Bible Study - September 23, 2020

So, you know, over the last several weeks we're here, we've been going through the Book of Revelation.

And I think we've seen, you know, so much in learned a lot. I know I have as we've looked into the detail and thought and paused to think about exactly how, you know, God has so far revealed to us He's going to lead up to the time of the return of Jesus Christ.

And we've seen the discipline in the beings in heaven. We've seen the discipline that you and I need to kind of be building into our lives to learn how to do things exactly the way God said, to have the order in our lives, and to allow Him to develop in us the character that we must have in order to serve Him, love Him, and have the joy that we know there's extent in heaven.

You know, on Trumpets, as we read through Revelation 16, and we saw that climactic seventh bowl being poured out on the mankind, you know, it may be, it may be, and I'm going to say, may, that God has resurrected His saints by that time so that all may see His tremendous power.

Because in that time, you know, it says that the world is terrified, and of course in the Bible it tells us it's a terrible thing, a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

And what happens in that last day, you know, will reveal His power to everyone, including us, I think, as we see that unfold, and we recognize the greatness of the God that we serve. I want to start today by going back to Revelation 14 and a couple of verses that we read on Trumpets, because they struck me as I was putting that sermon together, and they'll lead into what we're going to talk about today.

Now, I'm not going to continue on in Revelation 17 and 18. I think we'll talk about some of that after the phase, but we'll go into another direction as we're here, and we're all about headed, you know, to the Feast of Tabernacles, certainly looking forward to the Day of Atonement on Monday. In Revelation 14, you know, we got to verse 5 last week talking about the first fruits, and then Sabbath we talked about, you know, the three things that lead up to return of Jesus Christ, the preaching of the everlasting gospel, and how that how that goes on right until the time of that seventh Trump, how Babylon the Great will fall, we talked about that, and then the sickle that comes in and reaps the earth.

But in chapter 14 and verse 9, it says some things that we should take note of. It says, a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, if anyone worships the beast in his image and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of his indignation.

He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night who worship the beast and his image and whoever receives the mark of his name.

I've got a couple more people here. Hold on just a minute. You know, in those verses, you see a finality of what God is saying. You know, to people in that time. You know, we talked about the two witnesses preaching. We've talked about the beast power and how they will use all the power to their extent to get people to worship the beast. And we know that beast has his power from Satan. So it really is God versus Satan in the end time.

You have two powerful voices going on in the earth, the witness to all the nations, the beast power, working miracles, and doing everything to have man choose him. And there's a finality when God says, whoever receives the mark of the beast, you know, if you or I, you know, fail to meet, you know, God's standard in this lifetime, and we find ourselves in that time, you know, if we fall to the mark of the beast, and I may be wrong in this, but reading those words, I don't see any repentance from the receiving the mark of the beast. If we receive the mark of the beast, then our lives are over.

It is that serious and that it is that final. It kind of reminds me of Adam and Eve, you know, they had the tree of life and they had the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When they chose the tree of the knowledge of God good and evil, God ushered them out of the Garden of Eden. They were never to return again, and it never indicates that in the Bible that Adam and Eve ever repented.

They may have recognized what they did, but they never repented. There was no going back for them. And those who received the mark of the beast, the Bible doesn't indicate in those verses there is any going back. They will be tormented forever and ever. That'll be daunting for the people of the earth, much more so for the people who know God's truth now, and who may find themselves in that.

They realize, and they should realize, there is no choice. Whatever the price, no matter what the pain, no matter if that pain and torture leads to death, there is no choice if there's eternal life, but to remain loyal to God and reject the mark of the beast. You know, with that in mind, with that in mind, I want to go back today and talk about the type of people that we need to be, because the Bible, we didn't talk about the two last churches that are mentioned in Revelation 3, the messages to those two churches, Philadelphia and Laodicea.

And as we've shown, most of Revelation, right up to the trumpet, and we'll talk about atonement, you know, atonement of Satan being bound on atonement. You know, it's good to go back and look at those churches now, because in it, we see a lot of the traits that God is expecting of Philadelphia, you know, that we have talked about in the book of Revelation. And a lot of the traits of Laodicea and where they fall short, we've talked about in the book of Revelation. So let's go back and let's go back to Revelation 3, and let's look at the church in Philadelphia and take it word by word, because there is a lot hidden in there.

You know, these are all verses that we've talked about Philadelphia and Laodicea that we've heard so many times. You know, those have been in the church for decades. We've heard this, you know, maybe hundreds of times. And we can kind of become a little bit calloused or take a little bit of for granted what's in there. But when we look at some of the words, it does tell us what God has planned. And when we look at it from the, you know, face of Revelation that we've talked about, you'll have some meaning for it. So we're going to begin on Revelation 3, verse 7.

Remember that the church that immediately proceeds to Philadelphia is the Sardis Church. And God says to that church, they're basically dead. You've got a name that you're mine, but you are dead. And He says very little good about that church, except that they can repent if they want, but it doesn't indicate they do. But then out of that dead church, the very next church is the Philadelphia church, which God doesn't say anything negative about. They meet the standards that He would have His people be, the standards of people who live at the end time and that may be faced with a mark of the beast or having the name of God written on their foreheads. In verse 7, then, it says to the angel of the church, remember there's the angel as a messenger, and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, right. And let's, you know, let's pause. We all know what the word Philadelphia means.

It means brotherly love. And it's interesting that God would give this church, the name of that city, the name brotherly love. You know, we have talked many times over the last, oh, year or two about how important it is for to God that we become brothers and sisters in every sense of the word, how important it is to Him that we are bound together, and how important it is for the assembling of ourselves together as He grows a family, as He grows His spiritual temple, as we become one with one another. And here, this church that He says nothing negative about is called brotherly love. I think it tells us that, you know, where we need to grow, and we might need to assess ourselves and ourselves as a church and ourselves individually. Do we have, do we have that brotherly love that God is looking for us to have? That is a requirement. When you look at, you know, Matthew 25 and the things about the virgins, the ten virgins, the separating the sheep from the goats, the parable of the talents, you know, brotherly love, brotherly love is one of the things that God is looking for. And this church is called by that by that name. It's something for us to aspire to and think about. It's, we absolutely keep the commandments of God. We absolutely live with the face, are marked by the faith of Jesus, absolutely live and are led by God's Holy Spirit, but that should all lead to brotherly love and a oneness, a oneness and a togetherness that God is looking for. So he starts that off with that name of that church, and it says, these things says He who is holy. You know, holy means sanctified, set apart. You know, if you look it up in Strongs, it says they're morally blameless, you know, or a saint. Well, this is, you know, this is Jesus Christ, right? He is the one who's giving the message and the messenger is giving it to the church. But this thing says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David. Now let's stop there for a minute. He who has the key of David, what what might God be talking about when He says that this, He who has the key of David, anyone have an idea of what that might be or what God might be referring to when He says He who has the key of David? Well, let's look. There's a couple of verses or a verse back in Isaiah 22 that uses that very same term.

Isaiah 22 and in verse 22.

My Bible, I don't know about your Bible, my Bible has little stars by it when it's when it's indicating that it's referring to the coming Jesus Christ the Messiah. So it's got a little star by verse 22, Isaiah 22 verse 22, and it says, The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder.

So he shall open and no one shall shut. And there we see, you know, we see words that we're going to see right there in Revelation 3. So this church in Philadelphia, they've got, you know, the one who's speaking to it has the key of the house of David. I will lay it on his shoulder. We go back to Isaiah 9 and verse 6, and we pick up, you know, on the term, it's laid on his shoulder. Isaiah 9 verse 6, we read about the prophecy of Jesus Christ. Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder. His name will be called, wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end upon the throne of David and over his kingdom. To order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. So, you know, as he says, he's got the key. He's got the key of David. He tells us that Jesus Christ will return and take David's throne. He will take over the kingdoms of the earth. He'll be king of kings and Lord of lords. He has the key that can open and open and shut.

He's got the authority to do all of that. And we might remember in Matthew 16, when Jesus is beginning his church, you know, he says, I will give you, church, called out once, the ones who serve him and follow him. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, you know. So you will have some authority under Jesus Christ, as long as we are doing things exactly the way he said, with detail and attention to all the things that he said.

So when Jesus Christ, so here in when he's talking to this church in Philadelphia, he's saying, I've got the authority to do this. Now, what happens with this Philadelphia, we want to say era, church, attitude, you know, I think here in the end times, we're gonna see that there was a time in the end time church's history that what it talks about here in the verses referring to Philadelphia really did happen. Not really happening today, except that God has the power to shut. He opens and no one can shut. He shuts and no one can open. It's his will.

He holds the keys of what is happening, and we have to remember that he is in complete authority.

So if we go back, and again, if anyone's got any comments, questions, observations, feel free to just, you know, hit your microphone and tune in and, you know, and speak up.

Mr. Shaby, I got a question. Yes. Okay. Going back to real quick about the market debates. Yes. Okay.

I think about this, and you know me, I'm terribly analytical.

That's all part of McTrading working in the high-tech industry. Okay. But I was thinking about this, and I said to myself, well, whoever receives the mark of the beast, of course, there's no repentance for them. Okay. But wouldn't it make more sense that that applies to people who knew the truth and who fell away? But the rest of the world, not knowing the truth, how could they be condemned, all right, when they're going to be brought up in the second resurrection and given their first chance? Any sense of that? It may be. It's interesting that the God says, whoever receives the mark of the beast. And then remember, we read in Revelation 16 with the seventh trumpet, the blood of those that are killed is just like enormous amount of blood rises up to the bridles of the horses for all these furlongs. What was it? 1,600 furlongs. I mean, that's a lot of blood. There is bloodshed everywhere. So, I don't know. I think it does certainly apply to the people of the church. The Gospels are written to us who understand. And the ones who fell away. Yeah. You know, we don't know how many, right? The Bible says there are many that have their robes washed white in the Great Tribulation who resist the mark of the beast. Are those the ones who live over into the kingdom, into the millennium? You know, I don't know. I don't know. You know, God is their judge. I think He's ultimately fair with everyone. So, but it's an interesting thing. And the way He, the way it's recorded in the Bible there doesn't show. And remember, even the beast and the false prophet, when Christ returns, they're just thrown into the lake of fire. That's the end of them.

There's no more repentance. There's no more. I mean, that's the end. So, I don't know. Yeah, again, God, I'm saying that it looks that way from the Bible, but God, we know, is ultimately merciful and fair and, you know, it's just food for God. Yeah, just food for God. Yep.

Okay, so we're back on Philadelphia here, right? We have verse seven. He has the key of David. He's got the authority to do whatever he wants. He opens and no one shuts. He shuts and no one opens.

And He says to this church, these people that have that attitude. And remember, as we talked about when we were going through those seven churches, the attitudes, it's not everyone that's happens to be at live at that time. It's everyone who has this attitude. These are attitudes that are extant, you know, here on earth today. It may be that the church, when we looked at the overall church back at another time before this time, you know, apply some of these verses apply to that. But there are people who have the Philadelphia attitude today. You and I can have the Philadelphia attitude today. And that's what God is looking to. And He makes some tremendous promises to the people. He goes, I know your works. And remember, God is looking for us. If we have faith in Him, we have to have works. Remember, it's brotherly love. And we show our love to one another by the things that we do. We show our faith to God by the things that we do, not to be seen by Him, not to be seen or not to be seen by others, but out of our hearts these things happen. I know your works. I've set before you an open door and no one can shut it. That means exactly what it is, you know? It's like no man is going to be able, no one is going to be able to shut it. There's a door that God opens, and He expects when those doors open that we walk through. I set before you an open door that no one can shut it. But you have a little, a little strength. Let me stop there. You know that word, that word strength, I think in the Old King James it might say power, but it comes from, it comes from the Greek word, well it's Greek in the Strongs number 1411.

And here's what it says about that Greek word. It says it's a force, a specially miraculous power by implication a miracle itself, a power or a mighty work. Now it's interesting, it's interesting with that definition that it implies in there when Jesus Christ opens the door, and you have just a little strength that, or a little power, that this isn't power by that you and I have, right? It's not power because we're some great marketing geniuses or great preaching geniuses.

It's the power that comes from God. You know, we hearken back to Zechariah 4 verse 6, which we've quoted many times, you know, here and talking about the verse of in the book of Revelation.

It's not by my power, not by power or my, by your spirit, oh God. And so he says you've got this little strength, and what has happened is almost miraculous what you are able to do.

And I'll pause here. I'll pause here because those of us, and I look around, I see many, you know, most here on online today have known about, you know, the church. Have you either been in the church for decades or known about it for decades? We may have a few new on here, but, you know, we hearken back to the 60s and 70s and even the early 80s. And the church always was a little flock in comparison. You know, there was a time when the attendance was up to 150,000 or something like that. These sites had 8, 9, 10,000 people in them. But even for a little church, it was always amazing, you know, and almost miraculous that God allowed Mr. Armstrong, who was his servant at that time, to walk through so many open doors. I mean, why was it that Mr. Armstrong and this little church was able to buy, if I remember correctly, the second most airtime, TV airtime of any other church on earth? It was just a blessing that God gave. And so many people that even today remember the talk about the Sabbath day, that even know about the Holy Days because of the witness that went out during that time. It's like God opened that door, and I'm sure Satan wanted to close it, but no one could close it. Mr. Armstrong, this man with this little church preaching a gospel that no one had heard before about the kingdom of God, about what happens after death, about the Holy Days and the plan of God. And there he was, meeting with kings all over the earth, talking about these things. I mean, you can't deny. You can't deny that that's miraculous. You know, that that's miraculous in a way. It wasn't about him. It wasn't that he had a tremendous personality.

You know, certainly he'd been prepared for that time of what he's done through his life, but you look at that and you simply cannot deny that God was with the church at that time and in that era when the Word was going out with power all over the world and only the way that it could happen at that time because there was no internet at that time, but in the ways that it could go, that God opened those doors. And then when he died, those doors began to shut. Some of it was due to the leadership that followed him that didn't stay true to the truth. You know, didn't keep, no longer kept the Word of God, no longer, you know, no longer didn't deny his name, but began to miss mesh with the world and not be separate. And then eventually the door was shut. So today, today, you know, the Gospel goes out, you know, with power. We have the internet, we have cable TV, we have things reaching out over the world, but it's not the same as it was back then. Many people here, but it's different today than it was back then. So we can look back at that era of the church, if you will, and see there was a time. There was a time to prepare, you know, prepare this end time people, this end time leading up to the return of Jesus Christ, what happened at that time.

And that, you know, that church, God's church, had a little strength, but you can't deny there was some miracle to it. It was God. There was no way that was a man that was able to do that stuff.

And then, if we go on in verse 8, it says, you've kept my word, for you have a little strength.

And you know, I think the church at that time recognized it was a God. It wasn't of anything.

It wasn't, it was nothing of us. It was just, it was God who was doing it. And you've kept my word.

And again, the Greek word there, kept, you know, it's a common word, but it means you've guarded.

You've guarded my word. You kept it as something, you know, you preserved it. You kept it the way it was written. You didn't add to, you didn't take away. You strove to understand it and to live by it.

You kept my word rather than trying to get into something you wanted to do or making it look like the world or sound like the world. You simply kept my word. You did it even though the face of the world never heard of anything like that before. And that takes the power of God to the Holy Spirit.

None of us could keep God's word or guard God's word in our heart without His Holy Spirit. We would fall, we would fall just like the world has. So we see these traits of the Philadelphian people. You know, God provides the strength. They never forget that. They keep His word. They guard it. You know, we talked not too long ago about when I gave this the series on spiritual survival guides and guarding our hearts. You know, we guard what God has given us. We don't let false ideas come in. We keep it. We treasure it. And we hone it through the way we Bible study and we allow God to write His script on our minds and on our hearts. You guarded my word, he said. You preserved my word. And you haven't denied my name, he said. You haven't tried to come up with a fancy name. It is the Church of God. And we recognize the character. Again, when you look at the Strong's Concordance, you know, when it says the word name there, here's how they define the word that they've translated name. It's the character. Everything aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, or remembering when you hear that name. So it's like when we hear the word of God or hear the name God, it's what conjures up in our minds. You know, everything that we learn, everything with God's Holy Spirit. I mean, He is our Father. Jesus Christ is our brother.

When we hear that thing, when we hear their names, it's everything that has been built up in us over the years that we've studied and followed Him. And the love that we have for Him as we keep His commandments, as we do His will, as we follow Him. So it's not just about a name. You know, some people think, oh, we have to have this name. If you don't say God's name, it's not all about the physical name. It's about what's in our hearts and what's in our minds. And God, whether we call Him God, whether we call Him Jesus Christ, whether we call Him Father, whether we call Him Creator, sustainer, provider, Savior, whatever it is, all those things are Him. All those things are Him.

And He, you know, He it is who wants what's best for us, and He who it is, you know, who has our best interests and hearts and desperately wants us to repent that He can give us eternal life.

All those things that we hear that build up as we grow to know God more and as we keep Him in our hearts and serve Him, you know, all the days of our lives, once He calls us and we repent and we receive His, and receive His Spirit. Again, look at the traits that these people have. In verse 9, it says, indeed, here's some promises that come to this church. I mean, you know, you've done what I said, you've walked through the open door, you've guarded my name, you've guarded my word, and of course, His word is the Bible. We live by every word of the Bible, the truth, and you've not denied my name. You know, we aren't ashamed of what we believe, you know, and when forces come, as they surely will, that make us want to be ashamed that we would follow the rules of the Bible versus what the law of the land is on some of these things. No, we don't shrink back and we don't say, you know, kind of like explain it. The Bible says this is wrong, therefore it's wrong. And no matter what man says, if it's wrong in the Bible, it's wrong no matter what the cost of our reputation or what people want to think of us. But in verse 9, you know, we hearken back to this mark of the beast, and we've talked about how the whole world or that mark that beast is going to be against the people of God, drunk, drunk with the blood of the saints is what it says. And so they will think that they have the power, you know, the power over God's people, if you will, as they kill His people, as they martyr them, as they torture them, or whatever it is they do, or try their best to get them to turn against God. And he says of the people who keep His word, who haven't denied His name, who are marked by brotherly love, indeed, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan.

Now, we've talked about the synagogue of Satan before, right? Back when we were talking about the church of Biatyra, you know, we talked about, we talked about there was a Smyrna. Yeah, it was a Smyrna, it looks like. In verse 9 of chapter 2, you know, we talked about the synagogue of Satan, the church of Satan, those who maybe think they're serving Jesus Christ, but those are the ones that Jesus Christ said, well, you know, you say, Lord, Lord, but you don't do the things I say.

In fact, you do, in many ways, the opposite of what I say. You haven't kept my name. You haven't kept my word. Well, you've tried to keep my name, but by keeping his name means we have to do the things that he says. So they take his name, but they don't do anything he says, and we have the synagogue of Satan. You know, I have used the Catholic Church a lot in these Bible studies, and as we look at the time ahead of us when we have a beast power that is extending just autocratic control over every aspect of everyone's life, you know, trying to say, you do this, you believe that, and I have no opposition. And again, as we look at the world around us today, if I could, we begin to see that happen. You know, we wanted our way. We want no opposition, and everyone is going to do because we think we have the right answers, and everyone's going to do what we want no matter what. That's what the beast power is going to be. But they're going to back it up with, you know, threats on life, threats on starvation, you know, banning, not being able to buy, not being able to, you know, keep yourself even safe. And it's that little beast that rides the big beast, that causes the world to worship the beast. And there is no denial that it's the church in Rome and the Catholic Church. They're the ones who, in Revelation 17, tells us is drunk with the blood of the saints, you know, is that Catholic Church, which looks kind of docile today, but when you look at history, a very violent and a very, a very, a very, a very tough, very tough and terrifying church, if you will, that has always been against the word of God and tried to subdue the word of God, as they go back to their roots, and so try to subdue and wipe out the word of God on earth to try to get God's people to worship them. Look how God turns the table on this little church, the ones who keep their, keep his word, who haven't denied their name, who are marked by walking through the doors and not being ashamed of him, who are marked by brotherly love. He says, indeed, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, those people who tried to subdue and kill and bring you into subjection, I'm going to make them who say they are Jews, who say they are Christians, who say they follow God, who say they are of the people of God, indeed, I'll make those who say they are Jews and are not, but they lie. They lie, God says.

And we can, we can pause and look at that word lie, and it might draw our, our minds to another place where God talks about people believing the lie. Keep your finger there in Revelation 3.

Go back to 2 Thessalonians. And in verse, or chapter 2, I think we mentioned this, you know, last week we didn't read the scriptures, but talking about the man of God, the man of deception, the man, yeah, the man of sin, I shouldn't say the man of God.

Verse 3, it says, let no one to seed you by any means for that day. When we see that day, it means, you know, the day of the Lord that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition. So, you know, sometimes people think the man of sin is someone who is in the church, but as you read through this chapter, you know, it's, it's, there is that false prophet at the end time who is the man of sin. In Revelation 19, when Jesus Christ returns, that man and the beast are thrown into the lake of fire. They, they are judged at that point for what they have done. But the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition. He opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sises God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. So we see this man who, yes, defined in Daniel 7, defined in Revelation 13, you know, opposing God. The world, you know, Paul in 2 Thessalonians, who cautions us not to fall prey to that, no matter, you know, no matter how powerful this man looks, no matter what miracles he looks and how deceiving he is, because we have to remember always how cunning and how deceitful Satan is. And if we're not close to God, if we're not discerning the spirit spirits, we can fall prey to it. You know, down here, I was listening, let's read from 9, you know, down to verse 12. The coming of this lawless one is, according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders. We read that in Revelation 13. This little beast, he has all those things that he could do, and he's going to be claiming he's doing God's will. And with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, among those who perish, meaning they die, deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved. Again, people that keep his word, people that don't deny his name, people that bind together, that become the people that he wants us to become, they didn't receive the love of the truth. They may have known it, they may have been really able to recite chapter and verse, show up at Sabbath services, keep the Holy Days tithe, but it never became, it never became part of them, that it's a find them, that it was in their heart, and they loved, they loved the truth. And for this reason, verse 11, and for this reason, God will send them strong delusion. They'll fall prey that they should believe the lie, the very lie that it talks about here in verse 8. Those who say they are Jews and are not, but they lie. Again, the world at that time will be you either take the mark of the beast, or you stand for God and reject the mark of the beast, and stand no matter what the cost to us personally, and our comfort, and whatever else, maybe. You either choose Satan and believe or succumb to the lie, or you stand for God. And here in chapter 2 of Thessalonians, if we haven't received the love of the truth, if we haven't done and grown into who God wants us to be in spirit, as well as in our knowledge, we will fall prey and believe the lie.

Something that we want to guard against and need to be preparing now. I've said, probably some are getting tired of hearing me say it, now's the time. Now's the time, if we haven't been doing it already, to really get to work and understand what God is calling us to be, and letting His Holy Spirit lead us, and coming to Him and asking Him to transform us, and allowing ourselves to be transformed into who He wants us to be. Let's go back to chapter 2, verse 9 again.

Indeed, I will make, in Revelation, those of the synagogue of Satan, the false church that's there at that time, that's promoting itself as the true church. Indeed, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say they're Jews and are not, but they lie. Indeed, I will make them come and worship before your feet. You know, what they tried to do was get you to submit to them. They were killing you if you weren't going to submit to them, but you know what? When the table is turned, and when you stand with me, God says, when you remain loyal to me, even at the cost of your life, I will make them come to your feet and worship you.

And that word worship, that word worship is an interesting word, too, when you look back at the Greek.

Here's what Strong says, that word worship, number 4352. It says to mean, it means to prostrate oneself. You remember when Joseph's brothers recognized who he was when they came to Egypt? They fell down flat on their face. And of course, we're harken back to the dream that Jesus had of the stars following down to him. And when they recognized who Joseph was, I mean, they were in awe, and they they prosthetic themselves. And here, this synagogue of Satan, who's putting the saints to death, God says, when I return, they're going to be worshiping at your feet, worshiping at your feet. It also says, interestingly enough, in that definition in Strong's, there will be those who will kiss your hands. Isn't that interesting? There'll be those who kiss your hands. And we can think of the church today, the only church I can think of, that people kiss the hands of the, kiss the hand of the leader when they bow down before him.

Interesting. Interesting that that will be, and God says, I'll turn the table. They may be making you kiss the hand of their leader, but they will come before you, and they will worship before your feet. Now, by this time, obviously, we are no longer flesh and blood. You know, we must be spirit beings by this point, because certainly God wouldn't, no man is going to be worshiped and whatever. And worship is for God, you know, whatever they do, when they recognize they're in submission to us, you know, only God is worship. So that might not be the greatest translation of that word and another one would be, but they'll be there, they'll be kissing our hands, and they'll be prostate and think, oh, you know, wow, it was you, it was you who God was working with. I will make them come and prostrate themselves before you, kiss your hands, and to know that I have loved you. You know, the beast power and the little beast is going to be saying, you bow down and worship this beast. This is what God, this is his will, this is his will to have all the nations united. This is the government that he was saying, you know, if he wanted. And those who have the truth shouldn't fall prey to any of that. We should know better. We can see the signs, we can see the attitudes, we can see what's going on in that beast power. We say, no, no, no, that's not God at all. We know the Bible. That's different what the Bible says. We know this is the man of, we know this is the man of sin. We know this is us, Satan. You know, God says, and they'll know eventually that I have loved you. I didn't love this church. It was Satan's, it was Satan's inspiration there. I have loved, I have agape'd. That's the word agape'd. God says, I have agape'd you. I've loved you. Why does God love us? Because, you know, if we keep his commandments, if we have the testimony of Jesus Christ, if we assemble together and allow him to build the temple in us individually and collectively, we can never lose sight of that, that he is building a building and a group of people that will serve him together. You know, not 144,000 individuals, but one group of 144,000 that will be the bride of Christ and that will be working with Christ. One group of people that have come to love one another, submit to one another, honor one another, and honor, of course, Jesus Christ and God the Father as we grow in this day and time to do that, what God wants us to do. I mean, there's some marching orders for us here in Philadelphia. If we want to see us ourselves as part of the Philadelphian attitude, you know, we've got some work to do. And God says, you do it, you do it, and you know, you might go through some hard times, or we'll find out in verse 10, or you may, because I see where your heart is in this life, it may be that this synagogue of Satan sees you, you know, I'll use the word after this. Let's look at verse 10.

Because, okay, here's this group of people that God says, because you have kept, and there's that same word, kept, because you've guarded my command to persevere, Jesus Christ said, he who endures to the end, because you've kept my command to persevere. You don't give up, you don't get weak, you don't cave in, you simply endure to the end, as long as we're breathing life, that we do what God's will is, and are committed to him. We don't, you know, we don't shrink back, we don't, we do whatever God says to do, we can, we obey him implicitly. Because you have kept my command to endure to the end, we might say, persevere. God says, I will keep you, I will keep you, those with the Philadelphia attitude, from the hour, the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world. You know, the word hour is interesting there. You know, we think of an hour, I mean, this Bible study lasts for an hour and a half, it goes for a while. But when you look at the word hour, that's in, that is translated hour, you know, throughout the New Testament, it comes from, it comes from the Greek word, I find my notes here, for hour.

Ah, oh yeah, it's Greek word number 5610 in the strong scucordance. It doesn't mean 60 minutes, like you or I think of 60 minutes. You know, 60 minutes is a definite period of time in our mind.

So when I say to you, you know, I'll be there within an hour, you think, oh, okay, if he says within an hour, he'll be there within 60 minutes. It's a definite period of time. What hour means in that Greek word is it's a definite period of time. It can mean a part of each day, it can mean a season, it can mean an other defined period of time, as in whatever God defines as that time.

So for instance, you know, he says here, I will keep you from the hour of trial that comes upon the whole world. Does he mean from 60 minutes or one day or, you know, one whatever of a year, you know, that that might be? Or is, you know, is he talking about a period of time?

There's other places. Let's go back and look at a few places where it talks about this hour.

Write those down, or do they just think it here?

Let's go back to John 5, for instance. I didn't write them down, but let me do it from a memory here. In John 5, you know, well-known verses here that Jesus Christ, you know, says in John 5, he's talking about, you know, the resurrection in verses 25 and 28.

In John 5, 25, he says, most assuredly I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is. The hour is coming and now is. Is he talking about just 60 minutes there? Is he talking about this is the time? There's a period of time now that I've come to earth, now that the kingdom is among you, as he says in some places, the hour is coming, and now is when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. The hour is coming, you know, he's talking about a time, but now that Jesus Christ is on earth, the kingdom has come. In verse 28, he says, same thing, he says, don't marvel at this. For the hour is coming, in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation.

Now back in John 4, in verse 23, as Jesus Christ is talking to the lady at the well, the Samaritan lady that most Jews wouldn't even take the time to talk to, he did. He did, and he let it be known to her that he was someone other than just an ordinary man, as he let her know how many husbands she had and everything. Notice what he says in verse 21. He says, Jesus said to her, woman, believe me, you know, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem worship the Father. You worship what you don't know. We know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews, but the hour is coming, and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship him. You know, some of the newer translations, when they say that word hour, they just say time, because they realize it's not 60 minutes.

There's a time that it is, a defined time that is in God's mind when he's speaking of that.

I didn't write down the verses, but you know where you know where they are, where Jesus Christ said, you know, it's not, my hour has not yet come. It's not time yet for me to be arrested. It's not time yet for me to go through that time after Passover and be crucified and rose again. My hour has not yet come. And so when God uses the word hour when we read it in Revelation 3 and other places, it doesn't mean just a defined period of time like you and I would look at. It's in whatever the defined period of time he is. So I will go out and I will say this is a little bit of speculation, right? But as we've looked through the book of Revelation, as we've talked about, you know, in Revelation 12, about, you know, God says to a part of that woman, you know, that has the testimony of, or that keeps the commandments of God and has the testimony of Jesus Christ, that he will nurture her for a time, times, and half a time from the face of the serpent.

Other places that we've read and even going through the churches where God has said, I think it's to the church in Thyatira, because you've resisted this church of the synagogue of Satan, I will put no other burden on you. But those who didn't separate totally from that church, they would have to go through tribulation and trial. But as God says to this Philadelphia church and those with that attitude, I will keep you from that time of trial that comes on the whole earth, or on the whole world. And the whole world of that could mean, it could mean like everyone from on every, you know, the seven continents or the sixth inhabited continents, or it could mean just that group of people in that kingdom that's there. Because we know there's a northern kingdom, a king of the north, and we know there's a king of the east. We know they're together at that time.

We know it's the time of trial on the earth. It's not all peace and safety. It's all, it's all conflict, and it's all war, and it's all still the striving against one another, you know, that goes on in man's world. And here, you know, God could be saying to these Philadelphia people, you know, to that church, again, speculation, only God knows what he has in mind, that I'm going to keep you because look what you've done in your lifetime. You have yielded to me. You have kept my word. You have defended. You have become, you have become and are defined by agape, which is God wants us to be. You have that brotherly love. You have it all, not just part of it, but you've grown into who I want you to be. You look, you look and act like Jesus Christ, you know, in your attitudes. I'll keep you from that hour of trial because indeed, what's coming for three and a half years is an hour of trial on the whole world. When you see the conflict between the witnesses, the two witnesses, and the peace power, it is a time of trial, a time of testing, a time where God is going to see who do you choose, you know, just like you go back to the Garden of Eden, choose life, choose the tree of life, reject the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, reject death. What will you choose when it's crystal clear that you're at a choice and at a crossroads in your life? What do you choose world and people will make make their decision?

That hour of trial that comes on the whole world to test, to test, you know, it also means to prove or to discipline those who dwell on the earth. Again, I'll keep going, but someone can interrupt me if you've got some thoughts here. Verse 11, he says, Behold, I'm coming quickly.

There's another word we can stop and look at and look at what is the Greek word translated quickly, because this was written, you know, almost 2000 years ago. So in our minds quickly, you know, doesn't seem like 1900 years later that quickly is. But when you look at the word quickly, this Greek word is Greek number 5035. It can mean also be translated without delay, suddenly, suddenly, by surprise. So it could have been translated there when you look at the words, Behold, I am coming without delay. Behold, I come suddenly. Behold, I come by surprise.

How many times in the New Testament does it say, even in Revelation, that Jesus Christ says later on, later on in Revelation 19, I come as a thief. I come as a thief. I come at a time where you don't expect, Jesus Christ says. You may be thinking it's decades off, but you don't expect it.

So when you look at the word quickly, you know, quickly can mean what we say, that prophetic word that I talk about often, suddenly, and it's a surprise, kind of a surprise. We didn't expect it at this time. That's why Jesus Christ says in the Olivet prophecy, keep so doing. It's those who who've kind of fall asleep and think his coming is a far off, and he says, you know, those, if you knew what hour the thief was coming, right, the hour, the time, if you knew exactly the time that that the thief was coming, you would be awake, you would be alert, excuse me, you would be aware, but it's because you've fallen asleep and you're kind of taking things for granted, and then boom, all of a sudden, Jesus Christ is there. It's taken people by surprise. Shouldn't take us by surprise because we should be looking at the leaves on the trees. You know, I look at the world around us today, and it may be years, it may be a decade, you know, before Jesus Christ returns, but when you look at the world that we live in today, when you look at all the sides of what's going on with the economy, with this coronavirus, with the absolute division in this country, and all of the forces at play, as you see, as you see us heading toward an election day that everyone says is unlike any other in the history of the United States, you know, you don't know. We don't know what suddenly could happen. It may be at a time we don't expect. It could be very, it could be very quickly. We've talked about how suddenly the wall breaks and bursts, and all of a sudden we find ourselves in a situation. It could be that it's many years that God is getting our warning, getting our minds, and preparing His people. Get up, wake up, get ready for the return of Jesus Christ, but we don't know. He says you don't know the day or the hour. You don't know the exact time, not just the 60-minute period. You don't know the day or the hour in which He comes. God knows, but we don't.

There will come a time when a 1335 days happens, and a 1290 days happens, and a 1260 days happens.

Only God knows when that period is. We don't know. We don't know, and we'll not know likely until we're in that period. And it's like, oh, oh, that's what's happened. Just like we don't know when the great war in heaven has taken place. Has Satan already been cast down to earth?

Well, you look at the things around us going on in the world today, and it's totally a different spirit that's here on earth today than there was a year ago, or four years ago, or five years ago.

And I don't mean to alarm. I actually do mean to alarm. I do want all of us to be awake and alive, and our senses attuned to God and attuned to what's going on, because it's time for us to take things seriously, and do the things that God wants us to do, so that we're not caught by surprise when Jesus Christ returns. Because we don't know the time or the hour, but we know He's coming, and He says many times, I come as a thief. I think it's even Revelation 19. Let me look back here. Even at the end of this prophecy, look at chapter 22, verse 7, that I turn to here.

Chapter 22 and verse 7, it says, Behold, I'm coming quickly. Now, here He is. He's talked about His return. He's talked about the new millennium. He's talked about Satan being put away. He's talked about the new Jerusalem coming down. Behold, I'm coming quickly. Blessed is He who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. Verse 12, Behold, I'm coming quickly. It's the same word. Quickly, behold, I'm coming quickly, and my reward is with me to give to everyone according to His work.

You know, somewhere back here, He talks about, yeah, chapter 16 and verse 15. Here He is, talking about the seven Trumps, the seven of Biles being poured out as part of the seventh Trump.

We read this, you know, this past seventh on the day of Trumpets. Chapter 16 verse 15, right there, after the sixth angel pours out his veil, there's just this insert verse. Behold, I'm coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame. Now, we'll get to wake, you know, the garments are naked here in a minute as well.

You know, God says an awfully lot about the Philadelphia church. He tells us an awfully lot about the end time without telling us when, but that the Philadelphian people are always ready.

They're consistently keeping themselves ready. They're not falling asleep. They have their eyes open. They're watching what's going on. And He says in verse 11, if we go back to chapter 3, hold fast. And again, when you look up the Greek word translated hold fast there, it's with strength, you know, not what's strength. Hold on to it. You know, it's like there's a mighty wind coming. You grip tightly what you have that's valuable to you. You don't let it get blown away in the winds.

We might think of Ephesians 4, you know, where it says these are the people who are not blowing around by every wind of doctrine. They know the God and they know the truth and they hold fast to it.

They're not blown away by this person that says this and this man that says that. They know the Word of God and they're following that Word and they are gripping with all their might holding on to it. Hold fast that which you have that no one may take your crown. Something that we do right until the very end. We don't let go. We don't get tired. We do what God says, you know, right to the very end. Verse 12, he who overcomes, whenever you see the Word overcomes, maybe we need to start, you know, replacing that because again we've heard overcomes forever and sometimes words can just kind of become dull in our mind and we hear it when they go, yeah, he who overcomes. He who conquers because overcoming is conquering self, is conquering the world, you know, is conquering our own fears, is conquering our own ideas, is conquering that spirit of enmity that's in us against God.

He who conquers and of course we know we only have the victory over ourselves and over the world and over Satan and the influence he has with God's Holy Spirit. You know, we read that in Revelation, you know, back in Revelation 5 or 6 where it says they have the victory over the beast, not by their power, they're saying, by their strength. It's because of the Spirit of God that's in them and they've honed themselves and prepared themselves to stand tall against that.

He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.

You know, verse 12 there, it talks about temple. And you'll remember when we were speaking of the two witnesses, remember back in Revelation 11, and it was talking as that chapter opens about the they were taking the measure of the temple and and God said, you know, take the measure of the temple, but leave the courts to the Gentiles. Leave them out. And remember, we talked then about what that word, that's Greek word that's translated temple, didn't mean the entire temple with all the courtyards. It just meant the Holy of Holies and the room outside that. The inner, the inner workings there, the priests that could go in that were close to God. And that didn't mean the entire time. So the courts were left, the left out. And this word temple here is that same word temple that you use in Revelation 11 verses 1 and 2 there where where John is taking the measure of that temple of the Holy of Holies, of the people that have committed to God. Here we're talking about this Philadelphia area church or this Philadelphia attitude of those in the church that are even there today, you know, that this is the people that are in the Holy of Holies that are very close to God. They're with them, they're with him and committed to him. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in that area. He'll be the strength. He'll be holding up that, of course, everything's held up by God, but he'll be that that symbol of strength because he's developed that strength and that reliance in God through his life. And he shall go out no more.

Yes, ma'am. Yes, my Noma. Why would the Gentiles be left out of the court, aren't they close to God as well during that time? No, remember, okay, you're speaking of just physical Gentiles, right?

When God talks about Gentiles, these are spiritual Gentiles. So there are people, God is talking about those who are loyal to him of every tribe, tongue, and nation. Everyone who he calls, who he yield to him, you know, he calls spiritual Israelites, his people. The Gentiles are those who haven't committed to him in that way. Not just physical Gentiles, but spiritual Gentiles.

They're left out of the court. Now, maybe some in the Church of God who simply haven't committed to God in the way that he wants. They won't be part of that holy of holies in that room right outside of it. So no, he's not talking about just them. There is a kingdom of the Gentiles, right? That's what's coming about in the Beast Power, but the Gentiles are not ethnicity, it's spiritual Gentiles.

Is that when the tabernacle comes down from heaven on earth?

Nope, that happens after the millennium. After the millennium, after the physical heaven and earth are burned up. Oh. Yep, we'll get to that later in Revelation 21. Well, we won't get to that today, but we'll we've talked about it, so we will talk about it again.

Okay, let's go on. I wanted to get through later to see it today, and I'm sure I'm going to be able to do it, but maybe we'll come back to it again here. He who overcomes, he who conquers himself, the world, Satan, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out, and know more. You know what? The only way we would go out and know more from the temple of God is when we are resurrected perfect spirit beings, that we no longer, you know, the God has made us perfect.

We are in the resurrection, so this first resurrection is part of what the heritage of the Philadelphia church is. Be with God, work with him forever. I will write on him the name of my God. Remember, I mean, what a beautiful thing to have God write on us. You're part of my family.

You are one with Jesus Christ, one with God the Father, one with each other, and I will write on you the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem. You know, just a couple weeks ago, you know, when we were talking about the place that Jesus Christ is preparing for us in that sermon, you know, we talked about New Jerusalem coming down from heaven. Wainoma just kind of mentioned it in Revelation 21 there, and it says in Revelation 21, you can turn there if you want, you know, it says in verse 9 there, it says, one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven blast plagues came to me and talked with me saying, come, I will show you the bride, the lamb's wife, and he carried me away in the spirit through a great and high mountain and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Ah, God, that's the name. That's what he's prepared for those that love him. That's where we will be, because I'm going to write on you the name of God. You're going to be part of his family, and I'll write on you the name of New Jerusalem, where God dwells forever, you know, the old heaven, old current heaven, current earth, burned up, replaced with new heaven and new earth, God dwelling in New Jerusalem, which comes down, I'm back in Revelation 3, which comes down out of heaven from my God, and I will write on him my new name. And as he finishes Philadelphia, he says, he who has an ear, you know, let me write down what the commentary says on he who, he who has my ear comes down, you know, it's the faculty, the definition of your faculty of processing with the mind, that you've got to process not just hear the words, but let it be in your mind. Understand what God is saying. Process it, right? He who has an ear, who's really paying attention, who's letting this get into his mind and not just listening to the words, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. So let me pause there for a second, turn this off, and you know, I don't know if there's any comments or whatever, and then we'll get into Talia to see it, because in contrast to Philadelphia, right, it's clearly an end-time church, because God says, I'll keep you from the hour of trial, that time of trial coming on the earth. Laodicea Church is also an end-time church too, as we see, so we have a contrast of character and people, you know, in the end time here.

Anything, or we just, we'll, well, let's move on, Ben, and you know, we can, yeah, someone, someone? Yeah, Wayne? Just a comment that back when we were first starting, you mentioned about the system making people swear allegiance, so to speak, to the beast and to the beast power and the mark and so forth. What came to mind was these so-called protesters, really rioters, accosting people at outdoor restaurants just a couple weeks back. They were in Tifo and Black Lives Matter, trying to make them raise their fists to swear allegiance to their belief and harassing them and some other people in other areas had gotten actually attacked. And that sounds like is a sample of what might be coming except on a much larger scale. You're accosted and maybe you're not doing the things that other people are doing, so you're going to be picked out and threatened.

I agree. I think, you know, Christ says, look at those leaves where they're beginning to bud, and we see things going on today that we haven't heard of before, right? And something like that indicates where the world is going. I want it to be my way and I'm going to force my will on you no matter what it takes. We see that happening even here in our country in a way that we have not seen it before. So the whole different answer. And Mr. Shaby, that's exactly what's happening, as you can see, that they're taking the equation of God out of the country. I mean, that's going on everywhere. And just in my notes that I've had from years ago, on the mark of the beast is the enforced observance of Sunday and Satan's holidays instead of God's Sabbaths and Holy Days. And that's what we were always taught, and just going through some of the scriptures and even in Deuteronomy, as we've mentioned before, 6-1 and Deuteronomy 6-6, and where those signs are, you know, in our minds, in our hands, but I don't know, just going over that, it just makes sense what those are. It's not a computer chip or something that so many people have taught out. That's exactly it, what the mark of the beast is. It's those people that are keeping God's commandments. Yep. I agree. It's certainly going to be forced on you. It couldn't be a literal mark, too, right? When the Jews in Hitler's Germany, they had a mark on them. It may be that those who won't do, you're held up to ridicule, and there is a literal, well, that's a mark on the beast. I don't know. I don't know.

You know, it may be something that we are evident to people, not just walking around as well, but no, I agree. It's certainly going to be God's way versus the beast's way, His laws versus God's laws.

Is the litmus test. Might be a little bit more than that, too, so that there's a literal mark that people receive. Because, you know, when you have slaves, right, they always mark those slaves.

So maybe those that, you know, I don't know. Well, we'll see. Only God knows, but I agree with you.

It's going to be a spiritual test for sure. Okay, let's look at Laodicea. I'm going to skip over some of this because we've, you know, I want to read through it, but there's some words I want us to look at here because there's some attitudes that are in direct contrast to the attitudes and what God says to the people. This is a Philadelphia attitude. Verse 14, to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, these things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness. We know who that is, the beginning of the creation of God. You know, it's interesting that he would say the beginning of the creation of God as he introduces himself to this church. We remember John's admonition.

You know, his epistles there. Go back to the things you were taught from the beginning, right? Even into the church, the first church, the Ephesus. Remember from where you've fallen.

Do the first works. Go back to the beginning. So the Laodiceans, he says, it's interesting that he says this is what he says, the beginning of the creation of God. Back in the beginning when God called us and when God, you know, when we responded to God, go back, go back, he's saying, and re-institute those things. You've fallen away. You've allowed yourself to drift.

I know your works, he says. I see what you're doing and that you are neither cold nor hot.

Greek word there translated hot also means fervent. You know, he's using the analogy here that we can, you got cold or chilly Christians, you got hot Christians, but fervent, right?

Fervent. We talk about fervent Christians, you know, James 5, the righteous, the fervent prayer, the righteous man avails much. So he says, I know your works, that you are neither cold nor fervent. I wish you were one or the other. Make his life easy then, right? Because we've made the decision for him. We're either fervent or we're so far away from him.

So then because you are lukewarm, in verse 16, you know, lukewarm comes from the Greek 5513, means, well, they explain it as the condition of the soul, wretchedly fluctuating between a torpor, that's that's a fever and a fervor of love. So we've got, you know, for a while people are really hot, they're really with it, and then all of a sudden they fade back away and you don't hear from them or they go back to the way they were before. Then they get really hot again, and then they get really kind of cool again. And God says, I'm not interested in those that are hot for a while and cool for a while. I'm looking for you to be fervent all the time. I want this consistency. I want this constancy. I want you to not be cold or hot. I want you to be hot all the time. I don't want you fluctuating between I'm really zealous and I'm on fire now, but then some things happen and I just kind of cool off for a while and I don't serve in the same way. I'm not doing the things I should be doing. I may drift for a while. Then something will happen and I'll get really hot again, and you can't rely on those people. God is looking for people He can rely on in His kingdom, not people who are going to fluctuate between hot and cold, but people who are always hot. And He goes, because you are lukewarm and because you're not cold or hot, you're not consistently cold and you're not consistently hot, I can't use you. I can't use you. I can't rely on you. You're up there one day and then you're not there the next. You look like you're a Christian, then the next day you're off doing something different or you're just looking.

You're not paying attention to the attitudes of Philadelphia and what I'm looking to build in my church. You're not doing the things that need to be done that we talked about. He goes, and because you're not that way, I'll vomit you out of my mouth. I'll vomit you out of my mouth. It's like, yeah, I mean when we vomit, it's not a pleasant thing, right? I will vomit. I think the old King James says, spew, but you know when you look at the Greek word, it really is vomit. So in the new King James, it's like God is like, you know, just get out of my sight. You are not who I wanted you to be. You didn't take the time. You didn't commit yourself wholly to me and to do my will during that time. So I'm just gonna take you out of my mouth. Now let me look at the word, let's look at the word mouth here for a moment because we think we know what that means and certainly we do, right? Because if we're going to vomit something, it's going to come out of our mouth.

Interesting when you look at the word or that term out of my mouth in the Greek. One definition, it gives three. I mean two, two of them we would be recognized with. The third definition is this, the edge, the edge of my sword. Isn't that interesting? That the third definition that is used when they translated out of my mouth could be, I will vomit you from the edge of my sword.

Might make us think of Revelation 19. Let's go back there.

Revelation 19. We're again out of Christ's mouth. We have something happen that might tie us back to this verse in Laodicea. In chapter 19, we have the marriage supper. We have Jesus Christ returning, right? With his armies in tow. In verse 14, it says, and the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. Now out of his mouth, the very same term, out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should strike the nations, and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads a winepress of the fierceness and wrath of the mighty God. So when he uses this very physical analogy of what he's going to do to these people who are neither hot nor cold, they're there again and then off again, and you think they're one way, but then they move someplace else, so they get it, but then all of a sudden they're not there. You know, these type of people. He says, I'm gonna vomit you out of my mouth. What does he mean? You know, with a sharp sword, he rules the nations, and with his word, he judges us. Just food for thought as we look at this, of what God is saying to this church, people with this type attitude, you know, and he's cautioning them and advising them later, get with it. Get with it and understand what you've been called for and quit playing around.

Verse 17, because you say, I'm rich. I'm rich.

I've become wealthy. I have need of nothing. You know, we talked of the parable back in Luke 12 of the man who his crops just kept increasing and increasing, right? Since it's in verses 13 into 21 there. And you remember, we talked about that parable where he has much, and he has much, and now his crops keep increasing. You know, hey, self, you keep getting richer. I'm gonna go build more silos to sort my, you know what, I'm looking for a verse 15 of that one.

Anyway, let's go back and read that. We'll take the time to read that, because I think it fits in well with what God is talking about to this, the people with this attitude here.

You know, when I'm rich, I become wealthy. I have need of nothing. Luke 12.

And let's pick it up in verse 16.

Then he spoke a parable to them, saying, the ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.

And he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?

So he said, I'll do this. I'll pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease. Eat, drink, and be merry.

I've got plenty. I don't have to think anymore. I don't have to work. I don't have to be zealous anymore. Life is good when I have plenty. But God said to him, fool, this night your soul will be required of you. Then whose will those things be which you have provided? So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich for God. So, you know, we have this attitude of those, not everyone in this life, who have plenty. Life becomes very comfortable. We can go where we want to go. We can buy what we want to buy. We can, you know, God has blessed us tremendously.

And he wanted to bless. He does want to bless people. But remember back from Deuteronomy 8, when he was warning Israel, when you have plenty, when your bellies are full, when you have everything you want, don't forget me. Don't forget me. And so sometimes when we have plenty, we can kind of take it easy. And all of a sudden we're becoming lukewarm. We think it's time to rest, rest on our laurels, not have the zeal that we need to have anymore. And that can blend or that can go over into our spiritual lives as well. You know, maybe there is a time where we can kind of take it easy and not have to work, work, work physically. But there's never a time to rest and relax and not work spiritually. As long as we're alive, God expects us to be at work spiritually.

And if there's a danger in taking it easy, when we have plenty like this man who is going to build more barns to have his all, you know, God says, you should have been working. I require not look what you've done. You take an ease. You take an ease. What should he have done? You know, when God blesses us, we always have to keep in mind what he wants us to do. He wants us to look out for one another. If we're blessed, we become blessings to others. We kind of, we don't, you know, we look for things. We don't look for things, but when it comes to our attention, we just kind of do the things that need to be done that God wants us to do and not just sit back and get lazy and everything. And these people with the latency and attitude, some of them have become, they have just become rich and they're taking their ease and it's, and it's having effect on them spiritually as well. You know, verse 15 in Luke 12 there, I didn't read it. I've already turned back to Revelation 3. It says, one's life doesn't consist of the things, of the possessions that he has. What does our life consist of? It consists of the spiritual character that we are building and not, you know, God doesn't look at and say, hey, you've done really well. You've got a lot of physical, it's where is the character that you've developed over the years? Because, as I said, and we're going to see here with the latency, and I've said many times, and I say it to myself and in church, it is just as big a trial, if maybe a bigger trial, to have plenty and to stay close and sell us with God than it is to have little. It's a trial because all of our lives is trial and God perfecting us in the way that he wants us to become, and we cannot take our ease.

Let's go back to Revelation 3. We're back in 17.

You say, you say, why, Noma, did you want to say something? No, yes, ma'am. Okay. Because you say, I'm rich, I become wealthy, I am need of nothing, and you don't know that you are wretched.

In God's eyes, wretched, you know, not this great person that we might think we are, that God is originally blessed, and so we might just think, hey, God's blessed us, I must be doing everything okay.

Wretched comes from the Greek 5005, translated, not aware that you are enduring trials.

Not aware that you are enduring trials. That's what it says in the Strongs of people who are wretched, and certainly when we are enduring trials of health and tribulation and persecution, we would say we're wretched, we're miserable, it hurts. But here God says of this group spiritually that thinks, you know what, life is pretty good, everything's going along okay. You're not even aware that you are wretched, that you're enduring trials. You're not even aware that you're in a trial, and that this trial that you're enduring, you've got to keep alive spiritually. You've got to look and see why did God give you that? What does He want you to do with that, and not just take it easy. You don't know that you are wretched. You don't know that you are miserable. You don't know that you are poor. And again, that Greek word beggar is what it says. You don't know that you're a beggar. You know, in God's eyes, you're very poor spiritually, you're bankrupt. You know, the Greek says this is a lowly state, destitute of Christian virtues. So when God says poor there, you know, they say it means lowly state, destitute of Christian virtues.

We talked about Christian virtues in the Philadelphia church. Here we look at the land of sea in church, and we see these people with this attitude, they're in a lowly state.

They don't have those same virtues of the Philadelphia people. They may be there with in services with them every single week, but they're not of the same spirit. God says, I want you to be like I want you to be. I want brotherly love. I want community. I want family.

I want one with each other as one with God the Father and Jesus Christ. I want all of those things. I want you looking out for one another. He says, I have the poor, the physically poor among you. You know, there's a reason. There's reasons that God has done this, because he's created the opportunities for us to grow together and look out for one another and not have the partiality and not look down on one another or look up to one another just because, you know, some may have this and others have little and therefore it must be a judgment out of no, no, for all of us, God is testing us, trying us, and in a position where he wants us to learn, to come together and be equal, look to one another and understand we're family.

In verse 17, he goes, you look at your physical goods, but you're missing it.

You're wretched. You're miserable. You're poor and you're naked.

I mean, none of us want to be naked, right? I mean, you go to jail, what do they do? They, I guess they strip you. I mean, it's kind of embarrassing. I mean, if that happens to us, you know, the beast power, we're going to be walking around naked. I mean, that's kind of nothing. That's kind of not anything we would look forward to. Why would God call being naked? Why would he say, don't even realize you're naked? What does God want us to be? What does he do with people? What does he say of the bride? You know, we've read it many times back in Revelation 19, even as we've gone through this Bible study. The bride is clothed with fine linen. There are people, the beings in heaven, they have white garments. They're clothed. They're clothed.

They're not naked. They're clothed. And what does God say the fine linen of the saints is, of the bride of Christ? He says, it's the works, right? The works that we do, which are the righteous acts of the saints. What have we done? Have we just talked about love? Or have we actually done the things of love? Have we just talked about keeping the commandments? Or we just do them on a surface? Or have they really become written in our hearts that has created in us that agape love, the people that God wants us to be, that is our very being? You know, if we're running around naked, it means there's no nothing that God can find to close us with. Through our works and through our time with the Spirit that He's given us, we haven't done the things that He can clothe us with anything.

We're naked in His sight. It's an embarrassment. It's a shame. And these people of Laodicea, while they have plenty, you know, they may run around thinking, I've got the greatest clothes, I have this fine garment, I've got closets full of things. But God says, in my mind, you're naked.

You haven't put on any garments. There are no acts that I can look at and see your faith, see your love, see your commitment, see my Spirit, God says, in you, and working those things because the bride of Christ is clothed in fine linen. The beings in heaven are there with white garments as we read Jesus Christ. Coming back down to earth in Revelation 19, what did we just read?

They're clothed in white. They're clothed in purity. They're clothed. But people without the Christian virtues who have wasted their time, there's nothing they've wasted their life.

They may have physically done well, but this group of people is naked. They're not a group of people. They're not where God wants them to be. So in verse 18, he says, I counsel or I advise you, buy from me gold, refined in the fire. You know, it wouldn't be bad if we had, you know, some, if I had been thinking ahead of time, we'd have some sermon that's going on with some of these things. What is it like when you when you purify gold? You find gold, I mean, it's a valuable thing. You find gold, but it doesn't look like gold that we have on our, you know, rings or whatever our jewelry is. It has to be purified. It's purified in fire. It gets rid of the dross, I say those things, to get that gold so that it can glow, so it can be what we think of when we think of gold. It doesn't happen. It doesn't happen just by rinsing them underwater. It happens through fire. You know, God wants us to be zealous people. He wants us to be on fire. And he says, you know, I counsel you. I counsel you. You know, you're kind of gold in the rough there. No one can really see that gold. They don't see the shining. They don't see the light. They don't see the luster of what that gold is. But I tell you, you've got it, but you've got to go to work.

You know, he won't do it for us. It's us who have to do that. I counsel you, he says, to buy from me. You go out and do it. You go out and do it, and you become that gold refined in fire.

Purify yourself, as it says in 1 John 3. Those who have the hope in him, the hope of Jesus Christ, they purify themselves. They make the effort. They go to work on it. God will provide what we need, but he needs to see we really want it. I call to counsel you, buy a gold, me a gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich, spiritually rich, and white garments that you may be clothed.

Go out. Got to do the things. Got to do the works. Got to become one. Got to become brotherly love.

Got to be all those things that God wants us to be, and we have to do the works, and not just talk about them. I counsel you, buy from me white garments that you may be clothed.

And he tells us how to do that. He tells us how to be clothed.

You know, we don't want to be saying naked that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed.

You don't want to wake up after 40, 50, 60 years of the church and have God say, whoa, look at them. They're naked. They spent that whole time, and there's nothing. They're naked. I mean, how embarrassing is that? How embarrassing is that to have spent all that time and not, you know, done what God says that he can clothe us? It is a shame. It is embarrassing.

And he says, Anoint your eyes, was I, Sav, that you may see. Verse 19, where am I here? Okay, I'm gonna finish on verse 19, and you, you know, well, we'll read through it, but I won't expound as much. In verse 19, he says, As many as I love. And it's interesting that the word love there is not agape. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, therefore be zealous and repent.

The word love there is actually filio. It means brotherly love. It means people that I see as friends. It means people that I see as family. You know, over in Philadelphia, he goes, I love these people through agape, and they become my friends. They become the people that I want. They're part of my family, by the way, they have lived their lives and dedicated their lives to me. But here in Ligatocia, he goes, you know, I want you to be, I want you to be part of my family. I want that brotherly love with you, but you've got to get to work and make it happen. So you become part of that brotherly love that is the Philadelphia attitude. As many as I filio, I've got it for you. I rebuke.

I correct you. You hear things. How many times does he say over and over to the churches, over and over Jesus Christ said, let him hear. If you haven't hear, let him hear and get to work on it.

Don't just become dull of hearing and let it go right over our heads. As many as I filio, I rebuke and I chasten. You know, Hebrews 12.5, God says, you know, chastening those who God chastens are the ones that he loves. And back a few years ago and even at the face last year or the year before, I gave a sermon on pai Hadea. The training program that the Greek youth are in, that they're chastened and they're molded into becoming the elite members of society that the society then wanted them to be, it's the same word here, chasten, that you use there. As many as I love, those who I want to be part of my family, those I want that close relationship with, I'm going to tell you what you're doing wrong and you're going to be in a training program because I want you to be part of that Philadelphia church. I want you to be part of my family. I want you to become part of the elite that is that first resurrection spiritually, you know, that you do the things that you need to do. But he says you've got to be zealous. You got to take the energy. You got to put the energy into me. You got to put the energy into the life that I've given you and you have to repent. You can't be the way you were anymore. Turn from that way and turn back to me.

I'll let you read verses 20 to 21. We're already past 230 here. You know, like God says in verse 20 of area, I always say it's kind of like one of those visions you have. God is like knocking on the door of the latency and attitude. I'll come in if you just open the door, if you just listen to me.

I'm knocking if you'll let me in. If you'll just hear me, I will come in and dine with you, but you've got to let me in. You've got a lesson. You've got to there, and you've got to let me dwell with you, but you've got to become and create the house, the temple, the individual temple that God will dwell with you. And he finishes this chapter then with you who has an ear.

Let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Okay, let me in there. Mr. Shaby. Yes, sir. I'd like to read something that was sent to me.