Revelation 3 – Lesson 6

 

Revelation 3:7-22

Revelation 3:7-13 – Philadelphia, The Faithful Church

Philadelphia was located at the east end of the broad valley.  Its soil was rich and good for agriculture.  It was on the main road from Sardis.  They had a lot of trade and was famous for its temples.  Its name means “love of a brother”.

John wrote to the church at Philadelphia telling them that these are the words of Him who is holy and true and holds the keys of David. 

Jesus is described as holy, true, and holds the key of David.

Holy is described in Hebrews 7:26 as someone who is blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.  

True is described in 1 John 5:20.  It is exactly what it says – we know that Jesus, the Son of God has come and we have been given understanding that we may know Him who is true.

Isaiah 22:22; Matthew 16:19; Revelation 1:18 tell us that Jesus has been given key to heaven, the honor and authority that only He controls.  No one can shut and what He shuts no one can open.  The door of heaven is opened only by Jesus.  He Himself is the door.  “I am the door; if anyone enters through me, he shall be saved…” – John 10:9.  This means Jesus has great power and is in control of all that happens. 

Jesus commends the church at Philadelphia.  He knows their deeds.  He knows they have little strength, but they have kept His Word and haven’t denied His name.  They remained faithful.  Jesus will make those of the “synagogue of Satan” fall down at Philadelphia’s feet.  These were a group of unbelieving Jews who were persecuting Christians. One day our enemies and the enemies of God will be forced to bow down before Him.  They will know that Christians were right in following Jesus.

Believers can hold on to the promise that Jesus is coming soon and they are to hold on to what they have and let no one take their crown.  The crown is the crown of eternal life.  More about the crown is found in 1 Corinthians 9:25; 2 timothy 4:8; James 1:12; Revelation 2:10. 

Jesus promised He will never leave those who are victorious. If we keep His commands and endure patiently, Jesus said He would keep us from the trials to come.  Jesus promised to protect His church from the time of trouble.  Some believe this implies pre-tribulation rapture.  This is what I believe.  Christians will be removed from the earth before this real trouble starts.  This great trouble is also known as the Great Tribulation.  We will learn more about this later in our study of Revelation.  This removing of the church is what is called the rapture.  But remember, Jesus does not promise that Christians won’t suffer in this world and we should not assume that we will be removed before this great trouble takes place.  We don’t know when this will happen or when Jesus will return.  Until then, Christians must continue to believe in Him and not be deceived.  Revelation 4-22 tells us the things which will happen to those who dwell on the earth during the Great Tribulation.  He will write on them His name.  “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” – Rev. 3:13.

Revelation 3:14-22 – Laodicea, The Lukewarm Church

Laodicea was about 40 miles southeast of Philadelphia.  It was the riches of the cities.  It was the major commercial and financial center.  They were famous for their medicines and medical school.  They had indoor plumbing, but they had no water supply so they brought water in from about 6 miles away. 

John wrote to the church at Laodicea telling them that these are the words of the Amen who is faithful and a true witness, the ruler of Gods’ creation.  The Amen acknowledges that Jesus is valid, binding, true, and trustworthy.  Jesus was there when God created all things.  Here again, Jesus knows all and sees all things.  He knows their deeds and He knows ours.  They are neither hot nor cold.  He wishes they would be one or the other, but they are lukewarm.  Because they are lukewarm, Jesus is about to spit them out of His mouth.  In other words, He is about to vomit them out. -  It sounds much worse when you say it like that.  They are rich and are proud of their wealth and think they don’t need anything.  Jesus told them they didn’t realize they are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

This describes some churches today.  Many are prideful, complacent, and indifferent.  They have become preoccupied with what they have or even the work they do.  They work for sake of working.  They just go through the motions.  They, like the Laodiceans are self-sufficient, have material comfort, and think everything is OK.  Does this describe you?  Remember if this is you, Jesus is about to vomit you out of His mouth.

Jesus talked about true riches and white clothing.  The true riches are not earthly wealth the Laodiceans had, but heavenly riches.  White clothing is a symbolic of innocence through the blood of Christ for our sins that are taken by the cross.

Those Jesus loves He rebukes and disciplines.  Jesus told them to be earnest and repent.  “Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and they with me.” – Rev. 3:20.  Discipline is always hard but it benefits the person.  Believers response to God’s corrective discipline should be – to recognize the hand of God, to repent of your sin, and rejoice in the Lord for His love us.

“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcome and sat down with my Father on his throne.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” – Rev. 3:21-22.

The 7 letters in Revelation close with a promise to those who overcome.  Who are overcomers?  Overcomers are followers of Christ who successfully resist the power and temptation of the world.  They have complete dependence on God for direction, purpose, fulfillment and strength.   They are those who overcome the world, the anti-Christ, and Satan. 

God promises rewards to those who overcome:

Rev. 2:7 – will be given the right to eat from the Tree of Life.

Rev 2:11 – will not be hurt by the second death.

Rev 2:17 – will be given hidden manna, a white stone with a new name.

Rev 2:26-28 – will be given authority over nations.

Rev. 3:5 –name will not be blotted from the book of life.

Rev. 3:12 – a pillar will be made in the temple and he never will leave it and the name of God will be written on him.

Rev. 3:21 – will be granted right to sit on His throne.

Do you have any characteristics like that of the 7 churches?

Are you faithful?    

How are you true to Him Name?

In what ways do you tolerate false teaching?

Are you lukewarm?

Do you need to repent?

Next week we will study Revelation 4. -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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Revelation 2:12 - 3:1-6 – Lesson 5

 

Revelation 2:12-17 – The Church In Pergamum, Holds to false teachings

The Lord gave the church in Pergamum positive attributes.  He said they remained true and faithful  even though Satan had his throne there (Rev. 2:13).  Pergamum was the center of the government in Asia and the people worshiped many gods.  There was an altar to the Greek god Zeus.  Caesar was the emperor and called himself a god and was worshiped by some of the people. (Note:  There are no churches in Pergamum today.)

The church was divided and the Lord had some things against them.  There were false teachings in the church; some practiced the teachings of Balaam who enticed the Israelites to eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality (Num. 22-25; 31:16).  They also obeyed the teachings of the Nicolaitans like in Ephesus. 

Jesus told them they needed to repent or He would come and fight against them with the double edged sword of His mouth.  The sword is His judgment.  Jesus will not tolerate rebellion forever; there will be consequences.  Jesus words are important and true.  They needed to change the direction of their lives.  Jesus tells us we can fight against wrong teaching by putting on the armor of God in Eph. 6:10-18.

Jesus promised rewards to those who overcome. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To Him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna.  I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” – Rev. 2:17.  Don’t stop listening to the Holy Spirit.

In the Old Testament God sent manna from heaven to feed the Israelites.  The manna was a picture of Jesus.  He is the bread of life and the true bread from heaven.  This hidden manna probably means food for the spirit while we are on earth.  This is a promise that we will dine with the Lord in heaven.  If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever (John 6:35).

The white stone declares a person is innocent (1 Peter 2:5).  The new name represents a new person you become when you receive Christ as your Savior.  You are born again.  You are not defined by who you were or what you’ve done or what’s been done to you, but what Jesus has done for you.  You are clean.  You are loved.  You are forgiven.  Your old nature is gone.  The Holy Spirit will begin to empower your life.  You will have a change of mind.  You are a changed version of yourself.  You will get new desires.  You will want to read and study your Bible.  You will want to meet with God’s people.  You will want to stop sinning.  You will want to learn and grow.

Principle:  Jesus will not tolerate rebellion forever; there will be consequences. 

Revelation 2:18-29 –The Church In Thyatira (Holds to teachings of Jezebel)

The church in Thyatira was commended for some things.  Jesus is aware of all that his people do and He knew all the things the Christians in Thyatira did.  They believed and trusted God completely.  They had love, faith, service, perseverance, and they were doing more than they did at first.  Their faith had grown.  He is pleased for the most part.

But there were negative similarities that existed between the church of Pergamum and Thyatira.  They tolerated a woman He called Jezebel.  Jezebel in the Old Testament called herself a prophetess.  A prophetess brings a message from God, but her message was a false one.  She was the wife of King Ahab.  She was wicked and taught sexual immorality and eating of food sacrificed to idols making Israel turn from God.  You can learn more about Jezebel in 1 Kings 16, 19 and 2 Kings 9. 

Jesus said He had given her time to repent, but she was unwilling.  He said He would soon punish her.  He would cause her suffering and strike her children dead.  These children could be her children or her followers.  God is patient, but He will not tolerate sin forever.  Jesus knows the hearts and minds and will repay each according to their deeds. 

Comparing verse 19 and 23 we learn that Jesus knows everything – our deeds, our love and faith, our service and how we persevere.  He also searches our hearts and minds and will repay each of us according to our deeds.

Jesus encouraged the believers in Thyatira.  He would not put any others burdens on them.  They are to hold on to what they have until He comes.  This will be His second coming.  That will be a great and wonderful day.  There will be a great reward for all believers.  Believers will have authority over the nations and will share in His power.  True Christians will share the rule and authority with Christ and will share His glory.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” – Rev. 2:29.  Not only does the church at Thyatira need to listen to the Spirit, but we do as well.

Principle:  Jesus knows the hearts and minds and will repay each according to their deeds.

Revelation 3:1-6 – The Church In Sardis, The dead church

John wrote to the church at Sardis telling them that these are the words of Jesus who holds the   7 spirits of God and the 7 stars.  What are these 7 spirits?   The 7 spirits of God are the work of the Spirit in the churches.  The stars are the angels over the churches.  This all means that Jesus looks after the 7 churches. 

Jesus knew their deeds and that they had a reputation of being alive, but they were dead.  They once had strong faith, but over time their faith had become weak.  This is like some churches today.  Faith became weak over time.  It was a slow process and no one saw it coming.  The church seemed to be full of life, but Jesus knew it was dead.

Deeds are your actions or your works.  What do deeds have to do with our relationship with the Lord? 

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Eph. 2:8-10.  James 2:14-26 tells us “… faith without deeds is dead.”  The Sardis church heard the Word of God, but didn’t do anything with it.

Jesus told them to “wake up” and strengthen what remains and what was about to die.  They needed to be aware of what was happening.  They needed to be ready for His return.  He commanded them to remember what they have been taught and heard.  They must come back to the Lord and obey His Word.  They must repent.  If they don’t wake up, He will come and not announce His coming.  He will deal with them and they will be judged.

People today don’t live like Christians should.   Like the church in Sardis, they only play church.  Their beliefs make no difference to their lives.  Jesus gave promises to those who stand firm and who are victorious in Him.  They would walk with Jesus dressed in white; God would never blot their names out of the book of life; Jesus would acknowledge their names before God the Father and His angels.

What is the book of life?  God has a book of life.  In it are the names of every person written before the foundation of the world.  If your name remains in the book, you will all go to heaven.  If you don’t accept Jesus as your Savior, your name will be blotted out of the book.  If your name is blotted out of this book, you cannot go to heaven.  We will see more about this book in Revelation 13, 17, and 20. 

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” – Rev. 3:6.

Principle:  If you don’t accept Jesus as your Savior, your name will be blotted out of the book of life.

Next week we will study about the church in Philadelphia and Laodicea.  --  I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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