.10 we read, "Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth."

The context of this verse is a reference to the seventieth seven of Daniel 9:27. It will be a time of distress that will come upon the whole world, the likes of which has never been known before in human history. This will be the worst time of distress and bloodshed that the world has ever seen. And it will be particularly sent "to test those who live upon the earth." This is a reference to those who live as though this life is all there is, to those who live upon the earth, for the earth, and for the things of earth. 

The promise given here to the church is specifically that it will be delivered from that hour of trial. Actually the word is not "from," but "out of." We, at any moment now, are to be delivered out of, not just the trial but out of the very time of the trial! This is one of the clearest promises in the Bible of the catching away of the church before the great tribulation begins. I trust you are ready for that next big event. I know that I sure am!

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Revelation 3:3-6

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3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ~ Revelation 3:3-6  

Today, we return to the fifth message from the Lord Jesus to the fifth church in Revelation 2-3. The church at Sardis was dying. It was almost dead spiritually. Given their spiritual condition, today, we will consider what is involved in turning this type of complacent condition around.

In v.3 we read, "Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you."

The church at Sardis had a bad memory, as most of us do. I am convinced this is a major reason the Lord Jesus gave us the Lord's Supper. The church at Sardis lost view of the cross of the Lord Jesus, and they needed to remember the truth they had received and heard from Him. Among many things, the cross of the Lord Jesus is the marinade of God, keeping our hearts from becoming too hard. The cross keeps us humble and real. It so softens our souls that we are not bothered for others to know our utter weaknesses and struggles. In fact, the world isn't scandalized by our freedom in Christ, it is put out by our lack of authenticity. 

In addition, the church at Sardis needed to be defined by God's truth, and the truth is we are not the answer to our problems, the Lord Jesus is. So, daily we must maintain an attitude of repentance, so that we do not deviate from God and His truth. We will never be perfect this side of heaven. Our justification depends only on God's grip upon us, and our sanctification depends largely on our grip upon Him.  

These believers had heard the message of Christ's crucifixion on behalf of sinners, of His resurrection, of His availability to human beings by the Holy Spirit to strengthen us and to impart to us His own righteous life and position. When the folks in Sardis had first heard the gospel they had heard the message in the power of the Spirit, but somewhere along the way they were out of earshot of that truth.

When we received from the Lord Jesus and His word of grace, we began to be defined by it, and it took deep root in our hearts, the power of the Spirit of God showed up in our lives. When we get to the place where we are no longer being defined by the Gospel, we have a tendency to go to sleep on God and His culture.

In the latter part of v.3 we read, "But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you."

Here, the Lord Jesus speaks of the great hope toward which the church has been headed since its very beginning. But here is a church that has lost its expectation of that coming. The aspect of our Lord's coming that they particularly needed was not His visible appearing in glory to establish His millennial kingdom, when every eye shall see Him, but rather the rapture of the church which will come like a thief comes to steal away the treasure of a home.

When the Lord comes as a thief, if a church is made up of members who have a name to live but do not display spiritual life, they will not be busy about the Father's business when He returns. Thus, the Lord Jesus warns, "If you do not wake up I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you." As we have said, there are many churches like this today throughout the world. It is sad to see them so lifeless and dull when they could be so alive and vital.

In v.4 we read, "Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy."

The word “soiled” is used with reference to dying or coloring something. These believers had not stained their garments with false teachings and all that goes along with it. They had not "smeared their garments."

White garments are always a symbol of redemption in the Bible. In Revelation 7:14 we read of a great multitude who come out of the great tribulation and who have "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.This is what the blood of the Lamb has done for the willing. These are "worthy," not because they have lived good moral lives but because their sins had been washed away by the blood of the Lamb. They were worthy because God had imparted to them the very righteousness of Christ. 

In v.5 we read, "The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels."

The victorious one will be "dressed in white" which means the righteousness of the One who overcame sin and death has given to him. This means that when God looks upon him, He sees him through the lens of His Son's perfection.

As a result, the Lord says, "I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels." 

This promise does not imply that some can be blotted out of the book of life. Once given the righteousness of Christ, the willing are secure in the performance of Christ. Notice the way the Lord puts it, "I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life." He does not say anything about anyone's name being blotted out. His words are simply assuring that those who trust Him will never lose their reservation in heaven for eternity. 

When we came to Christ, we were born again by His Spirit. As a result, we were made alive to God. The word "never" in v.5 is the strongest negative in the Greek language. It should be translated, "I will never, ever, under any circumstances, blot out your name from the book of life."

Having trusted in Christ's work on the cross, solely, when we stand before Him at the end, with our entire record exposed for everybody to see, He will look at us and say, "These are mine." He will acknowledge His ownership of us before all who look on.

In v.6 we read, "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

All of Scripture is profitable to all who have the life of Christ within. Perhaps, you are reading this and you realize that you have not invited the Lord Jesus into your life, and you want to. Let me encourage you to talk to Him right now. Confess to Him your need to be made right through His sacrifice made for you so long ago. And, then, invite Him into your life.

Perhaps, you are reading this and you realize you are born again but you have become complacent. Let me encourage you to talk to Him by confessing your condition and asking Him to make His presence known to you. Church attendance has its value, but it has never made anyone right with or alive to God. We were saved when we repented of self-dependence, and began depending upon Him as Lord and Savior.

I remember when I was young in the faith, I regularly asked myself, "Are you really born again?" This is the question of those who have an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." This is the conclusion the Lord gives to each of these seven churches. If you are dead in trespasses and sins, wake up and repent and come to Christ. If you are saved, but sleeping and indifferent to Him, get back into the battle. And if you are vibrant and alive, count your blessings and your eternal promises that await you.

History argues that there was a revival in Sardis. Some of those who were dead came to life. Some of those who were indifferent remembered the truth that they had heard and strengthened what remained, and held fast to Christ. Let's pray that history repeats itself today. And, let's resolve to play the role that He desires for us as He works in this dark and dreary world.

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Revelation 3:1-2

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1 To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. ~ Revelation 3:1-2

We return to our study of the book of the Revelation, particularly Revelation 2-3. In the beginning of this book are the visions that the Apostle John received. The first vision sets the stage for the remainder of the book. It is a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ in His church. 

In what we know today as the country of Turkey, there were seven churches that had been established in seven cities. Basically, when Paul founded the church in Ephesus, that church became a strong church and took the gospel, according to Acts 19:10, throughout all the rest of Asia Minor – which is Modern Day Turkey. Seven of them are mentioned here. Some thirty years had passed since the founding of those churches. And those churches had settled into their own identities. The key is to discover who was defining them.

Each of these churches mentioned in chapters 2 and 3 is a real church and a real place. Each of these churches had particular characteristics and particular needs. Five of them were in some serious trouble. Two of them are only commended: the church at Smyrna and the church at Philadelphia. The other five are condemned in some way.

The Lord Jesus recognizes the makeup of each church, the issues in each church, and sends a message to each one; and they’re contained in Revelation 2-3. These are unique churches, and yet they’re the kinds of churches that exist in all periods of time, including now. So, in a sense, these letter are timeless, and they have literally spoken to every generation since.

Sardis was once one of the greatest cities of the world. It was rich in gold and silver. It is said that Sardis may have been the first place where gold and silver were minted into coins. There was a river there that was rich in gold from which the gold was mined. Because of its wealth, and its geographic location, Sardis was most often victorious because it was built on a mountain about 1500 feet above the valley floor. 

Sardis was regarded as virtually impenetrable to military assault. But, Sardis was complacent, and was twice invaded by the Persians and by the Greeks. And, both victories were achieved by stealth. Sardis was so confident it could not be overcome that it failed to guard its walls adequately. Much like the city, the church was invaded by false teaching which lead to  hardened hearts. In this address to the church at Sardis, the Lord Jesus finds nothing good to say about them. 

In v.1 we read, "To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead."

The Lord Jesus introduces Himself to the church at Sardis in a different way. You will remember that the "seven spirits" are a symbol of the Holy Spirit in His fullness. He identified Himself in this way because this is exactly what the church at Sardis was missing. Here was a church without the power of the Holy Spirit. What this church at Sardis desperately needed was the life of the Spirit in it. So the Lord Jesus here identifies Himself as the one who possesses the fullness of the Spirit. 

As in all these letters, the life of the church is revealed in its deeds. The Lord Jesus said to them, "I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead." 

The church at Sardis was comfortable. And, they were being led by false leaders void of the Holy Spirit. The life and power of the Holy Spirit was not present. And, without the Holy Spirit and without godly leadership, the church was dead, although there would be some believers there who were faithful.

The church at Sardis was a "nominal church" or a church known as Christian in name only. There were no trials going on there. This is revealing due to the fact that trials are one part in the process of the believer growing in his faith in the Lord Jesus.

A light year is the distance light travels in a year, moving at 186,000 miles a second; that’s a light year. There was one particular star that astronomers estimated was 33 years away from earth. It would take 33 years for light from that star to reach earth. That star could have been plunged into darkness 25 years ago. It could have died. But light would still be pouring down to earth from it. It would be shining in the sky as brightly as if the star was still alive. The church at Sardis was much like that star. It was dead, but it was still shining by the light of a brilliant past. 

In v.2 we read, "Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God."

The first need of a church that is dying is to be awakened to its condition. The words, "Wake up", in the Greek is a staccato command, much like a slap in the face, designed to startle one to action.

Then, the Lord Jesus said, "Strengthen what remains." Their works were incomplete, unfinished. Their actions were right, but their motives were wrong. They were not doing good works for the right reason. As we read this we can see that here is a church that is busy doing good things, but doing them to impress the wrong audience. They were trying to display and enhance their image, but they lacked the approval of the most important audience, and that is the Lord.

Throughout the Scriptures we are told that God judges, not the things we do, but the reason we do them. He reads our hearts. He judges whether our work is done out of love and gratitude in response to what He has done for us.

Finally, a church like Sardis can recover from this condition because the Lord gives the prescription for the rekindled life. The church at Sardis needed the fresh oil of the Holy Spirit. They needed an oil change. Tomorrow, we will consider the steps involved in turning this type of complacent condition around.

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Revelation 2:24-29

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24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.’ 26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ~ Revelation 2:24-29 

We come back to the fourth message from the Lord Jesus to the fourth of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. As we pointed out in our last message, the church at Thyatira was the most corrupt of the seven churches. And, consequently, this is the longest of the seven messages, even though it was written to the smallest of the seven churches.

In v.24 we read, "Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you."

The phrase "Satan’s so-called deep secrets" reveals that some of the believers in the church at Thyatira were not only intrigued with satanic secrets, but they had, to some degree, given themselves to the so-called satanic secretsThese secrets were Satan's imitation of the deep truths found only in the Word of God. To those who weren’t defined by Satan and his false teaching, the Lord did not correct them.

In v.25 we read, "except to hold on to what you have until I come."

For those who were being defined by the Lord Jesus, He told them to maintain a grasp on the truth because the blast of hell that was about to come upon those who were entertaining the teachings of Satan was going to be severe. The solidity of truth will always keep us afloat in this world of torrential waters. This is why we must be in His word daily. And, as a result, the discernment that we gain from His word keeps us from embracing the false.

In v.26-27 we read, "26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father."

He who is victorious is the one who is in personal relationship with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The victorious One is the Lord Jesus and He has given to each believer the perseverance of His faith. We persevere in our faith because of His faithfulness to overcome sin and death. This is not saying that we earn our salvation, this is saying that we keep going in our faith in the Lord Jesus because He overcame on our behalf.

To those who endure, the Lord Jesus will give authority over the nations. This means we will reign with Christ in His earthly millennial kingdom which will last for one thousand years on the earth. His millennial kingdom will happen after the seventieth seven of Daniel 9:27 or as some wrongly call it, "the Tribulation."

According to v.27, those who resist Christ's kingdom, will experience His rod of iron. All shepherds have a wooden rod, but the rod that the Lord Jesus will use on the rebellious during the Millennium will be made of iron. At that time, the Lord Jesus will be forced to deal with the rebellious ones like clay pots, and believers will rule with Him, successfully advancing and protecting His Kingdom.

In v.28-29 we read, "28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

The morning star is a reference to Daniel 12:3, “They that lead many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever.” Before the sun rises, the morning star appears. In Revelation 22:16, the Lord Jesus says of Himself: "I am the bright and morning star." This means there will be an appearing of the Lord Jesus for His own before His second coming. This is a promise of the rapture of the church, the first such promise in the book of Revelation. He will "snatch up" His own who have been kept by the Spirit of God from the evils of the society around.

This message to the church at Thyatira ends with, "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches." This means all Revelation is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and God's word. True faith will continue on beyond the end.

In Psalm 2:7-12 we read, "7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. 8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” 10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. 12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him."

The context here is the Millennium, and believers in the Lord Jesus are going to be in that Kingdom, ruling with Christ. This is all made possible by the Lord Jesus who gave His life to be our ransom. I trust you have been wise, my friend. I trust you have kissed the Son unto salvation. If you have, you will reign with Christ in His millennial kingdom.

Monday, May 17, 2021

Revelation 2:18-23

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18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. ~ Revelation 2:18-23

As we look at these seven letters in the book of Revelation, it is helpful to remember they are a picture of seven kinds of churches that we will find in any age, in any period of history. Every church in the world today will fall into one or more of these categories of churches. 

Today, we come to the fourth of these seven churches, the church at Thyatira, which was located about 35 miles southeast of Pergamum. It was a very small city, but a busy commercial center. It was on a major road of the Roman Empire, and, because of this, many trade unions had settled in this city. Everyone who worked there was a member of one or more trades. Lydia, found in Acts 16, was the lady who sold purple. She hailed from Thyatira. 

This message to the church at Thyatira begins the second group of letters to the churches of Asia Minor. In the first group, the church of Ephesus was characterized by a loyalty to Christ which was lacking in love. In the church of Smyrna, loyalty was tested by fire. In the church of Pergamum their loyalty was lacking moral passion.

In v.18 we read, "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze."

Thyatira was the most corrupt of the seven churches that are presented here. This is the longest of the seven messages, even though written to the smallest church. For the first and only time in the book of Revelation, the title the "Son of God" is used in this verse. As the Son of God His "eyes are like blazing fire." His, are the eyes that pierce our disguises and addresses our hearts. He has feet "like burnished bronze" which reveal that He is a God of judgement and discipline. He judged the sin of all who have trusted in the Lord Jesus, yet He disciplines us when we willfully live outside His will for our lives.

In v.19 we read, "I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first."

With a profile like that, how is it possible that they would be guilty of the charges He's about to bring against them? The church at Thyatira was active in works, but it was not defined by the Word of God. They were interested in social action, but to them social action superseded discernment. There was corruption without discernment. As we see in the next verse, they tolerated certain false teachings.

In v.20 we read, "Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols."

This Jezebel in Thyatira called herself a "prophet," but she was a false prophet. She taught that it was all right for Christians to indulge in sexual immorality and in idolatry. Here we are introduced to the link with the trade unions of Thyatira. In order to work in these unions, which constituted the entire business of the city, Christians had to join a union. At the meetings of these unions they worshipped the gods and the Christians were pressured accordingly. The meal served at these meetings would consist of meat offered to idols. 

This presented a problem for these Thyatiran Christians. In order to make a living they had to belong to a union, but to attend these meetings, the Christians would be expected to worship the gods by getting involved sexually with others in attendance. And, Jezebel had begun to teach that it was all right for them to go along with the requirements of the union, that they needed to submit to the pressures of the world around them in order to make a living, and that God would understand and overlook this. 

Notice that in the messages to the churches at Pergamum and Thyatira, the Lord links sexual immorality with idolatry. The one inevitably leads to the other because fornication and adultery are both clear-cut violations of specific statements in the Word of God.

In v.21 we read, "I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling."

The patience of God is a wonderful thing, yet, as indicated here, time runs out eventually on it when we ignore His promptings to turn away from that which destroys us. The Lord Jesus doesn't like to judge. The Bible says God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. That's what He wanted them to do. But that's not what she wanted them to do. 

In v.22 we read, "So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways."

There is a note of irony here: Since Jezebel likes beds. The Lord decides to give her one, but it will prove to be a bed of suffering. Those who commit adultery with her will suffer some disease. The word "intensely" indicates that this is some form of a sexually transmitted disease.

In v.23 we read, "I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds."

God's judgment is good because it can lead to us to take note of evil and its detrimental consequences in our lives. Those rare times when we have had to have been disciplined of God, the result was always purifying if we were willing to let Him do His work in our lives. It is then that we see that His discipline is good because it puts us back on the right track once again.

Finally, there are those who teach this verse teaches that through our good works we are made right with God. Oh, to the contrary. It is only through the Lord Jesus' perfect life and death and resurrection are any of us made right with God. You see, even after we have failed, the work of His cross still covers our sins. And, having trusted solely in His finished work on that cross, we will be rewarded, as if we had been as perfect as He because God has applied His performance to our ledger.

Friday, May 14, 2021

Revelation 2:12-17

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12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. 14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it. ~ Revelation 2:12-17

We come back to the third message from the Lord Jesus to the third of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. The church at Pergamum was dealing with enticement and corruption. The devil has only two approaches to get believers off track. He either uses the violence of a roaring lion or the corruption of an angel of light. 

In v.12 we read, "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword." 

The Word of God is a double-edged sword that cuts two ways and it is effective at changing hearts and minds, if we let it. By the Word of God our minds see truth that we never saw before. We see things the way they are, and it motivates us to go with God. The Word of God, then, pierces our hearts, so that we are changed from the inside out.

Pergamum, also known as Pergamos was the Roman capital of the province of Asia. Located about 50 miles north of Smyrna. It was the center of pagan worship.

In v.13 we read, "I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives." 

In Pergamum was the throne or altar of Zeus which was on the hillside overlooking the city. It was forty feet high, and it was known as the center of pagan worship. In the 1880's, a German archaeologist removed the throne from the hillside and took it to Europe. Today, it can be viewed in the Pergamum Museum in Berlin, Germany. 

In 2008, many were disturbed when the former US President Barak Obama visited Germany to give a speech, after which, he insisted upon commissioning the construction of a replica of this throne of Satan which was used as the stage at the Democratic Nominating convention in Denver, Colorado in 2008.

Then, the Lord says, "Yet you remain true to my name." The church in Pergamum refused to budge on their view of the Lord Jesus. They saw Him as the God-man, combining in one person two natures, both of God and of man. That is the teaching of the church from its very beginning, and clearly evident in the Scriptures. Against all the corrupting influences around them, these people had held to that truth. Most all heresies today come from the denial of the deity of the Lord Jesus believers in Pergamum remained true to the Lord's name at the risk of their own lives. 

The remainder of v.13 reads, "You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives." 

Antipas means "against all." We do not know much about Antipas, though he is said to be the first martyr under the Roman persecution in Asia. Tradition says he was roasted to death in a brazen bull that was heated to a white heat. That is the price that he paid for being true to biblical doctrine about the Lord Jesus.

In v.14 we read, "Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality."

Two errors undermined the church in Pergamum: The first, they embraced "the teaching of Balaam." Balaam was a false prophet who had been hired by Balak, the King of Moab, to curse Israel, but when he tried to do so he found he could not. Every time he tried to curse God's people, words of blessing came out of his mouth. God would not let him curse his people. So, in order to achieve the end for which he had been hired, he paid beautiful maidens from Moab and Midian to parade before the young men of Israel, tempting them into sexual immorality.  

The second error of the church at Pergamum is read about in v.15, "Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans." 

They were seduced into the error by the Nicolaitans who claimed to have a special relationship to God. They professed to be the beneficiaries of intimate revelations that were not given to others, and that they therefore had an inside track with God. They presumed to take the place of the priesthood in Judaism, and carried that error into the Christian church. 

In v.16 we read, "Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth."

In addition to repenting from these teachings, this kind of error is best addressed with the sharp, two-edged sword! The Word of God always exposes both the error of immorality and the error of priestly superiority. This is one reason why the exposition of Scripture is resisted in so many churches today.

In v.17 we read, "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it."

The Lord Jesus promises that if we stand against immorality and the love of religious power we will be given the "hidden manna and a new name." Notice both the manna and the new name are secret. It is a picture of close intimacy with the Lord Himself. Manna, of course, was the food that Moses fed the Israelites in the wilderness. The Lord Jesus said in John 6:41, "I am the bread sent down from heaven." The Lord Jesus is the hidden manna. He is food for the inner spirit, food that others know nothing about. 

Then, with the hidden manna, is promised the white stone with a secret name upon it. White stones were used among the Romans as a mark of special favor. A secret name, of course, is another sign of intimacy. If you know the Lord Jesus, and your heart is kept from the corrupting influences of the world, you will become stronger and more developed in your faith, which will enable you to enter into a deeper intimacy with Him. That is His promise to you.