Revelation
Commentary – the Seven Churches – Part
II
Begin
Text:
I did
not complete our study on the church at Thyatira
in the last segment. There is a couple points
that I want to add, so, let’s do a quick
review:
Jesus
condemned the church at Thyatira for tolerating Jezebel.
a)
Jezebel led the church members to commit sexual
immorality
b)
Jezebel led church members to eat food sacrificed
to idols (the practice of superstition)
c)
Jezebel was defiant
d)
Jezebel used religious bamboozle or Satan’s
“deep secrets” theology.
In
other words, Jesus was upset with the church in
Thyatira because they had not removed Jezebel
from church membership.
a)
Jezebel led church members to commit sexual
immorality
b)
Jezebel led church members to eat food sacrificed
to idols (the practice of superstition)
c)
Jezebel was defiant
d)
Jezebel used religious bamboozle or Satan’s
“deep secrets” theology.
In
other words, Jesus was upset with the church in
Thyatira because they had not removed
Jezebel from church membership.
Carefully
consider these words:
1
Corinthians 5:9 I have written you in
my letter not to associate with sexually immoral
people –
1
Corinthians 5:10 not all meaning the
people of this world who are immoral, or greedy
and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you
would have to leave this world.
1
Corinthians 5:11 But now I am writing
you that you must not associate with anyone who
calls himself a brother (in the Lord) but
is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a
slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a
man do not even eat.
1
Corinthians 5:12 What business is it
of mine to judge those outside the church? Are
you not to judge those inside?
1
Corinthians 5:13 God will judge those
outside. “Expel the wicked man from among
you.”
These
instruction bother a lot of Christians today
because many Christians thank that (a) we should
not judge one another and (b) it is “Christ
like” to be tolerate of sinners… But,
Christians cannot afford to underestimate the
lure and transforming power of sin.
Paul
says “yes,” Christians should be
respectful toward those who are sexually immoral
or idolaters if they are not church
members. But, he said that church members are
not to associate or tolerate church members –
who are greedy, sexually immoral, drunkards
or slanderers (liars). Why did Paul insist on
this harsh form of discrimination? Why are
Christians supposed to treat sexually immoral pagans
with respect, but they are not to allow
sexually immoral brothers or sisters like
Jezebel to remain in the church?
There’s
a divine principle behind Paul’s words that
needs to be explained…
Leviticus
18 is an interesting chapter. God explicitly
identified numerous forms of sexual misconduct
that are an abomination to Him. Toward the
end of the chapter, God said:
Leviticus
18:24 “’Do not defile
yourselves in any of these ways, because this is
how the nations that I am going to drive
out before you became defiled.
Leviticus
18:25 even the land was defiled; so I
punished it for its sin, and the land vomited
out its inhabitants.
Leviticus
18:26 But you must keep my decrees
and my laws. The native-born and the aliens
living among you must not do any of these
detestable things,
Leviticus
18:27 for all these things were done
by the people who lived in the land before you,
and the land became defiled.
Leviticus
18:28 And if you defile the
land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the
nations that were before you.
Leviticus
18:29 “’Everyone who does
any of these detestable things—such persons
must be cut off from their people.
Cut
off means: shunned / disinherited /
excommunicated / rejected
On the
basis of the principle stated in Leviticus 18,
Paul stated that sexually immoral people were to
be cut off from the church because
the church is a corporate body of
Christ’s followers. The church is a
trustee of the gospel. It was set up to
reflect the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit
and the teachings of Jesus. If the body of
Christ does things that offend Jesus and are
openly defiant to His teachings and the
directives of the Holy Spirit, then the message
of the church harms Christianity. This is worse
behavior that that of pagans who profess nothing.
How can a church bear the name of Jesus but
refuses to represent Jesus?
This
is why Jesus warned the church at Ephesus:
Revelation 2:5 “….If you do not repent,
I will come to you and remove your lampstand from
its place.” The reputation of Jesus
among pagans is determined by the behavior of
Christ’s followers. Our behavior reveals
what we truly think about God and His will. Our
actions and words reveal our true purpose and
mission in life. This is why God judges us by our
actions – and incidentally, so do the pagans!
Matthew
5:16 In the same way, let your light
shine before men, that they may see your good
deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.
Revelation
22; 12 “Behold, I am coming soon!
My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone
according to what he has done.
The
primary mission of the church of Jesus Christ is
to reveal the love of God and the transforming
power in the gospel of Jesus.
People
who don’t know Jesus are able to discern
from a distance what “Jesus” is all
about by observing the corporate behavior of
those organizations that claim to represent Jesus!
Paul is clear. No weasel words. There’s a
high standard that goes with being called “a
Christian” and those who refuse to meet that
standard must be cut off.
Truth
is, there’s a standard of conduct that goes
with every profession – whether it is a
politician, medical doctor, airline pilot, lawyer,
teacher or a fast food worker. Everyone in
business protects and exalts the perception of
their products. Paul’s statement reveals a
simple truth:
One
cannot love the things that pagans do and call
himself a Christian.
The
Christian church must not allow people to worship
with them who willingly and willfully discredit
the gospel of Jesus. Thirty years after Paul told
the church of Corinth to expel those who were
sexually immoral, Jesus made the same statement
to the church at Thyatira:
Revelation
2:20 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
2:21 I have given her time to repent
of her immorality, but she is unwilling.”
There
are no weasel words here. Jezebel had been
given the time and opportunity to repent and
she refused… So, Jesus said, “I will
cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will
make those who commit adultery (along)
with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of
her ways.”
If a
person continues to behave in a sexually immoral
way after being confronted with their sin, their
sexual immorality becomes defiant and defiance
leads to the unpardonable sin. Everyone that
burns in hell will do so because they committed
the unpardonable sin. The coming lake of fire
is dedicated to the defiant. The influence of
defiance will permeate a whole congregation
- just as yeast permeates a whole bunch of dough.
And an
attitude of defiance can fill a whole church! We
know that defiance is the most grievous sin of
all sins in God’s sight. It is unforgivable.
Do you remember these texts?
Exodus
12:19 For seven days no yeast is to
be found in your houses. And whosoever eats
anything with yeast in it (during the Feast of
Unleavened Bread) must be cut off from
the community of Israel, whether he is an alien
or native-born.”
Exodus
30:37 Do not make any incense with this
formula for yourselves; consider it holy to the
Lord.
Exodus
30:38 Whoever makes any like it to
enjoy its fragrance must be cut off from
his people.”
Exodus
31:14 “’Observe the Sabbath,
because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates
it must be put to death; whoever does any
work on that day must be cut off from
his people.
Exodus
31:15 For in six days, work is to be
done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest,
holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the
Sabbath day must be put to death.”
Leviticus
20:10 “’If a man commits
adultery with another man’s wife – with
the wife of his neighbor – both the
adulterer and the adulteress must be put to
death.”
Many
people read these texts and argue that the God of
the Old Testament was stern and harsh whereas
Jesus was forgiving and tolerate. They use these
texts, especially the one concerning the
Sabbath death penalty as evidence that this
law was done away with at the cross.
They
argue that if you insist on keeping the Sabbath,
then you have to insist on killing those who work
on Sabbath. This line of reasoning shows no
understanding of God or His ways. God
explicitly forbid Israel from sexual immorality,
the eating of anything with yeast during the
Feast of Unleavened Bread, the manufacture of the
incense used in the temple and from working on
His holy Sabbath day when He required the elders
of Israel, who lived in a theocracy, to put
offenders to death because of defiance.
Defiance
was the issue. No King can tolerate defiance for
if he does, he cannot remain King. Does God
demand that defiant people be put to death
because He is arbitrary and threatened with their
defiance! No. Of course not. God’s laws are
not righteous because He says so. They are
righteous because they have been demonstrated to
be so.
The
point here is that God responds to defiance with
death for the benefit of His household. This is
why the wicked will be burned up at the end of
the 1,000 years. Every wicked person that will
burn – will burn because of defiance.
If we
defiantly continue in sin – sexual
immorality, greed, idolatry, slander, etc., we
become slaves of Satan and if slaves of the devil
are tolerated in church, the whole church
will eventually fail under the dominion.
Leviticus
20:4 If the people of the
community close their eyes when that man
gives one of his children to Molech and they fail
to put him to death,
Leviticus
20:5 I will set my face against that
man and his family and will cut off from
their people both him and all who follow him in
prostituting themselves to Molech.”
I call
this process the corporate effect: (Goats
misleading the sheep…)
John 8:34
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth,
everyone who sins is a slave to (that) sin.
John 8:35
Now a slave has no permanent place in the family,
but a son belongs to it forever.
John 8:36
So if the Son sets you free (from slavery), you
will be free indeed (as sons).
Throughout
the Old Testament, Israel’s history is one
of repetitious apostasy… And in
most cases, Israel’s tolerance for
sexual immorality was the leading precursor to
its apostasy. This is why God demanded that
sexually immoral people were to be cutoff from
the camp and put to death! (Leviticus 18:29; 20:10)
This
is the same principle that Paul advocated
when he insisted that anyone who refuses to
repent of sexual immorality must be expelled from
church and Jesus affirmed this principle when He
condemned the church at Thyatira. Fortunately,
everyone had not yet fallen under Jezebel’s
influence when Jesus gave this message.
Revelation
2:24 Now I say to the rest of you in
Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her
teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called
deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden
on you):
Revelation
2:25 Only hold on to what you
have until I come.
Then
Jesus added:
“To
him that 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. I
will also give him the morning star. He who has
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.”
These
words mean the following:
Overcoming
sin is not only possible; it is necessary –
through heart-felt sorrow and repentance. When we
respond to the influence of the Holy Spirit, we
receive divine power from the Holy Spirit to
overcome sin! (Romans 6)
People
who endure and fight the fight of faith to the
very end will be given great authority and power
as Jesus has been given great authority and power!
On the day that Adam and Eve sinned, and
Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins.
The Father accepted and made this promise to
Jesus.
Psalm
2:7 I will proclaim the decree of the
Lord; He said unto me, “You are my Son (subject);
today I have become your Father.
Psalm
2:8 Ask of me, and I will make the
nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth
your possession.
Psalm
2:9 You will rule them with an iron
scepter; you will dash them to pieces like
pottery.”
Psalm
2:10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
Psalm
2:11 Serve the Lord with fear and
trembling.
Psalm
2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry
and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath
can flair up in a moment. Blessed are all who
take refuge in him.”
On
that day that Adam and Eve sinned, Jesus
willingly became subject to the will of the
Father. Because Jesus was willing to die in our
place, the Father was willing to give Earth and
everything in it to Jesus.
Remember
the prayer of Jesus?
John
17:6 “I have revealed to you
those whom you gave me out of the world. They
were yours; you gave them to me and they have
obeyed your word.”
Psalm
2:8 Ask of me, and I will make the
nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth
your possession.
Psalm
2:9 You will rule them with an iron
scepter; you will dash them to pieces like
pottery.”
Jesus
extends the promise given to Him to those who
overcome the world as He overcame the world!
Revelation
2:26 To him that overcomes and does
my will to the end, I will give authority over
the nations –
Revelation
2:27 “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.”
What
does this mean?
The
saints will sit in judgment with Jesus and decide
the fate of the wicked. The saints will determine
the amount of restitution each wicked person must
pay. (1 Corinthians 6:1-3; Revelation 20:4)
Keep
in mind, the saints will not determine whether a
person is saved or lost. No! The saints will
determine the amount of suffering required to
meet God’s standard of justice. How
marvelous. Many martyrs will sit in judgment and
sentence their attacker. Many slaves and poor
people will sit in judgment and judge those who
robbed them of fair wages and took advantage of
them.
Ah,
the victims of sin will become more than
conquerors in the end! They will judge the wicked
for God has decreed this and it will surely take
place. One last point, Jesus said that every over
comer will be given “the Morning Star.”
The
Morning Star is Jesus Himself. (Revelation 22:16)
Revelation
22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent
my angel to give you this testimony for the
churches. I am the Root and Offspring of David, and
the bright Morning Star.”
Jesus
offers every repentant and faithful sinner
Himself. With Jesus we receive a God of love, a
Savior who was willing to die in our place, and
Savior who offers us His perfect righteousness. (Romans
1:17)
What
could be better? There is no God like the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit.
Let’s
review the corporate sins of the churches that we
have studied thus far:
1.
Loss of first love
Ephesus
2.
Synagogue of Satan
Smyrna
3.
Sexual immorality & superstition
Pergamum
4. Tolerating
Jezebel in the church
Thyatira
Now, let’s review
the promise given to every over comer!
1.
Eat from the tree of life
Ephesus
2.
Not hurt by the second death
Smyrna
3.
Hidden manna and white rock
Pergamum
4.
Authority to rule and the Morning Star
Thyatira
We
have three more churches to study!
Sardis
Philadelphia
Laodecia
The
Church at Sardis:
Revelation
3:1 “To the angel of the church
in Sardis write: These are the words of him who
holds the seven spirits of God and the seven
stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation
of being alive, but you are dead.
Revelation
3:2 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
3:3 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
3:5 He who overcomes, 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
3:6 He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.
A few
have not soiled their clothes… What does
this mean?
Matthew
22:2 “The kingdom of heaven is
like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for
his son.
Matthew
22:3 “Then he sent
servants to those who have been invited to the
banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to
come.
Matthew
22:4 “Then he sent some more
servants and said, ‘Tell those who had been
invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen
and fattened cattle have been butchered, and
everything is ready. Come to my wedding banquet.’
Matthew
22:5 “But they paid no attention
and went off – one to his field, another to
his business.
Matthew
22:6 The rest seized his servants,
mistreated them and killed them.
Matthew
22:7 The king was enraged. He sent
his army and destroyed those murderers and burned
their city.
Matthew
22:8 “Then he said to his
servants. ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but
those I invited did not deserve to come.
Matthew
22:9 Go to the street corners and
invite to the banquet anyone you find.’
Matthew
22:10 So the servants went out into the
streets and gathered all the people they could
find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was
filled with guests.
Matthew
22:11 “But when the king came in to
see the guests, he noticed a man there who was
not wearing wedding clothes.
Matthew
22:12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how
did you get in here without wedding clothes (that
I provided)?’ The man was speechless.
Matthew
22:13 “Then the king told his
attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and
throw him outside, into the darkness, where there
will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Matthew
22:14 “For many are invited, but few
are chosen.”
This
parable sums up man’s need for a spotless
wedding garment very succinctly. Here’s the
meaning of the parable:
The
King of the Universe has prepared a wedding
banquet for His Son.
The so-called
friends of the King are too busy and distracted
to come to the banquet. When invited, the
“friends” excused themselves because it
was at an inconvenient time.
Even
worse, they mistreated and killed the servants of
the King who announced the banquet.
Then,
the King commanded His servants: Go everywhere
and find anyone willing to come to the
banquet….
A man
was spotted at the banquet without the
prerequisite wedding garment….
He was
immediately thrown into the fire outside….
Here’s
the punch line:
The
invitation to the wedding banquet comes with
terms and conditions. The friends of the King
were not interested in meeting those terms and
conditions.
When
the banquet began and a man was found who had not
surrendered to the terms and conditions, he was
thrown out….
This
is the meaning:
Many
are invited… But few will submit to the
terms and conditions. Those who submit are the
elect, the called and the chosen.
In
Sardis, there were members who had not soiled
their wedding garment.
Revelation
19:7 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.
Revelation
19:8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given to her to wear.” (Fine linen
stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
God is
happiest with us when we submit to the terms and
conditions for salvation on a daily basis. What
are the terms and conditions for salvation?
1.
Submission to the Spirit – Purifying our
lives so that we may bring glory to God…
2.
Loving God and His Word with all our heart, mind
and soul.
3.
Loving our neighbor as ourselves. This means
caring for the sick, helping the poor, giving up
free time to assist others…
These
things produce a character like that of Jesus
– serving others with the heart of a servant.
Reviewing….
Revelation
3:4 Yet you have a few people in
Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They
will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are
worthy.
Revelation
3:5 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.”
Jesus
said something to the church at Sardis that is widely
misunderstood today. He promised that
He would never blot out the names of the over
comers from the Book of Life. Most Christians
misinterpret these words of Jesus in one of two
ways:
First,
some believer that “if a person receives
Christ as Savior, he or she cannot be lost thereafter
because Jesus will not blot any name out of the
Book of Life - meaning once you are saved,
you are forever saved,” or…
Second,
some believe that “If a person overcomes
every besetting sin, his or her name will not be
blotted out of the Book of Life – meaning
salvation belongs to those that achieve
perfection.”
These
conclusions are fatal. First the doctrine of
‘once saved – always saved,” and
the reciprocal of this doctrine, “Some
people are predestined to be lost and some are
predestined to be saved,” is disputed by the
text itself.
The
Bible teaches that salvation belongs to anyone
and everyone who overcomes this world of sin.
“For
everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is
the victory that has overcome the world, even our
faith.” (1 John 5:4)
Revelation
22:17 The Spirit and the bride say,
“Come!” And let him that hears say,
“Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let
him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free
gift of the water of life.”
The
Bible also teaches that a person can walk in the
assurance of salvation and then lose it by
turning away from the Lord and doing wicked
things! (Ezekiel 18) Consider (a) the fall of
Lucifer and (b) the fall of Adam and Eve.
At one
time they were perfect, they were “saved,”
they had eternal life, but they turned away from
righteousness and fell from God’s favor. So,
what did Jesus mean when He said that the names
of the over comers would not be blotted out of
the Book of Life?
He
promised the believers in Sardis that once over
comers get to Heaven, their names will never be
blotted out of the Book of Life. Over comers will
never perish. Do you think this promise is
limited only to the church of Sardis?
Of
course not.
Notice
how the meaning of the promise unfolds within the
context of all the promises made to all seven
churches:
Ephesus:
The right to eat from the tree of Life;
Smyrna:
The second death will not hurt you;
Pergamum:
The right to eat hidden manna and the receipt of
a white stone;
Thyatira:
You will receive authority over the nations and
the Morning Star;
Philadelphia:
I will write on you the name of my God and the
name of His city;
Laodicea:
I will grant you the right to sit with Me on My
throne.
Listen
closely: The rewards to the over comers in these
six churches will be implemented after the
Second Coming. In other words, there is no
revealing who the over comers actually are nor is
there any reward for the over comers until the
Second Coming. At which time, Jesus will return
“with his reward.”
This
means the promise to the churches at Sardis
occurs after the Second Coming. The names of the
over comers in Sardis will not be blotted out of
the Book of Life after get to Heaven. The
problem for most people with Revelation 3:5 is timing.
Jesus
was not talking about entering or blotting
people’s names from the Book of Life at the
time He spoke to the church at Sardis (or any of
the promises made to over comers in the other
churches). Rather, Jesus promised the over comers
in Sardis that He will never blot out their names
from the Book of Life after they arrived in
Heaven. This means over comers will live forever
with Jesus!
This
brings us to the second problem. Many
people misunderstand God’s function and
purpose for the Book of Life. According to
Revelation 20: 12, the Book of Life is not opened
until the thousand years are over.
In
fact, the Father wrote the Book of Life and
sealed it seven seals before any life was created!
(Revelation 17:8) This means the over comers and
sinners were entered into the Book of Life
before life was created. This is why
the Book of Life remains sealed until the end
of the thousand years.
God
does not want the information in the Book of Life
disclosed until the drama of sin has ended. At
that time, God will open the book and reveal what
he knew before any beings were given life. When
God the Father shows that He foreknew, He will
prove that “yes,” He has perfect
omniscience. At that same moment, He will silence
every accusation that He uses His omniscience to
manipulate His creatures for personal gain. When
the Book of Life is opened, He will prove that He
will not use His omniscience to prevent the death
of another member of the Godhead – namely,
Jesus! So, when the Book of Life is opened, the
love of God will be seen with such clarity and
grandeur that every living creature – saints
and sinners alike – will bow down!
Isaiah
45:23 By myself I have sworn, my
mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that
will not be revoked: Before me every knee will
bow; by me every tongue will swear.
Isaiah
45:24 They will say of me, ‘In
the LORD alone is righteousness and strength.’”
All who have raged against him will come to him
and be put to shame.
Isaiah
45:25 But in the LORD all the
descendants of Israel will be found righteous and
will exult.
The third
problem concerning the Book of Life centers
around the fact that the book of Life has
nothing to do with man’s salvation. The
Book of Life contains a pre-recorded history of
the world that the Father wrote and sealed up
with seven seals before any life was created. (Revelation
17:8) Books of records, recorded by angels as
events transpire, are used to judge humanity (Daniel
7:9,10), but the Book of Life remains sealed
until the end of the thousand years. The Book
of Life IS NOT used during the judgment of
mankind because it remains sealed!
The last
misunderstanding that I want to address is
that some people believe that an over comer is a
sinless person. Carefully consider two statements:
1.
It is impossible for a sinner to become sinless.
2.
It is impossible for a sinner to live a sinless
life.
The
point here is that overcoming sin is not only
possible it is necessary. However, overcoming sin
to the point of sinless living remains impossible
until the sealing occurs.
No
one other than Jesus has lived a perfect life and
no one can live a sinless life until the carnal
nature is removed! This is good news. John tells
us there is a sin that does not lead to death. This
sin is accidental sin. (1 John 5:16, 17;
Romans 7:19) If we say that we are without sin,
the Bible says that we are liars. (2
Chronicles 6:36; 1 John 1:10)
So,
the promise Christ gave to the over comers in
Sardis have to be kept within the context of all
His words to the seven churches. What did the
church of Sardis need to overcome? They have
substituted church life for spiritual life
and as a result, they had become spiritually dead.
Jesus insisted they wake up so that He might walk
among them and make disciples of them!
Everyone
who overcomes this temptation will never have his
name blotted out of the Book of Life.
The
Church At Philadelphia:
Revelation
3:7 “To the angel of the church
in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him
who is holy and true, who holds the key (to the
city) of David. What he opens no one can shut,
and what he shuts no one can open.
Revelation
3:8 I know your deeds. See, I have
placed before you an open door that no one can
shut. I know that you have little strength, yet
you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
Revelation
3:9 I will make those who are 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
3:10 Since you have kept my command
to endure patiently, I will also keep you from
the hour of trial that is going to come upon the
whole earth to test those who live upon the earth.
Revelation
3:11 I am coming soon. Hold on to
what you have, so that no one will take your
crown.
Revelation
3:12 Him that overcomes I will make a
pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will
be leave it. I will write on him the name of my
god and the name of the city of my god, the New
Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven
from my God; and I will also write upon him my
new name.
Revelation
3:13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches.
The
church of Philadelphia, like the church of Smyrna,
was suffering from persecution. Some people say
that Philadelphia is the only church of the seven
that didn’t have an internal problem.
True, Jesus did not condemn the church at
Philadelphia, but that church had a problem.
The church at Philadelphia struggled with
“the synagogue of Satan” just like the
church at Smyrna. Each of the seven churches were
beset with problems.
Ephesus
had lost its first love.
Pergamum
was beguiled with the devil’s lies and
Gnosticism.
Thyatira
was corrupted with Jezebel’s teachings about
sexual immorality.
Smyrna
was hammered by persecution and Philadelphia
was weakened by those claims to be Jews, but the
church was hanging on.
Sardis
was an active church but is was spiritually dead
and
Laodecia
had grown lukewarm and indifferent
As
Jesus tenderly looked down from Heaven upon the
seven churches, there’s no wonder He
wasn’t very happy with six of them.
The
message to Philadelphia contains some wording
that is often distorted by Christians needing
texts to support the idea of a pre-tribulation
rapture. The problem here is that the words of
Jesus do not imply there will be a pre-tribulation
rapture.
Because
the church in Philadelphia was suffering from
persecution, Jesus told them that He had set
before them an open door. He had made a way
for them to go through their suffering. This is
the point of “What he opens no one can
shut, and what he shuts no one can open.”
By His grace and in His power, the church could
go through this experience and overcome it.
Being
trapped in the jaws of persecution is equivalent
to being hemmed in by brick walls – there is
no way out. But, Jesus is not restricted by walls.
He can open a door in a solid brink wall. He
makes a way possible through the impossible!
Let’s look closely at the words of Jesus. He
told the church that He would keep them from*the
hour of trial to come upon the whole world.
Revelation
3:16 is often used by pre-trib
rapture advocates to defend their belief that
they will escape the Great Tribulation. However,
when this verse is aligned with everything the
Bible has to say about the end-time, this
verse does not teach what is purported to say.
Consider this: Does Revelation 3:10 really mean
that the church of Philadelphia (whomever they
may be) will be taken to Heaven before the Great
Tribulation begins, but the other six churches
must stay on Earth and suffer? No. Don’t
forget, there are a total of seven churches in
Revelation. So, what happens to the other six
churches during the Great Tribulation?
Jesus
did say, “…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.” This statement is consistent
with everything said in the Bible about the end-time
because the judgment of the living occurs
during the Great Tribulation. Because
salvation comes through faith, Jesus is going to test
every living person to see whether he has
faith or not. The faith-full will receive the
seal of God and be saved, but the faith-less will
receive the mark of the beast and be destroyed.
Let’s
take a look at the Greek word ‘ek which is
translated as “from” as in “…keep
you from the hour of trial…” One of the
best Greek lexicons on early Christian use of the
Greek language is A Greek Lexicon of the New
Testament (written by Bauer, Arndt and Gingrich).
The word in question is a Greek preposition
‘ek and it is translated ‘from”
both in the NIV and KJV. Therefore, the phrase
reads, “… I will keep you from the
hour of trial…” However, according
to Bauer, Arndt and Gingrich, (4th
edition 1952) this preposition is also translated
in a variety of other ways in the NIV and KJV and
it has more than a dozen different English
equivalents. For example, ‘ek can mean
“from, out of, away from, coming out of,
descending from, by, because of, beginning from,
begins from, for,” etc. On page 235 of this
edition, the authors indicate that when the
preposition is followed by a measurement of time
– as in “the hour of trial,”
‘ek can convey the meaning “beginning
from.” In other words, a person is justified
in reading this verse as follows: “I (Jesus)
will also keep you beginning from the hour of
trial that is going to come upon the whole
world…”
When
a theological point is disputed because of one
word, especially a preposition, we have to take a
closer look. In these situations, we can and
should turn to additional lexicons and other word
study helps for insight. Although this effort is
valuable, it is not the highest authority
regarding the intended meaning of the verse. The
higher and more weighty evidence must come from
the Bible itself. So, here are two points for you
consideration showing why Revelation 3:10 should
be understood as “beginning from
the hour of trial:”
a.
Jesus told His disciples,” … And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of
the age (world (KJV).” (Matthew 28:20)
We should take this verse at face value. Jesus
plainly said He would be with His children to the
very last day when He physically and gloriously
appears in the clouds. This idea concurs with
this reading of Revelation 3:10: “I (Jesus)
will also keep you beginning from the hour of
trial that is going to come upon the whole
world…”
b.
Several verses in Revelation indicate that
the saints will be on Earth during the Great
Tribulation. The word ‘saints” is
mentioned 12 times in Revelation (NIV) and 13
times in the KJV. Except for the 144,000 servants
who are taken to Heaven at the seventh trumpet
and the 24 elders who were taken to Heaven at the
time of Christ’s ascension. Revelation does
not place the living saints in Heaven
before the Second Coming. In fact, Revelation
places the saint on Earth! Notice what happens to
the saints in these verses: “Then the dragon
was enraged at the woman and went off to make war
against the rest of the remnant, (KJV) of her
offspring – those who obey God’s
commandments and hold to the testimony of
Jesus… He (the beast) was given
authority over every tribe, people, language and
nation…. If anyone is to go into captivity
he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the
sword, with the sword he will be killed. This
calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on
the part of the saints. …” (Revelation
12:17; 13:7; 13:10)
I do
not find support in Scriptures for the idea that
some saints are enjoying the bliss of Heaven
while others are living through a hellish
tribulation on Earth. No, the response of the
Great Tribulation is to test those people who
live on Earth and to expose who the saints really
are! Revelation 14:12 also confirms the idea that
the saints will suffer because they obey God.
John wrote, “This calls for patient
endurance on the part of the saints who (suffer
because they) obey God’s commandments and
remain faithful to Jesus.”
The
point here is that Revelation clearly puts the
saints on Earth during the Great Tribulation.
Therefore, Revelation 3:10 should read, “I (Jesus)
will also keep you beginning from the hour
of trial that is going to come upon the whole
world….”
The
reason words about the Great Tribulation were
spoken to the church in Philadelphia is two-fold.
First, the saints in Philadelphia were already
weakened and discouraged by persecution from
the Romans and frustrated with religious baggage
of Jewish converts. This is why Jesus said,
“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.”
The
second reason Jesus wanted to encourage the
church at Philadelphia is that he did not want
them to be overcome with discouragement after
they read the contents of this vision (the book
of Revelation) because the book of Revelation
predicts even more suffering is to come upon the
saints. Because the church in Philadelphia was
already hurting and weak, knowledge of the
Great Tribulation could cause some to give up
their faith in Christ altogether.
So,
Jesus prepared them for the message in Revelation
saying, “Since you have kept my command to endure
patiently, I will keep you from (falling
during) the hour of trial that is going to come
upon the whole world to test those who live on
the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you
have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Bottom
line: Jesus promised to sustain the church at
Philadelphia with His strength and not theirs.
Jesus encouraged them saying, “Hold on to
what you have…” These words are crucial
when the fires of persecution are hot. Its human
nature to give up to stop the pain. So, what is
the good news for the members of Philadelphia:
Those who overcome the adversary will be rewarded
beyond their widest imagination!
All
over comers will be given a special name tag when
they get to Heaven. Jesus said, “I will
write on him the name of my God… the name of
the city of my God, and I will also write in him
my new name.” This name tag will permit its
owner to travel anywhere in God’s universe
in a stretch-limo with a hundred angels attending.
Ok, I may be pushing the point a little bit, but
you get the idea. When we receive this name tag,
we will be recognized throughout God’s
universe as a VIP because WE were trained through
suffering on Earth for the exalted role that God
will give us throughout eternity and remember,
the saints will reign with Jesus!
Your
victory in overcoming the world makes you very
special to Jesus and He wants everyone to know it,
thus, a glorious name tag awaits every over comer.
Can you say, Hallelujah! Discipleship hurts?”
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