Message for the Churches

The Book of Revelation is a mystery to most people. You'll find that many people think that it's just history. It's an allegory. Who knows? John hallucinated when he got old. There are all kinds of ideas about the Book of Revelation. And it's been a mystery to people for the last 2,000 years. There are some facts that I think we need to recognize about the vision that John was given and what he wrote. Let's notice in verse 1 of Revelation 1. Notice clearly it says, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants things which must shortly take place, and he sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John.

The vision was given to John by Jesus Christ through an angel. It originated, as it says, here with God, which God gave him. It's the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him so the Father gave it to Christ, who then sent it through an angel, and then it was given to John. John wrote it down and you have it on your lap. So we have a message. The word revelation means a revealing.

It doesn't mean a hiding. It means an uncovering, an unveiling, a disclosure. It's also one of the three words that's used in the Bible to refer to the second coming of Jesus Christ. Now, notice it says here, to show his servants things that must shortly take place. The word show again is not a hiding. It means to point out to cause to see. So we, when we read this, are supposed to see.

So Christ was used by God to deliver the message and he passed it on through an angel. I want you to notice there are some people who are supposed to understand this. Who are they? To show his servants. So if you are a servant of God, a converted son or daughter of God, then this book was written to show us about things that would shortly take place. Now here's another unique aspect concerning this letter, as well as a number of letters in the New Testament that are written.

Many of them are written to one group or to a specific group of people. And even though it's written like to the Church of God of Colossae or the Church of God in Thessalonica, it was written to the Church of God in Galatia. It applies to everybody. So even though this was written here, as we will see for seven churches, it is meant for his servants, for all his servants.

And so it is meant for us to be able to understand it. Now it's meant for the servants to understand it, so therefore you find that many who have lived and died who are not the servants of God, who have not been led by God's Spirit, don't understand this book. I remember when our former association began to go astray, that the regional pastors, one of the sessions that we had when we were first organized, we had a theologian from the outside come in and try to interpret to us what the Book of Revelation meant.

And he basically thought it was all an allegory. And so here was the leadership in the Church at that time trying to convince us that the Book of Revelation didn't mean what it said, it was only an allegory. And in order to be able to substantiate that, they bring in this theologian to try to teach us this. Well, the Book of Revelation is a reaffirmation to all of the servants of God that we should be able to know and understand. Turn back, hold your place here, but turn back to Revelation 22 and verse 6.

And let's notice here, Revelation 22 verse 6. He said to me, These words are faithful and true, and the Lord God of the holy prophets has sent his angel to show his servants the things which must shortly take place. So to show. Now, the expression to shortly take place is another expression that we should understand. The translators who did not understand this letter had several ways that they could have translated this expression. They could have translated it as a short time of space. There are two words in the Greek here that make up this word.

One is in, e-n, the others take host, t-a-k-h-o-s, and they are better translated, things which must speedily be done in a short frame of time. Now, it doesn't mean that all of these prophecies that you find written here were going to shortly happen at the end of the first century or in the second century, but that when they begin to happen, they will take place in a quick succession, short period or short frame of time. So this phrase more accurately describes one of the points of the book, that there's going to be a lot of revolutionary changes that will take place in a short period of time.

And what is that period of time? Well, we'll look at that. To quote the complete word study dictionary of the Bible about this word, it says it means to be prompt, swift, quickness, swiftness, speed in the New Testament, only in a phrase with a preposition in. It means quickly or short duration, speedy, soon or shortly. So some of these things could have been fulfilled quickly, but you find that the prophecies of this book have a certain time factor.

What is the time frame of the vision that John wrote about? Well, let's notice verse 7. Chapter 1, verse 7. Behold, he is coming with clouds, and every eye will see him, and even they who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him, even so. Amen. So what is the time frame? The second coming of Jesus Christ, his return to the earth.

Now you'll notice in verses 2 and 3 that this is a prophecy, this book. Notice verse 2, it says, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. So John bore witness to the word of God, or what the word of God was said or written to the testimony, to what Christ spoke, and to all things that he saw. He saw visions. Likewise, blessed is he who reads. So you and I will be blessed if we read and those who hear the words of this prophecy. So it is a prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it. So there are certain instructions that are given to us personally that we are supposed to keep.

God wants us to observe. For the time is near. Now notice verse 10.

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice as of a trumpet. So the setting is the Lord's day, or what we would call the day of the Lord. Over 30 places in the Bible, many of them in the Old Testament, the day of the Lord, or the Lord's day. This is not talking about a day of the week. It's talking about a period of time when God intervenes to begin to punish the nations. And you'll find that that is going to occur here in the end time.

But let's go on and read here, beginning in verse 11.

Saying, I'm Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, this is Christ talking, and what you see, he's telling John, right in the book, sent it to the seven churches which are in Asia.

So this message was written down, and it was sent to whom? To Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, to Laodicean.

Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me, and having turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one liked the sun, a man clothed with the garment, down to the feet, girded about the chest with a golden girdle or golden band. His head had hairs that were white like wool, his feet were like fine brass. Verse 15, he had his right hand, seven stars, out of his mouth, when a sharp two-edged sword, his countenance, was like the sun, shining in its full strength. And notice verse 18. It says, I am he who lives, who is dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. I have the keys of Hades and of death.

So you find Christ as the keys over life and death. Write the things that you have seen, the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.

Now, the mystery of the seven stars, which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks, says the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.

So, star is a type of angels. So, there were seven angels over these churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.

And so, the lampstand, each one stands for one of the churches.

Now, let's back up to verse 4 here, and I want you to notice.

John to the seven churches which are in Asia. So, originally, this message was a message written to the seven churches in Asia Minor.

Grace to you and peace from him who is, who was, who is to come, and from the seven spirits that are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness. So, in other words, this message, grace and peace is from the Father, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler over all the kings of the earth, to him who loved us, washed us from our sins in his own blood. And he's going to make us kings and priests in his coming kingdom. So, the letters were originally written for them, but they are intended for all of the servants of God to understand for us today. Now, there are three time frames these letters could realistically be viewed from, if you wanted to look at it that way. Number one, they obviously pertain to the original seven churches of John's day. So, you know, that had to be true. Chapters two and three, there was a message to each one of the churches. So, it pertained to those original churches. Secondarily, these messages could represent seven consecutive eras of time that reveal basic spiritual problems that God's church would go through down through the ages. What we would call the history of the church, beginning from the time of the apostles down to the end time right before Jesus Christ returns. Thirdly, it could also be viewed as seven messages that apply very directly to the church of God at any time that you will see because during the first century we know that these seven churches and the attitude and the spiritual conditions within those seven churches were prevalent at the same time. They were parallel with one another.

And so, it can refer to the fact that those attitudes, approaches, spiritual conditions would be at any given time in the church. But I think also you will find that these conditions are applicable to the end time.

Apply to us in our day as much as they have applied at any time in the history of the church.

I think you will find that the attitude and approaches at any given time are dual. When God looks down, He knows your attitude, my attitude. He knows our approach, our works, whether we're on fire or not on fire, lazy or dead or whatever it might be. He can look down at our congregation and He can know what our congregation is like as a congregation. He can look at the church collectively as a whole and He can know what the church as a whole is like.

I think that the emphasis is, especially when we come to realize when these prophecies were to be understood, is at the end time. So the emphasis seems to be at the end time, right before the return of Jesus Christ and describes the state of the church that we see today.

We want to take a look at Revelation 2 and 3 and examine how these seven letters apply to us individually, how they apply to our local congregation, how they apply to the church as a whole. There are seven, at least seven, lessons that we could learn as we go through these letters. What is the message for us today? What is the meaning for the church today? The message that God wants us to learn. In all of the seven messages here in Revelation 2 and 3, certain phrases are used over and over. One, I know your works. So for each one of these seven churches in Asia Minor, God said, I know your works. So do we think God doesn't know our works?

He knows our works. Secondarily, he who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to notice.

The churches, in God's way, say a specific message to each church like Ephesus, Myrna, Pergamos, Thyatira. Each one says, if you have the Spirit of God, what the Spirit says to the churches. So each one of these messages is meant to go to the churches, not just to one church. Then it almost always talks about, he who overcomes.

Notice the formula as it's expressed, and we'll go through each one of these. Chapter 2, verse 2, I know your works, your labor, your patience, God says. And then in verse 7, chapter 2, verse 7, he who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, to him who overcomes I will give to eat. And then he goes on to talk about the reward. So, remember this, before we look at these seven churches, remember, we want to claim certain pieces of information as we read through each one of these that pertain to you and to me.

Number one, we want to claim detailed knowledge about Jesus Christ, because in each one of the messages to the seven churches, he describes himself. He describes some of his duty, some of his power, that you learn about Jesus Christ, who he is. Secondarily, you find in each message it encourages the church. He doesn't just start out by saying, you're a bunch of rocks, or whatever it might be. No, he encourages them. But thirdly, he gives instructions. He gives warning to the people. And then later, he tells them the potential reward that they have.

So, when you read through these, you should be able to pick out all of this, as it applies to you, personally, as it applies to all of us here collectively, and it applies to the church as a whole. So, with all of that in mind, let's begin in chapter 2, verse 1. And we'll quickly read through these. And I want you to notice the lessons and the message that we should be learning. Remember this, in Daniel chapter 12, Daniel was told to seal the book until the time of the end. People would run to and fro, and knowledge would be increased.

Hey, people are running to and fro. All you've got to do is get out here on 24, and you'll see them running to and fro, and up and down 75, and going across the oceans and flying in the air. And knowledge has increased at a prodigious rate. And so, it's at that time that we would understand. And so, God has meant that a certain focus be revealed at the end time on these messages. So, beginning in verse 1, under the angel of the church in Ephesus, right, or the messenger, these things says he who holds the seven stars in his right hand, and who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. So, I want you to notice that Jesus Christ walks in the midst of the candlesticks. So, Christ is in our midst. The candlesticks are a type of the churches.

These seven churches were picked out in Asia Minor as a type of the early New Testament church, as a whole. And so, Jesus Christ is in the midst of the church. He is here in our congregation today, and he is in God's church. In verse 2, I know your works. I know your labor. I know your patience. That you cannot bear with those who are evil. There are certain people that he says were evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars.

Now, do you realize that there are some people who can be liars, not tell the truth? I want you to notice that there are at least two men that I can think of right now who have declared themselves apostles. And how do they know they are apostles?

They declared it. That's how. I can say I'm a billionaire. My saying it doesn't make it, does it? So they declare themselves as apostles. But God says they are liars.

I didn't say that. He did. And so we live in an age where you find there are all kinds of people making all kinds of declarations and claiming to be something that they're not. And there are those who are evil. That their practices and their approaches are not above board, but they're evil. But you have persevered. You have patience. And you've labored for my namesake. In other words, they were preaching the gospel. They persevered. What about the end time? Have we persevered?

How many of you were in the church in 1972?

73, 4, 5, and thought, well, maybe the end is near. 82 came. 2006 came.

2012 has come and gone. And we're still going forward. We have a work to do.

And so he is telling them they have persevered. And brethren, many of you sitting here have likewise persevered. So can you see the encouragement that Christ gives to this church?

He says, you know, you have done some things right. You've been patient. You persevered. You're labored for my name's sake. In other words, they've preached the gospel.

But nevertheless, notice, I have this against you that you have left your first love.

So they had left their big problem. They had left their first love, their first zeal for God, for His way. And they had begun to take it easy. You have to realize this book was written around 90, 100 A.D., some 50 to 60 years after the church had started that, you know, started in 31 A.D., and so maybe 70 years, 60, 70 years, and you have the church having lost its first love.

We've been going that long or longer, and have we lost our first love. The implication here is, if you apply this to the end time, there are some, not everybody, but there are some, who have lost their first love, their first zeal for God's way. So what does God tell us?

Remember, therefore, from which you have fallen, repent, do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place until you repent. Now, the reason why this church was chosen, because this was a pervasive attitude in that whole church, and it can be an attitude, and this is where we need to look at ourselves. The warning, the lessons, that Christ is trying to get across to us. Do any of us fall into this category? But this you do have, he says, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolae Iotans, which I also hate. From what we can tell, the Nicolae Iotans were probably Gnostics.

The Gnostics felt that you needed special knowledge. The Bible was not enough. You needed additional knowledge along with the Bible to understand. They would bring pagan thoughts, pagan ideas, mix them in with the true tenets of God. So, we have lived to see things such as people who at one time kept the Sabbath and the Holy Days, now keeping Christmas, now keeping Easter, now going off and doing things, where they have gone back to mixing truth and error together. Notice the amazing promise that is given. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. So, even though this is specifically to Ephesus, all the churches are supposed to hear. To him who overcomes, I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. So, the tree of life, remember there was a tree of life in the Garden of Eden, a tree of life in the paradise of God, which we can eat of and have eternal life. So, here was the warning. They had a lot of good points, there were things they hated, but they had compromised and fallen back when it comes to their first love.

Now, in verse 8, we come to the church in Smyrna. It says to the angel of the church in Smyrna, right? These things say, the first and the last. So, you find out more about him. He's Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. He was dead, and he came to life.

He was dead three days and three nights. He came to life.

I know your works. I know your tribulation. Notice again, he says, I know your works. I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich.

Now, later on, we find a church that says they are rich and wealthy, but God says they're poor.

Here's a church that had poverty, but yet they were rich. And I know the blaspheme of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Now, Romans chapter 2, 28, you might remember, he is a Jew, which is one inwardly.

When we become circumcised in the heart, spiritually speaking, we become spiritual Israel. We become a Jew. So here were those who were claiming to be Jews. They were claiming to be a part of the church. They were claiming to be God's people, to be converted. And yet, as it says here, they were of the synagogue of Satan. Now, it's interesting when you look at this. Now, we know that you could apply this to mainstream Christianity, but is this something that is the carries or has more of a connotation? He was talking to the true church, the church in Smyrna. He's talking about a group of people here who there were some who claimed to be Jews but were not. Apparently, they had their own church, and he calls them the synagogue of Satan. It's interesting. He says, Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer.

Here's a church that was about to go through trials and tests that were going to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison.

That you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful unto death, so some of them were going to be martyr. He's saying, Don't fear this. I will give you the crown of life. But, brother, none of us have yet been thrown in prison for our religious beliefs.

None of us have had to die as a martyr, as yet. But there may come a time when that will take place.

When it does, we should not fear, because we know that God is with us.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Not just to Smyrna, but to the churches.

He who overcomes shall not be heard of the second death.

So they won't die the second death. They'll have the crown of life. But you have to overcome.

All of these, there is the admonition to overcome.

So you find again, He encourages them. He tells them who He is.

He tells them what they need to work on. And then He explains what the reward will be. Now, going on in verse 12, we come to the church in Pergamos.

Verse 12, To the angel of the church in Pergamos write these sayings, says he who has a sharp two-edged sword.

Now, we know that the sharp two-edged sword is the Word of God, the Bible. And He's the one who's been responsible, inspiring the prophets and the apostles to write the words down.

And when you read this, you begin to realize that the reason why He keeps talking about this is because there are going to be those who will give up the Word of God and really what it does say.

In verse 13, I know your works. So again, He looks at our works, your works, my works.

And where you dwell where Satan's throne is, and you hold fast to my name. So we've not given up on His name. The church of God, God's church, God's people, did not deny my faith, even in the days in which Antipas was my faithful martyr who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

Now, it's interesting, anciently, this probably refers to a pagan temple of worship in Pergamos, and a saint named Antipas was martyred there. During the Middle Ages, this would have been the era of the historical period in which the false church arose.

And you'll find that the true followers of God at this point, many of them were in the mountains and the valleys in northern Italy, southern France.

And it is where you find the false church beginning to take root and to grow and to develop.

You can also refer to the end time, to the time of the end in the future. There's a possibility of the climatic battle that is to take place in Revelation 17, where Satan is going to rise up again against God, be cast back down to this earth and come down and persecute the church at that time. Another martyrdom of saints that takes place in the end time. Notice in verse 13, again, it says, I know your works where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And verse 14, he says, but I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam.

What was the teaching of Balaam? What did the Balaam teach? That's what doctrine means.

They taught Balaam to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel. So, he got the children of Israel to stumble. How? Well, he brought what was it, the Moabites or the Midianite women around, and the men began to prostitute themselves, as it says, sexually immoral. They sacrificed to idols instead of to God. To eat things, sacrificed to idols, and commit sexual immorality. Thus, you also have those who hold the doctrine and the nucleiadence, which things I hate. Now, it doesn't say here the things which you hate, and I also hate, like he said before, but he said the things which I hate. So, apparently, they didn't hate them.

They were compromising with God's commandments, his way of life.

And they were beginning to get involved, mixing, paying practices, and they began to have sexual immorality. Do we have sexual immorality today? Well, we live almost an assessable of it, don't we? Around it. You can't turn your TV on. Look at a magazine. Look at a movie without seeing half-clad men and women and people jumping in bed. What about pornography and the tremendous impact that it's having? It's estimated that one in four young men especially get involved with pornography. People accept ungodly sexual practices. You'll find today in our society, there are a lot of young people who say, well, when they commit fornication, well, it doesn't hurt anybody. I'm not hurting anybody. I'm just doing what I want to do. And that type of attitude, that type of approach rubs off on the church.

You'd be shocked at how many young people get involved with those type of things within the church of God. The pressure to conform to this world, to its practices, is always pushing at the youth in the church. It's always a struggle. It's a problem to wrestle with. And among many, well, this is what you find happening back here. They were compromising with the standards of God.

Now, in verse 16, repent, God says.

For else I will come to you quickly, will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Again, to the churches. And he to him who overcomes, so you find that God always offers the hope. You may be doing this. You may be involved in all kinds of sexual sins. You may be eating things, sacrificing idols. But you can repent. You can overcome. If so, I will give some of the hidden manna to eat, or as they would partake of eternal life. I remember the Old Testament.

They wandered 40 years in the wilderness. They had manna. In Jesus Christ in the book of John said, Your fathers ate manna, and they died. I give you bread that if you eat of it, you will live forever. He was referring to himself and to the Word of God. So these individuals can eat, and all of us can eat in Christ and of his way, his words. We can be strengthened. We can have spiritual strength.

We can be in God's kingdom. Now give him a white stone, and on that stone, a new name written, which no one knows except him who receives it. Commentaries give all kinds of things that this might stand for, but there were societies back then where you had to have, like you would have, a key or something to get into today. You had to have a stone with a secret name or word written on it that only those who are part of that society would know about. And so that's probably what it's referring to. You know, the words, you can be a part of my family, of my kingdom, if you do this and be able to be in the family of God. So, brethren, we need to realize that God is talking to the churches here. He's talking to each one of us.

Not everything in each one of these applies to every one of us, but many times you'll find that something will hit us right smack dab between the eyes. And we need to look at it. Now let's notice Thyatira, the church of Thyatira here. Verse 18, to the angel of the church in Thyatira.

These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, his feet are like fine brass. So again, it gives details about Christ, His looks, what a spirit being looks like, what He looks like, what we will look like when we are glorified. I know your works, He says.

I know your love, I know your service, I know your faith, your patience. As for your works, the last are more than the first. Now historically, we realize that this was what we would call the Waldenseer era. The Peter Waldo came along later on historically, and apparently 100,000 or more were converted during his day, and that the latter work of that church became more than the first.

But later on, that church began to compromise and were absorbed into the false church and went in that direction. So notice verse 20. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. So here was a literal woman at that time in Thy Rhetyra, who called herself a prophetess and to teach and seduce my servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. Same thing we found in the preceding one.

So here we find corrupt teachings making inroads into this church.

Now, maybe 20-25 years ago, it had been hard for us to believe this, but when you look back over what's happened over the last 20-25 years and especially apply it spiritually, you'll find that the church, many have gone into spiritual heresy, spiritual fornication. A hundred thousand people have just sort of disappeared from the scene. Hold your place here and notice Revelation 17 verse 5.

Revelation 17.5. Talking about another woman here, and I think prophetically this is dual, that on earth forward a name was written, Mystery Babylon, the Great, the Mother of Harlots, the Abomination of the Earth. She was a mother. She had children, and they're called harlots.

So notice what God says here. Here's this woman. She is literally committing adultery or fornication, seducing, committing spiritual immorality, needing things sacrificed to idols, false teachings. I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, so God didn't come down and just erase her, but she did not repent. Did God give the leaders of the false church during the Middle Ages an opportunity, a chance to repent, that He sent His servants, who kept the Sabbath and obeyed God's laws to them, and they refused to heed.

So indeed I will cast her into a sick bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. So again, we find that there is corrupt teaching.

They go into the great tribulation, and they can repent, as we see. Notice verse 23. I will kill her children with death. This could be taken two different ways. If it's talking about historically, it could be talking about her children, those who refuse to repent, and that they will have to repent. If they don't, they will die. But also the true servants of God. Once the true servants of God go off, many of their children and their families follow them, and then they are not blessed to be a part of the Church. You can look around when your children grow up, and they're exposed to God's way, and they have parents who go God's way. They're more likely to be called into the Church and to do what is right. But here I will kill their children with death, and all the Church shall know that I am He who searches the minds and the hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your works. So again, God looks at our works.

Now, to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine or this teaching, not following these practices who have not known the depths of Satan the devil. As they say, I will put on you no other burden. Hold fast that which you have till I come, and He who overcomes keeps my works to the end. To Him I will give power over the nations, and He shall rule them with a rod of iron, and they shall be dashed in pieces like the potter's vessel. As I also have received from my Father, and I will give Him a morning star, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Again, plural. So it's quite revealing that even among this group, He says you can repent if you haven't gone into the depths of Satan.

We have those who at one time we thought understood, and many of them did understand, who turned around and gone back into the depths of Satan the devil. We are warned that it could happen to us, and we need to make sure that we don't. We need to hold fast, overcome, and then you'll notice the reward. Now in chapter 3 we come to the church in Sardis, the Sardis church. To the angel the church in Sardis write, these things says He who has the seven spirits of God, the seven stars. So again, describing some of the things about Christ, that He is responsible for the churches, the messengers, those who look over the churches. I know your works, that you have a name, that you're alive, but you're dead. So here's a church, a group of people who worship God, have the name. They're called the Church of God, but they're dead. They're not even lukewarm. They are dead spiritually. Be watchful, He says.

Strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. Now, brethren, last week I gave a sermon on watching and how we need to watch. Now that watching implies not only watching world news, but we need to watch ourselves. We need to examine and look at ourselves. And so God is telling them to watch. Verse 3, Remember, therefore, how you received and heard. We all need to remember when we were first called into the church, when God opened our mind, how zealous we were, how enthusiastic we were, how we couldn't wait to get a plain truth or read a booklet or an article, hear the broadcasts, how we hungered and thirsted to go to the feast or to attend church.

Forty, fifty years down the road does it become blase? Is it just something well on you I can do or not do? Or do we still have the burning desire, the enthusiasm to do what God says we should do? So, remember, therefore, how you have received and heard. Hold fast and repent.

Therefore, if you do not watch, so we are to watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.

Notice these people are so dead spiritually that they will be totally unaware of when Christ will return. That He will come upon them just like He will come upon the society that they will be unaware. They will not know the hour, the time. These are the ones that Jesus Christ described of not having enough oil in their lamps and having to go buy more oil.

Verse 4 says, You have a few names, even in Sardis, who have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.

So, there were a few in this church who were worthy, and they will have their names written in the book of life. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life.

I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. So, again, it is an encouragement. It doesn't say too much. I won't blot your name out.

You'll have white garments. And then he goes on to say that all of the churches should hear about this and learn. Now, verse 7, the Philadelphia church. Notice the details about Christ here in verse 7. Through the angel of the church in Philadelphia, these sayings say, He who is holy. He is holy. He who is true. He who has the key of David.

He who opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens.

Christ has the key of David. When he describes himself as having the key of David, he is undoubtedly describing himself as being of the lineage of David and that he controls access to the kingdom of God. He is going to determine, along with the Father, who gets into the kingdom. The key of David. Who is going to be in that kingdom?

Other passages in the Bible explain that God the Father is given to Jesus Christ all power in heaven and earth, including judgment of mankind.

He opens and shuts doors. Let's go on and notice. He explains part of this in verse 8.

I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it.

For you have a little strength. Brethren, I pray every day that God will open the door before his church. I don't think we've seen the door open yet. We've seen doors open. We're on television. We're on the internet.

But so are every Tom, Dick, and Harry who comes along.

Christ says here, I have opened a door, and no man can shut it. To me, that would indicate a special door, a special opportunity, a special opportunity of preaching the gospel to this world.

So, is that already open, or is it something that will open here in the future?

It says, for you have a little strength. You've kept my word. In other words, we would not compromise with the teachings of Christ. And you have not denied my name. We are the church of God.

We've not denied his name. Now, an open door is an opportunity for preaching the gospel. Colossians 4.3 is an example of that. Colossians chapter 4. Paul asked him to pray that God would open a door for the preaching of the gospel. So, you know, this is something that I think all of us need to pray about. We have a little strength. We've kept his word.

Now, in verse 9, it says, Indeed, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie. Indeed, I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. Now, this is the second time this is mentioned. The synagogue of Satan, and they claim to be Jews, claim to be spiritual Israel, and yet they lie.

And God says that eventually they're going to have to repent. It says, Because you have kept my commandments, commandment to persevere, to remain faithful, I will also keep you from the hour of trial, which comes upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. There's only one hour of trial that's going to come on the whole earth to test everybody, and that's the great tribulation spoken of. And so, this group has been promised that they will be protected. I will keep you, as it says, from the hour of trial. So, that's a promise. Why is this group promised that? Because they have persevered. They've not given up. They've continued to do the work, to preach the gospel, not compromise with the Word of God. And they, you know, they keep and hold on to the truth. So, going on then, it says, Behold, I'm coming quickly. So, notice, this was originally written in the first century. Behold, I am coming quickly. Did he come in the first century?

No, he didn't. Did he come in the second century? No, he didn't. He hasn't come yet.

So, here is a promise that I am coming quickly. So, obviously, this is talking about the end time.

It's talking about a time when Jesus Christ will come. And when these people that he's describing here, who understand, who are praying that God would open doors before them, not denying his name, preaching the gospel, that he will keep from the hour of trial. Behold, I am coming quickly. Hold fast that you have, then no one take your crown.

He's saying, don't give up at the last moment. Don't quit. Hang in there. Stay tough. He will overcome. So, you still, we all have to overcome. I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out. Now, write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God. And I will write on him my new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, to all the churches.

All the church of God need to listen and understand what God says here.

Now, verse 14, the last group mentioned here, to the angel of the church of Laodicea and right.

These things says the Amen, the faithful, the true witness, the beginning of the creation of God, or the one who began the creation of God.

I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot.

So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth.

Okay, I want you to notice the panorama of spiritual problems. Here's a group who is lukewarm.

You saw another group who is absolutely dead.

Find another group that is compromising. Other groups are going into, let's say, compromising, going into the world, and all of the practices of the world around them.

There are those who have lost their first love.

There are those who are faithful, who have a little strength, and then we get down here to this group.

Is it possible that all of those conditions are prevalent at one time? Well, they were in the first century, and they certainly will be at the end time, in our day to day.

Notice here, verse 17, because you say, see, here's how they look at themselves. I'm rich, I become wealthy, I'm in need of nothing, do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

I counseled you to buy from me gold refined in the fire. Gold refined in the fire, that's a smelting process, and you've got to have very high heat, so they go into tribulation. You may be rich in white garments, you may be clothed.

So if they're naked, they need white garments or righteousness, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed. Note your eye with eyes, that you may see, that you can see yourself spiritually, your spiritual condition. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, therefore be zealous and repent.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him, dying with him and he with me. To him who overcomes. So again, we find the overcoming. I will grant to sit with me in my throne, as I also overcame, sit down with my father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Plural, again. So it doesn't matter who a person might be, what congregation they might be in, what organization they might be in. All of these are written to the churches. We're all to listen. Revelation chapter 1, we see Christ in his glory, and we find out that these are prophecies for the end time. Revelation 2 and 3 tell the churches who they are, what they must do, to sit with Christ in his glory at the end time, as that time approaches.

You'll find that there are a lot of details that are covered.

This notice in chapter 4, verse 1, After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet, speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you things that must take place after this. So now the rest of the book is given. He's going to show them things that will take place.

But you know what has to happen? First of all, the bride must get herself ready. Now, there are events that are going to take place at the end time, including the tribulation.

Prior to that, the bride makes herself ready. So here we have from Christ, directed specifically to the churches, and he picked out seven congregations in which were seven prevailing attitudes that would be extent in the church at any given time, and especially at the end time, to point out to all of us what we need to watch for. And if we see any of these creeping into our lives, into our approach, that we need to repent and to overcome. As Christ said in verse 11 of chapter 3, Behold, I am coming quickly. So if he's coming quickly, we don't have a whole lot of time.

We've got to examine ourselves. We've got to look at ourselves. Revelation 2 and 3 are living messages for the people of God today, for all of us.

They give a warning. They give hope. They show what's being done right and what we need to do to change. And as verse 22 of chapter 3 summarizes it, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.