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THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Copyright © 2006 Trumpet Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers
The Book of Revelation is the only book of prophecy of the New Testament. It is not to be taken literally, in many instances, as though it were a letter from one of the Apostles. Much of it is symbolic.
If my understanding is correct, the events portrayed are not in chronological order. Revelation is best understood, I believe, if we think of the various scenes as being many faces of one diamond that keeps revolving.
Table of Contents
THE BOOK OF REVELATION
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. (Revelation 22:18,19)
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, (Revelation 1:1)
The Father gave the Book of Revelation to His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ then gave the book to the Apostle John.
In the days in which we are living we are becoming more aware of the Father. The Lord Jesus said, "My Father is greater than I." I don’t believe many theologians are comfortable with that statement.
The prevailing understanding of the Godhead seems to be that there is one God in three manifestations. I think most scholars come short of saying Jesus is the Father and the Holy Spirit; and yet if you think about it, saying there is one God in three manifestations is saying that Jesus is the Father and the Holy Spirit..
If there is only one God, and He may reveal Himself as Father, or Son, or Holy Spirit, then for Jesus to say "My Father is greater than I," does not admit to a simple interpretation. There must be a cumbersome theological explanation to prove that Jesus did not mean what He stated clearly.
There are numerous examples in the New Testament to demonstrate that there are three different Persons in the Godhead. The most graphic, perhaps, of these examples is the scene in Gethsemane where the Lord is crying out: "Not My will, but Yours be done."
I am not certain how theologians explain the fact that there are two wills and yet one person, but I feel confident that they have a persuasive argument. However, it will never really make sense to the average person. On the surface it sounds like Christ is calling out to someone whom He is obeying.
But how do we explain Christ’s comments when He said that He and the Father are One? They are one in Substance, love, and union. But they are not the same Person.
The Lord prayed that we would be one in the Father through the Son. We would be one in Them. Will our union with the members of the Godhead be of less quality than the union among the Members of the Godhead? I think not. There is no basis in Scripture to suggest that our oneness with Christ and the Father will be of a lesser quality than that which exists within the Godhead.
He who has seen Christ has seen the Father. Of course! The Son thinks along with the Father; speaks along with the Father; and acts along with the Father. He is the perfect Representation of the Father, and the Father has referred to the Son as God.
The Apostle Paul stated that he no longer is living but Christ is living in him. Thus Paul is thinking along with Christ; speaking along with Christ; and acting along with Christ.
We are to live by the body and blood of Christ as He lives by the Father.
Jesus Christ ascended to His God and our God; to His Father and our Father. This is scriptural.
Are we diminishing the Son by saying the Father is greater than He? No, we are not diminishing the Son. Rather we are stating what the Son stated.
All of us want to glorify the Lord Jesus. But we do not glorify Him when we "kick Him upstairs," so to speak. By making Christ a manifestation of the Father such that they are one Person, we are making Him unapproachable. One thing is certain: you and I are not the Father in another form. If Jesus Christ is the Father in another form, then how can we truly refer to Him as our brother, except in some virtually meaningless religious sense?
If I am not mistaken, I think the Lord Jesus Christ delights in the thought of being One of a company of brothers, all having the same Father. Then is Christ unique? Yes, in three major ways. First, He was with the Father from the beginning and through Him all things were created. Second, Christ, the Lamb of God, shed His blood for our sins. Third, the Father has declared Christ to be His Firstborn and has given Him all authority in Heaven and upon the earth.
You and I were not with the Father from the beginning nor were all things created through us. Our blood was not shed to make an atonement for sin. As for all authority in Heaven and upon the earth. Christ has chosen to share His authority with us; and while we are abiding in Him and He in us, He may decide at any time to express that fullness of authority through us.
"The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him." This alone shows that the Father is greater than the Son. The revelation originated in God. There was a time when the Father had the revelation but the Son did not.
No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matthew 24:36)
If there was a time when only the Father had the revelation, and if only the Father knows the hour of Christ’s return, then the Father and the Son are not the same Person.
Because of the tendency of modern scholarship to exalt the Son and not say too much about the Father, we are losing sight of Christ’s mission. Christ came to reconcile us to the Father; to bring us to God; to reveal God to us. "No one comes to the Father except through me."
But if we know Christ, don’t we know the Father also? Yes, in that Christ perfectly represents the Father in every aspect. No, if we lose sight of the fact that there is a Father and He is a Person in His own right. In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ worships the Father and obeys Him. Christ learned obedience to the Father through the things He suffered here on earth.
He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." (Hebrews 2:12)
It is the Lord’s good pleasure to introduce us to the Father.
All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (Matthew 11:27)
When you think about the above verse, doesn’t it sound like the Father is a Person separate from the Son? It sounds like that to me, and I want to know the Father in a greater way. I want to be totally reconciled to God and dwell in His rest until I am thinking, speaking, and acting along with Him, just as the Lord Jesus does.
Who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 1:2)
The Father gave the Word to the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ sent His angel to John to testify to what the Word the Father gave Him. John in turn is bearing witness to us of what that angel showed him.
Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. (Revelation 1:3)
I have heard it said that we ought not to study or teach the Book of Revelation because people become confused. Yet John said, by the Holy Spirit, the person who reads the Book of Revelation, and those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, are blessed.
As far as the time being near, we will have to accept the fact that our time is not the same as that of the spirit world. Some of the events portrayed in the Book of Revelation still have not come to pass, and the prophecy was written two thousand years ago.
John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, (Revelation 1:4,5)
The "province of Asia" refers to Asia Minor, or Turkey. The seven churches were fairly close together on the western side of Asia Minor, not far from the Aegean Sea.
"Him who is, and who was, and who is to come refers to the Father, apparently."
The Holy Spirit is shown as seven spirits Notice in the following verse the fullness of the Spirit with which Christ is anointed.
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD— And he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; (Isaiah 11:1-3)
Notice how the Lord Jesus is presented. He is the "faithful witness." Christ always bears a true witness of God.
He is the "firstborn from the dead," the Beginning of the new creation as well as the Beginning of the old creation.
He is the "ruler of the kings of the earth." We just now, it appears, are beginning to realize that Christ is going to set up His Kingdom on the earth. We previously have regarded Heaven as our eternal home. It is not. Our eternal home is the earth, and it shall be governed by the Lord Jesus.
He has "freed us from our sins by his blood." Christ has done more than forgive our sins. He has freed us from the bondages of sin, and we shall see the fullness of this deliverance in the days to come. Christ was revealed for the purpose of destroying, not forgiving, the works of the devil.
And has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. (Revelation 1:6)
A kingdom and priests. A great deal of thought should be given to this statement.
The emphasis of all branches of the Christian religion, as far as I know, is to get people "saved." I do not believe this has been the primary purpose of the Christian Era, although it has been included. "He who believes and is baptized shall be saved."
It appears to me that the bulk of the text of the New Testament has to do with sanctification, that is, with living a godly life. The reason for this is God’s emphasis at the present time to create a kingdom and a company of priests.
Being "saved" means we will not be destroyed but admitted to the new heaven and earth reign of Christ. Being made a member of the Kingdom means we will govern other people. Being made a priest means we will represent God to other people, and other people to God. Because this is our destiny, we are exhorted in the New Testament to compete for a crown, to overcome forces that are seeking to prevent us from obtaining that crown.
All to often, it seems, the Christian ministry ceases it efforts after a person has confessed Christ as his or her Savior and Lord. After that the push is to encourage them to attend church and try to get other people saved. This however is not the emphasis of the New Testament.
The Apostle Paul encouraged us to count everything as garbage that we might gain Christ; that we might lay hold on that for which we have been grasped. We don’t hear this preached very often because the ministers seem to believe that to get people to make an initial profession of conversion is more important than pressing forward to the perfection that Paul describes.
It is not unusual for a pastor to preach the salvation message every Sunday to a congregation of Christians. His thought is, "Someone might have entered the church who is not saved. Meanwhile his listeners, some of whom received Christ thirty years ago, have never heard anything more nourishing than the message that we ought to receive Christ and be saved.
In order to understand why it is ineffective to keep emphasizing the basic salvation message and neglect the numerous passages that call us to righteous, holy, obedient behavior, we have to look at the situation from God’s point of view. If God's purpose were to encourage people to believe in Christ so they could be forgiven and go to Heaven when they die, then our present nearly exclusive emphasis on basic salvation would make sense. But if God’s purpose is to train rulers and priests, then our present emphasis is not fulfilling God’s intentions.
Beyond all doubt, those who are to govern with Christ, and who are to serve with Him as priests over nations of people, must be trained. It is ridiculous to suppose that an individual who has made an initial profession of Christ, and then has never grown spiritually, is capable of serving as a ruler and a priest.
After a number of years as a Christian and church member, he still is basically unchanged in personality. He understands very little of the Bible. He has not been conformed to the image of Christ. He has not attained to maturity as measured by the stature of the fullness of Christ.
When he dies, will he go to Paradise to be with Christ? I am not positive, from the Scripture. But it is certain he is not prepared to govern nations with a rod of iron. While here on earth he has not overcome his anger, his lust, his jealousy. It could not be said of him that he had offered his body as a sacrifice to God.
The standard set by the New Testament is a new creation, changed into the moral image of Jesus Christ. The conquering Christian has been called to sit on the Throne with Christ. This being the case, it cannot be maintained that the main efforts of the religious institutions should be directed toward evangelism. The main efforts should be parallel with the emphasis of the New Testament, which is on bringing to maturity people prepared to govern with Jesus Christ and to bring God’s Person and will to other people.
I don’t believe the Lord freed us from our sins so we can do nothing but wander around in the spirit world with nothing to do. If you stop to think about it, there are countless millions of people who have died without knowing Christ. Isn’t that so? Are they alive before God in the spirit world? Of course they are, boys, girls, adults, the elderly, of all nationalities. Well, since they never heard about Jesus Christ, they need teachers, don’t they? Are you and I prepared to teach them about Christ and God, or are we the same spiritual infant we were when we first received Christ?
A kingdom and priests. That's what the Christian Church is. After the Church has been brought to maturity it will spend eternity governing and ministering to the nations of saved people.
The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. (Revelation 21:24)
The above verse tells of the members of the new Jerusalem, which is the glorified Christian Church, serving as the Presence of God on the new earth. There shall be whole nations of people who have been saved but who need to be governed and assisted by God’s governing priests.
Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. (Revelation 1:7)
The "clouds" the Lord comes with may possibly be clouds of people.
Who are these that fly along like clouds, like doves to their nests? (Isaiah 60:8)
"Every eye will see him." Such is the historic return of Jesus Christ. There shall be no "secret rapture."
There is, however, a coming of Christ to His disciples that the world will not see. But it is not a coming to remove them from the earth to Heaven. Rather it is to bring them closer to Himself in preparation for His historic coming.
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. (John 14:21)
This prior coming is taking place today. But it is restricted to those who are keeping the commands given by Christ and His Apostles. Since most believers, at least in the United States, have been taught there is no need for them to keep the New Testament commandments because they are "saved by grace," they are going about their daily business unaware that the Lord has come to draw us closer to Himself. He is declaring war on His enemies who dwell in His people so we might be prepared for His historical coming.
Those who are walking with the Lord Jesus, living by Him as He lives by the Father, are moving past the Pentecostal experience into preparation for the final feast of Tabernacles. It is necessary we be reconciled to God in every area of our personality before the Father and the Son will make us Their permanent home. Anyone who desires to know the Lord in a greater way can turn from his or her business-as-usual daily life and press into Christ. He is close to us in these days.
As far as those who pierced Him seeing Him when He returns, this is speaking either of the descendants of those who pierced Him, or else it is true that in that day those who pierced Him, who today are in the spirit realm, will be able to see Christ for the first time, while they yet remain in the spirit world.
Can you imagine the consternation of the peoples alive on the earth when they see the Lord returning in tremendous power and glory? Their hearts will smite them when they realize they are guilty before God. They will be terrified at the thought of what is going to happen next. Some will be angry. Other will be grief stricken when they realize they have ignored the One who was crucified on their behalf.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1:8)
It seems that the expression "who is, and who was, and who is to come" applies to the Father, as we study the context of verse four. But in the above verse (1:8) it appears to be speaking of Jesus Christ. In any case, the expression is true of both the Father and the Son. Both the Father and the Son are always present, but I think "Alpha and the Omega" would apply especially to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sometimes we become bored when we are living a disciplined Christian life and nothing exciting is taking place. We need to think back to the days when Christ was on the earth; for He shall be here on earth once again and we will be rejoicing if we have faithfully served Him during the long period of waiting. The almighty Christ is with us now as we serve Him; He was on the earth in time past. He shall be on the earth again in the future. There is no authority or power that can prevent His return.
I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. (Revelation 1:9)
Suffering, kingdom, and patient endurance.
Suffering is an important aspect of redemption. It helps us overcome sin, and also teaches us obedience to God if we accept it prayerfully
The New Testament, from Matthew through Revelation, teaches us about the Kingdom of God. The Gospel of the Kingdom has been obscured by the teaching that the goal of salvation is to bring us to Heaven.
Every experienced disciple knows of the patient endurance that is required if we are to come to the stature of the fullness of Christ. The believer who is walking the difficult path to eternal life faces many dangers, and some give up and turn back before completing the journey.
On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, (Revelation 1:10)
There seems to be some agreement that the Lord’s Day mentioned here was Sunday, the first day of the week, the day when Christians met to celebrate the resurrection. The Sabbath is Saturday, the seventh day of the week.
Which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea." (Revelation 1:11)
The seven churches mentioned here were located in Asia Minor. Some scholars have suggested that these refer to seven periods of the history of the Christian Church. I would not doubt this. But it also is true, as I see it, that the rewards assigned to the victorious saints apply to all of us, and are steps of attainment to the first resurrection from the dead, the resurrection of God’s kings and priests.
I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, (Revelation 1:12)
No doubt these Lampstands were prefigured by the Lampstand in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, described in the Book of Exodus.
The Lampstands, being golden, can symbolize only Deity. Thus they speak of the churches, which are extensions of Christ. The Christian churches are not social gatherings drawn from the local community. The Christian churches are God’s prophets in the local community.
In the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation we notice two Lampstands and two olive trees. My understanding is that one Lampstand symbolizes the Lord Jesus and the second Lampstand symbolizes the victorious saints, the members of His Body. The two olive trees speak of the double portion of the Spirit of God that will provide the fuel for the burning of the lamps. It will be an Elisha anointing resting on the saints as they, along with Christ who will be working with them, bear witness of the soon coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.
And among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. (Revelation 1:13)
"Like a son of man." The expression "son of man" appears many times in the Book of Ezekiel. The Lord Jesus sometimes referred to Himself as the Son of God, but more often as the "Son of Man."
There has to be a reason for this. The Word became flesh. God sent Christ into the world to be born as a Man, to be the Firstborn among many brothers. It is we who stress that He is the Son of God—and He indeed is! But He often refers to Himself as the Son of Man.
As I ponder the theological position that Christ and the Father are coequal Gods (which really is polytheism), it may be true that we desire He stay in Heaven as the exalted Expression of God; that He leave us alone. "Depart from us, we are sinful!" This sort of thing. Do you suppose this is why we prefer to speak of Christ as the Son of God rather than as the Son of Man:
Are we "kicking Him upstairs" so we can get on with the business of life?
It is the Father who saw to it that Christ became a flesh and blood man, a human being. Is Christ God? Yes, the Father, in the Book of Psalms, has referred to Him as God. But is Christ indeed Man? Yes. On numerous occasions He referred to Himself as the Son of Man, seeming to prefer this over Son of God.
Yesterday morning (Sunday, January seventeenth, 2004), as pastor of a church, I sought the Lord for the morning message. What came to my mind was the need to introduce Jesus Christ and the Father as two different Persons, with the Father being the greater. The New Testament is clear that Christ is the Servant of God, obeys God, and worships God. I think the prevailing doctrine of the Trinity leaves us with the feeling that the Godhead is an undifferentiated blob. It may be true that neither the Father nor the Son as Persons are as real to us as They ought to be.
Then I argued with myself about this, because I believed it would upset some of the people who had been taught the Trinity concept for so many years. I had just about decided to leave this controversial subject alone. Suddenly I felt the Presence of the Lord, and I knew He was saying to me that the time had come for the believers to understand that Christ is bringing us to the Father as to a Person whom we can know and love.
So I faithfully gave the subject both barrels, so to speak. When I was finished I felt the Lord’s affirmation very strongly. I repeated and emphasized the topic Sunday evening providing additional scriptural support, of which there is an abundance).
Now I am writing on the following Monday morning, and the thought comes to me that we want Christ to stay in Heaven. We don’t want Him down here interfering with our plans and programs. Could this be true? Could this be the reason why we want to emphasize He is very God of very God and do not stress He also is very Man of very Man?
The inerrant Word stresses that Jesus Christ is Son of Man. Does this fact somehow diminish Christ? I don’t think so. Rather it reveals that it is God’s intention that Christ reign on the earth as a Human Being among brothers who also have been born of God and born of woman; who also are sons of God and sons of man.
When we come to Jesus Christ He is exalted as God’s Son, our Savior and Lord, and the Lamb who was slain as the atonement for our sins.
Then we receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit, and we begin to understand that only as we walk in the Spirit can we overcome sin; only as we walk in the Spirit can we bear a successful witness of Christ’s atoning death and triumphant resurrection. "It is not by might nor by power but by My Spirit, says the Lord." This becomes our watchword.
Now we are facing the third Member of the Godhead—the Father. Christ is bringing us to the Father. He is reconciling us to the Father. He is introducing us to our Father and His Father.
We have received Christ as Savior and Lord. We have received the Holy Spirit as our wisdom and strength. Now we are learning that there is a Father, that Christ obeys Him, and that we are to obey Him sternly, completely, perfectly. The Holy Spirit enables us to obey the Father.
We understand that Jesus Christ, the Word and Creator from the beginning, the Lord, the Anointed Deliverer, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, wants us to become like Him so He can become One of us. This is no light matter. For two thousand years the Christian Church (I speak generally; there no doubt have been exceptions) has not known Christ as One of us, as Son of Man (the name the Lord gave to Ezekiel).
But this is God’s whole purpose in sending Christ into the valley of the shadow of death in which we are attempting to survive. It is to increase the Father’s family.
God has given the nations of the earth and the farthest reaches of the earth to Jesus Christ as His inheritance. We have been assigned as coheirs with Him. We have been appointed as a kingdom of priests that we might govern people on the earth.
All of this means that we will have fellowship with Jesus Christ as One of us. This is what the Father desires. This is what the Son desires. But is it what we desire? Are we willing to set aside our own desires and motivations that we may receive the desires and motivations of Jesus Christ? Do we want God to crucify our old nature that Christ might live in us? Or do we want to drive Him back into Heaven and worship Him afar off while we continue with business as usual?
For myself, I receive Jesus Christ as the Son of Man. As actually a Man, without in any manner diminishing His Divinity. I want to know Him as Brother. More than this, I want to live by His life so that my thoughts, words, and deeds are what He is doing. Do you want to receive Christ to this extent? No doubt He wants you to receive Him more than you want to receive Him.
I cannot tell you when Christ will return so that every eye sees Him. I know there are Christians today who teach He is coming soon. Two thousand years ago He said He was coming soon, so I am not holding my breath.
But I believe He is coming to His disciples today, to those who sincerely, diligently are keeping His commandments. He is taking us to be with Him where He is, that is, in the center of the Person and will of the Father. Moving from where we are now to the center of the Person and will of the Father means that every area of our personality must be reconciled to God.
We must, through Christ, gain total victory over our love of the world.
We must, through Christ, gain total victory over our bodily and soulish passions.
We must, through Christ, gain total victory over our self-will.
Is it possible to be totally delivered from the sinful nature? Absolutely! The One who is helping us guides the stars in their course. He is able to destroy our sinful nature. Furthermore, He is doing this for everyone who is opening their heart to Him in the present hour.
He is the Son of Man. You are a son of man. I am a son of man. He is our great elder Brother. He is a Human Being although He is the Son of God. You also are a human being, although you have been born of God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Firstborn from the dead.
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, (Revelation 1:5)
The term "Firstborn from the dead" signifies there shall be others who are born from the dead. When you and I assign our adamic nature to the cross, and Christ is born in us, then we have in truth been born from the dead.
So we see that the Lord Jesus Christ, in addition to being the One who created every element of the first creation, is now the Firstborn from the dead of a new creation. And if we are in Christ, actually living in Him from day to day, we also are a member of the new creation.
In the Old Testament, the priests renewed the oil in the Lampstand each day so it could burn throughout the night. Also, the wicks had to be trimmed. In like manner, the great High Priest, Jesus Christ, moves among the Lampstands, replenishing the oil and trimming the wicks.
If the wick is too high, the lamp will smoke. If the wick is too low, the light will be dim. Thus the Lord trims the believers who are too ambitious and pulls up the believers who are too withdrawn.
His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. (Revelation 1:14)
We don’t usually picture the Lord Jesus like this. His white hair portrays Him as the "Ancient of Days." His eyes are like blazing fire because He can see through the cunning of people. Lies and hypocrisy are rapidly exposed in the Presence of the Lord.
His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. (Revelation 1:15)
His feet of bronze indicate that wherever Christ goes, judgment follows. His voice is not that of an ordinary man but sounds like a mighty waterfall. He upholds the stars in their courses.
In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. (Revelation 1:16)
The seven stars are the angels, or spirits, of the seven churches. Each church has, in the spirit realm, a spirit that sums up the nature of that church.
The sharp double-edged sword is the Word of God, the sharpest, most powerful force in the universe.
The face of Christ shines like the sun because He is completely righteous. There is no darkness in Him.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. (Revelation 1:17)
The account does not tell us how large Christ was in this vision. But I rather suspect He was gigantic—like a mountain in human form.
I think it is generally agreed that John, the writer, was the disciple whom Jesus loved and was specially close to Him. Perhaps he leaned on Jesus when they were eating. All the disciples had seen Christ after His resurrection and did not faint with fear. But seeing Christ as He actually is, is another matter.
I believe it would be a big help to the Christian churches, and to the world at large, if we could once see the Lord Jesus in the fullness of His majesty. However, God in His wisdom does not permit this.
John was afraid of Christ in this new form, more terrified than he was on the Mount of Transfiguration. Christ spoke peace to John, as He often did with people. I enjoy it when Christ speaks peace to me and tells me not to be afraid. Do you?
The expression "the First and the Last" means that what Christ begins He finishes, if we permit Him to. The Christian discipleship can prove to be a dangerous, painful, testing of our faith. There may be occasions when the waters are deep and the fires are hot. But if we just do not give up and turn back, we will find that what He began in us He is able to finish. He is in perfect control of the beginning. He is in perfect control of the ending. He is the First and the Last.
I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Revelation 1:18)
The Lord Jesus Christ was murdered and now is alive. This is the most important aspect of our faith. If Christ were not alive we would have nothing to support us.
I have heard college students asking questions about the existence of God, especially after they have heard a professor discuss evolution. They want to know how we can be sure there is a God and a Christ.
I tell them to go directly to Christ and ask Him if He exists. Jesus tells us to do His will, and then we shall know if He spoke from Himself or from God. This is what I did fifty-nine years ago. I started doing what I thought Jesus wanted me to do. Now I know He is the Son of God, what He said is the truth, and that He is alive. I hear from Him each day. I do not need additional proof that He is alive.
All other religions reverence a dead teacher or prophet. Our Teacher and Prophet is alive, and everyone is welcome to come to Him and find out from Him if He is alive. He is well able to communicate with the sincere seeker.
I believe the above verse (Revelation 1:18) is an important statement and needs to be emphasized more than it is. It is my point of view that we assign too much importance to Satan and the Antichrist. It is not Satan who holds the keys of death and Hades (Hell). It is not Antichrist who holds the keys of death and Hades. It is Jesus Christ who possesses these keys.
Ordinarily a person who holds the keys to a house is the owner of the house. He is the one who decides who is permitted to enter and who is forbidden to enter.
We use the expression, "a devil’s Hell." Did you ever hear that said? It is not the devil’s Hell. It is not Antichrist’s Hell, Death and Hell belong to Jesus Christ.
No individual enters death and no individual leaves death except with the permission of Christ. No person enters Hell and no person leaves Hell except with the permission of Jesus Christ. Satan and the feared Antichrist have no authority or power here.
Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. (Revelation 1:19)
How can God permit everyone to make his or her own decisions, and yet write the history of the world in advance? The answer is obvious: God knows in advance what we are going to do.
How can God know in advance what we are going to do if He is not controlling us? I believe the answer is that God is not bound by time. Perhaps we can picture time as a tapestry. God is able to sweep back and forth over this tapestry and continually make corrections, based on what He sees people doing. Thus He is able to predict the future.
I believe it is important for us to understand that you and I can affect the future. Far too often Christian people adopt a feeling of inevitability. They may commence their discipleship with great joy and high hopes for the future. Perhaps they picture themselves as an apostle who will go forth into the world and win millions to Christ.
But life has a way of beating us down, doesn’t it? Most of us are not incurable optimists. After the years go by, and God does not do something exciting in our life, we begin to conclude that we will exist until we enter a nursing home, and nothing will change
The attitude of inevitability, that we are doomed to a mediocre existence in which no great work of Christ will be forthcoming, is a powerful enemy of faith. The truth is that many of us have to spend thirty or more years in ordinary work before we are seasoned and ready to be used by the Lord.
If you have been a Christian for a number of years, and nothing out of the ordinary has occurred in your life, why don’t you go to the Lord right now and tell Him you want to be used in the ministry. There are so many needs in the world—just in Africa alone—that ten thousand earnest Christians could not meet them all. There are literally millions of people in Africa who need all kinds of help. There are millions of orphans there whose parents have died from AIDs. Yet the orphanages are few and so the children roam the streets.
This is just one example of the needs of today.
I mentioned before the needs in the spirit world. If you prepare yourself to help with the needs of the Kingdom, you can be certain that God will put you where you can do the most good, in this present world and in the next.
But if you have been a Christian for many years, and now have adopted a spirit of inevitability, a feeling that God will never use you, He probably never will. You will live out your life as an animal, finally becoming physically helpless and eventually dying without having done much more during you life than eating, sleeping, playing, working, and reproducing. This will be your life, the life of a horse or a working dog.
And it is no one’s fault but your own, because the Lord told us if we keep on asking for the Holy Spirit so we can help other people, God will hear our prayer and provide all the resources we need. It didn’t happen the first time we prayed, so we gave up and occupied ourselves with other interests.
The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. (Revelation 1:20)
As I said, the seven stars are the angels, or spirits, of the seven churches and reflect in themselves the strengths and weaknesses of the particular church, or period of church history, or whatever else the seven churches may represent.
The Christian churches do not hold up Christ, Christ holds up the spirits of the churches in the right hand of His authority and power. Christ is not the servant of the churches but the Servant of God and the Lord of the churches.
The Christian churches are lampstands, that is, the revelation of Jesus Christ in the world. They have power and authority only to the extent they are separate from the world. Like Samson, once the "hair" of their separation is cut, they lose the power of the testimony.
When we bring in a multitude of people under the banner of "church growth" we dilute the testimony. It is the Holy Spirit’s task to add members to the Body of Christ. We should be looking to the Spirit for guidance in bringing people into the churches. Otherwise, there is no lampstand, no testimony; only a social group that adheres to the practices and doctrines of the Christian religion.
The testimony of the Christian churches is that Jesus Christ died to make an atonement for our sins, and then rose from the dead in His body. Then He was brought up to Heaven, and will return in like manner. After speaking this testimony, the churches are to bear witness of Christ through their righteous behavior and the worship of God. When righteous behavior is lacking, the words of the church concerning Christ lose their power.
If we seek the Lord with a pure heart, and love abounds among us, the Lord will add to the church such as should be saved. But if the believers are not seeking the Lord with a pure heart but are involved in the world, and love does not abound among us, then the church is sick. It does not need more members, it needs to be healed.
It might help if we were being persecuted. Then we would have to look to the Lord more than we do in every aspect of our religious practices.
"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: (Revelation 2:1)
Christ is telling the church in Ephesus (and all churches of all time) that He is Lord. He is present among us as the High Priest, inspecting the testimony that we are giving to the world.
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. (Revelation 2:2)
Today we are putting "faith" ahead of deeds. Christ judges our faith by our deeds. Christ came to destroy the works of the devil and to write the laws of righteousness in our heart and mind.
When we do not obey the laws of righteousness, as outlined in the Sermon on the Mount and in other passages of the New Testament, then our profession of faith is worse than no profession at all because it leave the impression Christ is endorsing unrighteous behavior.
Christ knows our hard work. Our labor in the Lord is not in vain but will result in a grand reward in the Day of Resurrection.
Christ knows our perseverance, as we plow ahead through the difficulties and dangers of our discipleship. When we stumble we get back on our feet, make restitution as the Lord leads, and fight forward. We never quit!
"I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false." The members of the church in Ephesus pleased the Lord by turning away from dishonest ministers of the Gospel.
We of today are remiss in this. We simply are remiss in this! Preachers continue to make outrageous claims concerning our giving money, and we do nothing about it. It is obvious they are not people of integrity, and yet we keep on throwing money at them. Sometimes the law steps in and puts them in prison. Still we do not learn.
I do not know what has happened to integrity. God has integrity. Christ has integrity. We are supposed to have integrity. Yet we see the Christian ministers making a joke of integrity.
I know the Christians are afraid to speak of the evil they see in the ministry, the foolishness, the covetousness, the dishonesty, sometimes the immorality. The world can see it and laughs at the joke Christianity is. But the Christians have been warned: "Do not touch My anointed and do My prophets no harm." And so they are afraid to express their dismay.
To a certain extent, old-fashioned integrity is often mocked in America, especially when money is involved. "It is a jungle out there and it is every man for himself." It appears this disdain of integrity sometimes affects the ministry and the church people, probably because of the overemphasis on "grace."
I know of an instance in a Christian college where the students did not do the work but expected the teachers to pass them on the basis of mercy and grace. The parents agreed with this along with the school administration, to the chagrin of the teachers, revealing why the students in later life have little strength of character.
Compared with some of the other nations of the earth, we in America have a relatively easy life. We tend to be indolent in matters of character. God is not indolent in terms of character. The victorious saints have a rod of iron created in them that will govern the world in righteousness when the Lord returns.
The foolish, spiritually lazy believers who have chuckled at the antics of the "evangelists" are not going to be "raptured" into Heaven. One day they are going to find themselves standing before Him whose eyes are flames of fire. Then their silly attitude toward God and Christ will be burned away and only utter terror will remain.
You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. (Revelation 2:3)
The Christians in Ephesus (as well as many believers throughout the centuries) persevered in the face of problems, danger, and other difficulties and painful experiences, and endured hardships for the name of Jesus Christ. They did not grow weary and cease to press forward to total victory.
American parents often try to give their children every possible advantage in the world. They want their children to be socially active and accomplished in music, athletics, and other skills and disciplines one finds in our culture.
However, gross immorality is entering the media and the schools. Now the parents are faced with a dilemma: how can I tell my child that he or she cannot participate in the end of year festivities at school, because there will be drunkenness and other orgies taking place?
What is the parent to do when the soccer and baseball games, involving the youth, are held on Sunday, preventing church attendance?
It is at this point that the concerned Christian parent will have to face the child or young person with the fact that being a Christian means we have to endure hardships. As Christians we cannot enjoy every advantage in a culture that is spiraling down into satanic thinking, speaking, and behavior.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. (Revelation 2:4)
When we first receive Christ we are enthusiastic about salvation. We are ready to do God’s will whatever it is. We love to pray, read our Bible, and gather with the saints.
But time goes on. Pretty soon we can see the weaknesses in other Christians, or in the pastor and elders, and we become critical. We settle back into the typical Christian posture of putting our material welfare first. We attend church but realize neither we nor the pastor are really serious about denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following the Lord Jesus every day.
The Lord is not pleased with people who settle back like this and holds it against them.
Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. (Revelation 2:5)
We can be established at the right hand of God in Christ, and then fall from this height as we neglect prayer, reading the Word, and assembling with fervent saints. We fall by becoming involved in the world; by yielding to our sinful nature; by following our own will instead of seeking the Lord’s will in every issue. We have to maintain our place in Christ by constantly pressing forward in prayer and obedience.
"Repent and do the things you did at first." There is no question that in the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation, where the Lord tells the believers what steps are necessary if they are to be victorious saints, the emphasis is not on abstract faith but on faith that is revealed in works. "Do the things you did at first." Do those things. Express your faith in godly behavior. Turn away from your coldness and serve Christ fervently.
The church that does not do this will lose the power of the testimony. This is true of numerous Christian churches of our day. They have a form of godliness but there is no power to move people to righteousness. Their lampstand has been removed from its place.
But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (Revelation 2:6)
I have heard three explanations of the "practices of the Nicolaitans." One is that the Nicolaitans were differentiating between the clergy and the laity. They were establishing a priest-people hierarchy.
Another explanation is that the Nicolaitans wanted the church to be more involved in the local community, to conduct their services in such a manner that they would be understandable to unsaved people.
A third explanation is that the Nicolaitans were advancing the philosophy of the Antinomians, that is, that correct knowledge of spiritual facts is all that is required for salvation. Behavior is not relevant. (This sounds like modern teaching, doesn’t it?)
The Holy Spirit understands we could not be certain concerning the practices of the Nicolaitans. So I think we are to derive a lesson from this exhortation that does not depend on what those practices actually were. The lesson would be that there are practices that take place in Christian churches that the Lord hates, and He wants us to hate them also.
I would think that ordaining and performing marriage ceremonies for homosexual people would be a practice we are to hate. We are not to be accepting of every idea that comes along even though we are charged with being discriminatory, or hateful, or narrow-minded. When a practice clearly is against what the Scripture teaches, then we are to hate it.
The true Christian is not a humanist. He is on God’s side, not on the side of people.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)
The rewards to the overcomers are always addressed to the individual, never to a group. When we obey the Lord to the best of our ability, He gives us ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. When we do not walk in the light we currently have, we eventually become blind and deaf to the Holy Spirit.
Eating from the tree of life is the first step toward the first resurrection, the resurrection of the members of the governing priesthood.
Eating from the Tree of Life, which is the Lord Jesus Christ, introduces eternal Divine Life into our inward nature. If we pursue eternal life until we are filled with Divine Life, when the Lord Jesus appears that same eternal life will extend to our mortal body.
Access to the Tree of Life was lost because of the rebellion in the Garden of Eden. The right to keep on eating of that tree is given only to those believers who keep on overcoming the world, Satan, and their own sinful nature and self-will. We are not given to eat of the Tree of Life on the basis of our faith, except as our faith leads us into the victorious life in Jesus Christ. Belief in theological facts, no matter how accurate, will not by themselves authorize us to eat from the Tree of Life. We must be living in victory over sin.
To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. (Revelation 2:8)
Since the emphasis in Christ’s address to the church in Smyrna is on faithfulness in suffering, Christ presents Himself as the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. This is what suffering believers need to hear. They need to be assured that the severe crisis they are experiencing will come to a victorious end. They need to know that what Christ began in their life He is able to finish and shall finish.
I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. (Revelation 2:9)
Notice that the Lord did not say it is My will that you be rich in material wealth. He accepted their afflictions and their poverty, and pointed out that they were rich in faith and spiritual treasure.
The believers in Smyrna were being slandered. Whether they were being slandered by those who were Jews by race, or whether the Lord is referring to insincere Christians, we cannot be certain. In any case the slanderers were a synagogue of Satan, not of Christ.
Whoever departs from wickedness makes himself or herself a prey, an object of slander, particularly by those who claim to be followers of Christ. You can be certain that if you turn away from wickedness and begin to truly serve the Lord and lead a righteous life, there will be no lack of "Christians" who will slander you.
It is Satan in them who is accusing you. Because they are following their self-will instead of God’s will, there is a door in their personality through which Satan can enter and accuse the righteous, just as he did when he prompted the Pharisees to slander the Lord Jesus.
The prophets always are murdered by Israel. Satan always is active among religious people.
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)
In many instances the fear and dread of suffering are worse than the suffering itself.
Notice that the Lord permits Satan to put us in a prison, but the Lord controls the time—ten days. Satan is given permission to test us, but it always is under the Lord’s strictest control
What are our "prisons" like? Usually they take one of two forms. Either we are denied for many years the most fervent desires of our heart, or else we are compelled to remain in unpleasant situations for long periods of time. It is in such prisons that the saints are made.
Jesus told Peter that Satan desired to sift him. Jesus did not prevent Satan from sifting Peter, rather He prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail.
When we suffer we cease from sin, Peter tells us. In particular, suffering tends to remove our self-will. We don’t ordinarily hear much preaching about self-will, but it is the original sin. As far as I can tell, all sin can be traced back to self-will. The essence of the Kingdom of God is the doing of God’s will instead of our own.
We can gain some victory over sin, exhibit gifts of the Spirit, be successful in ministry, and yet be filled with self-will. I think that it is important we set a time in our life when we come before the Lord and tell Him we do not want to do our own will but His will. Resolving to do God’s will at every point of decision is the key to dwelling in God’s rest.
The personal cross of the believer is God solution to our self-will. The cross is an engine of destruction. After years of suffering we finally accept that God’s will is the only way of love, joy, and peace. Of course, some believers run away from their prisons. If they are fortunate, God arrests them and gives them a longer sentence. If they are not as fortunate, God lets them go their way and will deal with their disobedience in the Day of Resurrection.
If we remain faithful in our imprisoning circumstances, putting our treasures in Heaven, resolving to remain in our miserable situation until the day we die, we are promised the crown of life. The crown of life is the authority and power to govern by the power of incorruptible, resurrection life. It is given only to those who remain faithful in their prison; who do not flee from their cross.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. (Revelation 2:11)
The implication is that if the believer does not live in victory he can be hurt by the second death.
The wording is a bit unusual. We would expect it to say "He who overcomes will not be thrown into the Lake of Fire. The expression "will not be hurt at all by the second death" suggests some kind of immunity. "You can eat this spoiled meat and it won’t hurt you"—this sort of thing. It reminds us of Paul shaking the viper from his hand and suffering no ill effects.
The second death, the Lake of Fire, has authority over eight sinful personalities. Even though we have received Christ, the Lake of Fire retains authority over those behaviors. The Father has given the Lake of Fire its authority.
The only manner in which we can keep from being hurt by the second death is to overcome each of those eight behaviors. If we do not overcome them, we—Christian or not—can be hurt by the second death.
The fourth chapter of First Peter describes how Christ is ready to judge the living and the dead; that the judgment consists of fiery trials; that suffering removes sin from us so we begin to live for the will of God; and that the righteous are saved with difficulty.
We are saved with difficulty because of the need for perseverance throughout the fiery tests to which we are exposed. The object is to free us from all behaviors over which the Lake of Fire retains authority. Then we cannot possibly be harmed by the Lake of Fire.
This points up what may be a common misperception. It is that the overcomers, the victorious saints, are super-Christians. They are not. They are the people who have profited from the redemption, the destruction of the works of the devil, that Christ has brought to us.
How about the rank and file of believers who have never succeeded in overcoming sin? I do not know. I only know the Scripture cannot be altered in any manner. Only those who overcome will be given the right to eat from the Tree of Life, from Christ. Only those who overcome will be given the crown of life.
Some are teaching today that the overcomers are those who have "accepted Christ," according to the current standards. If this were true, how then could the revelation given to the Lord Jesus Christ imply, in the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation, that the rewards shall be given to those of the churches who live victoriously in Christ?
To say we are an overcomer by virtue of the fact that we have made a profession of faith in Christ means every believer in every Christian church is automatically an overcomer, a victorious saint. If such is the case, then the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation are giving a false impression.
The term "overcome" suggests that forces come against the churches that must be surmounted. There is no indication in these two chapters that everyone in the churches automatically is an overcomer.
I have noticed that all the errors that enter the Christian churches have one purpose in mind. That purpose is to prevent the one goal that God is pursuing, which is to transform people until they are living a righteous life. Whether the error is eternal security, or the "rapture," or "get rich by faith," or the definition of Divine "grace" as an alternative to the Kingdom laws of righteousness, or every believer is automatically an overcomer, they all tend to turn our attention away from the need for a change in our behavior.
The teachers who are informing the believers that they automatically qualify as overcomers because they have "accepted Christ," are removing the need for applying utmost diligence to gaining victory over the temptations we face every day.
I am hoping that in the near future there will be a reformation of Christian thinking, such that God’s goal in sending Christ to the earth will be understood. That goal is to transform people until they practice righteousness and can rule in righteousness. Jesus gave us the Kingdom laws of righteousness in the Sermon on the Mount.
To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. (Revelation 2:12)
Since the Lord Jesus is appearing to the angel of this church as Him who is holding the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, we would expect to find that the believers in Pergamum were being tempted by sin.
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, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. (Revelation 2:13)
It appears there are some geographic areas where the presence of Satan is stronger than in other places. Pergamum was one such city. Hence the need for the sharp, double-edged sword.
The Lord Jesus compliments the worshipers in Pergamum because they remained true to His name during a season of persecution. Antipas (against all) was martyred in Pergamum—the city in which Satan lived. May the Lord help each of us to be "against all" when such an attitude becomes necessary if we are to bear a true witness of Christ.
Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. (Revelation 2:14)
When God would not permit Balaam to curse Israel, Balaam counseled Balak, the king of Moab, to send out dancing girls where the Israelite warriors could see them and thus be encouraged to engage in immoral practices.
While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, Who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor. And the LORD’s anger burned against them. (Numbers 25:1-3)
Riches are deceitful, and only the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, can expose the deceptions that come upon us when we love money.
Balaam was a powerful seer in his day. But he was seduced by his love of money, and eventually killed by the Israelite army.
He was not able to curse Israel, but he was crafty enough to understand that if the Israelites could be seduced into sinning, the protection of the Lord would lift from them. Then Balak would have a chance of conquering them. So Balaam finally earned his money.
Apparently there were believers in Pergamum who believed that Christians should be free to eat food sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Evidently these believers did not understand that the Presence of the Lord would leave the church if the people worshiped demons and behaved in an immoral manner. Or perhaps they did understand this; but why they would want to destroy the church I do not know.
God’s people may not realize this, but when they are watching the antics of the American idols on television, the lust, covetousness, drunkenness, partying, adultery, fornication, violence, they are eating food sacrificed to idols.
There are numerous Christian preachers and teachers who define grace as an alternative to righteous behavior. This leaves the people free to watch pornography and the other satanic presentations on television and the Internet. They do not define grace in this manner for the purpose of removing God’s Presence from the believers, but this is the result of their teaching.
Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. (Revelation 2:15)
I mentioned before that we are not certain concerning the teaching of the Nicolaitans, some Bible scholars stressing that the clergy-laity pattern is meant. Others point toward the efforts of Nicholas of Antioch to make the church acceptable and understandable to the local community. The third viewpoint is that Gnosticism is meant, the emphasis on salvation by specific knowledge and a disregard of behavior. The modern emphasis on "faith alone" has points in common with Gnosticism, I believe. We are saved and will go to Heaven on the basis of a statement of faith in Jesus Christ, independently of our behavior. It seems to me that this is close to the teaching of Gnosticism.
Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. (Revelation 2:16)
We are to turn away from the love of money, the problem that Balaam had and resulted in his destruction. We are to reject all of the American idols, including sexual immorality. If we do not, the Lord will fight against us with His Word. The result will be the loss of our testimony, and God will send a strong delusion upon us because we did not receive the love of the truth. I believe this already has taken place in America.
Idol worship and sexual immorality are not permitted in the Church of Jesus Christ, in the Kingdom of God.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. (Revelation 2:17)
Only those who are praying and obeying the Lord have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches today. The Lord is calling us to move past the Pentecostal experience into the fullness of the indwelling of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Whoever in Pergamum is willing to obey the Lord, and through Him to gain victory over idol worship and sexual immorality, will be given some of the hidden manna. This includes us of today. The hidden manna is the body and blood of Jesus Christ. It is given to each believer as he or she chooses to turn away from the sinful nature and do what the Holy Spirit is commanding.
The white stone is a voting pebble. If we are willing to turn away from the love of money, from idol worship, and from sexual immorality, we will move from the ranks of the called to the ranks of the chosen, just as Peter and the others did when they alone remained after the Lord spoke of His body and blood.
The new name speaks of our having a significant change of identity and ultimately of character after having been voted into the ranks of the chosen.
Ephesus has to do with keeping our love for Jesus fervent. The reward for this is the right to eat from the Tree of Life. This is the first step toward the first resurrection from the dead, as I understand it.
Smyrna speaks of faithfully remaining in the prison where we are placed. The reward is the crown of life and immunity to the harmful effects of the Lake of Fire. This is the second step toward the first resurrection.
Pergamum warns us against involvement with the demonic influences of the present age, including sexual immorality. We are to keep away from those who are driven by their love of money. They will invite us to sin so we will want to follow and support them. I think there are preachers today who do just that.
The hidden manna and the white stone with the new name are a third step toward the first resurrection.
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. (Revelation 2:18)
God’s High Priest walks among the churches. He looks at the spirit of the church in Thyatira. He chooses to reveal Himself as the One "whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze."
In America we may picture the Good Shepherd as looking at us in a kindly manner. We say to someone "Jesus loves you." Many times this is not true. The Lord may be upset with that individual and he will be removed from the Lord’s Presence if he does not repent. So why are we giving him the impression that Jesus is pleased with him? Tell him Jesus will love him if he repents and serves Christ with all his heart.
Eyes like blazing fire. We come into the world with a wounded heel such that we are not upright. As we grow up we learn to get our way by deceiving people. Much of the American marketing culture is based on deception. For example, we charge $399.99 for a chair and advertise it as being less than $400.00, Yes, it is less. It is one penny less. This sort of thing goes on all the time.
Banks, large corporations, medical services, all institutions you would assume are upright, often use deception to gain customers. The competition for dollars is so intense that every device is employed, lawful and unlawful, truthful and false, to gain advantage over the other organization.
We are becoming insensitive to this lack of integrity, sometimes even in church work. We are able to deceive one another and to make political moves. But then Jesus looks at us and the mask is burned away.
One time the Lord said to me, "If you make any decision based on political maneuvering I will not help you."
All Christ will accept is absolute integrity.
His feet are like burnished bronze. We may pray for the Presence of the Lord in our church or our personal circumstances. Then trouble comes upon us and we do not understand why. The reason is, the Lord’s Presence came in answer to our prayer. But His feet are those of judgment. Bronze can withstand fire. Christ wants to burn up all in our life that is not fireproof so we can walk with Him wherever He goes and not be harmed.
When you pray to draw closer to the Lord, and trouble comes, be thankful for it. It is the answer to your prayer. However, always pray that God will help you profit from the trouble and then God will remove it. Do not take it for granted at any time that God wants you miserable. Ask God to remove the fear and dread from you and He will answer your prayers.
I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. (Revelation 2:19)
Deeds, love, faith, service, perseverance, and, unlike Ephesus, doing better than at the first. It often is preached that God sees us only through Christ. When we lie, God sees the truthful Nature of Christ. When we fornicate, God sees only the moral Nature of Christ. When we express ourselves in murderous rage, God sees only the kindness and patience of Christ. We are complete in Him, it is quoted.
The second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation do not bear this out. Rather Christ knows exactly what we are doing.
He sees our deeds, whether they are good or evil.
He sees our love, and is pleased with this.
He sees our service, and rewards us for this.
He sees our perseverance, and furnishes us with resurrection life.
He sees we are pressing forward in Him, and rewards us with an increased ability to behave righteously, which is God’s goal for us.
The idea that if we will only accept Christ, our problem with sin is past; our judgment was completed on the cross; is totally unscriptural and prevents the work of redemption from taking place. The work of redemption transforms us into the image of Christ and requires our diligent participation every step of the way.
The other day I noticed a sign outside a church. It said, "Uncover your sins that God may cover them." This sort of misleading information is the result of the teaching that all we need do is accept Christ and then God no longer is aware of our behavior.
What does Paul say in Romans? Paul says that we shall live spiritually if, through the Spirit of God, we put to death the deeds of our sinful nature.
Two contrasting statements: God wants us to uncover our sins so He may cover them; God wants us to put to death through His Spirit our sinful acts. The first leaves us as a forgiven, unchanged creation. The second leaves us as a new creation, transformed into the image of Christ.
Can you see what I mean when I say the current teaching prevents the work of redemption from taking place?
It may have been true in time past that God wanted to put His people in kind of a holding pattern until He was ready to release them from the chains of sin. I cannot say for certain because I was not alive then. All I know is that today the Holy Spirit is ready to release us from the bondages of sin, so the old teaching no longer is marching along with the Lord.
Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. (Revelation 2:20)
Jezebel was teaching the same doctrine as Balaam. They both were inviting the saints to engage in sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. But probably for different reasons.
I think Balaam’s motivation was money, the money he was to receive from Balak, the king of Moab. Jezebel’s motivation probably was her love of the world. She wanted the church to be filled with the social programs that people enjoy. At the same time she was increasing her prominence by referring to herself as a prophetess.
My experience tells me that women in particular need to be careful about heralding themselves as prophetesses, although many women of today have received remarkable gifts from the Lord and are exercising them in a fruitful manner.
Jezebel stands for the spirit in the churches that stresses social activities. Every healthy church must have some social activities. These are a required part of our life. But the elders have to be careful that social activities do not get out of hand, because the natural tendency of many human beings is to want to have a party. The spiritual and the social must be kept in balance.
Whenever there are social activities where both men and women, boys and girls, are present, there always is the necessity to keep our sexual urges under careful control. These urges are healthy if they are kept under discipline.
I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. (Revelation 2:21)
This is so characteristic of the Jezebel spirit. It is stubborn and rebellious It has no intention of obeying the Lord or the elders of the assembly. Notice how patient the Lord is!
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. (Revelation 2:22)
This is the Lord’s way. She wants to spend her time in bed with her lovers. So the Lord says, "Fine. You want to be in bed. I will put you to bed, but you are not going to enjoy it." It is the Lord’s way to give us what we lust after. First He reproves us and shows us a better way. If then we are unwilling to be taught, He give us what we have lusted for. He gives us quail until we are vomiting, and then sends leanness into our soul.
Those who followed the prophetess will suffer intensely unless they repent of her ways. When the Lord says "suffer intensely" he is speaking of an experience we do well to avoid.
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 2:23)
"I will strike her children dead." If I am not mistaken, this is an example of the New International Version trying to help us out. I use the NIV because it usually expresses the original texts in a clear, accurate manner. On occasion, however, it goes too far in trying to make the text understandable.
Notice the expression "I will strike her children dead." It should read, "I will kill her children with death."
This is an example of the jigsaw puzzle piece that almost fits. It is a temptation to say "I will strike her children dead," for that makes sense to us. But the text reads, "I will kill her children with death." It is not the same, is it?
The NIV does us a disservice when it changes the text to mean what the translators think it means. They would be more accurate if they just wrote what the inspired text states.
Killing the children of Jezebel with death is referring, I believe, to the spiritual death that always accompanies the actions of Jezebel. Jezebel symbolizes the spirit of the world, and the spirit of the world produces spiritual death. It is a special kind of death.
Some people who die physically are alive and shall continue to be alive in the spirit world. Some people who die physically are already dead, and will continue to be without spiritual life in the spirit world.
So you can kill people with a gun, or you can kill them with death. Stephen was killed with stones, but he was gloriously alive when he entered the spirit world.
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): Only hold on to what you have until I come. (Revelation 2:24,25)
Not all the believers of the church in Thyatira had followed Jezebel. Notice the Lord speaks of Satan’s "so-called deep secrets." Those who follow New Age teachings and take drugs are hoping to discover profound mysteries. But they always end up in fornication. Their profound mysteries are nothing more than sexual urges in disguise. Satan has no deep secrets to offer, only lying, murder, and lust.
Notice that the Lord does not keep on heaping burdens on us. After we surmount certain assigned difficulties He tells us to just maintain the position we have gained.
To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— "He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery" just as I have received authority from my Father. (Revelation 2:26,27)
"And does my will to the end." It is not enough that we make a sudden attempt to gain victory, to carry our cross cheerfully. We must persevere in this way of living until we die. There is no going back, nor can we count on previous efforts to carry us through. Each day is a challenge that must be met and prayed through to victory.
Now we come to a declaration that alters our view of what it means to be a Christian. Authority over the nations. The believers sometimes say they will "rule and reign with Christ" (sic). At the same time they talk about the mansions in Heaven. This really does not make sense, does it?
I wonder how they picture themselves ruling the nations of the earth. Do they suppose they will be laying on a couch in their mansion, with a servant girl dropping grapes in their mouth, while they are issuing directives to the nations?
Beyond all doubt, governing a nation is a full-time business. We notice how the presidents of the United States age during their term of office.
And this is no gentle reign while we float about in a white sheet telling everyone Jesus loves them. This is a rule with an iron scepter. A golden scepter would symbolize Divinity. But an iron scepter speaks of a crushing, inflexible force.
Do we imagine the silly church people of today are prepared to crush the nations of the earth with inflexible force? Is this not a prospect ridiculous beyond all meaning of the term?
We cannot govern our own desire to gossip and backbite, to speak spitefully about other believers? And we are going to crush the rebellious peoples of the earth until they are forced to behave righteously?
The promise of governing the nations of the earth with an iron scepter should warn us that our present unscriptural, undemanding grace-rapture-Heaven gospel is a myth. It is as real as the land of Oz. It is marshmallow, not iron.
The rod of iron must be formed in us before we can govern the peoples of the earth. The rod of iron is speaking of our character, which must be of total integrity and obedience to God.
But isn’t our Lord Jesus a gentle, loving Savior who would not harm a flea? Not always. The Bible says the Father has given Him the authority to dash the nations to pieces like pottery. And Christ has extended that authority to those who gain victory over sin and keep His will to the end.
The concept of the Christian people working alongside of the Lord Jesus Christ to establish the Kingdom of God on the earth is a different gospel from that of grace-rapture-Heaven. I wonder which is the more scriptural?
I will also give him the morning star. (Revelation 2:28)
The Morning Star is Jesus Christ. He rises in our heart. Apart from His being formed in us we are not qualified to govern the nations. We are not going to rule in our old adamic nature.
If Christ is to be formed in us we must read and obey what is written in the New Testament. If we do not keep His commandments, we are revealing that we do not love Him no matter what we say. Then the Father will not love us and Christ and the Father will not dwell in us.
We are to pray until we receive wisdom and strength from the Holy Spirit so we can keep the commandments given by Christ and His Apostles. Then the Morning Star rises in us and we begin to do by nature the works of the Righteous One.
It is not a case of our wanting to be exalted rulers. Rather it is that God needs saints who can govern the world in righteousness. If we are called to rulership, and do not faithfully endure the rigors of the training given to all the members of the royal priesthood, we will be treated as a lazy disobedient servant. We cannot settle for a lesser place in the Kingdom.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 2:29)
How can we be sure we are hearing what the Spirit is saying to the churches? Only by denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following the Lord Jesus every day.
Authority to govern the nations is a further step toward the first resurrection from the dead.
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. (Revelation 3:1)
The Ephesians had left their original fervent love of Jesus.
The believers in Smyrna were urged to be patient in tribulation.
Those in Pergamum were to repent of any yielding to sin and reminded of the need to bear witness faithfully in the headquarters of Satan.
The church in Thyatira was being taught by those who loved the world and its lusts. They were warned of severe chastening of they succumbed to this deception.
It appears that the church in Sardis was popular. It was regarded as being "alive." but its life was that of fleshly enterprise. It was lacking the Spirit of God. Therefore Christ appears as the One who holds the seven Spirits of God
We always must keep in mind the watchword taken from the Book of Zechariah: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord Almighty." There is an unscriptural emphasis on "church growth" today. By church growth is meant an increase in the number of people who attend the services, not the spiritual growth of the believers.
When human talent is applied, and various programs that appeal to people are employed, it is not too difficult to increase the number of those who attend. Soon there is a large assembly that sponsors many activities of interest to people.
I do not say it is wrong to have a large assembly and many interesting activities. The problem is, if the assembly is run by the energies, talents, and wisdom of human beings, and not by the Holy Spirit, the church will have a reputation of being alive, but it will be dead in the sight of the Lord.
Are there any instances of this in the United States today? Whatever is not being directed by the Spirit of God produces nothing of eternal worth in the Kingdom of God.
Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. (Revelation 3:2)
It appears from the text that the church in Sardis began in the Spirit of God. But as so often is the case, after two or three generations, churches (and denominations) that began in the Spirit lay their hands on the Ark, so to speak. The result is spiritual death. Then the Lord has to raise up another group.
The amazing fact is that this pattern of birth in the power of the Spirit, and then a gradual move away from the Holy Spirit, happens (as far as I know) to every church and every denomination. Yet those who are part of the second and third generations away from the fiery birthplace never say to themselves: "Why am I not praying and looking to Christ as did those who founded my church or my denomination."
No, the same pattern is followed consistently from the fire, to less fire, to even less fire, to formality and death. As nearly as I can tell, this is what is happening to the Pentecostal organizations. We have excellent administrators, knowledgeable people who would be at home in the highest centers of government and professional life. But tongues of fire are not resting on them.
"Wake up!" the Lord says. "Strengthen prayer. Strengthen looking to the Lord for His will. Strengthen reliance on the Holy Spirit. Repent and return to the founding fire. It is not your church but Mine. Keep your hands off the Ark.
"If you will cease from your own programs and seek My face, I will show you what I want you to do. Your deeds are not anointed by the Spirit, only by fleshly enthusiasm and talent. Therefore what you are doing will be burned up when it is tried by the fires of Divine judgment."
Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, 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. (Revelation 3:3)
Imagine! The church in Sardis had a reputation of being alive but it was sleeping the sleep of spiritual death. "Obey what I have told you. Wake up! Or I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place." It is not enough to have a large assembly filled with busy people, even though we apply the name of Jesus once in a while. The Holy Spirit must be directing every activity if we are to be alive in the sight of Christ.
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. (Revelation 3:4)
Some might venture that this means there were a few people in Sardis who had accepted Christ. This is not what it means and this is not what it says. Christ states there were but a few people in Sardis who had not soiled their clothes, meaning they were Christians.
Each believer has a robe, a heavenly house or garment, that is being formed before the Throne of God. Our resurrected form will be clothed upon with that robe in the Day of Resurrection.
Our heavenly robe reflects in itself our deeds. If we are stalwart in the matter of turning aside from the sinful nature and choose to do what is righteous in God’s sight, then that righteousness of character is woven into our robe. In the Day of Resurrection we shall be clothed in our own deeds.
Let us say we have committed fornication. Then this stain immediately appears on our heavenly robe. If, upon realizing what we have done, we confess our sin, asking God’s help that we may never do this again, our robe is washed in the blood of the Lamb and our robe returns to its spotless condition. But if instead of confessing our sin and turning away from it we continue yielding to our sinful nature, then our robe is permanently soiled.
This is what Jesus Christ is referring to when He states that only a remnant of the believers in Sardis have not soiled their clothes. The remnant will walk with Christ as members of the royal priesthood, clothed in their own righteous deeds.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) (Revelation 19:7,8)
"For they are worthy." Why are they worthy to be members of the royal priesthood? Because they have kept their robe spotlessly clean.
It often is said that only Christ is worthy, we are unworthy. Beyond all doubt Christ is worthy. It is true also that in several passages the New Testament warns us that we must live in a manner worthy of the Kingdom of God.
All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. (II Thessalonians 1:5)
He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. (Revelation 3:5)
The victorious saints have the guarantee in writing that they will not be harmed by the second death and that their name will never be blotted from the Book of Life.
Let us consider this promise for a moment. My guess would be that Satan’s most strenuous efforts to affect Christian doctrine are directed toward the idea that a Christian can never be lost. In spite of the several clear warnings in the New Testament, we keep hearing "You shall not surely die."
Satan is telling us clearly that even though we do not serve the Lord Jesus, if we once have "accepted Him" we shall not surely die, in spite of what Christ and His Apostles have taught us. It may be true that this idea of "the security of the believer" has been the primary reason why American Christians are such infants in the matter of righteous behavior.
I believe it is time for godly scholars to search the New Testament and determine if there are verses that state clearly the believer faces spiritual corruption and death if he obeys his sinful nature. Once having found one of these, the scholars should come out boldly and throw off this yoke of humanism that has removed the fear of God from the Christian people.
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7,8)
I could quote several such clear statements. But the one above is enough to show the sincere student that if a believer in Christ lives according to his sinful nature, out from that nature he will reap destruction
But was Paul speaking to Christians? Of course! The text of the Book of Galatians reveals clearly that Paul is not writing to the secular society of Galatia but to the churches in Galatia.
The inference is plain. If the member of the church in Sardis does not choose to live a victorious life in Christ, he has no guarantee that his name will not be blotted from the Book of Life. He has no guarantee that his name will be acknowledged before the Father and His angels. He has not been found worthy to be a member of the royal priesthood.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 3:6)
It is so important that we keep open to the Holy Spirit. I suppose the difference between Christians who merely are members of a religion, and true Christians, is that of being able to hear the Holy Spirit.
I have no doubt that in the last days the Christians who merely are members of the Christian religion will become part of "Babylon the Great," which apparently is the joining of all religions into one great religion with its headquarters on the site of ancient Babylon. The Christian services will continue with the traditional hymns and liturgies. The Holy Spirit will not be present, but no one will know or care.
What is the Spirit saying to us today? He is telling all who are able to hear Him that we are to repent and put to death the deeds of our sinful nature. We are to be reconciled to God in our whole personality, and finally filled with the fullness of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Also the Spirit is telling us about the worldwide revival that is at hand, the promised harvest rain, and we are to prepare ourselves for it by walking humbly with the Lord Jesus at all times. It will be a "sackcloth" revival. The time of the "big preachers" is coming to a close.
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. (Revelation 3:7)
If it is true that the seven churches of Asia represent seven periods of church history, it would be my opinion that we are in the age of Philadelphia with Laodicea on the horizon.
Notice that the Lord emphasizes holiness, truth, and the key of David, which is the key of the Kingdom of God. It is the authority to bind and to loose.
The word is first, holiness. We are unclean today. Every form of the deeds of the sinful nature can be found in the Christian churches, probably because of the overemphasis on "salvation by faith alone."
The current Christian message is filled with error, not truth. The common denominator of the errors is that salvation is a matter of a doctrinally correct confession of Jesus Christ, rather than what God intends, which is the moral transformation of people through the Lord Jesus Christ. How long shall it be before we leave these mythological traditions and return to the New Testament?
When we are walking in the Spirit of God, following the Lord Jesus Christ closely, He may exert through us the fullness of His authority over Heaven and earth. We then can forgive and retain sins, and otherwise admit and deny entrance to the Kingdom of God.
It is sometimes stated that in some nations the doors are closing to missionary activity. They may be closing to missionary activity that is organized and activated by fleshly enterprise; but no door is closed to the Lord Jesus Christ. When Christ decides He wants the Gospel preached somewhere, He chooses someone who is prepared and then opens every door and provides every resource needed.
Is God not able to open doors and provide resources? The problem today is not closed doors, it is holiness and truth on the part of the ministry.
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. (Revelation 3:8)
"I know your deeds." Christ must think it is important for the churches to understand that He knows our deeds, for He repeats this expression several times.
The churches of today have little moral or spiritual strength. Yet they have held forth the fact that Christ died for our sins, and then rose again and today is seated at the right hand of God. Also, the Christian churches have not denied His name—that He indeed is the Son of God.
There is an open door in the spirit realm today. The meaning of the Scriptures is being unveiled. We understand that there are not two major work of grace, but three: the forgiveness of our sins; the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; the indwelling of the fullness of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
There are thrones in the spirit realm that are waiting for those who are willing to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Jesus every day. I am not certain such authority in the Kingdom has always been available to Christians, but it is today. Perhaps this is what the Lord meant when He said many who are last shall be first.
No one can shut that door, can prevent us from attaining to the first resurrection from the dead. But our own unbelief and disobedience are able to close that door to us personally.
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. (Revelation 3:9)
I believe the "Jews" mentioned here are members of the Christian religion, not necessarily Jews by race. There are many such who are liars, who resist the Holy Spirit, who hate those who are pressing forward in the Lord. They slander them without mercy.
They will fall down at our feet and acknowledge that Christ has loved us. This is the Lord’s doing, not ours. By this time we have forgotten their slanderous remarks and have left them in God’s hands. It is the Lord, not we ourselves, who wants them to acknowledge that He loves us. We would rather press forward into the wonders of the Kingdom and see "what eye has not seen" as yet.
Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. (Revelation 3:10)
The "rapturists" translate this verse: "Whoever accepts Christ will be raptured into Heaven so he will not be here on earth during the Great Tribulation."
This is what can happen when our perception has been affected by a preconceived notion. We can’t see what is in front of us.
First of all, the verse is not addressing those who have merely "accepted Christ" but those who have been careful to guard His command to endure patiently. They make certain that they do not turn away from Christ when they have difficulties.
These are the people being addressed, aren’t they? Numerous people "accept Christ" and then turn away when they face problems.
Because you have guarded My command to endure patiently, I will also guard you."
The word is the same in the Greek. The word translated "kept," or "keep," means "guarded" or "guard."
Whatever we do to Christ’s command to endure patiently, that is what Christ will do to us. If we carefully observe Christ’s command, making certain that it comes to no harm, then Christ will carefully observe us, making certain that we come to no harm.
In fact, the same writer, John, in his Gospel, says, "I pray not that you should take them out of the world but that you protect (same Greek term) them from the evil one."
Protect them from what? "From the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth." My personal thought is that the "hour of trial" is not referring to the Great Tribulation but to the prevalence and availability of sin. "Because sin shall abound the love of the majority will grow cold," the Bible says.
We must through much tribulation enter the Kingdom of God. Tribulation creates patience and makes strong saints. It is our necessary chastening. We do not need to be protected from chastening but from the deceptions presented by Satan. Isn’t that so?
The key is patient endurance. If we are willing to endure patiently in the present hour, then when sin fills the earth (and it surely is going to do that) the Lord will protect us from falling.
It is my opinion that we are in days of preparation. We are learning to overcome our sinful nature by calling on the Lord for help.
I believe if we do not take advantage of the present instruction, in the days to come sin will become so powerful, so beguiling, the temptations so fiery, so intense, that even though we want to resist them we will not be able. We may call on the Lord; but He will remember that we did not take advantage of today’s opportunity to be reinforced and He will not hear us.
If I understand the Book of Daniel correctly, in the future God is going to permit Antichrist to ascend in the spirit realm to a place where he can interfere with the prayers of those who have not served Christ diligently. They will cry to the Lord but Antichrist will be able to deceive them.
He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. (Revelation 13:7)
To maintain that these are Jewish saints is ridiculous. When the New Testament speaks of saints (holy ones), it is speaking of those who are part of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, whether Jewish or Gentile by race. The above verse is saying that in the last days Antichrist will be able to make war against the Christians and to conquer them.
Even today numerous Christians in America, including some members of the ministry, are falling from the right hand of God because of the fiery sexual lusts that have attracted them. God has given us a powerful sexual urge that dominates most of life. To those who use this gift only in the will of God will be given the true riches. They will rule with Christ throughout the ages to come.
Today there are people who love the Lord and want to serve Him, but are pulled so strongly by lust they cannot resist. They have not put on the whole armor of God. There are weak places in their personality and they have fallen. This can happen to you or me if we do not immediately turn to the Lord and ask Him to help us put to death every deed of our sinful nature.
I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (Revelation 3:11)
What does the word "crown" mean to you? No governmental leader in America wears a crown, far as I know. There are girls who are crowned as Miss California or Miss New Zealand. But I don’t think it is speaking of this kind of crow